What to do with food storage when moving

 

Here is an email I received:

 

Hi Amy,

I hear you're the guru of food storage.  We're having movers for the first time and there's a possibility we'll have them store our stuff for the month of July.  I'm sure they won't put it in a climate controlled area, so I'm worried about the heat' s impact on our food storage shelf life.  It's all the basic cannery stuff, maybe a couple cans of freeze dried fruits and veg, sugar, but mostly beans and quite a bit of wheat.  I do rotate some of it, but dry beans are a pain and I just don't anticipate getting through all of them before we're closer to 15-20 years in the can.  This was a wedding present from my parents, gleaned from their storage, so it was already 5 or so years old and in 7 years I've used about a year's worth of the original cans of wheat, rice, etc, but I've hardly touched the beans.

I just feel like there's potentially a big difference between a couple days in a UHaul when we moved to NC versus a month who knows where, so I'm wondering if I should try to sell it for less than the cannery charges and then add some savings and buy new when we get settled in our new state.  That would also let me improve the ratio of our storage to align better with what we actually use, though of course we'll still store a good amount of beans for protein completion.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

 Dear friend:

I really don't have a good answer for you.  It is true that a month in a hot storage unit in July is going to damage your storage.  You will have to decide if you want to sell it.  I assume that people who buy it are going to want a super good deal or no one is going to bother buying it.  You might have to give it away.

 You will have to weigh these questions:  Is it worth it to you to pay to move it across the country with it already going down in nutritional value?  Can you stand to sell it for very little (or give it away)?  Do you want to buy all new, or do you have the money to buy all new?  If you get rid of it, would you procrastinate buying new, and therefore not have any food storage for awhile?  Would it be better to keep this already-paid-for food, even if it has lower nutritional value, instead of having none?  It all depends on how soon you think a personal disaster or national disaster is going to happen. 

That is all the advice I can think of.  Best wishes with your decision.

Vacuum sealed chocolate got too hot

 We moved into a new house last fall, and later found these melted chocolate chips that I had vacuum sealed the previous year.  We think they got too hot in the truck.
I was going to throw them away, but my husband said, "Don't throw it away. That chocolate is still good."

He melted the chocolate in the bottle in a pot of water, and dipped graham crackers in it.  Mmmm mmm good!  I'm so glad I didn't throw those jars all away.

Suggested Amounts of Food for one adult

Suggested Amounts of Basic Foods for Home Storage Per adult for one year
(From Letter from First Presidency, Jan. 20, 2002)


Grains            400 lbs

Legumes        60 lbs

Powdered Milk    16 lbs

Cooking Oil        10 quarts

Sugar or Honey    60 lbs

Salt            8 lbs

Water (2 weeks)    14 gallons

This provides 2200 calories per day and 45 grams of protein daily.

Kimball said "Acquire a year's supply of food"

WHY CALL YE ME LORD, LORD, AND DO NOT WHAT I SAY?

“…We reaffirm the previous counsel the Church has always given, to acquire and maintain a year’s supply---a year’s supply of the basic commodities for us….

We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”  How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says.” 

Spencer W. Kimball, “Family Preparedness,”
Ensign, May 1976, Conference Report May 1976

Biggest Food Storage Challenges

I love the blog "FoodStorageMadeEasy.net".  They asked their readers for their biggest challenges in doing food storage.  Here are the answers.


http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2013/04/25/how-to-overcome-food-storage-challenges/

What is in Survival Mom's Pantry

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/03/06/anatomy-of-the-survival-moms-pantry/

Can Organizers

This looks like a great product.
http://canorganizer.com/index.php?p=home

Evaporated Milk went bad

This week, I opened some evaporated milk I had purchased in 2011.  Evaporated milk is usually a pale beige color, but this looked very yellow.  After pouring it all out, there was about a 1/4" - 1/2" inch layer of stuff in the bottom of the can that was of a consistency like pudding.  I said, "That can't be good," and I threw it away.

Then I opened another can, also purchased in 2011, and the same thing happened.  I was very disappointed that I had wasted two cans of evaporated milk.  They were stored inside my house at room temperature, so I expected them to last about two years at least.  I wonder what happened to make them go bad.  I will have to investigate this further.

My Experience Doing the No Fridge challenge: Monday

(This is a continuation of my report of doing the Shelf Stable challenge in my ward.  I had to live without a fridge or freezer for 2 1/2 days.)

