Storage Container Options

As we are talking about powdered milk, our Food Storage Item of the Month, it is the perfect time to discuss what options there are for containers to hold your food storage.

First, there is the original packaging. Many of the items that you will rotate regularly through your Three-Month Supply can be left in their original packages and containers. This includes things like dried pasta, cereal, and frozen vegetables. Typically, a "best by" date can be found on the outside of the packaging, and is useful in helping you to use up each product while it will still taste the best. It is always important to use up oldest items and ingredients first before opening a newer item, but it is especially necessary when using and rotating items that have been left in their original packaging. I recently discovered a package of frozen vegetables that had found it's way to the bottom of my chest freezer. It's best by date was six months previous and there was a very small hole in the bag. When I opened the package, it was full of ice and the vegetables were shriveled and dried out because they had lost all of their moisture. It was a reminder to me of the importance of rotating your food.

Next, food items can be repackaged using plastic wrap, zipper-top plastic bags, foil, Food-Saver type bags, or plastic containers. Again, these methods of packaging are more suited to items that will be rotated and used within a fairly short time frame, such as a part of your Three-Month Supply.






Thirdly, food products can be stored in glass or heavy-duty plastic containers. I am not referring to canning items - that is the next section. Using plastic or glass containers, buckets, or jars works well for items dry products that you use on a regular basis. For example, whenever I open one of my #10 cans from my Longer-Term Food Storage, I put it into a glass container so that I can see what is in there, and to keep the contents fresh while I use it up. A friend of mine does the same thing with clear, square, plastic containers. For items I use in larger quantities, such as sugar or flour, I keep them in labeled white buckets with a screw top lid. You can also use food-grade plastic buckets for storing your Longer-Term Supply, but you need to either treat them with nitrogen gas or use dry ice to displace the oxygen.

Fourth, canning food in glass containers is a great storage option. Using the Ward's pressure canner, you can bottle meats, beans, and vegetables. Always, however, make sure you use a tested recipe, and follow the directions to the letter. A great resource for canning recipes is the National Center for Home Food Preservation. They also offer a free online class that covers the basics of canning. Using a boiling water canner, you can bottle fruit and fruit products such as jams. Again, directions can be found on the NCHFP website.

Fifth, a mylar bag, also know as a "dry-pack pouch" is fabulous for packaging items for your food storage. The Ward now has a mylar bag sealer, and the pouches cost $0.35 from the Mesa Home Storage Center. (Remember, prices are subject to change as necessary.) The mylar bags hold more than a #10 can, and cost much less. They also can be stored flat, and therefore can fit in places that #10 can cannot. However, dry-pack pouches are not rodent-proof, and would need to be placed in a secondary container that is rodent-proof if rodents are a concern. You still need to use an oxygen packet with the mylar bags. To seal these bags, you must use a special, heavy-duty sealer called an impulse sealer. A vacuum packaging machine, such as the Food Saver, will not work. We are very, very fortunate to have an impulse sealer for the Ward. Please contact Rebecca Wilcox if you are interested in using it.

Lastly, #10 cans are the most common container used for Food Storage, especially for Longer-Term Supply items. The first Saturday of each month, we will have a ward canning day, and will have a #10 Can Sealer, as well as the Mylar Bag Impulse Sealer available to use. #10 cans and lids can be purchased at the Mesa Home Storage Center. The current price is $1.01 for the can and the metal lid. Remember, prices are subject to change as necessary.

Whatever storage containers you use, make sure you are regularly rotating your food storage, including your Longer-Term Supply in order to have the best quality and flavor possible.

White Sauce Recipe

I have found that one of the hardest items to rotate for people is powdered milk.

Here is a recipe that I use a lot that can help with rotation. This is a base for soooo many sauces. I have used it twice this week already. We have had it on the board many months back, but wanted to put it on the blog for easy access.

White Sauce:
1 cup Water
3 Tb Powdered milk
1 Tb Flour (2 Tb for a medium sauce, and 4Tb for a Thick Sauce)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tb Butter
Place water and butter in pan, and bring to a boil. Mix powdered milk, flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Once water is boiling add dry ingredients and whisk for one minute. Turn off heat.

Yesterday I added 1/8 tsp dry mustard, some garlic salt, and 1 cup of shredded cheese and added it to macaroni. (Simple Mac and Cheese the wholesome way)

This morning I added 1/4 tsp chicken bouillon, and put it on biscuits for biscuits and gravy. (Next time I will just cook up some sausage, mix it in and omit the chicken bouillon).

Experiment with it. You can use it (with proper flavorings) in place of any canned cream of soup. It is cheaper, and healthier. Talk about working within a budget.

Let us know what you think.

A Powdered Milk Primer

The Food Storage Item of the Month is powdered milk!

Did you know that there are several varieties and options for powdered milk? There is a choice between instant and non-instant, non-fat or low-fat, powdered or granulated, flavored or plain, or some combination of the above! One of the best sources I have found for ideas and information on using powdered milk is The Prudent Homemaker. She is not a fan of drinking powdered milk, and uses it for cooking and baking. Recently, a lady in Utah contacted most of the major distributors of powdered milk, and they donated cans of their products to be used as part of a large taste-test she conducted. You can read her results here.

The non-fat milk options are the most readily available. These have no fat in them, meaning that they are equivalent to "skim" milk, and are therefore more suitable for longer term storage than powdered milks that do have fat in them.

Instant Non-Fat Milk: Notice the lack of the word "powdered" in the name of this type of milk. It is not a powder, but instead more of a granule. It is by far the most widely available milk to purchase at the grocery store, Sam's Club, or Costco. The name-brand version is made by Carnation, but generic versions are available at just about any grocery store. It dissolves easily and without lumps in either hot or cold water with a ratio of 1/3 cup milk granules to 1 cup water.

