Five Things That Changed The Way I Do Food Storage

*This is a repost from 2011
There are so many topics to cover when it comes to Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness.  So when I attended a great class Tuesday at Honeyville Grain called "Five Things That Will Change Your Mind About Food Storage", taught by the store manager Lisa Barker, it got me thinking about how to narrow down the list of all the topics of preparedness to just 5.  Lisa's 5 things are very similar to the 5 things that changed the way I do food storage and also how it has simplified my food storage. (I'll list her ideas at the end of the post) My food storage journey really began on September 11, 2001.  I remember the panicked feeling after watching the Twin Towers fall and then watching the other planes crashing into the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, and thinking this is it!  The world is ending!  The reason I felt so panicked was I had a 6 month old, 22 month old and a 4 year old and I didn't have more than a week's worth of anything.  My baby was strictly on formula and I only had the one can of formula we were using. I grabbed the kids and went to the grocery store and bought food, paper goods, formula, you name it and I probably bought it.  

As time went by and life looked like it was going to continue I really felt the need to start and continue a food storage program.  I started with basics and had things like flour, but I really didn't know how to store it and rotate it.  I went through several ways of storing my long-term items like a Rubbermaid container, buckets etc.  What I didn't realize was I needed to have a meal plan to create my 3-month supply and at that time I was still cooking whatever sounded good that day for dinner.  I wasted so much food and was really frustrated.  Contemplating what I should do; I know that I was inspired by the Spirit when an idea came to me one Sunday afternoon, and that was to create a menu plan with an ingredient list.  I wrote down every meal that my family ate and then I made an ingredient list of all the items from those meals.  That ingredient list became a built in shopping list. I could buy my ingredients when they went on sale and have a pantry full of food that I used on a daily basis.  This is all kept in a binder with sheet protectors and there’s one for each meal.  This plan has worked for my family for several years now.  What’s great is I can tweak it as I go and add or subtract recipes when we need a change.

My ingredient list that goes with my dinner meal plan.

The ingredient list helps me to see exactly what I need to have in my storage room for a 3-month supply.  I just multiply the item by 3 (which is more than a 3-month supply, but more is better, right?)  and I purchase that quantity.  The CASE LOT sales that are a PERFECT time to purchase items for your pantry!!!  (Because if your food storage plan is to come to my house in an emergency you will probably be disappointed to find that I make you work for free food)  hahaha :)  All kidding aside you really do need a plan for your family!!


Here is my list of the 5 things that changed my mind about food storage:

1. Making a meal plan, ingredient list and shopping for items when they are on sale!!
2. Using the Food Saver to preserve my dehydrated food, spices, chocolate chips, candy, etc. 
3. Gamma Lids!!  These lids have made my life sooooo much easier!  I can open a bucket of wheat just by unscrewing the gamma lid and the resealing it without having to pry open those lids that come with the buckets. 
4. Canning and dehydrating my own food at home!  I never knew how easy it was to can your own meat!  Click HERE to view a previous post on canning meat.  I have also learned to dehydrate almost anything I can get my hands on and then sealing the food in a mason jar with the food saver.  
5. Wheat!  I have loved learning about all the things that wheat can do!  You can grind it into flour, cook it into a cereal, sprout it into a vegetable, crack it and cook it, even ice cream. I am continually amazed at what wheat can do! Making my own bread has been such a fun learning experiment.  Click HERE to see the recipe I use. 

There you have it!  The five things that changed my mind about food storage. These are Lisa's 5 things:

1. Store what you eat...eat what you store!
2. Canning my own foods.
3. Freeze Dried Foods
4. FoodSaver, Meals in a jar
5. I Dare You To Eat It, and It's In the Bag Plans 

EDUCATION IS POWER!!!!

