# Foods for Fat?



## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

OK as we all know Carbs are fairly cheap and easy to store. And because of that my food preps are extremely carb heavy. But to really support your health and activity you need some fat in there. I have some spam (treet actually) and a little peanut butter, and some chilli and tamales. and some ghee. What I"m asking is which or what is the cheapest generally way to buy shelf stable fat foods. I feel a bit of especial pressure to get things in shape next month when the money is in. (NOt alot of money mind you) So is the Treet and peanut butter the cheapest stuff I can get or have I missed somthing that I can throw in to add fat cheaply? For the moment we are not prepared to can anything ourselves but we are close but for now it's what I can get off the store shelf. Was also looking at making some Gorp is that cost effective I have a vac sealer and bags and will be getting one that can do jars very soon ( in the mail). Anyway looking for suggestions and experience from the rest of ya'll so I can get maximum bang for my buck in a couple weeks.

I"ll be able to help neighbors maintain herds of livestock and should be able to barter and trade if we aren't overrun and lose the stock so I"m totally lost if I don't get other fats in preps but would be Way more comfortable if I can get a good stock. TIA


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Hershey Bars and M&M's are good and can be vacuum sealed for longevity.

Cooking oil is good, you can stock and rotate it, as long as it is kept in cool dark place it will remain good well past the expiration date. Crisco or Lard can also be stored and rotated, you dont have to put stores into your pantry, lock the door and forget about them. It can be an interactive process.


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## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

Yep! Lots of Treet, and for the same reasons you've outlined. Boy, has SPAM ever gotten more over-priced! I too, have been contemplating more affordable, diverse sources of proteins and will watch this thread.
With Treet you get a lot more Cholesterol and trans-fats for your buck. (Ahem..) An important consideration in a post-shtf scene, eh? 
My cholesterol was fine last time I had lab work done, but the Dr. said I'm not getting enough hops & barley. Hmm.....


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Canned chicken with the skin left on. Make a soup or stew with it. Any meat that you can can with the fat attached is best. You want good fats, not the high fructose corn syrup crap. Fish also has a lot of good fats in it.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I have been growing peanuts and sunflower seeds for the last couple of years in order to add healthy fat to our diet. If you live in an area where nuts can be grown, you can do that. Eggs are an excellent source of healthy fat. They have 5g of fat and only 1.5g of saturated fat. Eggs are also high in folic acid and lutein. You can keep a couple chickens and have all the eggs you need.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

We grow sunflowers, but never have tried peanuts. What kind of yield do you get from them? Any growing tips? Interested in giving them a try.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Peanuts are good for he soil also, good suggestions


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

well at the risk of taking my own thread off topic I too would like to hear more about growing peanuts. I can look it up on line too and will but I suspect it will be hard to sort out the individual growing info from the big farming info. Are peanuts somthing I can get seed peanuts for and keep sealed in the freezer for a few years like my heirloom storage seeds? How much yeaild do I expect to get from a pound of seed. What length is the growing season and how warm does the ground and weather have to be before planiting will I need to start them inside? I know they are a legume and as such should be good for putting nitrates back in the soil I can see rotating peanuts and beans out and puting Corn in alternating years. keep the soil in shape and reduce need for fertilizers esp nitrates. Do they require an especial heavy lime? They would be an awesome way to get fats if livestock is non existent and if livestock is non existent you can bet wild game will be gone beyond useful levels.

Also anyone know any recipes for direct use of soybeans. I know those grow well here and would presumable be a source of fat and protein but as they come from the feild I know of very few ways to use them.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

This is one subject I know something about as I've studied nutrition for decades...overloading on carbs is generally not a good thing as it puts weight on, overloads the pancreas producing insulin, etc...proteins and fats are the most important...but fats without refrigeration is a challenge...olive oil and lard are your best bets....I suggest vacuum packing nuts and seeds for snacks...more later, gotta go to work!


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## AnonyManx (Oct 2, 2012)

db2469 said:


> This is one subject I know something about as I've studied nutrition for decades...overloading on carbs is generally not a good thing as it puts weight on, overloads the pancreas producing insulin, etc...proteins and fats are the most important...but fats without refrigeration is a challenge...olive oil and lard are your best bets....I suggest vacuum packing nuts and seeds for snacks...more later, gotta go to work!


Butter can be canned. Since I don't have the time to can it myself, I'm fortunate to have disposable income - I have a few cases of Red Feather canned butter in my food storage. I also have several cases of Bega cheese, which is basically a mild cheddar in a can. Both of those are decent choices for dietary fat. Oh, and I have quite a bit of canned bacon...


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Lake Windsong said:


> We grow sunflowers, but never have tried peanuts. What kind of yield do you get from them? Any growing tips? Interested in giving them a try.


