Using the Church Orchard

We have been blessed with having a church orchard close to us in the Caldwell/Sunny Slope area on the way to Marsing. This orchard supplies our cannery as well as other canneries with fruit for the church welfare program. The fruit is used all around the world. Our stake does not have official assignments with the orchard like we do the cannery, but we can still go out and pick or purchase surplus fruit. This makes a great family or youth group activity. Call first to see the hours they are picking and what the schedule is. You can take your children out morning or evening depending on the shifts.

Directions

Caldwell Idaho LDS Orchard

(Where you pick fruit)

19491 Apricot Ln, Caldwell, ID 83605 (208) 459-3993

•   Take I-84/ID-55 S toward Nampa Caldwell (11.9 mi)

•   Take exit 33A toward ID-55 N/Nampa/Marsing (.4 mi)

•   Merge onto ID-55/Midland Blvd. Continue to follow ID-55 (10.4 mi)

•   Turn left on Chicken Dinner Road (Yes, that really is the name) (1.0 mi)

•   Turn right on Apricot Ln ( .5 mi)

•   Turn left - Caldwell Orchards are on the left.

•   Go up the road and you will find the packing houses, orchard manager’s house, and paths to the orchards.

Ranch 2 (Robison Fruit Ranch & Wholesale Packing House)

(Where you purchase already picked fruit.)

15515 Frost Rd, Caldwell, ID 83605 (208) 459-3993 (The corner of Pear Ln. and Frost Rd.)

A few years ago the church bought Robison's orchards as well as the packing house. This is used for a staging area for fruit brought from other orchards and they do more of the church's pears.

How do I find out what fruit is in season?

1.    Call the orchard answering machine 208-459-3993. They leave a message about the picking schedule.

2.    Go to the website www.caldwellidahoorchard.com. They post what is happening and what they are currently picking.

3.    Go to the facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/caldwellorchard

What is a General Schedule for the Picking of Fruit?

The actual schedule depends on the season and weather. This is an approximate.

Cherries--June 20-July 4 (They sell to public until gone. They do not process at canneries.)

Apricots--June 27-mid July (They sell to public until gone. They do not process at canneries.)

Plums--Mid August-first week of September (15, 30, & 70 cents/pound depending on grade)

Peaches--Mid August-Mid September

Apples--Mid August-November

Pear--Mid August-September (15, 25, & 35 cents/pound depending on grade)

Typical Apple Season Order-- Gala>Jonathon>Golden Delicious>Rome>a few Fuji

The orchard does not have a lot of peaches this year. However, they just planted 8,000 trees and so there will be more peaches in future years.

How Do I Volunteer to Harvest Fruit?

1.    Call up and see what is in season and what they are picking and the hours of operation 208-459-3993.

2.    Go to the main sheds and see where they are picking. There is usually a sign pointing the right direction or someone might be around.

3.    Go to the orchards that you are directed to go to.

4.    Get a picking basket for everyone picking. They are usually located in bins by the areas where they are picking.

5.    Ladders and bins are usually where you are instructed to pick.

6.    Pick fruit and put into bins throughout the orchard.

7.    Report volunteer hours and number of people picking at the packing sheds buy the house. This is important. They report this for tax purposes.

How do I Buy Fruit for Myself?

Buying Fruit I have Picked.

Ask someone who works there if you are allowed to purchase some fruit you have picked. (This sometimes depends on how heavy the crop is and if they will be able to deliver the quota they need to supply the canneries.) After you have performed your volunteer hours, you can pick for yourself. Be sure to bring your own boxes. On the way out you can stop at the packing shed and weigh your fruit. Be sure to bring a check or cash to pay them. They do not take credit cards.

Buying Fruit I have not Picked.

Go to the Pear Lane and Frost Location. They usually have pears, plums, and a variety of apples. The hours are 9-4 M-F. Bring boxes. They have a few boxes to purchase, but you can bring bags or other containers from home and just fill them out of the large fruit bins.

Can I Take the Fruit on the Ground?

