Survival food refers to non-perishable, long-lasting, and nutrient-dense food items specifically chosen and stored to sustain individuals during emergencies or survival situations. These foods are typically easy to prepare or require no cooking, making them suitable when access to fresh food or cooking facilities is limited or unavailable.

Survival food includes canned goods, freeze-dried meals, energy bars, nuts, dried fruits, and jerky. An adequate supply of survival food in an emergency kit or bug-out bag ensures sustenance and energy during challenging circumstances or natural disasters. Pick these survival food items before SHTF and last the apocalypse with the best emergency food supply!

RELATED: 43 Survival Food Items That Actually Taste Good

The Best Survival Food Items to Stock Up Before SHTF

Long-Term Food Storage Quick Reference

MREs, freeze-dried, dehydrated food, and other types of survival food to have in a 25-year emergency food supply. However, there are a few survival foods you can pick up at the local grocery store today that won’t cost you an arm and a leg while being shelf-stable.

What is MRE? This stands for Meal, Ready to Eat. The MRE is a self-contained meal.

Check out this condensed version of our list of the top nine survival food items or “forever foods” you need to stock up on NOW. These types of survival food items last years, decades, or even longer − and if you don’t start stocking up on them now, you’ll be SOL after TSHTF:

1. Honey

Honey is essential for survival. It has been discovered, still edible, in the tombs buried deep inside the ancient Egyptian pyramids! It never turns or goes rancid, but it may crystallize over time.

This is when people typically toss it in the garbage but that is a HUGE mistake. All you have to do is warm it and stir it for a few minutes and all the crystals will disappear.

Benefits of Honey

Honey has a lot of benefits to be taken advantage of. It is a fantastic sugar source for a quick boost of energy, tastes fantastic in a cup of tea, and has a ton of other benefits to keeping it around!

2. Salt

Salt is a mineral that never goes bad and has always been an incredibly valuable resource. At one point, it was even thought to be used as a form of currency!

Long Shelf Life

Whether it’s sea salt or ordinary table salt, it has an indefinite shelf life. The only caveat to this is seasoning salt, which has a shelf life of around a year (which is still pretty good, so if you have space in your pantry, by all means, store it).

Nutritional Value

After a crisis, adding a pinch of salt to your meals does much more than boost the flavor of bland and tasteless survival food.

It also adds sodium (an electrolyte that you absolutely need) back into your diet. Without these electrolytes, your body can’t function properly, so be sure to stock up!

3. Rice

Rice is highly versatile and filling. I can’t tell you how many meals I’ve prepped that consisted of more rice and gravy than meat.

White rice is incredibly cheap and, as long as you keep pests away from it, it’s a great survival food that should last a very long time. Make sure you only store white rice as brown rice contains a good amount of oils in the grain and goes rancid after only a few months.

4. Cornstarch

Corn starch is a great thickening agent, but making a good gravy or thick roux isn’t the only thing cornstarch is good for! It also has many other ingenious uses, such as soothing sunburns and diaper rash, and even post-SHTF pest control!

Storing Cornstarch

Be sure to reseal the cornstarch after each use to keep it from getting contaminated with moisture. Cornstarch must stay dry in order for this survival food to have a longer shelf life!

5. White Vinegar

Marinades and salad dressings are made tastier with vinegar, but there are lots of practical uses for vinegar as well. Not only is it useful after a crisis, but it can also save you big bucks at the grocery store every day!

Most people know you can cook with it and you can clean with it, but there are a few other surprising uses for vinegar you might never have thought of.

RELATED: How To Make Hardtack: The Survival Food That Never Goes Bad

6. Sugar

Brown, white, and even powdered sugar all last indefinitely. While sugar does harden over time, all you need to do is knead it to break up the chunks.

Just like with rice, make sure you keep it away from pests (they want it more than people do). With proper storage, sugar can last a long time.

Benefits of Sugar

Just like with salt, this will both be useful to you as a food source and a bartering resource in a post-SHTF economy.

People are addicted to sugar, and if you have enough of it when no one else does, you can get anything you want. This makes it an ideal survival food.

7. Liquor

Aside from its obvious “calming” properties, you can use liquor for many purposes. You can even use it as a fire starter since anything over 40-proof will take a spark easily.

