# Food Preperation Nearing Completion



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

As I get closer to my goal of 1 year supply of food, my dehydrator has been finding some idle time. I have decieded to start making "convienence food" consisting of dried cooked rice(like minute rice) and have also started dehydrating cooked beans. 

These two staples,(Rice and Beans) can sustain an individual for quite some time so having an add water only supply seems like a good ideal. The cooked rice dries fairly fast, as do the beans. Both are very good when rehydrated and the rice actually comes out better, IMO, than fresh cooked. The beans(Pinto) come out pretty well, although there is a slight difference from fresh but if you didnt know they were dehydrated you would not guess.

Any ideals, input or feedback on this?


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

While at first blush this seems like a good idea, to dehydrate your cooked beans and rice, (hey, I say dehydrate it all!) but doesnt that seem a little, um, redundant? Taking something thats already perfectly ready for LTS, cooking it in water, then dehydrating it?
Does it make them easier to rehydrate? Rice is a pretty simple thing, but what about the beans? Beans take some time to cook, do the dehydrated cooked beans require less time/effort (read:fuel/energy for SHTF)? Now that would make some sense then.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I think he is making "instant" meals like that soup in a cup stuff where it is just add hot water and stir/wait/eat. Add a few spices and herbs in there and you could have a nice quick hot meal if needed. 
I don't think he is cooking the instant rice and then drying it again. just adding it to dehydrated "cooked" beans. 
That is what I do when we used to hike.. all he would have to do is put his mix in a wide mouth thermos and add hot water close it and later he could eat hot fully cooked food. That is an old hiker trick... put your dehydrated dinner(of what every you wanted for lunch) in the thermos hot boiling water from breakfast and close it up and by lunch time.. Yummy hot lunch. Or if you have enuf thermos stuff for dinner could also be done at breakfast and then "cooked: again for dinner.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

Emerald said:


> I think he is making "instant" meals like that soup in a cup stuff where it is just add hot water and stir/wait/eat. Add a few spices and herbs in there and you could have a nice quick hot meal if needed. [snip]


We started doing basically the same thing a while back. Once the beans and rice are cooked and then dehydrated, we put them in ziplock type mylar bags with an O2 absorber. Then when we need something easy while the power is out (or whenever) we just cut the heat seal, undo the ziplock seal and add hot water.

We don't do a lot of these, just enough to have a few hot meals when we don't have the time or inclination to cook.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*TSHF for only one year?*

You said you were almost finished with your one year supply. Do you think that you are only ever going to need one year's worth? What if there were desperate times for 5 years? Or 7? Or 10?

I keep asking this question of people because the one year's worth seems to be the goal for so many.

Even though I have food stored, I keep trying to find ways and things to round out my supplies--vinegar, baking soda, corn starch, vanilla, salad dressing, mayonaisse, mustard, canned broth, canned milk, crisco, t.p.

You understand that we are going to run out of and want many things.

On the other hand, 5 years worth of water, rice, salt, oatmeal, wheat, meat, peanut butter, jelly, and sugar, could mean life or death.

I'm just wondering, because I read this one year goal so often.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> You said you were almost finished with your one year supply. Do you think that you are only ever going to need one year's worth? What if there were desperate times for 5 years? Or 7? Or 10?
> 
> I keep asking this question of people because the one year's worth seems to be the goal for so many.
> 
> ...


I agree with you %100, I should have titled the post a little different, my preperations will never end, I intend that my grown daughters and grandson will not starve because of my short sightedness or neglect.

Now that I do have a minimum 1 year of basics, I will increase my stores of the niceities like more salted fish, canned chicken, beef, bacon, sausage and hamburger. I will increase my stores of dehydraed eggs from 1 egg a day per person to possibly up to 3 or 4......no, my preperations will not end because of the magic 1 year mark has been reached.

Not only am I going to continue to add to and improve the content of my stores, I am taking steps to ensure that I will be able to produce or acquire the necessities if our situation does not improve after the supplies eventually run out.

I think that the 1 year goal is so popular because most people cant imagine the impact of a collapse lasting longer than that. For me, it is just the first step in the ladder of my ultimate goal of being able to not only survive but to thrive regardless of the severity or duration of the event.

Thank you for pegging me on the 1 year mark, people that have not considered that possibility should read those comments and give their future some deep thought. As you stated it could be the difference between their life and death, and that of their loved ones.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

I would be putting the dehydrater to work on bananas, apples ect, different fruits. I don't know what the storage life of rice and beans are once they are cooked and dehydrated. I don't KNOW IF rice has a long life once it is processed.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

weedygarden said:


> What if there were desperate times for 5 years? Or 7? Or 10?