After you have given volunteer hours, you are allowed to pick the windfall or fruit that has touched the ground. Be sure to bring your own boxes. Remember, however, that the reason you are allowed to take the “windfall” on the ground is because it spoils faster because of possible bruising or being contaminated by anything on the ground. That is why you cannot put it in the bins. Much of it is still good fruit. You will have to sort through it more regularly at home and will need to preserve or use it in a timely manner.

Volunteer Opportunities

You can contact the orchard manager Steve Baird at 208-573-6400. There are so many great opportunities for Activity Days, Scouts, Young Men and Women, Priesthood, and Relief Society.

1.    Planting trees--March, They will be planting red delicious trees next spring.

2.    Thinning fruit--April on (We have taken Boy Scouts out to camp in the orchard. They thinned the fruit the next morning. They had a great time.)

3.    Picking Fruit--June 20 to November (This makes a great family and youth activity.)

4.    Cutting Firewood-- They have wood 2-4 inches in circumference and about 4 feet long. It is free - you must cut into shorter pieces. Scouts can cut wood to raise money or supply a widow or people in need. People can get wood for themselves also.

5.    Eagle Projects--Call Brother Baird for available projects.

Using Up Your Garden Harvest

Here are a few tasty recipes to reduce your bounty of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and yes, even zucchini.  Your efforts in the garden have paid off, and a bumper crop of vegetables is the reward for a job well done.  If you’ve shared your green thumb jackpot with family, friends, and neighbors, but the veggies keep coming, try these tasty recipes that make the most of your end-of-the-season harvest.

Three-Hour Refrigerator Pickles

This quick recipe uses regular cucumbers and can be done without the hassle of canning. 

6 pounds cucumbers

4 medium onions

4 cups sugar

4 cups white vinegar

½ cup salt

1-1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon mustard seed

Slice the cucumbers ¼ in thick.  Slice onions 1/8 in thick. Place both in a large nonmetallic bowl.  Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over cucumber mixture.  Stir well for 5 minutes.  Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, stirring occasionally.  Yield: 2-1/2 quarts. 

Three-Pepper Salad

Fresh-picked peppers form the foundation of this colorful salad.  If you can’t find yellow peppers, use only red and green varieties.

2 medium green peppers, julienned

2 medium cucumbers, sliced

2 jars (4-1/2 ounces each) whole mushrooms, halved

1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned

1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned

1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, halved

½ cup chopped onion

DRESSING:

2/3 cup Italian salad dressing

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

¼ teaspoon salt

In a large salad bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.  In a small bowl or jar with tight-fitting lid, combine dressing ingredients; mix or shake well.  Pour over salad.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve with a slotted spoon.  Yield: 16 servings.

Garden Casserole

This delicious cheesy casserole uses lots of veggies and herbs from your garden.  The dish includes a sunny medley of eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes.

2 pounds eggplant, peeled

5 teaspoons salt, divided

¼ cup olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium zucchini, sliced ½ in thick

5 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 celery ribs, sliced

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

¼ cup minced fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil

½ teaspoon pepper

½ cup grated Romano cheese

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut eggplant into ½-in-thick slices; sprinkle both sides with 3 teaspoons salt.  Place in a deep dish; cover and let stand for 30 minutes.  Rinse with cold water; drain and dry on paper towels.

Cut eggplant into ½ in cubes; sauté in oil until lightly browned.  Add onions, garlic and zucchini; cook 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, celery, parsley, basil, pepper and remaining salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat; stir in Romano cheese.  Pour into a greased 13-in x 9-in x 2-in baking dish.  Combine crumbs and butter; sprinkle on top.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Yield: 12 servings.

Broiled Tomatoes

This is a very quick and tasty side dish.

Several medium tomatoes, sliced ¼ in

Spike seasoning

Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, Swiss, Provolone cheese

Cover a shallow baking pan with the sliced tomatoes.  Generously sprinkle Spike on the tomatoes.  Cover the tomatoes with squares of your desired cheese.  Low melting point cheeses are best.  Broil until the cheese is lightly brown.  Serve with your meal or eat as appetizers.

Corn Salsa

1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (or kernels cut from 4 ears lightly cooked fresh corn)

1 cup minced sweet red pepper

½ cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons lime juice

¼ to ½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup peeled, seeded, minced cucumber

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

  Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Makes about 3 cups.  Eat with tortilla chips.

