We’re living in an age where sustainability and resourcefulness are beyond important; they are crucial for our survival. Expired food contributes to waste & pollution as well. A lot of expired food products stored in people’s homes end up in the trash. So, how do you extend the shelf life of food and preserve it for a long time?

Experts believe that the shelf life of foods relies on these four factors:

• Formulation
• Processing
• Package
• Storage conditions

If we learn to store/maintain edibles for a long time, we can enjoy seasonal produce all over the year. This is what you’ll learn in this blog, i.e., the main food preservation techniques and their pros & cons.

Each method offers unique benefits and you should choose the perfect food preservation technique based on your culinary needs.

Technique #1: Canning

Types of Canning

Let’s start with canning, a simple procedure in which you put food in airtight containers. It comes in two distinct types, interestingly: bath and pressure canning. Here’s how they work:

• Bath Canning: Best for acidic edibles (pickles or tomatoes)
• Pressure Canning: Best for low-acid foods, such as seafood and meats

Canning Process

Here’s how the canning process is done:

• Clean the food thoroughly
• Put it inside sterilized jars
• Remove air bubbles from jars
• Seal their lids tightly

You can submerge the jars in boiling water for bath canning. In pressure canning, you just put these jars inside a pressure canner to create a vacuum seal that’ll kill lurking microorganisms.

Pros and Cons

Canning can make your edibles last three to five years and works best when you need to preserve food in bulk. However, it uses high heat that may cause the loss of essential nutrients from edible items. Also, it’s important to note that canning, when done improperly, may give birth to Clostridium botulinum. It causes botulism (a rare type of food poisoning).

Technique #2: Dehydrating

Dehydration Process

In simple terms, you’ll remove moisture from your edibles in this process. Here’s the logic behind it: You know how microbes grow in your food by thriving on moisture and ultimately spoiling it. You can simply use methods like air drying or sun drying to dehydrate your food. It works on stuff like:

• Herbs & spices
• Fruits (like apples/bananas)
• Vegetables (like bell peppers)
• Meats (such as beef jerky)

Benefits of Dehydration

Who doesn’t like sundried tomatoes? They are filled with nutrients and don’t weigh too much. That’s why dehydration is used you want to store a lot of edible items in small spaces. You can bring dried foods with you on the road and stay in the wild for a long time with these items.

Moreover, you can simply rehydrate this food by soaking it in water. That’s how you can restore an item’s original flavor and texture after preserving it for a long time.

Important Considerations

Keep in mind that dehydration is a time-consuming process. It can take some food items several hours to become completely moisture-free. Also, getting your hands on a dehydrator can be tough. So, you should stick to sundried foods in case of emergency.

Technique #3: Fermenting

Fermentation Process

This process has been used for thousands of years to create amazing food. In fermentation, you simply rely on lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to dine on sugar, slowly turning it into lactic acid (or alcohol, in some cases). This process makes your food taste even better and makes it inhospitable for microbes to stay. So, your food items become immune to spoilage after you introduce yeasts to them. Some examples of foods being preserved via fermentation are:

• Kefir
• Miso
• Yogurt
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut
• Sourdough bread

Benefits of Fermentation

Fermentation makes your food rich in probiotics that lead to good gut health. It’s good for your immune system as well. Moreover, fermentation makes some nutrients even more bioavailable!

Essential Considerations

However, you have to check for the right pH, oxygen levels, and heat when fermenting something. Also, you must be patient for the fermentation process to finish, even if it takes many weeks or several months.

Conclusion

The gist of this blog is that canning, fermenting, and dehydrating can extend the shelf life of many kinds of food. Canning works best when you want to store fruits and veggies. Put them in airtight containers to eat them weeks later. Dehydrating is great for meats and herbs. You remove moisture to make sure they don’t get spoiled easily. As for fermenting, it’s a great way to preserve dairy and grains with probiotics.

Canning is good for bulk food storage while fermentation might add a tangy flavor to your edibles. That’s why you should Entry Survival’s food package which gives you a generous supply of nutrient-rich foods with a shelf life of 20+ years. With Entry Survival, you can stay nourished in the middle of an emergency.