Wednesday, September 14, 2011

More on Sweeteners . . .

I found another really informative article the other day in my "never ending" research.  Thought I would share . . . hope you enjoy!!!

 

The Truth about "Natural" Sweeteners

Does Sugar by Any Other Name Still Taste as Sweet?

-- By Liza Barnes & Nicole Nichols, Health Educators

If you’ve wandered into a natural food store lately, you might have noticed that the selection of sweeteners
seems to have multiplied. Powders, syrups, and liquids with exotic-sounding names catch your eye, each claiming to be tastier, healthier, or more environmentally-friendly than plain old table sugar. But are they really any better?  Read more . . . 


Article taken from Sparkpeople.com . . . check them out!

Monday, September 5, 2011

The BEST way to cook dry beans!

I cannot believe how quickly the summer went by!  As much as I enjoyed it, I am very thankful to be back at school and our "usual" schedule.  I am so ready to begin baking bread again . . . some how we were so busy during the summer that "quick" meals were the norm.  Last week was the first time I have had my pressure cooker out in months, which means we haven't had dry beans in a while.  I thought I would share with you my dry bean recipe.

For me the quickest, easiest way to prepare beans is in the pressure cooker.  No soaking overnight or cooking all day long.  I can start supper as late as 4 o'clock.


Simply rinse 2 cups of beans and check for rocks, etc.  Place the cooking rack on the bottom of the pot.  Add the beans to the pressure cooker with 3 quarts of water.  Add 2 teaspoons of salt and one onion peeled and quartered.  Place the lid on and slide into lock position.  Place the pressure regulator on top, set the pot on the stove top on high.  When the regulator begins a regular rhythm, I turn down the heat to medium (the regulator at a steady rocking motion) and start my timer.  For black beans - 35 minutes, for pinto beans - 25 minutes.  I follow my instruction booklet for the times of different kinds of beans.  When the timer goes off, I turn the stove off and let the pressure drop of its own accord.  Then I tweek them - see my Black Bean recipe below.

Now I will confess that there have been times when I have been in a hurry (can you imagine - heehee) and I have "encouraged" the pressure to drop faster.  Usually that means I set the pot in the sink and run cool water over it until the air vent/cover lock drops.  But you cannot beat the pressure cooking method for convenience.  I love it!

Black Bean Recipe -

To pot of pressure cooked black beans I add granulated garlic to taste (for me that is a lot!!!), oregano, and about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Olive oil.  I let this simmer until thick.  Of course, if I can't wait on the thickening I have also been known to help that along with some cornstarch and water :D   Serve over rice.

Frijoles negros as my Grams taught me how to make them - YUMMY!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

How to Cook Brown Rice

Sometimes I have a hard time writing about such a basic cooking skill because it seems so, well, so "basic"!!  Surely everyone knows how to cook brown rice!  But there was a time when I did not know how to cook brown rice and was exasperated at my lousy attempts.  So, this is for all of you who are struggling.  I do hope it helps!

This first thing you must remember before cooking brown rice is that you need to allow yourself enough time - it will NOT be rushed!!  You need 45 minutes to cook brown rice, no less!!!   Depending on how quickly (or slowly) it takes your pan of water to come to a boil will determine the other part of the time equation.

The second VERY IMPORTANT thing to remember is YOU MUST NOT take the lid off the pan of rice - NO MATTER WHAT!!!  This was where I kept failing . . . I hate not knowing what is going on under that lid.  I kept peeking ;D !!  Now I cheat because I have pans with glass lids and I can "see" what is going on without taking the lid off.  So here is your very simple recipe . . .

Brown Rice -

4 1/2 cups water
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (this is what Sue Gregg says . . . I just salt the water!)
2 cups of brown rice

Bring your salted water to a boil.  Pour in your brown rice and stir.  Place the tight fitting lid securely on top of pan, turn down your heat to a simmer, and start your 45 minute timer.  When the timer goes off, take off the lid, fluff rice with a fork and serve immediately.

Here are a couple of  other notes:
1)  I do find that the rice cooks better if in a shallow, straight sided pan (saute pan - here is a really neat explanation of all sorts of pans.
2)  What if you don't want to cook 2 cups of rice . . . just remember this simple formula - 2 1/4 cups water to 1 cup brown rice.  I can tell you this works well for up to 4 cups of rice, beyond that I cannot tell you from experience.

