3 Month supply

[Ironhold]

34 minutes ago, pam said:

Well people should spell it out if they are things that are specific to an area so we know what in the heck they are talking about.

The name H-E-B comes from the initials of the company's founder, Howard E. Butt. 

https://www.heb.com/static-page/article-template/Our-History

Yes, that was his name. 

[pam]

That's cool to learn.  But hopefully you get the point I was trying to make.  

 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Ironhold said:

The name H-E-B comes from the initials of the company's founder, Howard E. Butt. 

https://www.heb.com/static-page/article-template/Our-History

Yes, that was his name. 

And that's why everyone just says the initialism instead of the full name.

[NightSG]

11 hours ago, pam said:

Well people should spell it out if they are things that are specific to an area so we know what in the heck they are talking about.

When that area is the entire Habitable Zone of The Real World, people who insist on living outside it should just learn.

[pam]

1 hour ago, NightSG said:

When that area is the entire Habitable Zone of The Real World, people who insist on living outside it should just learn.

Well then don't be so rude as to just post acronyms.  If you want us to learn then teach us.  

You could always put Howard E. Butt (HEB) stores and then use the acronym from that point forward.  That way those of us that aren't in the know will know what it means.  

[NeuroTypical]

What about if we're quoting something that doesn't explain?

Quote

My son's a CTR. I go to PEC.
I work for CES. I study the TG.
I read the B of M. I probe the D & C.
I search the KJV. I ponder the JST.
Today in BYC we planned for EFY.
I stayed a little after and had a PPI.
The YM and YW are putting on a play. 
It is one I remember we did in MIA.
Before our oldest son went to the MTC,
He helped our BSA complete their SME.
Soon our oldest daughter is heading for the Y.
Soon our oldest clothing is going to DI.
Now if you've understood this alphabetic mess,
The chance are quite good that you are LDS.

 

[pam]

Yeah I have issues with all of the Mormon acronyms we use.  Especially when this site is also a missionary tool.

Okay let's get back to food storage.

[Guest MormonGator]

5 hours ago, pam said:

Okay let's get back to food storage.

I think food storage is a good idea for everyone, LDS or not. I am the farthest thing from a doomsayer or survivalist but you really do need to be prepared.

[dahlia]

On 10/5/2016 at 10:06 PM, pam said:

 I know we've done this before but there have been quite a few new people that have joined since this discussion has been brought up.  We have been counseled to be prepared  both spiritually and temporally.  One of the things that is counseled is to have a 3 month supply of foods/supplies that you would use on a regular basis.   So what are the things that you have?

T  Please feel free to offer suggestions since you are the expert on this subject.

I always forget the condiments and things like shampoo. That said, before they decimated my department a couple of years ago, I bought a ton of contact lens solution, shampoo, body wash, etc.I still have a fair amount of them left, but will need to restock shortly.

I get beans, canned tomatoes and sauce of all types, green beans, white beans and carrots for soup, oatmeal, hot chocolate, mandarin oranges. Stuff like that. I'm not doing the carb thing as much, but I think a big box of rice is good to have. I don't have to eat it all at once. : )  I always have veg, fake meat, and frozen fruit for smoothies in the freezer. I'm good as long as there is power. : )  I also buy boxes of almond milk of various types.  I'll go to Walmart at the end of the month or early Nov. before the snow and stock up. 

I get 6 months of toilet tissue and paper towels 2x a year. It was nice to have extra to give my son for his new house so they don't have to spend any more money right now.

[NightSG]

The Idahoan instant potatoes in Applewood Smoked Bacon and Bacon Cheddar Chipotle are often my bug-out-bag bulk.  They taste good and will fill you up without much effort to cook.  At ~$0.90 each, they're good to stock up on.

[Iggy]

On 10/5/2016 at 8:49 PM, mirkwood said:

The key to the three month food supply is to analyze the types of things you eat on a regular basis and then store 3 months.  Personally I suggest that you do not include frozen or refrigerated foods as part of the stored foods.  They may be a part of your diet, but when thinking of storable foods I would not include those items as part of the 3 month supply.