Liquor can also be a major bartering chip. Many people after a crisis will be looking for a way to escape and relax, and if you can give that to them, you’ve got the upper hand!

8. Vanilla Extract

Real, pure vanilla extract is highly valuable and will last forever. Not only does it not expire, but pure vanilla extract, just like fine wine, actually improves with time.

It’s more expensive than imitation vanilla, but if you can, go ahead and spring for it. You will be happy you did after a crisis.

Just be sure to reseal it when you’re done. If you’re not too fond of purchasing this pricey survival food, you can also make your own vanilla extract.

9. Maple Syrup

This one gets huge points for flavor and variety. Maple syrup isn’t just limited to pancakes. You can add this to a wide range of different survival foods for some great added flavor.

Make Maple Syrup at Home

You can even make your own maple syrup from maple tree sap. It takes about an hour a gallon, but it’s well worth the effort and your budget!

The claims of 25-year shelf life are based on your stockpile being kept at “optimum conditions,” but let’s face it, in any crisis, optimum conditions are an absolute fantasy.

These common household ingredients will have a long shelf life in any survival food storage. So skip the commercialized survival food bars and add these to your long-term food storage list!

Food storage solutions are essential for preserving food and ensuring its safety and quality over time. When implementing food storage solutions, remember to check expiration dates, rotate items regularly, and keep track of inventory to minimize waste. Proper storage and organization contribute to efficient meal planning, reduce food spoilage, and ensure a steady supply of nourishing food for you and your family.

What’s on your survival food supply list? Do you have your go-to wise food storage plan? Share your thoughts and experience in the comments section below!

Up Next:

• Rule Of Threes: The Basic Guide To Survival
• A Simple Trick to Make Survival Food Last 20 Years
• Survival Food | How To Catch, Cook, & Eat Snakes For Survival

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 21, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

In a survival situation, the ability to grow your own food can be a critical factor in your ability to survive. One of the most important aspects of growing your own food is having access to viable survival seeds. However, not all seeds are created equal, and even the best seeds will not germinate if they are not stored properly. In this article, we will discuss how to store seeds to achieve the highest germination rate in survival situations.

1. Choose the Right Seeds

The first step in storing seeds is to choose the right emergency survival seeds. When selecting seeds, it is important to choose seeds that are well-suited to your climate and growing conditions. Additionally, it is important to choose seeds that are of high quality and have a high germination rate. Look for seeds that are labeled as “organic,” “non-GMO,” and “heirloom” to ensure that you are getting the best possible seeds.

2. Dry the Seeds

Once you have selected your long term survival seeds, the next step is to dry them. Moisture is the enemy of seeds, as it can cause them to rot or become moldy. To dry your seeds, spread them out on a clean, dry surface, and allow them to air dry for several days. Once the seeds are dry, you can store them in an airtight container.

3. Store the Seeds in a Cool, Dry Place

When storing seeds, it is important to keep them in a cool, dry place. Seeds that are exposed to heat and humidity are more likely to lose their viability. A cool, dry place, such as a basement or a pantry, is an ideal storage location for seeds.

4. Use an Airtight Container

To prevent moisture from getting into your seeds, it is important to store them in an airtight container. Glass jars with tight-fitting lids or plastic containers with snap-on lids are both good options. Be sure to label your containers with the type of seed and the date they were stored.

5. Store Survival Seeds in the Freezer

For long-term storage, consider storing your seeds in the freezer. Freezing can extend the life of your seeds by several years. To freeze seeds, place them in an airtight container and store them in the freezer. When you are ready to use the seeds, allow them to thaw completely before planting.

Storing seeds properly is critical for achieving the highest germination rate in survival situations. By choosing the right seeds, drying them properly, storing them in a cool, dry place, using an airtight container, and storing them in the freezer, you can ensure that your seeds remain viable for years to come. With these tips in mind, you can be confident in your ability to grow your own food and survive in any situation.

In today’s fast-paced world, we often take our access to food for granted. However, in times of natural disasters, emergencies, or other unforeseen circumstances, having survival food on hand can be crucial to ensuring our survival. In this article, we will discuss the importance of having survival food and some tips for choosing the right types of food to store.

First and foremost, having survival food is important because it provides a source of sustenance during times when food is scarce or unavailable. In an emergency situation, the usual sources of food such as grocery stores, restaurants, or fast food chains may not be operational, making it essential to have a stockpile of food that can last for days, weeks, or even months. This is especially important for individuals and families who live in areas that are prone to natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, or tornadoes.

