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Food Storage for your Home
http://www.foodndrinks.net/articles/6562/1/Food-Storage-for-your-Home/Page1.html
Tom Selwick
Tom Selwick has worked the past 21 years in the food storage industry. He suggests buyingfood storage from a quality company so you know your food will last. Contact Info: Tom Selwick TomSelwick09@gmail.com http://www.dailybread.com 
By Tom Selwick
Published on 08/31/2010
 
Many people have a pantry and refrigerator full of food, but when it comes to food that can last be edible without much preparation, there is a shortage. There are many benefits to having a large supply of food that will last your family a long duration of time in case of an emergency situation.

Most people do not know where to store their emergency supplies because space is limited in their home. Food storage should be placed in an area of the home with little to no moisture and where the temperature is steady year-round.

Places like a garage fluctuate in temperature drastically during the summer and winter months, making the food not be able to last as long. Places like the basement are easily accessible, the temperature is stable, and people like how it is out of the way and not taking up living space.

After finding a place to store your emergency food, you can start building up your supply little by little. While putting food in your storage room, remember that the supply is not to be put in there and forgotten about until an emergency happens. Instead, the food should be rotated regularly.

The most important thing to include in your storage supply is water. This is the most essential supply you should build up in your food storage area, because water can not only be used as a drink to hydrate, but it is necessary to prepare dry-food to make it edible.

Your water should supply should contain enough water for each person to use one gallon everyday for at least 10 days. If at all possible, that supply should be increased to a 30 day supply.

This means that a family of four should have a minimum of 40 gallons of water stored in their house in case of an emergency. The water can be housed in plastic or glass containers so that it stays clean and drinkable at all times.

The next thing to get for you emergency needs is dry and canned food. These things include canned soup, vegetables, fruit, and any other things that come in a can and can be stored and last potentially for years.

Dry foods can include rice, dehydrated beans, noodles, wheat, flour, sugar. This is supplies that can be used for many different meals, and typically only need water to prepare in things like rice, noodles, and beans.

The dry and canned storage supply can used for a variety of different meals, and are easy to incorporate in your everyday meals so you can rotate you supply often. A good amount to have on hand is about one year's worth of food to sustain every member of your family.

There are many different types of food options available to people seeking an emergency supply; one of the newest is freeze dried meals. This method can take freshly cooked meals, flash freeze them, and then suck out all of the oxygen and 98% of the moisture from the food.

You can freeze dry things like pancakes, eggs, oatmeal, lasagna, chicken and rice, pasta, vegetables, fruit, and many other things. All of these can be full meals for your family, and the only preparation necessary is to add water.

Freeze dried meals require very little preparation to make it edible for people, and canned food offers the same benefit to people. Canned food includes things like fruit, vegetables, soup, chili, sauces, and any other things that come in a can and can be stored and last potentially for years.

All of these things can be eaten without any preparation or added water. Sometimes soup is concentrated, and it is suggested to add a can of water to it, but the water is not necessary to make it edible. In addition to being easy preparation, you can eat canned foods directly out of the can, making them that much easier to use in emergency situations.

When having to live off of your food storage, the last thing that you want to be worried about is preparation; having to cook things from scratch or needing electricity or gas to prepare meals for your family. Instead you want things that are quick, easy, and instant. Canned and freeze-dried foods are the only thing that offers this benefit while still having a long shelf life.