food storage for 2 people

[dahlia]

Gang - I've been a bit of a survivalist for a few years now and have always kept food and water at hand, maybe a month's. Now that I'm LDS, I guess I need to step that up, but I'm seeing some problems:

1) my ward is ordering food for food storage. We can choose what we want. A lot of this stuff is good for 20-30 years, but looking at another thread here where food needs to be tossed, why would I need food to last that long? If there's no available food for 20 years, I'd say we probably have bigger problems (nuclear winter? slaves to the Chinese? massive epidemic with no cure for the disease?) than food.

2) the food seems made for large families. Right now there is just the 2 of us, with the possibility of just me at some point in the future. There doesn't seem to be a reason, financial or food storage-wise, to have pounds of any one food.

3) I understand that we don't have to keep a year's food on hand, that 3 months is sufficient. Is that correct?

4) Do people really keep their stuff for so long? The survivalist info I've read says that you should rotate through your food. What the heck am I going to do with 20 yr old TVP?

5) Doesn't it make more sense for a small household to buy readily available canned/dried food and just be mindful of the storage dates? Why should I spend $20 for pounds of pasta when I can buy a box that I will actually use over a year at .88-1.30?

I gotta say, just looking at the list of items, I can't believe people eat this stuff when it's fresh, much less 5 yr old versions. And what are people doing with all that wheat? There's not that much bread-making in the world.

Thanks for any info.

[bcguy]

Do what you think is best.

Also, as a learning lesson from visiting a Russian sub, the way they stored food was to put all the cans on the floor in the hallway and cover it with plywood. The same can be done for a room or what ever part of a house. Put plywood on cans with carpet. Or, on plywood. Then have little trap doors to open up on the floor to pull out the cans when needed.

If you have room, then use shelving.

[Guest]

Hiya Dahlia... the 20-30 year shelf life is not necessarily because there might be 20-30 years of emergencies... it is so that you don't have to throw out your emergency food if you don't use it for 20 years.

This is my simple approach to food storage:

1.) I buy things that I know we will eat. So, I have lots of rice, vienna sausage, and spam because we all love those. I just go to the big box stores (we have Sam's Club and Costco here that is like a wholesale grocery store) and buy a giant pack of them. Then I put them in our food storage closet and take out a few cans for the pantry - we eat them regularly. So, we add more to the pantry from the food storage closet when we go through a bunch of them. Then when the food storage closet is about half-way used up, we go buy another big package from the wholesale store.

2.) I have wheat, sugar, powdered milk in big cans. No, I don't regularly use these in day-to-day living. These are my staples. Basically, if there comes a time when emergency situation closes all the grocery stores and I can't buy any bread, I can use the wheat and make my own... of course, I had to learn how to make bread out of it.

Anyway, my plan is simple. I have an emergency meal plan that covers our family (2 adults, 2 kids) for 2 weeks. Basically, a list of breakfast, lunch, and dinners for 14 days. This is an emergency meal plan - that is, we won't be eating gourmet food or 8oz steaks or anything like that. It's basically survival meal plans using what is in our food storage. I take into consideration that there won't be any electricity (can't use microwaves, etc.) and there may not be any stores open to supplement and there may not be any clean water flowing in the pipes.

Then I just multiply the meal plan by 26 (52 weeks in a year) to get a years worth. Okay - I don't have a year's worth yet. Still working on it. I started with a 2 week supply... expanded to a 3-month supply. That's where I'm at right now.

Then, I also include things like soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, medicine, etc. etc.

And, in addition, I also have a 72-hour pack. This is in 2 backpacks that I hang in the jacket closet. These are get-up-and-go packs. The concept is - if we have to leave the house immediately due to an emergency, we can just grab these packs and go and have supplies for 72 hours.

But, this is only applicable to my family. Each family is different. So your family of 2 would have a different plan. But the concept is - that you can support yourself for an entire year without having to go to a store and without having to rely on electricity without city water... etc.

Hope this helps.

[Dravin]

1) It's convenient not to have to rotate everything within a couple years. Most huge shelf lives are an excuse not to rotate through everything. If you do rotate through everything in a couple years then something that shelf stable doesn't matter that much. Of course some things are inherently more stable than others, something like hard winter wheat or dried beans is going to have a decent shelflife compared to something like butter powder when stored in the same conditions.