Fresh Salsa

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ jalapeno

I lb. tomatoes, seeded and quartered

½ medium onion, quartered

¼ cup cilantro

Juice of one lime

Take garlic, onion, jalapeno and cilantro and blend in a food processor or blender, then add lime juice.  Add tomatoes and lightly pulse.

Beans

What are beans:

Beans are legume vegetables that carry plant protein and fiber. They are versatile and commonly eaten in many different ways.  They are easy to prepare and great to store. There are many different types and uses for them and they provide great nutritional value. 

Nutrition:

They are low in fat and high in fiber, high in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals. To meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans it is said we should eat 3 cups of beans each week. It will help our body fight against obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Types:

Black beans, black-eyed peas, cannellini, chick peas, great northern beans, kidney, lima, pinto, and navy.

Storage:

Beans can be stored in many different ways. Dry beans will last the longest and you get more for your money.  They can last 1 or more years in the bag from the store. To store longer, package them in #10 cans with oxygen absorbers. Doing so will allow them to last 30 or more years. 

For more information on this visit. (Usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/dry-beans.org.) Type beans. Grocery stores have canned beans that will last 1 year. Once cooked, beans can also be stored in the freezer. Defrost and use as needed. Pureed beans can also freeze well.

Cooking:

All beans require rinsing, soaking, and cooking.  It is important to do each step to help your body digest them better. The older the bean is, the longer it will require to re-hydrate and cook. If they do not re-hydrate use them for bean flour. Just grind in a wheat grinder. While rinsing, make sure you look for rocks and broken parts to discard. Put beans in a large enough saucepan because the beans will expand 3 times larger.

1 c. of dry beans to 3 c. water.

One 15 oz can= 1 1/2 c. cooked beans

One cup of dry beans = 3 c. cooked beans, drained

1 lb. dry beans=6 c. cooked beans, drained

Follow recommended cooking on the back of the package. Or follow these simple instructions:  http://www.theleangreenbean.com/how-to-cook-and-freeze-beans/

Uses:

Dry beans can be ground into flour to add to baked goods.

Cooked beans can go in many different styles of recipes. 

Puree beans to add to baked goods for extra fiber, and protein. Pureed beans will replace oil and some of the eggs. Using pureed beans, I like to use navy or great northern. They hide in every recipe. You can use pinto or black beans for darker colored recipes such as banana bread or chocolate cake. The pinto beans would hide well in the bread and the black beans would hide in the chocolate cake.

Recipes:

Chickpea Stuffed Shells

18 cooked jumbo pasta shells                                          1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 can(15 oz) garbanzo beans                                            1 small onion

2 egg whites                                                                         1 garlic clove, minced

1 carton (15) oz ricotta cheese                                          1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce

1/2 c minced fresh parsley                                                 1 1/2 c. Mozerella cheese

In food processor, combine beans and egg whites until smooth. Add ricotta, parsley Parmesan cheese, onion, and garlic. Blend. Pour 1 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce in 9x13 greased pan. Stuff the shells with bean mixture and place on top of spaghetti sauce. Once all shells are stuffed, cover with remaining spaghetti sauce. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 min. Sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5-10 min until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 Quesadilla Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained

2 teaspoons McCormick® Chili Powder

1 teaspoon McCormick® Cumin, Ground

1 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic, Minced

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Oregano Leaves

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Red Pepper, Crushed

6 flour tortillas, (8-inch)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chiles; mix well. Stir in all of the seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture, and cheese. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Zucchini Brownies

1/4 c. oil

3 c. sugar

4 eggs

1/2 c. black beans, pureed

1/2 c. applesauce

1/2 c. cocoa powder

3 t. vanilla

2 t. salt

3 t. baking soda

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. white flour

4 c. zucchini, grated

2 c. melted milk and semi chocolate chips

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, beans, applesauce, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. In another bowl, combine flours and baking soda, combine with liquid mixture.  Add zucchini, and melted chocolate chips until combined. Pour in large sprayed cookie sheet till desired thickness. There is usually extra so I put some in a 9x9 pan to bake. Bake 350° 30-40 min.  They are done when a tooth pick comes out clean.

Food Storage - Where do I begin?

