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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
 Posted - 10/30/2009 : 01:32:07
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I'll also suggest checking out the thread started by Caridad, "Who did you convince to prep today?": You must be logged in to see this link.
Today I bought another two 50-lb. bags of rice from Sam's Club and will be vacuum-sealing the rice in 5-lb. mylar bags this weekend. I also made note of the bulk-quantity spices on sale at Sam's. I've said before that I think one important point with long-term food storage is to make sure you have spices, sweeteners and other accoutrements to keep your food from getting boring.
I've got files with hundreds of soup recipes that I'll upload soon and link here to show how fun it can be to cook with your preps.
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Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 15:21:46
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In the past 24 hours I've dehydrated 7 lbs. of spinach and I'm about to put 15 lbs. of diced tomatoes in the dehydrator. I prefer to buy fresh produce during the growing season, but in the off-peak times I buy frozen (or in the case of tomatoes, canned) vegetables and dehydrate them.
I'm also waiting to hear back on a Craigslist ad for a chest freezer for $50. This should triple my available freezer space and I'll be able to store more vegetables at any given time in preparation for dehydrating them so I don't have to run to Wally World every night and get weird looks as I'm coming through the line with 20 lbs. of frozen spinach. I try to buy the most nutrient-dense vegetables even though they aren't as popular as green beans, peas, etc. |
Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 21:37:56
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Good job on the spinach and good luck on the tomatoes Nickelless.
Today I re-packaged 50 lbs of dual action aluminum free baking powder into smaller 1 gallon mylar bags for storage. It came yesterday along with quite a few cases of freeze dried veggies (broccoli, sweet corn, green beans, peas) and one case of dried butter. |
The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; second is war. Both bring a temporary (and false) prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunities. |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 22:44:20
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Nickelless- The last two batches came from Honeyville Grain. They had a special "crazy cases" and saved 10%. On the prior order I called and asked for a discount and they offered 10% on the entire order. Their prices, service and product quality has been impressive. In the prior order before this most recent, I ordered a lot of freeze dried fruit, several hundred #'s of yellow dent corn and 100# of powdered eggs that I re-packaged to finish the bulk storage. All product has been excellent.
At this point I have all bulk, dehydrated, and freeze dried food for 4 to eat very well for two years (That's A LOT of food!)
Because doing something is better than nothing IMO, I don't knock those 1 yr pre-packaged food storage specials that we see from time to time.
However, when you compare what they offer in terms of variety and portion quantity vs planning and prepping food storage yourself, it is very satisfying and feels like a real achievement, knowing that you know exactly what you have and how you have planned to meet your own individual tastes and preferences.
At this point I'm pretty much finished on food preps. Will get a few more spices and sauces to round it out though. I would like to add that those who are looking for the cheapest bulk product should really consider the LDS storehouse. From wheat, sugar, oats, dried milk, dehydrated apples, legumes etc, their prices for A Grade product simply cannot be matched.
Next project will to finish all household preps incl personal items, toiletries, cleaners, sanitizers, plastic utensils etc
Already have enough TP and aluminum foil for an army though. LOL
Thanks again for the inspiration. |
Edited by - jonflyfish on 10/31/2009 22:49:09 |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 10:29:15
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Sorry about the tomato disaster Nickelless.
To answer the question about the LDS supply source- It is open to the public, church members or not.
There is a website (can't remember if it was posted here before or not) You must be logged in to see this link. that has information about the resources.
For nearest distribution center locations- You must be logged in to see this link.
and the current price and order sheet- You must be logged in to see this link.
The prices are unreal. I've been there three times. Sent in the order form and each time the product was already wrapped and on a pallet and ready to load into my truck. That was all for bulk purchases, as I preferred to package it all myself at home.
It is worth noting that they have days where you can go and use their equipment to prepare #10 cans for everything that you purchase on that day.
I bought their 1 gallon mylar bags with 300cc O2 absorbers. The quality is excellent.
