Food That Lasts Long

When you are traveling in the hinterland or in a new territory, or trekking in the mountains and jungles, it is very likely that you will get nothing to eat for days. Therefore, it is very necessary to carry food with you when you are traveling in the hinterland or trekking in the mountain. However, it is really necessary to choose food wise. You should never carry food that should be stored in controlled temperature, sausages for instance. Or you should only carry foods that last long, brown bread for instance. Brown bread last longer than white bread.

 

Well, generally speaking, canned food will last the longest that is also why it is used so frequently when it comes to making food stockpile.

I completely agree with you though. We should always plan ahead of our trip and consider the location, the temperature, ... and everything else that might affect us and the food that we take with us. I think it would be silly to bring foods that spoil easily or is very temperature sensitive. I love taking snack type of foods like nuts - almonds, hazelnuts, ...

 

Dried powders, beans, and the corn seems to be the food that lasts long. In fact you can see that it may be possible that it can be used in most scenario. You need to check out your diet and what is good for your health though. Because some foods may last long but not good for your health. Milk products definitely don't last long. Dry fruits are another that may last longer and can be stored.

 

canned food lasts a long time as well, however there are still precautions to look after. This article explains the importance https://zamonthly.org/2019/01/09/prepper-pro-tip-beware-of-botulism/

 

The question could use a little more information to be able to answer it well. Will you be able to cook or heat water? How long will you be on this trek?

If you can heat up water, then you can have many dehydrated foods that you have organized to be able to add water and re-hydrate. Dehydrated vegetables could be used with spices to make soups. You can buy dehydrated soup mixes that need to be added to boiling water. Pasta, rice, oatmeal, and more can be pre-cooked and then dehydrated for the same purpose. Ramen noodles is something that some people eat and make for a lightweight food and an easy food for storage.

Foods like jerky, granola bars and bars of this type will last a while, if properly sealed up. Dried fruits such as raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots can be kept for longer periods of time. Dried nuts are a good food to take on hikes and travels. Crackers can work, but they do not last more than 6 months or so before going flat in flavor.

 

When I was traveling, and not likely to see a grocery store for close to a month, hard cheese, like a cheddar, was one of the things I would stock up on. Soft cheeses won't keep without refrigeration but the harder cheeses did just fine.

I was on a boat so canned goods were part and parcel of my preps but if you are packing your grub the can and the water make canned food too heavy.

 

This thread is a little confusing. The title " Food That Lasts Long ". O.K. are we talking about what you would store at home or in a BOB?

The first post talks more about what you would take on a camping or backpacking trip. I would consider that a much shorter period of time, and a scenario where weight would make a significant difference.

The list is always pretty constant: dried and dehydrated foods, canned goods, nuts, rice and beans. What I will always add is Honey; Peanut Butter; and Saltine Crackers. Mountain House carries Pilot Crackers in a #10 can with a shelf life of 25 years. They call this Modern Day Hard Tack.

O.K. I am taking one for the team. I had some peanut butter in my desk that has a Best By date of October 23, 2018. This has been in a desk drawer for at least 8 months. Jif to Go, Creamy 1.5 oz cups. It looked fine. It smelled fine. It tasted fine. So far no adverse reactions.

If I have to make a mad dash to the Rest Room or the Emergency Room I will let you know.

 

Best By March 28, 2013, next in line to be used from the pantry and just opened a moment ago. Same results here - No separation, inner foil seal was concave (not swelled outward), smelled fine, tasted fine.

On crackers, I prefer Ritz crackers but the wife prefers saltines, and can confirm saltines stay fresh much longer in the pantry than the Ritz does.

 

Go for it GateCrasher!! . We will do our own shelf life testing.

 

The jar of Jif peanut butter that I am currently eating has a best by date of 9/2014. Peanut butter lasts a long time. I don't refrigerate it either before or after I open it. I can't tell you when I opened this jar but it has been months.

 

Peanut butter lasts longer than crackers that you might put it on!

 

Weedy, you've got a real good suggestion re "granola bars and BARS OF THIS TYPE (my caps for emphasis)".

At bigger grocery stores...here I'd say Harris Tweeter a combination yuppie/over-priced place but much variety... (Trader Joe's gets on local area list but not first place) has large sections of the bars sized and packed like the Granola of Raman soup fame.

These other bars allow for selecting main ingredients such as a bar with much chocolate for the caffeine, sugar (check quality/type) or a bar loaded with tree nuts providing premier minerals and vitamins . Various other bars are available.

Above bars, on a case-by-case selection, are a standard loadout for the top two pockets of my field jacket.

Don't forget the (real) coffee candy charms. They're available with real sugar but some effort needs to be spent in locating source.

 

That's okay Weedy, you'll teach me how to grow celery someday, I love PB on celery. I have a grinder so I can make my own bread, toast, or better yet PB cookies.

 

Besides the long shelf life, peanut butter is a great survival food for a couple other reasons. It's easily digestible and one of the foods that can be eaten on a bland diet when someone has gastrointestinal problems like nausea or vomiting. It's also one of the ingredients of RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food) given to the severely malnourished to help them recover and gain weight, safely.

A possible SHTF scenario I considered was someone (or even us) arriving at the BOL sick and malnourished following the worst possible bugout ever. BOB was lost or stolen, walking for days in the cold/heat, eating roadkill/dumpster food or nothing at all, drinking water from ditches, weak from illness, diarrhea/vomiting, etc. What would we need at the BOL to recover? PB was one item.

 

Gate Crasher;

Exactly !

The planning and practice must be for realistic situations. Superman always having a nearby telephone booth to change into the flight suit is the opposite of realistic.

 

Caribou, I love PB on celery, but I also love hummus with my celery. For the first time in my life, I am successfully growing celery. I have never seen anyone else grow it, and I have tried several times previously. I went to a garden plant sale and thought I would try again. A month later, and I am having success! My thought about growing celery in a way that I could grow it year round would be to plant some in a planter, such as a rectangular one, with a few stalks, and harvest the outer stalks when I want some. I can take it inside in the colder months.

 

Something like Gatoraide would be needed to rehydrate and restore your electrolyte balance.

It's not hard to make your own mix though as long as you have clean water to work with.

 

Electrolyte Solution
1 Qt Water
½ tsp baking soda
1/4 cup Karo Syrup or Black strap molasses
½ tsp salt

You could substitute honey or granulated sugar if needed.

Here's another good drink that serves the same purposes:

Switchel Recipe
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sliced fresh gingerroot

Instructions:

Pour 2 quarts of water into a large pitcher. Combine the honey and apple cider vinegar in a bowl and stir well to combine. If either ingredient is cold, you might need to warm them slightly or the honey will not mix well. Add the mixture to the water. If you like a sweeter drink, add more honey. If you prefer a less sweet version, add a bit more vinegar.

Google "switchel" and you can find lots of variations on the mix.

 

I love what we call "ants on a log" that is celery sticks with peanut butter and then raisins lined up on top. I like pimento cheese spread on celery. I also like peanut butter tacos. That's peanut butter on a flour tortilla with or without jelly. I consider peanut butter a staple.