Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
When you read about what to stockpile for an emergency, you tend to see the same recommendations. Water tops every list, and rightly so since water is essential for survival.
In terms of food, however, rice, beans, pasta, and canned vegetables show up frequently as staples to have on hand. Then, you usually see sugar, flour, and other long-lasting foods. These are good options, but many other choices are often overlooked.
Here is a list of foods and ingredients that offer a long shelf life as well as nutrition that you will need in an emergency scenario.
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1. Bouillon Cubes
Bouillon cubes are more important than most people realize. They last indefinitely, they take up very little space, and they can make a pot of stew taste about ten times better, in my opinion.
2. Canned Pink Salmon
Canned pink salmon offers a shelf life of up to six years when stored unopened in a cool, dark pantry. The fish is filling and offers healthy omega-3 fatty acids in a high-quality protein form. A USDA study found that there were slightly higher levels of two omega-3 acids in canned pink salmon than there were in fresh salmon.
3. Cocoa Powder
Everybody takes chocolate for granted, but did you know that in the near future, it could become a rare delicacy? Chocolate consumption is increasing faster than cocoa production. Pretty soon, people might only get to enjoy chocolate during the holidays.
The good news is that cocoa powder can last for decades when stored properly. Although no one needs a cup of hot chocolate to survive the collapse of society, it certainly doesn’t hurt.
4. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and is able to withstand high cooking temperatures (such as over a fire in a survival situation). It routinely has a shelf life of more than two years, and you can use it as a replacement for butter in baking and cooking.
Coconut oil also has many other purposes in an emergency scenario, including as a skin moisturizer, as a healing balm, and as a hair product.
5. Dehydrated Fruit
Offering a range of healthy vitamins and nutrients as well as calories, most dehydrated fruits will store well for up to five years. And there are plenty of options besides raisins and dates. Try dried cranberries, figs, dried cherries, dried apricots, banana chips, dried mangoes, dried blueberries, and dried plums.
You can dry fruits in your oven, in a dehydrator, or even out in the sunlight. For best results, remove and replace store packaging with mylar bags or other air-tight containers.
6. Dehydrated Veggies
You know about stockpiling canned veggies, but did you know dehydrated carrots can last up to 20 years under proper conditions? And dried corn can have a 10-year shelf life. If you’ve never dehydrated fruit or veggies before, check out our beginner’s guide to dehydrating food.
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7. Garbanzo Beans
These beans are flavorful, protein-rich, and inexpensive. They’re also called chickpeas, and in their dry form, they have a shelf life of up to 30 years or even more.
8. Jerky
Eating dehydrated meat in the form of jerky is a good way to get protein in an emergency situation. Jerky takes up little space in your pantry and stores well for long periods. You can make your own jerky from a variety of meats in your oven or dehydrator or even over a fire. Check out this delicious beef jerky recipe.
9. Jello
Here’s another one that isn’t crucial for surviving a grid-down disaster, but it’d still be nice to have. Don’t underestimate the importance of comfort foods. They give you something to look forward to and create a sense of normalcy that makes coping with a major disaster just a little bit easier.
Jello powder has an indefinite shelf life, and it doesn’t take much space, so stock up.
10. Kamut
Kamut is another nutritious grain to consider for your stockpile. It is easy to digest and provides more energy than regular wheat. This ancient grain contains up to 40 percent more protein than modern wheat, and it is richer in zinc, magnesium, selenium, and healthy fatty acids. Its high lipid content has given it the nickname of the “high-energy grain.”
11. Lentils
High in protein, lentils boost energy and support healthy digestion. You do not need to pre-soak dried lentils, so they are easier to prepare and gentler on your water supply than other beans. Best of all, whole lentils (as opposed to split ones) will store well for up to five years in air-tight containers.
12. Maple Syrup
Can you imagine making a stack of pancakes from scratch only to realize you don’t have any maple syrup? Yes, you can eat them without syrup, but it’s just not the same. Maple syrup is another comfort food that makes life after the collapse a little more bearable.
