Black Friday Sale coming from Vintage Remedies!!!

I am so excited about the Black Friday sale that begins next Monday on the Vintage Remedies site.  The sale runs from midnight to midnight, starting at 12:01am on Monday, November 24, and ending at 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 2nd. (All times central standard time.)

I have so many of the classes on my list that I want to take that I am not sure which one will be first!

I am kind of pulled in a couple of directions these days because I have started working on my Aromatherapy website, so perhaps I will take their Essential Oils class first.  Whichever direction I go, check back next week and I will have their sale prices available for you.

Want a bit of a carrot??  Try out their free course . . . but beware!!!  One bite and you'll be hooked!!!

WonderMill (aka WhisperMill) vs NutriMill . . . and maybe some others!

This post has probably been a long time coming.  Obviously, it is impossible to use whole grains unless you have a grinder - well not impossible, but that is another post in itself!  ;)  This is a subject given to much opinion, and I too have mine!

For the last 20+ years I have used a WhisperMill (now being sold as the WonderMill).  I LOVE MINE!!!  I am not planning on changing any time soon, and when this one dies I will probably buy one just like it (old habits die hard).  But this machine has at least ONE major drawback . . . you have to turn it on BEFORE you pour in the grain OR you can tear it up.  Thankfully, this has only happened to me one time and I immediately turned it off and dumped it over to get everything out . . . I was blessed!!!  The only other possible drawback is the loudness, but I remember when my sister-in-law had a mill that we literally had to wear ear plugs with because it sounded like a jet engine . . . this mill is NOT that loud, but WhisperMill?? -- naw, that's probably why they changed the name.  ;D  The WonderMill has fine to coarse adjustments, is easy to clean, just an all around awesome machine.

The other machine worth mentioning is the NutriMill.  When we were in business a few years back I did carry this one.  I like the fact that the NutriMill has a hopper that you can fill and turn on and off at will.  That is a wonderful feature -- need two cups today, grind the wheat you need, need two cups tomorrow of the same thing, turn it on, grind a couple of cups, turn it off . . . AWESOME!  I have not owned one of these personally but I have a friend that has one and loves hers.  She has been through two WhisperMills and one other NutriMill.  My friend has a larger family than mine and she grinds corn with hers - which I NEVER do - not because it can't grind corn, but because it scares me to do it!  Crazy, huh?

I have also known women who own a KitchenAid with the grinder attachment.  You know the important thing is to find something to get started with.  When I first got started grinding wheat, my husband found a $10 wooden grain mill in our local trader and purchased it for me.  I was tickled pink to have something to start with.  We used it for years before we invested in a modern one and I gave that one to a friend.  Little did I know what it would be worth now - hee hee!!

Find something that works for you - and get started!!!
                                                                                                                                 

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!

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"

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.

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!

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 . . .