Dried foods are arguably the best way to store up large amounts of food for your long term storage. Of course every type of long term storage food has it’s own sets of pros and cons, but dried foods, in my opinion offer the best compromise and is the food storage method that you should be looking at once you have your basic canned goods sorted out.
Dried foods have the advantage of being lightweight and compact. In addition to that, many dry goods that can be bought in stores can also be dried from fresh, right from your garden, even without power. Of course, a lot of preppers already have electric dehydrators, but there is gaaining interest in solar dehydration as well. I’ve even known preppers that use the radiant heat from a wood stove, which burns all winter long, to dehydrate certain produce at home and without help from the grid.
The one disadvantage of dried foods is that it requires water, and a lot of it, to make it edible again. Trust me, you don’t want to swallow a hand full of dried veggies for dinner. In addition to the water, it will also take fuel to get it back to consistency, although there are ways to reduce the amount of fuel required. Pot cozies are easy to make and effective at holding heat.
Rice has become the staple go to storage item for preppers. It is cheap to buy and already dried to the point that preppers can easily pack away large amounts for long term storage. Rice requires double the water per volume to cook, but requires little fuel to do so. Parboiled rice needs to be brought to a boil, then simply covered to steam itself for about 20 minutes. It can also be added in smaller quantities to soups and stews to bulk up a meal.
Wheat berries are another popular prepper storage item. They can be bought and packed away for 25 years, maybe more. Wheat berries can be ground into flour with a hand mill, or some use it as is for cereal. Although wheat is easy enough to grow if you have space to do so, it is very labor intensive to prepare for storage at home.
Produce is great for home dehydration. Simply put, if you can grow it, you can dry it, while keeping in mind that some produce will give better result than others. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of your diet and provide vitamins and minerals required for proper health. Dried fruits are great for snacking as is or they can be added to oatmeal for a yummy breakfast. Dried vegetables are very useful for making healthy soups and stews. I like to add a small handful to rice for a nutrition boost.
Meat. Forget about dehydrating meat for anything other than short term storage. If you’re a hiker or backpacker, you can prepare ready made meals with meat for rehydration on the trail. Other than that, dehydrated meats really don’t store for long times. I would recommend home canning, home smoking, or home freeze drying.
Legumes are a great alternative to meat. They provide both carbohydrates and protein. As an added bonus, many beans and peas will dry for you right in the pods on the plant. Shelling can take a long time when you are looking for quantity, but it is not difficult work. As a matter of fact, it’s a great activity to get the kids to help out with. Many beans and peas can be grown at home in climbing varieties, saving ground space for other veggies.
Herbs for seasoning can also be grown at home and normally wouldn’t require any more effort than hanging harvested sprigs in a sunny location to properly dry. Keeping your taste buds entertained when SHTF can help stave off appetite fatigue.
Commercial goods will also be a big part of your dried food storage. These are items that one would not be able to grow or process at home. Here is a short list of a few items you may want to pick up in quantity and put away for long term storage:
| Powdered Milk | Powdered Eggs |
| Powdered Butter | Soup Stock Mix |
| Salt (various types depending on needs) | Sugar (can be substituted with honey or tree syrups) |
| Baking Powder | Alternate Grains (oats, barley, etc.) |
Always remember to have enough water to deal with dried foods. Either store up water in quantity or secure a reliable source and the resources to make it potable.