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!!!!

Organizing -- How Food Storage Fits In My Kitchen?

Organizing our food storage was the challenge for January.  Click HERE if you missed that post. Now it's time to move out of the storage room and into my kitchen.  Organization is still a big part of my food storage in my kitchen.  Organization, and having a method to my madness, allows me to keep up with my inventory, and it also enables me to cook and use the food before it expires.  

 In one corner of my kitchen I have a dedicated cooking area which allows me to prep meals/bake, and not have to walk around the kitchen to gather what I need.  It is where I have all the measuring spoons/cups, spices, cookbooks that I use most often, mixers, flour, sugars, etc.  I make my bread here, put together dinner here, and pretty much all other food gets made in this area of my kitchen.  

This cupboard is directly above the counter that I use for meal prep.  I keep my baking ingredients and a few spices in this cupboard.  

Next to my spice/baking cupboard I have my surplus spices (which I seal in jars using my foodsaver), vinegars, sugars/agave syrups.  I also keep my liquid measuring cups in here. I can easily reach up for the ingredients that I need and not waste time walking all over the kitchen.   

Below my prep area I keep my spices in these two drawers.  I like being able to see them all at a glance and it keeps them from getting lost in a cupboard.  I also have them organized by ethnic flavors such as Mexican spices and Italian spices. 

On the opposite side of the kitchen I have a few cupboards that were out of the way for storing everyday cooking ingredients. I would be walking around an island to grab an ingredient if I stored the food I used every day here.  I decided to make these cupboards my smaller can storage area.  

I can see at a glance what I am low on and when I shop at the case lot sales I bring the cases right into the kitchen and unload them right into the cupboard.  The extra cases go out in the storage room.  This has worked really well for me and I love seeing all of the cans neatly lined up on the shelves...yes I may be a little OCD.  

 My Pantry

The ingredients that I cook with every day and the snacks my kids live on are stored in my kitchen pantry.  I have a rotating system that works for me.  I store most of my long-term food in my storage room in bulk.  I then have smaller containers, that I fill from my bulk storage, that I store in my kitchen pantry. I usually keep on top of this because if I am out of something in the pantry I go right out to the storage room and fill up  my pantry container from my bulk buckets.  Click HERE to see a post on my bucket storage. Using Gamma lids really makes this process easy.  Opening a bucket and filling a container takes just a few minutes.

This is my pantry.  I didn't clean it or make it pretty for the picture.  I wanted you all to see it exactly as it looks everyday, with 5 kids in and out of it, all day long.  

I have a few #10 cans stored in here. They are mostly the ingredients that I use to make bread, but there are other #10 cans like onions that I use more often, so I keep the opened can in the pantry and not the storage room.  It saves time walking out to the storage room.

The kids' snacks are on the lower shelf and then a miscellaneous shelf and above that are my pastas.  My lesser used cookbooks also have a home in my pantry.  The red and blue storage bins were purchased at the Dollar Tree store.  They are great for corralling fruit snacks, pretzel bags, paper goods, etc.  I keep my bread, peanut butter and bagels in the blue bin in the lower right corner of this picture.  This way I can grab the bin when I am making lunches for the kids and it is all in one spot. 

This is how my kitchen functions and it works for me. What kinds of organizational tips do you have from your kitchens??

Organize and Prepare Every Needful Thing

I have been away from my blog for too long.  I apologize!!  Sometimes there are more pressing issues in my personal life that I need to take care of, and the blog was put on the back burner.  The issue was more important then food storage...shocked...I know :)  But in all seriousness I needed an emotional time out and I took the time to take care of my family.  

But I am back and it's a new year!! Happy 2015!!  Since so many of us set goals in the new year, I thought it would be a good time to set a few goals relating to food storage. 

Can you tell where I am going with that scripture??  Yes, we are going to start off the new year by organizing our pantries and food storage.  It doesn't do any of us any good if we have our food storage, but it goes to waste because we can't find it to use it!  Organizing your storage area and kitchen is a big part of food storage.  Being able to find what you need, and also using food before it's expiration date, are both important in a usable food storage system.  

There are many ways to organize your short-term and long-term food storage and there isn't a right way, or a wrong way.  Whatever system works for you is the right way of doing food storage.  

 Click HERE to read a post that I wrote a little while back on how I store my food.  I really like buckets with gamma lids to store my long-term staples. Plus you'll get a peak at my pantry.  

In the food storage world there are large #10 can rotating shelving units and smaller plastic can rotator systems on the market.  They are usually quite expensive, especially for the amount of cans that I would need to store. But...I found a great cardboard rolling can organizer for a relatively low price from the canorganizer.com company.  Click HERE to see my post on how I put them together and organized my smaller cans.  I have had them for several years and they hold up great, even through a move!!

These are just a few of the ways that I organize my food storage.  I'll admit that I love organizing and that it comes easily to me.  I don't say this to brag, but I am hoping that something that I do might help someone out there in the food storage world.  Food storage becomes a way of life, usable, and you'll actually want to do it, IF it is organized and user friendly.  I promise if you take the time to organize your storage and stick to a system that works for you...you will love having and using your food storage!!  Stay tuned for more posts with ideas and suggestions on how to organize and use your food store storage. 

The first thing that I want you to do is inventory your pantry and anywhere else that you have food stored.  You need to know what you have before we can organize and shop for items that you're short on.  Make a list of the foods you have and also the amount of each item.  This can be kept in a notebook, on the computer, on your phone, or on a giant white board. (I like to use a giant white board in my storage room so I can erase and add food when we use it) Whatever works for you....do it!! We'll use your inventory list to organize in future posts. Let's all commit to making food storage user friendly in 2015!!

