New here with a question about food storage

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jrobin
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New here with a question about food storage

Post by jrobin »

Hi!

I'm brand new to the board, :) and I have a question about food storage.

I am on a quest to finish my 1 year supply of food storage and looked up the guidelines for my family of 7. The church suggest 924lbs of wheat for the whole year. I am willing to get that in order, but first have a few questions about it.

1) Unfortunately, I have Celiac's and don't eat wheat so I will have to find a substitute to sustain me (but my other 6 members will be fine). Any suggestions?

2) That's a LOT of wheat! I have no clue what I would do with that much wheat. I have an electrical grinder that works and I'm willing to learn if needed, but I also don't want to waste money on buying so much wheat and don't actually eat it. When I think of getting food storage in order, I would rather have peace of mind, so I will purchase what's needed, but I must ask what are your thoughts on wheat?

Thanks for any insight you may have it is much appreciated!

jrobin

paulrobots
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by paulrobots »

924lbs of wheat is approximately 30 - 5gallon buckets worth. It definitely takes up space. The electric grinder is great, but when the power goes out you will wish you had a hand crank model.

If you are going to make your wheat into bread, you will also need a years supply of the rest of the ingredients. Sugar and salt are easy, oil and yeast are a little more difficult.

Good luck, food storage is not always easy. I have a sister-in-law who has none because of moving so often and finding it to be a pain. I have tried talking to her without success. Every time I watch the news I am grateful for my food storage. Instead of being a burden, I find it very reassuring.

Juliet
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Juliet »

I hear spelt is really good for you, you can eat it and lots of different grains by grinding it and making it like you make cream of wheat, basically wisk it into boiling water with salt added. I had a daughter with a wheat allergy, and I learned how to ferment the wheat with natural yeast. I can send you some if you want. The natural yeast will digest about 93 percent of the gluten. Also, lots of freeze dried companies, such as legacy from emergency preparedness essentials, have gluten free options, and the freeze dried foods take up much less space.

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Original_Intent
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Original_Intent »

Another way you can use wheat is just like rice. boil it and then serve anything from curry to chunky soup over it. Definitely a different taste, but in a pinch you would be glad to have it to extend your other supplies. Sprouted is another option and very nutritious.

bethany
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by bethany »

Get lots of rice & corn & beans.... You don't have to have any wheat if you can't eat it. My family can handle wheat but I have ppl I care about that cannot so I've made sure to add such to my storage.

I bought a lot of different beans and seeds.... Cases of lentils, chickpeas, amaranth, buckwheat, organic soybeans, red beans, & black beans. (I think I have at least 15 types of grains and beans) About 700 lbs of popcorn that I canned. Many of these things can be ground also to add to bread. And lots of potato flakes if you like them.

http://www.ldsliving.com/Gluten-free-Fo ... ge/s/64382" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by bethany on September 14th, 2016, 2:59 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Sarah
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Sarah »

I make bread and pancakes frequently with our stored wheat also for our family of 7 (now 8 with MIL), and I can confirm that if you could not go to the store, you would go through A LOT of wheat. But you just have to get in the habit of using it all the time. When I make pancakes I also mix in oat flour and brown rice flour. I've made pancakes just using rice flour and they turn out great, but I also soak all my whole grain batters and dough overnight, and that helps them not be so grainy.

I don't know much about Celiac disease but I know that those who have wheat allergies often can eat whole wheat bread that has been soaked overnight in an acidic medium. In other words, put some vinegar in the water, and the yeast also creates acidity and breaks down the wheat somewhat. It even might help break down the protein, which is what Celiac is about, correct? It might be worth researching to see if anyone has tried this.

It's great you've made the decision to get your year's supply. That was me 2009, and I'm glad I did. Just get it all purchased and stored and experiment later. Wheat lasts a very long time if stored in oxygen free environment.

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gclayjr
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by gclayjr »

jrobin,

Food storage is a very personal thing. The guidelines for wheat, rice, honey, etc is a very basic thing for those who want to at least not starve. The best thing is to build up a storage of stuff you regularly eat. If you only eat fresh produce, then there are 2 steps towards food storage.

1) start including in your diet stuff that has a longer shelf life.

2) start buying that stuff and rotating it. Buy 2 and eat one is the best long term solution.

However, that is why food storage and preparedness is something that people "get involved in", because there is much to learn, and there is no 1 solution for all.

Regards,

George Clay

jrobin
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by jrobin »

Thank you for all of your helpful suggestions!

I have a lot to learn I know....but I'm a quick learner. One other thought I have had regarding Celiac's disease....it is likely my children will eventually have it (curse of genetics). So perhaps I should plan like they will just in case, so we all survive. Though, I think wheat could be a good bartering tool too at some point. So many thoughts swirling through my head. I'm glad I do have options with Celiac's though.

brianj
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by brianj »

With a vacuum sealer you can inexpensively can gluten free flour in canning jars. You can also seal gluten free pasta, such as macaroni, or quinoa to add to your grain storage.