I have packaged many 5 gallon mylar bags from Sorbent Systems with 1500cc O2 absorbers and have been equally impressed. |
The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; second is war. Both bring a temporary (and false) prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunities. |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 23:39:18
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Thanks for the tomato sympathy, Jonflyfish. The real problem was that in using canned tomatoes I should've drained them better before putting them in the dehydrator, so what I ended up with was a huge, sticky mass that was really hard to pry off the trays after drying because of the high sugar content already in the tomatoes that was compounded by the sugar in the extra liquid--that, and I got home about four hours later than expected, so they had longer to melt the sugar onto the tray liners and make them stick even more. Oh yeah, there was also a sugary, dried tomato puddle under the dehydrators which I didn't see until I got home. Instant tomato paste! So in the meantime I'm going to switch to dehydrating other vegetables until I can get fresh tomatoes next year.
And in other big news, tomorrow I'm picking up a 5-cubic-foot chest freezer for $50 from a local guy who posted it on Craigslist. I'm hoping to run up to four dehydrators at a time as soon as I finish setting up a table that my cats can't easily get on top of and will be dehydrating probably 40 or 50 lbs. of vegetables a week that I can pack into the chest freezer and rotate them out as needed. |
Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2009 : 14:15:05
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Lesson learned and shared for all about tomatoes. I hear roma are a good variety to slice and dehydrate. Currently just have a lot of paste and sauce but will need the dried variety as well. Planning to get spinach taken care of tomorrow in the nesco.
Today loaded long term storage with a lot of vegetable shortening cans (almost gagged a few times loading can after can of crisco into the cart, but it is the primary storage solution substitute for baking with butter), soy and teriyaki sauce, gelatin (great for an egg substitute when baking), various herbal teas (emphasis on green), powdered chocolate mix, curry butter, white and apple cider vinegars. For short term pantry items reloaded on masa, corn meal, baking flour. All of which can be milled from long term supplies. Baking flour in that case will be from hard white wheat.
Tomorrow is a nesco dehydrator party day. LOL |
The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; second is war. Both bring a temporary (and false) prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunities. |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2009 : 19:56:01
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How did I forget? Packaged up a huge load of semi-sweet chocolate chips into mylar bags over the weekend.
WTSHTF we will enjoy plenty of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, hot chocolate, and chocolate chip muffins.
I figure there has to be some small simple pleasures for kids. LOL |
The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; second is war. Both bring a temporary (and false) prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunities. |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2009 : 23:22:16
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quote:
Originally posted by jonflyfish
How did I forget? Packaged up a huge load of semi-sweet chocolate chips into mylar bags over the weekend.
WTSHTF we will enjoy plenty of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, hot chocolate, and chocolate chip muffins.
I figure there has to be some small simple pleasures for kids. LOL
Actually, bulk-size packages of M&Ms would be even better and maybe cheaper as well. And since they melt in your mouth, not in your hands, they might be better for long-term storage. |
Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 07:04:42
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Hmm thanks for the tip Nickelless. I keep the preps in cool, dark, dry locations but I also believe in diversity. So, will go get a load of M&M's as well. After all, they do go perfectly on cookies. Perhaps will get some regular as well as dark chocolate (excuse to call it health food for the antioxidants LOL)
Today am supposed to get the neco out and go crazy on spinach. Let's see... |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 12:13:15
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| Ok- Just went to Costco and picked up 10 lbs of baby spinach leaves and 5 lbs of regular spinach leaves as a test. Time to fire up the Nesco. |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 15:09:01
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| Well this has been interesting. First small spinach batch steam blanching turned into cooking. Fixed that in second batch but did not dry the spinach after rinsing before the blanching so drying time has been extended. Will be working batches all day/night and tomorrow it seems. |
The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; second is war. Both bring a temporary (and false) prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunities. |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 02:55:58
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quote:
Originally posted by jonflyfish
Well this has been interesting. First small spinach batch steam blanching turned into cooking. Fixed that in second batch but did not dry the spinach after rinsing before the blanching so drying time has been extended. Will be working batches all day/night and tomorrow it seems.