Sun Oven Fruit Cobbler

The kids are out of school and the craziness that has been my life over the last 9 months has slowed to a less-crazy life.  Time is on my side for a moment and I thought I would bake a little something in my Global Sun Oven. (click here to read more on the Global Sun Oven) It has been over 90 degrees where I live and that always makes me want to cook with my sun oven.  The sun oven doesn't need the summer heat to work, just the sun, but the heat makes me want to cook outside and not inside my house. (click here to see how the Sun Oven saved my Christmas dinner)

Apple cobbler sounded like a yummy treat, but this recipe is very versatile and other fruit will work as well.  Because I have to change every recipe into a food storage recipe I started off with dehydrated apples from the LDS Cannery, and boiled them in some water to speed up the rehydrating process.  

 I boiled 2 cups of dehydrated apples, 4 cups of water, a dash of lemon juice and 1/3 cup of sugar for about 5 minutes.  It was as easy as that and after draining them I poured them into a greased dark metal pan.  The dark cookware is a good option for sun oven cooking.  It keeps the heat inside the food, where as shiny metal, or glass pans, will reflect the heat outside of the oven.  

To save cleaning another bowl I melted the butter in the same pan that the apples cooked in.  The flour and brown sugar were added to the butter and honestly it was hard not to eat it straight from the pan!! 

Once the crumb topping was mixed well I sprinkled it over the apples and it was ready for the oven. 

The sun oven was preheated for about 20 minutes while I put the cobbler together and when I put the cobbler in, it had reached 375 degrees.  Cover the dish and bake for 2 or more hours. If you aren't familiar with the sun oven you will have to make sure the oven gets turned towards the sun as the day goes on.  A good way to make sure the position is correct is to check the shadows on either side of the oven.  If they are even on both sides of the oven, the oven is correctly facing the sun. I actually forgot about the cobbler cooking and it was in the oven for a little over 3 hours, but what is so great about the sun oven is that most dishes won't burn.  Food stays warm and ready to eat when you are ready!

This cobbler was delicious!!  Kind of warm on a hot day, but I loved that it was made from dehydrated apples.  I'm adding it to my food storage recipe binder. 

Fruit Cobbler

2 C fresh fruit (apples and berries work best) OR

2 C dehydrated apples

1/3 C sugar

1/2 t lemon juice

1/2 C butter

1 C flour

1 C brown sugar

cinnamon

If using dehydrated apples:  place apples plus 4 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until soft.  Remove from heat and drain.  Stir in the sugar and lemon juice.  Pour into greased baking dish. 

If using fresh fruit: mix the fruit with the sugar and lemon juice and pour into greased baking dish.

In a saucepan pan melt the butter over low heat.  Remove from heat and stir in flour and brown sugar.  Stir until well mixed.  Sprinkle over the apples in the baking dish.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the crumb topping. Cover the dish and bake in a preheated sun oven for about 2 hours. To cook in a conventional oven bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

 

Self-Reliant Saturday-- Rotate That Food Storage!!

I have been absent from the blog for a couple of weeks.  My mother was in a car accident two weeks ago and suffered a head trauma and was in a coma for a week before passing away.  I have been spending time with family for her funeral and then also taking the time to clean out her home.  It was a shock and I am still dealing with the reality of it all, but we had such a special time together as a family.  

My mom was always the one to be obedient and this showed in how she always had her food storage.  While cleaning out her kitchen we found many #10 cans of food from the LDS Cannery.  In fact, those dried apples from the cannery sustained us through many hours of cleaning.  But along with edible food storage that we found, there were many items that were long expired.  

Today's Self-Reliant Saturday tip is to ROTATE your food storage!  I am all for long-term food storage, but this is pushing it.  It is 40 years old. 

Anyone for some really old celery??

 But I love that she wrote the date on the can because there was no other date printed on it.  That is tip #2---write the date of purchase on your cans.  It makes rotating much easier :)

Self-Reliant Saturday-Healthy Meal In A Jar

Many food storage fanatics love the meals in a jar concept.  They are simple to make, save time and money, and are a great option for cooking without having to plan an entire meal.  I came across a very healthy freeze-dried camping meal that makes a great meal-in-a-jar recipe.  (click here to see the original recipe) 

Healthy Chicken & Veggies with Couscous

1 C freeze dried chicken pieces*

1 C whole wheat couscous

3 t chia seeds

1 1/2 C freeze dried mixed vegetables

3 t dried onion flakes

1 T + 1 1/2 t bullion of choice (or 1 1/2t Shirley J bullion)

3/4 t EACH dried thyme, sage, parsley 

3/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t pepper

3/4 t salt (or less depending on your taste)

Layer all ingredients into a quart mason jar. (wide mouth is the easiest to make jarred meals in) Shake gently to allow settling so all ingredients fit in.  Place canning lid on and seal with a food saver jar attachment, or place an oxygen absorber in the jar and tighten with the canning lid and ring.  Serves 4-6 people. Shelf-stable for 3-5 years.

