Food Storage Methods

Transcription

1 Simply Prepared ecourse Module 6, Chapter 1: Food Storage Methods 1

2 Welcome Welcome to the written lesson from Chapter one of module six! Food is what most people think of when they begin working on emergency preparedness. It is essential to life and to our psychological well-being. For that reason, it is important to have food. Three weeks and five chapters of the Simply Prepared ecourse are dedicated to food. We will begin today by discussing the four methods you can use to store extra food for your family. Giving thought to the method you want to use is important. I ve seen many people begin without planning anything out first and it is less effective. I do believe storing any food is better than storing no food. But starting without a plan creates inefficiency, which results in wasted time and wasted money. As I walk you through your choices today, give some serious thought to what will work best for your family. That may be different from what works best for my family, and that is okay! Option # 1: Just add water meals I ve hesitated to include just add water meals as a method here as it is one I have not comfortable recommending in the past. However, I had some good friends recently call me up and ask for advice on food storage. This couple truly felt that just add water meals were the way to go. Even after I listed off all the reasons why I felt that was a poor choice, they still felt that it was best for them in their situation. Honestly, I have a lot of respect for this couple and admire them in many ways. After talking with them for quite a while, I came to realize that they wouldn t do food storage any other way; other methods took too much time, 2

3 planning, organization, and maintenance. They are extremely busy and the ease of the pre-made meals overcame all the negatives for them. They had the money to afford them and it was simply what worked for them. Knowing that the effort required by other options meant that they would purchase just add water meals or nothing, I realized that just add water meals do have a place in the food storage world. My experience with them helped me to realize that everyone s situation and needs are different and I don t have any right to tell others what is best for them. My role is to share quality, accurate information and then let others make decisions that best suit their situation and personality. So, I m including pre-made just add water meals here as an option! What are just add water meals? When I say just add water meals, I m talking about pouches of food that have a number of different ingredients in them combined to make a meal. Many of the ingredients are either freeze dried or dehydrated. One example would be hot cereal that included oats, freeze dried fruit, nuts and a bit of sugar. Another might have noodles, tomato powder, mushrooms, seasonings, and freeze dried sausage to create spaghetti. In order to eat them, you simply add water, heat them up and you are good to go! Pros Just add water meals are very appealing to many people for two main reasons: Planning is easy. Simply buy a bucket full of the number of meals you want and you are done. No calculators needed. This can be a huge benefit for those that are overwhelmed by trying to plan out a 3-12 month supply of food for their family. 3

4 Using them is easy. No special skills needed. There is no need to learn to cook with your food storage when all you have to do is add water! This ease of use would be helpful immediately following a large natural disaster when everything is still crazy. I store a few days supply of these types of meal for this reason alone. I keep them upstairs, separate from my other food storage, where they will hopefully be easier to find. I also keep a few in our cars. The ease of just having to add water to feed my family for a few days (while I find and organize all my other, higher quality supplies and food) is very appealing. Good for short term emergencies. If most of the emergencies at the top of the list you created in module 1 are short term (a few days), then Just Add Water Meals may be a good option for you. I have used these occasionally on days when I m too tired, too sick or honestly, just too lazy to make a full meal. They save us the cost of calorie packed, nutrient sparse fast food! Cons I ve found that many people don t know about some of the downsides to Just Add Water Meals, and I feel it is important to make sure you know. In my opinion, these negatives outweigh the positives when considering storing them exclusively for long term food storage, but you will need to decide for yourself! Taste. When you put a bunch of ingredients in a bag and they sit together for years, all the flavors blend together and they just don t taste as good as they would if ingredients were added individually. In addition, since all the ingredients are in one bag, everything must be cooked for the same amount of time. This means that you will often have to choose between soggy noodles, or crunchy beans / meat. 4

