Purchasing and Storing Wheat

You can purchase wheat from a variety of locations.  I have purchased 45 pounds of wheat in buckets from a local grocery store (Macey's), and 25 pound bags and #10 cans of wheat from Home Storage Centers (LDS Canneries).  When I buy the 25 lb. bags, I pour them into 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Lids attached. 
I love Gamma Lids.  They are air-tight, and easy to open and close, and install onto buckets.  The usual price is around $8, but I have bought them several times on sale for less than $5.  I have even seen them less than $4 a few times.

Variety in Food Storage

I found this article about cooking from scratch.  She gives a list if ingredients needed to cook different items from scratch.  How you can start with flour, milk, salt, baking powder, and oil and make several recipes.  When you add more ingredients, you can make more foods.  The same thing applies with food storage.  The more different ingredients you store, the more foods you'll be able to make.  If you do have to live strictly off of your food storage, variety will be key.  Therefore, store a variety of foods.

Emergency Car Kits

I have been asked to do a post about emergency car kits.  This is especially important now as the weather grows cold, and there may be snow in your area.

You can keep your car kit in a backpack or duffel bag in your trunk.  You may purchase a car kit, or you can create your own.  It should include the following items:

• Jumper Cables
• Water
• Food
• Radio
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• First Aid Kit (including medications)
• Tools
• Kitty Litter (in winter)
• Shovel
• Blankets
• Emergency Candles
• Matches
• Extra set of clothes, boots
• Diapers (if you have a young child)
• Cloth in bright color (to attach to antenna if you are stranded)
• Money 

Printable Version

Do you store anything else in your car for safety reasons?

My car kit.  I also put a shovel and salt in the car before long trips.

Nutritional Properties of Wheat

Wheat is so healthy! Eat some today (and tomorrow)!

Wheat is high in fiber, which will help you keep regular, and it contains a large number of vitamins and minerals.

Wheat Flour Nutrition Facts
Source: USDA

	¼ cup (30 g)	1 cup (120 g)
Calories	102	407
Protein	4.11 g	16.44 g
Carbohydrate	21.77 g	87.08 g
Dietary Fiber	3.7 g	14.6 g
Sugars	0.12 g	0.49 g
Total Fat	0.56 g	2.24 g
Saturated Fat	0.10 g	0.39 g
Trans Fat	N/A	N/A
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Iron	1.16 mg	4.66 mg
Calcium	10 mg	41 mg
Sodium	2 mg	6 mg
Magnesium	41 mg	166 mg
Potassium	122 mg	486 mg
Vitamin A	3 IU	11 IU
Vitamin A	0 RAE	0 RAE
Vitamin C	0 mg	0 mg
Vitamin E	0.25 mg	0.98 mg

Pie Crust

Here we are less than a week before Thanksgiving, and I still haven't posted my favorite pie crust recipe. I got this recipe from a friend, and works out great every time. I have not had success with this recipe when the crust needs to be baked prior to adding the filling (such as for a cream pie). I like to use this recipe for baked pie crusts.

Pie Crust

Printable version

2 cups flour (I have used up to ½ cup wheat flour successfully)
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter (not margarine)
½ cup ice water
1 egg yolk, beaten and mixed with 1 Tbsp. water (if making something with a top crust)

Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using two knives or a pastry blender, until the butter bits are the size of peas. Add ice water, starting with a few tablespoons and adding more as needed to moisten all the dough. (If you are using whole wheat flour, you may need to use a little extra water.) Stir with a fork until mixture forms a loose ball. Divide dough in half and make two equal patties. Roll one ball of dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large enough circle to fit in your pie plate. Place crust into pie plate and trim the edges with a knife. Roll out second pie crust in the same way. Place prepared filling into the pie and put top crust on. Trim edges and seal using your fingers to pinch, or a fork dipped in flour. Cut vents in top crust. Brush egg yolk over the top. If making a sweet pie, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, if desired. Bake according to pie recipe directions.

Beginning Wheat

When it comes to long-term food storage, wheat is king.  Why?  Because it stores well, is inexpensive, versatile, and nutritiousness.

