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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
 Posted - 08/21/2010 : 03:17:09
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I just browsed the past year's worth of prepping threads and (surprisingly) didn't see anything on stocking up on spices, so I think a thread on this is definitely in order.
I'm the oldest of three kids and both of my brothers are chefs, but I got the short end of culinary training. Some of the things I'll mention would be considered sacrilege in high-cuisine circles, but this thread is about spicing up your survival food preps, not making sure your spices are necessarily as fresh as you would find in restaurants. For one thing, when I mentioned to my youngest brother that I had several dozen quarts of spices in mason jars, he chuckled and said, "You know those will go bad after six months, right?" I replied that first of all, the spices will only go "bad" if they're left exposed to air for an extended period of time--but the seals on my mason jars are much more airtight than the containers which the spices came in at Sam's Club. And I'd rather have "too much" spices than to not have enough and to have to deal with "food fatigue"--as I noted in another post, you can have the same basic ingredients--rice, beans, vegetables and meat--but depending on what spice combinations you use, you can create literally thousands of different dishes.
And while spices may "go bad" according to restaurant standards after six months, I'll take "stale" spices any day over bland food. I've got at least 10 quarts of cayenne powder in my pantry at the moment, and I'm guessing it'd take a couple years to go through just what I've got at the moment, but having "too much" spices could literally mean the difference between people eating or not eating. The danger of "food fatigue" is well-established--people can have plenty of food on hand, but if they're eating the same thing over and over and over, they may literally starve themselves rather than eat more of the same thing. Here's an article I just came across:
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I make it a point every week to buy a couple pounds of various spices at Sam's Club and seal them up in mason jars when I get home. It's going to be months, maybe even years before I go through some of the spices I have, but again, "too much" spices is much better than not enough. Parents, consider the danger of food fatigue if your kids refuse to eat the same thing another day. If you make it taste like something else, they're much more inclined to eat it.
I prefer the spices that will give me the most bang for my buck taste-wise. Take a look at what you can get in bulk quantities:
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I include mint, cloves, etc., in my preps not for their addition to food per se, but to make my own tea with these. (Get 5-lb. containers of honey at Sam's Club for less than $11 to top it off. ) And there are many other sites besides the one above where you can buy bulk quantities of spices, or if you live in larger cities you should have plenty of retail establishments (especially ethnic grocery stores) where you can buy them or order them. I'd be interested in hearing your own stories or recipes using spices to help keep your food storage from getting boring.
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--Latest article: Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
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Verbane
Penny Sorter Member
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2010 : 23:25:36
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How do you seal the jars?
I'm getting ready to add spices to the preps, but I want to make sure the jars are well sealed.
1. I have considered heating the jars, so that when they cool it will create a vacuum (plate warmer function on the dishwasher). Also heating the lids per canning instructions, just make sure the lids are fully dry.
2. Oxygen... Would adding an oxygen absorber to the jar cause any problems? Would this help create more vacuum?
3. I am going to use pint jars, less to use after the seal has been broken.
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"If everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking" General George S. Patton |
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2010 : 01:36:42
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Verbane, you don't need vacuum seals on the spices because they aren't wet-canned like preserves. Just close the lid tightly as you would with any other dry item. There's no need to heat the jar or to use O2 absorbers. You're not looking to preserve nutrition with spices, just preserve taste. Keep the jar lids tightly sealed and keep the jars in a cool, dry, dark place and everything should be good.
As for pint-size jars, I have a small supply of those on hand but the price for a dozen pint jars isn't much cheaper than a dozen quart jars. I'd rather get more storage volume for my money. |
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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Stocking up on spices to keep food preps lively
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