Week 6: Spices

Don't forget the spices and herbs for your Food Sorage!

Those beans aren't going to taste very yummy just soaked in water!

Plus a lot of your vitamins and minerals are found in your spices and herbs.

They can also be used for medicianal purposes!

Contact Anna Merrill for Bulk Spices (928) 536-3222

(scroll down to food storage connections and favorites to find price lists)

Spicing Up Your Food Storage
Josephine Newton, "Spicing Up Your Food Storage," Ensign, June 1990, 72

"Spicing it up" is important, especially when you’’re cooking with basic food storage items. So once you acquire grains, legumes, nonfat dry milk, sugar, oil, and salt, start gathering a year’’s supply of spices and flavorings.
Beef, chicken, or ham bouillon granules or cubes are excellent secondary storage items. Rice takes on wonderful new flavors when cooked in bouillon, as does barley and even some wheat dishes. Bouillon is also a base for many soups, sauces, and casseroles.
Soy sauce is another excellent flavoring to store. It adds saltiness to stir-fry vegetables and fried rice, as well as to some stews, chicken, and fish. Other flavor enhancers for main dishes include red and black pepper, paprika, turmeric, vinegar, dry or prepared mustard, Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
Aromatic herbs like marjoram, thyme, oregano, dill, basil, and sage can lift soups, casseroles, salads, and sauces out of the ordinary. Seasoning salts and spice blends like chili powder, curry powder, poultry seasoning, and celery, garlic, and onion salts make legumes tastier.
The aromatic seeds——anise, caraway, celery, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, poppy, and sesame seeds——are especially good sprinkled over home-baked breads and rolls and stirred into salad dressings.
While you probably have some "sweet" spices on hand——cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice, and mace——you may want to store a wider variety. Although "sweet" spices are not actually sweet, because of their flavor association with sweet dishes, they give a sweetening effect to breads, puddings, and cereals, even when no sugar is added. Simple rice pudding, for example, is dependent on such spices for its flavor. And you can enhance the simplest cookies and cakes with these favorite flavors. Vanilla, almond, lemon, and maple extracts are also good for storing.
To supplement nonfat dry milk, store cocoa, sweet cocoa mix, or a cereal drink. Punch powder flavors not only water, but also puddings and pie fillings.

Note: For long-term storage, keep unopened boxes, cans, or jars of spices and herbs in a closed plastic container or bag and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Once spices are opened, keep them sealed in a second container to maintain their flavor and aroma.——Josephine Newton, West Jordan, Utah

David B. Haight said:
They wrapped Jesus’ body in fine linen, together with spices, according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial. Later, women carrying spices for the final preparation of the body for burial looked in the tomb and witnessed angels, who said, "Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified.
"All Wholesome Herbs"
"And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man--"Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving." D&C 89:10––11. What are herbs? A definition current in Joseph Smith’s day was "plants of which the leaves or stem and leaves, are used for food or medicine, or in some way for their scent or flavor."Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; "Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul." D&C 59:18-19

Using Flax Seed:
This recipe is every bit as good as real eggs in your favorite baked good recipes. For each egg, place in blender:

1 Heaping tablespoon of whole organic Flax Seed, blend it until it becomes a fine meal. Add a 1/4 cup of cold water blend 2-3 minutes until thickened and has the consistency of eggs.
Each 1/4 cup of flax seed mixture equals one egg.

Week 5: 6 boxes of Crackers and Wheat

week 5: Feb. 22- March 1

Store as many boxes of crackers as you feel needed for your family.

Cannery has the best price on Wheat

Hard Red Wheat is 25 lbs. for $6.05
Hard White Wheat is 25 lbs. for $7.40

Affordable Wheat grinders available at Granny's Attic, just as you are coming into Payson.