 

On 10/5/2016 at 8:52 PM, pam said:

@mirkwood   What would be a safe way to cook inside if power and gas go out?  Isn't butane cooking stoves safe as far as carbon monoxide?

 

On 10/5/2016 at 9:11 PM, mirkwood said:

Butane stove.  That is what the caterers use and is safe for indoor use.

Never heard of or have seen a Butane stove. Even after working in a hardware store for nearly 9 years. I have a Coleman Propane two burner cook stove, but now I will be getting two single burner Butane stoves along with the fuel. Thanks mirkwood.

The next big money item on our list is a generator that can operate the two freezers (both are on the smallish side), the fridge and the microwave during a prolonged power outage. Will have the propane and butane burners for the rest of the cooking.

As for food storage, about 5 years ago I bought over $300.00 worth of freeze dried, dehydrated and bulk foods. Discovered that the #10 cans of: Muffin Mix & Brownies were too expensive. There is just Hubby and myself, so the snack size of Marie Callendar's corn bread, brownies, & muffins in the packets were the right size and when purchased at the Dollar Store for a buck, or better yet at the Bi-Mart they often go on sale at $0.79 each. The #10 cans of potato pearls, again not a bargain. Bi-Mart, Walmart, Safeway often has Idahoan mashed potatoes in the packet for $1.00 or less. Want them to have a shelf life of nearly a millennia? get the Idahoan brand that you only add water to.

That goes for any mix you get. If it contains fat [oil, lard, vegetable shortening, butter] it will eventually go rancid. The Buttery Idahoan mashed potatoes doesn't go rancid. They probably use dehydrated butter. Also if you are going to use the liquid from your canned vegetables as part of the water, go real easy with the liquid from corn. It alters the flavor a lot. More than Husband and I like. Yet the liquid from kitchen cut green beans is okay. I have even used the liquid from canned beets - that didn't bother either of us.

Canned carrots are ridiculously soft - so I measure their liquid and add more water. As the water is coming to a boil, I mash the carrots up, add them to the potatoes that are in the boiling hot water/carrot juice then add the mashed carrots and whip it all together.

Use the liquid from canned mixed vegetables to make a medium thickness 'white sauce', then add the canned vegetables to the sauce along with leftover diced cooked chicken, or turkey, or beef roast or pork roast. Add to pie crust in either one large pie pan or individual sized aluminum pie pans. Makes pretty good pot pies. Oh, you will have to season to taste.

Pie crust ~ if you store boxed biscuit mix,  seal it with a vacuum sealer. There is fat in that mix, and not only will it go rancid it will also attract bugs. Store flour in airtight containers, or better yet, seal it with a vacuum sealer. Even if you grind your own grains, I portion out my wheat grains in 3 pound bags, vacuum seal them, and store in air tight plastic totes stacked on pallets. Keep those totes OFF of the floor.

Wish I had listened to Mirkwood better ~ buy what you eat. If you buy in bulk (not necessarily in the #10 cans), repackage it in sizes that you will use for one or two meals, and make that packaging vacuum seal. I have use three different brands of sealing - two of which were vacuum. The only one worth the money is FoodSaver. Once you repackage it will no longer be a convenient boxy package. So find a plastic container that will fit on the shelve where you want to store your item. Then fill it up with your re-packaged wheat grains, dry beans, lentils, etc. I bought a #10 can of shredded potatoes. This turned out to be a really good buy at the regular price. I repackaged it into vacuum seal bags **but stopped the vacuum sealing part way, then did the seal. If you go all the way when you do pasta, shredded potatoes or other crispy, crush-able dried foods, you will end up with dust when you finally open it. Husband and I really like Hungry Jack Dehydrated Shredded Potatoes. The boxes (four serving size) that I bought for $0.98 each are gone, and I can only get them now for $1.98 each. BUT the #10 can works out to like $0.52 for 4 servings.

I also bought #10 cans of dehydrated whole eggs and dehydrated butter. The eggs have been repackaged into 4 serving pouches. The butter into 1 cup packets. Oh, haven't' even opened the honey powder. 