13. Millet
Millet is an affordable, nutritious, and filling alternative to wheat and rice. It’s also a good option for people who must avoid gluten. Millet contains vitamin B, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and healthy fats. It also offers protein and dietary fiber.
14. Nut Butters
Calorie-dense and easy to store, peanut butter makes many pantry lists for preppers, but don’t neglect the benefits of other nut butters.
Two kinds of butter that are good choices for both nutrition and long-term storage are sun butter (made from sunflower seeds) and almond butter. They are quick and easy sources of energy and nutrition.
15. Nuts and Seeds
Portable and tasty, nuts and seeds are a great survival food. Try hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, as well as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and alfalfa seeds.
Nuts and seeds are susceptible to heat and humidity, however, and will go rancid without proper storage methods. Here are some tips for storing nuts and seeds in your pantry.
16. Pemmican
Pemmican has been called the ultimate survival food. Invented by Native North Americans and traditionally made of venison or buffalo, pemmican is low-fat dried meat (traditionally dried over a fire) that is mixed with fat and berries and then pressed into biscuit-sized shapes.
When prepared properly, pemmican can last up to 50 years! Here’s how to make your own pemmican.
17. Powdered Eggs
Eggs are a crucial ingredient for so many recipes. But if you don’t have chickens, then whatever eggs you’ve stored won’t last for long. The solution is to use powdered eggs instead. Although they don’t taste great on their own, they make a decent substitute for regular eggs in most recipes.
Note: Stay away from scrambled egg mixes as they’re more expensive but not any better than regular powdered eggs.
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18. Powdered Milk
As with eggs, you can only store so much. If you don’t drink your entire supply of milk within a few weeks, it will all go bad. The solution is powdered milk, which can last a surprisingly long time when stored in the right conditions.
I’ll be honest, a glass of milk made from water and powdered milk doesn’t taste great, but it’s better than nothing if you’re eating cereal, and it works great in most recipes that call for milk.
19. Protein Bars
Why protein bars? In many disaster scenarios, you could find yourself doing lots of manual labor—making repairs, chopping up trees, working in the garden, and so forth. If that happens, don’t just rely on high-carb foods. They may give you a quick burst of energy, but it usually won’t last long.
Be sure you also eat plenty of protein to help your muscles recover faster. Be warned, if you get the kind with chocolate, they will melt all over the place if you don’t keep them in a cool environment.
20. Quinoa
Nicknamed the “mother of all grains” by the ancient Incas, quinoa contains eight grams of protein per cup and offers eight essential amino acids. You can store uncooked quinoa in air-tight containers in your pantry for months.
21. Tomatoes
Canned tomatoes are a natural for the emergency pantry. You can use them in soups, stews, and sauces. Whether you are storing your home-grown tomatoes or store-bought ones, it is important to check tomato containers frequently in the pantry for spoilage. Here’s a video that explains how to can tomatoes.
22. Vanilla Extract
Here’s another ingredient that can last forever. While it’s not very crucial, I think vanilla extract is important to have anyway as it can greatly enhance the taste of cookies, pancakes, and other baked goods.
23. Yeast
While you can make bread without yeast, it’s usually not as good. If you want the classic, delicious, home-baked bread, you gotta have some yeast on hand. The cool thing about yeast is that you can keep it going indefinitely by adding flour and water every now and then.
Food Storage Tips
Now that we’ve listed some items to include in your pantry, let’s go over some other emergency pantry tips.
- Do have a hand-operated can opener available? Your countertop one won’t do you much good when the power is out.
- Don’t forget the water. Plan to store at least a couple gallons of water per family member per day.
- Include foods that your family enjoys on a daily basis. During a stressful situation, it is wise to have familiar foods on hand to lower everyone’s stress levels.
- Don’t forget your pets and livestock. Store enough animal food and water to meet their basic needs in a crisis.
- Remember to include food and other necessities for your infant and toddler in your emergency pantry.
- Don’t be caught in the dark. Keep flashlights, batteries, matches, and candles in an easy-to-find location. If your pantry is in your basement or a dark closet, keeping these items in or near the pantry is a good idea.
