Canned food shelf life ???

[Dom]

Is there any definitive info on the shelf life of canned foods ? Canned meats, chilies, pasta's, veges, etc ?

[Winger Ed.]

Now there's a good topic that'll get some responses.
I know the 'expiration date' is quite debatable.

There was a story awhile back about some folks that went to the South Pole and found an abandoned
camp that was over a hundred years old. There was canned goods still on the shelves.
The new arrivals ate some of them and said they were still just fine.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It depends on what it is. A fellow I knew years ago was worried about what they referred to as "Y2K". If you weren't around then, that means "Year Two Thousand". The great fear was that the world was going to grind to a halt because the computers weren't programed to accept a date that didn't start with "19", like 1999, so they would shut down or make mistakes that would interrupt the food chain, etc. Well, since I prefer not to err at all, but on the side of caution when I do, he talked me into starting to stockpile extra food. I've actually still got some canned food marked 1998, but I'd be extremely cautious about eating it today. The first stuff to eat through the cans was canned tomatoes, be they diced, sauce, paste--whatever. Next was pineapple chunks, rings--whatever. Applesauce did not keep past a few years.

On the other hand, canned meats keep well for much longer than you'd think. I've got corned beef, chunk white meat chicken, tuna, salmon, that is long past the expiration date and is still good. Canned chili with beans keeps well for years. Canned veggies like beans and corn are still o.k. 10 years after purchase. The main rule is that if it looks o.k., smells o.k., and a small sample tastes o.k., then it probably is o.k.

Cook everything well. Use common sense, and if it doesn't look o.k., toss it. I see pasta on your list-- great! It lasts almost forever if properly stored. Flour stores well for me. I buy the little 5 lb. bags and place them unopened in 2 lb. coffee cans. Perfect fit, and I have yet to open one that went bad. Not so lucky with corn meal which seems to mold after 1-2 years. Dry and dehydrated foods like beans and rice if properly stored will last a long, long time and can be the basis for many dishes. Dehydrated potatoes are a good choice.

Well, I got in the habit of buying a few extra items when I went shopping and setting them aside/storing them away. Unfortunately, I was well into it before I decided that inventory rotation would be a good idea. Now I've got years of supplies saved up and one of this summer's projects is going to be sorting through it and seeing what to dispose of. So, that would be my "word to the wise"-- rotate your inventory and try to use the oldest and replace it with what you like and will use-- not just what's on sale.

DG

[Brassmonkey]

Supposedly, you can store raw unwashed eggs in a lime bath for years.

[georgerkahn]

My thoughts -- "thoughts" being the operative term -- is that the two main reasons for dates on cans are to ensure turnover -- more $$$s for the sellers-- as well as a slight margin vis eating safety. My GUESS re the latter is to address folks who live in, say, the Needles, California area and keep canned goods in a sunny upper-floor non-air conditioned domicile. Sooo -- to my way of thinking, those who store canned goods in a basement pantry with average temps between 50*F and 70*F -- may well exceed those dates. I've noted the dates are preceded with, "Best by..." as opposed to, "If you open/eat this can after a/b/c date you may, or will, get food poisoning"! Just -- maybe I got lucky -- a few days ago I wanted some blue cheese dressing -- and there was an unopened jar (brand is "Ken's") in pantry with a best-by date of August 2018 on it. It looked OK; smelled OK; and... tasted yummy on my salad. No ill effects...
geo

[country gent]

I worked for Campbells Soups, each can had the expiration date on the bottom. This was a for sure date. Storage of the cans makes a big difference. In Winger Eds instance the cold temps out of the sun would have extended the life a lot. On the other side I was saw a rail car of soup that sat on a siding for 2 months in the summer. Just about every can was round headed from the build up of pressure. Cooked in the can makes for an almost perfect vacuum. the seal and rolled seam makes a very good seal. New cans are 2 piece 1 body formed from a plate and cup,doing away with the older side seams. From the late 70s early 80 side seam cans were welded before that machine soldered. Cans from the era of the post above would have been hand soldered.