What to do with leftover rice -
  • Make rice pudding - YUMMY!!
  • I will very often make scrambled eggs and rice for breakfast - it stretches the eggs :D.  Just scramble your eggs as usual and when they are almost done add a little butter and 1 cup or more of rice and stir together until warmed through.  Serve immediately!
Enjoy!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Summertime and Chocolate Cake!

How is it that during the summer when we are not schooling and we are supposed to have so much time for other activities . . . we are soooo busy!?!  I have had several blogging ideas the last couple of weeks, and so little time to blog.

Tonight's blog is is more like a confession!!!  A couple of months ago I received an email that had the title "5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake."  Well I have to admit that I delete a lot of emails in a day . . . you know the endless forwards, etc. that come from who knows where . . . but this one said something about chocolate so I kept it ;D !!!  Anyway, it was several days later before I actually opened it to see what it was . . . MISTAKE!

I never would have believed that it was true, but this cake is fabulous!!!  And so easy!!!  Too easy, if you get my drift! 

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake ~

4 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Tablespoons chocolate chips (optional - I left these out!)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Microwave safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.  Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.  Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.  The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!  Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.  EAT!  (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.)

The email also said that this is the MOST DANGEROUS cake recipe in the world!!

I have made it approximately 4 times in the last week and a half -- but not for me, of course!!!!   :D 

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Whole Wheat ButterHorns - Recipes from the Old Mill

It's Saturday evening and we are going to Nana's tomorrow for Sunday dinner . . . thought I would share the recipe I am taking.  Give them a try!

From  by Sarah Myers

2 pkgs. dry yeast (I use 4 1/2 teaspoons of my bulk yeast)
1 3/4 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
2-2 1/2 cups flour
6 Tbsp. soft butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional - I DO NOT USE THESE!)

1)  Dissolve yeast in water.
2)  Add brown sugar, oil, honey, salt, and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour.  Mix well.
3)  Stir in remaining whole wheat flour and enough flour to make a stiff dough.
4)  Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl.  Cover and let rise about 1 1/2 hours.
5)  Divide into 3 equal pieces.  Shape into balls.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
6)  Roll each ball into a 10" circle.  Spread with 1/3 of butter.  Sprinkle with nuts if desired.  Cut each circle into 8 wedges.  To shape rolls, begin at wide end of wedge and roll toward point.  Place on greased baking sheet.  (Looks like a croissant!).
7)  Cover and let rise 20-30 minutes.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.  Brush with milk or butter while still warm.

Just a couple of personal notes:  I didn't have honey this evening so I used 1/4 cup Sucanat and omitted the brown sugar.  Again I used my Bosch mixer to do the kneading.  Lastly, I hardly ever use all the butter this recipe calls for . . . I slather generously and still can't manage to use 6 Tbsp. of butter!  Oh, one last thing, I couldn't find an opened hard white this evening so I used my whole 7 grain mix - they were still yummy!

A note of warning . . . these things are wonderful and have a tendency to disappear QUICKLY!!  Enjoy!!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Storing in the Garage - A Question

Hi !  I read your blog the other day and learned that your neighbors had been hit pretty hard in the tornadoes, but that you are doing well.  I'm glad to hear it and hope you didn't suffer any great damages. 
I have a question for you about storage.  My garage is where I have the most room to store these grains, etc. but it is not climate-controlled.  In the summer it will get pretty warm.  Can I still keep wheat out there?  What about oats, sucanat, flax, corn?  Any advice you can give would be helpful.  Thanks!
A.S. - Cleveland, TN

It was so good to hear from you!!  We were very blessed through the storms . . . especially taking into account the terrible devastation and loss in Cleveland.  My heart just broke when I heard about the Glasgows and their family's loss.  We continue to uphold them and others in prayer!!
Now about storage . . . if the garage is where you have to store then, yes, by all means you can store there.  Even though it is not temperature controlled!  Regulated temperatures at 70 degrees and below are ideal and cause the bulk goods to last A VERY LONG TIME (see the detailed article on ideal storage in link above).  But stored in your garage at differing temps just means they may keep ten years or less ;D !!  I say that because I have my food stored upstairs where the temperature ranges from 60 in the winter to 90+ in the summer.  Some of the stuff I have gotten into lately was packed in 1999 and it is still GREAT!!!  I am not sure about the flax seed though because I have never stored flax long term.  I am pretty sure the oils in the flax seed would NOT allow it to store for long - similar to brown rice (again that depends on the temperature control - see article above).  What I have, I keep in the fridge or freezer, but I have small quantities.  Just make sure the other items are stored in air tight, food grade containers.  If you can seal them with oxygen absorbers, even better.  If you are storing items in the garage that you are in and out of on a regular basis, then you might need to make sure that you use those items up in a reasonable amount of time . . . maybe a year or less.