2) Depends on the food. Something like dried beans makes perfect sense to have multiple pounds of it. Unless you are understating things and what you are trying to get at is that you don't need a 50 lb tin of powdered milk. Which is an entirely valid point.

3) I think they've stepped things back, though I think that may have been because the thought of 3 months is a whole lot less daunting than a year. Better to advise people to get 3 months and have them actually do it then a year and have them never get around to it.

4)Eat it I suppose. Ideally you don't let it sit around for 20 years before you rotate it through. I think it's a best practice meets common practice situation though. Heck, I have heard about people inheriting food storage for some of the really long shelf life items like winter wheat.

5) If you can do things that way I don't see why you shouldn't. Generally the stuff sold by LDS buisnesses (and the stuff from LDS Canning) assumes a large family and people cheating on best practice. Also, I think people see the cans and bags and think food storage, people look at the stuff in a box on a store shelf and think, "What do I need for dinner this week?" Generally speaking that is.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Dravin

[BenRaines]

I buy stuff to have a one year storage and stuff that will last for 20-30 years. I don't plan on having to use it for 20-30 years but I may need it during the next 5-10 years and then I don't have to replace it. As for wheat it can be used for a number of things other than bread and so I have a years supply of wheat for two. Dehydrated meat and vegetables for two also. There are a lot of other things that are important along with food. Soap, medicines, other basics that people don't think of. Have a full stomach and to be filthy dirty just doesn't sound appealing to me.

Ben Raines

[NeuroTypical]

3) I understand that we don't have to keep a year's food on hand, that 3 months is sufficient. Is that correct?

Well, you don't "have" to do anything. Food storage isn't a "thou shalt" sort of thing. We figure it's a "you're smart if you do this" sort of thing.

Anyway, church guidance is summarized in this pamphlet:

THE BASICS OF FAMILY HOME STORAGE

THREE-MONTH SUPPLY

Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.

DRINKING WATER

Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted. If water comes directly from a good, pretreated source then no additional purification is needed; otherwise, pretreat water before use. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soda. Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

FINANCIAL RESERVE

Establish a financial reserve by saving a little money each week and gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount (see All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances guide).

LONGER-TERM SUPPLY

For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. These items can last 30 years or more when properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.

[marshac]

Buy a cansolidator, fill it up with the stuff you use, and stop worrying. :)

I'm kinda like Ben though- we also have some 30 year food- it's good for

-Stuff that doesn't store well at room temp (meat, milk)

-Whole entrees- who wants to cook if your world just got rocked in a 9.0 earthquake? Add water, heat and eat...

Although we also have some stuff like cheese, fruit and veggies in FD form, I'm really not sure why I got them- i'm sure they seemed like a good idea at the time, but honestly- most of our stuff is in the cansolidator.

[BenRaines]

I found those can things at Costco some years ago. Not sure if they are still available there but they work great and the sizes are adjustable.

Ben Raines

[Iggy]

Buy a cansolidator, fill it up with the stuff you use, and stop worrying. :)

Who can afford the dang thing? I bought one - just one for a single kitchen shelf. Cost 30.00 and only held 1/2 my cans of tuna. Had nearly 30 cans. Took more space then the cans without. It isn't very deep at all.

Once upon a time I found on line a pattern for making a wood dispenser for canned goods. Wish I had book marked it. I am ready to buy the pattern and have my brother build it for me. I FOUND IT!CanRacks.com If it is going to cost more than getting the roll out shelves, then I will get the shelves. Rollout Drawers :: Rolling Drawers :: Rolling Shelves

I am buying some of the roll outs for my lower cupboards - BIG, cavernous holes. Have my blender, electric. mixer(s), hand meat grinder, moulenex, etc., all stuffed in it. On the opposite side, have mixing bowls, serving glass bowls, quart, 4C and 5 one cup measuring cups/bowls. Along with pie plates and only 1 loaf pan . I like to cook and bake in glassware. Lost 7 glass loaf pans.

My sisters used to store wheat in bulk, rice, etc. Then when they moved into a shared house, and AFTER moving all the food- discovered the wheat was infested with weevils, the rice was moldy, 5 lb bags of sugar in 30 gallon plastic garbage cans were 5 lb bricks. The 3lb bags of flour were bad. Only two food items were usable. The salt and the honey. Oh, and the jars of pickles (watermelon, bread & butter, dill and sweet) and the jams that Mom had put up in 1969, 18 years earlier and two moves across many states later.