Another factor is the acidity of whats in the can.

[Bazoo]

We store a small amount of cans, and we've found that something like green beans will be edible 2-3 years after the date and taste okay to just fine. But... 5-6 years or more, and most things we've saved don't taste good enough to eat unless you were starving. Cans start swelling intermittently at around 5-6 years past the date too.

So... about 5 years.

Most of that old stuff would be suitable for soup or stew, or starvation. The dogs love it.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I was in the army in Germany in the early 1960s and we were routinely eating up the C-Rations canned in 1943. So at that time they were already 18-20 years old. The cans were all painted OD color, so that no doubt prevented the cans from rusting. No one, that I recall, got sick from eating them. Some that I can remember were beefsteak and potatoes, chicken and noodles, ham and lima beans.

DG

[Electrod47]

in 1968 while in Germany with the 3rd AD we fought over C-Rations dated 1955.......Wieners and Beans, they were the best.

[Dom]

Wow, great news. I have dry beans, Pintos, etc I have stored in there original paper or cloth sacks. Stored in the basement in plastic garbage cans that have tight fitting lids. I've lost track now how old they are Ten years any way. They have been kept dry & bug free. Still perfect. Cook up a batch every now & then. Of course have added new since then to keep the supply up.

[NSB]

Those dehydrated meals they sell in places like Cabela’s have a 40 year shelf like. Stamped right on the bag. They also taste pretty good but are expensive. That stuff found in Antarctica was probably soldered and it’s not the food that kills you, it’s lead poisoning. Some of those corpses they dug up from back then died of lead poisoning from eating it when it was “fresh”.

[Nobade]

I can tell ya that if you have a large amount of canned food stored somewhere it can freeze, the cans will burst and when you do find it you will need some serious breathing filtration to get past the smell and clean up the mess.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Canned food losses it's quality as it ages. Acidic foods and sweetened foods will last longer than those without.
They say rice gets better with age, I have some basmati rice, BIG bag, I bought over ten years ago, stored in the heated part of the house, still tastes good, but I wouldn't say it's better than when I bought it. Dry beans are another thing. I've found they start to lose quality after a couple years, still eatable though. I had some Pintos stored about 10 years in the house and they are more difficult to hydrate and to get them fully hydrated, they turn to mush...but if you are making bean soup, I guess it don't matter.
that's my 2¢

[Delkal]

The only cans I saw that went bad were always some kind of tomatoes and the cans started bulging. But when in doubt make sure you hard boil the food for at least 15 min to neutralize the toxin. Don't just warm it up and eat it.

[cwtebay]

Not sure if there are any Mormons on this forum - but the LDS Church has extensive testing and information about various canned goods. I believe that they are encouraged to keep 2 years of food on hand at all times, so if anyone would know - they would.


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[dverna]

Oldest I have used is 12 years…peas, corn, green beans. All were fine.

[Delkal]

Not sure if there are any Mormons on this forum - but the LDS Church has extensive testing and information about various canned goods. I believe that they are encouraged to keep 2 years of food on hand at all times, so if anyone would know - they would.


AFAIK the Mormon's "canned" food are canned dried ingredients like rice / bean or other dehydrated foods that have a shelf life of 25 years and they are usually in #10 cans. Not the wet canned stuff most by from the grocery store. They do sell these to non Mormons at an LDS cannery and they are usually much cheaper than the "survival food" places.

[Kestrel4k]

Thx for the report Don; I have similar and think I am pushing that ...

[MaryB]

AFAIK the Mormon's "canned" food are canned dried ingredients like rice / bean or other dehydrated foods that have a shelf life of 25 years and they are usually in #10 cans. Not the wet canned stuff most by from the grocery store. They do sell these to non Mormons at an LDS cannery and they are usually much cheaper than the "survival food" places.

Many Mormon canneries sell to the public too! https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/new-category/food-storage/food-storage/5637169327.c

[contender1]

Supposedly, you can store raw unwashed eggs in a lime bath for years.


