Storing food in the right conditions is key to enjoying them for a longer time and preventing wastage of food and money. It is also quite possible to store food without a fridge/freezer, and this includes items that people have been led to believe must be refrigerated.
This is good news for preppers who don’t like to be reliant on electricity. Contrary to what some people believe, some foods actually keep fresher, last longer and taste better when they are not refrigerated. The ability to keep food fresh without a fridge will be a bonus when SHTF.
Butter
Butter does not need to be kept in the fridge, especially if it is salted butter. It contains a high percentage of fat with very little water. This means it is not a substance where bacteria readily grows.
However, the fat content is susceptible to going rancid and needs to be kept in a cool place (not the fridge) to keep fresh for up to one year.
Related: How To Make Clarified Butter With 12-Month Shelf Life
It is also a good idea to store the butter in an opaque container with a lid to prevent light from deteriorating it. An even better option is to can butter for a 3-year shelf-life with no refrigeration.
Eggs
Fresh farm eggs can be kept for up to 9 months or longer outside of a fridge, if kept in the right conditions.
It is important to use fresh farm eggs as the natural, protective coating has not been washed off, and they have not been refrigerated (once refrigerated, keep refrigerated).
Any soiling can be wiped off with a dry soft cloth. One method to keep eggs fresh is to turn them over 3 times a week in their boxes or trays.
⇒ Learn How To Keep Eggs Fresh For At Least A Decade
Another method is to wipe the shell with vaseline or mineral oil to seal the shell so that bacteria can’t get in, and moisture can’t get out.
Canned Foods
Some people store their canned foods in damp, warm places in direct sunlight. Moisture, heat and light are the enemies of long term canned food storage.
A damp garage or basement will cause the cans to corrode which will leave the canned foods at risk of becoming contaminated through the tiny holes that appear in the can when corroded. Canned food must be kept cool as warm temperatures result in a shorter shelf life. This means not storing them in warm, kitchen cupboards.
Cheese
This is another favorite that tastes better if kept out of the fridge. Hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan etc. are preserved already and do not need to be put in a fridge. Store these types of cheese in cool, dark places.
Related: Grandma’s Homemade Fresh Cheese
Cheese needs to breathe so it should not be kept in plastic as this actually dries out the cheese. Prior to storage, the cheese needs to be wiped over with white vinegar, wrapped in cheesecloth, double wrapped in parchment or freezer paper and then sealed with some tape.
Lettuce And Other Produce
Most produce is sold in single use plastic bags and may stay that way when the shopper gets home. All produce needs to breathe, and plastic does not allow this to happen.
Produce will rot more quickly if the contents are not taken out of the plastic bag.
They also need to be stored in cool, dry, dark conditions for increased shelf life.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter shouldn’t be refrigerated because it becomes too hard to spread on bread. It is better kept in the pantry. It is also better to keep the jar upside down to allow the separated fluids to seep back into the peanut butter.
This keeps the peanut butter mixed and will stop the need for stirring it before use. It is worth noting that only clean utensils should be used so as to prevent bacteria from contaminating the contents.
Potatoes
Potatoes and other root vegetables are another no-no for the fridge. This is because the cold temperature turns the starch into sugar which affects the taste, texture and longevity of the potatoes.
Potatoes are best stored unwashed in dry, cool, dark places such as a root cellar.
⇒ Cheap And Easy Way To Build A Root Cellar In Your Backyard
They should be in breathable containers such as burlap sacks or perforated paper bags etc. Potatoes and onions must not be stored together as each of them gives off gasses that will make the potato rot and the onion to sprout and develop mold.
Pasta And Other Dried Foods
Pasta and other dried foods need to be stored in cool, dry places that are not exposed to sunlight.
The habit of having these types of food in close proximity to the stove will shorten their lifespan. Heat and moisture from the stove will quickly deteriorate pasta, causing mold to develop.
Flour
Flour bought in a paper bag from the store needs to be repackaged into airtight containers or canned.
Related: How to Can Flour for SHTF
This is because the paper bag cannot protect the flour from sources of moisture that will cause flour to mold.
Flour should be kept in cool, dry, dark places such as a root cellar. For ultra long storage, it is better to store whole grains in usable portions that can be ground into flour as it is needed.
Fruit And Vegetables
It is better to keep fruit and vegetables separate because of the detrimental effects of ethylene gas in causing fruits and vegetables to decay quickly. Generally speaking, fruits, when they are ripening, give off a lot of ethylene gas.
