Category: Food Storage & Cooking

I’m often asked for advice on grain mills. Having stored wheat and corn necessitates having a good quality durable grain mill. Electric-only mills are not recommend because they will of course become useless ornaments once the power grid goes down. An inexpensive hand-cranked mill will such as the Back to Basics Mill  or Corona Mill might suffice for a short term disaster, but in the event of TEOTWAWKI you will want something built to last. I started out with a Corona mill in the early 1980s. It was a lot of work to use! It seemed like I burned as many calories …

It appears that a mutation of the H5N1 Asian Avian influenza virus into a form that is easily transmissible between humans is now “likely within the next 36 months.” Read: “possibly better than a 50/50 chance.” From an actuarial accounting standpoint, this should be considered a call for action. Quit dawdling. If you do not yet have an honest two year food supply set aside for your family, do so soon. If you wait until after a mutation occurs, it will be too late–all of the storage food vendors will sell out immediately, and then they will start to build …

…The Army Aviator might want to track down Plumrose ham. I’ve bought the cans at Sam’s Club in 3 packs, and at CVS in singles. No refrigeration needed, but they are only one pound cans. They are not an American product, they are an import from Denmark… The DAK brand Danish canned hams are…   …at Walmart on occasion. I also like supporting our friends in Denmark… …PLUMROSE makes a 3 pound ham in a sealed metal can… …I buy mine at SAM’s Club, WalMart, and Publix….SAM’s have them in a 3 pack, and I usually get 2 or 3 [of  …

Howdy Jim, For those with sufficient storage space, an item worth considering is the UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurized milk products. In one-quart containers at around $1.40, they are available in whole milk and the 2% variety. The manufacturers give a shelf life of 6 to 10 months and the product requires no refrigeration until opened. UHT dairy products have been on the shelves in Europe for more than 20 years. They were previously unavailable to the U.S. consumer because the government felt their availability would “disrupt the milk support program.” Sure beats powdered milk! – Dutch in Wyoming JWR …

Hello James, The Blog just keeps getting better and better. Kudos! I’m in the “luxury” stage of my pantry building and recently calculated the cost/benefit of storing butter. I figure butter would not only provide a psychological boost during bleak times, but would make a great barter item as well. I looked at three different methods: 1, Canned Butter Powder – Storage life of 6 to 8 years. Requires reconstituting. Cost per pound of table ready product – $8.45 2. Canned Butter – Storage life of 3 to 5 years. Requires no reconstitution. Cost per pound of table ready product …

Here is how to bake bread over boiling water:  Get wide mouth pint mason jars, or empty cans all the same height, and grease them with shortening. ( Oil will make a more gummy texture but is fine to use also.) Many cans have little ridges in the center and make it much harder to get the final breads out. Set the jars in a pan and fill with water to 2/3 of the jar height. Jam in enough empty jars if necessary so they don’t tip. Or stones, anything. They must fit snugly and not fall over. Bring water …