Canned Foods - Long Lasting Foods
Canned foods foods are a good survival and cooking helper foods. Some foods with the longest shelf life are canned. I will describe a variety of Canned food with longest shelf life in this blog.
Advantages:
- Ready-to-eat – easy and convenient
- Long shelf life (2-50 years)
- Easy to transport and store
- Preserved nutrients
- Do not require refrigeration
Disadvantages:
- More expensive than grains
- More heavy, if you need to travel
- Can go bad quickly if can is broken or damaged
- Often with added sodium, salt or sugar (look for those without it)
Canned foods are a great choice for emergency food supplies because they usually are ready-to-eat and do not require cooking. Canned food is also a long shelf life food.
In my personal opinion, canned foods are slightly less preferable choice than dry grains because canned foods are less healthy.
But, they make up for it with consumption convenience and quite long shelf life.
I used to keep a stash of canned food even in good times, when I was a student or when i worked 18-20 hours a day – easy to come home and eat without too much cooking. Just heat it up, add to a bowl of grains – and you have a meal.
Canned food also does not have to be refrigerated. In the event of emergency, all you have to do is to open and they are ready to eat.
Therefore, no fire or boiling is necessary. Excellent choice you have it move to another location.
Note: You should definitely stack on some canned foods in the event electricity or gas supply goes down for at least a week or two.
Note: 1. Check the expiration date. 3. Make sure to check the expiration date. 3. Do not forget to check the expiration date.
Canned foods can be easily eaten right from the can, or they can be additionally cooked or warmed up fr better taste. Canned foods can last for up to decades.
To preserve quality, store canned foods in cool, dry locations and use within one year of expiration date. Then you can buy newer ones.
If you keep canned food at about 75 degrees (F) it can last for years or even decades. Some canned military canned meat from 1960-1965 can still be eaten today because it is well-preserved in a vacuum non-oxygen environment where bacteria has practically zero chance of growing.
If you see that your cans are rusty, leaking, bulging or badly dented and with broken seals, then it is time to discard them.
Once this happens – there is a risk that can is compromised and food inside already went bad. Replace such cans with new ones. Do not store such cans – the food can go bad in them.
And definitely, do not eat out of cans in with such damage during the emergency.
I will mentioned several types of canned food to stockpile or just to keep at home for regular consumption when you are out of time to actually cook. Overall, canned food is a true survival food with long shelf life. But in regular times it can add additional flavor to your main dishes.
However, if you inspect cans and it looks like they are intact, then you need to clean them well and can use them.
Look for ones with no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, low sodium/salt, or nor sugar added types. Try to get ones that say natural.
Some canned foods can last for decades. I saw a a YouTube video of a vlogger opening and EATING old military canned products from 1957 (do not try it yourself)
Canned Meats Are Long Shelf Food
Canned meats are a good source of protein, which is preserved in a can even after a few years.
Essentially, canned meats offer same variety as fresh meats:
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Other (deer, horse, buffalo)
Most of the canned meats are fully cooked and ready-to-eat. Look for ones with low sodium/salt content.
I suggest buying regular, plain, lower cost cans with long shelf life, over some exotic expensive meats. Unless, you want to have something as a treat in the difficult times.
Try to get ones which state “real meat” or “100% meat” on the can.
I suggest buying beef cans first, because beef is a red meet and contains nutrients important for our blood cells. Beef is full of protein and nutrients.
At the same time, beef is high in cholesterol and unhealthy fats. Therefore, eat it in moderation.
When eating, you can combine canned meat with cooked grains and have a complete, tasty meal for yourself or for whole family.
Plus, I would use canned meat and its gravy to mix with grains I cooked – pasta, or buckwheat – for a better flavor.
Canned food is a really quick fix when you need to make your dinner fast and easy.