5 Some of these types of meals taste much better than others, and I recommend you do not invest heavily in any option until you ve tried and tasted them. My personal favorite for taste are those from Thrive Life, but they don t offer much variety, don t have breakfast meals, have a shorter shelf life, and don t offer their meals in the convenient buckets that some companies do. Difficult Rotation. Because of the inferior taste, these meals are difficult to rotate. It is likely your family will not want to eat them instead of your regular dinners made with fresh ingredients. As such, they will likely just sit on the shelf and not be used unless you are forced to use them. As mentioned in module two, this is a waste of money. If you are never forced to use them, you will end up tossing out thousands of dollars of food. Negative Mood. What you eat affects your mood. It does. If you do not like the food you are eating, your mood will change. You may be able to deal with it for a few days, but eating food you dislike over weeks or months will be difficult psychologically. This is more important than many people realize. Any situation that forces you to use your food storage will be causing stress in your life. If the food you eat is increasing that stress instead of decreasing it, this may result in damaged relationships and poor decisions. Poor Nutrition. Many people do not realize how unhealthy just add water meals are. Single ingredient freeze dried and dehydrated foods are highly nutritious and have a long shelf life on their own without additives or preservatives (especially freeze dried foods). But when you combine a bunch of ingredients together they react with each other and shorten the shelf life. This means that in order to maintain a 20+ year shelf life, just add water meals must also include various additives and preservatives. 5

6 Some companies, like Thrive Life, do not add these additives and preservatives, but as a result, their pre-made meals have a much shorter shelf life. Many companies offer buckets of meals you can purchase as a ready made supply. Unfortunately, these typically contain enormous amounts of salt, msg, sugar or other damaging additives. Eating these for a few days isn t going to permanently damage anyone s health. But eating them for weeks or months will. Be very wary of any company that claims a long shelf life AND no preservatives / additives with just add water meals. This is similar to the end of life testing for water filters. It is doubtful combos of ingredients can actually last that long without additives and preservatives. In addition to the additives and preservatives, many just add water meals include lots of rice or pasta (white grains) and very little veggies and protein (meat or beans). High Cost. At first glance, many just add water meals may seem to be an inexpensive, or at the least, not a crazy expensive option. Unfortunately, this is deceiving. Be careful. A bucket may claim to have 30 meals for a family of 5 in it. But when you actually look at the calories or serving size, each person is actually getting less than 300 calories per meal or less than 1000 / day (sometimes far less). Since you can t reasonable survive (at least not well) on so few calories for weeks or months, you may need to buy two buckets instead of one to give you a sufficient supply. This can increase the cost of just add water meals significantly. Some companies will also claim 2000 calories per day (or something similar), but when actually break it down and look at the package, a large portion of those calories is coming from sugar filled drinks, not just food. So, you may get calories from food and the rest from sugar. 6

7 Summary And oftentimes, the majority of the calories from food are coming from pasta or rice. You may need / want to supplement with some additional fruit, veggies and protein which will also increase your cost. I ve found that when I calculate cost per calories for actual food, just add water meals are almost always the most expensive option. Just add water meals are a good option if you are paralyzed by the effort and time required by the other three options. If you do choose to store a long term supply of just add water meals: Taste many options before fully investing in any Set a schedule to eat one of your just add water meals every month or so (how often will depend on the shelf life of what you purchase) Try to find options with less additives and preservatives in them Look for options that include a good balance of grains, fruit / veggies, and protein OR purchase additional fruit / veggie and protein to have on the side. Be careful of cost. Figure and compare cost per calorie, not just cost per serving. Option # 2: Basic Calorie Method What I call the basic calorie method is what many people initially think of when they think of food storage. These are basic life sustaining foods. They include things like whole grains, beans, oils, sugar, baking supplies and powdered milk. There is not a lot of variety, but these foods will allow you to get the calories you need to survive. 7

