Storing foods?

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Hi!

A friend just told me about this place and suggested I come here to find out about how best to store non-perishable foods. We live in lower Alabama where the winters are pretty mild and the summers long, hot and humid.

We've always had a lot of canned goods but these last couple of months we've become concerned that there might be a depression next year and want to expand our food supply. I guess I also need to know what to buy or at least how to figure it out for myself.

Can anyone suggest some good books?

G.

-- Greta Hanson (greta@netscape.net), December 13, 1999

Answers

There's two books that I recommend you get before any others.

The first is Putting Food By. It has the best information on home-canning, food drying and related topics I've ever found. A friend tells me to get an older copy for the best meat curing information but the newest for the best canning information.

The second book we got a couple of weeks ago is Alan T. Hagan's, The Prudent Pantry. He tells you how to store just about any food you can think of, why you should do it that way and how to tell if it's spoiled. He's got a lot of great information on water, sanitation and other stuff as well but the food storage info is why we got it.

He's got a web site where you can find ordering information at http://www.providenceco-op.com. Sorry I don't know HTML well enough to make it a hot link.

Get those two books and you've got just about everything you need.

Bob - posting from work so can't give my e-mail address.

-- Bob (bob@no.loss.for.words), December 13, 1999.


Order a copy of The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. http://www.carlaemery.com/Orders.htm

LINK



-- walt (longyear@shentel.net), December 13, 1999.


Another excellent book is Making the Best of Basics by James Talmage Stevens. I believe Countryside sells it in their bookstore on-line. The most important thing I believe is as James Talmage says and I have heard others say is store only what you will eat and eat what you store. Be sure to date and rotate your pantry items. I bought some food grade storage buckets from Stor-tight who advertise in Countryside magazine and who also have a website - Stor-tight.com I believe. I'm very pleased with the buckets.

-- barbara (barbaraj@mis.net), December 13, 1999.

Another good book is called Root Cellaring--Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables by Mike and Nancy Bubel. Countryside bookstore has it or you may find it at the library.

-- Kathleen Roberts (KathleenRoberts@webtv.net), December 20, 1999.

Just noticed your question. You have me confused by claiming that your canned goods only last a couple of months. I have had canned veggies last for 10 years, although the "experts" claim a lesser viability. There is no way anything should go bad in less than a few years unless you did something wrong! Get back to me, and let's compare notes! Good Luck! Brad

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), February 13, 2000.


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