In that event, folks really will need to be able to grow their own food. Lots of stored food is a great feeling but having fresh fruits and veggies will be paramount for the long haul.

Plant a few fruit trees now, as they take several years to produce. Plant a small garden now, to see what grows well in your area. Add a few berry bushes. Fresh produce has more vitamins and minerals and will alleviate the boredom in your diet. :flower:


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

I think most "preppers" feel the 1-year supply will sustain them to and through their 1st harvest of home grown "re-supply." These things - "vinegar, baking soda, corn starch, vanilla, salad dressing, mayonaisse, mustard, canned broth, canned milk, crisco, t.p. " are not hard at all to make from scratch at home or find viable alternatives for.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

lotsoflead, I buy bananas 50-60 pounds at a time and dehydrate them, my dehydrator can handle about 75 pounds per load. We have buttloads of bananas and will continue to store more. They are one of the foods that can almost sustain a person by themself, they cant be ignored or underutilized. 

Any idle time in the dehydrator is filled with drying 1. Bananas, 2. Potatoes and 3. Eggs. The dehydrator can dry bout 40 pounds of potatoes or 9 dozen eggs at a time and I take full advantage of that functionality. I even dehydrate and cheddar cheese(works pretty well), makes good mack and cheese.

UncleJoe, I have planted a small orchard, enough to provide my family with plenty of Peaches, Plums, Pears, and Pecans and they have already started producing. My garden was expanded to over 1/2 acre this year and I have planted wild edibles and medicinals around my fencelines and any oher place my mower will not easily access. 

I can much of the produce from my garden and other necessities that will be unobtainable, such as butter, meats, milk, even cream, sour cream and velveta cheese. My stock of home canned foods is in excess of 600 jars at this time.

In the event that the scenario last a number of years, I have stored enough gas, oil and spare parts to run my tiller and garden machines for a 4-5 year period. If I cant come up with a more sustainable method of growing food in that period of time, I would really have to re evaluate my prospects for long term survival. A 5 year transition period seems more than sufficient to adjust to a new world and way of doing things.

The dehydrated rice and beans will be a source of nutritional meals in the event that cooking is not practical or possible, again, just covering bases.

I came to this forum to try to find holes in my plans and to ways to fill them, Let me tell you, I have found plenty of food for thought.


Bottom line, 
I will not/did not stop my preperation when a 1 year mark is reached. I will continue as long as resources are available. I will also continue to find new ways to preserve and store the things we like to eat that may not be available during the crisis period.

I appreciate everyone of you who have commented, encouraged, challenged or otherwise communicated thoughts and ideals to me.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*I am not so sure of this!*



goatlady said:


> I think most "preppers" feel the 1-year supply will sustain them to and through their 1st harvest of home grown "re-supply." These things - "vinegar, baking soda, corn starch, vanilla, salad dressing, mayonaisse, mustard, canned broth, canned milk, crisco, t.p. " are not hard at all to make from scratch at home or find viable alternatives for.


I don't know how to make baking soda, corn starch, canned milk, crisco, or t.p. There might be ways of some people doing this, but not me and I'll bet not many.

Respectfully: I am not trying to limit myself to one year's worth. Anyone who has really tried to produce their own food knows that some years there is a problem with various things growing. There is a learning curve and I don't believe that anyone can grow their own everything within a year's time.

That is why people prep. Not everyone will be able to have everything or do everything, but we are here to help each other, to encourage each other, and to help each other see the folly of our own thinking.

This is a great thread. Thanks for everyone's input.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> You said you were almost finished with your one year supply. Do you think that you are only ever going to need one year's worth? What if there were desperate times for 5 years? Or 7? Or 10?
> 
> I keep asking this question of people because the one year's worth seems to be the goal for so many.
> 
> ...


Weedygarden--you're right--I have 5 years and can stretch longer if need be. You ask why?
Because, I have trouble growing even tomatoes here--we're NOT farmers--I can't make this acre porduce!! Noone on this 10 house street can. I can not sell this house and move now!! That's daydreaming--but I CAN buy stuff to make me last 5 years.
And as long as this nation still stands, I AIN'T FINISHED, YET!!
Meaning, stores are still open.:congrat:

Cream of mushroom, cream of chicken soup..DG; 3 for $1..not bad!!! I'll buy more.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> I don't know how to make baking soda, corn starch, canned milk, crisco, or t.p. There might be ways of some people doing this, but not me and I'll bet not many.
> 
> Respectfully: I am not trying to limit myself to one year's worth. Anyone who has really tried to produce their own food knows that some years there is a problem with various things growing. There is a learning curve and I don't believe that anyone can grow their own everything within a year's time.
> 
> ...