Back-To-Basics: 3-Month Supply Part 3- Storage

Click HERE for part 1 and HERE for part 2 of the 3-month supply posts.  Today's post will be....

Storing food has two rules:

1. Store food properly to maintain the nutrients, keep it edible, and save you money.
2. Use the containers, jars, buckets, #10 cans, etc. that work FOR YOU!

Although I said to store food in containers that work for you please only store food in containers that were manufactured to store food.  Plastics will absorb what's in them.  If a bucket had some kind of chemical in it, don't use it for food.  Same goes for used buckets that had food with vinegar, garlic or other strong flavors.  It will be almost impossible to get those smells out of the buckets.  Vinegar flavored oats does not sound appetizing.

Most foods that will be in your 3-month storage will be smaller and can be stored in their original packaging.  But there are ingredients that I use in my daily cooking that I buy in bulk and need to be stored properly.  Wheat, flour, oats, millet, sugar, brown sugar, rice, are all bulk items that I use regularly.  I am going to show you what works for me and how I store my food, both short and long term.  It may or may not work for you.  Hopefully I have convinced you that #10 cans of "just in case" food aren't the best plan.  Your stored food needs to be foods you use daily, and they will need to be accessible, or you won't want to bother getting it out and using it. 

Now, hard core preppers may think I'm crazy to show you what I have and how I store it, but I am comfortable in showing my storage room.  It's to help you, I hope ;)  I am lucky, very lucky, to have a storage room just off of my garage. It is just steps away from my kitchen and it holds A LOT!  The bottom row all around the room are 5-gallon buckets.  Around 70 of them.  I know this because I carried them into the moving truck and back out again.  I keep wheat, rice, sugar, oats, millet, and flour in them.  Most, if not all of them have gamma lids for ease.  I use these buckets to fill my smaller kitchen pantry containers.  It's soooo much easier to have a gamma lid when I need to refill a smaller container. 

I tried using different colors for different items, but it turned into just using what I had when I needed a bucket.  I am kind of OCD when it comes to organizing and I really want the lids to all match....some day.  

Buckets are great for long-term storage.  I do have #10 cans of long-term wheat and milk that will last 25-30 years, but I like buckets for most of my storage. Mylar bags inside of the buckets will give you another barrier against air, light, and rodents.  I live in a very dry climate and so far, no rodents.  I'm OK with no Mylar bags, see rule 2 above.


 Pastas and other grains....

 

For my pastas I use these bins that I found at a local discount store.  We use this food in a year or less, so I feel a #10 can would be overdoing it.  I take the pasta out of these bins and put them in my kitchen pantry in vertical storage containers. 

I can pour directly from these containers, also found at the same local discount store, into a pan of boiling water.  Plus I love the way they line up and have labels. 

 

I also have a variety of these containers for mixes and larger amounts of food like rice and wheat.  The brown nuggets are actually beef tvp, not dog food, like my kids call it.

There are a few items that I store in mason jars.  I am a big fan of the foodsaver! I love to seal up dehydrated foods that I have dehydrated at home, and also food from #10 cans that I won't be using in a timely matter before they go bad. (click HERE to view all my posts on using the foodsaver)

Oh, and I like to seal chocolate too.  Click HERE to see that post :)

I opened my #10 can of freeze dried cheese to use it one night, but needed to make sure the remaining cheese stayed freeze dried.  I sealed the remaining cheese in mason jars.  We use a lot of cocoa powder at my house and I make sure it stays fresh by sealing it in jars with the foodsaver. 

Storage Re-Cap

-BUCKETS:  Decide how often you are going to use certain foods, long-term or short-term, in your storage and use containers that are appropriate for that use.  Don't buy sealed buckets, or #10 cans,  if you are going to need to use an item often, this is where gamma lids come in handy!  Decide if buckets, #10 cans, or a little of both work for you.

-#10 CANS:  #10 cans are perfect for long-term storage and for items that you aren't going to use on a daily basis.  I have powdered milk, freeze-dried fruits and veggies, freeze-dried cheese, rice, oats, and wheat stored in #10 cans.  If they were canned properly, all of those items are good for 25+ years in a #10 can.  Sugars, pastas, and other grains I prefer to keep in buckets. I use them more frequently and feel having them canned would waste money.

-ORGANIZATION:  Having shelves organized and labeled will allow you to rotate through your food before it's expiration.  I have buckets, #10 cans, plastic bins, smaller canned food, mason jars, a little of everything, stored on shelves, in buckets in my storage room, and smaller containers in my pantry,  and I rotate bulk items from the larger containers to the smaller containers.  This is what works for me and allows me to find what I need quickly.  There are many can rotater shelving units on the market and even a few homemade versions on pinterest.  I store my smaller cans in a Can Organizer.  Click HERE to view a post on how I put them together.  It's another area you need to research to find what works for you.  *Remember rule #2 :)

-STORE PROPERLY:  When I purchase food I immediately put it away.  This is a not a time for procrastination!!  Get the buckets out and fill them. Put cans away.  Don't let food sit out.  Label cans with dates, if that helps you to remember when to rotate it. Remember FIFO- first in first out- older cans go up front and newer cans go behind.  Don't assume you'll remember when you bought things.  (that's from experience too :)

-EAT IT:  Most importantly....eat what you store!!! Don't store foods just because a website or book says you are suppose to have x amount of something.  I detest most canned veggies, I'm sorry, but I can't eat them, so I have dehydrated and freeze dried versions, and extra water stored instead.  I do have #10 cans of milk and buckets of wheat that I don't use everyday, but almost everything else in my food storage gets used, almost daily!  That is how it has to work for rotation.  Store what you eat....eat what you store!!