BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

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Supplies

What to keep in long-term storage, how long it really lasts, and how to tell when it has turned.

The foods and supplies worth keeping in long-term storage, with the shelf life you can actually expect rather than the date printed on the package. Each page covers how to store it, how much a household needs, and the checks that tell you whether it is still good. The shelf life table pulls all of them into one sortable list.

Start with the full guide

Field guideSurvival Foods Field GuideThe real shelf life of more than 50 foods, how to spot spoilage, how much to store, and how to build a stockpile in phases. 35 pages.Open the field guide GuideThe Food Shopping ListWhat to store, how much per person per month, how long it keeps, and why. Free one-page printable PDF.Open the full page Field guideStockpile Essentials Field GuideThe master checklist: 239 items across 16 categories, the shelf life class of each, and the 20 multi-use items that cover the most jobs. 39 pages.Open the field guide

All 72 supplies, A to Z

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Food · Supply Alcohol (Spirits) Real shelf life: indefinite for distilled spirits of 80 proof and up, sealed or open; liqueurs and cream spirits fade. At 40 percent a spirit cleans but does not disinfect like 70 percent alcohol INDEFINITETINCTURE BASE Security · Supply Ammo Calibers Chart: Every Common Caliber by Size, .22LR to .308 Ten common calibers in order by bullet diameter, .22LR (.22 in) to .45 ACP (.451 in), with weight, velocity, energy and recoil for each Food · Supply Beef Jerky Real shelf life: 2 years sealed for commercial jerky, 2 to 3 months once opened; homemade jerky 1 to 2 months unless you freeze it 2 YR SEALEDNO COOKING Food · Supply Beef Tallow: Uses, Calories and How to Store It About 4,100 calories a pound; keeps 1 to 2 years airtight in a cool, dark spot, 2 to 3 years frozen Food · Supply Bottled Water Real shelf life: Indefinite if sealed. Label says 2 years INDEFINITE IF SEALEDMULTI-USE Food · Supply Bread and Baked Goods Store bread keeps about 2 weeks on the counter and 3 to 5 months frozen; the fridge makes it stale faster; hardtack and crackers are the shelf versions 2 WEEKSFREEZE IT Food · Supply Butter and Margarine Butter keeps 1 to 3 months in the fridge and 6 to 9 in the freezer; ghee and canned butter are the pantry versions 6 TO 9 MO FROZENGHEE KEEPS Food · Supply Canned Beans Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years stored cool; label says 2 to 5. Cooked, ready to eat cold, no water and no fuel 5-10 YRNO SOAK Food · Supply Canned Beef Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years stored cool; label says 2 to 5. Fully cooked; a can of beef and a pot of rice or beans is a meal 5-10 YRCOOKED Food · Supply Canned Fruit Real shelf life: 2 to 5 years stored cool; label says 1 to 2. The acid slowly works on the can, so fruit rotates faster than vegetables 2-5 YRHIGH ACID Food · Supply Canned Goods Low-acid cans (meat, fish, soup, vegetables) keep 5 to 10 years stored cool; high-acid cans (fruit, tomatoes) 2 to 5; a bulging can is never opened 5-10 YR LOW ACID2-5 YR HIGH ACID Food · Supply Canned Meat and Fish Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years stored cool for all of it; label says 2 to 5. Cooked, ready cold, no water and no fuel 5-10 YRREADY COLD Food · Supply Canned Pumpkin Real shelf life: 2 to 5 years stored cool; label says 1 to 2. Pure pumpkin, not pie filling, is the one to stock 2-5 YRVITAMIN A Food · Supply Canned Sardines Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years stored cool; label says 3 to 5. Protein, calcium from the bones, omega-3 from the fat, no cooking 5-10 YRBONES = CALCIUM Food · Supply Canned Soups Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years