Every one should have honey- whether you eat it or not. It is an antimicrobial, it is a natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, & antiseptic.

[Iggy]

I found those can things at Costco some years ago. Not sure if they are still available there but they work great and the sizes are adjustable.

Ben Raines

Walmart has them. Got mine in AZ, and found them here in OR also.

[marshac]

Walmart has them. Got mine in AZ, and found them here in OR also.

We got ours at Costco. The price is a bit high, and if you can build your own, more power too ya. I just don't have the time right now :)

[rameumptom]

In the past the Church actually encouraged 2 years storage, but reduced it to 1 year storage in the 1970s. Now they are encouraging members to begin by having a 3 month storage, and build it up from there to one year.

Many members like the storage that lasts decades, because they want to buy it once and then forget it in their basement storage. It doesn't need to be replaced or used until it nears its end-life for storage. Personally, I find this more convenient than always trying to cycle through it continually.

My wife and I have several years storage, actually. Much of it is long term storage, but we also have many items we cycle through. Not only do we have basics like wheat and other grains, but we also have a couple years' supply of canned vegetables, fruits, and meats (tuna fish, salmon, chicken). We also have a year's supply of freeze dried/dehydrated. So, if something doesn't turn out right, we have other forms of food to go back on.

Why do we have so much storage? Because we've felt that the day may come when food will be more precious than gold. We can trade it for things we'll need. We have it so we can take care of our family members as needed. And if the bishop requests it, he can use it to bless many in Zion.

Eight years ago when I retired from the USAF, and we moved away, we got rid of much of our storage at the time. Some went to poorer members in Tuskegee Alabama. We had a family with 12 kids who were financially struggling due to events beyond their circumstances. We gave them enough food storage to last their family several months.

It's amazing how much we've stocked up in 8 years again. Truly amazing. But it is comforting to know we can eat for a long time, and bless others as well.

Our storage also contains 3 wheat grinders (one electric that we now use), a water purifier that can clean the dirtiest of water for 6 months on its filters (replaceable), and several hundred gallons of water.

We have large quantities of iodized salt, as it will quickly become a trading currency in very bad times.

Of course, we hope such will never occur. But glad to be ready if something major hits the USA: terrorist attacks, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts and famine, economic collapse, or as they said in Ghostbusters:

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?

Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.

Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!

Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...

Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!

Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

Mayor: All right, all right! I get the point!

[Iggy]

We got ours at Costco. The price is a bit high, and if you can build your own, more power too ya. I just don't have the time right now :)

We have the time, just not the skill to build. Either one of my brothers are skilled though. I just need to ask, and give them a gracious way out if they so choose. They live 326 miles north of us.

If either of them declines my request, then I will see if anyone in my Branch or the next Ward can do it. Or I will find a handyman in the area.

We also have the money. I just can't justify spending that much on something that does NOT utilize the entire cupboard.

By the way, does anyone store vegetable seeds?

[dahlia]

Every one should have honey- whether you eat it or not. It is an antimicrobial, it is a natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, & antiseptic.

I didn't think about that. I wondered why I saw all the honey available. Though I struggle with the concept, I generally avoid honey because it's not considered vegan, but I can see having it for medicinal reasons, and I guess if stuff hits the fan, I won't worry so much about vegan choices, though I would still try to get by on rice, potatoes, veggies and beans.

Still, I ain't using no powdered butter, and don't need tins of meat. Even my omni son won't eat those foods. We don't eat much bread, so 20# of wheat seems like a waste of money. I guess I'm better off with rice and beans, soap (who remembers that?!), and canned food that doesn't need to be heated. I'm pretty sure I have room for 3 months of food.

Does anyone know if there is powdered soy milk? I'm lactose intolerant and can't deal with the powdered dairy milk.

Finally, regarding the dried veggies - has anyone ever cooked with them? Can you eat them alone or do they need to be buried in rice/stew?

Thanks, everyone.

[Iggy]

I didn't think about that. I wondered why I saw all the honey available. Though I struggle with the concept, I generally avoid honey because it's not considered vegan, but I can see having it for medicinal reasons, and I guess if stuff hits the fan, I won't worry so much about vegan choices, though I would still try to get by on rice, potatoes, veggies and beans.