I hope that helps! 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Macaroni & Cheese from Bulk Food Storage

It was another busy day in the bulk food kitchen today!  Of course, grits and eggs for hubby's breakfast - he was out pretty early this morning!  Then somewhat later I fixed pancakes for breakfast - I need to share that recipe one of these days - but for those, I was into the soft white wheat, powdered milk, baking powder, & salt.  I put up some strawberries this week and as a special treat I made a strawberry syrup this morning for those of us who like that sort of thing on our pancakes - YUMMY! - for that I was into the evaporated cane juice.  What I really need to do is ask Sarah over at Stir it Up! if she has a recipe for fresh strawberry syrup!  Anyway, for dinner we had Spanish rice (I did use white) and refried beans (I cheated tonight and used canned).  But the main reason for tonight's post was the macaroni & cheese I made for lunch.  I recently purchased a 6 lb container of cheddar cheese powder to make my own version of the "boxed" mac and cheese.  A friend of mine with 7 children buys the cheese powder by the 50 lb bag.  I really wanted to give it a try, so here goes . . .

Macaroni and Cheese ~

    Bring to a boil 5 cups of salted water.  Add 3 cups of elbow macaroni and cook until al dente.  Drain the macaroni.  Place the elbows back in the pot.  Add a 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of milk - you guessed it, I used my powdered solution, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese powder.  Stir until all the lumps are gone and you have a creamy texture.  It was actually very good - as far as boxed substitutes go!!
                                                                                                                                   


I really needed to bake bread today, too, but I ended up being too busy!  Tomorrow's another day . . .

Monday, May 16, 2011

Oxygen Absorbers

My intent when first establishing this blog was more about using bulk foods as a lifestyle instead of emergency preparedness.  There are many blogs and forums on the internet about emergency preparedness, not so many about the lifestyle of using bulk foods.  I consider being prepared a "fringe" benefit of the lifestyle.  All that said, I suppose a discussion on oxygen absorbers could fall into both of the above categories.

None the less I have been asked about using oxygen absorbers for storing your bulk foods.  Any of your "in use" buckets would NOT need oxygen absorbers, but those that you are NOT currently using and are being kept for a later date, those definitely benefit from being sealed with oxygen absorbers.

Basically, oxygen absorbers do just that, they absorb the remaining oxygen out of the bucket you are storing.  Thus making it uninhabitable by anything undesirable . . . NO AIR, NO CRITTERS!!  They come in all sizes for using in various sized containers.  Click here to download a chart for your reference.  When you purchase them, they come in a vacuum packed package that also has an indicator inside.  Click here for an excellent explanation of how that indicator works.

In the past, I have purchased the FT-500 (300cc) to use in the 5-6 gallon buckets.  When you are storing something that packs tightly - like grain, flour, sugar- then one of this size is sufficient for sealing the bucket.  If you are storing something not quite as tight - like pasta, for instance - you may want to use two.

The best way to package using oxygen absorbers is first to have all your supplies together.  Go ahead and make sure your buckets are clean (whether using new or used).  Fill your buckets with the desired contents allowing about an inch and one half headspace.  Then you want to have your lids, rubber mallet and oxygen absorbers ready.  Remember, you do NOT want to open those absorbers until you are completely ready to pop them in your buckets.  Once you open a package of absorbers they immediately become active.  Just as a side note, if you leave a package of absorbers open, they will actually become hot as they activate.  Unfortunately, they are kind of expensive to just experiment with!!  : )  Now line up your buckets (it is very helpful to have two sets of hands when doing this), one person will pop the absorber in the bucket, the other will hammer the lid down tight.  You want to work quickly and efficiently.  I have found that if you cut the top off of the absorber bag but keep the packets in the bag, that the person popping the absorbers in the bucket can actually fold the top over the package of absorbers as an extra precaution.

