FOOD

No Problem Roxy, I hope it works out for you.  Just remember you need the plastic mesh tray liners so the small pieces do not fall through- the trays themselves usually have llarge slots in them.

Jason, 

can one substitute cheese cloth or something else for the plastic mesh tray liners?  perhaps, something like cross-stitch plastic with the tiny wholes, or taking a part  one of the skillet sized oil splatter screen

do-hickies.   

I was the queen of Y2K food storage. I had big 5 gal buckets full of sugar, flour and pasta. I used the oxygen packets. Put bay leaves in the flour...I used the flour and sugar until about 9 months ago and it was fine. I didnt have to buy some things for years and now after a move, I'm starting all over again. You can can your own butter. Use small canning jars. Then you only open enough for a few days at time and it stays fresh.
Take rice and divide it into 1 or 2 cup amounts....as much as you would use at one time and seal individual packets. Then there is no measuring, just add an equal amount of water.
Remember that trash will also be a problem....you don't want to put your food wrappers out on the curb and advertise that you have food! So any repackaging you can to to conserve space and have items ready for cooking is a good idea.
Dont store foods you wouldn't eat under normal circumstances. As for the canned meats like hamburger....if you can eat what looks like dogfood, buy it. I used mine as a white elephant gift at Christmas time. I don't think my family would have eatten it even if they were starving. And the person that got it as their gift...left it at my house.....
Some one mentioned eggs...you can buy dehyrated eggs. They are great for baking. I keep in on hand all the time now. Dont forget to get PAM for none stick cooking....less cleaning.
I"m sure there is more to tell, but I'm also getting good advice. Each "disaster" brings it's own challenges.

Ihree  like the idea of separating the rice in smallbafgs and fressing them for t

Hi fritz,

I just now finished up a batch of canned butter. I used 6 sticks of salted butter. While I was melting it down, I put two pint canning jars in the oven at 260, to sterilize them...20 minutes. I put the canning lids and rings in a pan and brought it to near boil and turned off the heat.
Once the butter melted and began to slow boil, it foamed up...this is the water boiling out. When the water is out, you'll hear a sizzling sound and it will stop steaming. With unsalted butter, the milk solids separate in the pan with clear oil underneath. The salted butter didn't do this. So if you want to skim the solids off, unsalted is better to use.
I took one jar out of the oven at a time, and poured the butter in thru a funnel and wiped off the lip of the jar. Then I took out one lid and ring, dried them with a clean paper towel and put them on the jar.
The milk solids separated to the bottom of the jar very quickly. As soon as the jars cool a bit, I'll go back and shake them and repeat this several times until they go solid again.
Using salted butter for this gives a Very salty butter.
When they are cooled, I'll put them in the fridge.
I got one and a half pints from six sticks of butter.
Hope this helps.
Tea4Two

Hi fritz,
You are very welcome! I don't have a pressure canner so I can't help you with that. You can use any glass jar with a metal lid, as long as it is sterilized and you boil the lid. The jar of clarified butter that I bought at the health food store is in a jar with a metal lid. Nothing special, so a glass mayo jar or pickle jar would work too. the lids from the pint canning jars will fit a glass mayo jar, the quart size.
The solids are milk solids that separate from the oil when the butter melts.
This is very easy, if I can do it, as the saying goes....
Tea4Two

That is great Joseph!

Thanks for all the great directions for canning butter. I'll try to can some myself together with the bought canned butter I have.

I have a few questions too. I am (again) looking over what food I have and what I can make with them, and whether I am missing some ingredients (spices, condiments etc. ). Which leads me to wonder about the milk and eggs food storage suppliers sell. Who could make some recommendations as to what is better (when). What is the difference between "Egg mix", "Whole Eggs", "Egg Whites" and "Eggs, ova crystals"?

The same question for milk. You have "Crystalized Instant milk" "Nonfat milk" "Instant milk" etc. What keeps well longest?

Thanks.

Have you tried the canned cheese yet?  I read the same review that' s posted but would like second opinion.

Welcome to raccoon and grace ...

Thanks, Sweetpea...

Guys, I have been involved in a few group buys for Mountain House freeze dried foods in the past few years. the people that put on these group buys do this to help people prepare, not to profit from our fears. I think for long tern storage Mountain House is hard to beat. I will see if I can get approval to post prices, you guys will be shocked.

Dijion,

From the past three group buys I did with these guys, you place your order, they email you the order costs with shipping(over $500.00 free shipping from MH), you send funds to them, a few weeks later the Brown Truck brings it to you. You do not have to form a group, unless you want to get a group and buy over $ 500.00 to save shipping.

How come, when I go to the website, it says "Free standard shipping on orders over $50"?  Also, I am having difficulty finding anything about group orders.

When I go to the Rifle site to see what's happening w/ the group buy, I see you have to register to get into the site. -k

Dijon

Thank you by the way.

What date do you need our orders? When do you need the check? I see your e-mail info listed on page one, is it still current? Thanks

Warning: Pancakes made from an old mix can cause an acute allergic reaction. The mold that forms in the old mix can be toxic.

xx

xx

Irene,

MAJDAD wrote:   He was always able to make his troops happy even in Vietnam.

Edited by 2ifbyC - April 22 2006 at 9:08pm

jUST CURIOUS BUT WHAT DO THE MILITARY EAT ON MISSIONS . IM JUST LOOKING FOR IDEAS ON PREPPING