8 With this method, you calculate what you need based on calories. There are some calculators out there that use pounds to calculate needs. I personally prefer not to as it is not as accurate as calculating calories. Pros: Cost effective. The #1 benefit to the basic calorie method is that it is extremely cost effective. These foods are the least expensive calories you can get. This is how I started back when we had very little money, but I wanted to do something. Easy to plan. While not quite as simple as the just add water meals, planning food storage using the basic calorie method is very simple. The calculator I will provide you with in module 7 will do the math for you and in just a matter of minutes you can have a shopping list ready of what you need to purchase. Quick Peace of Mind. Most families can afford both the time and money to get at least a 2-4 week supply of basic foods in their homes. This can bring valuable peace of mind. Some of the other methods require more time and / or money, but with the basic calorie method, that peace of mind can be found quickly. Cons: Learning curve. Most (not all) people don t regularly use things like wheat and powdered milk in their everyday cooking. And some people don t bake or cook much from scratch so they also don t use things like sugar, baking soda, dry beans etc. If that is you, there can be a learning curve with the foods with these basic foods. If you do choose to store basic foods, I highly suggest you learn to use them now, before you are forced to use them. While it will require an 8

9 investment of your time, I promise it isn t as difficult as it might seem at first! If you store these types of foods, but don t learn how to use them, you will significantly increase your stress level during an emergency. Like mentioned in the last section, stress will already be high in an emergency. Having to learn how to use wheat when the internet is down and you didn t realize that you needed a wheat grinder to turn it into flour might just put you over the edge! Difficult Rotation. If you fit into the category of those who don t cook from scratch and don t want to, you will find it very difficult to rotate through these basic foods. Even if you are disciplined enough to learn how to use them, if you don t have / make the time to use them somewhat regularly, they will just sit on your shelf and not be used unless you are forced to use them. Again, this is a waste of money. If you are never forced to use them, you will end up tossing out thousands of dollars of food. Food Fatigue. Like I mentioned earlier, what you eat affects your mood. When cooked by someone who knows how to use them, most basic foods can be quite tasty. But, the lack of variety can cause food fatigue. These basic foods can sometimes become boring and this too can affect your mood and be difficult psychologically. Your stress levels will increase and you may make poor decision and / or damage relationships. Digestive Issues. While foods in this basic category are healthy, there is a catch! If you are not used to eating whole grains and beans, but then start doing so because you are forced to, you will get sick. You will have digestive issues. These digestive issues will sap your energy just when you need it (to deal with your emergency), increase your stress and add more 9

10 problems during a difficult time. In a true emergency situation without access to quality medical care, these issues can be especially dangerous for young children. Missing Nutrients. In addition, true basics only food storage will be lacking in the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. You can get some of these by sprouting your grains and beans, but not all of them. Difficult to create full meals. Storing enough basic calories to sustain life doesn t mean you will be able to make meals out of the ingredients you have stored. You can rotate through the ingredients you store by making bread or a serving a side of beans for dinner, but it can be very difficult to many create full meals from just basic ingredients. Summary The Basic Calorie food storage method is a good option for those on a tight budget who like to cook from scratch. If you choose to go with the Basic Calorie Method: Learn to use the foods you store (if you don t already know how) Make certain you have a grain mill so you can turn your grains into flour Cook from scratch at least weekly to rotate through your food storage and make sure your digestive systems are used to whole grains and beans Store your family s favorite spices and herbs in addition to what is recommended in the calculator to help avoid food fatigue. Learn to sprout grains and beans. Consider gardening and / or storing fruits and veggies at some point in the future (the Calorie Plus Method) as finances allow. 10

11 Option # 3: Calorie plus Method What I call the Calorie Plus method is similar to the Basic Calorie Method, but it is more robust. This method still uses whole grains, beans, powdered milk, baking supplies as its base. But it also includes fruits, vegetables, condiments, meats, and even cheese if you want it. What you need to store is still calculated based on calories. If you use the calculator I ve created (which you will gain access to in module 7), it will help you build a well-balanced food storage based on the recommendations of servings from each food group from the USDA. Pros: Relatively easy to plan. With the Calorie Plus Method, you are still planning food storage based on calories so while there are more items to choose from in the calculator than in the Basic Calorie Method, it is still a simple process that doesn t take a huge amount of effort. Well-Balanced and Nutritious. With the calorie plus method, you are focused balanced calories. You will store foods from all the food groups which means your food storage is better balanced and more nutritious overall. No Food Fatigue. This method allows for a wide variety of foods in your food storage which will allow for more exciting meals. You will not have to worry about getting tired of the food you ve stored. Creating meals is easier. While not quite as easy as the next method we will talk about, creating meals from the food storage using the calorie Plus Method is easier than just the calorie method because you have things from all the food groups. 11