So, you're saying I might barter some of your dehydrated banana chips for....hmmmm, those bulbs I have a closet full of?? Or that detergent, dishes or laundry--take your pick--I have years supply of??
Great.:congrat:


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## stand (Nov 15, 2011)

*My first few months will be 'no cook" meals*

of peanut butter, instant oatmeal, jerky, pemmican and the like. Then it will be stuff cooked with very little smoke or flame, no fuel gathering, on a multi-wick "candle stove". Eventually, I will have to "crack' the hard winter wheat and make porridge out of it, mixing it with fish and wild plants, if any are left, that is, until my hidden "greenhouses' can be used to produce sprouts.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

stand said:


> of peanut butter, instant oatmeal, jerky, pemmican and the like. Then it will be stuff cooked with very little smoke or flame, no fuel gathering, on a multi-wick "candle stove". Eventually, I will have to "crack' the hard winter wheat and make porridge out of it, mixing it with fish and wild plants, if any are left, that is, until my hidden "greenhouses' can be used to produce sprouts.


The mormons, and others into food storage, have a saying: "Eat what you store and store what you eat."

I have some wheat stored and I have a hand grinder and an electric grinder. Periodically, I grind some wheat and make bread. I have tried to use powdered milk and have come to realize that I cannot stand the taste, but it will help fortify breads and other things that I cook.

I think that WTSHTF, it will be great to have food that requires no cooking. This kind of food is stored in "72 hour kits", a kit that people can grab if they need to evacuate. I think it is great to have as much of this as we can, but it tends to be more expensive and have a shorter shelf life.

But, I would like to suggest that periodically, we all try to see what we can do with our wheat, and other foods that we have stored. Experimenting while there is not so much stress will help all of us to learn. It is a great time to find ideas about how to use wheat, what we can do with our rice, how to use oatmeal for other meals other than breakfast (oatmeal patties in mushroom sauce), spices to help make our meals more palatable.

I would like to suggest that hard red wheat is not the only kind of wheat to store. Try storing different varieties--hard white, soft white (for pastry flour) and also store a variety of beans and anything that will store for the long haul.

Thanks for the input!


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I can only say this--there is NOT ONE thing in my storage room that we do not eat...not one.

And preppers, don't be afraid of powdered milk..I made a chocolate pie and banana pudding using it...ummmm..good.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*powdered milk*

JayJay, I am not afraid of it, I have quite a bit of it. I do not like to drink it as a beverage, however, I am glad to have it for cooking, such as chocolate pudding or pie, as you suggested.

Decades ago, I took a food storage class at a local Mormon church. Their basics for food storage include: water, wheat, powdered milk, oil, salt. The powdered milk has protein and will help round out the diet, but, does anyone make a powdered milk that tastes good without adding a bunch of stuff to it?


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

goatlady said:


> I think most "preppers" feel the 1-year supply will sustain them to and through their 1st harvest of home grown "re-supply." These things - "vinegar, baking soda, corn starch, vanilla, salad dressing, mayonaisse, mustard, canned broth, canned milk, crisco, t.p. " are not hard at all to make from scratch at home or find viable alternatives for.


I was thinking about this today. Do any of you know how to make any of these items?

Vinegar?
Baking soda?
Corn Starch? 
Crisco?
T.P.?

I have seen recipes for mayonaise and I have made salad dressings using olive oil, flavored vinegars, and spices.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JayJay said:


> I can only say this--there is NOT ONE thing in my storage room that we do not eat...not one.
> 
> And preppers, don't be afraid of powdered milk..I made a chocolate pie and banana pudding using it...ummmm..good.


Dont forget about powdered Whole milk, available in the Hispanic Isle at Wally World.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> JayJay, I am not afraid of it, I have quite a bit of it. I do not like to drink it as a beverage, however, I am glad to have it for cooking, such as chocolate pudding or pie, as you suggested.
> 
> Decades ago, I took a food storage class at a local Mormon church. Their basics for food storage include: water, wheat, powdered milk, oil, salt. The powdered milk has protein and will help round out the diet, but, does anyone make a powdered milk that tastes good without adding a bunch of stuff to it?