Cooking Whole Wheat
1 cup clean whole wheat
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
DIRECT HEAT METHOD:
(1)Bring water to a boil; add wheat gradually. Turn heat down and simmer 3-6 hours.
(2)Boil 5 minutes, turn off heat and let stand overnight.
(3)Boil 5 minutes and then simmer 1 ½ to 2 hours.
HINT: To cut down on cooking time soak wheat 3 to 12 hours before cooking.
CROCKPOT METHOD:
Place ingredients in crockpot and cook on low overnight.
HINT: Cook a crockpot full of wheat on Sunday night and use it in your cooking all week. Will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Crackers
Great for a snack, add to meals!

Another way to store grains for a quick snack.

Store any extras such as: cereal, chips, cookies (find sales and stock up!)~rotate!

Sales~Sales~Sales
-Stock up

Week 4: 4 lbs. of Shortening

Rotate and Inventory your food storage. Here's some copys to help you get started:

(click on image to make larger and print it off)

2/15-2/22
I found the most affordable place to buy shortening was the GV brand at Walmart. It's better to buy them in the 2 lb. tubs or smaller because once opened it tends to go rancid quickly.

Buy the amount of shortening you think your family will need, at least 4 lbs. will do it.

Pie Crust (Yields 2 crust)
3 cups flour
1½ tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
8 tbsp. water
- Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is the consistency of coarse cornmeal or tiny peas. - Sprinkle on cold water, a little at a time, tossing mixture lightly and stirring with a fork. The dough should be just moist enough to hold together when pressed gently with a fork. It should not be sticky - Shape dough in smooth ball with hands, and roll. Cut evenly in half. Roll out flat.
*If you only need one crust you can freeze the other by rolling it flat in a circle on plastic wrap, place another sheet of plastic wrap on top and freeze on a cookie sheet. After frozen remove from cookie sheet and wrap in foil. Freeze for about 3 to 6 months.

Week 3: 4 lbs. Yeast

Most affordable places to get yeast: MTE @ 3.99 a pound/contact numbers:536-7363/536-7199
Amazon.com and Bulkfoods.com

(Some weeks you will have leftover change. Save the change each week to be used for the weeks you may exceed $10.00)

Storage
Yeast is a live plant and very perishable when exposed to air, moisture, and/or warmth. To ensure the freshness, proper storage is imperative. Store airtight in a refrigerator or freezer. Use within a three month period. It may keep longer depending upon how airtight the container is and how cold it is kept. Allow amount being used to warm to room temperature before using.

Activation and Use
When yeast is dried, the life enzymes are still present but in the dormant state. To bring them to the active state, requires moisture and warmth. Traditional bread bakers have been taught correctly that warm liquid will activate the yeast very quickly, much like the process that seeds undergo when planted in soil. The warm moist ground provides an environment for the seeds to move from the dormant dry state to active growing plants. If the liquid is too cold, the yeast will either not activate, or it will do so very slowly. If the liquid is too hot, it will cook the yeast and kill the life enzymes.
Sugar - Yeast ferments sugar and starch in flour producing carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol gases. Too much sugar will slow the yeast activity. Therefore, sweet breads are usually dense and not as large as sandwich breads. White sugar, brown sugar, honey, and molasses may all be interchanged equally. Most artificial sweeteners may not be substituted in bread making as they are proteins and cannot be fermented.
Salt - Salt affects the activity of yeast. Without salt, the yeast acts very rapidly and peters out too quickly. Too much salt will stunt yeast activity. Salt adds flavor and strengthens the dough structure.
Flour - Dough structure is formed from the protein in wheat flour. Other grains can be ground into flour, but wheat and spelt are the only grains that contains a sufficient amount of the type of protein that forms gluten. When the flour is mixed with other ingredients, the protein comes in contact with the liquids and becomes gluten. Kneading the dough develops an interlocking network of elastic gluten strands which hold the dough together. As the yeast ferments the sugars and starches, gases form stretching the strands and making the dough rise.
Liquid - Liquid ingredients play three important roles in bread making:
1. They hydrate and dissolve the yeast granules.
2. They help to blend and bind the ingredients together.
3. They allow the gluten to develop so the dough will be elastic.
Liquids include milk, buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, cottage cheese, fruit juices, and fruit and vegetable purees. Fats and liquid sweeteners also add moisture but are considered in their own categories. It is important to have the liquid at the correct temperature. Appropriate Liquid Temperatures:Automatic Bread Machine: 75-85 FTraditional, dissolving yeast in liquid: 110-115 FMixer Method, blend yeast with dry ingredients: 120-130 FFood Processor: Room TemperatureIf the liquid is too cold, the yeast will either not activate or it will do so very slowly. If the liquid is too hot, it will cook the yeast and kill the life enzymes. Using a thermometer will take the guesswork out of determining the correct liquid temperature. Any thermometer will work as long as it measures temperatures between 75 and 130 degrees F.
Baker's Note: Do not heat eggs with other liquids, since they may begin to cook. Bring them to room temperature by placing uncracked eggs in a small bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
Fat - Most bread contains a small quantity of fat. If a fat is liquid at room temperature, it is called oil; if solid at room temperature, shortening. Fat gives the dough richness and moisture, but more importantly, it makes the bread tender. Fat coats the flour particles so the elastic formation slows down; it makes the gluten strands slippery so the gas bubbles can move easily; and it gives the final product a finer grain.

