Editor’s Introductory Note: This article is a compilation from several articles in J.R.’s Prep School Daily blog. Because of its length, it will be posted in three parts. It is re-posted with permission. – JWR
Introduction
I love including powdered milk in my food storage plan for my family. I love it because nobody else does. Nobody wants it, now or ever. People who have had it never want it again, and people who have not had it are not that into eating healthy or storing food anyway, so there are no worries from them either.
But still, powdered milk is like the ugly stepchild of food storage. Nobody wants it. Just thinking about it is probably giving you the willies.
Well, let’s change that! First off, let’s discuss nutritional needs. Teens and adults are recommended to store 20 pounds of dry milk per year. This is only used in baking and cooking. There is absolutely none for pouring on cereal or drinking. None for making yogurt or banana cream pie.
In contrast, pregnant and nursing women and children up to the ages of 12 years need 75 pounds of powdered milk each year to meet the nutritional requirements of their growing bodies. Yes, there is probably some drinking involved here.
The following table shows a comparison of the nutrients and costs for some of the major dry milk companies. As you can see, there is a wide range of nutrients and costs per serving. Please note that the Augason Farms Morning Moo is not milk—it is a milk drink.
Manufacturer | Vit. A | Vit. C | Vit. D | Calcium | Cost | Servings | Cost/Serving |
Provident Pantry | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | Purchased in 2008—no records of what I paid | ||
Country Cream | 0 | 0 | 10 | 30 | Purchased in 2009—no records of what I paid | ||
HSC no sugar or vanilla added) | 10 | 4 | 25 | 35 | Purchased in 2001, no records of what I paid | ||
HSC (sugar and vanilla added) | 15 | 4 | 40 | 35 | Purchased in 2010, no records of what I paid | ||
HSC | 10 | 4 | 25 | 35 | $ 4.00 | 29 | $0.14 |
Country Cream | 2 | 2 | 10 | 30 | 18.99 | 64 | 0.30 |
Augason Farms | 15 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 22.99 | 39 | 0.59 |
Thrive | 0 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 10.49 | 15 | 0.70 |
Emergency Essentials | 10 | 4 | 25 | 30 | 18.95 | 45 | 0.42 |
Augason Farms Morning Moo | 10 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 23.99 | 93 | 0.26 |
Carnation | 10 | 2 | 25 | 30 | 0.99 | 4 | 0.25 |
Kroger | 15 | — | 15 | 20 | 2.31 | 12 | 0.19 |
I’ve had a few opportunities to teach classes on using powdered milk, and one of the things I do every time is a taste test. Most of the major long-term food storage companies offer their own dry milk lines for sale. In my tastes tests, there has been no consensus for first place. Some favor Country Cream or Emergency Essentials or Thrive. But twice now I’ve had groups give two thumbs up to the milk from the Home Storage Center (HSC).Continue reading“Making the Best of Powdered Milk, Part 1, by J.R.”