This week’s item is canned soup. I want you to stock up on as much canned soup as you can for your $10 or so weekly budget. If you’ve checked the soup aisle lately, you know that there are nearly endless possibilities! I suggest getting hearty, filling soups. Make sure they have lots of veggies, and try not to get varieties that have a lot of salt.

Food Storage Essentials Week 2 - Canned Soup
Week 2 – Canned Soup

Canned soup is also a good food storage item that you can add little by little. They are usually only a dollar or two. Try picking up a couple extra cans every time you go grocery shopping. Look for sales and coupons to get the most bang for your buck. Bundle packs can sometimes be a good deal, but you’re stuck with that one particular flavor. Not the best idea if you only have a certain amount to spend on soup!

Nutritional value

It’s pretty much impossible with the varieties out there, for me to give a good estimate of the nutritional value. Unfortunately you’re on your own there! Make sure you read the labels. High calories are fine for food storage foods, because you need calories for energy. Cream-based soup generally has more calories. Some soups have very high sodium, which will make you thirsty, and that taxes your water supply! Meat and beans have high protein, vegetables have more nutrients and carbohydrates. I suggest you get a variety of soups that your family enjoys.

Long term storage

Canned soup can last 3-6 years, and as a bonus you don’t really have to do anything different with it for long term storage. Keeping it in a cool, dry location out of direct sunlight will help it last the longest. I would suggest writing the purchase date on the cans with permanent marker so you know when to use and buy new.

Preparation

Preparing canned soup is so simple, just about any kid can do it! It’s already cooked, so you just have to heat it up to your liking. Sure, you could even eat it cold in a pinch, but it’s so easy you shouldn’t have to. You can heat it in the microwave for a super quick meal. Or on the stove top. If the power is out, you can heat it in a pot on the wood stove, or even over an open fire. If you have a solar cooker, use that! Any alternative cooking source can be used in the event of a power outage.

If you find that your soup isn’t filling enough, you can even make some rice to go with it (or in it!). I often add extra rice to some soups to make them more of a meal.

Canned soup is an easy addition to your food storage plan. When you need to feed your family quickly without a lot of fuss, canned soup can be such a blessing!

Don’t forget to follow along with our January 2019 Self Reliance Challenge! Read my fellow homestead bloggers’ posts to increase your self reliance this year!

Shawna

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