- Check your food storage on a regular basis, rotating them into your regular meals and replacing them with fresh ones as necessary. While most of the items on our list have a long shelf life, it is crucial to look for any problems that could occur during storage due to heat, sunlight, moisture, or insect infestation.
- Don’t lose track of what you have stored. Use a notebook or a computer spreadsheet to note the items and the dates they go into storage. Follow the FIFO rule (First In, First Out), noting changes in your inventory when the items rotate out.
Finally, building up an emergency food supply can seem rather daunting and even depressing at first. It also can be expensive to think about purchasing these items all at once.
Don’t feel like you have to get it all done right away. You can build up your food supply gradually on a week-by-week basis. If there is a sale on something at the supermarket or if you have a bounty from your garden, you can eat some now and put some aside for storage. Then add more items as you go.
Also, if you are short on space, don’t feel you need to have a special room set aside for your emergency food supply. Many people are able to stock items well on high closet shelves or in plastic storage bins under dressers, sofas, or dressers, and many other places.
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Mormon families were prepping before the idea of prepping was even thought of. They are logical preppers. They prepare for bad weather; earthquakes and a potential six month job layoff.
Mormons and Amish families are pacifists. During world war 2; the agriculture Dept. gave away vegetable seeds. civilians were asked to plant Victory gardens. So farmers could sell their crops to the
Military. Mormons and Amish people taught people how to home can the food they grew. It was their way of contributing to the war effort.
Bob’s red mill sells organic Kamut; lentils, Millet and quinoa. You can find them at wal mart.
I don’t recall ever trying it, but I’ve heard a bit of coffee whitener (like coffee mate) improves the flavor of nonfat dry milk.
When we were young,, first married and broke lol, I learned that I could use coffee creamer as a substitute for milk in instant mashed potatoes. Freaked my mother in law out when she saw me do that lol!
Thanks
Don’t forget to add to your pantry Seasonings, without them food will taste like crap. Plus salt used to be used as currency in Victorian times. PopTarts, Lard, Pasta Sauces, jars of popcorn or jiffy pop, Nesquick powder,
Any suggestions for long term food storage for people that have special diet requirements; diabetes, anti-inflammatory. Do you know if any sugar replacers can be stored long-term? Maybe dates? What about almond and coconut flour? This is a genuine request. Things like rice, potatoes, pasta, and beans are out. Thanks.
Thank you for writing a LOGICAL prepper article.I wish that that “Doomsday prepper” tv show had never been released.They give logical preppers a bad name.Preparing for Hurricanes and blizzards makes sense. the odds on aN EMP attack happening are possibly astronomical. The odds on a Zombie outbreak’re probably just as high.
Just last week ( week of May 10, 2021 ), there was a cyber attack on the Central Pipeline which runs from the southern United States up the east coast. Ransomeware was installed on their computer programs, and the oil ceased to flow, disrupting the availability of gasoline to hundreds of thousands of people who need their vehicles to exist. People sat in lines for hours to try and buy gas, and the prices of fuel went up to over $3.00 per gallon. By the end of the week, nearly every gas station was completely out of gas. Central Pipeline paid nearly 4.5 million dollars to have their software released so they could re-start the flow of oil again. The same thing can happen to the flow of electric, gas and water as well. So a EMP is not the only threat these days of cyber attacks by people that are so very difficult to find.
On the other hand, a coronal mass ejection is not an IF, but a when, and how long will the event last. Right now as I type this earth is experiencing a G-1 level coronal mass ejection. As we enter into a new eleven-year cycle of increased solo activity and considering that it has been 100 years this May 14th since an X-category coronal mass ejection hit earth, setting fires, shorting out telephone and telegraph service and interrupting railroad activities with warped tracks, it really makes sense to me to prepare for more than just a hurricane or snowstorm
Originally it was thought that X category coronal mass ejections occurred on an approximately 100 year cycle. The discovery of additional data in a library in Japan has caused folks who study such to conclude that a 50-year cycle is more likely. We dodged a huge X category CME in 2012. Had it been three days later earth would have been tried in an event that would have been bigger than the Carrington event.