Still, I ain't using no powdered butter, and don't need tins of meat. Even my omni son won't eat those foods. We don't eat much bread, so 20# of wheat seems like a waste of money. I guess I'm better off with rice and beans, soap (who remembers that?!), and canned food that doesn't need to be heated. I'm pretty sure I have room for 3 months of food.

Does anyone know if there is powdered soy milk? I'm lactose intolerant and can't deal with the powdered dairy milk.

Finally, regarding the dried veggies - has anyone ever cooked with them? Can you eat them alone or do they need to be buried in rice/stew?

Thanks, everyone.

Before I moved to AZ 6 years ago- I dehydrated vegetables and stored them in vacuum seal bags. I never thought to rehydrate and serve as a side dish. Though, when I re-hydrated them in soups and stews, they had the same flavor and consistency as frozen.

I dehydrated frozen vegetables. At the time I bought them on sale for $0.50 a one pound bag. They are already blanched - you just need to thaw in hot tap water (NOT cook, just thaw - until they are barely cool to the touch, not cold). Drain, dry as much of the water off with a kitchen not-terry cloth towel. I sectioned the servings on the dehydrator - one serving = 1/2 cup, so that when it was dried, I could easily put into bags and seal. I also did 1/4 c portions for use in stews and soups.

I also dehydrated fresh mushrooms, green & red bell peppers. Bought at seriously marked down price because they were old and "Ugly".

Dehydrated fresh onions too. Started out in the kitchen and after 2 hours moved it into the shed outdoors. The fumes nearly killed us! It did kill all the bugs in the shed, and the mice!

Do you eat pasta? Then you need flour to make it. I still need to purchase the pasta attachment to my Bosch mixer. I have the meat/food grinder and the grain grinder. I also grind rice into flour and add it to my bread.

As soon as Hard Red Wheat is available, I am purchasing that, then going to the cannery. #10 cans of wheat will store much better than 5 gal buckets of flour. I have the closet in the guest bedroom, where I will store the grain in cans. It has two top shelves. The upper most is shallow- just deep enough for #10 cans!

My husband and I prefer bread made with home ground flour. I don't grind the flour as fine as what you buy in the store, thus the bread is coarser.

Dahlia, there is just my husband and myself too. When we lived in AZ, I knew that was not going to be our permanent home- so I didn't store more than 3 months worth of foods. I did buy items to try that would be good for food storage. Found that we didn't like most of them.

The Good Choice brand of single serve dishes - just add water and cook ones. They are okay- need to be spiced up~add extra vegetables, etc. But the Armor brand cook and eat- they are tolerable, but they are horrible a month after the 'Use By' date! They were stored in a humidity free home- the average indoor temp was 78. Don't know how old they were when I bought them- didn't bother to check out the 'Use By'date- they were on an introductory sale, looked good and I was hun-ger-y.

Velveeta Shells and Cheese- use caution after the sell by date- the cheese in the foil container turns. Before you start cooking the shells, open the foil packet and check the cheese. I had to toss 8 boxes- well I tossed the cheese, kept the shells. Now I just buy jars of the store brand equivalent of Cheese Whiz, and use the spiral pasta I bought on sale. Multi-colored that the locals refused to buy. I got it for $0.48 a one pound box. When I got it home, I vacuumed sealed each box into a bag of it's own. Did the same with boxes of Rice-a-roni. The rice inside is NOT in it's own bag. The bugs have a field day feasting on the contents. So, I vacuum seal each box individually. They won't stand on their own in the cupboard, but they do fit into plastic containers, and the containers can be stacked.

I detest powdered milk- I store canned evaporated milk. Only purchase it when it is on sale for $0.78 or less. Last time got it for $0.55 a can- bought two cases of it. I use it all the time. Only have three cans left!

My sister loved powdered buttermilk and powdered butter. She baked a lot and used both in cakes, pancakes, waffles. I was raised on powdered milk. Mix up two quarts of powdered milk, refrigerate over night, then add 2 quarts of whole milk to make one gallon. Serve. When my older sisters mixed up the p. milk, it was always lumpy. So I made sure I made it. Used the electric hand mixer to insure no lumps! Mom also used it when she made bread. She added it with the flour. She made 17 loaves of bread a week to feed her family of 7 children and 3 adults!

