Short-Term Food Storage Basics: Part 1 – Getting Started
December 12, 2022
3 Comments
A beginner’s guide to short-term food storage and the differences between short-term and long-term food storage.
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May Thrive Life Food Storage Specials
Are you itching for summer like I am? The first half of this year has felt so incredibly long.
I’m excited about the May Thrive Life monthly specials because there are some great summer snacks included! I think about things I can pack for roadtrips, pool days, and baseball snacks. Some of these fit the bill for easy grab and go and some will help you make cooking dinner a breeze so you can maximize on your relaxation time.
And it’s always a good time to add to your family’s emergency food supply. Keep reading to see what’s on sale, percentage off and all my opinions – good, bad and ugly!
**This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
1
Butternut Squash - up to 40% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
*Butternut Squash has an OVERSTOCK banner, which means it could be 1-2 years into its 25-year shelf life.
We have exactly zero recipes that call for butternut squash.
I threw it in with some stew eat once, and it was fine. 🙂
Click here if you’d like to add butternut squash to your delivery this month.
2
Pineapple - up to 40% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
*Pineapple has an OVERSTOCK banner, which means it could be 1-2 years into it’s 25-year shelf life.
This is such an amazing sweet snack and perfect for your 72-hour kits (in the pantry can size, of course). Seriously, SO good.
I love this pineapple so much that it made the cut for my top 12 items I keep in my food storage.
Check out this post if you’re looking for the breakdown on shelf life, quantity and more.
To add freeze dried pineapple to your food storage, click here.
3
Celery - up to 40% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
*Celery has an OVERSTOCK banner, which means it could be 1-2 years into it’s 25-year shelf life.
So. Dang. Convenient.
Say goodbye to washing and chopping fresh celery for your soups – now you can just scoop and pour!
This celery is PERFECT for throwing into any recipe that calls for celery.
Heads up: when reconstituted, it does not crunch back up like fresh celery. So if you’re looking for a crunch factor in something like a potato salad, this isn’t going to do it. But for anything cooked, this is perfect!
Click here if you’re ready to add freeze dried celery to your order.
4
Pepper Jack Cheese - up to 40% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
*Pepper Jack Cheese has an OVERSTOCK banner, which means it could be 1-2 years into the 25-year shelf life.
I haven’t tried this yet, so I can’t vouch for this specific freeze dried cheese. BUT, I have tried the cheddar cheese and it’s amazing.
Reconstitutes, and even melts, just like fresh cheese. So I’m going to assume this is the same, just pepper jack.
Click here to add pepper jack cheese to your food storage this month.
5
Banana Slices - up to 25% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
These are super flavorful. I don’t love them, but I don’t hate them. It really will depend on how ripe you like your bananas – I prefer a banana with some green still, so these are a teeny bit too ripe for me.
My daughter, on the other hand, can’t get enough of these! So it really just depends on your preference.
One more thing to note, these are not chip crunchy. You’ll still get a bit of crisp, but it’s more airy. The classic banana chips that you’re probably thinking of are dehydrated – these are freeze dried!
6
Diced Beef - up to 25% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
This is pretty darn good! I will say, it has a bit of a reheated taste – I can definitely tell it’s not fresh meat, but the rest of my family can’t. It really depends on your sensitivity to meat.
As with all meats, I highly recommend browning this real quick in a pan (after reconstituting it, but before adding it to your recipe).
My favorite way to use this is to reconstitute it and throw it in a pot with some gravy that I make from a seasoning packet, and then I serve the gravy and meat over rice.
You can purchase diced beef to add to your food storage HERE.
7
Diced Chicken - up to 30% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
This tastes like microwaved chicken to me when I reconstitute it. It makes sense – it’s not Thrive’s fault. It’s just the nature of cooking meat and then reheating it later. I don’t fault Thrive – just my picky taste buds.
BUT, most people think this tastes totally fine. So unless you’re a chicken snob like me, this would be a good addition to your food storage.
8
Potato Dices - up to 25% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
I’ve tried these in soup and also in a breakfast concoction of eggs, sausage crumbles, and potato dices, and they were great! I just don’t use diced potatoes very often in my cooking, so I don’t have very much experience with these. But the 2 things I have tried them in have been fabulous.
9
Country White Dough Mix - up to 25% off
Shelf Life - 3 years
I’ve tried this and it makes a great loaf of bread!
So if you don’t know how to make your own bread, or even if you just want a super quick option, this is great!
Note the 3-year shelf life! So this is not your normal 25 year shelf life item, just FYI.
If you’d like to try the country white dough mix, click here.
10
Instant Milk - 50% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
**Instant Milk has an OVERSTOCK banner on it, which means it may be 1 or 2 years into its 25-year shelf life already.
This stuff is GREAT!
I think this is one of the items that sets Thrive Life apart from other food storage companies. Their milk is really really good. Unless my kids see me mixing it up, they can’t tell the difference.
I definitely think this is one staple everyone should have in their food storage. (Well, I guess if your family is dairy-free it wouldn’t make sense. But, everyone else should have some.) Even if no one drinks it by the glass in your household, I bet you have a handful of recipes that call for milk (like mac & cheese).
This used to be the only milk I recommended storing, but now there’s a really closer runner-up. I promise honesty, so here it is: the LDS Home Storage Center has upgraded their milk and it is really good! It’s cheaper than Thrive’s milk, so I’ll link it here for ya.
If you want to stick with Thrive’s, 50% off is a screamin’ deal. I cannot recommend this milk enough.
If you want to know more about this milk, including cost per serving, go read this post.
If you’re ready to add this instant milk to your order, click here.
If you have questions:
PLEASE send me an email! Don’t delay getting started on your food storage just because something is confusing. I am here to help. If something is confusing to you, or even if you have questions about a previous order, PLEASE ASK!
melanie@planforawesome.com
Quick Ordering Reminders:
Related Posts:
Long Term Food Storage Basics: What you need to Know to Get Started
November 21, 2022
6 Comments
Answers to some of your most asked questions about long-term food storage, including the difference between dehydrated and freeze dried food.
My top 12 Freeze Dried Foods from Thrive Life
August 15, 2022
19 Comments
While every family’s food storage needs are a little different, every family needs food storage. These 12 items are my top favorites – most of them I even use on a regular basis when I’m out of the grocery store version.