Reheating Instructions:

Make sure to label each jar with recipe name and cooking instructions.  Boil 4 1/2 cups of water in a pot.  Pour in jar ingredients and stir.  Turn off heat and allow to sit at least 10 minutes.  

*to make vegetarian use 1 C TVP or leave out the chicken all together.

Enjoy!!

Self-Reliant Saturday-- Storage Room Inventory

Inventory....it's a dreaded word....but it had to be done!  I finally got around to taking inventory of my storage room.  In January I challenged all of you to organize your food storage  and I knew that right on the tales of organization rides the dreaded inventory. I may have procrastinated this job until almost May :)

 This week's goal is to really take a good inventory of what you have in your storage area or pantry.  

I focused on my longer-term #10 cans and buckets.  These are the two items that I have for extreme emergencies and not really every day use.  I counted all of my #10 cans and all of my buckets and it only took 2 hours :)  I decided that my smaller soup can size cans get used much quicker, and I would be updating the inventory list almost every day to keep track of them all.  That is just too much work for me.  But with this inventory I at least know exactly how many #10 cans and buckets I have on hand.  

 Now I need to calculate exactly how long we could live off of this food.  That is the scary part...it probably isn't as long as I would hope.  But it is a starting point and I can add to this list every month.  Slow and steady wins the race :)

Oh, and I also finally put together my rotating can thingys (real technical).  I have put this off for over two years because I really don't like dealing with all the parts and snapping them together.  One part always seems to be just off enough that the can won't rotate fully down.  But it got done and I love how organized it all looks! (FYI:  the technical name of the rotating can thingy is the Cansolidator from Thrive Live.  Click HERE to see their products.)

It feels good to get this project done but the real challenge will be keeping it updated.  I also discovered a really cool food storage calculator on the Thrive website. Create a Thrive planner just for you and your family.  Type in your family info, how many calories per person, and the length of time that you would like to be prepared for, and it will calculate how many cans you will need.  Click HERE to set up your planner. I thought it was a really great resource to know exactly how many cans I will actually need to feed my family a well balanced diet for a whole year!  Let's just say....I have some work to do :)

Field Trip-- A Visit To The LDS Cannery

One of the best places to buy your food storage is at the LDS Cannery.  It is clean, organized, and inexpensive compared with other food storage retailers. The Cannery is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the use and benefit of its members, but if you aren't a member of the Church find a friend who is and they will gladly take you to purchase food from the cannery. The volunteers that work in the cannery are happy and always willing to help you.  There are two ways to purchase your food storage from the cannery.  One is to take a few hours and can your bulk purchase in #10 cans, or you may purchase the food in bulk and can it at home.  I didn't have time in my day to stay and can my food so I purchased a few things and used my foodsaver to can them at home. 

The above stock photo is from the Church website and gives you a glimpse of how to put food into #10 cans using the canning facility. It is actually fun to do and even more so when you have a group of friends to go with you. 

The day I visited the cannery no one was canning, but I wanted to let you know what the downtown Welfare Square cannery in Salt Lake City looks like.

 I loved the quote on the wall from Harold B. Lee..." Why should the grain elevator be built?  To me there is only one answer.  The elevator stands as a prophecy of a time when we will need wheat; of a time when, perhaps, money cannot buy food."  That's a very sobering thought!

 The food storage basics for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were also displayed on the wall.  They are plain and simple to follow.  Get the basics....store what you eat...eat what you store...store water....get your finances in order....then work on longer-term storage.  

