Tip #20: Don't Only Think About Dried Foods
In order to store foods for 12 months or more, you will mainly be stocking up on dried, dehydrated, or freeze dried foods. But its important to remember that you don't have to have only dried foods.
There are many food products that will easily last you over a year and which make a huge difference to you ability to make good meals. These include, baking powder, sugar, condiments, spices, herbs, and alcohol.
Although spices, salt and sugar do not take up much space in your pantry, they will make a noticeable difference to the quality of meals you are able to prepare. Salt is an essential for preppers. It lasts forever and can also be used as a preservative as it removes water from food and thus inhibits the growth of germs.
Spices don't take up much space either and a few spices can male all the difference to the meals you can prepare. Spices to store include saffron, ginger, mustard, cumin and oregano.
At first cheese may seem an odd suggestion for something to store. However, hard cheeses such as Gouda, Parmesan or sharp Cheddar can be stored for long periods, and cheese that are encased in wax can still be eaten after twenty years!
Another must have long-term food is honey. There are so many advantages to having honey in your pantry. It can be used as a sweetener, it has medicinal properties as an antibiotic and a soother or sore throats, and it has an indefinite shelf-life.