Now when you are finished you want to have an empty glass container to put your remaining oxygen absorbers in, preferably as small as possible (less oxygen).  Be sure to drop that handy indicator in the bottom of your jar and add the absorbers quickly.  Fill up any remaining space in the jar with newspaper, paper towels, or even plastic bags and place the tight fitting lid on top.  These oxygen absorbers can last for years undisturbed in this jar.  I have a container on my pantry shelf that has been there for two years and the indicator is still quite "pink."  I should have used a smaller jar because it is a quart jar and the absorbers only actually take up about 1/3 of the space, the rest of the area is filled with paper towels & plastic bags (probably what I had on hand at the time :D ).

Hope all this help!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Being Prepared . . .

What a week!  For many in the Southeast, it will not be forgotten any time soon.  For our small neighborhood the devastation was great, BUT so were the blessings.  There were several families down our main road who suffered much material ruin, but I have heard of NO deaths in our community.  Homes can be repaired, lost lives are so much harder to bear!  It was such a blessing to me to see how our community responded to the needs around us.  I am ashamed to admit that there are families here that we have waved to for over ten years, but have not taken the time to meet until this last week.  And what precious families they are!!  I aspire to be a better neighbor in the future!

Thankfully our family was without power for only two days!  It was a good test for us.  We had gathered much water before the storms began, and so when the power went out and the water pump no longer worked we had the water we needed . . . water for flushing the commode, for washing, for cooking and drinking.  Even without power, we have a propane stove and so we are able to continue cooking (my friend in Chattanooga has been using her camping stove for almost six days!)  So, we did not go hungry!  But we did find some interesting discrepancies in our "preparedness" supplies . . . we had two crank style radios that we have had for some time that we realized were both broken.  One of them we finally were able to get working with some AA batteries.  The other larger issue was our generator.  We have also had it stored for some time and when we tried to hook it up, we found that it would not work properly.  That was a great disappointment!

I guess the moral to the story for us, is to check your stashes more frequently to make sure everything is still in working order.  Some of these items we have "counted" on.  The other thing I realized during the power outage was that I had to rely on my flour stores.  Without a generator to power my grain mill - and I am very unhappy to say that I do not have a hand mill :( - I had to just use flour.  Not the end of the world, but something I need to consider if I intend to be grinding wheat in some future, perhaps "longer" power outage.

"The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble"

Friday, April 15, 2011

Whole Grain Fudge Brownies

The power of suggestion is great!  After talking about these to a couple of ladies over the past week - one of whom had sampled them - the request was made.  Can we have the recipe??  But, of course . . .

Whole Grain Fudge Brownies ~

1 stick of butter
1/4 cup of cocoa powder (or two squares unsweetened chocolate-2 oz)
1 cup Sucanat - can substitute cane juice or sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup freshly ground soft white wheat - can substitute all-purpose flour
Dash of salt (1/8 teaspoon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8x8x2 inch baking pan.  Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.  Add cocoa and Sucanat mixing well.  Remove from heat.  Add eggs and vanilla until just combined.  Stir in flour, salt, and nuts (if using).  Spread batter in pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

You don't want to overbake these, so watch them carefully.  They will be moist and chewy.  I have been known to top these with mint chips, toffee chips, or whatever else sounded yummy at the time.  Just pour the batter and sprinkle the chips on top without disturbing or stirring and bake as usual.

ENJOY!!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sucanat vs Evaporated Cane Juice

I thought this might be a good time for this comparision.  Thanks, Amy, for the nudge!!

What is the difference between Sucanat and Evaporated Cane Juice?  And how do they differ in cooking?  First off let me say, that these are only two of the MANY sweetener choices out there.  If you want your mind boggled about it, go to Wholesome Sweeteners and read to your heart's content.  For the discussion today, I think I'll keep it simple.












The picture on the left is Evaporated Cane Juice - a light brown, granulated "very much like" sugar.  According to Wholesome Sweeteners this is extracted, evaporated, and crystallized.  Basically you have skipped the refining or bleaching process that takes place with "white" sugar.  Nutritionally speaking, too much of this sugar is just as bad for you as too much white sugar!!  Not even Wholesome Sweeteners has a very good comparision on nutritional values for their sugars.