12 Cons: Learning curve. Since the Calorie Plus method still uses all the things in the Basic Calorie method, you will still have similar concerns with learning curve when it comes to learning to use those items. However, the fruits, veggies and meats that you store will likely have less of a learning curve. Difficult Rotation. Even though some of the foods stored with this method are more familiar, oftentimes, I ve found that people still store things they don t use regularly. For example, I do not like canned green beans or most any canned fruit or vegetable, honestly. But when I started adding produce to my food storage that was the only way I knew how to get shelf stable produce. Sadly, we rarely ate it and wasted a lot of it. In addition, this method still requires more from scratch cooking. If you don t have / make the time to create meals with your food storage somewhat regularly, it will just sit on your shelf and not be used unless you are forced to use it. One more time, this is a waste of money. If you are never forced to use it, you will end up tossing out thousands of dollars of food. Digestive Issues. This method is still very grain heavy, so you will have the same digestive issues mentioned in the Basic Calorie Method if you aren t using / eating those grains on a somewhat regular basis. Somewhat difficult to create full meals. I ve know I ve listed this as both a pro and a con under this method. First, I want to emphasize, that if you choose to store food based on calories, that doing so using the Calorie Plus method will make creating meals easier than doing so using the Basic Calorie Method. This is why I ve listed it as a pro. 12

13 But, anytime you store food based on calories, you may still end up with some awkward meals. This is because even if you have a balanced number of total veggies, grains, or dairy, you may have too much, or not enough of one specific item. For example, you may end up with a lot of extra spaghetti noodles and not enough tomato sauce. Summary The calories plus method is a good option for those who want a wellbalanced food storage, don t need the least expensive option, and aren t ready to spend the time required for the Recipe Method. If you choose to go with the Calorie Plus Method: Learn to use the foods you store (if you don t already know how) Make certain you have a grain mill so you can turn your grains into flour Cook from scratch at least weekly to rotate through your food storage and make sure your digestive systems are used to whole grains and beans. Option #4: Recipe Method What I call the recipe method is the idea that the food you store should be based on recipes. In other words, you should store the ingredients you need to make certain recipes. The idea is that instead of just basing your food storage on calories, you get more specific and organized. Start by gathering recipes your family likes to eat. Then, convert them to shelf stable ingredients. This isn t possible with 100% of recipes (there is no full steak or chicken breast available in shelf stable format), but can happen for 60%-70% of recipes (especially when using freeze dried foods). In the cookbook in module 7, I provide many 13

14 conversion charts in the back that you can use to help with this conversion process. Once you ve converted your recipes, you can enter them into the calculator I ve created (you will gain access in module 7) and it will tell you how much of each ingredient you need to purchase in order to reach you supply goal. If you want someone to do all the work for you, I ve found to a fun system called No Fail Food Storage. This food storage plan is based on recipes and foods you can buy at your local grocery store. You can find a link to this plan in the Related Products section of this chapter when logged into the ecourse website. In addition, you will have access to my personal tried and true 100% shelf stable recipes in my recipe book as part of module 7. If you don t want to gather and convert your own recipes, you can use mine! Most of these recipes use freeze dried and / or dehydrated foods in addition to basic food storage items. Pros: Ease of use. When and if you have to use your food storage, this method will be the easiest to switch to using 100%. There isn t much of a learning curve to making recipes your family already enjoys. There are a few tips and tricks to using shelf stable produce and meats and we will cover these in module 8. But the learning curve is short and simple. Well-Balanced and Nutritious. While some of this depends on how well balanced your family s recipes are, basing your food storage on recipes you are already eating means that your food storage will have the same level of nutrition that your current diet does. No Food Fatigue. When you store food based on recipes, you get to decide how much variety to include. And no matter what you choose, they are recipes your family already likes and enjoys. 14