I grow everything in raised beds. Peanuts like warm soil so you need to sow them when things have warmed up in your area. Other than that, they are easy to grow. I sow two rows of them about 6" apart in the raised beds because I use intensive methods. I grow Valencia and Virginia peanuts here. You might have to check what is good for your area. Other than that, they grow like weeds. Four 2x8' beds provide us with a year's worth of peanuts.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

jsriley5 said:


> well at the risk of taking my own thread off topic I too would like to hear more about growing peanuts. I can look it up on line too and will but I suspect it will be hard to sort out the individual growing info from the big farming info. Are peanuts somthing I can get seed peanuts for and keep sealed in the freezer for a few years like my heirloom storage seeds? How much yeaild do I expect to get from a pound of seed. What length is the growing season and how warm does the ground and weather have to be before planiting will I need to start them inside? I know they are a legume and as such should be good for putting nitrates back in the soil I can see rotating peanuts and beans out and puting Corn in alternating years. keep the soil in shape and reduce need for fertilizers esp nitrates. Do they require an especial heavy lime? They would be an awesome way to get fats if livestock is non existent and if livestock is non existent you can bet wild game will be gone beyond useful levels.


You don't need "seed peanuts". You can just locate raw peanuts. I got my original Valencia peanuts from the grocery store. I just bought "raw" peanuts and used those. I got my Virginia peanuts from the farmer's market. I don't keep any of my seeds in the freezer. I put them in individual paper sacks and keep them in the cabinet. I try to keep 2 years worth of seeds on hand and rotate them accordingly. I use about 120 peanuts for seed. It isn't more than a couple of handfuls. You get a lot of peanuts from each seed. Kind of like potatoes.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

AnonyManx said:


> Butter can be canned. Since I don't have the time to can it myself, I'm fortunate to have disposable income - I have a few cases of Red Feather canned butter in my food storage. I also have several cases of Bega cheese, which is basically a mild cheddar in a can. Both of those are decent choices for dietary fat. Oh, and I have quite a bit of canned bacon...


Have you tried the RF canned butter? We have and it tastes fine but it was pretty much a liquid...was that your experience? I prefer a more solid butter and refrigeration will do that but I will have none if the utilities go down...I ordered a can of that RF bega cheese but haven't tried it yet...have you? Is it good?


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

I have several cans of Ghee which is basically a butter think they call it clarified or rarified butter. But it ain't cheap mostly stocked for baking needs. I have Cheese on the list was gonna get the Kraft caned cheese but again only have about 10 cans on the short list because of cost. I wish the Canned bacon I used to get (my folks actually) for camping was still available, The stuff I find now is precooked and alot of the good grease for cooking with is gone from it, I've also heard it doen'st taste all that good but that is besides the point it probably tastes wonderful if it's been 6 mos since you have had any bacon and been on short rations.To be sure a big batch of bacon is on the list to be canned as soon as I get the canner in hand and enough jars to get started again. (Divorce sucks you lose alot of stuff  ) Am thinking of getting a bigger canner or perhaps two medium sized ones. I always had better luck with not breaking jars if I let them cool most of the way slowly still in the canner. with tow you could be rotating them out and keep a pretty steady process going during the peak of the season, and still be able to eficiently do smaller batches in the tail end when production has slowed down. 

Thanks for the ifo on the peanuts, I was afraid that they may need innoculation like alphalfa or somthing hence mentioning 'seed peanuts" good to know I can get the raw from the store. At the risk of sounding dumb I assume you want them in the shell for planting? Or should they be shelled first. Since they are supposed to be able to grow wild I assumed in the shell. Have you had any luck with letting them "go wild " in other words harvest about 90% and leave part of the established roots there for the next season? Was thinking if they are hardy they may kinda spread and take over an area if it isn't too weedy. Another question for ya. how is the best way to prepare the peanuts? I like salted in the shell roasted better than raw and dry roasted the out of the shell the best so give me a basic idea of how to prep them please, and thanks a tone for the info gonna try a couple big tubs this summer. Oh how deep should I plan on them needing? I figure the harvest is bound to be pretty shallow but does it have a deeper root section as well?


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I plant mine without the shell. They come up in 3 or 4 days. My sister in PA starts hers indoors. It takes about 130 days or so until they are ready for harvest. When the flowers wilt, do not pull them off. When the entire plant wilts and turns yellow, it is time to dig them up. If you are using a container, you will need a big one. You will get about 40-50 peanuts per plant. I have never grown them in a container. 

After I harvest mine, I let them air dry in my garage where I dry my herbs. Once they are dry, we shell them and eat them. We eat ours boiled and roasted without the shells. If you want the shells on them, then I would rinse them off as soon as you harvest them, then let them air dry. IF your peanuts get moldy, throw them away.


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## AnonyManx (Oct 2, 2012)

db2469 said:


> Have you tried the RF canned butter? We have and it tastes fine but it was pretty much a liquid...was that your experience? I prefer a more solid butter and refrigeration will do that but I will have none if the utilities go down...I ordered a can of that RF bega cheese but haven't tried it yet...have you? Is it good?


We tried the RF butter before ordering by the case; it was butter - just fine. Solid at our (rather cool) room temperature. We also tried the Bega cheese; DH loves it. I think it's okay.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Thanks for the info, kejmack.


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