Canned Fish is Also Long Lasting Food
Canned fish is another important food item to stack on. While canned food are not exactly best for health, they preserve lots of nutrients found in original food. Same with fish – canned fish preserves essential protein and omega-3 fatty acids. It can be used for sandwiches, salads or main dinner dishes.
Canned fish can last for a long time – up to 36-48 months. Check the date and “good for” on the can before you buy it. If anything, when things get back to normal, you can eat it and by more fresher cans to have at home for emergency.
If you buy large pack of cans you may get a discount at the store or online.
The following are my favorite sources: tuna (cats love it), salmon (I love it), sarnies. I do not recommend calamaris and such – they are not as nutritious and simply take space at home.
Also, buy ocean or sea fish, not freshwater canned fish. Sea fish has more useful nutrients, elements, minerals and vitamins.
Canned Vegetables For Long Storage
Even canned vegetables are a great source of fiber, vitamin C and other nutrients. Good long-shelf life canned veggies include corn, carrots, peas and beans, and are a great addition to lots of meals. Try to choose for low-sodium varieties, if possible, because canned foods can contain large amounts of sodium.
Even canned pumpkin is good because it is easily digestible, contains beta-carotene, and keeps your immune system strong.
Look for canned beets, too, as they contain loads of useful nutrients and are good for improving digestion.
Canned Beans
Any type of canned beans will work – anything from black beans to pinto beans. Beans are an excellent source of plant protein and can be used many meals and soups. Garbanzo beans can be used to make hummus at home. Beans are long lasting and very nutritious. Try to find type without added salt.
Canned Peas
I should throw in canned peas too, because peas are related to beans, but are more easily digestible. Peas also have some proteins in them and other nutrients. Canned peas are an excellent addition to main dishes, making them tastier.
Canned Beets
Beats are an excellent product by itself. Beets contain lots of nutrients, including betaine for better digestion and lysine for better immune system.
Canned beets preserve a part of their nutrients and can be a good addition to a strict quarantine or survival diet.
Canned Carrots
Canned carrots still contain beta-carotene – and important nutrient. Beta-carotene in human body is converted into retinol (vitamin A).
We need vitamin A for good skin, healthy mucus membranes, strong immune system, and good eye health and vision.
Although, I will write more about better sources of vitamin A, carrots are also good for digestive tract.
Canned Pumpkin
Pumpkin is not only thing you paint for Halloween. It is also very nutritious vegetable. It is easy to digest and is another excellent vegetable for digestion. Canned pumpkins preserve most of their nutritious properties.
Canned Soups - Quick, Easy And Long Lasting Meal
This is also one of favorite choices for stocking up. Canned soup makes it much easier to make, well, soup or stew. You can either prepare soup by boiling water and adding contents of canned soup – to have tasty soup.
Or, even if you cook something else, like meats, you can add content of soup can for better flavor, and make a tasty stew.
Pick several types with several flavors of your choice. Try to find low sodium content, and make sure they do not contain too much fat – some canned soups use lots of fat.
I suggest chicken, beef or vegetable stock. They are tasty, nutritious and add flavor to any stew or broth.
Canned Fruits As A Long Lasting Substitute
Buy canned fruit that has no or little added sugar. Canned peaches, pears, pineapple, grapefruit and mandarins and will work well and have good shelf life.
Applesauce
Well, fresh apples may last for a several months. But, they can go bad. Applesauce preserves apple nutrients for a long time. It is tasty as a snack, as addition to desert entries after mean. It is also packed with vitamins. Finally, it helps digestion.
You can see that I am mentioning digestion often. Digestion means life. Only digestive tract in good condition can absorb nutrients, vitamins and minerals to feed out bodies, and help our survival and immune system.
It makes sense to always add to your meals foods which help digestion, quarantine or not.
This list is by no means exhaustive and I provided only a high-altitude overview of several major categories of canned long shelf long lasting foods.
Shall there be such need – I will post more information about what canned food lasts longer, how to select it, and how to store canned food at home.