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Snider Board :: View topic - Food Storage Tips, Recipes, Reviews, Whatevers

I know we've had a few of these discussions here and there, and it could be put in the religion thread or the recipe thread, but whatever, nyah nyah. So I want some tips on storing food that my family actually eats.

What would I do with wheat?

I've never used wheat in my life.

What are tasty cannery items?

What are some recipes so they don't just sit and collect dust?

We're not big fans of soups or canned vegetables.

What can I do?

You can store lots of pasta and sauce, and also rice.

But wheat is really, really good cooked just like rice.

It takes about 45 minutes, and you use about twice as much water as wheat.

Of course you can also make bread out of it, but the great thing about wheat is you don't have to worry about rotating it, so it can be your backup food that you'll eat if you run out of the things you like.

You can also crack it and make hot cereal out of it.

My favorite use of whole wheat is chili.

You cook it, then add hamburger and tomato sauce and chili seasoning.

It's really good. And store peanut butter.

And also flour, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate chips, so you can make brownies.

They always make you feel better. Oooh, and Potato Pearls from the dry pack cannery.

They're $45 for a big box, and they are yummy!

You can pack them into cans, but they can also go into Tupperware.

I left mine right in the plastic-lined box, and they're fine.

I never buy whole potatoes any more, unless I need potato salad.

Really? They're that good?

I need to get me some Potato Pearls, I guess.

I think I said that a couple of years ago, but never got around to getting any. I also need to replenish our wheat supply.

It didn't make it out here to Ohio, either. I bet somebody at Goodwill was really perplexed at all the odd stuff somebody donated to them.

Quote: : I also need to replenish our wheat supply.

It didn't make it out here to Ohio, either. I bet somebody at Goodwill was really perplexed at all the odd stuff somebody donated to them. Are you really that disappointed that someone less fortunate than you was able to get a great deal on a 20 year supply of weevils? Zing! Though you don't need to rotate them...you do need to check them every couple years or so!

We bought a bunch of wheat when Jeff was a baby, so it's around 30 years old.

We packed it in big plastic buckets with dry ice ?

As they recommended in those days, and I just used some of it a couple of months ago.

It was still perfect. Now, the two bags I bought 15 or so years ago and left in the bags got moldy after the mice ate holes in the bags...so at least I think the mice ate the weevils.

Ooh, that chili with the wheat sounds like a good idea.

Can you post some of your wheat recipes here, or the recipe forum?

And the potato pearls, do those make good mashed potatoes?

Okay...perhaps I revive the discussion that we all had here . I don't think I ever made up the plans for my wood shelves and sent the out, despite having a positive reaction to them. But, they have worked wonders for us and rotating through all our stuff. Tasty cannery items...hmm.

April could probably answer this better than I, but let me see if I can remember some of the things she makes from food storage (other than the obvious ones like pudding, mashed potatoes and such): - Apple cobbler, pies, etc.

From the dried apple slices - Potato bread/rolls from the potato pearls She made German Pancakes once from the powdered eggs we had ordered (and obviously the flour and such) and the milk we had made from the powdered milk. Also, wheat is good and there are plenty of things you can make with WHOLE wheat or cracked wheat, but it would be a good idea to get a grinder.

Honestly, we don't have one and it's probably one of my main concerns.

I'm eyeing something similar to the ones here .

I like the idea of the motor-drive that is interchangable with the hand-drive. Anyway, I'll ask April if there aren't more things that she makes with our food storage.

I know there are because she used to make them frequently for samples for our ward to get them going/interested in what other things the cannery has.

Oh yeah...we also stock up on other things, too: - Mustard, Ketchup, Miracle Whip (we hate Mayo) - Honey...lots of honey - Cake mixes (we're weird like that) - Canned tomatoes (stewed, diced, etc.) - Goya and other seasonings And as far as rice goes, we don't really like the cannery kind, unless it's in a casserole where it can remain harmless, or used to make Spanish Rice. We eat a lot of asian or middle-eastern foods, so we prefer something like Kokuho or a nice Basmati.