stored cool; label says 2 to 5. Condensed soup needs a can of water per can; ready-to-eat needs none 5-10 YRWATER MATH Food · Supply Canned Tomato Sauce Real shelf life: 2 to 5 years stored cool; label says 18 to 24 months. Tomatoes are high acid and the first can on the shelf to show age 2-5 YRHIGH ACID Food · Supply Canned Tuna Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years stored cool; label says 3 to 5. Oil-packed carries more calories; pouches keep less long than cans 5-10 YRPROTEIN Food · Supply Canned Vegetables Real shelf life: 3 to 5 years at full quality stored cool; label says 1 to 2. Safe longer in a sound can 3-5 YRLOW ACID Food · Supply Canned Vegetables and Fruit Canned vegetables keep 3 to 5 years and canned fruit 2 to 5 stored cool; the acid in fruit and tomatoes is what shortens the clock 3-5 YR VEG2-5 YR FRUIT Food · Supply CARDNL Essential Electrolytes Real shelf life: 7 to 10 years sealed, cool and dry; label says about 2. One 6 gram scoop in 16 ounces of cold water, for the days of sweat, heat, hard work or illness 7-10 YR6 G IN 16 OZ Medical · Supply Cayenne Pepper Ground cayenne keeps 2 to 3 years at full heat and whole dried cayenne 3 to 4; it fades rather than spoils, and vacuum-sealed or frozen it keeps longer 3-4 YR WHOLEFADES NOT SPOILS Food · Supply Cereal and Granola Boxed cereal keeps 6 to 12 months sealed and 2 to 3 opened; granola with nuts and oil goes rancid sooner. Both are fine stale and done when they smell of paint 6-12 MOSTALE IS SAFE Food · Supply Cheese Hard cheese keeps 6 months unopened and 3 to 4 weeks cut; soft cheese 1 to 2 weeks; mold on hard cheese can be cut away, on soft cheese it cannot HARD KEEPSSOFT 2 WEEKS Food · Supply Chocolate Dark chocolate keeps 2 years by the label and 4 to 5 stored cool; milk and white about a year; cocoa powder indefinitely. White bloom is harmless DARK 4-5 YRBLOOM IS SAFE Food · Supply Coconut Oil Real shelf life: 5 years sealed, cool; label says 2 years. Solid below 76°F, liquid above, and the same oil either way 5 YRSOLID UNDER 76°F Food · Supply Condiments Mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce and vinegar keep for years; mayonnaise and dressings are months; all of them are what make stored food taste like dinner FLAVOR BUDGETMUSTARD FOREVER Food · Supply Cooking Oil Real shelf life: 1 to 2 years sealed, cool and dark; months once opened. Coconut oil keeps 5, ghee and shortening longer, and the fat is the hardest calorie to store 1-2 YRFAT CALORIES Food · Supply Corn Syrup Real shelf life: indefinite, sealed or opened; label says 2 to 3 years. It darkens with age and does not spoil INDEFINITECANDY + GLAZE Food · Supply Cream of Tartar Real shelf life: indefinite, dry; label says 3 to 4 years. Half a teaspoon with a quarter teaspoon of baking soda is a teaspoon of baking powder INDEFINITEBAKING POWDER Compounds and Cleaning · Supply Creatine in the Stockpile: The Dose, What It Actually Does, and How to Store It for Ten Years 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate a day; dry powder keeps 10 years or more sealed with a desiccant Food · Supply Creatine Monohydrate Real shelf life: 10 or more years sealed with a desiccant; label says 2 to 3. About 5 grams a day with water; the powder is stable as long as it stays dry 10+ YR5 G A DAY Food · Supply Cured Meats A whole dry salami keeps 6 weeks unopened on the shelf and an uncut country ham up to a year; sliced cured meat is 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge; bacon is a week SALT KEEPSWHOLE NOT SLICED Food · Supply Dark Chocolate Real shelf life: 4 to 5 years stored cool and dark; label says 2 years. The white bloom is harmless 4-5 YRBLOOM IS SAFE Medical · Supply DMSO: What It Is, What It Is Used for and How to Store It A solvent that passes through skin in minutes and carries whatever is dissolved in it