Moreover, having survival food can provide peace of mind, knowing that you have a source of nutrition in case of an emergency. This can help reduce stress and anxiety during times of crisis and can also enable you to focus on other aspects of emergency preparedness, such as shelter and medical supplies.

When it comes to choosing the right types of food to store, there are several factors to consider. First and foremost, the food should be non-perishable, meaning that it can be stored for an extended period without spoiling. This includes canned goods, dried fruits and vegetables, and freeze-dried or dehydrated meals. It is also important to choose foods that are high in calories, protein, and other essential nutrients to ensure that you are getting the nutrition you need during an emergency.

Another factor to consider is the storage conditions of the food. It is important to store survival food in a cool, dry, and dark place to prevent spoilage and ensure that the food remains safe to eat. This may include storing food in a basement, pantry, or other storage area that is free from humidity and moisture.

In addition to choosing the right types of food and storing it properly, it is also important to rotate your stockpile regularly. This means using and replenishing your stockpile on a regular basis to ensure that the food remains fresh and safe to eat.

In conclusion, having survival food is an essential aspect of emergency preparedness. It provides a source of sustenance during times of crisis and can provide peace of mind knowing that you are prepared for any emergency. By choosing the right types of food, storing it properly, and rotating your stockpile regularly, you can ensure that you and your family are prepared for any situation that may arise.

We’ve curated some of the best Options and Deals on long Term Survival Food below

Peppers are a summer time must have in my garden. They are usually one of the first plants to put out their spicy fruit, and they keep giving the more you pick them.

Peppers can easily be frozen for later use. If you want to go the extra mile, try grilling a few on low heat for about 20 minutes and make chipotles. These can also be frozen for later use, or can them!

These little peppers pack a punch in the nutritional aspect of things. One jalapeño has enough vitamin C to provide 18% of the daily amounts – that’s quite a bit for such a small pepper. Jalapeños also supply a good amount of vitamin A, which supports skin and eye health; one pepper offers 17 percent of the RDA for men and 22 percent for women.

The health benefits don’t stop just there. Studies has shown that jalapeños provide quite a bit of health benefits as well. It may also help the body dissolve fibrin, which blood clots need in order to form. Furthermore, cultures throughout the world that take full advantage of spicy peppers in their meals have significantly lower rates of heart attack and stroke than the rest. Some other benefits include migraine relief, relives congestion, provides cardiovascular benefits, antibacterial properties, fights inflammation, weight loss and the capsaicin (what makes the pepper hot) can help prevent cancer.

Here are 8 delicious recipes to use toward your bountiful pepper harvest.

Salsa

Makes 3 pints

• 10-12 fresh tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. jalapeño, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbls. pickling salt
• 1 tbls. cumin
• 1 tbls. chili powder
• pepper to taste

1. Sterilize jars, lids and rings, set aside.
2. In the meantime, remove tomato skins by cutting an X at base of tomatoes and adding to boiling water for 1-2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes when skins begin to peel. Allow to cool and skins should easily come off.
3. Chop all ingredients coarsely and add to a large sized bowl. Taste and add additional spices or ingredients to suit your taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies, or add some ground cumin.
4. Ladle salsa into sterilized jars. Run a clean knife into jars to help trapped air escape. Wipe rim of jar with a wet towel and add lid and secure ring.
5. Add jars to canner filled with water and bring to a boil. Process for 20 minutes.

Texas Jalapeño Poppers

Makes 30

• 15 jalapeño, sliced in half, seeds and core removed
• 1 – 8 oz. package cream cheese
• 1 1/2 c. Monterey jack or cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tbls. cumin
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked, crumbled

1. Cut jalapeño peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds.
2. Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cumin, and chili powder; stir well.
3. Place one heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture on each pepper half. Sprinkle with bacon and chili powder; Place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake at 400°F or grill on the pit for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Holy Jalapeño Relish

This recipe comes from Daisy at The Organic Prepper is will blow your socks off!

canning version

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds of jalapeno peppers
• 2 cups of sugar (white sugar or turbinado)
• 4 cups of white vinegar
• ½ cup of cilantro leaves (optional)
• (Another option, if you want a condiment with less heat, is to replace up to half of the jalapenos with green bell peppers.)