Do you grow food in a garden? Do you have an extra jar of peanut butter or an extra can of diced tomatoes somewhere in your house? Do you have food in your 72 Hour Kit? If you said yes to any of these questions, you’ve already begun your food storage!

To me, there are two sides to food storage: “insurance” food storage and “to live” food storage. Both ways are good.

What is “insurance” food storage? “Insurance” food storage is buying a three month supply of food for your family from an emergency preparedness type store (think MREs--Meals Ready to Eat) and calling it good. You have your three months of food in case something crazy happens and you are following the prophet. All is well.

How to start “insurance” food storage?

· Look for Deals: Some of the stores have newsletters or emails announcing upcoming sales. Sign up for them.

· Try them: If it tastes nasty, don’t buy a 3 month supply of it!

· Make sure you have a way to eat them: Do the meals need water? Do they need to be heated? Will you need/want utensils?

“To live” food storage is incorporating the bulk (rice, beans, and grains) and canned foods you already use in your normal meals into your three month supply. This method is more time consuming than “insurance” food storage, but it usually costs less.

How to start “to live” food storage?

· Start Small: Build up a week supply of meals, then a month, two months, etc. Or build up one meal at a time. Work on having all the ingredients to make spaghetti six times in three months. When you finish that, then work on having all the ingredients to make tacos six times in three months, etc. Until you have a three month supply of meals.

· Buy in Bulk/Look for Deals: If something you normally eat is on sale, buy a case of it!

· Learn how to cook from scratch: If you are not familiar with cooking rice, grains, and beans, learn how! Cooking or baking with whole grains takes a little practice, but it is much healthier than processed foods. Did you know you can make your own yogurt, evaporated milk, sour cream, etc. from powdered milk? You can! There are so many areas to improve and become more self-reliant.

Don’t forget there is more to food storage than just food! It’s also important to store other things you use all the time.

· Water: Are you relying on your water heater as part of your water reserve supply in a crisis? Do you have a way to get the water out of your water heater? Have you practiced getting the water out of there?

· Financial Reserve: We all can see the wisdom in having some money set aside.

· Health and Hygiene Products: soap, baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, dental care, etc.

· Health Care: First-Aid, medications, etc.

· Fuel: candles, matches, wood, coal, kerosene, propane, diesel, etc.

· Clothing: cold/warm weather, children’s clothing, sturdy shoes, etc.

· Tools: food mills, generators, camping gear, etc.

· Essential Records: birth certificates, marriage license, social security cards, bank account numbers, etc.

There is no wrong place to start. The important part is to start! Keep it simple and work on your food storage a little every week.

Home Generators

Even though a generator appears on our Emergency supply list, its value seems to drop to the bottom of the list of needed purchases after we have survived a power outage without loss of our freezer foods; the furnace motor is still intact after the power surge; and we seemed to have kept warm by layering with clothes and blankets as it was a short power outage. We may look on this survival experience as luck, but this is not true preparation. Being prepared is important, comforting , and long-term. Home generators can be one of the most useful tools for our home and family security as a temporary (or long-term) power source.

NEEDS
Our needs determine the size, price and complexity of the generator required for
our home. Our first requirement is to assess the needs of our family in the home. 1. Does our home have an alternate heat source – fireplace (wood or pellet supply) and cooking source?

2. Do we have infants, small children, elderly needing power for oxygen, or other medical or technical devices requiring electricity?

3. Is air conditioning important or necessary for the family?

4. Have we spent our time and money on our freezer food storage and want to protect it?

WHICH GENERATOR DO WE NEED? How much power do we need? How soon do you need to use it? How often do you expect to use it and for what duration of time? Are you able to move around a few hundred pound device?

SIZE
A. How many watts do we need? Three general areas to address in an emergency are Security, Food, and Information. - What appliances or devices (home office, computers, medical) support is needed. A basic home requires about 5,000 running watts (5 Kilowatts) Most appliance tags or the owner’s manual or brand’s website will give wattage requirements.

B. Portable Generators - quick way for power back up. 1. Less expensive than standby (stationary) generators, and newer ones are quieter, more efficient and safer for sensitive electronics like computers, TVs, cell phones, etc. 2 2. Can be stored in garage but must be used outside (never indoors) and then connected to the appliances with extension cords.