Again, it is not a question of if but a question of when and how big.
It is really hard for my ancient eyes, even corrected to read the grayed out type of responses before they are posted.
To correct some errata that I missed when proofreading: eleven year cycle of increased SOLAR activity
May 15th, 1921 was the date of the last CME to have significant impact on earth.
Had it been three days later the earth would have been FRIED in an event.
What’s a good brand for airtight containers?
Go to walmart. Talk to their bakery and deli clerks. They get stuff in 5 Gall. and smaller food grade buckets.They will give them to you. Buy Gama seal lids from Home depot. They’ll fit 5 Gall. and 7 Gall buckets. those lids have built in screw caps.
The Walmart here doesn’t give the buckets away. They sell the 5 gallon and a smaller bucket I think that is 3 gallons for a dollar per lid and bucket
which isn’t to bad a price
.
The buckets also have a smell in them from whatever was in them ( I think most of the buckets had frosting in them) that I haven’t been able to get out.
Try filling them with water with some white vinegar and ley dial, that usual Ku Dora the trick.
Sorry, autocorrect hates me *that usually does the trick 😅
Rossy, what is “ley dial” and “Ky Dora”? Thank you
Great info! I, like others posting here, have most of these items in our “kits” there are a few more that I can add such as Kamut. Beef/Turkey jerky is not something I had thought of keeping i my pantry, but might just do it now!! (Thanks!!)As to the Tuna Fish….always loved this stuff anyhow and will add it back to my pantry!!
Look up Bob’s red mill.com. They sell Organic Whole grains like Quinoa;millet, and kamut.
This is an excellent starter list. Thanks for the reminders. I also store canned black beans and since tomatoes are almost impossible to grow in the PacNW, I have tomato powder.
Oh my gosh, I never knew that!!! Why are tomatoes so difficult to grow in the Pacific Northwest?
Short colder growing season
Already have most of those in my Arsenal
And don’t forget that for you lucky people in the USA have a great source for a lot of these foods at very economical prices. Namely the bulk warehouse sale centres of the church of the later day saints or commonly known as mormons. (I’m unsure what the correct name is but it can be googled). I looked at their website and they have a lot of these listed items already packed in #10 tins. Unfortunately where I live they don’t have warehouse sale centres.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ❤️
If you do a little research, you’ll find that nearly “all” survival food sites are Mormon owned. It’s all part of their preparation for what is about to come. Follow their lead and prepare. I’m not a Mormon, just a Christian that believes the word of God and I am trying to be prepared.
Tomatoes really hate having their leaves rained on a lot and they like very warm soil. The PNW has a marine climate–cold and wet–with about 12 weeks of summer weather.
You can grow short season tomatoes, but to lengthen their growing season, stretch some plastic sheeting over the plants to protect them from getting too wet early on.
Or move or get tomato powder.
BTW, two very useful books are the popular Square Foot Garden series and the less well known Humanure.
Having a good stock of water, food, pet food, and medical supplies as well aa a propane stove, extra propane, cleaning supplies, and gasoline and a generator enabled us to live pretty comfortably compared to most in our area. Southwest Louisiana, last summer in the aftermath of HurricaneLaura. We endured a week with NO running water, and over 3 weeks in the heat and humidity of August in the south, and then again a few weeks later when a SECOND Hurricane hit in the same place. Being prepared enabled us to eat well, have electricity by generator, and to stay in our home! In the middle of a pandemic! I would add to your list potato flakes and milk /almond milk in vacuum sealed containers and protein powder. My latest discovery is coconut milk powder.
Quinoa, millet, sunflower seeds and even garbanzo beans included here can be grown as well as eatten. I experimented with some soup mixture I bought containing peas and beans, and both sprouted nicely.i even grew a few garbanzos! Could be useful if there’s a long term crisis.
Hopefully people will have some seeds in their preps for growing anyway.
I pray that my family and i are able to make it through the coming events. God Bless You. Looking for a survival community. Strength in numbers.
What city are you near Larry. I’m near Roanoke,VA