I have a friend that gifts me some of the best eggs I've ever gotten. Super jumbo's and all double yolked. I got so many at once,, that I first pickled about 6 quarts. Then I canned 4 gallons of them in a lime bath. All good.

[elmacgyver0]

Storing away food for years is foolhardy.
Not storing away food for years is foolhardy.
The trick is to rotate your stock, use the oldest first and replace it as it is being used.
Every can I buy I write the date I bought it on the can or whatever it is with a sharpie.
I don't pay attention to the "Best By" date as some are hard to read and some cryptic.
I don't buy SHTF ration kits that everyone and their dogs are pushing.
I feel a well-stocked pantry with fresh food is a better, at least a more economical option.
I supposed a bag of freeze-dried packets may be a good option if you are going to light out for the woods, but as dverna pointed out, that may not be a wise decision.

[Brassmonkey]

I’ve never eaten any of that prepper food stuffs in the 5 gallon cat litter container, but just looking at the ingredients you ain't getting much for your money.

[Iowa Fox]

in 1968 while in Germany with the 3rd AD we fought over C-Rations dated 1955.......Wieners and Beans, they were the best.

The Beans and Franks were my favorite. Ham and eggs were so horrible I couldn't eat them if I couldn't trade out of them. I gave the smokes to one of my pals since I didn't smoke. Some of ours were dated back to Korea.

[dverna]

Speaking of freeze dried. Many of the Augasun Foods stuff is very good. I have a few cases as part of my preps. It has a 25 year shelf life but it is expensive. I wait for sales and top up.

I have enough stuff for us to go about a year if the SHTF. That is a long time if things go south. No plans to farm. If relief does not materialize, I can barter with others in the group as many folks farm and do gardens. The locals call my place “the ammunition factory” for a reason. At one time I had two 1050’s, two 550’s, a PW 800+ with AutoDrive, and hydro Spolar set up. No one else can make bullets. One other guy reloads. I am the only person with progressive presses for both metallic and shotgun. But realistically, I expect to be dead in a year. Not many people will make it but that goes not mean accepting defeat.

[Thumbcocker]

There was a ship that sank during the Civil War. When excavated 100 years after canned food (may have been in jars) was found and analyzed. It was found to be edible but had lost nutrients. Assuming the cans hold up food will be edible for decades. It may not be nutritious or tasty but edible. Storage is everything. Personally I routinely eat home canned venison and veggies over 5 years old. Tastes fine. Stored in a basement canned in jars.

[MaryB]

The date on food in MOST cases(not all! read close) is a best buy date meaning that that is the date where the product may begin to lose taste/nutrition. A few products may have an expired by date... I would have to go look in the pantry to see if I have any...

[KenT7021]

In the Army Veterinarian officers were responsible for inspecting C rations.They checked for swelled or leaking cans.Chopped ham and eggs were my favorite.

[jimlj]

OP, I have eaten things 20+ years old if the can is not bulged or damaged. YMMV


Storing away food for years is foolhardy.
Not storing away food for years is foolhardy.
The trick is to rotate your stock, use the oldest first and replace it as it is being used.
Every can I buy I write the date I bought it on the can or whatever it is with a sharpie.
I don't pay attention to the "Best By" date as some are hard to read and some cryptic.
I don't buy SHTF ration kits that everyone and their dogs are pushing.
I feel a well-stocked pantry with fresh food is a better, at least a more economical option.
I supposed a bag of freeze-dried packets may be a good option if you are going to light out for the woods, but as dverna pointed out, that may not be a wise decision.

I agree 100%.
I have a well stocked pantry that I could eat from for over a year, but I try to rotate everything I have stored. I also use a sharpie to mark purchase date on my cans. Over the years I purchased some food items that were on sale, but not things I regularly eat. Those items were reserved for "when I get hungry enough I'll eat it". That day never came, and when I moved a few years ago I threw away a lot of 20+ year old food. In the process I found several cans of things I use all the time, that I opened and ate. Everything I tired passed the sniff test and tasted fine. I'm sure if I had tried a new can of chili side by side with a 20 year old can I would have noticed a difference, but as far as being edible everything was perfectly fine.