C. Home Standby (Stationary) Generators are 24 hour protection 1. Will run immediately within 10 seconds of power outage. 2. Heavy, permanent units sit outside on concrete pads and run on your home’s natural gas or propane lines. 3. Require licensed electrician to install and also a licensed plumber to meet code. 4. More expensive than portable generators (much of the added expense is in installation costs) but long-term advantages provide safe and immediate power.

PRICE After determining your family’s requirements which somewhat determine the size of the generator of your choice and your budget, there are many options and prices available to select the generator best for your needs.

Consumer Report Buying Guide 2015, pg. 59-6 gives a quick overview of the portable and large and small stationary (standby) generators by brand, price & other features. Figure on paying $600 to $1,500 for most 5,000 to 7,000-watt portables. $1,800 to $3,200 for similar-wattage stationary models, $3,500-plus for higher-wattage models.

NEW OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR GENERATORS - Additional costs

A. Smart switches recognize overloads and will turn unit off

B. Mobile Link – remote monitoring system for Honeywell from cell phones and devices

C. Solar power generators are becoming more popular

D. Smaller back-up generators are battery powered providing uninterruptible power supply backup and surge protection throughout the year. Multiple connection ports to power up various devices including computers cable modems, etc.

HINTS

A. Gas is not available at the service station during a power outage if the station does not have generators for their pumps and very few do. (We found that out the hard way – long lines and then no gas. Lesson learned)

B. Generators must be placed outside during use. Fifteen feet from home, windows, & doors.

C. Many generators can be very loud.

D. SAFETY FIRST IN USING A GENERATOR. QUESTIONS –CALL A PROFESSIONAL

Storable Snacks - dehydrating fruit and making granola bars

This has been a wonderful summer and looks as though we are heading into a beautiful fall! Each season brings so much to offer and to look forward to. Yay, it’s exciting!! At our house, we have transitioned back into the swing of school schedules, dance and soccer practices, music lessons and earlier bed times. Our days fly by!! I’m sure you can all relate this to your own schedules. Thankfully, I have found ways for us to save time and money using local and online resources. A little digging can go a long way. :)

Each morning I make lunches for my kids to have at school. I’m one of those “mean moms” who wants her kids to have a healthy, clean lunch and balanced snack. Mean, right? These lunches also need to fit within the guidelines for food allergies we’ve been tackling. But, like I said, a little digging can go a long way in finding healthy, alternatives to replace store bought, over processed items-that although still good and convenient, I find myself saving for emergency meltdown situations.

So, luckily I was asked to theme my newsletter around healthy storable snacks. How do you like that for timing? I’m not an expert in any way, but this is what works for us and if it works for you too then that’s GREAT!!


This season we have taken advantage of fruit and vegetable harvests and enjoyed trying lots of new projects and recipes. Usually I do several batches of canned fruit, but we still have so many jars that I didn’t can this year. Instead we dehydrated LOTS of peaches and pears. Great snack to store for long term or short term storage.

We also made several batches of peach fruit leather. There are various recipes and ways to make leather. I have made fruit leather before BUT this year what I did worked better than any recipe or technique. It was easy, tasty and just plain awesome! AND according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, fruit leather will keep up to 1 month at room temperature and up to 1 year in the freezer. (Note from Tammy Price: Without humidity in Idaho, dried fruits and leathers will last a year or more just on your pantry shelf stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag.)

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it.  YUM, YUM! 

Ingredients:

4 Large unpeeled peaches (softball size)

2T Agave

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 225°. Wash and cut peaches in half. Remove seed. Place unpeeled peaches and agave into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture onto a sprayed baking sheet. Use a spoon or spatula to evenly spread with width and length of baking pan. Be sure to keep it even. Place in oven and bake for 5 hours. Cooking time will vary based on oven and thickness of leather.

After baking the leather, I cut it with a pizza slicer and wrapped them individually and stored them for lunch or snack options. With three young kids, lunches, snacks and lots of little friends over, the leather lasted 30 days in our kitchen. The shelf life is longer but we ran out!