[dahlia]

I have one of those bag sealer machines. Is it better to take pastas and rice mixes and put them in a bag? Where do the weevils, etc come from? Pls don't tell me they are in the box and we just don't notice them. : ( I keep nutritional yeast (gives a cheese flavor to tofu, etc for vegan cooking) and had to throw some old yeast out due to weevils - but I don't have bugs crawling around my cupboards! Where do they come from?

I've been looking around at some vegan/vegetarian meals for camping and those might be better than an MRE; they seem to try harder to get the taste right and I don't have to worry about what's in it.

[Guest Alana]

We have dehydrated carrrots and onions that we use a lot in our normal diet. I'm very happy with their quality. The carrots rehydrate very much like chopped fresh raw carrots.

[Guest]

I remember one R.S. activity where a few of the women brought their jars of pickled meat. I thought it would be really gross (it looked gross) but then when they served it, it tasted really good! It was something like an 8-year-old jar of chicken and stuff. I ate so much of it and didn't get sick.

Some other girl brought black beans brownie. Yea! You heard that right - brownies! It tasted really good too. Never thought you could use beans for dessert.

[Iggy]

I have one of those bag sealer machines. Is it better to take pastas and rice mixes and put them in a bag? Where do the weevils, etc come from? Pls don't tell me they are in the box and we just don't notice them. : ( I keep nutritional yeast (gives a cheese flavor to tofu, etc for vegan cooking) and had to throw some old yeast out due to weevils - but I don't have bugs crawling around my cupboards! Where do they come from?

I've been looking around at some vegan/vegetarian meals for camping and those might be better than an MRE; they seem to try harder to get the taste right and I don't have to worry about what's in it.

Sorry Dahlia, but they do come from the cardboard boxes and bags. They also love the glue in wallpaper, and in plywood. What I learned from the dude at the Home Extension dept at the county courthouse:To insure that your bags of flour are free of weevils. Put the bags in your freezer for 2 weeks per 3 pounds. I have a small freezer besides the freezer in my refrigerator. So I freeze my 3 lb. bags of flour for 2 weeks minimum, then I vacuum seal them and store in my cupboard.

I transfer my bags of sugar and put them into rubbermaid cannisters. The seal has to be good. Similar to Tupperware. I just recently bought eight 5 lb. bags of sugar. One bag went into the container, the other 7 got vacuumed sealed. Also got salt at a fantastic price. Vacuumed sealed them too. About the only thing I don't seal is bars of body soap. Those I want to dry out. They last way longer in the shower when they have super dried out. We are using bath soap I purchased 4 years ago! Put a new bar of Dial in the shower three weeks ago. It is now 2/3 gone! Two people showering once a day.

I grew up with my Mom and her Mother making everything from scratch. 17 loves of bread made every Monday. Cakes, cookies. Grandma's specialty was pies and donuts. Cake donuts, mmmmm good. Mom bought flour in 100 lb bags. Mom also made her own noodles. Surprised me no end when I discovered noodles in the grocery store when I was 16! She bought macaroni- but made all the rest.

We got an infestation of bugs. Weevils, and other bugs. Daddy took out the drawers under the counter next to the stove and installed a tip out bin that he lined with sheet metal. There was no way we could afford to toss the flours. Yep, flours. Whole wheat, buckwheat, rye(s), and the 100 lbs. of white. So we double and triple sifted it. All bugs were collected by Grandma and she put them in those little paper bags that the corner grocer put penny candy in. Then she would take the bag outside and burn it.

The larvae, well, that remained in the flour- but when you think about it - it couldn't do us any harm, every thing was baked or grilled. From that time on us kids NEVER ate raw cookie dough again.

Chances are you do have bugs, you just don't see them. Me, I paint the inside of my cupboards, drawers and closets white. Washable white. Once or twice a year, I remove everything from the cupboards, scrub & rinse the insides and wipe the contents down.

When you store food in closets, garages, etc., there are bugs in those places too. Boxed food whose contents are not enclosed in foil, waxed paper or plastic are prime targets & a buffet for insect infestations. Boxed cereal will last longer in storage if you vacuum seal it. So far I haven't found vacuum seal rolls or bags that can handle a box of cereal, so I transfer the cereal into portions. I use the largest bag that Food Saver makes, and fill it with cereal.