My experience... only store things you will eat, and eat/rotate what you store.

[M-Tecs]

In 1945 and 1946 when dad was in the Navy they had canned hams from 1917. He said they tasted OK. He did admit to liberating several cans of pineapple from the officer's mess during fire watch patrols.

[Garyshome]

Depends on how hungry you are.

[elmacgyver0]

OP, I have eaten things 20+ years old if the can is not bulged or damaged. YMMV



I agree 100%.
I have a well stocked pantry that I could eat from for over a year, but I try to rotate everything I have stored. I also use a sharpie to mark purchase date on my cans. Over the years I purchased some food items that were on sale, but not things I regularly eat. Those items were reserved for "when I get hungry enough I'll eat it". That day never came, and when I moved a few years ago I threw away a lot of 20+ year old food. In the process I found several cans of things I use all the time, that I opened and ate. Everything I tired passed the sniff test and tasted fine. I'm sure if I had tried a new can of chili side by side with a 20 year old can I would have noticed a difference, but as far as being edible everything was perfectly fine.

My experience... only store things you will eat, and eat/rotate what you store.

This!!!

[square butte]

We were eating surplus C's and K's when i first started working for the US Forest Service in 1975 - Started switching over to surplus MRE's in about 85. I liked the John Wayne bars which had a melting temp of about 220 degrees. They made a good substitute for a hockey puck and would break your teeth if you were not careful

[Three44s]

"......... A fellow I knew years ago was worried about what they referred to as "Y2K". If you weren't around then, that means "Year Two Thousand". The great fear was that the world was going to grind to a halt because the computers weren't programed to accept a date that didn't start with "19", like 1999, so they would shut down or make mistakes that would interrupt the food chain, etc. "

As a young pup I seem to recall the scribes fearing not being to be able to chisel "1000" into stone either ......

[cwtebay]

Of course there's the Franklin Expedition.....
I recall hearing from a client about a large number of deaths from canned goods while I was working in North Dakota also.
My grandfather said that they would use WW1 canned chicken for bait while waiting to be deployed from ships in the south Pacific rather than eating it.
Botulism can be a horrifying toxin, but astute canned goods consumers are well aware of that I am sure.
(Yes, I know that the Franklin Expedition's experience wasn't from botulism)

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[MaryB]

Of course there's the Franklin Expedition.....
I recall hearing from a client about a large number of deaths from canned goods while I was working in North Dakota also.
My grandfather said that they would use WW1 canned chicken for bait while waiting to be deployed from ships in the south Pacific rather than eating it.
Botulism can be a horrifying toxin, but astute canned goods consumers are well aware of that I am sure.
(Yes, I know that the Franklin Expedition's experience wasn't from botulism)

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Lead based solder on the can seams dissolved into the food...

[Thumbcocker]

Lead based solder on the can seams dissolved into the food...

Yup. They used a contractor with limited experience in canning and lead based solder got in contact with the food. Metal cans were a new technology at the time.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

"......... A fellow I knew years ago was worried about what they referred to as "Y2K". If you weren't around then, that means "Year Two Thousand". The great fear was that the world was going to grind to a halt because the computers weren't programed to accept a date that didn't start with "19", like 1999, so they would shut down or make mistakes that would interrupt the food chain, etc. "

As a young pup I seem to recall the scribes fearing not being to be able to chisel "1000" into stone either ......

Wow! You have been around for awhile! ;)

Yeah, I'll admit it....looking back on it now it seems a bit silly. But Y2K had never happened before (just like Y3K hasn't happened either, and no one had the actual experience of 1YK to draw on) and many of us were much less savvy about computers back then. The world and technology are expanding and changing at such an amazing rate, such as the advent of Artificial Intelligence and all of the worries and perhaps benefits that will bring.

