Tasty Tuesday

I know I was supposed to make brown sugar today but alas I do not have molasses. So another day for that. Today we will continue on our pantry basics journey.

Grains

Again we go to the food guys for a great brake down list. A one year supply for one adult brakes down to: 150 lbs. wheat, 25 lbs. flour, 25 lbs. corn meal, 25 lbs. oats, 50 lbs rice, and 25 lbs lbs. pasta. The general rule should be store what you eat, eat what you store. Going by that look at the list see if there is any thing you never use and omit it and beef up another category. In total you should store 300lbs. of grains per person.

Shelf lives: wheat 20+ years, flour 3-5 years, oats 4-5 years, pasta 6-8 years, white rice3-4 years, cornmeal minimum of one year and can be stored up to 5 years. Remember proper storage conditions can extend the life of your food. Cool, dark and DRY! Airtight containers are also a must.

Where to buy? For most of this list you can hit up your local church cannery or mega store(Costco/Sam's). I hear Winco has a great bulk section and gives a little price break if you buy a whole bag.

Food Storage Friday

What do you got and What do you need?

Get a piece of paper and a pen. Go to your pantry. Take an inventory. Then go where ever else you have food stored and take an inventory. Separate it into categories. Grains, Legumes, Fats and Oils, Milk and Dairy, Sugars, Fruits, Vegetables, & Baking Needs. Count it by pounds (most food calculators go by pounds). Then check out a food calculator. How much do you have? Remember mac 'n' cheese counts in the dairy and grains :)!!

Here are some other helpful sites to get you organized and keep track of you food storage.

Food Storage Made Easy This is a cutesy, girlie site that is really great for getting you motivated! It make food storage and preparedness fun.

My Food Storage This is a free down loadable inventory sheet (pdf.)

Track My Food Storage Want help keeping track? You can plug in your family (ages and stuff) and the amount of food storage you want (1 month to 12 months+) and it will brake it down for you and help you keep track. You do sign up but it is free.