I bought a 15lb box of dehydrated apples for $69.  These are my favorite dehydrated apples from any food storage retailer.  They are crispy and taste like dessert.  It's really hard to keep them stocked at my house.  

 I "canned" them using my foodsaver and I don't want to admit it, but it may have taken a long time to finish this project. (click HERE to see how I use my foodsaver to dry can) But I shouldn't have complained because I had no idea how long a 35lb box of dehydrated onions would take. 

If you ever want adults to look at you like you are crazy buy a 35lb box of dehydrated onions like you do it everyday.  I got the funniest comments from the volunteers at the cannery when I said I wanted the whole box.  I assured them that I had a plan for them and I knew what I was doing.  The 35lb box cost $72.00 and I think I'm set for onions in my long-term storage :)  

 It took FOREVER it seemed to get them all canned, but it was so worth it to see the final product.  Being prepared gives me peace of mind.

If you don't live near a cannery you can order a few staples, like wheat, sugar, oats, dehydrated apples, a few pastas, and pinto beans, online HERE and also download an order form there as well.  I am truly blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and some of those blessings come from continually working on my food storage.  And I love a Church that will help me accomplish this goal by providing a Cannery for my use.     

Prepare Today Homemade-- Graham Crackers & Graham Cracker Crust Recipes

If we all looked as good as we portray ourselves on social media most people have perfect lives, with perfect children, and perfect recipes that bake up perfect every time.  Well, I'm here to keep it real.  A lot of what comes out of my kitchen is not blog worthy, but this oops deserved to blogged about.

It didn't quite set up.

 On Tuesday night I am helping out with a preparedness class at church and I volunteered to bring a food storage related dessert.  I thought a no-bake cheesecake would be perfect. I have wanted to try cream cheese powder forever! Thank goodness I decided to try it out on my family first!  That liquid mess in the pie dish above is suppose to be cheesecake.  It never set up.  It sat in the fridge and then the freezer for hours and never set up.  You can see we ate the crust from under it, which was yummy, but the cheesecake part was a total flop.  I may be panicking just a little if I can't figure this out by tomorrow. 

So I am going to share with you my graham cracker recipe and also the recipe for the graham cracker crust.  I did find a cheesecake recipe that worked, thank goodness, and I'll share that later this week.

Homemade Graham Crackers

2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white flour (can use all whole wheat)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C butter softened (1/2 C butter powder + 1 1/2 T water)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C honey
1 t vanilla
1/4-1/2 C milk  
extra flour for dusting and rolling out
 Cream the butter, sugar, and honey until fluffy.  In another bowl mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and slowly add to the creamed butter mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla.  Only add enough milk for the dough to come together. The dough will be sticky and not quite like a bread dough when you have added enough milk.  (I had to add about 1/2 C more flour to be able to get it out of the bowl) Cover the dough and place in the fridge for an hour or up to overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350°. Divide the dough into fourths. Working with only one section, leave remaining dough in the fridge, roll out onto the bottom of an ungreased jelly roll pan.  Don't be afraid to use a lot of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and your hands.  It's a really sticky dough!

Roll as thin as possible, almost paper thin, using your hands to flatten if necessary.  Prick with a fork and score into graham cracker shapes. Bake 11-14 minutes.  Watch the crackers at the 11 minute mark, the edges tend to burn quickly.  Once done score the crackers immediately after taking out of the oven and remove to a cooling rack.  If they cool on the cookie sheet they will stick.

Repeat with the remaining quarters of dough.

 

These are a hit at my house, even my husband loves them!  They would be really good with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top before baking them. A great use for graham crackers is to make a super simple crust with them.  I needed to make a few crusts for my preparedness class and this was the best part of this whole process.

 It was kind of therapeuticec to bang all those crackers into crumbs.  They broke easily and then I was ready to make a few graham cracker crusts.

 Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 C finely ground graham crackers

1/3 C sugar

6 T butter melted (6 T butter powder + 1 1/2 T water)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  (if using butter powder don't use all the water at first.  Pour about half and stir the mixture and add more as necessary until the crumbs start sticking together.) Don't be afraid to use your hands to incorporate all the crumbs and butter.  Press into pie pan or 13x9 pan.  Chill for 1 hour, or if the recipe calls for a baked crust bake at 375°for 7 minutes. 

