Instructions for Making Food Storage Rotation Systems
- Look for long storage life when you stock your food reserve. A shorter shelf life means more work for you, because you'll have to rotate more often. And it's not necessary to stock enough for a decade. Put back just enough to give you peace of mind--for some that might be a week, some a few months, and some a year or more.
Begin your food rotation system by writing a date on everything that goes into storage. A black felt tip marker works well for this. Date every item immediately, before you store it, to avoid any later doubts about how long it has sat there. - According to Families.com, the heart of a food storage rotation system is to put new items in the back, forcing the older stuff up front to be used in day-to-day cooking. When designing your storage, look for shelves that slope up in the back, so cans roll forward within easy reach.
If you use both long-term storage and a pantry for immediate needs, set yourself up on a regular schedule to periodically stock the pantry from storage. This enforces the rotation strategy. If you also have long-term cold storage, make it a point to regularly withdraw foods from it as well. Once again, put new stuff in the back and move the older stuff up front. - As with most things that involve humans, the easier it is to do, the more likely it will actually get done. So it is with food storage and a rotation system. Locating your long-term storage down six flights of stairs and behind three locked doors is not going to work. It's too hard to get to and maintain. Make it easy and close by so it won't be much of an inconvenience.
The secret to implementing a successful food rotation system is to be systematic about doing it. Find a routine. Every time you return home from grocery shopping, write dates on everything, and then fill in the back spaces as you put stuff away.
Some people might find it handy to keep a diagram posted on a clipboard near the storage site as a reminder to rotate according to plan. Eventually, you'll have the routine memorized as a habit, and doing it each time will be simply another part of your regular routine. - Keep an eye on your rate of consumption. If a particular product has a life span of two years, half of it should be gone around the one-year mark. This keeps you from ending up with a full case of brown beans that need to be eaten in the single week prior to expiration.
An excellent way to supplement your food strategy is to raise a garden each year. In the event of a crisis requiring you to tap into your long-term food storage, you can boost the nutrition level of meals by incorporating fresh vegetables
Another thought to keep in mind: According to self-reliant living expert Jackie Clay, you should stock your food storage with foods your family already likes to eat. There's no sense in beginning an emergency situation and everyone hating what's being set in the table in front of them.