along. Pharmaceutical grade only on skin; keeps for years in glass; freezes at 65°F, which is normal. Food · Supply Dried Beans Real shelf life: up to 10 years airtight and cool; 20 to 30 in Mylar with an absorber. Old beans stay edible but take longer to soften 10-30 YRPROTEIN BASE Food · Supply Dried Beans and Legumes The whole legume family keeps up to 10 years airtight and 20 to 30 in Mylar; lentils and split peas cook without soaking, beans need the overnight soak 10-30 YRNO-SOAK LENTILS Food · Supply Dried Herbs and Spices Whole spices keep 3 to 4 years at full strength, ground 2 to 3, dried herbs 1 to 2; all stay safe for years past that and only fade WHOLE 3-4 YRFADES, NOT SPOILS Food · Supply Eggs Store eggs keep 3 to 5 weeks refrigerated; beaten eggs freeze for a year; unwashed eggs with the bloom intact keep for weeks without a fridge 3-5 WEEKSFLOAT TEST Food · Supply Fish and Seafood Fresh fish keeps 1 to 3 days refrigerated; fatty fish freezes 2 to 3 months, lean fish 4 to 8; canned fish keeps 5 to 10 years 1-3 DAYS FRESHCAN IT Food · Supply Freeze-Dried Foods Real shelf life: 25 to 30 years in a sealed #10 can; label says 10 to 25. The number to read is calories per can, not servings 25-30 YRADD WATER Food · Supply Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Potatoes, onions, winter squash, cabbage, carrots and apples keep for months in a cool, dark room; leafy greens and berries are days ROOT CELLARWEEKS TO MONTHS Food · Supply Fresh Meats Steaks and roasts keep 3 to 5 days refrigerated, ground meat 1 to 2; frozen at 0°F it is safe indefinitely and at best quality for 4 to 12 months 1-5 DAYS FRESHFREEZE AT 0°F Food · Supply Frozen Foods Frozen food held at 0°F is safe indefinitely; quality lasts 3 months for meals, 8 for vegetables, 4 to 12 for meat. A full freezer holds 48 hours without power 0°F48 HOURS Food · Supply Grains and Flours Whole grains sealed with an absorber keep 20 to 30 years; white flour a year on the shelf and several sealed; whole wheat flour and cornmeal months, because the oil in the germ turns WHOLE GRAIN 30 YRFLOUR 1 YR Food · Supply Hard Cheese Real shelf life: 6 to 12 months refrigerated for a well-wrapped wheel; label says 3 to 6 months. Mold on the surface is cut away, not thrown out 6-12 MOWAX IT Food · Supply Instant Coffee Real shelf life: indefinite sealed and dry; label says about 2 years. Beans and ground coffee fade in months; instant waits for years INDEFINITEMORALE Medical · Supply Iodine Real shelf life: 5 to 10 years sealed and dark for tincture and povidone-iodine; indefinite for iodine crystals. Light and air weaken it; it does not become harmful 5-10 YRAMBER GLASS Food · Supply Jarred Items Sealed jars keep 1 to 2 years at full quality and longer in a cool dark cupboard; a lid that has popped up or lost its seal means the jar is done LID RULEGLASS KEEPS Food · Supply Lentils Real shelf life: up to 5 years airtight and cool; longer in Mylar. No soaking, 20 to 30 minutes to cook, the fastest protein in the bucket 5 YR+NO SOAK Food · Supply Maple Syrup Real shelf life: indefinite unopened; label says 1 year. Opened, refrigerate; it keeps a year or more cold and molds in weeks on the counter INDEFINITE SEALEDFRIDGE OPEN Food · Supply MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat): Contents, Heating, Shelf Life Shelf life is set by heat: about 11 years at 60°F, 8 at 70°F, 3 to 6 at 80°F, under 2 at 100°F, a month at 120°F Food · Supply Nuts and Seeds Real shelf life: 6 to 12 months at full quality, longer in the freezer; the oil goes rancid. In-shell nuts keep longest; the freezer doubles everything 6-12 MOFREEZE THEM Food · Supply Oats Real shelf life: 2 to 3 years in the container; sealed in Mylar with an oxygen absorber, many years. The oil in the oat is the clock 2-3 YRMYLAR READY Food · Supply Packaged Snacks Crackers keep 8 months, chips about 2 months, bars about