By Amy Jones

Back in “the day,” a typical food storage plan was cans of wheat and potato pearls and maybe some fruity drink mix, if you were lucky. Mmmmmm, yummy. Fortunately for those living in 2007, we have many more options, from a wide variety of dry goods to just-add-water meals. The problem is, when it comes to food storage, everyone still has visions of wheat nuts dancing in their heads.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but you need to store what you eat and eat what you store. From personal experience, I know it’s easy to do once you start trying, plus it’s terribly convenient and easy on the pocket book. If your family is big canned chicken eaters, store canned chicken. Do they love baked beans? Store canned baked beans. See what I’m getting at?

You might be thinking, ‘But I can’t afford to buy 3 or 6 months worth of our favorite convenience foods all at once.’ If you want less expensive or more nutritious things in your food storage, use less expensive and more nutritious things every day!

With a crock-pot in tow, it’s easy to cook dry beans, and store them in one cup portions in bags in the freezer. And you can freeze cooked grains in the freezer too, and have them defrosted in no time. No more Uncle Ben’s, you’ve got your own minute rice. It’s surprising how simple it can be when you start with one or two items and build from there.

So, how do you keep track of your food storage and where do you store it? Get a small journal, title separate pages grains, dairy, fruit/veggies, and misc. Divide each page into two labeled columns for the item and quantity. As you use an item, adjust the numbers.

This method also gives you a good idea of how quickly you use items and can help you assess what you need to buy to stay stocked. And where to store it when you’re short on space? As someone who lived in a 1200 square foot house with a husband and three kids, and a 2 year supply of food storage, I can attest that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Get creative, simplify and you will find room for your food.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Just start small and use the rule of 3. Choose three meals that you can use one item with, calculate how much of that one item to buy, spend the next 3 months eating your stored item 3 times of week, then restock. Start adding an additional item and apply the rule of three with that it, and so on.

So, let’s break things down so you might actually apply these suggestions. Say you pick rice as your food storage staple to use three times a week. First, choose 3 recipes to rotate. Add each recipe’s rice totals together, multiply the sum by 12 weeks, and there’s how much rice you need. Now, if your family is like mine, they get awful sick of the same three meals three times a week, so personally, I’d choose six meals. Add your rice for 6 meals and multiply the sum by 6 (eating each meal every other week).

Now, say sitting down and finding recipes just isn’t going to happen. You want me to tell you how much rice to get if you were going to use it for three months. Fine, fine, fine.

An average adult serving of rice per meal is about ½ cup dry, uncooked rice. So, ½ cup times 3 meals/week = 1 ½ cups. 1 ½ cups times 12 weeks = 18 cups. 18 cups times the number of people in your house….you do that math. It’s about the same for any grain or bean. Double that number, and then you have two 3 month supplies. Use one 3 month supply, while the other 3 month supply is being stored and will be used the following three months. If used once a week as planned, every three months you would need to buy that same amount to replace what you’ve used.

Let me help you get started on your recipes, though. I’ve taken 3 different typical food storage items and given you a recipe for each, with a breakdown of how much of that item per person is needed for that one meal, if eaten once a week for 3 months.

Recipes

Blender Pancakes Makes 12 pancakes

1 1/4 cup water
1 cup wheat berries (36 cups, or 18 lbs for 3 months)
1 egg (or equivalent egg powder) (12 eggs for 3 months)
2 tbsp oil (24 tbsp, or 1.5 cups for 3 months)
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (12 tbsp, or ¾ cup for 3 months)
1/2 tsp salt (6 tsp for 3 months)
1 tbsp baking powder (12 tbsp, or ¾ cup for 3 months)

Combine water and wheat in a blender on high for 3 minutes. Add egg, oil, honey, and salt and blend 20 seconds. Add baking powder and pulse 3 times, just enough to mix. Mixture should foam up and get very light. Cook as usual.

Un Chicken Fried Casserole Feeds 4-6

1 1/3 cup rolled oats
(15.5 cups, or 8 lbs for 3 months)
1 cup minced onions
(6 cups of dehydrated for 3 months)
4 eggs (fresh or powdered)
(48 eggs for 3 months)
3 tsp multi herb seasoning
(36 tsp, or 1 cup for 3 months)
1 tsp sage powder
(12 tsp, or 4 tbsp for 3 months)
5 Tbsp oil
(60 tbsp, or 3 ¾ cup for 3 months)
3 cup cream of mushroom soup
(12 cans of soup, or equiv. dried milk & flour)
Or white sauce
2-3 cups cooked rice or grain (1-1 ½ cups dry)
(12-18 cups dry for 3 months)
Grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Combine oats, onion, eggs and seasonings and form into patties. Heat oil in a skillet and brown patties on both sides.
It will look dry and ugly. Place atop cooked rice or grain in a 8X8 casserole dish and pour the soup over for gravy and sprinkle with cheese. Heat at 350º for 30 minutes.

Baked Bean Casserole Feeds 6 -8

1 cup chopped onion (6 cups dehydrated for 3 months)
½ cup catsup (6 cups for 3 months)
1 tsp salt (12 tsp, or 4 tbsp for 3 months)
½- ¾ cup honey or other sweetener(6-9 cups for 3 months)
1 tsp mustard (12 tsp, or 4 tbsp for 3 months)
½ cup diced green bell pepper (3 cups dehydrated for 3 months)
½ lb cooked hamburger or any meat,
TVP or mushroom optional (6 lbs for 3 months)
3 cups cooked rice or grain (1 ½ dry)(18 cups dry for 3 months
8 C any cooked bean combination (48 cans or 12 lbs dry for 3 months)
(Kidney, pinto, etc – equals 4 cans of beans)

Brown onion, pepper, and meat. Add remaining ingredients and transfer to a glass bowl. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice or grain.

All recipes from A World of Wisdom Cookbook, available at wowcookbook.homestead.com or at Herbally Grounded in Las Vegas. Amy Jones is co-owner of InCaseOf.org, a food storage and preparedness company.