1. In a food processor, finely chop the peppers. Don’t turn them into a pureed mush – make them the consistency of relish.
2. Meanwhile, in a large cooking pot, stir the sugar into the vinegar and bring to a boil.
3. Immediately reduce the heat and stir in your hot peppers.
4. Use your food processor to chop the cilantro leaves, if you are using them, then stir them into your relish. (Be sure to use the leaves only – the stems are bitter and unpleasant.)
5. Bring the relish back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until heated through.
6. Ladle the relish into sanitized pint jars allowing ½ inch of head space.
7. Process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Be sure to adjust for altitude.

Pickled Jalapeño

Makes 3 pint jars

• 2 lb. jalapeño, sliced into rings
• 4 c. distilled white vinegar
• 4 c. filtered water
• 4 tbls. pickling salt
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbls. whole black pepper corns

1. Sterilize jars, lids and rings, set aside.
2. In a non reactive pot, add vinegar, salt, garlic and pepper corns to water and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
3. Add jalapeño to brine and bring it back to a boil.
4. Ladle hot brine and jalapeños into sterilized jars. Run a clean knife into jars to help trapped air escape. Wipe rim of jar with a wet towel and add lid and secure ring.
5. Add jars to canner filled with water and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes.

Chunky Peach Jalapeño Preserves

Makes 2 pints

• 2-3 lbs. peaches
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• 2 tbls. jalapeño, minced
• 1 tbls. pectin

Hot Pepper Infused Oil

Makes 1 quart

• 1 quart good quality olive oil
• 3-4 jalapeño
• 1 garlic clove

1. Soak peppers and garlic in oil at room temperature for one week.
2. Strain, then pour into a bottle or jar. Drop 1 jalapeño peppers into bottle and store in a cool, dry spot.

Dried Pepper Seasoning

Makes 3-4 teaspoons

• 3 dozen fresh green jalapeño peppers (or your choice of spicy hot peppers)

1. Rinse and remove pepper stems.
2. On a cutting board, slice peppers into small rings.
3. Place on dehydrating tray at medium high setting for 4 hours or until completely dried.
4. When dried, grind in food processor. Warning: Watch out for spice dust getting in your eyes/nostrils or you’ll end up sneezing for a while.
5. Place in airtight container and store in a cool place.

 Jalapeño Cheese Ball

Makes 1 large cheese ball or 2 smaller cheese balls

• 2 blocks cream cheese, softened
• 2 c. cheddar cheese
• 1 tbls. sour cream
• 1 (1ounce) packet Ranch Dressing
• 5-6 bacon slices, crumbled
• 2-3 jalapeño, seeded, cored and chopped
• 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
• Crackers

1. Mix the sour cream with ranch dressing mix in a bowl until smoothly combined
2. Add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapeño to the bowl, and mix together until thoroughly blended
3. Chill the mixture for 5 minutes, then shape into a ball
4. Place the pecans into a shallow bowl, and roll all sides of the cheese ball in the pecans to coat
5. Serve immediately with buttery crackers.

Canning pumpkin is a great way to add more nutrition to your food pantry. Aside from making pies, pumpkin can be added to cream-based pasta, smoothies, added to baked goods, used in pet treats and more.

This plump squash is filled with nutrition as well. A cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin contains more than 200 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which aids in vision, according to the National Institutes of Health. They are also an abundant source of beta carotene and fiber.

The best types of pumpkins to use in canning are the smaller “pie pumpkins.” This variety is sweeter and less grainy. Make sure the pumpkins you choose are firm with no bruising or damage on the skin.

Bear in mind that a 6-inch pumpkin yields 2-3 cups of puree. An average of 16 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; or an average of 10 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints – an average of 2¼ pounds per quart. This should give you an indication of how much pumpkin you will need. A word of advice, canned pumpkin should be cubed, not pureed. The USDA has deemed pureed pumpkin unsafe to home can due to the denseness of the puree makes it difficult to heat thoroughly enough for the home canner to safely can it.