When stored properly, wheat can be stored for over 30 years.  To last this long, it must be stored in #10 cans with an oxygen absorber, kept below 75°, and away from water, insects, and rodents.

However, you should not just let wheat sit on your shelf for 30 years.  You should use it now.  Why?

• Who wants to eat 30 year old food?  Bluck!
• You should know how to use it before you have to use it.
• It's nutritious!  Eat it every day!
• If you start eating a lot of wheat suddenly, you will get very sick.  You need to build up your tolerance gradually.

Sources:  providentliving.org

Coming Up:  Nutritional properties of wheat--Why you should eat wheat today (and tomorrow)

I'm Tired

I am tired of 3 month supply lists!  I really don't want to create a new one, at least in a specified time frame.  So I'm not going to.  I will create it as I want to, and not how I should for purposes of this blog.
If you have never created a 3 month (or 1 month, or whatever), I would highly encourage you to do so.  This is a good exercise, as it allows you to see what your family really eats, and what foods go into those meals.  If you don't know how to create this chart, or have no clue what I'm talking about, visit my directions on how to do so: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, and Examples.  I will also keep my in-progress example in my left side-bar.
If you have any questions, just type it up in a comment, and I will address the issue.
Thank you for your patience!

Coming Up:  Wheat!

Shopping Secrets

I bought all of these groceries (plus 2 cheesesticks) for $24.07. The regular price for these items would total over $60. So how did I get over 50% savings? Coupons! Because of coupons, the package of Olay bar soap, 2 packages of Ricola cough drops, and 3 cans of cream of chicken soup were FREE! The Chunky Campbell's soup was 50 cents per can, the 32 oz. Dannon plain yogurt was 50 cents...You get the idea. So how did I find the coupons? Grocery Smarts. This website takes the advertised sales of stores, and compares them to coupons, both online and in the circulars found in Sunday newspapers. So, even if you don't get the newspaper, you can still do a lot of couponing, and save a lot of money. All you need is the Internet, and a printer.
Another thing that I like about Grocery Smarts, is that it rates each item, using stars, telling you know how good of a sale it is. You can find stores in your state by clicking on your state in the drop down menu on the top left side of the main screen. There is a tutorial on how to use the site here.

Coupon Mom offers a similar service. It has some features, like sorting, that I really like.

Pumpkin

During these fall months I sometimes have leftover canned pumpkin.  I'll make a treat, but not use the full can of pumpkin.  One use I have found for this pumpkin is as an alternative for fat in cake.  Last weekend I made Black Bottom Cake.  Instead of using the 1/2 cup of oil, like the cake mix called for, I used 1/2 cup of pumpkin.  Much healthier, and it gave a slight pumpkin flavor.  I have not used pumpkin in other recipes in place of oil, but I'm sure it would work in a lot of baked goods.

Edited to add:  I put 1/2 cup of pumpkin instead of oil in waffles, and it turned out great.  Just make sure it gets stirred in well.

3 Month Supply-Make Yours Now

If you haven't made a chart for your 3 month (or 2 week, or 6 month; however much you choose to store) supply, now's your chance!  I'm making a new one, since I just made a new menu (I feel like I just made a new 3 month supply chart).
So, here is the start of my new 3 month supply chart.  All I have done so far is write the meal across the top, and the ingredients required along the side.  Then I fill in how much of that ingredient is required to make the meal.  Ingredients that are only used in small quantities (like dry mustard) or that are staples (like flour) go in my ingredient list in the second tab.

Black Bottom Cake

Black Bottom Cake

Printable Version

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 package chocolate cake mix

Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt together; mix until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips and set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
To make cupcakes: Fill paper cupcake liners 1/3 full with cake batter. Top with heaping teaspoons of cream cheese mixture. Bake 30-35 minute, in preheated 350° oven.
To make 9x13 cake: Pour cake batter into greased 9x13 pan. Dot the top with cream cheese mixture. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cake is clean and cream cheese mixture is set, in preheated 350° oven.