Dehydrated

I am going to try and explain about dehydrated food. The symbol or the letter (D) means dehydrated when we order or shop for food storage. If it has no symbol like (FD) it’s dehydrated and therefore, we should know it is dehydrated and not (FD-freeze dried). Maybe it’s just me but when I first starting buying the #10 cans I had to look twice to see if the can was freeze-dried or dehydrated. You will see most cans have freeze-dried prominently shown on the order form as well as the #10 cans or pouches, etc. at any given store if they are freeze-dried. If you are new to shopping or ordering online it’s confusing because they assume we KNOW it’s dehydrated if the product sales “carrots” without a (D) or (FD)…..well I didn’t know. I hope this helps you as you continue to order and build your long-term food storage.

Okay….most of us buy dehydrated food every day. We purchase cereal, spices, pasta, beans, baking mixes, etc. Dehydrated is the way the water has been removed from the products. The water is slowly cooked out of the food without actually cooking it. It’s one of the most affordable, light-weight, and compact ways to purchase food for our storage or everyday cooking. We need to be aware of the dehydrated term…it generally takes longer to cook. You cannot “snack” on it right out of the can. It’s too hard. This is fine for soups, stews, etc. We need to remember that typically dehydrated food does not last as long as freeze-dried. It usually has a shelf life of 5-8 years. They usually have an OPEN shelf life of 6 months to 1 year. Please read the information provided by the companies you purchase from. I made the mistake of purchasing a can of freeze-dried turkey and ham….and then realized if opened….it had to be used within two weeks. Yep, I am saving those two cans to make omelets for the neighborhood when a disaster strikes….or just for fun with the neighborhood someday! Please learn from me…read the cans or pouches. I buy both freeze-dried and dehydrated. They are both good choices. Please email if you have any questions:  foodstoragemoms@yahoo.com