Food Storage Newsletter - February 1999
=====================================
This newsletter will provide food storage guidelines, acquisition plans,
shelf life information, cooking and food preparation ideas, and buying
and storage tips. These ideas are gathered from numerous resources.
Further food storage ideas can be found at http://www.nursehealer.com/Storage.htm
Food Storage Plan for One Person for One Year, LDS Monthly Plan to Acquire Food Storage and 72-Hour Kit in One Year with Monthly Goals, & 52 Week Acquisition Plan to Acquire One Year’s Storage - http://www.nursehealer.com/Storage.htm
Food Storage Guidelines:
=======================
February FOOD STORAGE 52 Week Acquisition Plan to Acquire One Year’s
Storage:
Week 1. Sugar-granulated, brown, powdered 50 lbs. (Sugar can include
honey, syrup, and other sweeteners.)
Week 2. Canned/bottled fruits
Week 3. Salt-5 lbs.
Week 4. Water purification tablets/bleach - learn to use the method
stored
( For the complete year plan: http://www.nursehealer.com/Storage.htm
)
Shelf Life for February's storage items:
===================================
Honey, Salt and Sugar - These should keep indefinitely if stored free
of moisture. Watch out for additives in the honey. It is possible to buy
honey with water and sugar added. This honey generally doesn't crystallize
like pure 100% honey does when stored for a long time. If there are additives,
there is no saying how long it will last.
Dehydrated Fruit - Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan
on a storage life of 5 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They
should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.
( Storage times per Walton Feed http://waltonfeed.com/ )
Canned Fruits - 24 months in the original container at 70 degrees F.
in a dry basement.
(from FN 502 "Food Storage In the Home" .pdf format FREE download from
"Food Pubs" of the Utah University Extension - http://ext.usu.edu/publica/foodpubs.htm
)
LDS February Monthly Plan to Acquire Food Storage and 72-Hour Kit in
One Year
(with Monthly Goals)
===========================================================================
"There is a wise old saying 'Eat it up, wear it out, make
it do, or do without'. Thrift is a practice of not wasting anything.
Some people are able to get by because of the absence of expense.
They have their shoes resoled, they patch, they mend, they sew, and they
save money. They avoid installment buying, and make purchases only
after saving enough to pay cash, thus avoiding interest charges.
Frugality means to practice careful economy." - James E. Faust
* * *
Spiritual Goal---Schedule time each day to read with your family from
the Book of Mormon.
* * *
Provident Living Goal---plan and carry out a FHE on home fires.
Include planning an escape route and practicing it.
* * *
Storage Goal:
100 pounds (total) pasta & flour per person
hand grain mill
thread, needles, buttons, and zippers
(For sewing kit ideas: http://www.nursehealer.com/Sewing.htm
)
* * *
72 hour kit:
1 gallon water per person
scriptures
personal documents--genealogical records, wills, passports, insurance,
contracts, birth certificates, patriarchal
blessings, etc.
$25.00 cash
(For more 72 hour kit ideas: http://www.nursehealer.com/Safety.htm
)
( For the complete LDS year plan: http://www.nursehealer.com/Storage.htm
)
(More LDS Links: http://www.nursehealer.com/LDS.htm )
Cooking with Food Storage
=========================
Macaroni and TVP Skillet Mix
--------------------------------------
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/2 C. Dry elbow macaroni
1 C. Dry textured vegetable -protein (TVP)
3 T. Dried minced onion
2 T. Dried parsley
1 tsp. Dried oregano
1 tsp. Dried thyme
1/2 tsp. Salt
Combine all ingredients, and store in an sir-tight jar
or plastic bag. Attach these instructions: To prepare, pour one 28-oz
can tomatoes with juice into a large skillet or saucepan. Crush the tomatoes,
add 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Add Macaroni and TVP Skillet Mix.
Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until macaroni is tender, stirring
occasionally to prevent sticking. Add more water if necessary. If you like,
add 1 cup frozen peas during last 5 minutes of cooking.
Bread Pudding (Pioneer Recipe)
---------------------------------------
Pudding:
1 egg
1/2 C. soft bread crumbs
1 1/4 C. milk
1 T. honey
1 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. each, cinnamon and nutmeg
dash of salt
Sauce:
3 C. water
1 C. sugar
1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. water
1T. butter
cinnamon, vanilla, salt
Beat egg. Combine with other ingredients. Put in a pudding
dish or custard cups. Set in a larger pan of hot water. Bake slowly at
300 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Serve with sauce.
To make the sauce, melt the sugar in a pan. Add 3 C. water
and dissolve by heating to boiling. Thicken it with a flour paste made
from 1/4 C. flour and 1/4 C. water. Add 1 T. butter and cinnamon, vanilla,
and salt to taste. Pour over pudding.