Stay tuned later this week for the recipe for the cheesecake that filled this delicious crust!  I found two great ways to make a no-bake cheesecake that use all shelf stable ingredients!!!

Everything In Its Place...Organizing The Storage Room

How are all of your January resolutions going? Did you read my last post on my food storage goal for 2015?  Click HERE is you missed it. Since it's still January, I'm going to continue with the organizing theme.  Remember...

A house of order can transcend to all aspects of our lives, but let's start with our food storage.  I hope you were all able to accomplish the organizing assignment in the last post.  The assignment was to inventory your food storage pantry or storage room.  This may seem monumental but I promise it will help in the long run of having a useable food storage system.  (Scroll down the page to see a picture of how I keep an inventory on a white board of all my #10 cans.)

After inventorying your food and supplies the next step is to organize your food into a system that functions for you.  

I am going to show you what works for me and what keeps my food rotated and useable, but there are many other ways to organize your food storage and I'll mention those at the end of the post. 

I have been blessed with a large storage room where I keep all of my extra smaller cans, #10 cans, bulk foods, paper goods, etc.  This is the room that I go to when I need to refill the containers in my kitchen pantry.  The pictures in this post are going to be dark, I apologize but there isn't any natural lighting in this room. Which is a good thing for food storage!  Remember that light, temperature, moisture and bugs/pests all need to be considered when you pick an area for your food storage. 

In my storage room I try to group "like" items together.  That way I usually know where everything is and goes.  I group my #10 cans in a different area then my smaller cans.  The smaller cans are stored in my kitchen and I only keep them out in the storage room when I have too many to fit in the kitchen. 

This is a small sampling of how I organize my #10 cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. 

I have most of my fruits and veggies grouped together.  This helps with knowing how much I have, but it also helps my kids know where things are when they are sent out to the storage room to grab something for me.  The powdered milk and other dairy items like sour cream powder, buttermilk powder, powdered eggs, freeze-dried cheese, powdered shortening, and powdered butter all get stored together.  I also have baking supplies like baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder on that shelf.  There is actually a shelf below the milk shelf and it holds my salt, oils, cornstarch and any other baking items that I might buy in bulk.  

How do you store oddly shaped containers, like condiments?

I use the free boxes I get from case lot sales and food storage retailers to group them all together on a shelf.  I also live in earthquake territory and I feel this gives me added protection if the room started shaking.  I really need to instal a small lip on my shelves so things don't go sliding off, but that is on the to-do list :)

All of my bulk items like wheat, oats, rice, sugar, etc. are stored in buckets around the perimeter of my storage room.

I love gamma lids!!  They make it so easy to open and close, and it doesn't feel like such a chore when I need to refill my kitchen pantry containers.  It is very dry where I live so I don't use the mylar bags inside of my bulk buckets.  I pour the bulk bags directly into my buckets.  And I am also comfortable resting them directly on the concrete.  Some may not feel comfortable doing that, but my room doesn't fluctuate in temperature too much and the concrete doesn't get wet.  I feel the chemicals from the concrete are not leaching into my buckets.  This is one of those examples of what works for me may not work for you ;)

And finally, this is how I keep track of all those #10 cans of food.

In all honesty here....this is my goal....to update this white board.  Notice I didn't take the picture too close...haha.  This proves I'm not perfect and I need a food storage refresher too.  The cans that get used the most are the fruits and veggies, so they need to be updated first.  But this is how I keep a visual of what I have.  Some cans are things that I won't use unless I absolutely have too, like the canned cheese and butter.  But having it listed on the board with hash marks allows me to know at a glance what I have in my storage room.  