The picture on the right is SUCANAT - darker, uncrystallized, and larger granules with a more molasses flavor.  According to Wholesome Sweeteners this is whole cane sugar. "It's made by simply crushing freshly cut sugar cane, extracting the juice and heating it in a large vat. Once the juice is reduced to a rich, dark syrup, it is hand-paddled. Hand paddling cools and dries the syrup, creating the dry porous granules we call Sucanat. Nothing is added and nothing is taken out!"  Again I think Wholesome Sweeteners doesn't do a very good comparision of nutritional value.  With nothing added or taken out, it seems there should be some more fiber value to this one.

I really like having my facts straight about something and as is common with the internet there are many conflicting articles, BUT I found this really great article about Sucanat and its nutritional value on another site called, LiveStrong.com.  It has references for its information which I always like.  Maybe it will be helpful.

At any rate, I have found that I can use Sucanat cup for cup in most of my baking recipes.  I DO NOT use Sucanat in my sweet tea - it affects the taste TOO much.  And I DO NOT use it in my canning of preserves and pickles, for the same reason.  I will issue a warning here though that if you have never used Sucanat before, you need to introduce it to your family slowly.  I suggest using a half Cane Juice and half Sucanat mixture where you are wanting to make changes.  It may take getting used to, although, I have baked brownies before using all Sucanat and had folks rave, never suspecting!!!

One more note . . . I am repeating myself here, using too much Sucanat or Cane Juice is just as bad for you as using too much white sugar!!  All things in moderation!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Beyond the Basics ~ Beans and Rice

Once you feel like you have gotten started on this journey, it won't be long before you begin to wonder - okay, what else should I be storing?  Some of the easiest staples to store in bulk are beans and rice, and with these come a wide variety.  What kind of beans does your family like?  For us it would be black turtle beans, pinto beans, and small red beans.  I also have on hand some kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and lentils.  While we are here let me just tell you that you want to be sure and store beans that your family will EAT.  Frankly, my gang does not care much for kidney beans, for that matter neither do I.  We may store those kidney beans for a long time yet :).  You get the point!!

This is a good place to tell you also that brown rice does not store as long as white rice.  Brown rice has more nutritional value because all that has been removed from it is the outer hull.  Brown rice still has the germ and bran, so consequently it can spoil faster.  We try not to store brown rice in our home for more than 6 months.  After that time it has a tendency to take on a rancid smell.  White rice, on the other hand, can be stored for a LONG time.  White rice usually has the bran and germ removed as well as being polished, so that its nutritional value plummets.  Although white rice has little nutritional value, I do store it in case of emergency.  I prefer to use brown rice, but I have been known to use white rice when I am pinched for time ;D !

For a great article on the benefits of brown rice visit World's Healthiest Foods.

For a great article on the many different varieties of rice visit The Rice Gourmet.

I would also like to mention a few of the books that I have on cooking with beans and bulk storage:














Have fun exploring all your options!!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Baking Bread with your Basics

If you have started buying your basics in bulk - and even if you haven't - it is time to start some practical applications.  Let's bake some bread!!

The following recipe is one that I got from my daughter.  It is almost like eating cake, so it is a great recipe to introduce to your family, especially if you are used to eating white, store-bought bread.  It is also very versatile in that you can incorporate 1/2 whole wheat flour and still end up with a wonderful bread.  I usually divide the dough in half and make 2 loaves, but I have also divided the dough into thirds and made a braid out of it.  Beautiful and tasty!!!

BASIC WHITE BREAD -

1/3 cup milk (can you guess by now that I use my powdered milk mixture?)
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbl. oil
1 Tbl. butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar (I use Sucanat)
4 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use half unbleached bread flour and half fresh ground spelt)
2 teaspoons yeast

