Whenever you are preparing your foods for long term storage, it is common to throw in either some oxygen absorbers or moisture absorbers to help increase the likelihood that your food will last. However, there are some foods that can unfortunately turn into a giant brick or develop botulism when you include an absorber or two. As I go through the process of discovering these foods, I’m glad that I caught them before I had to quickly repackage my mylar bags. You ideally want a moisture content less than 10% and avoid any foods with a fair amount of fat in them. You can dehydrate ground beef or chicken breast meat, but for safety’s sake simply store in a clear glass jar for later usage without an absorber. I’m sure there are others that I’m just not thinking about at the moment, but I wanted to get a basic list out for everyone stockpiling during the winter.
- Jerky
- Brown Rice
- Sugar (any variety)
- Salt
- Pearled Barley
- Granola
- Grains (excluding white rice and oats)
- Dried Eggs
- Any dried veggie or fruit that doesn’t snap when broken
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- “Dried” mushrooms
Suburban & Rural Homesteading Today 