4-5 (4 to 6-pound) baking pumpkin, rinsed and dried

1. Fit stockpot with a colander or steaming base and fill a pot with 3-4 inches of water. Set heat on medium high to warm water.
2. Meanwhile, cut the tops off of pumpkin and slice in half.
3. Remove seeds and stringy insides. Then, slice into 1/4 slices.
4. When water has come to a boil, add pumpkin slices to a stockpot and cover for 15 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft.
5. Allow the pumpkin to cool and remove the rind with a paring knife. Reserve liquid for canning.
6. Cut pumpkin meat into 1- inch cubes.
7. Return the cubed pumpkin and reserved liquid back to the stockpot and heat the mixture through again. Boil for 3-5 minutes and set aside.
8. Fill sterilized jars with cubes and cover cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace.
9. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim and process in a pressure cooker for 55 minutes for pint jars and 90 minutes for quart-sized jars.

Sweet. Smoky. Spicy. Is there anything better than these flavor combinations? This recipe happened purely by chance when I accidentally let a pot of strawberry preserves go too long on the stove. I’m not about to let a pot of preserves go to waste, so I decided to make a barbecue sauce out of it. My mistake ended up being one of the best recipes I have ever come up with!

The chipotles will balance out the sweetness of the strawberries and really give some oomph to this sauce and is amazing on all meat types. My family loved it on ribs, chicken and pork tenderloin.

Now that barbecue season is quickly approaching, I thought I’d share this new take on the traditional bbq sauce and kick things up a notch. Happy grilling!

• 4 cups strawberries, hulled (if they are large cut them in half)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped
• 2 tablespoon garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard

1. In a large pot, sterilize pint-size canning jars, lids, and rims.
2. In a large saucepan, add strawberries, lemon, and sugar and cook over medium heat until they start to caramelize about 15-20 minutes. Skim off any foam that may develop from the cooking process.
3. Add remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until pureed. Add ingredients to strawberries and simmer for 2o minutes.
4. Ladle bbq sauce into canning jars, remove air bubbles and wipe rims before sealing.
5. Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes.

I thought I would share one of my favorite pectin-free recipes with you all today. I stumbled upon it purely out of necessity. I had purchase some beautifully ripe fruit at the farmer’s market and excitedly began preparing it to make jam. Little did I know I was out of pectin and quickly turned to the trusty internet and found a recipe using honey. I loved how the jam turned out and kids hardly noticed.

Honey is a wonderful sweetener to make preserves with. I like using wildflower honey when canning preserves, but feel free to use what you have on hand. This recipe is very versatile, so feel free to use your favorite fruits. I’ve made this with a combination of different berries like blackberry, strawberry and cherry, and have even used larger fruits like peaches and figs. The recipe is always delicious and makes a thick, spreadable jam that goes great with anything! Try it out and see what I mean.

Makes 6 pints

As the name of this website implies, we like to keep things nourishing and natural.  I recently spent some time reading up on store-bought pectin and I was very unhappy to discover the jams I have been making for my family have been tainted with GMOs. I had unknowingly been contaminating the carefully sourced fruit and pricey turbinado sugar with the very things I strive to avoid, and I hadn’t even given it a second thought.

Most brands exclaim breathlessly, “All natural pectin” or “Made from real fruit”.  And this is true – it does originate from fruit. Sound okay, right? Don’t be deceived.  This misleading label makes it sound as though this is nothing more than some powdered fruit.

Here’s the label from the Ball pectin that was lurking in my pantry.

Storebought pectin contains additives that are most likely genetically modified.  Dextrose is generally made from corn products (GMOs that are absolutely SOAKED in glyphosate).  It is made from cornstarch, the main ingredient in good old High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Don’t let anyone tell you that citric acid is “just Vitamin C”.  It is derived from GMO mold.

Not only does storebought pectin contain unsavory ingredients, but it is also very highly processed. According to Wikipedia, this is how it is produced:

The main raw materials for pectin production are dried citrus peel or apple pomace, both by-products of juice production. Pomace from sugar beet is also used to a small extent.

From these materials, pectin is extracted by adding hot dilute acid at pH-values from 1.5 – 3.5. During several hours of extraction, the protopectin loses some of its branching and chain length and goes into solution. After filtering, the extract is concentrated in vacuum and the pectin then precipitated by adding ethanol or isopropanol. An old technique of precipitating pectin with aluminium salts is no longer used (apart from alcohols and polyvalent cations, pectin also precipitates with proteins and detergents).

