Daily Preparedness

As life trundles on, change is inevitable. For the past four or five months, we have had to shift all of the gears in our kitchen due to newly found sensitivities. In the process, we have learned an expensive lesson on the value of thoroughness.

We all know that it is important to notate the contents of our various buckets, boxes, jars and mylar bags as to their contents. Whether the item was frozen, canned, dehydrated and dumped into a plastic bucket, I have always marked the contents, any instructions necessary and the date packaged. BUT, I now know that this manner of minimal labeling is not adequate. (Yes, you are welcome to learn from my mistakes and even snicker if you wish!)

When it became necessary to shift food preparation gears AGAIN, we were forced to go into a form of hyper-drive when it comes to which products can be used safely. Not only are we limited by category, but also limited when it comes to specific brands and packaging sizes. Sound confusing? Oh, it is, trust me. For example, I can cook with sugar but it must be pure cane sugar from one of three or four manufacturer’s. White flour can be used, but, again, it must be from only a few manufacturers. The same goes for everything from shampoo to toilet paper to tomato sauce to meat products to spices. Sound confusing AND time-consuming? It is!

And thus, we get to the importance of my newly discovered respect for those who thoroughly label all items stored. For instance, I may have hundreds of pounds of sugar stored, but I have no idea what brand it is or even whether it is cane or beet sugar. Therefore, at least for the time being, I have to purchase all new sugar and wash out every canister that it goes into. Multiply this by every item in your family store and you can begin to see the cost of skipping a few extra seconds of time in labeling each item.

What is a thorough label? For every product, you should include at least manufacturer, specific type of item, where you purchased it and the date purchased. Also include any expiration date and instructions. For instance, if I were thoroughly labeling canned beef, the correct way to label it would be:

Costco Rump Roast with water, kosher salt, home-ground pepper. 1/12/12

Flour might be labeled with: King Arthur unbleached white flour. Safeway. 1/12/12

Though it might take you a few extra seconds, this type of more thorough labeling may later help you in case your dietary needs change, there is a recall or you find you particularly like one brand over another. Whatever scenario you may face, add a bit more information to each item you label and you may prevent a lot of frustration, loss and expense later on.

While living in Europe, we fell in love with the crusty, rustic breads available in French bakeries. Their rough textures, soft interiors and crusty exteriors are a delight that transforms any meal into a feast. Who cares what the main course is when there is a loaf of perfect bread on the table? And now, we can produce the same types of bread at home, utilizing the basics found in every provident pantry. Better still, the bread is SO simple to prepare that any six-year-old could make it. Okay, the child shouldn’t monkey with the oven, but every other step is truly easy and nearly mess free.

If the ease and final results weren’t enough, consider that the bread is fat-free, low sodium, super cheap and requires you to purchase only one item you may not own–a silicone baking sheet. (Check Wal-mart for a Wilton silicone sheet priced at about $5) You can also opt to use parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

How to begin? Find a food grade plastic container that holds about 5 quarts. It should have a lid, but the lid does NOT need to be air tight. You do NOT want to clamp the lid down, just cover the dough. A ‘cake saver’ type container will work as will an icing container from your local bakery. You will mix and store your dough in this container.

Basic Recipe: (Makes four 1-lb loaves)

3 cups lukewarm water (should just feel warm to you)

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (this is about 1.5 packets)

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher or other coarse salt (if you use table salt, reduce to 1 tablespoon)

6 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

Cornmeal for baking surface

Pour water into your container. Add yeast and salt, stirring to at least partially dissolve the yeast. Don’t worry if the yeast isn’t perfectly dissolved.

Measure your flour by gently scooping the measuring cup into your flour and then scraping the top of the cup with a knife. Add flour to liquid mixture and stir with a heavy spoon. You can opt to use a mixer or large capacity food processor with a dough hook, but I have found that a sturdy spoon does just fine and you don’t have another thing to clean up.