Monday breakfast for 1 adult

  I wanted cold cereal but couldn’t deal with putting warm powdered milk on it.  Instead, I made hot cereal,  so the warm powdered milk didn’t bother me.

1 banana

2 packages of Maple and Brown Sugar instant oatmeal

1 tsp. powdered milk

boiling water

Monday lunch for 2 adults

I made one box of Hamburger Helper.   

1 box Hamburger Helper

a little powdered milk

tapwater

1 pint canned ground beef (I canned this last year.)

Ingredients for Turkey and Dressing Casserole (substituting chicken)

Monday Supper for 1 adult 

I made Turkey and Dressing Casserole, but substituted canned chicken.  (There was about 3/4 of this left over.)

Sauce:

1 can chicken

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 Tablespoon powdered milk and 1/4 cup water.

1 can peas.

Dressing:

Water

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil instead of butter

1 box Stovetop stuffing

 I realized that I could only make a small meal each time, we couldn’t open more cans than we could consume since there is no refrigeration.

I am accustomed to making more than we can eat, and putting the rest in the fridge, and eating it for leftovers the next day.

I might rethink buying large cans.  Small cans would be quicker to consume before they spoil from lack of refrigeration.

Monday night snack for 1 adult

I craved sweets so I made a little amount of buttercream frosting (powdered sugar, powdered margarine, powdered milk, water), stirred it until it was the right consistency, and ate it on graham crackers.

(To be continued)

My Experience doing the No Fridge challenge: Sunday

I was out of town for both weekends that our ward was doing the Shelf Stable challenge.  The rules were to tape your fridge and freezer shut from Sunday after church until Wednesday breakfast.  Don't use anything from the fridge or freezer during that time.  Don't use any ice.  See if you have enough shelf stable food in your house to make nourishing meals for those 2 1/2 days.

On Sunday Aug. 26 after church, I surprised my husband and 18 year old son by taping shut the fridge and freezer and telling them we were going to participate in the challenge.  (It was a week late, but I say, Better late than never.)

My son never really went along with it.  He cheated and kept getting the milk out.  My husband is on Nutrisystem so he was eating separately.

I was a little stricter on myself than I had required in the rules of the challenge.   I decided not to go shopping at all, so I could see what I would run out of.  I also decided to leave food out, since in a disaster you couldn’t put leftovers away in the fridge to keep them fresh.

I kept notes of what I ate.  Here is the list:

Sunday after church:

Luckily I had just baked bread and made cookies the night before, so we had plenty for the first day.  

When I came home from church, I noticed we had very little butter in our butter dish (which we don't refrigerate).  That was gone within the first day.

Sunday Lunch, for 1 adult.  

Half a can of Beef Barley soup.

One slice bread.

some Doritoes

Half an apple.

Tap water to drink.

Because I was pretending the power was out, I left the rest of the soup out of the fridge.

Sunday afternoon snack for 1 adult.

The other half of the soup.  (I didn't want it to spoil.)

Some fritos.

Sunday supper for  7 adults, 2 babies.

Some of our married kids and grandkids came over. I made BBQ Pork sandwiches, it was a good supper.

1 quart canned pork (I canned this last year.)

BBQ sauce.

6 hamburger buns  (that was all we had.)

3 pieces of bread

1 can green beans

1 can pears

1 can baked beans

some Tostitoes

8 cookies (now the cookies are gone.) 

tap water to drink.

We pretty much ate everything, so there were no leftovers to spoil without power.

(To be continued)

Simple meals for tight times

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2011/08/08/simple-food-storage-meals-for-tight-times-stock-up-on-three-months-worth-fast/

Five Inexpensive Ways to Store Food

Here are some good ideas, in an article written by Tess Pennington.

http://readynutrition.com/resources/are-you-packing-5-inexpensive-ways-to-store-your-food_28062012/

How Basic Can You Get

From "The Survival Mom"

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/01/31/how-basic-can-you-get-list-1-for-beginners/

This is the most basic starting list, for people who want to get their food and water storage, but who have NO IDEA what to do, and NO MONEY to buy anything.

Shelf Stable Meal: Chili

Here are the ingredients to make chili beans for my family.   Every ingredient is shelf stable, so I consider this one of my Three-Month Supply meals.

I pressure can ground beef, so it is always available whether or not I have a freezer.

I'm sorry I don't have a precise recipe, I just add the cumin, chili powder and onions until it tastes right.

Ground beef, browned or canned.  1 pound

Kidney beans- 3   15 oz. cans

tomato sauce-  1  29 oz. can

chili powder to taste

cumin to taste

onions, dehydrated minced (a few tablespoons dry onions, they rehydrate in the mixture)

Warm it up together, and serve with crackers.

