This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
One of my favorite proteins for storage is peanut butter.
Unless someone has a peanut allergy in the family, peanut butter makes a great storage food:
–inexpensive
–filling – “sticks to your ribs”
–protein rich and calorie dense
–can be used in a variety of ways such as as sandwiches, sauces, cookies, shakes, spread on crackers or eaten right out of the jar.
–long shelf life.
Besides the obvious food uses, there are several other uses for peanut butter:
- Remove chewing gum out of hair. It’ll also remove gum stuck under your shoe
- The high oil content makes it a decent lubricant to get rid of squeaks
- Attract birds- coat a pinecone with peanut butter and feed the birds
- Easily give your dog medicine by coating the pill with a light coat of peanut butter
- Some people swear eating peanut butter helps alleviate diarrhea.
- Fix scratched CDs and DVDs by smearing the scratch with smooth (not chunky!) peanut butter and polishing it off.
- Again for smooth peanut butter, I’ve heard it can be used in place of shaving cream, but I don’t know if I’d want to smell it all day long! 🙂
- Use peanut butter instead of cheese as mouse trap bait.
- Remove a sticky label
- Clean off glue from your hands
- The high oil content would also make it a good firestarter.
Even with limited space, an item as tasty AND useful as peanut butter deserves a spot in your storage shelf.
If you have any other unconventional uses for peanut butter, please share in the comments!
For more tips on prepping on small budget, read my book:
Another use for peanut butter is soup. When they were liberating the POWs at the end of WWII, that was one of the things they fed them. By making a peanut butter soup, it was much easier on the stomach of those who had not eaten much for a long time.
JAS, I had never thought about PB soup! Thanks for sharing this little known fact.
Always love your articles but I was wondering how long you can actually store peanut butter. Seems like the expiration date rolls around pretty quickly.
Hey Tee, I pick up my jars at Costco, and the expiration dates run about a year to two years out. When the peanut shortage rolled around I bought multiples, some reached expiration but was still good about another year after. I don’t think I’d go over a year after though.
Great info folks! I was unaware of the long shelf life. Just overlooked it. Thanks.
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If you scorch a pan of pinto beans, they can still be saved. Empty pan into a clean pan. DO NOT scrape. Add a heaping tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and a little water. Finish cooking as usual. The beans will not taste of peanut butter unless you use way too much.
Hi Nicci, I have burnt a pan of beans and I ended up tossing it. Thanks for the tip, I’ll remember that if it happens again.
I love your website. It was an isnpiration for m to start a small ‘aftermath’ blog: rebuildingcivilization.blogspot.com 🙂
Bartsbusinessblog, Good for you! Best wishes on the new site!
There are also MRE peanut butter packets than can be purchased. Some even have chocolate and peanut butter mixed! I’m not sure of their shelf life, but I know MREs will last a very long time if kept in a cool storage environment.
The packets can be purchased by themselves from several suppliers online. Might be just the thing for your BOB!
Hey John from Iowa, Stored properly, the PB MREs must last a long time then. Thanks!
I can’t remember the name of the powered peanut butter I buy without going to the basement and digging through tubs. But I buy it locally for $9.00 a vacuumed package that is equal to a normal $5.00 jar of Jiff. It mixes up with water and taste just like Jiff. It being dry powder and vacuum-sealed (Like a block of coffee) last for at least 10-years. And it taste great sprinkled on ice cream. It comes in chocolate and normal peanut butter flavor.
If you would, I would love to get some of that PB powder, please let me know it’s name or who makes it. Thanks
I my Army days we learned to take the C-Ration peanut butter, mixing it with the GI bug repellant, and using it in place of a flare or lamp to attract aircraft. Allegedly the peanut butter from Georgia would burn without the bug repellant.
Peanut butter is one of the best for storage, also tuna fish, especially now in those vacume envelopes they take up no space!
Although I admit i have a few jars stashed – Becareful of storage after you open – Peanut butter can be considered a carcinogen – There’s a simple precaution if you’re concerned. Refrigerate your peanut butter — it’ll keep out the mold.
Read more: https://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/25/is-your-peanut-butter-carcinogenic/#ixzz2fx8R8TeG or do a search on this subject to make sure you stay safe.
For long term storage we found a Powdered Peanut butter by Bell Plantation – just mix with water as needed. Also comes in Chocolate. It is good and also little less fat.
Be aware that not all peanut butter products will work as a fire starter. Some just do not have enough oils to burn. Those that tend to work are the ones where oil can be seen in the jar where it has separated from the peanut butter paste. That oil can be seen best after some use of the peanut butter.
Incidentally, when trying to light a fire with matches it can become frustrating when the match does not burn long enough to get a fire started. Get some cotton cordage about 1/8th inch diameter, saturate it in melted paraffin wax, and cut into lengths of about three inches. Light these with a match.They will burn much longer than a match, and can be estinguished
to be used again. In my survival kit I always have four to six in a sealed
package. I also carry a four inch ferro rod method for fire starting as well
as water proofed matches. (Farmers, strike anywhere, matches can be
waterproofed with melted paraffin wax. I coat the entire match with the wax, hold six to ten matches together in a bundle, then dip the butt end in
the melted wax. These stay together, will float, and when needed just break off a match from the bundle.)
i tried to light my peanut butter and couldn’t. i figured my trusty firesteel mini would put out enough sparks (it lights my vaseline-rubbed cotton balls beautifully), but that didn’t do it, so i tried a lighter. the peanut butter melted and gave off a rather interesting stink, but didn’t burn. so, i guess the mythbusters would say it’s plausible if you have the right materials! lol.
I think the pb that would light best are the ones that have high oil content that tend to separate when left on the shelf. Thanks for sharing your result.