I paid around $100 plus for my Food Saver vacuum sealer. I have an attachment to vacuum seal cannisters too. In the three years I have had it, it has more than paid for itself. When we moved, I vacuumed sealed all of my incense, glade air freshener candles, potpourri sachets. NOT all in one great bundle, individually. To keep them intact, and to help them keep their scents. I also vacuumed sealed all of my kitchen knives. The cleaver, my chef's knives, etc. Those were done individually- for safety sake.

Be careful when you vacuum seal lasagna noodles. I didn't stop the machine fast enough, the noodles cracked and became coarse crumbs:cool:.

I can't make lasagna with them, but I can use them for tuna/chicken/beef noodle casserole.

Keep the yeast in the fridge in an air tight glass container. I have a two quart canning jar with the glass lid. Bought a new rubber gasket seal for it. Have had the yeast for 4 years, and it always proofs up beautifully! Measure out the amount you are going to use, let it sit about 15 minutes before you add it to the warm liquid. Even if I use foil packet yeast I have just purchased, I ALWAYS proof it. It takes 10 to 15 minutes and it guarantees success.

[Dravin]

I have one of those bag sealer machines. Is it better to take pastas and rice mixes and put them in a bag? Where do the weevils, etc come from? Pls don't tell me they are in the box and we just don't notice them. : ( I keep nutritional yeast (gives a cheese flavor to tofu, etc for vegan cooking) and had to throw some old yeast out due to weevils - but I don't have bugs crawling around my cupboards! Where do they come from?

Fun read: Defect Levels Handbook

For example beans:

PEAS AND BEANS, DRIED Insect filth

(MPM-V104) Average of 5% or more by count insect-infested and/or insect-damaged by storage insects in a minimum of 12 subsamples

DEFECT SOURCE: preharvest and/or post harvest and/or processing infestation

SIGNIFICANCE: Aesthetic

or say wheat flour:

WHEAT FLOUR Insect filth

(AOAC 972.32) Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams

Rodent filth

(AOAC 972.32) Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams

DEFECT SOURCE: Insect fragments - preharvest and/or post harvest and/or processing insect infestation, Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta.

SIGNIFICANCE: Aesthetic

Now these are cut offs for action not what your average bag of such items at the store contains but it demonstrates that there is bugs, either whole or fragments, not to mention things like the occasional rat hair or excrement in a lot of the food we consume and it's par for the course.

Edited March 23, 2011 by Dravin

[pam]

Does anyone know if there is powdered soy milk? I'm lactose intolerant and can't deal with the powdered dairy milk.

Thanks, everyone.

I found a couple of places online:

Dehydrated soy milk Dry Food at Bizrate - Buy Gifts, Flowers & Food Online

Amazon.com: dry soy milk powder

[dahlia]

Some other girl brought black beans brownie. Yea! You heard that right - brownies! It tasted really good too. Never thought you could use beans for dessert.

I've made black bean brownies and they are great. Now that you mention it, I should make some again.

Yuck on the meat. Sorry, but just yuck.

[Wingnut]

Still, I ain't using no powdered butter, and don't need tins of meat. Even my omni son won't eat those foods. We don't eat much bread, so 20# of wheat seems like a waste of money. I guess I'm better off with rice and beans, soap (who remembers that?!), and canned food that doesn't need to be heated. I'm pretty sure I have room for 3 months of food.

Wheat is becoming more and more valuable (read: expensive), and in the event of something apocalyptic, could potentially be used as currency in a barter-type system.

Otherwise, you're on the right track with this thinking. In the past, the counsel has been one year, and then a big long list of basics, including wheat. More current counsel suggests a minimum of three months, and focuses more on things that you eat regularly. Chances are, if you have to depend on your food storage, you're already miserable enough.

[dahlia]

Sorry Dahlia, but they do come from the cardboard boxes and bags.

Keep the yeast in the fridge in an air tight glass container. I have a two quart canning jar with the glass lid. Bought a new rubber gasket seal for it. Have had the yeast for 4 years, and it always proofs up beautifully!

OK, now I'm officially squicked out about the bugs. The nutritional yeast is used by vegans to get B12 and to make things taste like cheese. You don't use it for baking. I should probably keep it in the fridge, tho.

[rameumptom]

Dahlia,

To stop weevils, place a bit of dry ice in with your pastas, etc. It kills any eggs that may be in the container or product.