It’s another month! How did you all do for February? I was able to get some items checked off, not
all but like I’ve mentioned before, food storage is a process it will take
time.
This month for March we are to be collecting Fats and Oils
such as shortening, butter, mayo and peanut butter to name a few.
Here are some tips on how we need to be storing our oils. I
found some tips off of Prepared LDS Family blog
(there’s some good info on there).
Oils should be
stored in a dark location such as a closed cupboard or pantry. Olive
oil has about a 6 month shelf life, but can be stored for a year in a
refrigerator. To avoid using rancid oil, always smell before using. Sticks or
canned shortening have a shelf life of 2 years. Once opened the canned
shortening has a 1 year shelf life, but the sticks have a 6 month shelf life.
Peanut or almond
butter is another item I stock up on this month, but remember it
has a short shelf life of about 1 year. I usually keep a 6 month supply on hand
in the small 18 oz. containers because we use it slowly. If you need help
figuring out the shelf life of any food item, visit StillTasty.com
or look at the expiration date the manufacturer put on the item. And remember
to see if the date is truly an expiration
date OR a best buy date. Many items can be stored beyond the
best buy date, but be careful about oils as they do not smell or taste good
when they go rancid. Yuck!
Here are some other tips that I found on Survival Mom on how
to store your fats and oils.
Keep oil cool.
Refrigerate
or freeze your oil to lengthen its’ shelf life. If it thickens, just let
it warm to room temperature before using it. Coconut oil is a great
option to the oils we typically think of for cooking and baking. Coconut
oil can be kept refrigerated and has a longer shelf life than other oils since
it is a saturated fat.
Keep track of time.
The
most important step in storing oil is keeping track of the date you purchased
it and rotate it on a regular basis. By the time it reaches its’
stamped expiration date, it may already be too rancid to use. If you
don’t use oil all that often, buy smaller bottles so you’ll be able to rotate
through them more quickly.
Keep oxygen out.
Obviously,
you won’t be able to use oxygen absorbers in your bottles of oil!
The only measure you can take is storing oil in jars and then using a Food
Saver device to extract oxygen from the jar. Even that isn’t fool-proof.
While
on Pinterest I found out that you can actually store butter safely and at room
temperature! What!?! So naturally I had
to pin it. Here is the link on how to store butter. Click HERE. It is very fascinating that I had to share this info with MIL, she is my
partner in crime for food storage. She was just as shocked as I was since she
has been doing food storage for years!
Did
you also know that shortening can be used in an emergency for light? Another
tip I found while scouting on Pinterest. Here is the link how to make a Crisco
Candle.
I
hope I haven’t bored you yet with all this info. Good luck and just keep on
going, even if you don’t get everything on the list. Below is the link for the
entire March List.
March Prepardness List
