Newbie with lots of questions?

[bixa525]

I am just beginning my food storage plan and I have many questions but the first one that comes to mind is, when buying all these grains and beans it seems to me they take an awful lot of water and energy to cook them. if we are in a situation where we have limited water and cooking power are these the best foods to store for long-term? I do realize they keep well and are high in protein but many of the beans require a pre rinse, then a soaking, then another rinse and then water to cook them. This seems like an awful lot of precious water wasted when your water storage is limited. Also grains take a fairly long time to cook so I worry about wasting fuel. One other thing, I have no idea what to do with these grains or beans when it comes to putting a meal together with limited ingredients and cooking availability. Can anyone answer my concerns and help me with some recipes?

[Matt In Oklahoma]

You dont have to do all that to cook beans. You can cook them in the same water you soak them in. If you have limited water you are going to have to sacrifice some things that are nice but not needed. Also if you have a filter (which you should) then refilter that precious water, dont poor it down the drain or toss it out like we do now. The old timers kept pots of beans on during the colder months with their heat source so nothing was wasted and also with working fires used for blacksmithing, branding etc double duty was pulled by setting a pot of beans on, making charcloth etc. Alternate sources of cooking are discussed here in several areas where fire pits, solar, dutch ovens etc are used to cook while other things get accomplished and limited resources are used.
My recipes are simple dishes of meat n rice or meat n beans with spices (meat being squirel, deer or whatever). Ham n beans (maybe not the ham but pork trimmings from a butchered wild hog) are one of my favorites.

[1Admin]

Well answered Matt.

It's going to be next to impossible and it's not a good long term prospect to store nothing BUT ready to eat type foods. We have a "fair" amount of MRE entrees and tray packs. These are the slowest to rotate cause we rarely eat convenience type foods now. We bought all of these at wholesale and usually ONLY bought major closeouts and loss leaders. Example- cases of 72 fruit entrees for $7. a case (normal price back then was $55. case). Course these prices are in most cases 10 or more years old also. Yes they are storing fine and everything we have rotated has been in good condition, despite what the "chart commandos" would have you believe.

To put up a year or more of food that was convenience based oriented would be out of reach for most people. This is the main reason most people go the basic grains route. A basic year supply of grains, put up yourself would cost you about the same price as a couple cases of MRE's today.

As to the soak, rinse, cook, wash off thing you mentioned with beans. Most people just cook them in the same water and their is absolutely no need for a secondary rinse at the end. Some would argue that could affect nutritional value also. We eat a fair amount of black beans and the same water they soaked in they cook in. We scoop them out of that same water before we eat them.

Lentils require no pre soaking, cook extremely quick and have the highest protein of any bean. Being they are smaller sized than say a pinto or black bean, they are easier to digest for old folks, young kids, etc.

Also, a steady, reliable water source you CONTROL yourself is your "prime directive" and honestly most other things are moot points without that.

[610Alpha]

Great questions...and great responses!!

Welcome to S & P we are glad you are here. Lots of good people and info here. Do a quick search before asking your question, we have talked about a lot of things so it might be covered. Check out the blog articles there is some good info there. Lastly share your experience with the rest of us. Look on youtube for videos made by PAW Productions - delta69alpha and also survival report.

Delta69alpha covers the topic of medium term storage which in my mind covers the quick to eat category of foods ex. cans of ravioli type stuff that you can buy on sale or cans of precooked beans, canned meats/fish....this would be in addition to LTS food...mix in some MRE Entree packs....and like 1Admin said securing a water source is of high importance.

Oh get some books about cooking with Beans & Rice, and other LTS Foods. Do some searches now on the internet and print off recipes...work on incorporating the recipes into your diet now so you don't have a big transition in a PAW/SHTF scenario.

[Karen]

To cook grains, chop it up, soak it over night, and cook it in the same water you soaked it in. You can add butter, sugar, honey, or whatever you have on hand. Right now we have the use of electricity, but many cultures use a morter and pestle to grind up grains. Grain can also be ground up with a hand crank grinder for making flour. Do a search on grain bread recipes to find the recipes you want.

[610Alpha]

Google is your friend and so is the search function on the forum.

[protus]

cook books can be your friend. Older the better. since they dont normally say " 1 can of diced xxx and 1 can of abc.." its 10 apples and 6 tbsp of baking soda...

as matt said. fire's play double duty. Reserach colonial living/cooking. You will be amazed at how and what fire places/oven and smoke rooms were used for beside's just heating up the house.

ducth oven is the same as a slow cooker/crock pot. Use it as such ( like matt said)

just because you have beans doesnt mean you have to have "baked beans" or bean soup. There is 100's of ways to cook the things.