Jim:
I am also gluten intolerant and I found out much in the same way and the previous writer. In addition the information provided I would like to point out potatoes. They can be bought in 50 pounds bags and stored in a root cellar for most of the winter.
We buy two 50 pound bags in the fall that last us until late spring. We also grow 18 different varieties of potatoes and save and grow them from seed each spring. That way we have the knowledge and ability to ramp up our own potato production in case we couldn’t buy them from the farm down the road.
As for bulk oats they should be avoided by people with celiac disease unless they are certified gluten free. Growing a field of oats without wheat contamination is a difficult and costly process. Ordinary bulk oats are contaminated with wheat. After three days of one bowl of bulk oats a day, my intensities let me know that there is gluten in there. Store what you eat, eat what you store. – Dan in Upstate New York
JWR;
This posting has come at an opportune time for me. My daughter-in-law has celiac. That combined with the fact that she is a vegetarian has left me with few options for stocking foods that she can eat. She has to be wheat free and gluten free. You and poster are correct about separate grinders etc. When they come to visit, she must use a different stick of butter since even the touching the our bread can trigger a reaction. We always have to read the label because wheat is used as a filler and thickener in many products, pasta sauce, candy and even in toothpaste. She does eat eggs and cheese. So fortunately our little flock can feed her and I am planning to get a milk goat.
Thank you for a great blog and a “gathering place” for like-minded individuals. – Linda U.
James Wesley:
As a thirty-year survivalist I had a couple years of food storage when I married my wife a few years ago who has celiac disease. While we do not maintain a gluten-free kitchen as I enjoy the occasional ‘normal’ pizza, cookie, or sandwich, I made the decision to convert my food storage to all gluten-free because the galley in the retreat is much smaller and we cannot assure contamination will not occur there like we can at home. I drove my truck to the food cooperative in a neighboring state and purchased 800 additional pounds of corn, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth which I processed in 5 gallon buckets according to your directions in How To Survive the End of the World as We Know It. I also ordered a Country Living Grain Mill because they will test it with rice at the factory instead of wheat to prevent contamination and the optional bean auger is perfectly suited for popcorn which I can get inexpensively in 25# bags at the local warehouse club. I have started storing and using xanthan gum which attempts to hold baked goods together the way the gluten does in baked goods containing wheat.
After sorting out and setting aside my wheat and other glutenous provisions, I contacted some local preppers and survivalists and sold my entire stock of these items for the bargain price of $5 per #10 can. My wife is very good about making me gluten-full foods I enjoy. For example, this evening we both had biscuits and gravy, but mine were ‘normal’ while hers were made with alternative flour. Grocery stores are keeping more gluten-free products and a plethora of recipes are available all over the Internet for those who cook everything from scratch. I find that every year I develop more and more taste for gluten-free products. I compare it to going from whole milk to 1%. One might start by transitioning to 2% before moving to 1% or skim.
The two biggest problems I have encounters thus far are that I can no longer store TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) which is also known as soy meat because they list wheat as one of the ingredients and it will be difficult to share meals with those in our retreat group because their food storage and meal planning is highly dependent upon wheat products. Prudent planning has overcome these obstacles and I feel I am no less prepared now than I was before I purged gluten from my food storage. – Allen C.
James,
I enjoyed the article by Geoff in Kentucky. Having a daughter recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease I can sympathize with him. The simple act of grocery shopping took three time longer when we first started. We’re back to normal now and prepare both gluten containing and gluten free meals and storage. One helpful tip I’d like to pass along is an iPhone/iPad app called “Is that gluten free?” by Midlife Crisis Apps. I don’t recall what it cost us but the fee was reasonable and has more than paid for itself in time and frustration. You can search by brand or ingredient. It even covers many local brands.
All the best! – South Florida Gal