At Home Dehyrated food shelf life.

[Megapixel]

we are Looking to dehydrate some leftovers meals from our weekly grocery budget and put them in a few food drop boxes for our upcoming thru. I need some advice and experience with shelf life though.
Assuming I dehydrate the food correctly, and use a sealer that pulls the air out of the bag,
what is the typical shelf life?
Is there a difference in shelf life between such things as stews with meat vs. stews without?
Can I dehydrate now for stuff I will receive in October?
What about homemade beef jerkey shelf life?

I don't have the luxury of someone keeping it in a freezer until shipping.

[Stir Fry]

60 to 90 days would the max shelf life for most stuff you do at home with out meat. If you could freeze it might be good for 30 days after you take it out of the freezer. 30 days on home made jerkey. You may get a little longer then that but thats about the time it takes to go rancid when I have made it myself.

[Bags4266]

I have dehydrated 25 meals of meat stews and chicken just recently for a section hike May 1st. They are vacuum sealed and frozen. I have eaten food dehydrated for almost and in the freezer for almost a year.

[Bags4266]

for almost a year after freezing. (pays to proof read before you send)

[Megapixel]

yeah wish i had the freezer option. this sux as i was planning on saving some money this way...

[alverhootzt]

I'm hoping this adds to the subject, not takes away - do those oxygen absorbers make a noticeable difference when you vac seal?

[Megapixel]

I'm hoping this adds to the subject, not takes away - do those oxygen absorbers make a noticeable difference when you vac seal?

don't think it will add to the length if you are pulling the air out first with a vacuum sealer but i could be wrong.

[Pedaling Fool]

yeah wish i had the freezer option. this sux as i was planning on saving some money this way...
I always dehydrate and have kept food for up to a year; I never refrigerate/freeze, nor do I vaccum seal. I simply put it in a ziplock bag.

[Black Wolf]

we are Looking to dehydrate some leftovers meals from our weekly grocery budget and put them in a few food drop boxes for our upcoming thru. I need some advice and experience with shelf life though.
Assuming I dehydrate the food correctly, and use a sealer that pulls the air out of the bag,
what is the typical shelf life?
Is there a difference in shelf life between such things as stews with meat vs. stews without?
Can I dehydrate now for stuff I will receive in October?
What about homemade beef jerkey shelf life?

I don't have the luxury of someone keeping it in a freezer until shipping.

http://parmafoodstorageblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/dehydrating.html

http://survivalacres.com/information/shelflife.html

here's some info for you...look around the Survival Acres site... it has tons of food storage info...

my personal experience with jerky is beef..4-6 months.. venison...a few months longer...did some elk years ago but that didn't last long enough to know the shelf life...but hell..not much of mine does anyway...I make sum dayum good jerky I tells ya'...

[Megapixel]

so at one end of the spectrum i'm getting 60-90 days, and at another, one year. this isn't making my decisions any easier. perhaps it is a difference in methodology. after reviewing the links provided it obviously all boils down to moisture still left in the foods and air tight storage vs. oxygen exposure.

any others out there had good success with longer term storage?

John Gault, does this estimate include dehydration of meals with meat? What are your thoughts on the differences in estimates found so far?

[Bags4266]

Ok, had to go to the books I use. "Backpack Gourmet" by Linda Yaffe. She states and I am not quoting.
Ref: Storing home dried meals....Store in a cool, dark dry place in your ref. for up to two years or in your freezer for three years. She does recommend black bags, I guess to reduce light infusion.

[HeartFire]

I have eaten meals I dehydrated up to 3 yrs ago. They are stored in a chest freezer, and I don't do meat. I've had no problems with any of the meals.

[Megapixel]

understood on the frig, and freezers, guess i am looking for more of room temperature storage experience since these are not options to me.

[Black Wolf]

so at one end of the spectrum i'm getting 60-90 days, and at another, one year. this isn't making my decisions any easier. perhaps it is a difference in methodology. after reviewing the links provided it obviously all boils down to moisture still left in the foods and air tight storage vs. oxygen exposure.

any others out there had good success with longer term storage?

John Gault, does this estimate include dehydration of meals with meat? What are your thoughts on the differences in estimates found so far?

You're asking for a specific answer to a general question...the answer is out there...research it....I have 4-6 months of food stored now with some good for the next 3-5 years...hell tuna in oil has 3 year plus shelf life..