Other Food Storage Options

 Some people may like using the commercial can rotater systems, but I don't have the room for them.  I have found that I can easily add newer cans to the back of my shelf without having a rotating shelf.  But you can decide if that will work for you.  You can also store like items together or groups of ingredients into complete meals.  Like the meal in a bag idea. Or maybe you like to make meals in a jar. Or maybe storing your food like the grocery store, with different types of food together, like Italian, Mexican.  I know of some people who like to store their food according to breakfast, lunch, or dinner meals.  It's all up to you!! It is really up to what works for you so you will USE your food storage!

Remember this rule with any food storage system....

F.I.F.O

This is how you rotate your food!  Always place the newer foods in the back.  This may seem tedious and hard to do but knowing you are using the oldest food first will save you a lot of $$.  Take the few minutes when you buy your food to put them in the proper place...behind the older food! 

Food Storage in Smaller Homes 

Many of us may live in smaller homes or apartments.  How is is possible to have food storage....and to store the larger amounts of food needed?

• Think of the space under the beds in your homes.  For long-term foods (#10 cans that lasts 20+ years) they can be stored in their boxes under a bed.  Think about taking the bed off the frame and using the food storage as the base.  The food from the cannery like rice, wheat, oats, powdered milk, would all work great for this option.  They don't need used as often. 
• Do you have extra space above your kitchen cabinets?  This unused space could easily store cans of food.  
• Instead of end tables, place stacked cans under a tablecloth and use a wood or glass topper to create a small table.  
• The space behind your sofa and the wall can hold food storage as well.  It can be covered with a cloth or if you know someone handy, they could build a cover for it out of wood. 
• Do you use all that extra closet space on the shelf above your clothes?  Think of how high you could stack #10 cans if they went all the way to the ceiling of the closet.  
• Buy several over the door pocket hangers, that are made for shoes, and you'll have a great area for smaller items. Think of all the doors and closets that you have and think if an over the door organizer would work there.  

**All of the above ideas take organization to a new level.  You will need to have a record of what you have stored and where you put it.  Keep a notebook with every item listed, where you put it, how much you have stored, and the expiration date.

It takes a little creativity and thinking outside of the box, but I know if you make it a priority to have your food storage you will be blessed.  Thoughts and ideas will come to your mind as you pray to know how to prepare for your family.  

Sneaking Dehydrated Veggies Into Dinner

Dehydrating foods is one of my favorite ways to have food storage.  But sometimes I forget I have jars of it in my pantry.  This is just a quick tip that I used the other night for dinner. I added dehydrated spinach to my pizza sauce before spreading it on the dough.  I'm probably the last person on the planet to figure this out, but I figured I might as well share. 

I simply crumbled the dried spinach in my hand and stirred it into the sauce.  No one knew it was there!  Plus it added a subtle flavor to the pizza that I really enjoyed.  I also love sneaking all that extra nutrition from the spinach into the foods we normally eat.  It was a busy night when I made the pizza and it was a grab-n-go type meal.  A few of my kids were eating it in the car on the way to an activity.  So the pizza with the spinach was dinner and a veggie all in one!  This is just one more way that I use my food storage in everyday living.  Think of all the other dehydrated foods that could be powdered, in a food processor or blender, and then added to soups, stews, sauces, etc. You'll become known as the sneaky chef! Well, if anyone finds out that you're sneaking veggies into their dinner :)   And once you're done with the spinach, sealing up the extra spinach for use later on is so simple using a food saver.  Click here to see how that works.  Simple, easy, quick ideas that use my food storage....it's a win!

Prepare Today Homemade- Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

A great way to save money and to eat healthier is to make your own mixes at home.  Many premade mixes and boxed food at the grocery store are filled with chemicals. Making the same mixes at  home is healthier but it also helps to use some of those food storage ingredients.  

My kids love ranch flavored wheat thin crackers, but they are pricey and seem to disappear so fast.  I decided to try and recreate ranch wheat thins and it worked.  I had the cracker recipe, but now I needed a ranch dressing mix that tasted good. I have tried to make ranch dressing mixes before but they seemed to be missing something.  I searched online and the recipe that I found uses dried mushrooms, of all things, as added flavor, in place of the MSG found in the commercially packaged ranch dressing mixes.  I thought I would try it out, and I'm glad I did.  It tastes great!  But the true test was going to be if the crackers tasted like ranch flavored wheat thins, and I am pretty sure they passed the test!  They were by far my kids favorite cracker that I have made. 