I have to admit that my daughter and I both cheat, in that she uses her Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker to do the mixing of this and then pulls it out before the baking cycle and does what she will with the dough and I use my Bosch Universal Plus Stand Mixer, 800 watt, 6.5-Quarts to mix the dough together and then let it rise in an oiled bowl before dividing it into loaves.  There was a time when I did all my dough by hand - and it can be done - but now I suppose I am ruined!  I haven't wanted to get into much detail about bread making itself because there are so many different approaches.  So as simply as possible, all the ingredients go into a bowl as listed.  The best way to mix the batter is with your hands, although you can start it with a wooden spoon.  Once you have your wet mass, you can turn it out onto a floured surface to knead it.  I do add an additional 1/2 cup or so of flour even when I am using my Bosch.  I knead this dough for about 12 minutes in my Bosch and I think most bread machines have an initial dough knead of about 15 minutes.  You can count on a sticky mess if you are kneading by hand, but if you can keep your mass from sticking to the surface and can keep at it, the gluten will eventually activate and become a smooth, round ball of dough.  Be careful of adding too much additional flour or your dough will be too heavy.  Place your round mound of dough in an oiled bowl to rise and double in size, preferably in a warm place.  This can take an hour or two.  When it has doubled, punch down the dough and divide it into two parts and place each in an oiled bread pan.  Let rise until doubled again, about an hour.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

For more specific information on bread making check out:

 The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking - don't get too hung up in all the technique, I have hardly ever done it "by the book," and we have enjoyed home made bread for years!!!

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking - this is a relatively new method that seems to be taking home bakers by storm.  I have tried it and it is VERY EASY!!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Vision for the Future . . .

Okay, so I have been writing all these posts about getting started storing bulk foods, but I thought it might be nice to see where you want to be headed . . .

I have had the question asked, "What do you have stored in buckets in your kitchen?"  I am blessed with a fairly large kitchen and a small pantry.  I have a six foot table in my kitchen under which I store approximately 12 buckets.  Those buckets contain evaporated cane juice, sucanat, unbleached flour, popcorn, grits, elbow macaroni, veggie rotini, hard red wheat berries, spelt berries, powdered milk, brown rice, whole 7 grain mix, soft white wheat berries, and chocolate chips.  In the pantry I have hard white wheat berries, black beans, millet, and oh - I found an empty!

So what does a typical day look like at my house?  Really . . . is there such a thing as typical?  ;D  Well, let's see . . . this morning I made grits with eggs for breakfast.  That is my hubby's "usual!"  Then I made bread this morning, getting into the spelt, flour, and sucanat.  I do that at least twice a week.  For lunch we had chili and I made elbow macaroni to go with that.  This afternoon I found some overripe bananas in my fruit basket - which hardly ever happens at my house - so I made banana muffins.  With that recipe I ground my own soft white wheat berries and also got into the sucanat and flour buckets.  Plus, I had mixed a batch of powdered milk this morning and used it in the bread and muffins.

That, I suppose, is a typical day for me in and out of the buckets, grinding my own wheat, using the bulk foods I store and saving money.  Hope this helps!!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

How to Store - Part 2

So, we have been discussing storing items in bulk to save money and to be prepared in case of emergency - even if that emergency is your husband being laid off for a few months.  We have talked about starting with basic food stuffs that can stretch your grocery dollar.  We have covered the best way to store bulk, that being in food grade buckets with gasketed lids.

I would like to cover today long-term storage vs short-term storage and Gamma Seal lids.  Since we are in the getting started stage, probably most of the items you buy will be "in use."  These items can be stored in a bucket with a regular gasketed lid -OR- something called a Gamma lid.  A Gamma lid is a two part lid, one part fits down on the bucket and then the second part twists off for easy access.  I will admit that a Gamma lid is VERY convenient, BUT they are NOT necessary!  I have some buckets with Gammas and some without.  I keep a metal bucket opener and a rubber mallet handy as part of my kitchen utensils.  Kept close to where my buckets are stored they make it easy to get in and out of those buckets.
Rubber mallet
Now, if you are ready to start storing items for future use, we want to pack those for what we call long-term storage.  These items you are going to keep in a more temperature controlled place like your basement or root cellar.  Since these items are "in storage," you don't want them directly on a concrete floor.  Put the buckets up on a pallet or something where air can circulate around them.  When you are preparing buckets for long term storage they need to be "sealed" against varmints and air.  The easiest way to do this is to purchase oxygen absorbers (I will cover this in its own post soon)  to drop down in the bucket on top of its contents.
                                                                                                                         
Here is how this works:

     1)  Make sure your bucket is clean (whether new or used), free from dust, debris, etc.
     2)  Open your bag of flour, sugar, grain, whatever, and carefully pour into your bucket, shaking the bucket occasionally to allow the contents to settle.
     3)  You want to allow about an inch and a half headspace at the top of your bucket.
     4)  Next you want to drop the recommended number of oxygen absorbers in the 5 or 6 gallon bucket.  (Again more on this later - handling oxygen absorbers can be tricky if you have never used them before.)
     5)  Last, quickly set your lid on top and use your rubber mallet to hammer that lid in place, turning the bucket a quarter turn with each mallet swing.  You don't want the lid sticking up at all, but level and sealed completely.