OH, another lesson I learned the HARD WAY is storing saltines. I only get the salted ones and buy them when they are $1.10 or less. Since I rearranged my kitchen, the extra boxes - 4 of them - got put on top of the cast iron skillets I seldom use. The skillets were seasoned with lard, then covered with parchment paper. Well, the lard went rancid and the flavor was absorbed through the parchment paper, the cardboard box and the wax paper sleeves. Moral to this story . . . seal two sleeves of crackers at a time with the FoodSaver, store in the uppermost cupboard above the refrigerator.

Months and months ago Safeway was selling Buy 1 Get 2 Free of marinated skinless-boneless chicken breasts & boneless pork chops. I bought a lot, and tossed them into the freezer. The following week II would pull them out and seal them with the FoodSaver - vacuum sealing them in their original wrapper. Well, step-son was here for a week long visit and he said that he has had it with chicken meals. Opps, I vacuumed sealed the fresh chicken and pulled out the frozen pork chops. These were over 6 months old, yet they cooked up moist and tender and fortunately I only got lemon pepper marinaded ones. I think that if I had opened the packaging then did the vacuum seal, they probably would have got freezer burn. 

I treat my food storage and food pantry as though they are my own personal grocery stores. The kitchen cupboards are replenished from the pantry and storage. When I take the last from storage/panty, then I write it down in my day planner. Once a month when I sit at the computer and go online to the grocery stores, the day planner is right there in front of me. I make out my shopping lists, store by store. This is my monthly shopping, which lately has been costing us around $750.00 or more. On Thursdays or Fridays after that, I buy fresh salads, OJ, milk. Perishables that need to be replenished every other week or so.

A few weeks ago, a Grocery Outlet Store opened up in the larger city- where all the rest of the grocery stores are. I stopped there first, shopped with my other grocery lists in hand. Bought $58.00 of food for only $21.96. On some of the items, I got larger bags of frozen stir fry veggies, canned corn & beans, & canned Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup for less than the regular size on sale at the other stores.

One thing to note - canned fish and meats last longer then their Sell By Dates. Canned salmon, tuna, and sardines you can add 10 more years to. Canned meats: Spam, corned beef, roast beef and chicken add 10 years too. If you can't find the Use By, Sell By or Best By then a date, go online to the company that packaged it, like Hormel. Hunt around until you find Need Help or Contact Us, then ask them how do you find the dates on the cans. Believe me, they want to keep your business, so they aren't going to jerk you around. If in your email you put all of the codes you find on the ends (both if there are letters-n-numbers), they will explain what it all means. SAVE those emails. I printed mine out and put them in my household food storage 3 ring binder. Unfortunately said binder is in a box under three more boxes, behind three rows of more boxes. BUT I already have all my cans marked with a sharpie and stored in the cupboards with the oldest at the front. Rotate, Rotate, Rotate!!

Okay, this has turned into a Tome, as is usual for me. Time to take a breather and soak my fingers & wrists in cold water.

 

[Iggy]

One more thing then I will be silent for a while. Shampoo. My BFF was a hair stylist, and she told me to buy THE cheapest shampoo on the market, then add  jhirmack distinctions silver plus, I have silver white hair. One bottle cheap, one bottle jhirmack then one bottle of water used to rinse out the cheap one, then rinse the jhirmack as best as you can.  The cheap one being TRESemmé. I use a medicine cup from a cold medicine and put two squirts of thinned, mixed shampoo on my hair and that is more than enough to clean it.

My squirt bottle is an emptied Aussie shampoo bottle. Used that mixed in with 2 of the jhirmack and water.

Liquid Laundry detergent: use 1/3 to 1/4 of the *recommended* amount, depending on the amount of dirt/soil is on your clothing.

The manufacturers want you to use their products - lots of their products. They really don't care if you use too much, that just means you will buy more. Reduce it down. Dilute it down.

 

[mirkwood]

Oh I was just talking food items.  I haven't even got started on "everything but food and water" topics. 

[askandanswer]

On 10/6/2016 at 2:06 PM, pam said:

 I know we've done this before but there have been quite a few new people that have joined since this discussion has been brought up.  We have been counseled to be prepared  both spiritually and temporally.  One of the things that is counseled is to have a 3 month supply of foods/supplies that you would use on a regular basis.   So what are the things that you have?

