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Building a long-term food storage supply can be both a daunting and expensive task – but it does not have to be. As many off-the-grid, homesteading, and prepper families already know, canning produce and meat grown and raised on the farm is a wonderfully inexpensive way to stock up on food with a long shelf life. Dehydrated and freeze dried food also have benefits, including a potentially far longer shelf life than home canned food.

Some folks prefer freeze dried over dehydrated food, but both varieties have advantages and disadvantages. Read labels of any purchased long-term storage food carefully if organic status, gluten, GMOs, or vegetarian dietary needs are a concern.

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Pros and Cons of Freeze Dried Food

Freeze dried food is flash frozen and then placed inside a vacuum pouch or container. Unlike the long dehydrating process, water in freeze dried food vanishes quickly. The fast removal of moisture prevents the food from shriveling or looking “deformed” as it can often do during the dehydration process. Typically, freeze dried food rehydrates more quickly than dehydrated food. Water and time (i.e. patience) are needed for both types of long-term storage food. If time is of the essence or fuel is in short supply during an emergency situation, the minutes and energy saved by using freeze dried food could be a significant factor to consider when deciding how to spend your long-term food storage dollars.

Pros and Cons of Dehydrated Food

Purchasing a moderately priced home dehydrator would allow you to make your own long-term food storage items, but remember to factor the cost of electricity into the decision. My dehydrator cost about $65 when I got it on sale. It works wonderfully and has allowed me to make dehydrated eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, jerky and countless fruits and vegetables. Slicing or spreading the food items to be dehydrated is key to reducing the amount of energy used during the process. Solar dehydrators for outdoor use are both commercially available and can be made fairly simply at home as well.

Are You Ready For The Coming Food Riots?

Dehydrating your own produce, meat and poultry offers not only a cost savings but the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you will be serving your family. A multitude of free recipes exist online that include dehydrated food items, and long shelf life baking products that can be placed inside a Mason jar for quick and easy snacks and meals several years into the future. Commercially dehydrated food has a plethora of varieties………more here