You will get more weight of wheat in the same size containers than flour or pasta so plan on additional food storage volume.

Anything dry can be canned for long term storage so choose what you like. Just remember that glass jars are much more fragile than aluminum cans so store where an earthquake or tornado won't send containers flying!

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Yahtzee
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Yahtzee »

I didn't get as much wheat as they recommended. We just don't eat that much. Instead I took their guidelines for grains and calculated serving sizes and found out how many servings were in a bucket.... It was a lot of math. I only have it for the basics, but hopefully it'll help you plan. 5 gallon bucket of wheat: 33lbs: 70 cups
6 gallon bucket of wheat: 45 lbs: 95 cups
Bucket of oats: 23 lbs: 116 cups
Rice: 43 lbs: 98 cups
Beans: 1lb: 2 cups
Corn: 1lb: about 2 1/2 cups
Each person needs approximately (in dry weight): 2 cups of grains, 1/2 c rice, and 1/3 c beans every day.

I would also recommend getting coconut oil. Left unopened it will store for 20 years. Good source of calories. It's also anti-inflammatory which is good news for those of us with autoimmune disease.
Also, PSA, yes, people with wheat allergy are often fine if sourdough start is used (my wheat allergic daughter could eat small amounts) but none of my celiac friends can. Be careful and get your own grinder as well to avoid cross contamination.

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David13
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by David13 »

When you get your supply in, begin to eat it. And continue eating it so that you are used to preparing and eating it and so none of it ever gets too old to use.
Start out small, don't start out with a purchase of 924 pounds, even if you do get a cheaper bulk price.
Here in the big city people buy a huge supply and all it ever does is sit there. Eventually it will all be useless.
Prepare and eat the oldest stuff then buy more in replacement.
dc

davedan
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by davedan »

Rice and beans. Keeps the Carribean nations alive.

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Robin Hood
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Robin Hood »

David13 wrote:When you get your supply in, begin to eat it. And continue eating it so that you are used to preparing and eating it and so none of it ever gets too old to use.
Start out small, don't start out with a purchase of 924 pounds, even if you do get a cheaper bulk price.
Here in the big city people buy a huge supply and all it ever does is sit there. Eventually it will all be useless.
Prepare and eat the oldest stuff then buy more in replacement.
dc
Good advice.

I don't store wheat at all.
We just have canned foods (beans, fruit, fish, potatoes, sweetcorn, creamed rice pudding etc), all of which can be eaten without cooking; and rice, pasta (I guess that is kind of wheat), water, milk powder, toiletries etc.
It works for us, but we don't have a years supply just yet as we're building it up in the way David13 outlines.

Matchmaker
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Matchmaker »

My plan includes first getting my 3 month supply of rotatable foods that we tend to eat every week. For us that means lots of frozen veggies, fruits, breads, meats, and frozen meals, with some canned and packaged to supplement, in case the power goes completely out for any length of time. In addition, I have a modest supply of the essentials - wheat, oats, dry milk, beans, rice, pasta, salt, sugar, etc., but probably not a full year's supply of these items yet. Don't forget toilet paper and a year's supply of warm clothes, shoes, and blankets and other comfort items like books, games, paper, and pencils.

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Robin Hood
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Robin Hood »

We are also building up a supply of multivitamins and minerals, as well as flax oil etc.

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dlbww
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by dlbww »

bethany wrote:Get lots of rice & corn & beans.... You don't have to have any wheat if you can't eat it. My family can handle wheat but I have ppl I care about that cannot so I've made sure to add such to my storage.

I bought a lot of different beans and seeds.... Cases of lentils, chickpeas, amaranth, buckwheat, organic soybeans, red beans, & black beans. (I think I have at least 15 types of grains and beans) About 700 lbs of popcorn that I canned. Many of these things can be ground also to add to bread. And lots of potato flakes if you like them.

http://www.ldsliving.com/Gluten-free-Fo ... ge/s/64382" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I like your choice of: variety rather than a mono-diet. The other thing we do (since we're not necessarily stocking up for an end-of-the-world event) is store items we use on a regular basis and buy them on sale every 6 months or so; having a years supply of that item always on hand. We also grow a lot of our own organic food which we eat in season and preserve the rest.

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inho
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by inho »

gclayjr wrote: Food storage is a very personal thing. The guidelines for wheat, rice, honey, etc is a very basic thing for those who want to at least not starve. The best thing is to build up a storage of stuff you regularly eat. If you only eat fresh produce, then there are 2 steps towards food storage.

1) start including in your diet stuff that has a longer shelf life.

2) start buying that stuff and rotating it. Buy 2 and eat one is the best long term solution.

