Picking Out Canned Foods And More

 Preparing for food shortages, emergencies, going some place were refrigerators don’t exist or canned ration living should include trying your canned foods out before you actually need to use them. Though it might be tempting to buy a case of a canned something or other on sale it is far wiser to know what your buying taste, nutritionally and food restriction wise before a large quantity of a food item is brought home. Doing you due diligence in taste testing canned foods before stocking up on anything will save you money and disappointing meals latter. You also don’t want to end up having to take what you can get because of your neighbors realizing there is a possible emergency or problem with the food and your stuck buying food you hate. I suggest picking a new canned food brand and product to try out once a week. If it meets your requirements for your diet and tastes good then consider adding it to your pantry.

  Before my family became Vegetarian we had some canned Corned Beef in the pantry we decided to cook. When I opened the can and poured the meat with congealed fat out in the pan I realized right then that perhaps this was not a product by that brand we would be replacing. The meat was not bad it however was so salty and greasy that no one liked it. I was very glad I had not bought more than one can of that brand’s Corn Beef. Not all brands or their canned recipes are created equal, so I strongly suggest you try out different brands to find out which ones you actually like. A chili from one brand or another might be tasteless, too spicy, or not spicy enough. 

Reading labels. Most of us are familiar with labels but there are a few things you should be mindful of these are ingredients, serving size, recommend daily allowances, calories and understanding certifications. When comparing brands it is important to look at serving size to figure out if one brand actually costs more or less, what the actual calories are between brands, and make sense out of the information. 

Don’t be afraid to try new foods, food products and cooking methods, but take small steps. This way you discover what you really want to be your emergency food and develop a recipe book for your canned and dry foods. When shopping for long storage ask your self if you lost power would it go bad (freezers are great but will not work without power), how are you going to cook without electricity, and  do you have a handheld can opener that works?

I have a barbecue, a fireplace, a smoker, a portable camp fire stove, and a backyard fire pit… I can boil water if the electricity or gas is shut off for hot water, I can cook on my porch or backyard. I have both power kitchen cooking tools and old school no power required but elbow grease kitchen tools. I have ice chests as well that I could add dry ice to and help keep food cold. 

I do not have my own generator yet but it is something I plan to add.

What about lighting? Lanterns, solar lights, flash lights, candles and so on are all super useful in no electricity conditions.

How do you plan to charge your phone? Solar? Back up temporary batteries?

Just a few thoughts when you start thinking about shelter in place situations but the power is out.