As you mix in flour, scrape down the sides of the container frequently and work all of the flour mixture into the liquid. This will take only a few minutes. You may need to ‘poke’ the center of your dough blob as you mix in order to get the liquid completely distributed. You will not be kneading the dough!

You are finished mixing when everything is uniform and you can’t see any dry spots. The dough will be wet and sticky looking.

Cover the dough with the lid–remember it should not be air tight! Let the dough sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature. If you need to leave it longer, don’t worry. I’ve let it sit on the counter as long as 4 or 5 hours and the bread was just fine!

If you want to bake bread at this point, you can. Or, you can simply put the container in the refrigerator and store for up to two weeks. Refrigerated dough is easier to handle than room temperature dough, but either temperature works fine. If you want to add a sour dough flavor & texture, simply use the same container repeatedly without washing between bread batches. The dough does ‘age’ as stored, producing a better, stronger flavor and slightly different texture.

Dough can also be frozen in 1 loaf sizes. Place dough in a plastic bag and freeze. To thaw, leave in refrigerator overnight and then continue on with instructions.

When you are ready to bake, cover a cookie sheet with the parchment paper or the silicone baking mat. Liberally cover the baking surface needed for the loaf of bread with corn meal. Use a serrated knife and hack off a piece of dough about the size of a large grapefruit. Again, this is not a precise science.

Gently form your glob of dough into a round mound. This should take about 30 to 60 seconds. You are NOT kneading the bread, simply rounding it. The top side of the dough will look fairly smooth while the bottom is likely to look ‘ragged’. This is just fine!

Place the dough on the prepared baking surface and allow to rise about 40 minutes. The loaf will not completely rise in this time. The rising will continue while it is baking. Again, I’ve left it sitting on the counter for over 90 minutes and the bread was fine. A bit fluffier than the shorter rising time, but still great. You do not need to cover the bread while it is rising.

Begin preheating your oven to 450F about 20 minutes before you are ready to bake. Place a broiler pan, cake pan or several loaf pans filled with water on a lower shelf of the oven.

After the 20 minute preheat, liberally coat the top side of your loaf with flour. Using a serrated knife and quick slashing motions, cut a 1/4 inch deep gash across the top of your loaf. You can get creative here and create stars, tic-tac-toe, or cross designs.

Place the prepared dough in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown.

The hardest part? The bread really is best when allowed to cool completely on a wire rack.

I have purposefully messed up several steps of the recipe to see what would happen. For the most part, you really can’t mess this up! I’ve over-baked, under-baked (that is worse than over-baking), left lumps in the dough and badly shaped loaves. I’ve cut it hot–sometimes you just can’t resist it–and stored it in the open overnight. Overall, this is truly the simplest, best, cheapest bread you will ever produce.

The final product is better than any bread I have purchased in the U.S. and the price can’t be beat!

Once you master the basic recipe, you can start adding herbs, roasted garlic, cheese or a wide variety of other ingredients. You can experiment with shapes, double the recipe, reduce the recipe size and substitute part of the unbleached flour for wholewheat, oats, rye, etc.

Happy Baking!

P.S. One final note. Before beginning this bread experiment, I had never used a silicone baking mat. Now, I think every kitchen needs one. Your cookies will be perfect and the clean up is a breeze with these wonderful inventions. You really can’t burn anything on them that won’t come clean. Someone else cooked dinner at my house and literally caught the oven on fire with a volcanic strength over-run of marinade and sauce. There were flames in the oven and the smoke damage is still being cleaned up. The cookie sheet under the meat and the rack the meat was on went in the trash. The oven has been cleaned three or four times and yet ‘blobs’ still re-appear. The silicone baking mat? With a little bit of hot water and dish soap–good as new! Absolutely miraculous.

When contemplating your food storage plan, remember to provide a wide variety of foods. This point was driven home for our family this past week when we discovered that our daughter can no longer eat any food that contains eggs, dairy in any form from any mammal, wheat, barley, rye, spelt, pork, game meat, packaged foods and only a little bit of beef. It is almost easier to list what she can eat! Her dietary restrictions could send us into even more of a tail spin if we had not stored a wide variety of grains, such as rice, oats and quinoa.