However, that is why food storage and preparedness is something that people "get involved in", because there is much to learn, and there is no 1 solution for all.
This is good advice. If you are just starting to get your food storage, start with things that you actually eat. And start to experiment with stuff with longer shelf life. I wouldn't start with buying a lot of wheat, if you don't know what to do with it. Even with foods with long shelf life, there is an expiration date. The idea is that it is eaten before that day. Rotate the stuff in your storage, don't buy something just to notice a few years later that it isn't good anymore.

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Original_Intent
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Original_Intent »

Most canned goods are a "best by" date, not an expiration date. I have had chunky soups - up to a couple of years past and I really couldn't tell. Beyond that and texture gets a little iffy, but still perfectly edible. I suspect they would take a LONG time to go bad i.e. harmful but you can go well past the best by date on most canned goods. In my experience fruit and veggies start to have texture problems the soonest.

I've used beef chunk from the cannery - let's just say WAY past the date - in curry and it was fine.

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inho
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by inho »

Original_Intent wrote:Most canned goods are a "best by" date, not an expiration date.
That is a good point. Food is often still good after the best by date. This is true for other stuff too, not just for canned food. Some people get too scared about dates when they could trust their senses. A lot of food goes to waste because of this.

Anyway, if the stuff in your storage is such that you eat it normally too, not just in the case of an extreme emergency, you should be able to rotate it so that you don't need to eat anything past the date.

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Original_Intent
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Original_Intent »

Yes, rotation is ideal. Of course there was the "great tuna caselot sale of 2008" that I am still eating from, in fact I think we are just about down to the last unopened case.

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vertigo
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by vertigo »

Juliet wrote:I hear spelt is really good for you, you can eat it and lots of different grains by grinding it and making it like you make cream of wheat, basically wisk it into boiling water with salt added. I had a daughter with a wheat allergy, and I learned how to ferment the wheat with natural yeast. I can send you some if you want. The natural yeast will digest about 93 percent of the gluten. Also, lots of freeze dried companies, such as legacy from emergency preparedness essentials, have gluten free options, and the freeze dried foods take up much less space.
I am so interested in learning how to make a natural yeast and letting my dough ferment to make it healthier. Can you please tell me more about the yeast and process you use?

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Yahtzee
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Yahtzee »

vertigo wrote:
Juliet wrote:I hear spelt is really good for you, you can eat it and lots of different grains by grinding it and making it like you make cream of wheat, basically wisk it into boiling water with salt added. I had a daughter with a wheat allergy, and I learned how to ferment the wheat with natural yeast. I can send you some if you want. The natural yeast will digest about 93 percent of the gluten. Also, lots of freeze dried companies, such as legacy from emergency preparedness essentials, have gluten free options, and the freeze dried foods take up much less space.
I am so interested in learning how to make a natural yeast and letting my dough ferment to make it healthier. Can you please tell me more about the yeast and process you use?
I got started with Caleb Warnock. http://calebwarnock.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... t.html?m=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It takes practice to grow your own yeast, but you start to get a feel for it after a bit and it becomes second nature.

Juliet
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Juliet »

Yahtzee wrote:
vertigo wrote:
Juliet wrote:I hear spelt is really good for you, you can eat it and lots of different grains by grinding it and making it like you make cream of wheat, basically wisk it into boiling water with salt added. I had a daughter with a wheat allergy, and I learned how to ferment the wheat with natural yeast. I can send you some if you want. The natural yeast will digest about 93 percent of the gluten. Also, lots of freeze dried companies, such as legacy from emergency preparedness essentials, have gluten free options, and the freeze dried foods take up much less space.
I am so interested in learning how to make a natural yeast and letting my dough ferment to make it healthier. Can you please tell me more about the yeast and process you use?
I got started with Caleb Warnock. http://calebwarnock.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... t.html?m=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It takes practice to grow your own yeast, but you start to get a feel for it after a bit and it becomes second nature.
I put wheat and water paste outside. I think the better way is to put organic blueberries in it, the white film on the berries is natural yeast, and it will be a sweeter yeast. Make sure to feed it with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water once a week if you store in the fridge. You will want to let it sit out for 2 weeks and feed it every other day until the yeast really develops. There is also bacteria with the yeast that will turn black if you don't feed it enough. You can put a probiotic in to jump start it. After 2 weeks of letting your flour/water and couple of blueberries ferment, feeding it every day, you can make bread. Let it rise all night and bake it in the morning. You can make bread with flour, water, and just salt this way. There are lots of resources. I just got a natural yeast cook book that helps a lot. You can also use regular yeast and just make the bread like you normally would and add some of your natural yeast to it. The gluten will still be digesting after the bread is cooked and will help you get proper gut digestion so even if it doesn't rise 8 hours it will still be good for you.

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Yahtzee
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by Yahtzee »

I'll have to try blueberries sometime. I've used grapes before with success.

OCDMOM
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Re: New here with a question about food storage

Post by OCDMOM »

This guy has great ideas that save money and you make yourself. http://redneckpreparedness.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; He had a display at a preparedness fair yesterday.

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