But, no matter how advanced technology becomes, the same basic human needs to sustain life remain. Water and food being right up there at the top of the list. The robots need neither, and probably won't worry about if you have them or not. Then, there's always the unexpected-- fire, flood, earthquake, riots, roaming bands of starving illegal aliens, the Super Powers exchanging nukes....what could possibly go wrong? So, to me anyway, the bottom line is that it doesn't hurt much to have some supplies set aside. The only thing to perhaps debate is what and how much. Worst case is that you may eventually be out a few dollars, but it's like insurance. If you can afford it you should have it.

DG

[MarkW]

Where I live floods on occasion, and on some of those occasions it floods severely so having a months worth of food is somewhat common sense around here. Anyway, here are a few things that I do in regards to storing and eating food in no particular order-

First is to take the mindset that you are buying food that you like to eat and will regularly eat, and the only difference is that you are buying a months worth instead of a week. I fell into this trap once and bought a ton of really cheap macaroni and cheeses. Well when you go fix one then you find out the food tastes pretty tasteless and watery or something, and yeah it should keep you alive but actually eating it isn't that enjoyable. So anyway, put some thought into what you're getting and just get a box or two and then eat it before you decide to get half a shopping cart full. I'm not saying to go buy the most expensive stuff on the shelves and maybe the bargain stuff is perfectly fine for your palate but just try it out first. I lost a bit of salt, sugar, and flour due to humidity and it wasn't even that humid comparatively. The sugar hardens up but you could crush it still and use it, I just get salt in the round cardboard packages and it not only gets hard but salt will migrate through the cardboard. flour will actually go and taste stale/off when you bake bread with it. Easiest thing to do is just put a couple in empty plastic bags then tie the handles somewhat closed. As a final safety I am planning on one of these days storing all my dry goods in a 55 gallon drum with a sealable lid.

I have chickens, extra eggs I like to crack into tall square qt plastic containers and freeze. They'll last the winter and still taste good. A friend has a freeze dryer and he freeze dried a bunch and it would probably be good for baking but otherwise they were pretty awful if you were thinking of making scrambled eggs out of them. I'll always keep an open mind if someone ever figures out how to do it but freezing for me for eggs during the winter. And it is still a neighborly thing to give extra eggs to those less fortunate when you have enough frozen.

Dry things like beans, peas, flour, and rice I try to store in airtight containers just not individually, I have a few coleman/igloo style coolers that have broken hinges that I keep them in. One thing I learned from an Indian (from India) cook was to freeze them for 3 weeks before storage as that will kill all the bugs and any eggs in the package so I do that too. Also, I eat a lot of rice and not so much beans just out of preference but rice uses a lot less fuel to cook if you're planning for a shtf scenario, which I'm really not since this stuff just seems to happen where I live.

I don't do this, but since this post started with canned goods it is a helpful idea to write the contents and date on the lid of the can so if the labels ever fall off you know what it is.

I wouldn't call this a "concern" of mine but living in a somewhat basic environment takes a bit of energy and also causes a lot of personal stress, at least initially, and the value of good food and good rest should not be underestimated.

And lastly, a pleasant Easter to everyone!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Great post, MarkW. Differing climate conditions and storage conditions are certainly something to consider, and should be reflected in what one buys for storage. Here, we're high and dry in the summer, snowed in during the winter. Most of my "stuff", canned goods included, is stored in plastic totes with the lids in place. That limits and contains damage to the tote's contents if a can blows up. It stays dry, as it's stored in a steel shipping container, but freezing of some things like glass jars is a concern.

DG

[Half Dog]

I have eaten C-Rations.

[cwtebay]

I just read an interesting article about powdered milk that was taken on the Stapleton expedition in 1914 that was recovered by the Kiwi's fairly recently. It was found to be edible still. Granted - extreme temperatures.

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[dverna]

Y2K was when I started prepping. I recall the anxiety and I fell for it like millions of others.

The thing I remember most is buying ten 5 gallon plastic gas storage containers. In hindsight, they worked out OK as I have not had to buy the "safe" style cans they sell now that leak gas all over you when trying to use them.

