This article will tackle questions about using #10 cans for long-term food storage. And very little on powdered milk. 😉
The New Prepper Q&A Series
I’ve been getting many fantastic comments and questions recently, and I’ve decided to incorporate some of those into a new series on Next Step Survival – The Prepper Q&A Series. I know, very original, right?
These will be a short (Seriously, I’ll try) question and answer format.
Okay, let’s see what we can come up with.
Loretta Asks,
Have you ever tried Mountain House, the #10 cans of meat? & the other #10 you stored? I want to buy long term stuff but i don’t want to open it. Can you steer me on which Brands you like best. I’m a newbie & every you tube preper is so nice. Also any idea of best brand of whole powdered milk? Thanks to all who help me get seriously into to prepping. GOD BLESS AMERICA 🇺🇸
Hi Loretta, Thank you for the questions. I’ll do my best to be as helpful as I can.
#10 Cans For Long-Term Food Storage
I keep several #10 cans for emergencies and to test. However, I don’t invest a lot of money in those large containers of canned food. Honestly, they’re kinda a pain as far as where to store them.
I do think they’re a decent option for some things like eggs, cheese powder, and butter powder. We actually use some of that regularly when cooking straight from the pantry.
I understand that others use some of the meats in the #10 cans the same way. That’s just not something we do ourselves but there’s nothing wrong with that approach.
Packaged Dehydrated And Freeze Dried Meals
While this wasn’t a direct question, I believe other dehydrated and freeze-dried options are relevant here.
I use some packaged meals (bags) when I go hiking and camping, but that’s because of the weight issue. It’s certainly not for the taste.
For that reason, I think they make a nice option for something like a 72-hour or bugout bag.
My “pack” meals include food from Mountain House, Patriot Supply, Legacy Foods, and Wise Foods. Whatever goes on sale, to be honest.
All of it is ok but sub-par compared to canned, in my opinion. Also, you can’t believe any of their serving size claims. You’d be trying to survive on far too few calories and you’d find yourself very deficient in protein, minerals, vitamins, and taste.
Since I’ve already taken up half of your day, I’ll add an extra tip – Powdered egg replacer and peanut butter powders are good options to have on hand as well.
The Best Option For Storing Meat Long-Term
There are several options for storing meat, such as salt curing, freeze-dried, pemmican, dehydrated (Think biltong or jerky), smoking, and brining.
Related Off-Site Article: 11 Ways of Storing Meat Without Electricity
And then there’s home pressure-canning – the best option in my opinion.
Home-canned meat MUST be pressure canned. Water bath canning is not a safe option for canning meat.
I do highly recommend you look into pressure canning for meat storage. It’s better than the freeze-dried meats, and it’s a skill worth knowing.
I’ve canned a few hundred jars of vegetables in just the last week alone, and I feel canning meat is far easier. Especially after cleaning, peeling, de-seeding, and cooking down hundreds of tomatoes. 🍅 😋 LOL
A Quick Note On Home-Canning Skill
First, skill comes from doing. Knowledge comes from knowing and understanding. Go beyond knowing, i.e., watching YouTube videos, and develop confident skills when it comes to food preservation.
The skills you gain from doing are FAR more valuable than the food you store for emergencies. Here’s a quick example:
My Plan For A Long-Term Power Outage…
Yes, it’s storytime people. 🙂
The power is out. And it’s widespread. Brian (That’s me, I’m Brian and the star of this story) understands that because he used one of his emergency radios to learn that most of North America was hit hard and all of the major grids are down.
It doesn’t look good. That’s okay, he’s prepared and has a plan for this.
First, the freezers. Brian has three refrigerators with freezers and a large chest freezer. Hey, don’t judge.
That meat WILL NOT go bad and he doesn’t plan on joining the crazy people’s block party tonight as everyone cooks their food before it goes bad.
That’s because Brian has mad canning skills and the resources to do it even off-grid.
He has enough fuel to run his generator four hours a day for a month. Yes, a month.
Brian also has an inverter setup and three cars that NEVER drop below half a tank each. Oh, and a small solar device charging station.
Because he’s just a weirdo prepper and stuff.
So, Brian crams a chunk of the frozen meat into a refrigerator. He does this little at a time so he has time to pressure can the meat as it thaws.
As more and more meat is thawed and canned, one by one those freezers and refrigerators become unnecessary and are cleaned and unplugged – increasing the life of his fuel reserve.
As a last resort, Brian kept all of those canning jar boxes (Cases) and he has a trailer in the backyard. If it looks like things are going to get ugly, guess where all that food and supplies Brian has prepped over the years will go?
You’ll never know. 😉
One last note on canning meat. While ugly (raw-packed) chicken, pork, and beef taste great, many more creative options are available.
For example, a few days ago, I canned seven quarts of goulash. Of course, you can’t can noodles (Or any pasta, anything with milk or flour, or other thickeners), but everything else is in there, including the ground beef. It came out fantastic.
In July, I made and canned six stockpots of soups, including chicken vegetable and vegetable soup with smoked sausage. That added over fifty jars to our pantry, mostly quarts.
Oh, and let’s not forget the healthy bone broths. And the beans with ham or pork.
So many great options. Home canning opens up a whole new world regarding long-term food storage and our prepper pantries.
I hope I’ve convinced you. 😉
Powdered Milk As A Prep
As far as the powdered milk, Wellsley Farms seems ok, but I haven’t tried many brands. I believe I buy it from Costco or BJ’s but I’m not even positive of that.
Wrapping Up #10 Cans For Long-Term Food Storage
I swear I tried to keep it brief. What can I say, I like to talk?
I hope this article helped and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Keep in mind, I’m not a nutritionist or an expert at anything but being me so everything you just read is my opinion. Trust but verify as the Commander In Chief when I was a soldier once said.
Call To Action / Next Step
Next Step: Learn Prepping For Beginners – How To Start A Prepper Pantry.
Stay safe. Stay prepared.
Hawkins Out.
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This article first appeared on Next Step Survival
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