Alcohol-precipitated pectin is then separated, washed and dried. Treating the initial pectin with dilute acid leads to low-esterified pectins. When this process includes ammonium hydroxide, amidated pectins are obtained. After drying and milling, pectin is usually standardised with sugar and sometimes calcium salts or organic acids to have optimum performance in a particular application. (source)

So, if you want to avoid GMOs and processed foods, what’s a homemade-jam making mama to do?

Jam has been around for thousands of years.  The first known book of jam recipes was written in Rome in the 1st century (source). Since, I’m pretty sure our ancestors didn’t have those handy little boxes of Sure-Jel or Certo sitting in their pantries, I set out to learn how they made a thick delicious preserve to spread on their biscuits.

My first attempt at breaking up with the box was to make my own pectin with green apples. While I ended up with a tasty product, it wasn’t really jam-like.  It’s possible, considering the time of year, that the apples were too ripe to allow this to work for me. You can find instructions on how to make your own pectin from apples HERE.

I continued to read recipes and methods from days gone by. It soon became clear that adding pectin wasn’t really necessary at all. In days past, the sugar and the fruit worked hand-in-hand to create the desired consistency.

I combined bits from a few different methods and finally came up with a jam that the entire family was happy with. In comparison with the boxed pectin jam, it doesn’t gel quite as much, but after trying this jam, the texture of the other now seems slightly artificial to me. This produces a softer preserve with an incredibly intense fruit flavor. As well, when using this method, you don’t get that layer of foam that you have to skim off the top like you do with the boxed pectin method.

It’s blueberry season where I live, and we’ve been walking to a neighboring berry patch and picking until our fingers are stained with purple. 27 pounds of blueberries later, we have delicious jam and a byproduct of blueberry syrup.

After 3 tasty batches of jam-that-wasn’t-jam, I combined a few methods and came up with one that will work with basically any type of fruit.

You will need:

• 7 pounds of fruit (approximately14-20 cups)
• 5 cups of  organic sugar (You can run coarse turbinado sugar through the food processor to get a finer texture)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• Piece of clean cotton fabric for draining (I used a flour sack towel. This will be permanently stained, so don’t use something you want to keep pretty.)

Instructions:

1.) Prepare your fruit.  For our berries, this meant washing them and sorting them, removing little leaves and twigs, as well as berries that were shriveled.  We left the odd green berry in, because less ripe fruit has more naturally occurring pectin than ripe fruit.  I used 7 pounds of blueberries for this batch of jam.

2.)  Mash, finely chop, or puree your fruit.  I used a blender to puree half of the fruit, and a food processor to finely chop the other half. We prefer a rough puree texture.

3.) Pour this into a large crock or non-reactive bowl, layering your fruit with 3 of the cups of sugar.  I used the ceramic insert from my crock-pot for this.

3.)  Leave the fruit and sugar mixture in your refrigerator overnight.  The juice from the fruit will combine with the sugar and form a slightly jelled texture. Some liquid will separate from the sugar and fruit.

4.)  The next day, line a colander with a piece of fabric.  Place the colander into a pot to catch the liquid from the fruit and sugar mixture. Pour your fruit and sugar mixture into the fabric-lined colander. Put this back in the refrigerator for at least an hour to drain.

From this point on, you’ll be making two separate products: jam and fruit syrup.

5.)  When you’re ready to make jam, scoop the fruit out of the fabric-lined colander and place it in a pot with lots of open area to help it cook down faster. (This gives more space for the liquid to evaporate.)

6.)  The liquid that you caught in the other pot is the basis for your fruit syrup.  You’ll have about 1-2 pints of liquid.  Place that on the stove and bring it to a rolling boil. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and a tbsp of lemon juice per pint and reduce heat to a simmer. I like to add one big spoonful of jam to this to add a little texture to the syrup.

7.) Meanwhile, on another burner, bring your fruit and sugar mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. After about an hour, the texture will have thickened. If you still have a great deal of liquid, you can use a fabric lined sieve to strain some more out. (You can add this liquid to the syrup.)  Stir in 1/4 cups of lemon juice and 1 cup of sugar.  Increase heat to get it simmering again.  Stir almost constantly for 3-5 minutes, or until the jam reaches the desired consistency.

8.)  Fill sanitized jars with your products (syrup or jam).  Process the water bath canner, according to the type of fruit you are canning and making adjustments for your altitude.(You can refer to this chart for processing times.)