Vegetables on the other hand are quite ethylene sensitive and so should not be stored near fruits. Different fruits also need to be kept apart from each other so as to slow down the ripening process.
In general, vegetables can be stored together, but this does not include potatoes and onions. Bell peppers, berries, citrus fruits and pineapples can be stored with any fruit or vegetable.
Storing food in the correct containers and conditions will ensure you get the longest possible shelf life. Not having a fridge is not such a big deal. Plenty of food items that people routinely put in the fridge actually do better at room temperature (or a cool root cellar).
Refrigeration is not always required, and in some cases causes the food item to lose flavor, texture and to decay more quickly. This is great news for preppers who prefer to live off-grid.
Food, what can you say.
Can’t live without it.
Well, I have a problem and it has hair on it. A big ass rat that has infiltrated my storage room and my home. Noticed some carpet that was being shredded up by my storage room door, so I brought my little dog over where it was and told him NO stop tearing up this. so later that day I saw some more ripped up and then I thought that there is something else going on here.
Then I saw it, some crumbs, then I saw the package was chewed up.
Got me some rodents. So, I set a glue trap out and came home for lunch and found that the glue trap was gone and still have not found that dirty rat… LOL…
I just might have to get my gun out and try and find this rat, but if it can drag it’s self-off connected to that glue trap and other things that it got stuck to, it must be a big one. I might have to get my bear trap out of the shed to get this one. LOL
AND if that does not work. I am going full all-out war on its ass. Gillie suit, gas mask and 50 cal. lol, just kidding…
I will be victorious in this battle of the RAT.
It can be a hard thing to do, is to keep your food supplies safe and free from destruction. It’s not just one thing, it’s many things that can come in and destroy your food storage.
Laziness
Time
Light
Moisture
Heat
Cold
Bugs
Critters
and the worst thing that can destroy anything and everything, is People
PS: NO food NO life…
stay sharp
God Bless you for this comment Red Ant, haven’t laughed this hard in long time! Great storytelling right there.
would love an update on the RAT quest
we had them come in through our basement we tried every trap we could find and then tried filling a large garbage can with water about 2/3 full and then put bacon grease around the inside rim – the idea was that they would go for the bacon smell and fall in and couldn’t get out – yeah good intentions 
but it didn’t work – we had to get professionals to trap them. Good luck!
Chris
No update yet on the Rat, but if you have a problem with mice or rats again. Take corn bread mix and about three to four tablespoons of baking powder and mix together and place it in a bowl where the rodents are coming in at.
The deal is that the corn bread mix attracts them, and the baking soda is what kills them.
Remember a mouse or a rat cannot (Fart or Burp), so it just swells up and pops or just dies.
I cannot try this method, because my rat is in my house. So, I do not want it to go off and die somewhere I cannot get to.
Funny I have a wild cat, that I could let in my room and see if it can catch it, but I was thinking that it would be funny to come home and find the cat skinned and on a spicket over a fire getting cooked as a dinner for the rat. lol
But it will kill the rodents and will not harm anything else. good luck.
stay sharp
A dish of Coke-Cola will do the same thing. We had some rats and after drinking the coke, some would come out and be totally “out of it” due to the carbonation. I actually picked up a screwdriver walked over and whacked it on the head. Unfortunately another died out of sight and the smell was horrible. Finally found it and removed it.
You have to tilt the trashcan and rest it on a chair. Then take books and make steps going up to the tllted can. Tiltthe can inly to the point when the rat goes in it will stand straight up. It worked for me but no water was used and I used peanut butter or cheese at the top step and in the can.
sorry: CHRIS
UPDATE on my post to Chris; for getting rid of Mice and Rats with Corn bread mix and baking soda, (not baking powder) …
(One box corn bread mix and three to four tablespoons of baking soda) …
sorry for the mix up.
stay sharp
Bless you Red Ant. I don’t have a rat problem, I have mice in my attic, but that is where they stay. None in the house. I use glue traps also and had the same problem one time being carried away ?. So I got this brilliant idea?. I used a small screw and screed the trap down. Bingo, it worked but was a pain in the butt using screws. I now use packing tape. I use about a 8” to 10” piece and fold the two ends to meet so the sticky part is out and then stick it to the trap and the wood. Works great. However, you may need to use acres as RATS ? are much bigger and stronger . Also when rats die the smell much, much worse than mice. Almost t the point where you really don’t smell mice as they decompose. Some times I lucky to catch 2 or 3 mice on one trap ?. But it a never ending battle. Can you say fast reproduction and inbreeding. Good luck. By the way, rodents are nocturnal.