[MT Gianni]

Canned foods generally start to lose taste and flavors after a couple of years. It can take 15-20 for them to lose nutrition. IIRC, the first to go are water based vegetables that leach stuff into the fluids. If you ever have to be in a situation where you are eating 15 year old green beans remember to drink the juice.

[Three44s]

"Wow! You have been around for awhile! "

Not really but I sure feel like it sometimes! Lol!

Three44s

[Winger Ed.]

I got hammered for not prepping when Y2K was coming down the road.
If all computers crashed I'd tell people the worst that would happen is that your water bill might be a couple days late.

Oh yeah,,, the villagers came after me with torches and pitch forks like when the Frankenstein monster went into
the town and got into mischief.

[Three44s]

Winger Ed,

I sure enjoy your mirth! That alone is worth belonging here!

Three44s

[elmacgyver0]

If you get only one thing from this whole thread it should be this.
Buy only things you like to eat and rotate your stock.
If you keep a three-year supply of food on hand, you will be eating three-year-old food, as you will be eating the oldest first.
If this does not appeal to you, then you are not much of a prepper.

[waksupi]

I got hammered for not prepping when Y2K was coming down the road.
If all computers crashed I'd tell people the worst that would happen is that your water bill might be a couple days late.

Oh yeah,,, the villagers came after me with torches and pitch forks like when the Frankenstein monster went into
the town and got into mischief.

The yard sales were great for a couple years after Y2K!

[timboslice]

It depends on what the food is and what you are storing it in. Take tomatoes, for instance. They are acidic (this is mostly true for heirloom varieties) so if you plan on pressure canning them at home in a glass jar, they should last indefinitely as long as the seal holds; you can even throw in some citric acid to give it a bit more acidity but that is only really necessary if you are using a hot bath to can. The only thing that will degrade is taste but otherwise it will be fine. Now if you get them from the store, the cans have a thin plastic coating on the inside to prevent the acid from eating through the can. This coating has a tendency to erode and it will make the tomatoes taste funky and eventually they will go bad. Don't get any cans that have dents or bulging. In my opinion, if you want something that will last forever, can at home in glass vessels (they are unreactive to any product that humans consume). If you are unsure about a previously canned product, throw it away.....but you can also boil it (rolling boil...I believe the consensus is to get the temp to about 260 F) for at least ten minutes for acidic food and 20 minutes for all others; there are a lot of white papers from many universities on this. This will NOT destroy botulism but will destroy the spores and make it safe to eat. On a side note, one cool thing to do is to vacuum pack dry beans and rice; they will be good forever and are nutrient rich.

[dverna]

The yard sales were great for a couple years after Y2K!

I still have the generator I bought for Y2K. It was one of many purchases that turned out for the better by prepping for the event. Which leads me to...

Stocking up on stuff like canned foods is seldom going to be a bad idea or waste of money. Buy stuff you use like others have advised.

Two years ago, we bought 20 cases of canned peas, corn and green beans. We had so much already that we have just started using some. We paid $.20 can. $48 for enough "crap" (what gardeners call it) to last us a long time. We endured snickering from a couple that grow a large garden about how much better their veggies were compared to the "junk" we bought.

Buying stuff on sale is how to be prepared and save money without spending a fortune. Like I said in a previous post, we have consumed canned stuff 12 years old without any issues. When you dump a can of corn into a chicken pot pie, does it really matter anyway?

Today, canned veggies are less than $.65 each on sale. You cannot grow them at that price. If you can, it costs $.15 for the lid. Filling a freezer with frozen veggies gets expensive and they do not last more than a year. Unless your canned food storage area freezes, canned goods last over a decade.

[fiberoptik]

Canned bambi in 2002. Just finished her off. Tasted just fine. In the Marines back into ‘84 we were still eating C-Rats from Vietnam. Just avoided the tuna. Acidic foods tend to eat through the cans, stuff Like beets/tomatoes/pickles/sauerkraut. Pineapple too. I ate a 12 year old can of pineapple [emoji531] and the galvanized coating flaked off on the bottom layer. It did taste a bit metallic…..

