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.
April Thrive Life Food Storage Specials
If you’re new around here, Welcome! I am here to help you grow your food storage in a way that feels uncomplicated and helps you build a supply of food your family will actually want to eat! Each month, I’m sharing what’s on sale from my favorite freeze dried foods company. If you want to know why I love Thrive Life or explore other options, you can check out this blog post.
Now let’s get to the April Thrive Life monthly specials for 2024. I see a few favorites on the flyer, and I’m confident you’ll find some things to add to your long-term food storage.
**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
Pulled Pork - 35% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
GET. THIS.
This is such a great way to add some protein to your food storage and it is a definite crowd pleaser. It tastes great and is so quick and easy! My entire family loves this.
Pro Tip: After reconstituting with water, throw it in a frying pan with some olive oil and brown it; this helps it taste fresher than ever!
Add freeze dried pulled pork to your order now.
**Note: this is one of 4 items that Thrive offers, that has a shorter shelf life than 1 year after opening. You should use the pulled pork within one month of opening the can.
2
Chopped Onions - 35% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
Have you ever given someone freeze dried food for a gift?
No? Well, I sure have. No lie – I give cases of these chopped onions as gifts. I’ve been told it’s life-changing.
These are THE NUMBER ONE THING I RECOMMEND FROM THRIVE LIFE!
Never cry over chopping onions again. I use these almost daily when cooking.
Click here to add freeze dried chopped onions to your delivery. And get a case! You will NOT regret this!
PS – these take a long time to get soft after opening them, just in the can they come in. So I don’t bother repackaging them once I open the can. Even if they do get a little soft (if it has taken me a few months to get through an entire can, which is rare), you can’t tell a difference in the meal, so it’s a non-issue for me.
3
Banana Slices - 30% 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!
Click here to add these freeze dried bananas to your December delivery.
4
Sausage Crumbles - 30% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
This is one of my favorite meats from Thrive Life! It is DELICIOUS!
I don’t cook much with sausage, but when I do, I have no hesitation using this. Just like ground beef, I recommend browning the sausage crumbles before adding them to a meal.
Click here if you’re ready to add these sausage crumbles to your food storage.
5
Blueberries - 30% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
There’s one ingredient in this can: blueberries.
No additives.
No preservatives.
Just blueberries.
25 year shelf life.
I personally get the blueberries in the pantry can size, because I like them super fresh and crisp. This is one of those fruits that does get soft and chewy after being open for a few weeks, so if you’re not going to go through an entire number 10 can within a few weeks, I recommend ordering these in the pantry can size. It just depends on how quickly you’ll go through them.
To add freeze dried blueberries to your food storage, click here.
6
Mushroom Pieces - 25% off
Shelf Life - 25 years
YES!
Who else reaches for the mushrooms and they’re black and slimy? It feels like every time I buy fresh mushrooms, they go bad before I get the chance to use them. Because of this, I use Thrive Life’s freeze dried mushrooms in my cooking instead of fresh mushrooms. Every single time.
They are so awesome to have on hand to just toss in a sauce. You can rehydrate first or if you’re putting them in a meal with liquid in it (like soup), just toss them right in.
Super convenient for every day and an awesome option to give you some variety in your food storage meals!
7
Sour Cream Powder - 25% off
Shelf Life - 10 years
I don’t use this very often, but when I do, I’m so glad I have it! I have 3 recipes that I use sour cream in, and I would really wish I had this in my food storage if I weren’t able to get fresh sour cream!
It does have a strong flavor, so I usually add less of this than what my recipe calls for.
I love having the sour cream powder in my pantry so much that it made the cut for my top 12 items I keep in my food storage.
Click here if you want to add sour cream powder to your order.
**Note the shorter shelf life – sour cream powder has a shelf life of 10 years.
8
Instant White Rice - 25% off
Shelf Life - 30 years
Cooks up just like any other instant rice and tastes great! I don’t know about your family, but we go through A LOT of rice – I would hate to be without such a popular staple.
However, I apply the same logic to rice as I do to the refried beans. Rice has a really decent shelf life, just in the packaging it comes in from the store. Minute Rice in a box is a heck of a lot cheaper than this Thrive Instant White Rice. So…I store Minute Rice in a box, and I rotate through it as I use it.
Having said that, this rice is super delicious and super fast to cook. So if money isn’t an issue, I have no reservations recommending this rice!
9
Instant Milk Powder - 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.
The 2 biggest differences between Thrive’s and the LDS milk:
- Thrive’s has a 25-year shelf life, where the LDS milk has a 20-year shelf life.
- Thrive’s comes in #10 cans and pantry cans, where the LDS milk comes in mylar bags.
- The cost per gallon of Thrive’s milk in a #10 can on this sale: $6.89
- The cost per gallon of the LDS Church’s milk: $3.94
If you want to stick with Thrive’s milk, 50% off is a screamin’ deal. My kids can only tell the difference between this and fresh store bought milk if they see me mixing it up. 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.