(From http://waltonfeed.com/grain/cookin/ )
Old Fashioned Hardtack Candy
--------------------------------------
2 C. sugar
3/4 C. corn syrup
1 C. water
Mix and cook to 270 degrees F. or hard brittle stage with
threads as it falls in cool water. Remove from the heat and add food coloring
as desired and 1/2 tsp. flavoring (cinnamon, peppermint, etc.). Pour into
a buttered dish and cool. Break into pieces and roll in powdered sugar.
- Cherie Harmon
( From http://waltonfeed.com/ )
(More Food Storage Recipes: http://www.nursehealer.com/Recipes.htm
)
Books:
=======
My favorite cookbook is The More With Less Cookbook
by Doris Janzen Longacre Designed by Mary E. Showalter
ISBN: 0836117867
"Cookin' With Food Storage" by Vicki Tate
You can order this book from:
The New Cookin' With Home Storage
c/o Vickie Tate
302 East 200 North
Manti, UT 84642
Phone:(801) 835-8283
(B&A http://www.baproducts.com/foodbook.htm )
(Some of these recipes online http://waltonfeed.com/grain/cookin/
)
(More Recipes and such are at http://www.nursehealer.com/Recipes.htm )
Date Codes:
==========
Del Monte:
1st is Year, next is Day (Julian calendar which means "238" would be
the 238th day of year)
Libby's:
YMDDx
Y: 1 or A = 96
2 or B = 97
3 or C = 98
4 or D = 99
M: 1-9 = Jan - Sept
O = Oct
N = Nov
D = Dec
(Food codes & storage hints: http://www.members.aol.com/keninga/links2.htm
)
(More date codes: http://www.waltonfeed.com/sett/lid.html )
Frugal Living:
=============
Living more simply and frugally will stretch our food storage and our
budget. Frugal living means using wisely, planning ahead, making
less waste, and having respect for our homes, our neighbors, and our environment.
"Back to basics" tools and techniques are an important part of frugal living.
Lots of frugal living tips can be found in the Frugal Living newsgroup:
misc.consumers.frugal-living (Link: news:misc.consumers.frugal-living )
February Frugal Living Tip: Use your herbs and spices for seasoning
your food storage as you cook, household cleaners and insect repellents,
and for natural healing. Bay leaves can flavor your stew, make a
household cleaner in a strong herbal tea, repel weevils in flour or other
insects as a plant spray, and heal sore aching itchy feet in a foot bath.
(More herbal ideas http://www.nursehealer.com/Herb.htm )
(More Frugal Living resources: http://www.nursehealer.com/Frugal.htm
)
Additional Buying & Storage Tips:
================================
Substituting Honey for Sugar -
"When baking, you can replace half of the sugar in a recipe
with an equal amount of honey. You then need to reduce the amount
of liquid in the recipe (usually water or milk) by 1/4 cup for every 1
cup of honey that you use. You also need to add 1/2 teaspoon baking
soda to the dry ingredients to neutralize the acid that 1 cup of honey
adds to the batter. And you need to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees
F so that what you are baking does not overbrown."
"Cakes, cookies, and muffins all use these rules. For
example: In a cookie recipe with 1 cup of sugar, you would use 1/2 cup
sugar and 1/2 cup honey. You would decrease the liquid by 2 tablespoons
(1/2 of 1/4 cup) and you would add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the dry
ingredients. And don't forget to lower the oven temperature 25 degrees
F."
"If you plan to substitute honey for sugar in a yeast
bread, you can just substitute as is, because yeast breads usually have
so little sugar in them anyway that it doesn't matter."
"If you have more questions about honey, the National
Honey Board is a good source of information."
(From http://homearts.com )
More on Honey - "Honey for Health" is a FREE pamphlet
that highlights the health and quick energy benefits of honey. It
includes tips for working honey into everyday healthful regimes. Honey
for Health FREE download (588 KB) from the National Honey Board: http://www.nhb.org/download/broch/4health.pdf
(.pdf files require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Download it
FREE: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html ) (More
honey pamphlets and recipes: http://www.honey.com/ )
Healing with Honey - Antibacterial - Apply honey to cuts
or scrapes and cover with a clean bandage. Sore throat - Add honey
to a glass of warm milk and sip slowly. Diarrhea - Mix 4 large Tablespoons
of honey in an 8-ouce glass of water for diarrhea caused by bacteria.
(from the March, 1999 issue of "Mother Earth News" Magazine)
TVP can be stored for 5-7 years. After it is opened
it will last up to 6 months. TVP Reconstituted 1 lb. = almost 4 lbs.
(3.92 lbs.)
Buckets - Use only food grade buckets for your food storage.
The Life Latch buckets mentioned in January’s newsletter have a unique
resealable lid that requires no extra tool or expertise to use. Most
other plastic food storage buckets require a tool to open to prevent breaking
or warping the lids, and these lids fit down well if you place a board
across the top of the lid and pound down the board, rotating it around
the lid as needed. (From http://waltonfeed.com/ )
Oxygen Absorber Packets - There are two types of oxygen
absorbers used for the storage of Food, "B" absorbers and "D" absorbers.