So we can/store that instead of the plain, bland stuff.

The Kokuho is a smaller grain rice and makes EXCELLENT sticky rice.

And basmati is just freaking delicious. We order a lot of stuff from AsiaMex.com and it helps if you, or someone you know, can decipher what the packaging says, though it's certainly not required.

I hear the canneries will be discontinuing the potato pearls--if that's true it's a shame. Ditto the recommendation to get a grinder eventually.

My romantic husband bought me a wheat grinder for my birthday when we were engaged.

It's gotten a lot of use since then, and it has a lifetime warranty so it's still working 12 years later. I keep a lookout for recipes that work with food storage ingredients.

The Wendy's Chili recipe that should be on the recipe board somewhere can be prepared with food storage ingredients, except the hamburger.

(Well, it is possible to can hamburger, I hear.) Ask around in your LDS ward, especially the enrichment committee.

There's probably a food storage guru in your ward somewhere who would be happy to teach classes and exchange ideas with others in your ward.

You can get canned roast beef chunks at Costco, similar to the canned chicken.

They taste great cooked with mixes like pastas and things.

Would those work for the chili?

Quote: : We eat a lot of asian or middle-eastern foods, so we prefer something like Kokuho or a nice Basmati.

So we can/store that instead of the plain, bland stuff.

The Kokuho is a smaller grain rice and makes EXCELLENT sticky rice.

And basmati is just freaking delicious. Do you order those rices from AsiaMex.com?

We like sticky rice but I've never known where to actually get it to make at home. I think we are going to have an Enrichment.

If it's anytime soon, I won't be able to go because my husband is gone and they haven't had nurseries for Enrichment for a long while.

So far in other wards the ones I've been to aren't all the helpful for me, as far as what I do with some of that cannery stuff once I've got it.

So that's why I thought I'd ask for recipes!

Or I can sit around chewing wheat all day and drinking out of my 55 gallon water barrel.

Eeew.

We bought 16 of the FIFO units Matt referred us to in the other thread along with some Home Depot industrial shelving.

It all works great.

We have space for 16 cases of bottle water, as many as 840 cans in the front-loading FIFO units and a bunch of boxed and canned goods that don't fit in the units.

We have been gradually adding to the goods and have lots to choose from when we prepare meals.

We've included canned meats (beef, tuna, salmon, chicken) and all kinds of boxed goods. We work off of the storage for all storable goods and only put new fresh stuff like fresh fruit and vegetables directly into the kitchen from the store.

I'm surprised how much we're using everything -- haven't gotten on to using wheat yet but we will once I buy a grinder. I, too, would appreciate some Momma recipes.

Sara without the Quote: : I hear the canneries will be discontinuing the potato pearls--if that's true it's a shame. That is true, for the Lindon cannery in Utah, at least.

They are going to start doing potato flakes instead (blech).

I wasn't a big fan of the pearls, but I would be happy with them if I couldn't get real potatoes.

My wife really likes them, though.

The flakes, on the other hand...I would probably just as soon go without. My wife went just last week, and she couldn't get any dry milk.

Dry milk is nasty anyway, but we use it sometimes if we run out of milk, and our son has never complained about it or commented that he noticed the difference.

It also works just fine in recipes that call for milk.

They said the price of dry milk is going to double, or something like that.

Apparently, the price of regular milk from the store will be going up significantly soon, also. We will be moving to an area in Provo within the next couple of years that allows you to have farm animals.

I am seriously considering getting a milk cow.

I don't know how I'll do with raw milk, but I've done a little bit of research and after you factor in all the costs, you end up getting your milk for about $1.50 per gallon.

That's a pretty good deal if you can figure out what to do with around 30 gallons per week .

It also makes it hard to ever take a vacation since cows have to be milked twice a day, no matter what.