Another great, healthy, storable snack to have on hand that you can make from home is granola bars. We loooove granola bars at our house! And now we make our own! My kids don’t ever prefer the store bought ones anymore! It’s great!! Granola bars are healthy, filling and you most likely have all the ingredients in your pantry to make some. Look online and scroll through recipes that fit your families preferences and tastes. There are SOOOO many out there! Whichever you choose, check the shelf or freezer life. It can range anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

This last spring I stumbled across a recipe. We call them Sprinkle Granola Bars. They are simple no bake, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, organic, no sugar added, no oils, no bake and no salt added. What’s in them? Just healthy yumminess!! Try it if you would like.

Ingredients :

1 C Quick Oats (Organic or gluten free if you prefer)
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Medium Extra Ripe Banana
1 Packet Truvia
4T Powdered Peanut Butter (PB2 works too) Add the Powdered Peanut butter in the powdered form (Do not add water)

Sprinkles, optional

Mix everything together.

Shape into bars.

Add sprinkles for fun color.

I add sprinkles for fun color which is why in our house they are called Sprinkle Granola Bars. But you don’t have to. :) Then I place them in the freezer to harden. After a few hours, I place them in freezer bags or containers and whala all done!

When I pack lunches for school or soccer games, I grab a few and by the time we need them they are soft and chewy! I keep several in my freezer. They last for months. We go through them quickly and it’s so nice to be able to grab a healthy snack for on the go!

I hope you have a chance to take advantage of the fall harvest. It truly is a blessing in our lives to have the resources to become more provident in our living. You can save time, money, and energy from running out to the store to buy the things you already have and that are hopefully healthier for your family in the long run.


Have a great fall season!!

Ideas for Storing Grains

Grains are the foundation of a wide variety of menus and recipes that you feed your family on a daily basis and should be a staple in your long term food storage plan.

Whole wheat is usually the primary grain most associated with food storage supplies.

But to prevent your family from getting bored eating wheat in every possible recipe, try storing grains of other varieties such as oats, brown and white rice, pearled barley, amaranth (an herb often used as a grain), flaxseed, corn, popcorn, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, rye, sorghum, spelt, and triticale.

Grains are an excellent food storage product for several reasons:

They have high nutritional value and protein levels.

Most varieties can be stored for 25+ years if packaged properly and kept in a cool environment.

Why rotate grains?

The best reason is to accustom your family to eating them. A sudden change in diet which includes mostly grains will upset their digestive systems. Gather recipes that include grains such as breads, cereals, and muffins.

If you do plan on storing grains to use in your daily or weekly menus, it's best to purchase them in #10 sealed cans. But if you choose to store them in 5-6 gallon buckets, an opened bucket will not store long term. Plan to use it within 6 months to a year and keep it closed tightly in a cool dark place, such as the pantry or the basement.

Uses, Types and Storage Length of Some Common Grains

Rolled Oats:

Uses - Breakfast cereal, granola, cookies, filler in meat loafs or casseroles, thickener for soups/stews.

Types - Quick rolled oats or regular rolled oats. Quick oats cook faster but regular oats or steel cut retain flavor and nutrition better.

Storage - If unopened, optimum shelf life is up to 30 years. If opened should be used within 1 year.

Wheat:

Uses - Wheat grass (sprouting), appetizers, desserts, breakfast cereals, crackers, brownies, tortillas, breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes, snacks, in salads, to make vegetarian meat/protein, and any other baking item you would use flour for.

Types - Spring or winter, hard or soft, red or white. Hard varieties have higher gluten (protein) and are better for making breads. Soft varieties have lower protein and nutrients but are better for pastries, pastas, and breakfast cereals. Experiment with different varieties in your recipes to find out what works best for you.

Storage - If unopened, optimum shelf life is 30 years or more. If opened will last about 3 years.  You can add oxygen absorbers, bay leaves, or dry ice to help keep critters out of your wheat.

Cornmeal or corn:

Uses - Grits, cornbread/muffins, mush, johnnycake, hush puppies, breading on fried items.

Types - Steel ground or stone ground. Most common is steel ground which  has husk and germ almost all removed. It loses flavor and nutrients but has a long shelf life. This is what you will find at the grocery store. Stone ground retains more of the husk and germ but is more perishable. Cornmeal can be found in white, yellow, red, and blue varieties. Yellow and white are the most common.