I had the sticky trap disappearance problem well. I punched a hole in the trap and tied a piece of string on it so I could retrieve it if the rodent skated away with it.
Funny I had it taped to a plastic box and the box was still there but nothing else was there, it was gone, still looking. That Dirty Rat… lol
O’ and I have a one rat problem, not a rat problem. Left uncontrolled it could very easily turn in to a rat infestation.
stay sharp
Sorry for the grammatical & spelling errors in my last post. Didn’t proofread ??. You get the gist of it though I’m sure.
red ant, we used to use glue traps at one of my duty stations, and the rats would get one or two feet stuck and then drag the trap to a hidden location, where they often got stuck and died of thirst, and we would end up with very “stinky situation” that was often under cargo pallets, in a wall, or even an overhead.
For my personal use, I recommend the standard snap-traps, baited with peanut butter, but you need to securely tie or wire them to something the rat can’t move, or you may end up with a “stinky situation”. Occasionally a rat will get into my garage and then I use the snap-traps with peanut butter for bait, but put it under a plastic soda crate with a weight on top to keep my dogs out, but the rats can fit through the opening of the crate to get to the baited trap. Works great.
I must say… I needed that laugh, actually laughed out loud. But I live alone, so no one thought I’d lost it! lol Thanks again f or that laugh. I live in a 5th wheel and haven’t had any critters in it r my ‘basement’. But if I were you, I’d keep that bear trap handy…(chuckle)
You are being tested my son…RAT tested
Construct a small box that will Hold a large rat trap fairly tight dimensions. The trap should be set in the back,\. Next with dishing lin ( 1 strand) balance a glue trap at the inside top. The Rat will have to travel the ligth of the bos to get to te PB. when te trap is sprung the glue trap will fall and you have him in 2 holds.
So sorry about the rat. Had one almost 45 years ago when we lived in a house trailer. We left a large loaf of bread on the table, all we found was a trail of crumbs going into the bathroom around the plumbing. I was 8 months pregnant and wanted it GONE! We were young and dumb and hubby put poison out, it was December and cold. Turned out to be 8 rats and onr died in insulation under the trailer. He had a terrible time getting it out, it got just warm enough to stink… eww. A neighbor down the road didn’t take good care of disposing garbage and infested the neighborhood. Seriously, in a SHTF scenario, people won’t bury their garbage right and rats will be a terrible problem.
Amazon sells something called a Rat Zapper that takes D batteries. It electrocutes varmin super fast, they never know what hit them. We were infested with chipmunks that were destroying our garden this summer, and 14 are gone, and 3 red squirrels and a grey squirrel. $50 or close to that and it was worth it, they drove us nuts for years.
Please do not use glue traps, you might think it’s a good solution but rats are living creatures and don’t deserve that cruel death.
Food can come from many resources : if you will eat it
Water is the main staple of life
3-7 day s water
40-60 food
Great article and thoughts and comments
Really appreciate the other perspectives
and backgrounds for these perspectives
People should buy a freeze right dryer
I do agree Radical changes, but again the cost is like trying to get a car loan. They are expensive. But yes, every prepper, needs one of these machines. I have freeze dried food and love it.
stay sharp
5k or so
I also recommend a 50 beowolf
YES, we love our Harvest Right Freeze Drier and it did not cost me anywhere near 5K. It was more like 2K and a half or so. And that was for the middle-sized one with pump with oil in it. Works like a charm most of the time, and the food is so concentrated in flavor, you’ll think you died and went to heaven!! SO YUMMY!
Modern home design isn’t friendly to preppers. Rarely, is there adequate storage, sufficient in size and in good locations to hold daily supplies let alone extended supplies to hunker down for any period of time. If you are fortunate enough to live in an older home, say pre WW2, you more than likely have a large kitchen pantry, an expansive root cellar that can be accessed through a door in the basement, and enclosed porch which can function as an extra refrigerator- freezer the wintertime. Unfortunately, many foods are stored wrong simply because there is no proper place to put them in today’s modern home.
Very true city chick.