Today I went shopping to really get serious about getting this all done.  These are some of the things I picked up.  Of course keeping in mind that I need to be able to rotate these items as well.

1.  10 packages of the Knorr side dishes.  Easy to make with water and it would be enough for a meal for me and sometimes even 2.

2.   5 cans of Spam

3.  10 cans of green beans

4.  10 cans of peas

5.  10 cans of pork and beans

6.  5 cans of peaches

7.  5 cans of pears

8.  5 cans of fruit cocktail

9.  2 bottles of shampoo

10.  2 deodorent sticks

11.  3 cases of bottled water

12.  Picked up a huge package at Costco of toilet paper.  (Kirkland brand)  

13.  5 boxes of Mac and Cheese

14.  3 cans of Spaghetti-O's.

 

I've designed a plan for me.  I'm making a list of things I want and need in my 3 month supply.  I am going to purchase and add one item each day to build up my supply.

While I'm in the mindset of food, I also need to think of all of the other things that would be needed. 

So jump right in with your ideas.  

@mirkwood  Please feel free to offer suggestions since you are the expert on this subject.

Just curious Pam, how long do you think this stash of stuff would last you?

[pam]

3 hours ago, askandanswer said:

Just curious Pam, how long do you think this stash of stuff would last you?

That's a good question.  I'd have to figure that out.  If this is all I had, I would really have to ration it out.  As far as the food, right now a vrey quick guess would be 2 weeks.  But that would be just for me.  Although my kids don't live with me but live reasonably close, I know I would probably be helping them as well.  So not long at all.  

[Iggy]

Pam, another food you should store and use are seeds for sprouting. Not just to grow in the garden, but to sprout in your kitchen and consume after they have sprouted from 2 to 6 days. During the winter when fresh produce is watery tasting from being forced to grow in hot houses - sprout your own fresh greens.

Mung beans are the most common - but do others as well. I have really researched this out, and did a RS Evening Meeting presentation about it. Served a completely vegetarian soup after. I sprouted every seed-n-been-n-legume I could buy, then made a soup.

Lots of the seeds-beans-legumes can be eaten raw as in salads, between two slices of whole grain bread, tortilla wraps, inside pita breads, etc.

I now buy my sprouting seeds-beans-legumes locally and in bulk. Then I vacuum seal most of them in 1/2 cup size packets. You will only sprout 1 to 2 Tablespoons at a time, so 1/2 c packets are plenty big enough without going bad.

I had some Chia seeds go bad on me because I put them in the cupboard in the thin plastic bag from the store. WRONG: Store them out of the thin plastic bag & in an airtight/water proof plastic container. Also bulk flax seeds are very oily and will go rancid quickly. I have yet figured out a way to store them to avoid that.

If any of you wish to have my booklet on the seeds, how to sprout them, how to consume them and their nutritional values - PM me with your request and your email addy.

[Ironhold]

On 10/7/2016 at 11:36 AM, pam said:

Well then don't be so rude as to just post acronyms.  If you want us to learn then teach us.  

You could always put Howard E. Butt (HEB) stores and then use the acronym from that point forward.  That way those of us that aren't in the know will know what it means.  

Actually, the chain name is HEB. 

http://www.heb.com/

Toy semi hauler they commissioned from Galoob back in the 1990s. (source -> http://m2museum.com/SemiTrucks/Semi_trucks_box.htm ) 

Edited October 8, 2016 by Ironhold
fixing typo

[anatess2]

On October 7, 2016 at 0:36 PM, pam said:

Well then don't be so rude as to just post acronyms.  If you want us to learn then teach us.  

You could always put Howard E. Butt (HEB) stores and then use the acronym from that point forward.  That way those of us that aren't in the know will know what it means.  

Lived in Texas for a while.  Never knew what HEB stood for.  It's always just known as HEB...

[pam]

On 10/6/2016 at 0:47 PM, anatess2 said:

Well, first on the list would be rice.

White rice is always on my list as well.  Both short term and long term.  I love white rice.

[lds2]

Iggy that post was incredible thanks! I am a new empty nester and so it was a good thing to see how others store for smaller meals. 

Have you guys seen the youtube videos on depression meals? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OPQqH3YlHA

She talks about how they ate potatoes with pasta, but it was a great way to stretch meals.