Storage - If unopened, optimum shelf life is 5 years. If opened cornmeal will last about 1 year. Whole corn, either freeze-dried or dehydrated, will last as long as wheat - about 25 years.

Enriched White Rice:

Uses - Rice pudding, cereal, casseroles, side dishes.

Types - Bleached or unbleached. Both have had their bran and germ portions removed and are “enriched” by adding back some of the lost nutrients. Bleached has been chemically bleached while unbleached goes through a natural bleaching process.

Storage - If unopened, optimum shelf life is 30 years. If opened, about the same.

Brown Rice:

Uses - Brown rice can be used for any dish in which you would use white rice. The advantage to brown rice is that it has more flavor (even without adding anything to it), and it's definitely more nutritious.

The bran layer contains a small amount of oil, so brown rice has a shorter shelf-life than

white rice.

Storage - Store uncooked brown rice at room temperature up to 6 months, or refrigerate or freeze for

longer shelf life.

Pearled Barley:

Uses - Thickener in soups and stews, in sides or casseroles similar to how you would use rice.

Types - You can buy pot barley which retains more of the nutritious germ and bran, but it has a shorter shelf life. Pearled barley is recommended for long-term food storage.

Storage - If unopened, optimum shelf life is about 10-15 years. If opened, it's good for about 18 months.

Sources:  www.family-survival-planning.com and www.usarice.com

FAMILY HOME EVENING IDEAS FOR PROVIDENT LIVING

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program.  We should refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to a disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.  (Spencer W. Kimball)

Family Home Evening is an ideal time to introduce and carry out provident living activities that will become life styles in your family.  Following are a few ideas for this.

Food Storage

Food storage, in addition to basic survival necessities must include things that your family likes and will eat. 

Make a couple of weeks of menus together and note what your family likes.  Be sure to include breakfast and lunch as well as dinner.  If nobody will eat oatmeal for breakfast why would you store it? (Except to make cookies). After you have looked the menus over, make a list of foods to include in your storage.  Teach your children that it wouldn’t be provident to go out and buy everything on the list all at once in the quantities that you would need for storage.  Decide on one item to purchase by the case each week to slowly build up your supply.  That evening you could go as a family to the store to buy your first case of food for your storage.  If you already have some food storage you could make the treat for that evening using items from your food storage.

Meals from Food Storage

As a family look over what you have in your food storage.  This would need to be done the night before the meal preparation.  Decide on a meal that could be made from the items on hand and then have your children help to make that meal for dinner.  Be sure that you don’t forget dessert.   You might want to discuss additions to your food storage after this activity.

Snack Mixes

Snack mixes can be expensive and often contain something in them that one (or more) of your children won’t eat.  The solution to this is to make your own snack mixes.  First look in your pantry and see what you might have on hand.  Then take the family and go to a store that has a good selection of bulk food and choose a few things that go together and that everyone likes.  Things that you might include are pretzels, goldfish crackers, m&ms, cut up dried fruit, nuts, popcorn and cereal.  Get snack sized Baggies and then divide your snack items up into different combinations and bag them.  You are set for individual treats in the car, school lunches and after-school snacks – all at a fraction of the cost of purchased mixes. (Thanks to Tammy Price for this idea.)

Alternate Cooking

Cook your meal in a Dutch Oven for Family Home Evening.  There are many recipes on the Internet for main dishes, breads and desserts.  Your children can help put the food into the Dutch Ovens but an adult will need to take care of lighting the coals and attending the food as it cooks.