Look at how thick this jam turned out…with no toxic pectin!

And there you have it…it’s easy to make an intensely fruity jam with absolutely no added pectin!

This article was part of a Prepared Bloggers collaboration.  This month some of the most interesting sites in the preparedness realm are dedicating an article to food preservation, which is a very important area. Check out the great links below for some very unique perspectives on preserving food!

Join us as we share different reasons and methods of how we preserve food to create a long-term storage plan for our families. Click on each link to be taken to a new blog with helpful information and tips.

Mom with a PREP – How to Dehydrate Ginger and Make Ginger Powder

Preparedness Mama – Make Jam Without Pectin

Mama Kautz – Dehydrating

Busy B Homemaker – Freezer Jam

Ed That Matters – Anyone Can Do It: Fool Proof Food Storage

The Apartment Prepper – Easy Marinated Mushrooms

The Homesteading Hippy – How to Use Your Pressure Canner

Montana Homesteader – Making and Preserving Cherry Pit Syrup

Are We Crazy or What – How to Dehydrate Cherries

Your Thrive Life – How I Preserve Food: Meals in a Jar

Melissa K Norris – Re-Usable Canning Tattler Lids-Do They Really Work?

Real Food Living – Preserve and Store Grains wiith Dry Ice

Cooke’s Frontier – Smoking

Homestead Dreamer – Water Bath Canning

Evergrowing Farm – How to Preserve Red Chile

Survival Sherpa – Modern Mountain Man MRE’s

The Backyard Pioneer – Fermentation

Trayer Wilderness – How We Preserve Food

Living Life in Rural Iowa – Vegetable Soup

The Organic Prepper – How to Make Jam without using added Pectin

Homesteading Mom – How I Preserve Broccoli and Goat Cheese Soup

A Matter of Preparedness – How I Preserve Using Mylar Bags

Home Canning dates back to the 18th century during the time where Napoleon Bonaparte realized the need to provision his army with food while they were away fighting. By providing these canned foods to his army, it gave him a huge advantage over his opponents. The canning process allows us to keep food way beyond its normal storage period by preventing microorganisms from deteriorating the food. Because the food is canned at the time of the fruits/vegetables prime nutrient content, they will retain most of their nutritional content if not gain more nutrients from the canning process.

In the best-selling book, The Prepper’s Cookbook, where over 300 recipes were published, canning and preserving food was emphasized as an economic way to save money and use food to it’s fullest. Here are some other benefits.

Benefits of Home Canning Foods

• Eat healthier
• Food freedom
• Food preserved with the freshest ingredients
• No additives or chemicals
• Better taste
•  The liquid used to preserve fruits and vegetables also includes nutrients, so rather than draining and adding water, use the canning liquid, especially in soups or stews.

Having a ready supply of home canned and store bought canned goods can be of benefit if there is a potential for a national disaster.

How To Pickle Vegetables

 How To Can Meals

Last week, a dear friend of mine blessed me with two large boxes full of pears. So, as you have probably guessed, I’ve been doing a lot of canning lately.

I wanted to shake up the monotony of plain pears in syrup and really surprise my family with something different. I added cinnamon sticks, cloves and vanilla to the syrup to really spice it up. I couldn’t stop “taste testing” these pears; they were so good!

This is a great recipe for cooking pears and contains an aromatic mixture of spices that will make the whole house smell like fall is finally here.

This is a hot pack method canning recipe, but it can easily be adapted to a oven baked dish.

Spiced Vanilla Pears

Makes 4 quarts

• 2 to 3 pounds pears per quart
• 7 cup sugar syrup (3 1/2 cups sugar with 6 cups filtered water)
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 12 whole cloves
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

1. Sterilize jars, lids and rings.
2. In the meantime, core and peel pears and cut pears into quarters or halves.
3. In a 5 quart pot, over medium heat, make a light syrup and add the vanilla extract to the sugar mixture. Stir and keep syrup hot.
4. Add sliced pears and lemon juice to the hot syrup and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until hot throughout.
5. Place a small piece of cinnamon bark (about a 1/2″ to 5/8″ piece) and 3-5 cloves in each hot jar.
6. Pack hot pears into hot jars leaving 1/2″ head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two piece caps. Process pints 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes, in a boiling-water bath canner.