 

[Guest]

Is it a common thing for people to not like rice?  I just found out that unless it has all kinds of sauce and stuff, most of my family hates rice.  I was in shock.  What's wrong with rice?

[NeuroTypical]

I was raised by someone born in 1922, who remembered the depression, and the daily struggle for food.  I was a fussy picky eater as a kid, but these days a lot of his habits have rubbed off on me.  It's food - you eat it.  Nothing wrong with plain rice, or eating a green pepper for that matter.

I am, despite trying over the decades, still unable to eat bananas.  Just can't handle the texture.  It ticks me off, because bananas are one of those perfect foods.  I'd love to eat one a day as breakfast.  But can't bring myself to do it.

[NightSG]

3 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Is it a common thing for people to not like rice?  I just found out that unless it has all kinds of sauce and stuff, most of my family hates rice.  I was in shock.  What's wrong with rice?

Rice is a good base for lots of things.  Basically, any liquid flavoring like bouillon or honey can make it into an entirely different food.

[Iggy]

Yep my parents and Mom's mother thrived during the depression. Daddy was born in 1912, Mom in 1922 and Grandma G in 1899. Grandma owned a cafe. Out in the middle of No and Where in South Dakota. She bartered donuts, pies and cakes for meat, honey, whole wheat grains, etc/ She grew her vegetables there at the cafe and at her home. Absolutely NOTHING went to waste.

About rice you ask. My mother hated it. She cooked it mixed up with ground beef (she and Grandma ground their own beef & pork). tomatoes, celery, onions, green bell peppers, and garlic with a bay leaf or three tossed in. She called it Spanish Rice. Make the same dish with elbow macaroni and it was called Goulash.

Us kids and Daddy loved white rice in a bowl, add cinnamon, allspice, clove and nutmeg - just small dashes of the spices, sugar and milk. My two older sisters liked to do that with spaghetti or egg noodles (which Mom & Grandma made from scratch and cut out by hand and not with a fancy machine), or elbow macaroni (which was bought from the store). BLEH - butter on the pasta. Or melted Velveeta cheese. Never did have Alfredo Sauce until I was in my mid 50's!!

To this day I have no idea why Mom hated white rice. After 25 years being married to a 1/2 Japanese 1/4 Cherokee 1/4 Caucasian man whose mother taught me how to cook pearl rice in a saucepan, and her father taught me how to use a rice cooker. I love rice. Not the long grain, bleached, polished blah white rice. But pretty much all the other ones. Fred Meyer had their Organic brand Jasmine rice on sale. 5 pounds for $1.29!! Yep I bought 3 bags. I mix forbidden black, Himalayan pink, Lundberg's Wild, & any brand organic Basmati. This blend doesn't lend itself to sugar, sweet spices and milk. BUT it is great for savory meats and even with scrambled eggs.

Organic, un-enriched, un-polished rice will sprout - so you can sprout it, then a day or two later add it to cooked dishes. Me, I just cook it up in my rice cooker and enjoy with copious amounts of salted butter, or savory meat gravy, or add to sauteed in butter onions-n-celery and when hot add raw, slightly beaten eggs and WaaLaa Breakfast!

Hubby had only had long grain white rice his whole life. Then we marry, and I feed him my blend of rice as a side to roast pork loin. Only I add a small can of well rinsed mushroom bits-n-pieces after the cooker has turned off. Stir them in then put the lid back on till you serve the roast. I also like to add smoked oysters(or the tiny oysters in a jar), mushrooms, and salad shrimp. Serve with a Salmon Roast or Salmon Steaks.

Out of 5 surviving kids (including myself), I am the only one who likes all the different varieties of rices. The rest only eat the blah white rice and always mixed with the tomatoes and beef. OR my oldest brother loves the rice that his favorite Mexican restaurant fixes.

 

[Larry Cotrell]

When I was growing up, my mom and sister would always melt cheese and put it on rice. They loved it but I've never tried it. Maybe it's worth a try, but cheesey rice just always seemed kind of strange. Does anyone else do this? Or is it just something weird my family did?

Edited October 13, 2016 by Larry Cotrell