[charito]

Ok so I just began making and thinking about a pantry.

I'm not really a prepper, mostly because im a 19yo student living with my dad. Otherwise, I would invest a lot more in it but at the moment its not a top priority in my life.
I'm not really worried about a super apocalyptic scenaryo that will last for decades but I do feel like having food and water for a few months its common sense.
All the time we see natural disasters causing a big mess in any part of the world and people desesperate because they have no food, water, electricity etc.

But thats not really my point..if you're here in this forum you already know all that and you're probably thinking that im pretty dumb for not prepping more serious but well.

I need advice in foods, ways to store food and how long do they last.
Do canned goods really expire?
What are the best foods to store if you cant get MRE's and freeze dried stuff? (Im not from the US, none of that exists in my country)
Are there ways to store vegetables, meats, etc on my own? And I mean a way to store it without the need of getting an expensive dehydrator
And any other advice regarding this topic would be great!
Thanks for reading and sorry if i made a few grammatical mistakes, english is not my home language hehe

For a starter, here's my suggestions on food. It can be overwhelming, so have a simplified start-up.
Just buy an extra one to start with.

On my list to start with:

Rolled Oats - they're good for long storage. I have some that's been bought in 2016 - still fresh looking and no difference in taste or texture. I stored them in 2 heavy duty freezer bags (with a paper towel in (absorbs moisture) - took out as much air as I can), place a couple of dried bay leaves and basil leaves between bags (to discourage bugs). I check them once a year for any signs of bugs or molds. They still look like they've just been bought yesterday!
Rolled oats can be eaten without cooking (so, if cooking is not an option - it's good). All they need is soaking overnight. So many recipes on overnight oats. Nutrition-wise, oats is well-rounded. It also has lots of fiber.

Peanut butter - I use Jiffy (the expiration date is way longer than Kraft). I've had expired Kraft - there is a difference in taste once it's about 3 months after the BB date.

Pea Soup (because it's high in protein and fiber, and everyone loves pea soup in my family), or any ready-to-eat canned soup you eat (so you can use them up - making sure you replace them as you go along).

Soda Crackers and Toppables (I'm eating 6 months old past the BB date - and there's no difference that I detect). Crackers with peanut butter are my "extenders."

Pan Cake Mix (I like Krustaez from Costco). Can be made into flapjacks, or skillet bread - will also be an extender. They'll be the bread once we used up the loaves in the freezer.

Cooking oil

Assorted Jam

About 4 to 5 loaves of bread in the freezer (these will be eaten first when the power goes out) - We love peanutbutter/jam sandwiches and soup here.

Granola bars (check the ingredients and nutritional information). If you can make them yourself - they're great for freezing.

Sugar
Cinnamon
Raisins and cranberries (for the oats).

WATER (lots of water!)

I know the following isn't food, but it's good if you've got some flu tablets, cold medicines, alcohol and first aid stuff - what you'd normally use when you're sick - so you wouldn't have to go out there looking for these items.

....and then, you can expand from there, like

Corn beef and Spam
Pasta and Pasta sauce
Rice
Beans
Ramen noodles, Cup-O-Noodles etc..,

 

[Wryter]

Ok so I just began making and thinking about a pantry.

I'm not really a prepper, mostly because im a 19yo student living with my dad. Otherwise, I would invest a lot more in it but at the moment its not a top priority in my life.
I'm not really worried about a super apocalyptic scenaryo that will last for decades but I do feel like having food and water for a few months its common sense.
All the time we see natural disasters causing a big mess in any part of the world and people desesperate because they have no food, water, electricity etc.

But thats not really my point..if you're here in this forum you already know all that and you're probably thinking that im pretty dumb for not prepping more serious but well.

I need advice in foods, ways to store food and how long do they last.
Do canned goods really expire?
What are the best foods to store if you cant get MRE's and freeze dried stuff? (Im not from the US, none of that exists in my country)
Are there ways to store vegetables, meats, etc on my own? And I mean a way to store it without the need of getting an expensive dehydrator
And any other advice regarding this topic would be great!
Thanks for reading and sorry if i made a few grammatical mistakes, english is not my home language hehe

First of all, congratulations on having good common sense and the desire to learn at the age of 19. At that age I already knew everything (rolling eyes) and it took me a while to learn I didn't.

Expiration dates are mostly set by marketing types, not to tell you when the food won't be safe to consume, but to get you to buy more. Canned goods are pretty safe for years beyond their expiration dates. Use that common sense of yours. If a can is bulging toss it without opening it. If a can is rusty but not leaking and you're desperate open it and smell it. If it doesn't smell bad it's likely okay. But as a rule if a can is rusty I toss it.

Learn to garden. It is a skill that takes years to master so get started now. Grow heirloom or open pollinated veggies so you can save the seeds for the next growing season. You don't need much land--even large pots will do for growing many vegetables and fruits.

I hope you live near a reliable water source or have a well, as it is impossible to store enough water to last you and your family for very long.

You need a good water filtration device. I recommend Survivor Filter (www.survivorfilter.com) as they seem to be built better than LifeStraws. For your home, I recommend a two or three gallon water filtration, purification device like the Aquarain 400 or Big Berkey. Of course you can always boil or pasteurize water to make it safe to drink but good filtration devices are worth their weight in gold. You can also add a few drops of unscented chlorine bleach to a gallon of water to purify it. Most places recommend 6-8 drops per gallon.

You don't need an expensive dehydrator to dry vegetables and fruits. You can build a simple solar dehydrator one using scrap wood and an old window. You'll need some screening to keep bugs and debris from getting in through your ventilation holes.

Store canned goods of the types you and your family normally eat. You can store dry goods like flour in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers (sealing the bags with an ordinary iron) or you can simply sift the bugs out before using the flour--and if your flour, or anything containing flour, sits around for more than just a few months it will have bugs in it. I've stored white rice in a two gallon bucket with no oxygen absorber or mylar bag for years without it getting buggy or going bad. Dry beans and peas in their original plastic bag containers may lost some flavor and nutritional value over the years but if kept dry and out of reach of rodents they too will last for ages.

Good luck to you, amigo.