 {click HERE to view my wheat thin cracker recipe} I added 2 T of the ranch dressing mix to my cracker dough and continued baking according to the recipe. 

For the ranch mix, I used Honeyville's freeze-dried mushrooms.  You'll only need a tiny amount for the recipe,  but I find them useful in so many other recipes. Soups, quiches, and casseroles are easy to throw together with freeze-dried mushrooms on hand. They look just like mushrooms and reconstitute so easily.  I highly recommend them!

The other main ingredient that you'll need for this recipe is buttermilk powder.  I bought mine at Honeyville, but it is also sold in most grocery stores in the baking aisle.  I have used the grocery store brand and it is also a great product.  Stored in the fridge, the buttermilk powder lasts a long time.

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

adapted from HERE

1/2 C buttermilk powder

1 T dried parsley

1/2 t dry dill weed

1 t onion powder

1t dehydrated onion

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 t garlic powder & 1 t garlic salt

2 T finely chopped freeze-dried mushrooms 

(dehydrated will also work)

 1/2 t sugar

Pulse the mushrooms in a blender once or twice, just to break the bigger pieces up.  Add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth and blended. It should only take a few seconds. Pour the mix into a mason jar and stir in 1 t parsley and 1/2 t dill.  This will add a little color to your final product. Cover and store in mason jar in the pantry for 2-3 months, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. 2 T of mix = 1 envelope of store bought ranch dressing mix.

This mix can be used for dips, salad dressings, and any other recipe that a dry ranch dressing mix is called for.  This would be delicious in mashed potatoes.  

To make ranch dip:

2 T of ranch mix + 1 C sour cream (mix and chill)

To make ranch salad dressing:

3 T mix + 1 C mayo + 2/3 C buttermilk (mix all and shake well)

My Food Storage Week In Review: Dehydrating

The end of summer.  It's always exciting and sad at the same time.  The late nights are coming to a close and early morning school days will begin.  The end of summer also means gardens are producing and we are able to enjoy fresh fruits and veggies.  And hopefully your garden has a surplus that must be canned, dehydrated, or frozen.  My sister has a great garden and was kind enough to share some of her apricots with me.  We ate a few and then I decided to make fruit leather with the rest.

It was really simple.  My son pulled apart the apricots, they were tiny, took out the pit, and we blended it all up in the blender.  I thought I might need to add water, but the pulp was juicy enough to easily pour.  

We poured five trays of apricot fruit leather and stacked them up on the dehydrator.

While the dehydrator was out and running, a tray of grapes were added.  I had a few bags of grapes that were close to expiration and my six year old offered to dehydrate them for me.  I didn't want to pull them all off the stems and poke holes in each one. This is where the eager six year old comes in handy.

She pulled them off the stems, poked a hole in each grape, to allow moisture to escape easier, and placed them on the dehydrator.

 
And a quick 3 days later she had.....

...Raisins!  They were perfect!  And she was so happy with herself.  Self-reliant kids....love it!

The last item to go in the dehydrator was an older package of mushrooms.  I wasn't sure that I should dehydrate them because of their age, but I tried them anyway.  They dried fine, actually really well, but they smelled horrible after.  I threw them away, just in case there was something wrong with them.  I couldn't handle the smell from the jar after they were dried so I definitely didn't want to eat them.  Now I know why the professionals always say to use the best fruits and veggies to dehydrate.  

Here are the mushrooms and fruit leather after drying.

The mushrooms were fail #1 and the fruit leather, although dried really well, was kind of fail #2. They were so tart, I should've added a little bit of honey to the mixture before drying.  I'm going to pulse it into a powder and add it to smoothies and yogurt. 

There were several dehydrating lessons that I learned this time around.  I'll use fresher ingredients next time and I also need to remember that I have a dehydrator and use it more often.  I could be saving a lot more produce, and money, by dehydrating the surplus instead of sending it to it's death in the bottom drawer of the fridge. 

What preps are you working on??