The "B" absorbers require moisture from the food they are packed with to
perform their action. The "D" absorbers contain their own moisture and
are better suited for dry pack canning because there isn't enough moisture
in correctly dried food to activate the "D" absorbers. The "B" absorbers
will last a year after they are manufactured but the "D" absorbers only
last 6 months. Once it is opened, the unused packets must be put
in another air tight package. A small mason jar with a new canning lid
should do. Oxygen absorber packets will not absorb moisture. (From
http://waltonfeed.com/ )
Using Dry Ice To Preserve Your Food - Dry ice is a solid
and looks much like regular ice - except that it's -110 degrees F. below
zero (-78.5C). Use great caution when handling this product as it will
burn your skin if it makes contact. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide.
Materials Needed: A food scale, a measuring cup, dry ice, the food
you are planning on preserving, and storage containers.
Carefully place about one to two ounces (1/3 cup) of dry ice in the
bottom of a six gallon bucket. Place a paper towel over the top of
the dry ice. Fill the bucket with grain or legumes to within ½
inch of the top. Set the lid lightly on top and wait for the dry ice to
melt (about ½ to 1 hour.) Seal the container. Check
the lids every 20 minutes or so for a few times to make sure that you didn’t
seal them too soon. If they bulge, loosen them, then reseal.
Storing Your Food Using Compressed Gas Such As Nitrogen
or Argon - This method is very expensive for the person who is only
storing a few buckets because of the expense of the equipment. It
may be very cheap for the person storing hundreds of buckets because the
gas itself is inexpensive.
Equipment needed: Nitrogen Bottle, Pressure reducing valve and
gauges, Hose, Wand (a hollow, rigid tube connected to the end of the hose
which is pushed to the bottom of the bucket for the actual nitrogen purging.),
Hand held valve at the top of the wand (optional: You could use the valve
on top of the bottle but this would be a real pain).
(You should be able to get the majority of the equipment you need at
a welding supply store.)
"After you get your nitrogen apparatus set up, adjust your output pressure
to between 60 and 70 PSI. Fill your bucket with the product, set the lid
on top, off-centered just a bit so there is access for the wand, then stick
the wand to the bottom of the bucket and open the valve. Stick a lit match,
cigarette lighter or candle over the top of the bucket where the gas will
escape, then open the valve, starting the purging operation. Its' a pretty
good indication that most of the oxygen has been removed when the flame
goes out. If you time this, you should only have to use this flame technique
for four or five buckets until you get a pretty good feeling for how long
you will need to leave the nitrogen on for each bucket. After you have
inserted the nitrogen, immediately remove the wand, slide the lid over
onto the bucket and seal the lid. If you want the best job you can get,
you can always seal one oxygen absorber inside the bucket to capture any
residual oxygen left in the container. In my opinion, a mylar bag isn't
needed as there will only be such a small amount of oxygen absorbed that
the vacuum created by this will be minimal."
(From http://waltonfeed.com/ )
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) - CAUTION: Use only FOOD
GRADE DE in your food storage. "Mix thoroughly one cup of DE to every
forty pounds of grain, grain products or legumes. You need to make certain
that every kernel is coated so it is better to do the mixing in small batches
where you can insure more even coating. DE does not kill the insect eggs
or pupae, but it will kill adults and larvae and any eggs or pupae that
hatch into adults will die after coming into contact with it. WARNING:
DE is a very powdery kind of dust, so you need to take steps to keep it
out of your lungs and eyes. Even whole wheat flour dust can cause lung
irritation if you breath enough of it." (From http://waltonfeed.com/
)
Label & Rotate - Label each can, bucket, jar, etc. of your food
storage with what is inside and the date it was stored. Rotate your
storage, using the oldest first and restocking your supplies regularly.
Rotating your storage will ensure that you have fresh food when you need
it and that you know how to prepare it. Using your food storage regularly
will also ensure that your body doesn’t reject the whole grains, etc. if
you ever have to totally survive on your food storage because of a natural
disaster, economic disruption, or some other reason.
Many Food and Nutrition Publications are available from
"Food Pubs" of the Utah University Extension - http://ext.usu.edu/publica/foodpubs.htm
and from the Texas Agricultural Extension Service Publications Online http://agpublications.tamu.edu/
Resources for purchasing:
Buckets & dehydrated food * Lone Star Emergency Preparedness http://www.lsep.com
Life Latch buckets, oxygen absorbers, & dehydrated food * Sports
Solutions http://www.sportssolutionsinc.com/y2k-products.html
(More food storage ideas and resources http://www.nursehealer.com/Storage.htm )
Many blessings,
Mary Catherine ("Cathy") Miller,
Hurst, Texas LDS First Ward Food Storage Specialist
--
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