February Goals:
"There is a wise old saying 'Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without'. Thrift is a practice of not wasting anything. Some people are able to get by because of the absence of expense. They have their shoes resoled, they patch, they mend, they sew, and they save money. They avoid installment buying, and make purchases only after saving enough to pay cash, thus avoiding interest charges. Frugality means to practice careful economy." James E. Faust

Spiritual Goal---Schedule time each day to read with your family from the Book of Mormon.

Provident Living Goal---plan and carry out a FHE on home fires. Include planning an escape route and practicing it.

Basic Garden Planting Schedule
January:
Plan the Garden. Decide what to order. Order Seeds.
February -
-First Half -Start broccoli, early cabbage, lettuce in house in 6 packs.
- Second Half-Layout your garden on paper. Decide where to plant each variety. Consider crop rotation from last year, companion planting, and decide spacing and watering needs.Here are some other resources that might interest you. These are garden related topics.

Dwarf Fruit Trees:Consider planting dwarf fruit trees. They produce less fruit per tree, but they produce sooner than regular trees, and you can have more varieties or more trees in a less space. Their plants are not as strong as a regular size fruit tree, therefore they are more susceptible to diseases. If you are planting them, learn as much as possible about fruit tree disease prevention. However, many professional growers are turning to dwarf trees to grow more fruit in less space.

Pruning and Shaping Trees:The dormant season (when plants are frozen and the sap is not moving within the tree) is the time for pruning. If you are starting trees from root stock or when they are small, pruning and shaping trees can be provide function as well as making a foliage attraction.

Week 2: 10 lbs. Pasta for $10.00

Pasta affordable at lDS Cannery Walmart, and Dollar General.

The Cannery macaroni is $2.25 for a 3.4 lb can, $2.38 for a 4.0 lb pouch, or $9.20 for a 20 lb box.
When storing pasta do not vacuum seal in bags. This will crush the pasta.

Macaroni & Cheese
by Carnation

1 2/3 cups (about 7 oz.) dry small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Grease 2-quart casserole dish. COMBINE cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water and butter. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 ½ cups cheese until melted. Add macaroni; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.


*EXTRAS*

*Here are some good sales I found to help build up any "extras " that you would like to add to your year supply. Cold cereal, (if you can get it on sale) makes a good filler and snack for kids. Also helps to provide any extra vitamins and minerals your children may need.

Safeway:
10.7 General Mills Trix $1.88
18 oz. Kellogg’s corn flakes $1.88
(use coupons too, I get them for a $1.00 a box when I use coupons on top of sales!)


Bashas:
16 oz. Rosaraita refried beans $1.00
8 count Kellogg’s pop tarts $1.50
4 pack Snack Pack pudding $1.00

Walmart:
10.9-16.2 oz. Quaker instant oatmeal $2.00
21-22 oz. Quaker cereal $2.00