What NOT to Store in your Food Storage

 

Like many of you, I have been looking for information online, read plenty of books and blogs, watched videos, and spoken with a few people on food and emergency food storage, and a lot of research on home canning.  What I have found is there is plenty of information available regarding what food and items you should have in your food storage;  It is much harder to find  information on what you should NOT store.                                                           

Below, I copied the information off of the website of Utah State University Cooperative Website on what food items you should NOT store.  Click here for a link to their website.

1. Home Canned Butter, especially unsalted, canned butter. (Why - unsalted canned butter has NO protection from botulism, slated, home canned butter has no science-based process to can safely)
2. Petroleum jelly covered raw eggs. (Why - there is No protection from microbial contamination.  This is a major foodborne illness risk)
3. Milled Grains (Whole wheat flour, Cornmeal, Cereal, Granola) (Why - quality deterioration)
4. Oily Grains or Seeds (Nuts, Brown rice, Pearled barley, Sesame seeds) (Why - quality deterioration)
5. Home canned Quick Breads (why - these foods are not safe for home canning) 

 There are plenty of alternatives for the items listed above. 

• As an alternative to storing home canned butter, consider buying "Ghee" which is clarified butter.  You can find Ghee in the specialty aisle of most grocery stores, at Indian or Asian Grocery Stores. 
• Another alternative to storing home canned butter is powdered butter.  You can find a source for powdered butter here.  Powdered butter has a storage life of 3 to 5 years.  
• You can also find powdered eggs at Augason Farms.  If you prefer, you can also buy margarine powder.

• An alternative to storing petroleum jelly covered egg, consider buying powdered, pasteurized eggs. (Click here for an online source.)  Honeyville Grain also has a product called "Ova Eggs" that are crystallized eggs that are very good. You can visit their online store by clicking here.

• Instead of storing milled grains, consider buying whole grains and corn and investing in a grinder; either a hand mill grinder or if you prefer, an electric grinder.  (I have both in case of electrical outage, I would still be able to grind my wheat and grains.)

When storing food, you want to ensure the money, time and effort you have spent is safe, stores well, and will be there when you need it!