In addition to the dietary restrictions, we suddenly find ourselves having to learn to cook all sorts of new items and rely solely on home-prepared foods. If I had previously relied on packaged foods and had not acquired a variety of skills, a strong knowledge base and research skills this speed bump would have turned into a complete nightmare.  She would be eating Rice Chex 24-hours a day!

Regardless of dietary restrictions, everyone should store a variety of grains. Some which can keep for at least 30 years, are relatively affordable and available include hard wheat, white rice (brown rice has more oil, so will not keep as long), oats, barley, rye, spelt, triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye), and quinoa. If you store a variety of grains, you will be able to accommodate not only a variety of dietary needs, but prevent developing an intolerance to one grain. Variety also allows you greater flexibility in meal planning and the ability to ‘hide’ more whole grains in everyday foods.

In addition to grains, store some sugars in the form of white sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave, powdered sugar and maple sugar.

Variety is also important when choosing dehydrated or freeze-dried foods. Whether you purchase them dehydrated or dehydrate themselves, balance your storage items so that you have greater flexibility in meal planning. Balance yellow (carrots, wax beans) and green vegetables (green beans, cabbage, broccoli). Have a variety of fruits as well.

Even the lowly dried bean offers a smorgasbord of choices. Just as they vary in color and size, beans vary in nutritional value. Choose from pintos, black beans, garbanzos, navy beans, Great Northern beans, kidney beans and red beans. Each variety lends itself to different applications–mix together they can be wonderful!

One of the most important aspects of variety in food storage is in your storage of spices and flavorings. If you are forced to really rely on your food storage, a good dose of flavor will add palate appeal and variety to the most basic of ingredients. Don’t forget the basics of salt, pepper, garlic, onions, chili powder, ginger, cumin, Italian seasonings, bay leaves, curry and dry mustard. Consider stocking up on bullion cubes or powders. For flavorings, think about a choice of extracts such as vanilla, maple, lemon, mint and orange.

Of course, you also have to know how to cook with these things, so begin NOW to learn! If you know how to cook, experiment with new flavors and ingredients.

Variety is truly the spice of life, but it also can prevent the development of food intolerances and make your food storage truly usable. As you incorporate new flavors, textures and grains into your diet, your nutritional status will improve and you will be better prepared to meet any speed bump you encounter on your culinary travels!

If you have been on task with preparing your yearly budgetary guidelines, you now know how you spend your money, how you will spend your money and what your goals are. One of the easiest and smartest ways to remain on task is to monitor and cut your weekly expenditure for groceries. And the best way to do that is to begin a food storage program.

How do you save money storing food?

• Take advantage of sales and coupons for products you use frequently. REALLY smart shoppers can reduce their food bill by more than 50 - 75%. Some products end up free.
• Reduce your dependency on carry-out or eat-in restaurants.
• Cut the number of times you go to the store, which is an important step in trimming the budget!
• Eat a greater variety of foods which contributes to a healthier you.
• Protect yourself from sudden cycles of inflation.
• Buy in bulk and greatly reduce your per item cost.
• Increase your sense of security, knowing that you can always feed your family.
• A freezer enables you to take advantage of deep discounts on meat and other frozen items. A freezer will also allow you to ‘cook ahead’, thus saving you time, money and energy costs. Don’t forget that many meal components can be frozen, such as chopped onions, cooked meat and vegetables.
• A freezer will allow you to ‘cook ahead’ for busy morning breakfasts, workday lunches and hurried dinners! Huge money savers!!

How to begin with a food storage program?

