Most long-term food storage programs have whole grains as the basis. Whole grains, in general, store well, are nutritious, and offer the biggest bang for the buck. Most food storage plans based on using long-term storage foods recommend a minimum of 300-400 pounds of grains per person for a year. What people actually store is a matter of personal preference. What do you eat? Actually, what a lot of us eat now may not bear a whole lot of resemblance to what we will be eating in the future. So maybe it's time to think about what we actually want to eat and make sure that we store those foods.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long counseled its members to store food and other necessities for a time of need, and that's where the 300-400 pounds of grain recommendation initially came from. Many others have adopted the Church's counsel (great!--everyone needs food!) and have expanded upon it with their own recommendations for the various kinds of grains and amounts. There is no right or wrong. But there might be a good, better, and best. Some people just want to keep it simple. However, I know from experience that food fatigue is real, especially in my family, and I really want a substantial variety of options in cooking and baking.
The chart below shows several examples of the recommended amounts of grains to store, just to give you an idea. Websites for these recommendations are linked below, except for KISS (keep it simple, stupid) and my family. Again, these are just examples. I, for one, would never store millet. I don't even know what to do with it. Amaranth and quinoa are the "in" grains now; maybe they're something you want in your storage. I think cornmeal goes rancid too quickly, so I prefer to store dent corn, which I can mill later. I also store masa for making tamales and corn tortillas.
KISS
|
AVOW
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Mt Mahogany Stake
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Highland Stake (satisfied)
|
Highland Stake (comfortable)
|
My family
|
|
Wheat
|
400
|
100
|
200
|
200
|
250
|
300
|
Flour
|
75
|
75
|
34
|
40
|
25
|
|
Rice
|
40
|
25
|
68
|
85
|
50
|
|
Pasta
|
40
|
50
|
33
|
40
|
30
|
|
Millet
|
20
|
|||||
Oats
|
20
|
15
|
33
|
40
|
30
|
|
Cornmeal
|
10
|
5
|
32
|
40
|
||
Popcorn
|
5
|
20
|
||||
Dent corn
|
20
|
|||||
Barley
|
5
|
|||||
Mixes
|
10
|
|||||
Cereal
|
5
|
|||||
Total
|
400
|
300
|
400
|
400
|
495
|
475
|
Baking mixes have a rather short shelf life, which is one reason why I
prefer to cook from scratch. And they tend to have a lot of additives and preservatives. And they take up more space to store.
Whatever you choose to store for your family, store what they will eat. Happily. Store it well. If your food comes in boxes or bags, repackage it. Boxes often harbor weevils. While they are harmless to eat and may even provide some protein, most people prefer other forms of protein. Also, keep in mind that one pound of Frosted Flakes does not have the same caloric or nutritional value as a pound of wheat. They are not interchangeable.
Links to related posts:
Food storage calculator
Wheat
Pasta
DIY Instant Oatmeal
Popcorn
For more information:
Highland Stake food storage calculator
Mount Mahogany Stake food storage inventory
AVOW food storage guide (page 57)
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
16 may 2021
Millet is a staple in our storage. I bought it for "Ezekiel Bread", which is a highly nutritious and heavy bread.
ReplyDeleteI use it more in soups for a nice nutty flavor. About a Tbs in a small pot of just about any kind of soup.
Great stuff. Barley is good in soups also.
Thank you so much for your comment. How much of it do you store, and for how many people?
Deletedent corn - What's the problem??? >>> one of the cheapest grains - eazy to access thru "wildlife feed" - whole kernel stores as well as wheat - introduced to the Euro explorers after centuries of feeding the SA natives >>> store your lime along with the corn and make sure to "nix" your processing .....
ReplyDelete"Boxes often harbor weevils. While they are harmless to eat and may even provide some protein, most people prefer other forms of protein." :D
ReplyDelete