Buckets sealed in this way can for the most part, be put aside until you need them.  There are certain items that we will later discuss in detail that DO NOT last as long.

Coming soon - a resource list of suppliers for buying your bulk food and/or co-oping!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

How to Store - Part I

We have discussed how to begin with the purchase of certain bulk items such as flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, salt and yeast.  The whole idea here is to buy these items in bulk - 50 pounds of flour, 50 lbs of sugar, salt, baking powder/soda, & yeast.  Okay, so I'm encouraging you to buy 50 lbs of certain items, but let's face it, 50 lb bags don't fit very well in the pantry.  Even if you have room in your pantry for them, a 50 lb bag of flour, grain, or sugar would advertise to certain critters (ants, weevils, roaches, & pantry moths) that you would probably not wish to attract.

The best way to store bulk items is in food grade buckets with tight-fitting, rubber gasketed lids.  The size of the bucket will depend on the the quantity you are storing which is directly related to the size of your crew.  As an example,
        A 5 or 6 gallon bucket each of flour and sugar
        A 3 gallon bucket of salt
        A 5 lb container of baking powder and/or soda
        A 2 lb package of yeast

Food grade buckets come in all sizes from 1 gallon to 7 gallons.  A 50 lb bag of flour or sugar will fit nicely in a 6 gallon bucket and you may have a little to spare.  If you are storing 50 lbs of salt it fits well in a 5 gallon bucket.  Now don't panic about storing 50 lbs of salt.  If salt is kept dry it will last a VERY, VERY long time.  You can go by the Biblical standard - if salt has lost its savour(saltiness) . . . it is good for nothing - except maybe a scrubbing agent.  I have personally used the same bucket of salt for years!

Now whether you are a coupon clipper or a store hopper, you know that in order to find the deals sometimes you have to do your research.  The same is true for buying in bulk.  There are places where you can buy your bulk items already in buckets and sometimes it is less expensive to buy them in bags and bucket them yourself.  For years I bought my whole grains, rice, etc. in pre-sealed buckets.  These buckets were sealed for long term storage (we will discuss this in detail in Part II).  So over the years as I have used the grain, etc., I have emptied many a bucket.  I never throw them away!  Needless to say I have accumulated many buckets.  Very often you can find used food grade buckets from a restaurant or bakery.  These are good for buckets that are "in use", but probably not so great for long term storage (again more on this later).  But you also have to keep in mind that sometimes by the time you have purchased the grains in bags and new buckets and add to that shipping costs, you would have been better off to have purchased them from someone already bucketed.  For me, it is cheaper to refill my used buckets than to purchase more.

 In Part II, we will discuss short term storage (what I call being "in use") vs. long term storage and introduce the Gamma lid. 

Coming soon - an extensive resource list!   Suppliers of bulk foods, bucketed items, co-op opportunities, gamma lids, and more!!!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Pumpkin Muffins

I know I am still straying here . . . but couldn't resist sharing this muffin recipe.  It is one that frequents our home.  Last week I made four batches.  Of course, last week I splurged and added chocolate chips to the recipe.  Maybe that is why they kept disappearing :D  !!!

As a side note, last fall after halloween our local grocery store put their pumpkins on sale for 99 cents.  Not per pound, mind you, any pumpkin, any size, 99 cents!!  Well, I couldn't resist.  I bought two of the biggest pumpkins I could find and for a couple of days, I canned and froze pumpkin.  If I remember correctly the smaller of the two pumpkins yielded 7 pints - and of course we had a quart jar almost full of yummy roasted & salted pumpkin seeds.  Anyway, all that said, my family is not crazy about pumpkin unless it is in a pie or in a muffin . . .