• Develop that basic shopping list that we already talked about. What items do you routinely purchase?
• Keep that list with you and when you see a sale, purchase as many as you can reasonably afford. Be certain to check for expiration dates. Know the difference between ‘best by’ (when the product is at its optimum), ‘use by’ (some foods can safely be eaten–especially canned goods–this date if they stored and prepared properly), and expiration date (the food may not be safe for long after this date).
• Your first goal should be a 30-day supply of foods you routinely eat. Include in this 30-day supply a 2 week supply of food that can be eaten with little or no power.
• Educate yourself about how to store the food you wish to use. (More on this later)
• Seek out resources for purchasing basic foods in large quantities. Always be certain to double check the price per pound/unit before purchasing in bulk.
• Seek out and find the areas of your home in which you can store food.
• Store a variety of foods.
• Work towards a year’s supply of basic commodities. This includes foods that can be stored for up to or exceeding 30 years, such as whole grains, beans, sugar, salt and some canned goods.
• Learn to cook with your food storage and introduce it into your family’s diet.
• Store a number of meal ingredients or complete meals that anyone old enough to safely cook can prepare on those ‘horrible, no good, very bad days’ when you might be tempted to pick up pizza.
• Store foods for times of sickness. Canned soups, gelatin mixes, pastas and other ‘gentle’ foods are good choices.

Where to store your food?

• Nearly all food will store for the longest period of time when it is kept cool, dry and away from direct light.
• Not all food needs to be in kitchen!
• Store foods by category whenever possible.
• When installing shelving for food storage, be certain that you anchor the shelves to wall studs.
• Put bed risers on every bed in your house and store food under them. If your children are very young, you might want to add safety rails to the sides of their bed to prevent them from falling too far.  Cardboard flats of vegetables are a great thing to store under beds. You can keep like vegetables together and keep the cans organized with the boxes. They slide out easily!
• The bottoms of closets are a great place! Instead of using this space as a breeding ground for dust bunnies, put it to work for you!
• Look up–high shelves in closets can easily store a variety of goods. Install extra shelving in every closet that you can. Foods in glass jars can be stored on sturdy shelves above your washer and drier. This has become our ’second pantry’ and provides easy to find storage for a huge variety of foods!
• High kitchen cabinets are great places for dry storage items such as rice, sugar, pasta. Store other goods in those hard to reach backs of lower cabinets.
• Utilize every glass and plastic food safe container you get! Look for the ‘PETE’ symbol which signifies that the container is food safe. ‘Juicy Juice’ type bottles can be washed in the dishwasher without the dry cycle and used to store a wide variety of foods. They often fit on the narrow shelves attached to closet doors. Glass jars with ‘pop top’ safety lids can be resealed to store dry goods (but not utilized for home canning).
• Canning jars make wonderful storage containers. They can be sealed with a ‘foodsaver’ type device and provide insect and rodent free storage. Sizes vary from 4 ounces to gallons.
• Ask for empty large sized jars from daycare centers, restaurants and other mass-feeding places.
• Most goods should be removed from their original paper packaging before storing.
• Plastic totes can store plastic bags of food such as powdered sugar and beans.
• Learn which foods can be stored without losing quality in your garage. Be certain that containers are tight so that you don’t invite critters. Sugars and salt can safely be stored in your garage. For more specific temperature guidelines, check the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
• Analyze every room of your house to see if you can put up heavy-duty shelving for food storage and then disguise it.
• Food in packages can be stored in new metal garbage cans with lids. Add a ‘decorator round’ tablecloth and you have an end table.
• Dry basements are often the ideal environment as they stay cooler than the rest of the house.
• If you are storing in a variety of places, keep a directory of what you keep where.
• Ask at your local bakery for the plastic buckets that they receive their icing in. These make great food storage containers! If you line them with mylar bags, they are essentially rodent and insect proof. Just be certain to wash the buckets thoroughly.
• Food grade plastic storage containers are available in a wide variety of sizes and types. If you are investing in more than a few, seek out wholesalers and those that sell to the commercial food trade.
• Disguise lightweight items, such as pasta, in decorative baskets or other containers (IKEA is often a good resource) and place on open shelving in any room.

How much should I store?

