Mr. Rawles,
In your new book [“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It“], which I ordered on “Book Bomb day” you mention that coffee is hard to store, and suggest using the vacuum-packed bricks. I have found that the key to stocking up on coffee for the long term is to buy green coffee beans that have not been roasted yet. They have the potential to keep for up to two years in just a burlap bag, or much longer if actually packed like you would wheat berries. Roasting can be an art in itself, or as simple as frying in a pan. (Just the beans, no oil of course.) A source for roasting information and ordering of green coffee beans is Sweet Marias. I roast my beans using a Fresh Roast II coffee roaster every few days, and plan on roasting them in a cast iron skillet, should TEOTWAWKI occur. Wholesalers of green coffee beans exist, and the beans can be had for from $2.50-$3.50 a pound in 130 pound bags. Not to mention, fresh roasting the coffee beans actually improves the flavor about three times as much as fresh grinding the coffee beans do!s
The second item regards sifting fresh ground whole wheat flour in order to obtain fluffier whiter flour most people have been led to prefer. Legend, Inc. offers Geologic soil sifters in varying grades of fineness. A #20, #30 and #50 allow me to obtain flours fine enough to bake cakes from hard white wheat berries ground with a Country Living grain mill. I still make whole wheat bread most often, but it’s nice to have the ability to make a nice cake or French bread. Some day without power and from a hand cranked mill, a nice cake could be a real morale booster. Thank you and God Bless, – Edward T.