How to use crystallized honey

I have lots of honey that is 15 or more years old.  It has gone crystallized and hard inside the 5 lb. plastic jugs.  When I can melt it, it is perfectly usable.  But how do I melt it?

BOILING ON STOVE:
I just put a grate in the bottom of a pot and put the opened jug on top of the grate, and boil it in water until I can pour it out into smaller containers.  (Never put the jug directly on the bottom of the pot, and never boil a jug with the lid on.)

The honey stays reasonably soft, soft enough to use it for spreading on toast.  It doesn't go back to completely liquid and pourable, but it is usable.


IN THE MICROWAVE:
These jugs are too tall for my microwave.  However, if the honey is in plastic jugs, you can saw the top part off with a serrated knife and then set the jug inside the microwave.  Microwave it long enough to make some of it liquid, pour that off, and repeat.


SOLAR:
Another way I have melted the hard honey is by putting the jug out in the sun on a sunny day.  The outer edges will melt and you can pour that off and keep repeating.  An even more effective way to do this is by putting the jug inside a turkey roasting plastic oven bag.  Puff the bag out away from the jug, put a twist tie on the opening to keep the heat inside.  The sun will shine through the bag and the heat will collect inside the air space, like a car in the sun.  If you're doing this on a sunny day when it isn't very hot outside,  set the bag/jug on top of something insulative, like a board, to keep it off the cold ground.

NEVER BUY HONEY IN 5 GALLON BUCKETS OR GLASS JARS
I never buy honey in anything other than small plastic jugs or containers.  Why?  Because if it is in a huge container, you can't put it in the microwave or boil it on the stove.  My friend had to chisel chunks of hard honey out of a 5 gallon bucket to try to melt the chunks on the stove.  That does not sound fun.

And I don't get glass jars, because then I can't saw off the top of the jug to fit it in my microwave.

Face it, with food storage honey, it is going to go solid eventually.  So you better have a plan on how you are going to soften it.

Buying "just add water" meals for food storage

FoodStorageMadeEasy.net is doing a whole series on how to buy food storage.  In the following post, they tell about the different types of food storage that are "already prepared meals", all you have to do is add water.  They have some great information.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2012/03/22/what-to-know-when-buying-just-add-water-meals/

Food Storage Mistakes made by beginners

http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/04/10-rookie-food-storage-mistakes.html

Here are the most common mistakes made by people who are just starting out.  Things like storing food your family does not like, or using the wrong storage containers.

"Food Storage" by Featherstone, May 1976, Part 2

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=dfa0fd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Here is the second half of Bishop Featherstone's talk:

The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a year’s supply of food reserves by April 1977. All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened, and next April we will have our storage areas filled. We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families.

Now regarding home production: Raise animals where means and local laws permit. Plant fruit trees, grapevines, berry bushes, and vegetables. You will provide food for your family, much of which can be eaten fresh. Other food you grow can be preserved and included as part of your home storage. Wherever possible, produce your nonfood necessities of life. Sew and mend your own clothing. Make or build needed items. I might also add, beautify, repair, and maintain all of your property.

Home production of food and nonfood items is a way to stretch your income and to increase your skills and talents. It is a way to teach your family to be self-sufficient. Our children are provided with much needed opportunities to learn the fundamentals of work, industry, and thrift. President Romney has said, “We will see the day when we will live on what we produce.” (Conference Reports, April 1975, p. 165.)

I should like to address a few remarks to those who ask, “Do I share with my neighbors who have not followed the counsel? And what about the nonmembers who do not have a year’s supply? Do we have to share with them?” No, we don’t have to share—we get to share! Let us not be concerned about silly thoughts of whether we would share or not. Of course we would share! What would Jesus do? I could not possibly eat food and see my neighbors starving. And if you starve to death after sharing, “greater love hath no man than this …” (John 15:13.)

Now what about those who would plunder and break in and take that which we have stored for our families’ needs? Don’t give this one more idle thought. There is a God in heaven whom we have obeyed. Do you suppose he would abandon those who have kept his commandments? He said, “If ye are prepared, ye need not fear.” (D&C 38:30.) Prepare, O men of Zion, and fear not. Let Zion put on her beautiful garments. Let us put on the full armor of God. Let us be pure in heart, love mercy, be just, and stand in holy places. Commit to have a year’s supply of food by April 1977.