Pumpkin Muffins ~

1 cup freshly ground soft white wheat (may use all purpose)
3/4 cup unbleached flour (may use all purpose or more soft white)
1/2 cup Sucanat (may use sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk (I used that powdered milk from the last post ;) )
1/3 cooking oil

1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped nuts (my preference is pecans - also optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (OPTIONAL)

Grease muffin tin.  Preheat oven 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl stir together all dry ingredients, including cinnamon & nutmeg.  Add wet ingredients and pumpkin.  Stir until just moistened.  Add optional nuts or chocolate chips at this time.  Spoon mixture into greased tin.  Bake 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Enjoy!!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Stretching Milk

I know this is a bit of a departure from our beginning instructions but it is something I have been doing the past couple of weeks and it needed mentioning . . .

One of the things that we stored back before 2000 was powdered milk.  Believe it or not, I got into one of those stored containers just two weeks ago.  The powdered milk was stored in a mylar bag within a 5 gallon bucket.  There were oxygen absorbers in the mylar bag and this particular mylar bag was hand ironed shut by me - this would probably make for its own post sometime!!  Anyway, we don't drink a huge amount of milk at my house but enough.  Probably the biggest consumption of milk is what I cook with, so this was my plan . . .

My children DO NOT like powdered milk and they DO NOT drink powdered milk!  And thank the Lord up to this point they have not HAD to!!  But I figured I could stretch my gallon of milk twice over if I simply used powdered milk for my cooking.  So I got a quart jar and placed one cup of powdered milk into it.  I first added about a cup of cold water and stirred with my whisk.  Then I continued to add water periodically placing the lid on it and shaking it well, alternating stirring with the whisk.  This mixture can be lumpy, but eventually the lumps dissolve.

I have been using this mixture for ALL my cooking - pancakes, bread, soups, quiche, muffins, etc.  I am sure I have saved myself two gallons of milk in the last two weeks.  May not seem like much, but at $4.79 a gallon that is $19.16 savings per month and $229.92 per year.  Of course, I already had the milk on hand - I can't even remember how much we paid for it in 1999 - but currently powdered milk from my source is about $112.00 for a 55 pound bag.

I guess I will try to keep up with how long it takes me to go through this 5 gallon bucket and see how my savings measure out.  I'll try to remember to keep you posted . . .

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

What to Store

A good place to start is with a few basics.  The more you learn, the more you will add to your supplies.  You also need to consider your family's eating habits.  You need to start with items they will eat!  Eventually, you may add more nutritious foods to your menu.  By the way, this lifestyle is infectious!!!!  You have been duly warned! :D

There is nothing more nutritious and money saving than making things from scratch.  Processed boxed mixes that have questionable ingredients to give them longer shelf life are the things you first want to replace.

      Here's a rabbit trail . . . Did you know that in the event of a crises it would take only three days to empty the shelves of most supermarket chains!

So your basic starting blocks would be:
     Flour - preferably unbleached, can be bread flour or all purpose
     Sugar - if you haven't heard of it, now's a great time to replace your white sugar with evaporated cane juice
     Yeast
     Salt - try storing Celtic sea salt or some type of mineral salt like REAL salt

Now bear in mind that eventually - Lord willing - you will be storing whole grains that you will grind or mill yourself . . . this is just a starting point.

With your basic blocks you can create -
     homemade bread
     muffins
     pancakes
     pizza dough
     biscuits
     cakes
     brownies
     tortillas
     and much, much more!!!

These are items you can serve with almost every meal . . . muffins or pancakes with breakfast, sandwiches or wraps with lunch, biscuits or dinner rolls with supper.  I hope that you are catching the vision . . .

Coming up next . . . how to store and how much??




And so it begins . . .

ScatteredGrain is my personal blog about storing and using bulk foods.  Since before Y2K our family has kept a bulk food storage system.  When times are fat, it sits a lot!  When times are lean, it is a HUGE blessing!  Let's face it, here lately there are more lean times than fat.  And you can bet with gas prices on the rise again and much unrest in the Middle East, food costs will be next to go up!

It is fairly easy to begin to buy and store in bulk.  You can begin as your budget allows.  If you have a few neighbors or family members that also want to do the same -- all the better!  The more people that can co-op together, the greater your buying power.

My hope for this site is to share practical helps, books, recipes, and resources for you to begin your journey.

And so lets get started . . .