1.temp
2.light
3.oxygen
4.moisture

in general 2,3,&4 are easy to control...as for temp. you won't have any control over...so this will be the factor that will most involve your equation..once it goes into a shipping container/mail drop...you'll have no way of knowing what the temps your package may have subjected to...

soo..that pot roast you're eating tonight...more then likely wouldn't be good in October...if it was stored at 40*-45*F it would be...meats contain fat...fat in heat turns rancid...

a thought for you would be to dehydrate mostly veggies and spices for your mail drops...and use these to supplement/season your food you buy along the way...

[Black Wolf]

I have eaten meals I dehydrated up to 3 yrs ago. They are stored in a chest freezer, and I don't do meat. I've had no problems with any of the meals.

I store food the same manner...some in a deep freezer..some in a cooler..in a cool place...I was raised canning and dehydrating foods...we've been putting food back all my life...never had a problem either...

[Pedaling Fool]

John Gault, does this estimate include dehydration of meals with meat? What are your thoughts on the differences in estimates found so far?
Yes, it includes meat and poultry. And it's not an estimate, it's what I've done, but I don't know or can't estimate how long it will last, just never really experimented with that.

The thing with meat is that it has fat and will go rancid, because fat does not dehydrate, it liquifies and you blot away. But the problem is it that to liquify all the fat usually (not always) you would have to over-dehydrate the food and you do not ever want to over-dehydrate, because then you lose nutritional value and taste. So with meat/poultry I marinate overnight in a very salty marinade. Basically nothing can grow in the meat.

Still though always try and get the leanest meats available and cut away as much fat as possilbe, but there will always be a little fat left over.

[Kermitt]

I cooked & then freezdry my food then placed them in sealed packs & ziplocked. Most for the sealed pack have worked out best for meals & last for many years. Even my grandteens love hiking w/me. Lot of chooses, & I love long hiking trails.

[Bags4266]

Freeze Dry!! Please tell me how you do that?

[jerseydave]

Freeze Dry!! Please tell me how you do that?

Yes.....ME TOO ME TOO, please.

[Black Wolf]

Yes.....ME TOO ME TOO, please.

X3..I wanna know...I've had freeze dried ice cream from KSC..I'd love to make my own...http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Bags4266]

I bet he knows how to make dehyrated water too.:)

[Rocket Jones]

Freeze Drying is not a simple process.

[Wise Old Owl]

even second hand freeze dryers are still in the 10k zone.... forgetta bout it.

[jerseydave]

even second hand freeze dryers are still in the 10k zone.... forgetta bout it.

But I could save a buck or two PER MEAL if I were to dry up my own!
You take all the fun out of being frugal :(

[10-K]

so at one end of the spectrum i'm getting 60-90 days, and at another, one year. this isn't making my decisions any easier.

Did you really think you were going to get a general agreement? :)

[hikingshoes]

we are Looking to dehydrate some leftovers meals from our weekly grocery budget and put them in a few food drop boxes for our upcoming thru. I need some advice and experience with shelf life though.
Assuming I dehydrate the food correctly, and use a sealer that pulls the air out of the bag,
what is the typical shelf life?
Is there a difference in shelf life between such things as stews with meat vs. stews without?
Can I dehydrate now for stuff I will receive in October?
What about homemade beef jerkey shelf life?

I don't have the luxury of someone keeping it in a freezer until shipping.
I really like this website. http://www.packitgourmet.com/FreshDry+Equivalencies-sp100.html Hope this helps.Thanks HS

[hikingshoes]

I like MH meals as well,but at 5-7bucks a meal you'll save alot by making them at homeHS

[sarbar]

What cuts the shelf life on home dried food is:
any oil/fat
dairy
meat

If you don't add these items until eating time you will get a long shelf life (for example..make a dish vegetarian and add in the meat upon meal time). Pasta, rice, veggies and fruit properly dried and stored will last a year and really outside of getting a bit stale tasting can go much longer.

Meat and dairy though....heat and humidity can lead to it going rancid in storage.

[sarbar]

But let me add that commercially dried dairy items are perfectly fine stored on the shelf - they are designed for that (such as dried milk, butter powder, buttermilk powder, dry eggs, etc). Home versions are NOT.

[Bonjour]

You might find this article from the USDA helpful.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Jerky_and_Food_Safety/index.asp