Love old, old, homes
My self I’m looking to find one of the old homes you talked about. I have found some, but they want a fortune, and it will take a fortune to rebuild one. But I have found some that I can go in and remodel them myself and have an old home with a basement and an old water well and an Susteren and out house and a red ant bead in the yard and all the cool things that I would love to have in an old home. 1860 would be a good year. I am still looking, and I will find a gem somewhere.
stay sharp
I devised a plow blade to my rascal scooter and dug a trench in the yard. I lined the ditch with a blue tarp. I then dumped 1200 bags of Doritos in the hole and I covered it back up.. I added those desiccant pouches to keep it all fresh. And some moth balls.. but My biggest concern in dip, salsa etc im going to fill a 50 gal drum with my sour cream and chives and then bury it. I’ll be set for life.
Antifreeze will kill just about anything, including wood rot (like on the margins of a repair…just paint on some antifreeze and further rot won’t happen).
Put a small container like an empty cat food can 1/4 full of antifreeze in a place where your pets can’t get to it. The sweet taste is irresistible and they go off somewhere to die.
Griffin
On January 26, 2013.
The antifreeze does not taste sweet any more they added a bitter fluid to the formula, for that reason, it was sweet but now it has a very, very, nasty taste that nothing that is livening, can drink it.
stay sharp
I enjoy and appreciate these articles about food preservation, dark, cool, dry areas …. however … living in the Great State of Arizona … where do you find cool? Oh northern Arizona, where jobs and incomes are scarce, is cool. But living in the deserts, without acreage to dig a root cellar … finding cool is nearly impossible. If you have the space, to dig a root cellar, you are digging through mostly rock, though then you can find cool, but then dry is hard to find. It just so happens, that the desert holds onto moisture below the surface …
Why we live here is for the late Autumn, Winter, and early Spring … and few natural disasters save for drought, which has been affecting the state for over 30 years, and floods, which for some reason has little effect on the drought … go figure.
One positive, is no water heater is required if you place the water lines close enough to the surface, as during the summer, that water coming out of the shower (especially during the first minute of the water being turned on is scalding.
look in the mirror first.
at least raven has posted something worth reading at times.
YOU, nothing but vomit against someone you do not even know.
Bitch List. LMAO at you, a list, what a joke. Got anything better than that. How old are you, what 8 or 9 yrs. old. goof ball, in a nice way of saying.
Again, survival web site. Not a cry web site.
Not rats but mice! We have mice that move in every winter try a 5 gallon bucket put a small amount of dog food in and prop your broom handle against the top the mice go after the dog food and get stuck because they can’t jump high enough to get out. I caught 17 in one night was surprised that it worked so well. I carry them out to a field where I know that the hawks hunt and let them loose give the hawks something eat.
I put out Tomcat mice and rat poison except inside my house because I have two indoor cats (there have been a few mice that found that entering the house was a bad idea). The poison cornes in a good size brick so the rodents can’t pack off with like they can with D-con. Don’t use the plastic housing that comes in the package, just lay out a generous number of bricks. I tried using D-con in pellets and most of it was packed off. Later I found it in my outdoor work shoes. They were storing it there for the winter. Sheesh! A lot of good that did!
If you’re worried about using poison, I’ve read that the little stinkers don’t like onions, so to put one by a hole you know they’re coming through. I . 1prefer my rodents dead!
I store all of my pee bottles in the cellar. Mason Glass jars, no plastic. A vast collection of amber, golden, bright yellow, and all shades in between. I reckon I got 300 bottles at least. You guys think I need to rotate them or don’t even worry about it?
Hello I hear that mineral oil is not good to use as it messes with mens t levels,
We have been using olive oil to coat our older eggs thinking its the best of the oils.
Best rat or mice killer. Any rodent pellets stuffed into marshmallows. Use indoors or outside. Works like a charm. Those pellets make critters very thirsty so a big flower pot saucer of water away from house. All my neighbors who asked got rid of pest. Subdivision surrounded by cane fields so Sept-Dec are full of all! Even works on raccoons!! KEEP YOUR PETS AWAY!!
I had a rat problem and read about a lady that put Pinesol on a rag that worked due to them not liking the smell. Well, it works! Been rat free ever since.
Friends have used Grampa Gus mouse determent with success in their camping trailers. They are just little packets that have a smell that mice don’t like.
YOUR BEING SENSORED , WATCHED , TRACKED AT THIS SITE