You need to plan your food storage in terms of what you can actually MAKE out of the items. Wheat will do you no good if you don't have other baking items necessary to make edible food out of it. Using the information from the book Marlene's Magic with Food Storage as a general guideline, I have compiled a list of different food items you can cook depending on what items you currently have in your food storage. This should be a starting point for anyone when determining which items to begin accumulating or to see what items you should add to really enhance your meal options.
I would suggest getting a 3 month supply of all of these items first, and then moving on to a full year's worth of food. You don't want to end up with a year's supply of wheat and unable to make even a loaf of bread because you don't have the other ingredients.
Desserts
Foods You Can Make Using Common Food Storage Items
If You ONLY Have: Water, Wheat, Salt, Shortening or Oil
You Can Make:
- Sprouted wheat
- Cooked cracked wheat
- Cooked whole wheat
- Wheat grass
- Gluten (a strange bread-type food that has a very high protein content)
- Tortillas
Just Add: Powdered Milk, Powdered Eggs, Honey or Sugar, Flour
And You Can Make the Items Above PLUS:
- Wheat pudding
- German pancakes
- Crepes
- Pasta
Just Add: Yeast, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
And You Can Make the Items Above PLUS:
- Puddings/custards
- Pancakes
- Some varieties of cookies
- Waffles
- Muffins/English muffins
- Breads
- Biscuits
- Some varieties of crackers
Just Add: Tomatoes, Powdered Butter and Cheese, Unflavored Gelatin, Canned Milk, Canned Fruits
And You Can Make the Items Above PLUS:
- Meatless dinners
- Meatless casseroles
- Cream sauces
- Jello salads
- Whipped cream desserts
- Baby formula
Just Add: Rice, Legumes, Beef/Chicken Broth, Canned Meats, Dried Potatoes, Dehydrated Vegetables
And You Can Make the Items Above PLUS:
- Lots of great chunky soups
- Chili
- Refried beans
- Rice dinners
- Rice puddings
- Sandwiches
- Many different dinners and casseroles
Just Add: Extras such as Oats, Raisins, Nuts, Spices, Juice, Peanut Butter, Cream of Tarter, etc.
And You Can Make the Items Above PLUS:
- A wide variety of almost any type of food you would want to cook
Summary
As you can see, with a bit of planning (and a fabulous food storage recipe book on hand), you can be confident that you will be able to create healthy, filling, comforting meals for your family should a true emergency occur. It will also be helpful to start using and rotating through these foods in your every day cooking so that you can find the recipes your family likes, get them used to eating these foods, and ensure that all of your storage retains its maximum freshness.
What Can You Do With Your Food Storage?
Would you like to be sent a series of checklists to help you in building your long term food storage program? Sign up for the free BabyStep Checklists at Food Storage Made Easy and you can get a year's supply built up in just one year. We make it EASY for you by outlining to-do lists every two weeks that are sent straight to your email inbox.