• First, do NOT go into debt to obtain your food storage. Do NOT purchase over-priced ‘kits’ of food storage. Effective food storage programs require that they be tailored to your family needs. Keep in mind food allergies, sensitivities and the ages of your family members.
• A 30-day supply for two adults would most likely include 15 lb. of meat (mix of frozen  & canned), 1 lb of crackers, 10lb of sugar, 5 lbs of dry beans, 20 lb of whole grain (rice, oats, corn, wheat), 10 lb of pasta, 2 lb of butter/margarine, 1/2 gallon of cooking oil, 15 cans of vegetables, 10 cans of tomato sauce, 10 cans of fruit, 2 lb of dried fruit, 10 cans of soup/stew/chili, 5 lb of flour, 1 box of pancake mix, 1 bottle of pancake syrup, 1 large jar of jelly/jam, 2 lb of peanut butter, 1 jar of years, 1 lb of salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, 2 lb of powdered milk or equivalent in shelf-stable milk, 1 lb of Parmesan cheese or other shelf-stable cheese, a variety of cold cereals, spices & flavorings. This 30-day supply includes 2 weeks of food requiring minimal preparation. You will, of course, want to add or subtract foods according to your own tastes and needs!
• A simple way to develop your own 30-day supply is to write out menus for two weeks. Develop a shopping list based on that menu and then double it. Don’t forget items you do not replenish frequently such as salt, baking soda, etc.
• Once you have a 30-day supply, consider doubling the amounts stored until you have a 60-day supply, incorporating more long-term storage foods such as whole grains, dried beans, sugar and salt. When you achieve the 60-day supply, work towards a 90-day supply and then add predominately long-term storage items.

How do I use food storage so that I do not waste money?

• This is an important component of an effective food storage program! You do not want to store food and simply have to throw it away.
• Rotate the food so that the newest food goes to the back of the storage area. This is fairly simple to do, especially if you store foods by categories. For instance, if you store all of your cold cereal in one place, you simply place the new boxes at the bottom of the stack or at the back of the row. This same principle is used in every grocery store and is often referred to as ‘first in, first out’.
• Mark expiration dates on sensitive foods (such as mayonnaise) clearly on the outside of the package. Keep a permanent marker handy for just this purpose. A quick glance at your storage will alert you to the fact, for instance, you have two jars of mayonnaise that are going to expire in the next two months. Adjust your menus and plans to accommodate items due to expire.
• When you find an item at a super-good price, work it into your menus!
• If you are storing long-term items, work them slowly into your family’s menus. One way to do this is to grind beans or grains and slowly add them to soups, stews or use as a thickening agent for gravies. Add just a few beans to a vegetable soup or stew. Wheat can be boiled and added to chili, spaghetti, soups and other foods.
• Experiment with new recipes that utilize items from your storage or that you find on sale.

Storing food is a proven way to not only save you money, but ease the stress of ‘what’s for dinner’, save energy, improve the quality of your diet, reduce your time in the kitchen and allow you be more self-sufficient. It is a wise, provident and easy thing to do that will enable your family to be prepared for many of life’s events! It is, ‘a good thing’ so start today. Start slowly, work diligently and be richly blessed for your efforts.

Does your body need a break from the calorie and fat-laden goodies that prevail this time of year? Want to re-acquiant yourself with your food storage? Want to lower your cholesterol? If you answered yes to any of these questions, follow along boys and girls as we travel the road laden with all sorts of goodness thanks to the wonders of legumes!

Yes, the lowly bean and/or pea is a great source of cholesterol-busting goodness that will provide not only a healthy break from the cookies, candies and calorie loaded buffets of the Holiday Season (or that time of year when the average person gains 5 pounds), but a low-cost, easy to prepare and quick to reheat meal for hurried evenings. And you can pretty much ignore the little beauties as they cook! What could be better?