[RayinNH]

Here 'ya go. https://www.biancaamor.com/bbd

[cwtebay]

Here 'ya go. https://www.biancaamor.com/bbdI've seen that before. Cornmeal??? Flour ??? Sugar ?? Pickles?? I am quite certain that it's still good after that long.
I have a container of salt that I keep on my desk that has an expiration date in 1913 - betting there's not much problem there.
I definitely would not be eating canned goods after 5 years if store bought. But my brothers and cousins and I celebrated my great uncle's life by eating his pickels canned in '63 and drinking his chokecherry wine from '31. We had a great time and all are still kickin!

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[Stew]

When I started canning I read that less acidic canned foods degrade after a year, this includes meat. I went to our local Ag Extension Service office and asked. The word I was given was that they don't actually "expire", but after a year you may notice a reduction in quality. We have eaten food, including meat, that we canned two years before and it tasted just fine, with no ill effects.

[uscra112]

Couple of years ago I opened a can of Dinty Moore that predated Y2K. Nuked it and ate it. Tasted normal, and I'm still alive.

[WILCO]

I opened a can of corn recently.
Month or two past the "Best By" date.
Bottom half of the can was rotten.
Really ticked me off, as it was the last ingredient into the pot.

[Rickf1985]

I remember the C-Rats from Vietnam, most were dated back to WWII and Korea. But at that time you have to remember that WWII was only 25 years prior. Even then in the jungle heat and humidity, (Liquid air) they were going bad pretty quickly. The ham was the first to go from what I saw. Most of the other stuff in the box was pretty bland and tasteless. But I have to laugh when the younger G!'s were complaining about how bad MRI's are. Take their MRI's away and give them C-Rats for a week and they will never complain again! Anyone have good info on the longevity of MRI's? I have a case that is probably 15 years old.

[cwtebay]

I remember the C-Rats from Vietnam, most were dated back to WWII and Korea. But at that time you have to remember that WWII was only 25 years prior. Even then in the jungle heat and humidity, (Liquid air) they were going bad pretty quickly. The ham was the first to go from what I saw. Most of the other stuff in the box was pretty bland and tasteless. But I have to laugh when the younger G!'s were complaining about how bad MRI's are. Take their MRI's away and give them C-Rats for a week and they will never complain again! Anyone have good info on the longevity of MRI's? I have a case that is probably 15 years old.My uncles thought that C Rations were the perfect hunting fare. There was a case of them in the cabin we hunted out of (maybe still there!!). I don't know the difference but the gold colured cans were somehow SO much worse than the green cans.



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[Kestrel4k]

My first decade growing up in Bush AK, we always had a few C rations kicking around the camp gear. I thought they were pretty good as a kid - of course, even boxed mac & cheese is good at that age lol. I /really/ liked the caraway cheese spread though - would certainly have liked more of that.

[gwpercle]

Spam doesn't have an expiration date ... it's like wine , it ages and develops complex flavors ...

I like the new Maple flavored Spam ... It's Good !
Gary

[Three44s]

My wife is pretty tough on throwing out food stuffs due to safety.

As I am way past my "Best Buy Date" it makes me a little nervous when she gets to tossing stuff ....... as to when my "pull date" might be ....

Three44s

[Markopolo]

We invested in a freeze dryer and it has changed everything. We still use jars and canning lids to vacuume seal our many of our freeze dried foods in, as well as Mylar bags, and regular vacuume sealed bags… freeze dryer means we seal stuff that will still have nearly the same nutrient levels for decades…

Here is an example of my breakfast bags for hunting… a bit of hot water, and walla, venison sausage, scrambled eggs, potato’s, onions and mushrooms really to roll..


https://youtu.be/E0c4FEqH4iQ?si=wThkwKqzKEk3ypH5

Here is another video of us canning some freeze dried shrimp… very quick and easy to making Chinese and soups and who knows what…


https://youtu.be/j9HjcuM_FR8?feature=shared

I made this video for a buddy in Scotland named Camz, but it is how I do it..

