There have been a few posts about food storage lately and it has been making me think that maybe I need to switch things up a bit. How do you stock up on yours? What do you get? And where do you get it? Does the Church have any guidelines other than a year supply?
I will be at Costco and see those 5 gallon bins of freeze-dried (or I don't even know) meals. They seem like they would be nasty to me so I figure I will save my hundred dollars and buy some real food.
So since we have been married I have been doing this...Every 3-6 months I go to Costco and get items that have at least a year shelf life and that we eat on a regular basis--canned chicken, tuna, soups, mac and cheese, canned veggies and fruits etc. I get enough and have enough on the shelf at home that at any given time we have roughly a years worth of a variety of things. I also get a box of water bottles every time I go.
But I don't have wheat or some of the other things that people talk about--I don't know what I would do with a ton of wheat. I am not much of a cook. I rarely make breads and that sort from scratch--so I don't have any other the other necessities that seem to go along with wheat. So it seems like a waste for me to buy it. It will go bad with out me using it.
So how should I switch things? Do you get your items from the--what is it called the--church cannery place? Can you even get things from there, or do you have to be eligible to buy things from there. I know they hand out cannery opportunities during relief society, but I have never been. From what it sounds like you go to can for others, not yourself.
I probably sound really stupid, but I need some new ideas and help. Maybe I just need to hone my domestic skills in the kitchen. Let me know.
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6 comments:
I think you are off to a great start! I dare say I could survive for a year based on what is in my pantry right now. Just so you know though...Those five gallon buckets with the freeze fried food in them (I think the shelf life is like 30 years) I have heard are actually quite good...considering. I have a couple friends who have purchased them. Also, anyone can purchase items from the cannery. I just did for the first time last week. As far as the wheat goes...I have yet to try. Although I don't plan on making bread every week for my family (I just don't have the time right now) I would like to learn how so that I can put the wheat to use.
Shoot, you're leaps and bounds ahead of most people. I think what you're doing is perfect: buy, use, and rotate a supply of food that you're family will eat. I have wheat and a few things like it from the cannery that I don't use either. Right now I'm working on building a supply like you've got. I have some wheat and dried beans and things and that's good but I mainly want a supply of things we regularly use like cereal and canned foods. And water, I really want to have a good supply of water. And those massive blue tubs of water would never get rotated and used here so I try to stock up on water bottles. I also try to stock up on things like diapers, wipes, shampoo and toilet paper. It's nice to have a small stock just for when you think you've run out. No desperate trips to the store.
I'm sure if you looked you could find a lot of information and tips online for food storage. I'm saving up now so I can buy shelves to keep me organized and help me rotate. I don't want what I do buy to expire without being used, such a waste of money. And I'm running out of room in my pantry.
You're doing good. I'd keep doing what you're doing.
I think everyone has to figure out what works best for their family. For some people, the food from the cannery is easily rotated into their daily meals. It's not for us. In fact, we're always on a lower-carb diet at our house, so if we buy anything for food storage like wheat, rice, and dried potatoes, it will never be eaten. And for someone who is diabetic, like my father-in-law, it would mean death for him to live off of that kind of stuff (even though that's mostly what they have stored). Now, if we were in a crisis situation, we would eat it, but when we're not in a crisis, we just can't rotate it. We buy our food storage by purchasing extras of the stuff we buy when we're out buying it anyway. When I see something that's on sale at a really good price (like Bear Creek soups), I will buy them because I know I can at least rotate them with the kids eating them, even though we probably won't eat it, but if we had to, it would at least be something we'd enjoy eating. The big joke at our house is when Easter comes around (like now) and Darrell buys a million bags of the Cadbury Mini Eggs and claims that it's for food storage. Ah, I love my husband! But really, why not? If there really was a crisis and we had to live off our storage, that chocolate would probably make our day! Although, chocolate is usually the first item to be "rotated."
I have heard of people who use General Conference as a reminder to rotate their 72 hour kits. They eat their old kits during conference and then make new ones at the same time. It would be a really good incentive to stuff them with goodies instead of gross things. Our 72 hour kids have those microwavable Chef Boyardee cans of spaghetti, ravioli, and lasagna that I hate, but my husband LOVES. They also have jerky, juice boxes, Starbursts, hot chocolate, fruit snacks, and other treat-type things.
I think you're doing what works for your family and it's okay if you don't have a food storage supply from the church's cannery. That works for some people, but not everybody. Just do what's best for you.
I think you are doing the right thing for your family. I don't think people necessarily have to buy stuff from the cannery. I like to because it is convenient for me to have cans of sugar, flour, wheat, powdered milk, dried apples, oatmeal, spaghetti and macaroni. Those are the only things I use on a regular basis from the cannery.
I use the flour, wheat and sugar the most. Last night I made tacos and put in 1 cup of wheat that I cracked in the blender and soaked in water for a few minutes before adding it to the ground turkey I was browning. I also use the wheat to make bread, usually half white/half wheat. I made brownies using 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat flour and didn't notice a difference. I think the key with the wheat is to sneak it into foods like desserts, pancakes, waffles and other stuff you normally make.
Some of the main reasons the church recommends wheat as a food to store is that it has high protein content, can be stored (unground) for long periods of time, can be sprouted and eaten as a vegetable or as in most cases made into bread or cereal and eaten as a grain. My favorite way to eat wheat is in a banana bread recipe I got from a food storage group I used to attend. I will post that. Maybe you could buy just one can of wheat from the cannery and play around with it. Many people have wheat grinders and would probably be happy to let you use it. Only grind a little at a time because it loses nutritional value pretty rapidly after it is ground. To preserve it once ground, keep it in the freezer.
Wow! You guys are ALL awesome! I used to feel like Food Storage was like Math... a little overwhelming and I didn't get it. There's all this ROTATING! I didn't get it! Now days, there's a LOT more emphasis on getting what you use. Like Tara... I use my stuff from Cannery all the time! I LOVE going to the Cannery and doing service, and then buying my limit (usually 42 number 10 cans). The Cannery is such an efficient, amazing program. I go whenever I can.
I do bake a lot, so I'm constantly using the flour and sugar I get from the Cannery. I also use the powdered milk, rice, spaghetti noodles, and macaroni. I've done the "wet pack" at the Cannery, so I've gotten spaghetti sauce, jam, peaches, and pork and beans. It's harder work and can be nauseating, but I still love it.
I also try to buy extra canned goods when I'm at the store. As far as wheat goes, even if you don't bake a lot or use it for other things, it has an INCREDIBLY long shelf life and is good to have in a real emergency. The #10 cans from the Cannery are a great size for storing. I wouldn't get my wheat any other way. I have an electric wheat grinder that is a dream! Chelsea, if you ever want to make a great 12-grain bread, you come over to my house! We'll grind some of your wheat and make it... it's the best! Just ask Katy, Kirsten, and Tara!
It is the best. I don't have a grinder so I have to go to my mom's if I want to use one. I have my mom get my cannery stuff but I have been and it's surprisingly fun. I regularly use my flour sugar and pasta and sometimes use the rice and potatoes. They have canned pudding that's good and nice to have around, I know people that love the drink mixes. I don't use the milk often but it's nice to have it around if you run out of your normal milk.
But like Robyn said, if those aren't things your family uses then I wouldn't bother. Some is good to have in an emergency and I'm totally going to start sneaking wheat into things like Tara. But you'll never rotate things if you don't use them which I think is why they're stressing storing things your family already uses.
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