Bishops and stake presidents, let us accept the challenge on behalf of the Saints in our wards and stakes. It will prove to be a very Christlike deed on your part. Follow through and check up one year from now and make certain we achieve results.

In his October 1973 conference address, President Ezra Taft Benson gave some excellent instructions about home storage:

“For the righteous the gospel provides a warning before a calamity, a program for the crises, a refuge for each disaster. …

“The Lord has warned us of famines, but the righteous will have listened to prophets and stored at least a year’s supply of survival food. …

“Brethren and sisters, I know that this welfare program is inspired of God. I have witnessed with my own eyes the ravages of hunger and destitution as, under the direction of the president of the Church, I spent a year in war-torn Europe at the close of World War II, without my family, distributing food, clothing, and bedding to our needy members. I have looked into the sunken eyes of Saints, in almost the last stages of starvation. I have seen faithful mothers carrying their children, three and four years of age, who were unable to walk because of malnutrition. I have seen a hungry woman turn down food for a spool of thread. I have seen grown men weep as they ran their hands through the wheat and beans sent to them from Zion—America.

“Thanks be to God for a prophet, for this inspired program, and for Saints who so managed their stewardship that they could provide for their own and still share with others.” (“Prepare Ye,” Ensign, Jan. 1974, pp. 69, 81–82.)

I bear my humble witness to you that the great God of heaven will open doors and means in a way we never would have supposed to help all those who truly want to get their year’s supply. I know we will have time and money if we will commit and keep the commitment. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

"Food Storage" by Featherstone, May 1976, Part 1

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=dfa0fd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

This is one of the most quoted Conference talks about food storage. Here is the first half of Bishop Featherstone's talk:

I suggest that one year from today we ought to have a year’s supply of food... Now here are some suggestions how:

1. Follow the prophet. He has counseled us to plant a garden and fruit trees. This year don’t just think about it—do it. Grow all the food you possibly can. Also remember to buy a year’s supply of garden seeds so that, in case of a shortage, you will have them for the following spring. I’m going to tell you where to get the money for all the things I’m going to suggest.

2. Find someone who sells large bulk of grains, depending on your locale. Make arrangements to buy a ton or so of grain.

3. Find someone who sells honey in large containers and make arrangements to buy what you can afford on a regular basis or buy a little additional sugar each time you go to the store.

4. Purchase dry milk from the store or dairy, on a systematic basis.

5. Buy a case of salt the next time you go to the store. In most areas, 24 one-pound packages will cost you less than $5.

6. Store enough water for each member of your family to last for at least two weeks....

Now you ask, “Where do I get the money for these things?.....”

Here is how you do it.

1. Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 percent of your Christmas will be spent on a year’s supply. Many families in the Church spend considerable sums of money for Christmas. Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way toward purchasing the basics. I recall the Scotsman who went to the doctor and had an X-ray taken of his chest. Then he had the X-ray gift-wrapped and gave it to his wife for their anniversary. He couldn’t afford a gift, but he wanted her to know his heart was in the right place. Brethren, give your wife a year’s supply of wheat for Christmas, and she’ll know your heart is in the right place.

2. When you desire new clothes, don’t buy them. Repair and mend and make your present wardrobe last a few months longer. Use that money for the food basics. Make all of your nonfood necessities that you feasibly can, such as furniture and clothing.

3. Cut the amount of money you spend on recreation by 50 percent. Do fun things that do not require money outlay but make more lasting impressions on your children.

4. Decide as a family that there will be no vacation or holiday next year unless you have your year’s supply. Many Church members could buy a full year’s supply of the basics from what they would save by not taking a vacation. Take the vacation time and work on a family garden. Be together, and it can be just as much fun.

5. If you haven’t a year’s supply yet and you do have boats, snowmobiles, campers, or other luxury possessions, sell or trade one or two or more of them and get your year’s supply.

6. Watch advertised specials in the grocery stores and pick up extra supplies of those items that are of exceptional value.

7. Change the mix in your family’s diet. Get your protein from sources less expensive than meat. The grocery bill is one bill that can be cut. Every time you enter the store and feel tempted by effective and honest merchandising to buy cookies, candy, ice cream, non-food items, or magazines—don’t! Think carefully; buy only the essentials. Then figure what you have saved and spend it on powdered milk, sugar, honey, salt, or grain.

How to buy year's supply of grains, etc.

FoodStorageMadeEasy.net has some great tips on how to buy the long-term items in your food storage.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2012/03/21/best-ways-to-purchase-traditional-food-storage/