a year sealed; all go stale before they go bad, and the oily ones go rancid first MONTHS, NOT YEARSROTATE Food · Supply Pasta Real shelf life: 2 to 3 years in the box; sealed in Mylar with an oxygen absorber it keeps for many years longer. Egg noodles are the exception 2-3 YRMYLAR READY Food · Supply Peanut Butter Real shelf life: 2 to 3 years sealed, cool; label says 6 to 9 months past best-by. Opened, 2 to 3 months at full quality. Powdered keeps longest 2-3 YR170 CAL/OZ Medical · Supply Potassium Iodide (KI) Tablets: What They Protect, Who Takes How Much, and When Thyroid only: 130 mg adults, 65 mg ages 3 to 18, once every 24 hours while exposure continues, taken when officials say to Food · Supply Powdered Milk for Food Storage: Nonfat Keeps 20 Years, and How to Mix It so It Tastes Right Nonfat dry milk: 20+ years in Mylar with oxygen absorbers; 1 1/3 cups instant powder makes a quart Food · Supply Rice Vinegar Real shelf life: indefinite; label says 2 years. Most rice vinegar is 4 to 4.5 percent acid, under the 5 percent that tested canning recipes require INDEFINITECHECK THE ACID Food · Supply Soy Sauce Real shelf life: indefinite sealed; label says 2 to 3 years. Opened, a year or more; it darkens and loses aroma but does not spoil INDEFINITESALT + UMAMI Food · Supply Spices to Stock: The Ten That Keep, How Long They Last, and Why a Pantry Without Them Fails Salt keeps forever, whole spices 3 to 5 years, ground spices 1 to 3; buy whole where you can and grind as you go Food · Supply Sugar Real shelf life: indefinite, white and brown alike. It hardens, it never spoils. Store it airtight and dry with no oxygen absorber INDEFINITENO ABSORBER Food · Supply Sweeteners That Keep: Honey, Sugar, Syrups, and How Much to Store White sugar and honey keep forever in a sealed container kept dry; store about 60 pounds of sugar per adult per year and rotate the syrups Tools and Repair · Supply Synthetic Rope: Nylon, Polyester or Polypropylene, and Which One to Buy for Each Job Nylon stretches and takes shock, polyester holds tension and takes sun, polypropylene floats and costs the least; stock all three and keep the poly out of the sun Food · Supply Tea Bags Real shelf life: 2 to 3 years at full flavor, sealed and dry; label says 18 to 24 months. Tea fades, it does not spoil 2-3 YRWEIGHS NOTHING Compounds and Cleaning · Supply Turpentine vs Mineral Spirits: Which Solvent for Which Job, and How to Store Both Mineral spirits for most shop work, turpentine for oil finishes and resin; both keep for years sealed, cool, and away from flame Food · Supply Vanilla Extract Real shelf life: indefinite for pure vanilla extract, which is 35 percent alcohol; imitation vanilla keeps 2 to 4 years. Homemade extract keeps the same INDEFINITE35% ALCOHOL Compounds and Cleaning · Supply WD-40 in the Stockpile: What It Is Good for, What It Is Not, and How Long a Can Lasts 5 year shelf life by the maker, often longer; the propellant fails before the product; stock several small cans Food · Supply Wheat Berries Real shelf life: up to 30 years sealed in Mylar with an absorber; label says 6 to 8 months. A hand mill is what makes the bucket into bread 30 YRMILL IT Food · Supply White Rice for Preparedness: How to Store It for 30 Years Sealed in Mylar with an oxygen absorber and kept cool, white rice keeps 20 to 30 years. On the shelf in its bag, 4 to 5 years. Brown rice, a year. 10 TO 30 YRCALORIE BASE Warmth and Shelter · Supply Wool: Why It Is the Fiber for Cold, Wet and Long Days, and What to Own in It Wool keeps you warm when it is wet, will not burn, and does not stink on day three; own socks, a base layer, a hat and a blanket in it before anything else Food · Supply Yogurt and Sour Cream Yogurt keeps 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge and sour cream 1 to 3; both hold past the date if they stay cold and the lid stays on 1 TO 3 WEEKSFRIDGE