Quote: : Do you order those rices from AsiaMex.com?

We like sticky rice but I've never known where to actually get it to make at home. We did, until we ventured further into the city of St.

Louis and found the asian market.

Now, we just buy the bags of it there.

It's about the same price, but just without the shipping charges. You may have to drive a little further into Phoenix than you would like, but you could probably find a similar market.

Discontinuing Potato Pearls?

N !!! And Lindon is where I get mine.

(It's apparently easier to drive 650 miles to Utah than to drive the 45 miles to Colton.) Yes, they make wonderful mashed potatoes.

For Thanksgiving I will probably buy real potatoes, just so everyone has some lumps, but other than that, there is no need. I never had a wheat grinder until a couple of months ago.

I would go around and borrow them when I got a whole-wheat bread craving.

But I bought one on eBay.

In an unfortunate eBay Accident, I actually bought two, but the seller was kind enough to let me off.

And then my husband bought me a new one for Mother's Day, not knowing I was eBaying.

But it's really great to have one. I'll find the actual Chili Wheat recipe and post it in the Recipes thread, but seriously, just cook the wheat and add hamburger (or canned beef -- YUM) and spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce or canned tomatoes and an envelope of chili seasoning.

According to Wendy DeWitt, area food storage expert, it's more than possible to can ground beef.

Slap it in a jar, seal it, and toss it in the hot water bath.

The bath cooks the beef completely. I should dig up her handouts--she cans everything, like brownies and chocolate chips and chicken and beef and whatnot.

Bread mix, even, if I remember correctly.

And then what wasn't cooked in the jar she cooks in a solar oven.

That lady is ready for ANYTHING.

You can download her free booklet here .

Scroll down the page a bit until you get to the "Everything Under the Sun" file.

And now I don't have to dig up anything! Anyway, I recommend reading her booklet and using what works for you.

She's got recipes in there as well, but they're geared for use with a solar oven.

Lady Quote: : According to Wendy DeWitt, area food storage expert, it's more than possible to can ground beef.

Slap it in a jar, seal it, and toss it in the hot water bath.

The bath cooks the beef completely. You HAVE to use a pressure cooker for meats (and other non-acidic foods).

I can't believe she said a hot water bath.

That's a great way to die of botulism!

I downloaded the Wendy DeWitt book linked above.

That's great stuff!

In the book she does specify that a pressure canner is used for meats.

Quote: : ou HAVE to use a pressure cooker for meats (and other non-acidic foods).

I can't believe she said a hot water bath.

That's a great way to die of botulism! My bad, my BAD!

That was me misremembering the presentation.

So, you know, ignore me and read Wendy DeWitt's stuff.

She knows much more than I do, as Sara pointed out.

I have quit buying "Food Storage" and just buy a years supply of what we normally eat.

If the cannery happens to have what we normally eat, then I buy it, but otherwise I just buy regular stuff in bulk.

I do have a lot of wheat, but then, I actually like making wheat bread.

And as Momma said, wheat stores forEVER without going bad.

But I don't think of that as my years supply of food.

That is my years supply of Back-up Food. We love the potatoe pearls, and the orange drink mix that the cannery puts out.

But other than that we just buy a lot of canned fruits and veggies, pastas, rice, cornmeal, Kraft Mac & Cheese, beans, tuna, cereals, canned and evaporated milk, yeast, popcorn, salt, sugar, honey, etc.

I also bottle tomatoes and applesauce when I can get a hold of them at a good price.

I use to buy a lot of peanut butter, for it's protein value, but the kids rarely eat it now, so I quit buying it. Really, just look at what packaged foods you usually use, guesstimate how much you would use each month times twelve, and start buying that.

And don't forget the toilet paper and personal supplies!

Personally I can't imagine going without those for even one day, so I'm trying to build up my supply of that.

And although I could get by with just washing my hair in a stream, I can't go without my conditioner, so I store lots of that as well.




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