[Narz]

I know honey and salt last forever.

What else comes close? Anybody know any cool sites with a rundown?

The Quality First people tell me their coconut oil will last five years or more. I've heard grains will last nearly indefinitely if stored right. Not sure about dried fried or jerkies.

I know sugar lasts forever but I will never store sugar. If you're starving it is better to eat nothing and all than try to subsist on white sugar alone.

http://www.dolfzine.com/page162.htm

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')hipwrecked sailors who ate and drank nothing but sugar and rum for nine days surely went through some of this trauma; the tales they had to tell created a big public relations problem for the sugar pushers.

This incident occurred when a vessel carrying a cargo of sugar was shipwrecked in 1793. The five surviving sailors were finally rescued after being marooned for nine days. They were in a wasted condition due to starvation, having consumed nothing but sugar and rum.

The eminent French physiologist F. Magendie was inspired by that incident to conduct a series of experiments with animals, the results of which he published in 1816. In the experiments, he fed dogs a diet of sugar or olive oil and water. All the dogs wasted and died.3

The shipwrecked sailors and the French physiologist's experimental dogs proved the same point. As a steady diet, sugar is worse than nothing. Plain water can keep you alive for quite some time. Sugar and water can kill you. Humans [and animals] are "unable to subsist on a diet of sugar".4

[DoubleD]

Whole wheat stored in mylar bags inside of plastic buckets with the oxygen removed will be good for more than 15 years if kept in reasonable (cool and dry) storage.

Honey if properly stored in glass containers - vacuum sealed - will last for a very very long time. (at least 15 years)

Dried and freeze dried vegetables properly stored in vacuum packed canisters or in mylar bag lined buckets - if properly dried to be low low moisture content - will last 5 to 7 years (at a minimum).

Dried beans (again stored in airless, sealed containers) will last 5 to 7 years.

Dried milk and dried whole eggs - stored in proper sealed canisters with oxygen removed - and kept in cool storage area - approximately 5 to 7 years.

White rice (not too nutritious but combined with beans (legumes) provides a complete protein and stores much better than whole rice that has fat in the outer cover that goes rancid quickly) - again in proper containers and oxygen removed - will last 10 to 15 years.

Salt - kept dry - no time limit.

The absolute bare minimum basics for long term food storage - whole wheat, dried beans, rice, honey, salt, and dried milk/eggs.

If you are going to store it though - you better use it and rotate it regularly. If you don't know HOW to use whole wheat - make bread or gluten protein - then you are no better off then if you did not store it.

[I_Like_Plants]

A pal of mine, now passed away, told me about the winos in Los Angeles in the old days, lived on cheap wine and did amazingly well just living on that stuff. Of course winos in the 40s and 50s may have been getting some fairly "organic" stuff.

I'm going to vote for li hing mui as the "forever" food lol

[MD]

Most anything freeze dried and nitrogen packed will store well for many years.

Really though, what you should focus on is food production with short term storage (one or two years).

Start with building soils (which not only store for decades but will improve with age, if handled properly).

Then focus on seeds and seed storage. (cool and dry, mostly)

Now start growing.

With dedication and ten years of effort, you might just create a sustainable garden.

If you have lot's of money I suppose you could build a bolt-hole filled with #10 cans of nitrogen packed "diet".

Not for me though. I am going to stay outside and enjoy the party and let the chips fall where they may.

Take it as it comes.

[Carlhole]

I remember seeing an infomercial about emergency freeze-dried foods good for up to 22 years. I did a cursory google but couldn't locate it. But I did find this:

Remember: “When disaster strikes the time to prepare has passed.”

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eBay Seller', 'T')his Breakfast Combo Pack comes at the request of our customers who want a food storage solution that is shelf stable, and will last up to a 100 years or more.

Made by Honeyville Grain, who has more than 50 years in the business serving the wholesale freeze dried food industry, this product will protect your family and yourself in times of uncertainty.

It's never been easier to prepare for the unexpected with the variety of nutrition and great tasting breakfast items in this package. With Honeyville Food Storage, you can truly eat what you store and store what you eat for ease of rotation and ultimate freshness.

Our Breakfast Combo Family Preparedness products are sealed in #10 cans with Oxygen Absorbers to extend shelf life and freshness AND come with plastic lids so resealing them is a breeze.

This Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried & Dehydrated Breakfast Combo Pack contains the following (details for each below):

1 Honeyville Farms Powdered Whole Eggs 2.25 pound (36 ounce) #10 Can.
1 Honeyville Farms Nine Grain Cracked Cereal Mix 3.75 pound (60 ounce) #10 Can.
1 Honeyville Farms Steel Cut Oats 4.38 pound (70 ounce) #10 Can.
1 Honeyville Farms Farina or Germade 4.5 pound (72 ounce) #10 Can.
1 Honeyville Farms Powdered Milk Substitute 4 pound (64 ounce) #10 Can.
1 Honeyville Farms Six Grain Whole Cereal Mix 2.88 pound (46 ounces) #10 Can.
1 Future Essentials 3 oz Nitrogen Packed, Mylar Bag of Pure Ground Korintje Cinnamon
22 Pounds of Food - and when rehydrated with water - this will be the equivalent of about 130 pounds of food!!

[topcat]

We are still eating home-canned apricot preserves from '98, pickles from '99, and who konws what else. In the past, my wife has gone 'overboard' canning one or two items per year (massive batches). '98 was a good apricot year. Now-a-days, her batches are smaller, more different items, and not apricot preserves.

Disclaimer: FDA (or whomever) probably does not support the practice of eating home-canned foods this old. YMMV.

[Daculling]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('I_Like_Plants', '
')I'm going to vote for li hing mui as the "forever" food lol

[sciencegirl]

Oats will last indefinately, also what about spam and other Hormel products, they are supposed to last a very long time but I will have to recheck

[jboogy]

twinkies hava a 20? year shelf life ,i think. I believe the creamy white center is a very well-rounded nutritional mix , but don't quote me on that.

[Hawkcreek]

--

[jboogy]

That's something to think about Ferrel, also possible is that oil scarcity leads to higher prices , higher prices force more of those at the bottom to stop driving,less demand leads to higher supply which then drives down prices which lead to the poor driving again,hmmm.... I gotta give this some more thought.

[Narz]

Interesting theory ferrelgiraffe. If you really believe that though, what the hell are you doing here?

[Terran]

http://www.campingsurvival.com/surtabnewcon.html

Survival food tablets last 10+ years.

Those don't take up much room, and a bottle gives you a 15 day supply. Buy many bottles, and it should last you a while.