Are there foods that last a very very long time? Is there something I can use as a Survival Food? You may ask yourself this and other questions like ‘Isn’t there a way to make storable food last longer than they do already?’
There are ways to do just that and there are specific types of food that are made in certain ways to enable the food to last years and sometimes decades. These kinds of foods are usually the ones handed down through the centuries, through recipes and procedures kept in families for a very long time.
The Native American Indians had a super food they made for centuries. It’s called Pemmican and if prepared properly can be stored for up to 10 years safely and reportedly be stored for 20 years or even longer.
Pemmican, the ultimate Survival Food
Pemmican is a mixture of tallow, dried meat and dried berries that is used as a nutritious food. Historically, it was an important part of indigenous cuisine in certain parts of North America and it is still prepared today.
Traditionally, pemmican was prepared from the lean meat of large game such as bison, elk, deer or moose. The meat was cut in thin slices and then dried, either over a slow fire or in the hot sun until the meat was dry and brittle.
Pemmican is an amazing super food that is nutritious and lasts a very long time. You can make some up for a hike, a camping trip or even your food storage!
Survival Food ingredient choices
Ingredient choices determine the longevity of the Pemmican. Today, people in many indigenous communities across North America continue to make pemmican for personal, community, and ceremonial consumption. Some contemporary pemmican recipes incorporate ingredients that have been introduced to the Americas in the past 500 years, including beef. Beef can be used but be cautious that it doesn’t burn during the preparation phase. Elk, Deer and Moose are the usual and traditional choices however there are other meats that can be used depending on their risk of disease by sitting for so long despite being prepared properly.
The melted fat is a necessity. A staple of Pemmican. The melted fat is made from suet. Suet is the raw, hard fat of beef or mutton found around the loins and kidneys. Suet has a melting point of between 45 °C(113f) and 50 °C(122f) and congelation between 37 °C(98.6f) and 40 °C(104f).
Berries of various kinds are used in the making of pemmican and most are readily available even in the wild. Blueberries, Chokecherries, Cranberries, Saskatoon berries or even Elderberries can be used. These dried berries will make the best candidates for grinding into a semi powdery substance or even all out powder. The berries are highly nutritious which is one of the reasons why Pemmican is considered a super food.
You can also put oats, nuts or other dried fruits into it!
Rendering fat to preserve
The rendered fat is the main reason why Pemmican lasts so long. The fat seals out the air so no oxygen can get to it and oxidize the meat and break it down or spoil it. The really long-lasting stuff is fat and meat only.
Put your suet (fat from lamb) into a pot and leave on low heat to begin rendering the fat. The goal here is to melt it down and strain out any impurities which turns the suet into tallow. Using low heat will ensure that you don’t burn the suet which will ruin your Pemmican.
You can possibly use Ghee oil which will make some slight differences in the Pemmican. The end product will not be as solid as using the rendered fat from suet but will be suitable and will still last quite a while.
The finished product
In his notes of 1874, North-west Mounted police Seargent-Major Sam Steele recorded three ways of serving Pemmican. Raw, boiled in a stew called ‘Rubaboo’, or fried, known in the west as ‘rechaud’.
–The pemmican was cooked in two ways in the west; one a stew of pemmican, water, flour and, if they could be secured, wild onions or preserved potatoes. This was called “rubaboo”; the other was called by the plains hunters a “rechaud”. It was cooked in a frying pan with onions and potatoes or alone. Some persons ate pemmican raw, but I must say I never had a taste for it that way.–
Finished pemmican will be very firm and keep almost forever. Pure, dried protein and rendered (mostly saturated) fat is highly stable so don’t worry about it going bad. If it does, You’ll know. Flavoring will depend on the spices you desire to try in your pemmican.
Storing your pemmican
Pemmican, again, is a highly stable and storable super food that can last nearly forever when stored properly. Exact recipes can be found online in preppers forums and survivalist websites. Plastic containers that are mostly airtight or a vacuum seal packaging are the ideal way to store your pemmican. A cool, dry and dark room will increase the longevity and preserve any taste you have processed into it. It’s perfect for your Emergency Food Storage!
Making pemmican can be fun and comforting to those that take peace of mind knowing they have food rations stored up for an emergency.
I hope you found this blog to be interesting and informative. If you have any questions, comments or input of your own please feel free to leave them in the comment box below. All input is welcome and helps me bring you quality topics.
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