Get Prepared – Keep it Sweet! Long-Term Storage of Sweeteners

Photo Credit to Siona Karen on Flickr

According to the Survival Spot, sweeteners will be one of the top ten things that will disappear during a national disaster. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT going to go through hard times without sugar!!! But it does seem to be something that I have a hard time keeping stocked up (probably because I keep eating it!)

There are many ways to sweeten stuff – the old unhealthy-but-yummy-white-sugar way, or healthier alternatives like honey, and everything in between. Sugar can be bought in bulk and stored in 40-pound pails, or bought in smaller #10 cans with a 25 year shelf life. Other sugars, like brown and powdered, can also be purchased in bulk.

Homestyle Mercantile carries a Sugar Cookie Mix that would be a quick and easy way to get a sugar fix in a bad situation. I would also recommend Homestyle Mercantile for those of you who want ‘healthy’ sweeteners (I’ll take my sweeteners any way I can get them!) They carry honey in 55 pound containers, 25 pound containers and gallon containers.

Are pancakes and waffles part of your emergency menu plan? Then you will want syrup. Homestyle Mercantile carries a maple syrup powder. I have never tried that, but I do try to stay stocked up on cheap maple syrup. If it gets hard, just as honey, you simply heat it in a double boiler. (But do you have a way to make water boil without electricity?)Fruit jellies and jams are another way to store sweeteners Just In Case. You can prepare by planting an orchard now . . . or maybe just buy two jars of jelly every time you need to buy just one. I make jelly IF our orchard produces. If not, I just buy store-bought jelly. (I wouldn’t plan a monthly emergency menu WITHOUT including peanut butter and jelly!)

Let’s face it. We all get a sweet tooth now and then, whether it is a healthy one or not. During a stressful time, being able to conquer that sweet tooth would be a psychological advantage – a morale booster, if you will. After the essentials are ready, consider the frills . . it’ll make it easier to get through tough times! Freeze-dried fruit is a healthy and practical way to stock up on sweets. To conquer a sweet tooth, I recommend pineapple and grapes. If you are well stocked upon sugar, then you can add that to any fruits that may be a bit tart.

About Robin Egerton

Robin Egerton has written 84 posts in this blog.

Robin considers herself a "Baby Prepper" - that is, she is not preparing for a Zombie Apocolypse, but is proficient at preparing for emergencies. The most current project at her homestead is establishing sustainable gardening in raised beds. She is an experienced homeschooler and has extensive experience in fostering and adopting. After several years as a foster parent, Robin and her husband adopted a total of five children and later began a homesteading project. Robin learned to raise chickens, sheep and dogs. After growing extensive gardens and planting an orchard, the produce is canned and added to the food storage pantry to this day. When life with teens became extraordinarily hectic, Robin began putting her canning energy into preparing her own convenience foods. Robin's hobbies are knitting, crocheting, genealogy and she will soon be joining the world of amateur photography. All of Robin's interests can be found on her blog www.RobinsCozyNest.Webbly.com