Well, Isn’t This Fine And Dandy? I Filled My Buckets, But I Need More!

If you have read my blog for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve realized by now that I am working hard to build up a good pantry and food storage.  Remember last week when I posted this:

 

Look at all that grain!

 

I bought all those bags of different kinds of grain for two reasons.  First, I wanted to experiment with different whole grains in baking, and this was the most economical way to buy them.  Second, I wanted to repackage most of the grain for long term storage (meaning mylar bags with oxygen absorbers in food grade buckets).  Last week, I started packing the food in mylar bags (see post about it here), and yesterday I finished.  It really didn’t take me a couple of weeks, in fact, it took me about an hour total.  However, with the insanity that accompanies the last couple weeks of school coupled with the general craziness of life, I just couldn’t find the time to finish up until yesterday.  And here they are!

 

10 buckets (including the 2 done last week)! Repackaged as they are, these grains should last for at least 20 years (unopened and stored at an appropriate temperature). I’m not planning to have them sit around that long, because I plan to rotate the grains into our regular diet. But it is nice to know that this food will last a good long while.

 

And did you see these? Remember I said that I wanted to experiment with some of these grains? Here they are in mason jars ready for experimentation!

 

I don’t know if you can see it from the bucket picture above, but I have a few more things to repackage (oats and white winter wheat), but I may just throw those in a regular food grade bucket without a mylar bag, because I use those pretty regularly.  I’ll let you know when I decide.

 

Why am I doing this?  Growing up, my parents had food storage in our basement as well as a full pantry.  I remember my mom grinding her own wheat and making her own bread in a time when processed food was all the rage.  Because of her hard work and dedication, I have a great love for whole, natural foods, and I want to include those in my family’s diet.  Having food storage on hand allows me the freedom to wait for a good sale on healthy food and stock up.  I rarely have to run to the store for “one thing,” because I have extras of almost everything in the pantry or my food storage closet.  It’s not a year supply of food as some recommend, but we would be just fine for a while if we experienced a job loss, extended illness, natural disaster, or any one of a number of regularly occurring “disasters” that people experience.

How about you?  What do you think about this food storage craze? 

Do you see any wisdom in keeping a well-stocked pantry?  If so, what do you keep in yours?

Can You Live Without Power For 10 Days And Still Be Happy?

A good reminder…

My Foray Into Food Storage

I watched Nat Geo’s American Blackout last night.  Yes, I know I’m a bit behind the times as American Blackout premiered last year.  Hey, I don’t watch a lot of TV.  This was on my “to watch” list, and I finally got around to it last night.  BOY!  This is NOT the show to see if you do not want to be completely freaked out!  I found myself wondering what I would do.  I have some supplies on hand as part of my earthquake prep, I live in California after all, but I am no where near as “prepared” as the prepper featured in the show.  He had over 2 years worth of food, months of water and fuel, and he still had problems.  Preppers prepare for unlikely situations, but one thing many forget is that preppers are also prepared for less extreme situations.

Some of you may be…

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Sprouting Success Feels So Good After A Sprouting Fail

Two months ago, I shared my epic sprouting fail with you.  (See it here.)  I promised you that I’d try sprouting again.  After all, I had sprouted successfully before, but I was a bit gun shy.  That and I’ve been super busy with the typical end-of-school-year craziness.  So, I didn’t get to it right away.

 

Last Friday night, I decided it was time to take the plunge and attempt sprouting again.  I did a few things differently this time than last time (see last time here), and today I “harvested” my sprouts (for lack of a better word).  Take a look at my sprouting success!

 

In the wee morning hours on Saturday, May 17, I started my sprouts with a clean wide-mouth Mason jar and my Emergency Essentials Sprouting kit.  Take a look at it here on Emergency Essentials’ website.  Emergency Essentials is the sponsor for my current giveaway (enter here). I have shopped with this wonderful company for over 4 years (long before they sponsored anything for this blog), and I love them!

 

I measured 1 tablespoon of my sprouting mix, Emergency Essentials’ Hearty Health Blend with alfalfa, clover, broccoli, and radish seeds, and poured it into my clean jar.

 

Next, I filled the jar with enough water to cover the seeds and let it sit overnight.

 

The following morning, after letting the seeds sit in the water for about 12 hours, I put my special strainer lid on my jar and drained the water.  I rinsed and drained the seeds at least twice a day (once every 12 hours) for the next several days.  Sometimes I left the lid on after rinsing and sometimes I didn’t, but I did not leave it on the entire time, because I was worried about it being too moist in the jar (like last time).  I also did not leave it off the entire time, because I knew the sprouts would dry out too much.

 

After the morning rinse on Sunday, May 18, I could see my seeds already beginning to sprout!

 

Here’s a picture from Monday evening You can see that more of the seeds are sprouting.

 

By Tuesday morning, even more are growing!

 

On Wednesday evening, I could tell that my sprouts were just about ready. I continued to rinse morning and night to keep my sprouts from dying or drying out.

 

And, finally this evening, Thursday, May 22, my sprouts were ready! This blend is lovely with a little bit of spice, but not too much. I can’t wait to do this again!

 

Sprouting is a great way to increase the nutritional value of seeds, grains, and beans.  Plus they taste so good!

 

What’s your favorite, tasty way to increase the nutritional value of the food you eat? 

Think sprouting might be a good way to start?

 

 

 

Laurel Laurie Staten Nguyen Newhall, CA