15 You can store comfort foods that will keep you healthy mentally happy, and help you have a clear head for making good decisions. Less Waste / Easier Rotation. By storing ingredients for recipes your family already uses, you make rotation far easier. Instead of trying to feed your family foods they aren t used to / possibly don t like, you are feeding them things they already enjoy. You will naturally rotate through your food without much effort. Time Savings. Having food you regularly use to cook normal family meals stored in your home will decrease the time you spend planning meals, making grocery lists and shopping at the store. Extra Benefits. Sometimes people think the only reason to have food storage is so that they can use it after a natural disaster, during a long term job loss or because of some other similarly HUGE circumstance. While it would be very beneficial in such circumstances, it is quite possible that you will never face such a circumstance. By storing foods your family regularly uses in recipes they like, you will benefit your family in other more every day ways: o What about a week where you are sick or overly busy and just can t find the time to get to the grocery store? Pull out your food storage and avoid the cost and poor nutrition of fast food! o Or what about a week with a really bad snow storm? The power is still on, and you could drive to go do your grocery shopping, but you d really rather stay home? Pull out that food storage and keep yourself warm and safe! o Or how about the night where you find out your friend or neighbor just experienced a loss or personal tragedy of some sort, but it is just hours before dinner? Pull out your food storage and whip up a quick meal to show you care. 15

16 Cons: There are only two real cons to the Recipe method, but they can both be hard to overcome. Time Consuming. Gathering recipes and converting them to shelf stable format can be very time consuming, overwhelming and just plain hard to be honest. Cost. This is likely a more expensive option for most families as it will not (typically) be whole grain and bean heavy (unless that is what you eat regularly). Summary The Recipe Method is a good option for those who want a highly customized, easy to use food storage that they know their family will enjoy eating and are willing to invest time in planning that food storage. If you choose to go with the Recipe Method: Commit to investing a significant amount of time Pick 3-5 breakfast, 3-5 lunch, and 7-14 dinner recipes. Convert those recipes to shelf stable ingredients and try making them at least once. Use the calculator provided in module 7 to calculate exactly what you need to store. 16

17 What I did: As I ve mentioned before (in this lesson and others), I do not want you to just do what I did. That may not be right for your family. However, I also understand that seeing how someone else has put this information into action can be a helpful starting point. The Basic Calorie Plan When I first started with food storage we were (very) poor law school students. We didn t have extra money. For this reason, and the fact that I didn t know much about all the options out there for food storage, I started with the Basic Calorie Plan. I purchased enough calories of wheat, rice, beans, powdered milk, macaroni, dehydrated apples carrots and onions, oats, and sugar to last my husband and I one month. I bought a very inexpensive hand grain mill and learned to make homemade bread. I researched sprouting wheat, and using wheat as a meat substitute (though I didn t actually do those things I just printed out instructions on how to do it). Storing that food, and learning the little I did brought incredible peace of mind. I loved knowing that we had something.anything stowed away. It would keep us alive if need be. But man alive am I glad that I never had to use that food exclusively! It would have been so overwhelming! I have no idea what kind of meals I could have made! The Calorie Plus Plan Overtime, I guess I kinda switched to the Calorie Plus Plan. I didn t actually calculate out the calories, but I did slowly add more fruits, vegetables and meats. 17

18 The only way I knew of to store these items in a shelf stable format was by buying grocery store cans. I knew I could can my own produce, but I didn t have space for a garden, the money to invest in canning equipment, or quite honestly, the energy to learn (I had four children age 3 and under at the time). I didn t love the texture of the store bought canned foods, or how they worked in my recipes, but I didn t know there were other options. Still, having those cans brought increased peace of mind. It wasn t food we hated or didn t know how to use. If we needed to, we d use it. I convinced myself that I d get around to eating it and we d have it for dinner more often, but unfortunately, we didn t do that often enough. I wasted a lot of food because we didn t rotate through it and didn t use it. I also eventually did try using wheat as a meat substitute (didn t like it) and sprouting it. A Tastier Calorie Plus Plan A few years later, I learned about and tasted freeze dried foods. I was amazed at how close to fresh they tasted in recipes. We were doing better financially at this point, and I realized that I could base my food storage off of recipes my family already knew and loved by using freeze dried produce. My goal was to create a full plan based on recipes, but I was overwhelmed by that idea. So, I started by simply adding cans of food I knew I used regularly in recipes to my stores. For two years, I just kept randomly adding foods I knew we used regularly. As my food storage grew, I loved knowing there were many recipes I could make with my food storage, but I didn t actually sit down and calculate out how much of each ingredient I needed for a 3 month or 6 month or 12 month supply. The Recipe Method It wasn t until 2014 that I actually sat down and did that. I started by choosing recipes we loved. 18