Instant Non-Fat Powdered Milk: This is a true powder, and more difficult to find. The sources I have seen most often for it is Walton Feed or Provident Pantry. It readily dissolves in cold water at a ratio of 1/3 cup milk powder to 2 cups water.

Non-Instant Non-Fat Powdered Milk: This is the type of powdered milk that the Mesa Home Storage Center sells. It is more difficult to dissolve, and does best in warm water. Refrigerating it for several hours after mixing also helps. You mix it in a ratio of 3/4 cup powder to 4 cups of water. This is the type of powdered milk I use when making bread, without reconstituting it first.

Low-Fat Powdered Milk: This type of powdered milk has a shorter shelf-life than non-fat varieties due to the presence of fat in the powders. The brand that I have seen most often for low-fat types of powdered milk is Morning Moo's. Blue Chip Group (recently renamed Auguson Farms) that manufactures Morning Moo's also makes flavored varieties. Honeyville Farms also sells a low-fat powdered milk product. It is worth noting that most of the low-fat powdered milks are actually labeled "Low-fat Powdered Milk Alternative". This is because their ingredients use more than just milk, adding emulsifiers and other ingredients to create a better flavor and texture.

Sources and Additional Information:

• Nutrition Information
  
• http://theprudenthomemaker.com/powderedmilk.aspx
• https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/food_storage_faq/types_of_dry_milk.htm
• http://www.utahpreppers.com/2010/03/great-powdered-milk-taste-test-and-review/

Butter to Oil Conversion

Oil is an important component of food storage. It improves the flavor and texture of the things you cook, and greatly increases the number of recipes you can make with your food storage. However, some of my favorite recipes call for butter, and I wanted to find a conversion ratio so that I could substitute oil when necessary.

Last week, I decided I wanted to use olive oil in my bread instead of butter. So, I used 1 cup of oil instead of 1 1/2 cups butter. (My recipe makes several very large loaves per batch.) I figured that was a good ratio, and it wasn't until that evening that I looked on the internet and was surprised by exactly how close I was to the proper ratio! Here is a chart I found. It is specific to olive oil, but should also work fairly well for canola and vegetables oils. Basically, when changing from butter to oil, it is a 4 to 3 conversion, meaning that for 4 parts of butter, you only need to use 3 parts of oil, ie: 1/4 cup butter (which is 4 tablespoons) is equal to 3 Tbsp. oil, 1 cup of butter is equal to 3/4 cup of oil; 1 1/2 cups of butter is equal to 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. oil.

Remember, though, that this is for things like breads and muffins that are not entirely dependent on the butter for texture. Cookie recipes wouldn't work with this substitution because you have to cream together the butter and sugar in order to achieve the proper lift and texture in the final product.

Answering the "WH" Questions

I still remember the week my elementary school teacher spent teaching us all about the five "WH" questions, and how to answer them through critical thinking: who, what, when, where, and why. I still use these five question anytime I need to apply critical thinking in order to complete a task, solve a challenge, or finish a daunting project. I have found these "WH" questions very applicable to provident living and self reliance, especially with respect to food storage.

WHO - Who should be participating in creating food storage?

• Everyone! The entire family needs to be involved in preparing food storage, not just those who are married, and not just women. "We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings." - The First Presidency in All is Safely Gathered In
  

WHAT - What is "Three Month Supply" and "Longer-Term Supply"?

• "Three-month supply items are foods that you normally eat, including canned and commercially packaged foods. Longer-term supply items are basic food items like grains and beans that have very low moisture content (about 10% or less), can be stored for long periods of time (20–30 years), and would sustain life if nothing else were available to eat. A portion of longer-term supply items may be rotated into the three-month supply." - providentliving.org

WHEN - When should I begin?

• NOW! The counsel to have food storage has been given since well before the Great Depression. You will never accomplish anything if you don't start somewhere and stick with it. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. However, once you take that initial step, you must keep moving forward, otherwise you won't accomplish anything more that just that first step. As counseled in All is Safely Gathered In, start by working to build a Three Month Supply, and then continue from there.
  

WHERE - Where do I begin?

• This exact question and the answer are found at providentliving.org "Start by adding a few storable items that you typically eat, storing some water that is safe to drink, and saving some money, if only a few coins each week. Then over time, expand these initial efforts—as individual circumstances allow and where permitted—by storing a longer-term supply of basics such as grains, beans, and other staples."

WHY - Why should I have food storage?

• The simplest answer to this is that you should have food storage because it is a commandment. "He (Heavenly Father) has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others." - The First Presidency

My teacher also taught us the critical importance of answering the question "how" when applying our newly developed critical thinking skills. "How?" in relation to food storage is much lengthier to answer, though it is not inherently difficult. Many of these "how" questions are answered at in the FAQ's section on providentliving.org, and will also be addressed in the upcoming Food Storage 101 class.

Additional counsel from Church leaders can be found in the All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet, as well as here.

Food Storage 101 Update

FYI Food storage 101 will be moved to a different date, still TBD. We will let you know ASAP.

Solar Oven Demo still on for Saturday.

Upcomming Classes

There are two very exciting events that are coming up.

On Thursday April 15th we will be having a food storage 101 class. It will be starting at 7:00pm at the church. During this class we will have information on the why’s, what’s, and how to’s of long term food storage. This is not a class for relief society sisters only the whole family is invited. There will be no nursery provided so plan ahead.

Also coming up is a Solar oven demo. This will be held on April 17th at 10:00am in the church parking lot. We will have several ovens set up and working. We will also have samples and recipes. Again the whole family is invited.

We are excited to see you there! Let us know if you have any questions.