I'm using frozen spinach--each of the packages I've been buying at Walmart is 28 ounces (1.75 lbs), which I let thaw in Pyrex dishes for several hours, then put the spinach in the dehydrator. You could theoretically put the still-frozen spinach directly into the dehydrator, but that of course will increase the dehydration time because for the first few hours you'll just be melting ice.
Just curious, how much are you paying per pound for the fresh spinach? The 28-oz. packages of frozen spinach come out to 8.1 cents per ounce--about $1.30/lb.--and of course it will keep longer than fresh spinach since it can be kept in the freezer basically indefinitely until it's dehydrated. |
Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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jonflyfish
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
693 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 20:44:10
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| Nickelless- Will post on this later this weekend with photos and details. It is turning out well. Initial struggle with spinach has been estimated drying time vs reality (go figure LOL) Final result is great. |
The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; second is war. Both bring a temporary (and false) prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunities. |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2009 : 20:17:42
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| I got delivery of the chest freezer today--the tag on it says it has 5.3 cubic feet of space inside and can hold approximately 185 lbs. of food. I'm guessing that what I'm dehydrating will total about 800 lbs. (predehydrated weight) of food for the same amount of storage space after it's dehydrated. Do the math--you can fit a boatload of dried and/or dehydrated food in a very small space, and if your lack of space (real or perceived) is keeping you from stocking up on food, re-examine how you're using your space and don't be afraid to cram things in unlikely places. I put the chest freezer in an otherwise vacant and unused corner of the living room, since I live in an efficiency apartment now, and it looks fine right where it's at. Anyone else have any innovative storage suggestions or ideas? |
Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2009 : 07:13:06
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Here are before-and-after photos of spinach that I just finished dehydrating. In the first photo, I set out 4 lbs. of frozen spinach to thaw for about 4-6 hours, then put it in the dehydrator. The second and third photos are the end result. After dehydration, the spinach takes up only about 1/4 of the space of its predehydrated state. It's dry (of course) and brittle after dehydration, so I just keep compacting the spinach as I'm pouring it in the mason jar (4 lbs. of spinach into a one-quart jar) until everything fits.
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Visit my new preparedness site: Preparedness.cc/SurvivalPrep.net
--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
---------------
Be prepared...and prepared to help: http://www.survivalblog.com/charity.html
Are you ready spiritually for hard times? http://www.jesusfreak.com/rapture.asp |
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caridad
Penny Pincher Member
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2009 : 17:33:34
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| yesterday and today i prepped meals for my dd's pre-k class. i took it upon myself to do this since the powers that be wre dragging their feet. at the end of teh school year, should nothing happen i will get my #10 cans back. the food comes ideally close to what the preschool would require for the children to recieve in their lunches. |
ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU SELF SUFFICIENT? ARE YOU GREEN???? |
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caridad
Penny Pincher Member
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2009 : 19:34:52
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yesterday i went to the 99cents store and did the following. i bought four storage containers of 4.1L size (?). then i bought the following to fit into each container respectively.
container one: kernel corn 7 paks, maggi pumkin soup mix, maggi fideo soup mix, 3 cheese potato soup mix 7.
container two: hungry jack mashed potaato mix roasted garlic 2, chungry jack mashed potato creamy butter 2, 8 various spices: oregano, thyme, poultry spice, cilantro, steak spice, parsely flakes, garlic powder, green seasoning.
container three: soy milk 1 qt., navy beans 16 oz., black beans 16 oz, pico de gallo, clorets gum 3-pack, vegetable oil 12 oz.
container four:pasta shells 16 oz., trentino 7 oz pastas 3, long grain brown rice 1.5L, pearl barley 16oz. |
ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU SELF SUFFICIENT? ARE YOU GREEN???? |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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caridad
Penny Pincher Member
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2009 : 12:23:43
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| well, they are actually closer to short term emergencies so within a year or two they have to be switched out. i make sure it has at least a year. smart and final and others have at least a two year shelf life. |
ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU SELF SUFFICIENT? ARE YOU GREEN???? |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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What did you prep today?
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