19 Then, I tested each recipe by making it 2-3 times with shelf stable ingredients, tweaking it each time to get it just right. Once I got each recipe right, I hired a photographer to come take pictures of the process so that I could post my recipes on my website. These are what you will find in the recipe book you will get access to in module 7. Once I had every recipe converted, I created a calculator so that I could calculate exactly how much of each ingredient I needed. I now (early 2016) know just how much I need, but I m still tweaking what we have a little (we had too much of some things and too little of others) to reach my goal of a 12 month supply. Encouragement As I ve thought about the process I went through, I want to offer a few encouraging thoughts First, some food is better than no food. Don t let the fear of choosing the wrong method keep you from storing food for your family. Make the best decision you can with the information you have, but make a decision and then ACT: store something. The peace of mind is priceless! Second, it is okay to start simple even if that is not where you want to end up! It is okay to start with the Basic Calorie Method. I did! Or, start with the Recipe Method, but just pick a few simple recipes. I do suggest keeping your long term food storage goals in mind so you don t buy things that won t fit into that at all, but starting simple allows for immediate peace of mind and a quick win that will motivate you to keep moving forward. 19

20 Third, mistakes are okay! I wish I d never stored so much canned grocery foods. But hey, I learned, our family had food insurance during that time, and it ended up benefiting a local food bank. It s okay that I made the wrong choice for our family. It was better than not making any choice at all. Last, the method you choose will likely evolve and change over time. Maybe right now, you don t have time to learn to use basic foods, but in 5 years when all your kids are in school, you will. Or, maybe right now, you are living on student loans and don t have any extra income for freeze dried foods, but in 10 years when well into your career, you will be able to afford them. Your tastes will also likely change over time which means you may change the recipes you store food for. Be open to that and keep it in mind as you choose which method you will move forward with for now. Take Action! Download the Worksheet attached to this chapter and use it to determine the food Storage method that you should use for your family. I ve created a calculator that will help you evaluate which method is best for your family. This calculator works by weighing the pros and cons to each method against your family s situation. It can t actually decide for you. You may feel that a certain negative or positive should be weighted more heavily than I ve weighted it. But it should get you thinking and should give you at least a general idea of which food storage method(s) that would be best for your family. You can download the calculator from the helpful downloads section in this chapter when logged into the ecourse website. It is an excel file. If you do 20

21 not have excel, you can still download and then open it using google docs and it will still work. You will also find a video there that will explain how to use the calculator. Go download it and try it out! Fill it out, see what it tell you and then use that as well as your own thoughts and feelings to pick a food storage method for your family! Review: As a review, Just Add Water Meals are best for those who are overwhelmed by the time commitment required by the other three options (either learning to use the food or planning out the recipes). The Basic Calorie Method is best for those on a tight budget who know how or will learn how to cook from scratch. The Calorie Plus Method is best for those who are in a more comfortable position financially, want a well-balanced food storage and don t want to spend the time to calculate exactly what they need for the Recipe Method. The Recipe Method is best for those who want a fully customized, easy to use food storage that they know their family will enjoy eating. 21

22 What s Next: If you choose the Basic Calorie Plus or Recipe Method, you will need to decide how to store produce, meat and cheese in shelf stable formats. There are many choices and once again, each has pros and cons. In Module 6, chapter 2, we will discuss and compare dehydration, canning, freezing, and freeze drying. 22