The wind is wicked today and there have been numerous power outages reported in our area. My lamp is flickering as I type. Ummm... thankfully I type fast.
It is good to be back again in the land of the online living. At least I could read online easily with the iPad. So I've been lurking on friend's blogs but not commenting. ;)
I will write more about it soon but my pantry goal this year is to concentrate on having some basic food and supplies put back in case we can't get to the grocery store for some reason. It may be as simple as needing to spend money in the budget elsewhere or as complicated as a terrorist attack slowing commerce.
Think Belgium as well as Paris and how people had to stay inside their homes for awhile. Remember the Boston area a couple years ago after the Boston Marathon bombing? It can happen and most likely will someday.
So I set aside some items to save for "just in case" and I'll rotate them if (as I hope) all goes well and we don't have to use anything. I've shared about storing some oats and some converted rice in buckets already. Another item we needed to put back was kitty kibble for Victoria. So I bought a large bag, poured it into a Food Grade bucket (cheap from Menard's), and hammered a lid on it. It is labeled with Kitty Kibble and the date.
I'm not concerned about putting oxygen absorbers into these items since they will be set aside and then if they are not used within six months, they will be opened and new food stuff be stored in buckets the same way. The stored bucket will be transferred to everyday use and a new bag purchased for storage.
I haven't researched how oxygen absorbers affect kibble, anyway. I know there are some things you should not use them with, sugar for instance. They cause sugar to turn hard as a rock.
In the meantime, we'll continue to buy Kitty Kibble as usual until it is time to open that "just in case" container. We are not building a really deep pantry this way but it is doing something on a budget. It is always better to do something than nothing.
I learned about storing grains and this type of food (like kibble) this way from Beverly Nye's books. I know some of you have read her books from previous comments. I used to see Beverly on the old (very old!) Bob Braun show out of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was carried by some Midwestern city's affiliates when I was quite young.
I have three Beverly Nye books still on my shelves. She is a Mormon (I think she is still with us although now quite elderly) so she knows what she is talking about in the area of food storage. My very favorite most used book of hers is A Family Raised on Sunshine, which has a very good section on building an emergency pantry. Many family favorite recipes came from that book.
I also like Everyone's a Homemaker and A Family Raised On Rainbows. These books are old fashioned by today's standards but packed with useful recipes and information. I gave mine away at one time, thinking I didn't need them. Then I kept wishing I had them on my shelves for reference and was able to purchase them at book sales up to about ten years ago.
Beverly's website is located... here. Although it has not been updated recently.
Her books can be found used (very inexpensive) third party on Amazon.*
A Family Raised on Sunshine... here.
A Family Raised on Rainbows... here.
Everyone's a Homemaker... here.
*Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links for which I receive a tiny percentage of the cost of each item. It costs neither of us anything extra but a little time to click on a link or any item within the Amazon widget to enter Amazon. I thank you.
3 comments:
Welcome back to "blogland". I don't blog but I'm so glad you do. I have learned so much from you. Was so excited at the grocery store yesterday to find some turkeys on sale for 50 cents a pound. I got a 9.61 lb.turkey breast for $4.8l, and a 11.23 lb. smoked turkey for $5.62. We like turkey year round so this was a great addition to the freezer. I'm always thankful to "be at the right place at the right time" to get bargains like this. I consider it a blessing from the Lord. Happy springtime to you, dear friend. Blessings, Sharon D.
P. S. I have Beverly Nye's book "Everyone's a Homemaker." I purchased it through your Amazon widget on your recommendation in one of your blogs. I have really enjoyed the book, not only the recipes but her down to earth style of writing. Sharon D.
9 inches of SNOW in Hudsonville this afternoon.....pfft.
About three weeks ago, I had to put on my thinking cap and decide on some easy to make meals. Sometimes, the issue is lack of electricity or illness and not a crisis. (In my case..brain surgery, really) Sometimes, we're good about have "ingredients" that are cheaper to buy but take longer to cook.
I ran across some interesting canned meats at Dollar General today....10 oz cans of crumbled beef, pulled pork, BBQ chicken etc. All were about $2.50 a can...not cheap, but might be under the quick category. I purchased a crumbled beef and BBQ pulled pork for a taste test. Walmart has canned meats like this, but the cans I found were quite large and, if I remember correctly, $6 a can or so. I do can my own meats, including hamburger, ham, corned beef...but one must have options! The cans of pork would be just about enough for two sandwich buns.
I don't think an o2 absorber would hurt the cat food. I think the problem with pet food is the oils in it eventually become rancid. But you are rotating it, so that wouldn't become a problem. I going to work on some smaller quantities and "oven can" them in mason jars. I'm especially careful.....I've had pantry moths in the past (even with freezing stuff).
And I'm happy to report the quail are producing 7-8 eggs a day!
Glad you're back on the keyboard!
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