One of the most useful items you can have in your food storage program is beverages. There are also a number of instant products that have very good shelf life. If it becomes necessary to boil your water or add chemical purifiers, having beverage mixes handy will increase the flavor and taste of an otherwise bland drink. Here are some simple storage beverage items.
COFFEE
Ground Coffee has a shelf life of about 2 years when unopened and about 2 weeks when opened.
Instant Coffee has a shelf life of about 1 year unopened and about 2 to 3 weeks when opened.
Powdered Coffee Creamer has an approximate shelf life of 6 months.
TEA
Instant Tea has a shelf life of about 3 years.
Loose Tea has a shelf life of about 2 years.
Tea Bags have a shelf life of approximately 18 months.
MILK
Canned Milk has an approximate shelf life of 1 year.
Instant Nonfat Dry Milk has an approximate shelf life of 6 months in the pantry and up to a year in the freezer.
SODAS
Diet Sodas have a shelf life of about 3 months when unopened.
Regular Sodas have a shelf life of about 6 months when unopened.
DRINK MIXES
Country Time Lemonade, Crystal Light, and Kool Aid Drink Mixes, etc. have an approximate shelf life of 2 years.
POWDERED BABY FORMULA
Powder Baby Formula in cans is good for approximately one year after the expiration date. The reason they last longer is they are vacuum sealed in order to maintain freshness.Opened cans are good for approximately 4 weeks once opened and this time period can be extended to about 8 weeks if stored in the refrigerator.
Storing beverage items will give you additional variety in your food storage program.
Staying above the water line!
Riverwalker
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10 comments:
LOL I see beer didn't make the list. Not really a long term storage item I guess. haha!! Great post and great info as always.
Chris
I was waitig to see the stats on beer myself! Even if you don't drink or drink very little, the stuff can make great barter.
Michael
Im wondering what the extended life would be on Java and teas ans powdered milk if repackaged with a Food Saver "vacuum Sealer" ?
Oh,....and long term storage on beer?.....forget about it.....once cold it gets consumed quickly HAHAHHAaaa
Coffee Storage
RW, you are dead on that ground coffee is only good for about two weeks after it is opened.
Good news! I just completed a save-the-coffee experiment, and It worked!
I can only drink only one (large) cup of coffee a day. Yet in my preps I have a bunch of three pound cans of ground coffee. I discovered that I could only use a quarter (max) of a can before it turned sour.
I got the bright idea to repack the freshly opened ground coffee into small canning jars. Pack coffee in the jar tight (to get the air out) till it was slightly less than half an inch from the top of the jar, wipe the rim of the jar free of coffee grounds, and screw on a new lid.
Then I used my Pump and Seal ($20 online) and vacuum sealed the jar. Stored these in a cool dark closet till I needed one.
I just finished the last jar (10 weeks after repackaging it). It tasted fresh to the last cup!
I use that little Pump and Seal for a lot of my preps, but not ammo. It can suck the bullets right out of a cartridge.
Keep up the great work RW!
Sam
To: scavenger
My beer usually doesn't last more than a few minutes when cold! Maybe an hour or so when hot, it takes about that long for the ice to get it cold!HaHa!
RW
To: michael
Plan on doing the alcoholic beverages separate. I think the stuff to make your own brew will probably store longer than the ready made product. Thanks.
RW
TO: gott_cha
Check Sam's comments!
RW
To: sam
That's a great idea. I hadn't considered that some people's intake of caffeine and such could be a problem by causing excess leftovers. Thanks.
RW
I noticed that www.shelfreliance.com carries Orange, Peach, and Apple Drink #10 cans.
To: rebecca
The only thing you need to watch about juice is the acidity. Like tomato sauces and other items with a high acid content, the shelf life can be adversely affected by acid content. I rotate my juice stocks pretty frequently as a result. Thanks.
RW
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