Beans are an integral part of any food storage plan. They are inexpensive (though rapidly rising in cost so get them now) and if stored carefully, can last nearly forever. As they age, they will require a longer soaking or cooking time, but retain much of their nutritional value. Though many people avoid these lowly members of the food pyramid due to ignorance or intestinal issues, your body will quickly adapt to these high fiber honeys and thank you later with better health.

What sorts of beans should you store? Any and all that you like! If you say you don’t like beans, you probably haven’t eaten many varieties or eaten them when carefully and creatively prepared. Some of the least expensive and easiest to work with include pintos, black beans, red kidney beans, navy beans, great northern beans, split peas, and small red beans. Canned beans are good additions to salads while dry beans are a ’staple’ of any healthy food storage program. Remember, too, that you can ‘hide’ beans in many other foods. A cooked, mashed bean can be added to breads, cakes, cookies or used as a thickening for other soups or stews. Dry beans can be ground into a flour and added to all of the items listed above.There are even recipes for pinto bean fudge.

For a fast holiday season dinner and/or lunch, try your hand at making a hearty bean soup. You can find thousands of recipes online, including some which are pureed. Pureed soups are a good introduction for a bean-phobic family; they needn’t know what the soup is made of!!!

As I am a bit of an ‘improvisational’ cook, this recipe is open to a great deal of interpretation by you. The important steps are outlined carefully and you can take it from there!

Basic Bean Soup–or Get Creative Bean Bonanza

Ingredients:

1 lb dry beans (try any variety or for best results, mix your beans up!)

about 5 to 8 cups of stock (chicken, beef or veggie depending on your preference and end product desire. The higher your proportion of stock to water as the beans cook, the richer your soup will taste. Use low-fat or fat-free stock for healthiest results)

about 10 cups of water

1 onion chopped

1 can chopped tomato (or chop up one in your frig..substitute a can of tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, salsa, V-8 juice–anything you have that you want the soup to taste like)

Seasonings: (here is where the fun comes in) I like to utilize some or all of the following:

salt, pepper, ground red chili powder, dark chili powder, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, bay  leaves, Italian seasonings, chopped celery, chopped carrots and cumin

Chopped meat such as browned hamburger, sausage, ham, chicken, pork, etc. This is a great way to use up leftovers or meat that was a bit tougher than you had hoped for.

1. For dry beans, soak overnight in a large pan completely. Water should be 3 times as high as the beans in the pan.

2. Drain water in which beans soaked. Add water to twice the height of the now swollen beans and bring to a boil.

3. Add 1 tablspn of baking soda when the water boils. This will FROTH up so be prepared!

4. Add stock, chopped onion, spices and tomato products. If you wish, add any meat that you are using. Some ‘tender’ meats should be reserved until an hour or two before serving or they will completely fall apart. Falling apart is okay, too.

5. If you need to go away for the day, put everything into a crockpot at this point and leave on high. If you don’t want your house to smell like beans, put the crockpot in the garage and let the neighbors enjoy the aroma!

6. An hour or two before you want to serve your soup, taste it. Add any vegetables you desire. Adjust seasonings, add meat, more stock or anything else you think it needs. For a heartier flavor to a ‘tomato-y’ soup, blend one can of whole tomato and one large onion until pureed in the blender. Add to the soup and continue to simmer for one hour.

7. 30 minutes before serving, taste again. Adjust seasoning as needed.

8. Serve with a big salad and your choice of wholewheat bread, cornbread or rice.

Note: Remember that this is YOUR soup! Add whatever flavorings and meats you enjoy. If you want an Italian Wedding Soup, simply use white beans, chicken stock, more Italian seasoning and cooked Italian sausage. For chili, use kidney beans, hamburger, more tomato and lots of chili powder. If you start cooking the beans and can’t finish the soup that day, simply turn to low on the crockpot. Add water as needed and continue to cook.

You can also begin by adding beans to your own vegetable or chicken soup. If your family is bean novices, add beans slowly to the diet and allow their systems to acclimate.

Store leftovers and reheat one serving at a time!