Corn has been a staple in many societies including early American settlers and the natives for long before that. Would it be a good survival food if the grid went down?
Corn is a great survival food! It can be stored for an extremely long time and contains important nutrients. It is also versatile and easy to prepare, not using too much of your precious resources.
Though it is a good option, not all corn is good for long term storage. Continue reading to find out exactly what you need in order to be prepared with corn for a long term emergency situation.
What is the Shelf Life of Corn?
Corn comes in so many different ways. There are types of corn that are made for eating and others that are meant to be used more like a grain for animal feed or milling. Unfortunately some of the longest lasting types of corn are harder to consume. Here are some of the more useful options for long term survival corn. It will be up to you to choose what you will need in a survival situation.
Most corn grown in the USA is the same type of corn found in our grocery stores. It is a grain that has many uses from animal feed to alcoholic fuels. These types of corn such as dent and flint corn are good because they are dried and can be stored for a very long time, maybe even multiple decades if stored really well. The problem with these types is that they aren’t the best option for eating like standard corn. You may still find them useful because they can be milled or grounded to make cornmeal or flour. Depending on your intended use, you will need to find which type of grain corn is best for you.
Popcorn is an amazing survival food, and we have a whole article on it that you can read here. It stores really well and provides a great nutritious snack type food to your emergency pantry.
You are probably more interested in normal sweet corn, but that is maybe the most challenging type to store well for the long term. This is because it is harvested and stored with a high moisture content. Of course, there is the canned corn option, but I’m not thrilled about it because it will only last about 5 years. I think that by far the best option for stocking sweet corn in your emergency food pantry is to use an emergency food provider who specializes in long term storage foods. Our favorites are My Patriot Supply and Thrive Life.
You always have the option to grow it yourself, but that can be risky if the crop fails and you don’t have a backup. It may also be hard to store especially if you don’t have a way to freeze the corn in an emergency situation. That being said, you could dry out the cobs of corn and make parched corn just like the native Americans used to do. This will preserve the corn for a few months longer. You can also make parched corn from freeze-dried corn such as My Patriot Supply or Thrive Life’s corn. This would be useful because you can carry it on trips and eat it when needed without any cooking.
How to Store Corn for the Long-Term?
The best way to store most types of corn (with exception to popcorn) is to remove as much of the moisture content as possible. In most cases water is the culprit for spoilage. That is why for storing sweet corn, the freeze dried options are the best.
After the moisture is removed, you will need to package the product so that no moisture can ever get back in. That means you will need an airtight container with oxygen removers. Wallaby mylar bags are an easy and good packaging option. It will also help if you can store your emergency corn in a cool and dark area that doesn’t fluctuate in temperature very much.
The Easiest Option of Long-Term Food Storage Corn:
Growing, repackaging, or buying from an emergency food company all have their benefits and weaknesses, but undoubtedly buying for My Patriot Supply or Thrive Life is clearly the easiest option. You will never have to worry about the packaging or storing and it is easy to use only requiring water and a heat source.
How Much Corn Should I Store for a Year?
While most people only eat corn once or twice a week, it could easily be one of those foods that is a daily staple because of its nutrients and versatility. For most people, they could eat half to a full cup of corn every day. However, if you are eating corn every day, I would assume that you may not want a full cup. For this example to find how much corn you should store to last 1 whole year I will be basing it off a half cup consumption per day. That way there will probably be days that corn isn’t stored and days when more corn is needed and it evens out.
Given that, you would need to stock 182.5 cups of corn per person to last a whole year. That would be 8 freeze-dried corn case packs from My Patriot Supply or 7 Thrive Life #10 cans of sweet corn per person. That is a lot of corn, but consider how much of a staple it could be in your emergency food diet and how versatile it is!
How Much Does Corn Cost?
Corn can be super cheap! Canned corn is one of the cheapest ways to buy sweet corn and it can be as low as around $0.13 per half cup serving. Unfortunately, emergency food companies cannot sell it for that cheap. Thrive Life averages out to be about $0.85 per half cup serving while My Patriot Supply is cheaper at about $0.66.
Where to Buy Corn?
Corn can be bought from any grocery store or ordered online, but you will have to be more picky when it comes to corn that can be stored long term. Canned corn might be the easiest option to find but again it doesn’t store for as long as I would prefer. Other types of dried corn that would be good for long term storage are not as readily available.
That is one reason why I recommend either Thrive Life or My Patriot Supply for your emergency food corn. Their products can be found online and will be delivered right to you. You might find some emergency food companies in the big grocery stores or outdoor stores, but they probably don’t carry much corn and if they did it would likely not be in bulk or cost effective.
Some of the Most Popular ways to Eat Corn are:
Eating corn on the cob is probably the most well known way to eat corn. Unfortunately this will not be a great option for you in an emergency situation unless you are growing your own corn and have a way to freeze it. Actually, there are many ways to eat corn that won’t be viable in an emergency situation without additional efforts such as foods made from corn meal.
There are still many great options for your normal long term storage corn. One of the most common is to add corn to soups or stews. This will add good nutrients to an already nutrient rich food and allow it to stretch further.
You can also add corn to other recipes such as baked goods, quesadillas, casseroles, etc. Then there is always the option to eat it by itself as a side and you can even season it up if you plan ahead and stock some basic dry seasonings. Corn is super versatile even with only the basic necessities. It also provides a unique flavor that can help you enjoy food a little more during any long term emergency.
How to Make Corn?
Corn is super simple to make and doesn’t require many resources, especially if you are using an emergency food company’s corn product. All you need is some added water to rehydrate it and a heat source.
How to tell if Corn has Gone Bad?
There are three steps to know if corn has gone bad.
1) If you can see mold or any sign of decomposition, the corn is no longer good. Also for long term storage, keep an eye out for signs of rodents or other pests.
2) Then if there are any rancid smells when opening your corn or during the cooking process, it is probably not good.
3) If the corn passes the previous tests but has a bad taste or is overly slimy then it might not be good and you should proceed with caution or just throw it out.
Remember, if you are in an emergency situation, you need to be extra careful about what foods you eat. Food poisoning could be much more dangerous when the system is down. You need to protect your health extra in those times.
What is in Corn?
Corn has about 177 calories per cup and is decently carb heavy. It contains fiber, starches, protein, fat, and several vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, thiamine, folate, magnesium, and potassium.
Is Corn Bad for You?
Corn is very nutritious because it contains nutrients that are crucial for your body’s processes. That being said, it is only good for you when consumed in the proper amount. Half to a whole cup of daily consumption is going to be fine for most people. Those who have high blood sugar or are obese should be careful how much corn they eat because of the starch that it contains. Other than that, corn can benefit your eyes and digestive health.
How Long Can a Person Live on Corn Alone?
A person cannot live on corn alone for very long. Even though it contains many key nutrients, it doesn’t contain everything that your body needs. It does not contain enough protein and it lacks some of the key vitamins and minerals. Your muscles would start to atrophy and your organs would fail. The amount of time that it would take depends on your personal health, but you could probably only survive for a couple or few months.
Conclusion:
Corn is a great food for long term storage and will be very beneficial for survival. I would consider this as a top priority food to stock because of its nutrients, calories, versatility, and ease of use in emergency situations. By far the easiest way to stock corn is through an emergency food company such as My Patriot Supply or Thrive Life. Other options are viable but have clear cons.