Marko

[Thundarstick]

This will NOT destroy botulism but will destroy the spores and make it safe to eat.

You have that backwards. Boiling destroys the botulism toxins produced when the bacteria reproduce in the canned food. This species of bacteria form spores when exposed to unfavorable conditions that aren't killed by normal boiling temperatures. Staphlotoxins however cannot be inactivated with heat, but they generally aren't fatal. As my instructor in lab school noted staphylococcus toxins won't kill you, they just make you wish you where dead! If you learn a little microbiology you'll see most stuff that will kill you, cannot reproduce in a salty acidic environment. That don't mean there aren't others that will spoil canned foods, but heating and sealing keeps those at bay.

[Rickf1985]

You have that backwards. Boiling destroys the botulism toxins produced when the bacteria reproduce in the canned food. This species of bacteria form spores when exposed to unfavorable conditions that aren't killed by normal boiling temperatures. Staphlotoxins however cannot be inactivated with heat, but they generally aren't fatal. As my instructor in lab school noted staphylococcus toxins won't kill you, they just make you wish you where dead! If you learn a little microbiology you'll see most stuff that will kill you, cannot reproduce in a salty acidic environment. That don't mean there aren't others that will spoil canned foods, but heating and sealing keeps those at bay.

I don't want to start a war here but I can attest that staph toxins will kill you. I had a staph infection in my cervical spine and I died on the operation table as they were trying to get it all out. Obviously that got me back but I spent a month and a half in the hospital getting VERY expensive injections every 4 hours. The doc told me what happened after I woke up and also told me I was not out of the woods yet. They did not know for sure if I would survive. If I made it to the two week point they would consider me somewhat out of danger. So 1 1/2 months in the hospital and another 3 months at home giving myself injections through a pic line. So yes Staphylococcus CAN kill you. That was in 2012 and I never fully recovered all my strength.

[MrWolf]

Supposedly, you can store raw unwashed eggs in a lime bath for years.

Not to many years. We did a 5 gallon pail full and started using them after about a year. Ended up giving them to my gf's oldest daughter and her kids. She said there were maybe two or so eggs that weren't good. We had a similar experience. Only advice when cooking them is to Crack the egg in one container then switch that to whatever you are cooking with. Sucks having broken half a dozen eggs for scrambled eggs (sunny side didn't work for us with those) and have the next egg be bad and ruin the whole batch.
Would love to freeze dry but seems very expensive and there are only the two of us so..

Ron

[Thundarstick]

I don't want to start a war here but I can attest that staph toxins will kill you. I had a staph infection in my cervical spine and I died on the operation table as they were trying to get it all out. Obviously that got me back but I spent a month and a half in the hospital getting VERY expensive injections every 4 hours. The doc told me what happened after I woke up and also told me I was not out of the woods yet. They did not know for sure if I would survive. If I made it to the two week point they would consider me somewhat out of danger. So 1 1/2 months in the hospital and another 3 months at home giving myself injections through a pic line. So yes Staphylococcus CAN kill you. That was in 2012 and I never fully recovered all my strength.

O my!

I never mentioned a staphylococcus INFECTION! Staphylococcus species are "normal flora" under fingernails and skin. Some staphylococcus species release external toxins as they grow. These toxins in food "BBQ" being one of the most commonly infected foods, but any food that comes into contact with infected hands and kept warm, is suspect to cause " food poisoning". Staphylococcus toxins are the most common cause of food poisoning.

BTW, the organism that causes botulism poisoning are normal flora in your gut!

[gwpercle]

My wife is pretty tough on throwing out food stuffs due to safety.

As I am way past my "Best Buy Date" it makes me a little nervous when she gets to tossing stuff ....... as to when my "pull date" might be ....

Three44s

Get a mirror and check your butt for an expiration date ...
If there is none ... You Good :drinks:
Keep On Keeping On
Gary