I haven't drank(drunk?) the powdered milk--yet, either!! But I use it for my cereal and chocolate drinks and cook with it.:2thumb:

Know what I like and is great??

The Gossner milk from Dollar Tree--a quart for $1..and it has a 9 month shelf life.

Davrm--I have looked at our chinamart for that and didn't find it.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I guess the whole milk powder is a local item. Funny thing though, it is actually cheaper than the powdered skim milk, go figure.

I looked for the 25 pound bags of wheat berries that were available in Montana(fogot who mentioned them and in what thread) and didn't find them here but would grab them up in a minute if found.

JayJay-Dont get me started on China.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JayJay said:


> I haven't drank(drunk?) the powdered milk--yet, either!! But I use it for my cereal and chocolate drinks and cook with it.:2thumb:
> 
> Know what I like and is great??
> 
> ...


The next time you are there(ChinaMart), look for "Nestles Nido), comes in a #10 sized can that is primarily yellow.

Daughter works at WalMart so will ask her to find out if it is a regional item.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> I was thinking about this today. Do any of you know how to make any of these items?
> 
> Vinegar?
> Baking soda?
> ...


We use a fair amount of Mayo so I learned how to make it a while back, it is fairly easy to make but also easy to mess up if you are not careful. We didnt want to be without it in the stores, but also didnt want to dedicate the space to storing and rotating it. The solution was to seperate eggs and dehydrate them and use the powdered egg yolks to make it on demand. The results weren't an exact match with mayo made fresh but was really quite good. We dehydrate alot of eggs so the extra step to seperate and dehydrate the yolks and whites was not a big thing.

White vinegar is made commercially out of ethahol, about a %10 dilution, the microbe that converts alcahol into vinegar is readily available commercially. Just mix it with the alcahol mixture and airate(an aquarium pump and airstone will work) for several days and you will have white vinegar. Refining this process is on my list of Do's .

Baking Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate, dont know how it is produced, maybe its just mined somehow.

Corn starch can be made by grinding corn, soaking the meal in water, straining the liquid through cheesecloth and evaporating the liquid off. Whats left is corn starch.

Potato starch is easier to make and can be used pretty much the same way as Corn Starch. Finely grate fresh potatos, dehydrate them and then run the resulting meal through a flour mill, the finer the better and thats it.

Crisco, I think that is well out of the capability of most homes, but lard can be used pretty much interchanbably and is relatively cheap. Lard has gotten a bum wrap from a health standpoint. It is much "less bad" for you than hydrogenated plant fats, the human body has evolved to process animal fats but not the manufactured hydrogenated fats(transfats) that are so popular nowadays.

T.P., Plant plenty of corn, then use your imagination.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Davarm, I have tried the whole powdered milk and it's not too bad. When we use the store bought milk down half way I mix enough to refill the gallon jug. There is no strange after taste like there is with the non-fat powdered milk. I found it at our local walmart in the hispanic food isle.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Davarm said:


> The next time you are there(ChinaMart), look for "Nestles Nido), comes in a #10 sized can that is primarily yellow.
> 
> Daughter works at WalMart so will ask her to find out if it is a regional item.


It must be--I've looked and even asked for assistance--not at ours..and we have no #10 cans of storage food either.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

JayJay said:


> It must be--I've looked and even asked for assistance--not at ours..and we have no #10 cans of storage food either.


JayJay, do you have a Krogers? I can't get Nido at my closest WalMart, but I can get it at my little town's Krogers in the Mexican food section. It's smaller than a #10 can, though.


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

JayJay said:


> It must be--I've looked and even asked for assistance--not at ours..and we have no #10 cans of storage food either.


Jay Jay, I found it here in Mid. Tenn in the Mexican food aisle - no where near the other powdered milk. It's 13.88 per can and makes 53 cups of milk.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

LilRedHen said:


> Jay Jay, I found it here in Mid. Tenn in the Mexican food aisle - no where near the other powdered milk. It's 13.88 per can and makes 53 cups of milk.


Our walmart has no specific ethnic aisles--but DG does..that's where I get my nectar for peach tea!!:2thumb:

Thanks, goshengirl, I'll try Krogers.

I have no problem with powdered milk--I'm using it and cooking with it.
But, I like to try new stuff.
I do know I haven't bought any milk in a while--I'd probably go into sticker shock.


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