Gardening in a Bag - Simple Steps

- Choose a sunny location with at least 8 hours of direct sun each day with easy access to water.
- Purchase bags of potting soil.
- Arrange bags so you can reach into the middle of each bag without stepping on the soil, about 4 feet maximum.
- The best plants to start with are leafy vegetables: leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, or Swiss chard. Use square foot gardening planting rates.
- 1 plant per bag: tomato, pepper, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower 9 plants per bag: bush beans or spinach 12 plants per bag: arugula, leaf lettuce, parsley, Swiss chard 16 plants per square foot: kohlrabi or micro greens
- Use duct tape on the out-side, seam edges and one strip around the middle of the bag to prevent breakage.
- Make a hole in the soil by pushing the soil back just deep enough to cover the transplant or seeds. I found you do not need to remove the soil from the bag.
- Put transplant or seeds in the soil.
- Reach under the plastic and pull back the soil to cover the root ball or seeds
- If you planted seeds, cut the plastic flaps off so the sun can help germinate the seeds quicker.
- Water the plants as needed; ensure you have a good soil to seed or soil to root contact for a quick start.
- After one 1 week or when the seeds grow 2 inches high make sure there is only one plant per hole. It is sometimes difficult to see the multiple plants.
- Continue with regular water, sunlight, and weeding procedures until harvested.
- For more information, visit vegetablegardener.com.

Advantages:
Easy soil preparation – no digging, plowing, and tilling or sod removal.
Space saving – all vegetables are concen-trated with no rows.
Easy weeding – potting soil is free from weed seeds.
Low cost – It cost me about $13 to plant one bag with Swiss chard transplants in March 2013.
Minimal soil diseases and insects common to vegetables like tomatoes.

Disadvantages:
Ugly bags – try covering with mulch.
Water management is more involved with bags – regular soil has a deeper water reserve.
Bag breakage – be careful with the mower and string trimmer.
Not organic – no solution.

Thoughts about gardening:
The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. –George Bernard Shaw
Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God– Thomas Jefferson
When the world wearies and society fails to sat-isfy, There is always the garden. — Minnie Aumonier

Fun Facts: 
- There are 57 kinds of tomatoes.
- Lettuce is a member of the daisy family.
- The largest edible fungi was 8 feet 8 inches high.
- The fastest growing tree grows 2.5 feet per month.

Tips for S t r e t c h in g Our Money As We Stock Up

Make a menu and plan your grocery list from your menu.  

Always shop with a list. 

Distinguish your needs from your wants.

Eat less meat.  Implementing 2-3 meatless meals will give you more money for other items (and will be healthier).

Many meat departments will discount meat early in the morning.

When making casseroles or soups, use ½ of the meat that is suggested.

Generally, buying meat in bulk is less expensive.  Place in freezer bags and date.  Freeze.

Milk can be frozen.  When you find a good bargain on milk, buy several gallons.  To allow for expansion of the jug, use about a cup from each gallon before freezing.  If you are going on vacation and you have milk in the refrigerator that has not expired, put it in the freezer and use when you get home.

Whipping cream and buttermilk can also be frozen.

Consider using powdered milk by itself or mixing it with regular milk.

Grow your own garden.  

Consider canning your produce or dehydrating it.  

Freezing fruits and vegetables is also another way to preserve foods.  Buy, chop, freeze.

Buy cheese on sale and freeze.  I like to grate my cheese before freezing.

No need to buy canned beans.  Soak, cook dry beans and freeze in baggies.

Limit your eating out.

Watch for sales and stock up.  If you don’t take a newspaper, you can go online to the various grocery stores and look at their weekly ads.

Instead of buying frozen waffles for your children’s breakfast, make your own and freeze.

Store what you eat and eat what you store.

Grind your own wheat and make your own bread.

If you don’t make bread, stock up on bread at the day old bakery.

Don’t shop for groceries when you are hungry. If possible, leave kids home.

Eggs can be frozen.  When you see a good sale, buy several dozen.  Crack each egg into an individual ice cube tray and freeze.  When they are frozen, take them out and store in a zip lock bag in the freezer. (ice cube trays may be hard to find - check a thrift store.)

Use coupons if they work for you.

Make your own laundry detergent for pennies a load.

Rinse and reuse zip lock bags (except for bags containing meat).

Invest in a freezer and dehydrator.

Cook from scratch.

Eat food in season.

Buy in bulk when it makes sense.

Stock up when things go on sale.

Buy store brands.  Most of the time store brands/generic brands are cheaper.

Make a budget and stick to it!

Check out Pinterest for money saving tips.

When baking, cut down on the sugar.  Less sugar will also reduce  your waistline!

Don’t go into debt for food storage.  Remember, one can at a time!