Keep it, then preserve it
Start with shelf-stable food you already eat, then add the preserving methods one at a time.
Stock food that needs no cooking
Ready.gov's advice is several days of food your household already eats, with any special diet covered.
- Canned meat, fruit and vegetables you can eat cold
- Peanut butter, dry cereal, dried fruit, protein bars and shelf-stable milk
- Infant food if there's a baby in the house
- A manual can opener. Skip any can that's swollen, dented or corroded
Save the fridge and freezer
A thermometer settles it. Perishable food that sat above 40°F for two hours or more goes in the bin.
- Fridge: about 4 hours if the door stays shut
- Full freezer: about 48 hours
- 25 pounds of dry ice keeps a 10-cubic-foot freezer frozen for 3 to 4 days (handle it with heavy, dry gloves)
- Anything with an odd smell, colour or texture gets thrown out
Match the canner to the food
Acidity decides the method, because botulism grows in moist, low-acid food sealed away from air.
- Fruit, jams, pickles and sauerkraut (pH 4.6 or lower): boiling-water canner
- Meat, fish, poultry, milk and most vegetables: pressure canner at 240 to 250°F
- Add lemon juice or citric acid to tomatoes and figs
- Above 1,000 feet, raise the time or pressure for your elevation
Ferment a crock of sauerkraut
Work in batches of 5 pounds of cabbage with 3 tablespoons of canning salt each.
- At 70 to 75°F it's done in about 3 to 4 weeks, at 60 to 65°F in 5 to 6
- Below 60°F it may not ferment, and above 75°F it can turn soft
- Keep it under the brine with a plate and weights, or a brine-filled bag
- Finished kraut keeps tightly covered in the fridge for several months
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Sauerkraut Dry fruit at 140°F
An oven or a dehydrator both work. A pre-dip stops cut fruit going brown.
- Dip slices in an ascorbic acid or lemon juice solution for about 10 minutes
- It's dry when a cooled, squeezed handful leaves no moisture and springs apart
- Condition it in loosely filled jars for 4 to 10 days, shaking daily
- Sealed and kept cool and dark, it lasts about 6 to 12 months
Make jerky safely
Lean meat, thin strips, and a heat step that brings the meat to 160°F.
- Trim all fat and slice no thicker than ¼ inch
- Heat the strips to 160°F in boiling marinade before drying, or in the oven after
- Dry at 140°F until a test piece bends and cracks without breaking
- About two weeks sealed at room temperature, longer in the fridge or freezer
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Jerky 
