1. Store extra of the other grains

According to food storage calculators, one adult should store 300 lbs of grains for a one year supply of food. Of this 300, half of it is supposed to be wheat. If you have a wheat allergy, obviously this is not going to apply to you. You may choose to store a lot more alternative grains which include oats, gluten-free quinoa, millet, amaranth, rice, or cornmeal. You can start to collect food storage recipes that use these grains instead of focusing on the traditional items like breads, etc.

2. Learn how to make substitutions

A lot of recipes that call for wheat flour can be modified for wheat allergies. For example, cream of chicken soup or any white sauce base recipe can be made using bean flour. You can make gluten-free bread using other flours such as rice flour, millet flour, oat flour, etc. If you own a wheat grinder then these types of substitutions are SO easy to make and you can store the bulk grains in your food storage, just like you would store wheat! For a great summary of different types of gluten-free flours check out this post on the Gluten Free Mommy blog.

We need your help!

We would love to compile some even more in depth resources for people who suffer from Celiac Disease or others who need to follow a gluten-free diet. If you have good food storage recipes or other tips on how to do gluten-free food storage please email them to info@foodstoragemadeeasy.net. We will be incorporating all of your feedback into a helpful handout that will hopefully benefit a lot of people who are trying to live gluten-free AND work on food storage!

At first I made this recipe with store bought tortillas, canned beans, and canned cream of chicken/mushroom soup – but I promised myself bit by bit I would make it using all the “advanced” techniques. Now that I have had a lot more experience using my food storage, I make it the real way and it tastes so much better – I wont make it any other way.

So here’s to sharing it with you and to giving you a special cooking challenge.

Ingredients:
1 can of black beans (*see below)
1 lg onion (*see below)
1 can of cream of chicken (*see below)
1 can of cream of mushroom (*see below)
¾ cup of milk (*see below)
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
1 (8 oz) can mild enchilada sauce
1 pkg soft tortillas (*see below)
½ lb cheddar cheese, grated
½ lb monterrey jack cheese, grated

Directions:
Wash and cook beans. Mix next 6 ingredients with beans (Optional: add 3 chicken breasts shredded). Place tortillas in greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Top with half the bean mixture and half the cheese. Repeat the layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool slightly and cut in squares.

Try each of these techniques one at a time or all at once. They are things that used to scare me and now I love doing them this way in all my recipes.

1 can of black beans with 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans from your food storage. Need to know how to cook them? Check out Crystals post on pressure cooking dry beans here.

Onion with dehydrated onion. These are not only a time saver, but are great to store to have added flavoring in your food storage.

1 can of cream of chicken, 1 can of cream of mushroom, and the milk with the bean flour cream soup recipe found here.

Store bought tortillas, with homemade tortillas made from scratch using recipe found here.

Again if you’re new – don’t get overwhelmed by these “weird” techniques – try them one at a time and one day you’ll be amazed at how much you have learned!

If you haven’t purchased your Food Storage Made Easy eBook Binder yet, we are currently offering a $5 off promotion if you do an educational “assignment” related to the Seven Day Challenge. Click here for more details on how to get the discount! Just think for only $12 (or $17) you get our full binder download plus great updates like these for free FOR LIFE!

If you have already purchased a binder but haven’t signed up for Free Binder Updates For Life yet please email us a copy of your PayPal confirmation or the name/email address you used when you purchased your binder. We will then send you details on how to get your free updates. If you purchased a bulk copy of the binder at a discount you will need to pay for the updates for life upgrade in order to be added to the list. Let us know if you have any questions about the process.

Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for us to put these together. It was a lot of work and we were a bit burnt out from getting through the Seven Day Challenge.

How to Make an Evaporation Still

An evaporation still will extract water from the soil even if it appears to be quite dry. These instructions will help you create a still that will provide half the amount of water needed for one person per day. It’s definitely more convenient to simply store water, but for a longer term emergency you may find it necessary to find alternate means of accessing water.

Materials:

• A six-by-six square piece of clear plastic
• A drinking tube
• A bucket or container to catch the water

Instructions:

1. Dig a hole three feet deep and large enough at the bottom to hold the bucket or container.
2. Place one end of the drinking tube at the bottom of the bucket and put the bucket in the hole.
3. If possible, line the sides of the hole with shredded vegetation and slices of succulent plants.
4. Place the plastic over the hole, securing the edges all around with soil.  Extend the drinking tube from the bucket under the plastic and up through the soil that holds the plastic in place.  Wrap a towel or clean cloth around the end of the tube to protect it from soil and contamination.
5. Position a rock in the center of the plastic sheet two or three inches above and directly over the bucket.
6. Water will accumulate in the bucket and can be sipped through the tube without dismantling the still.

Make sure that you print out this post and put it in your Food Storage Made Easy Binder so that you can have it on hand in case of an emergency where you don’t have power.

View our other Beyond the BabySteps post about water:
Water Purification
Alternate Water Sources

Red vs. White

Red wheat tends to have a stronger wheat flavor and produces a heavier denser bread than white wheat. Red wheats are typically the hard varieties and whites are typically soft. However if you prefer the flavor of one over the other you can find soft red and hard white. Experiment with different varieties in your recipes to find out what works best for you and your family.

Hard vs. Soft

Hard varieties of wheat are the most common and versatile. Hard wheat has a higher gluten (protein) than soft wheat. It is better for making breads, pastas, pancakes, etc. Soft varieties have lower protein and nutrients but are better for pastries and other items where a light fine flour is required.

Spring vs. Winter

Wheat is categorized by which season it is harvested in (either winter or spring). Winter wheat has a tiny bit less protein than spring wheat. Winter averages about 12% protein while spring wheat is closer to 14%. The winter wheat is a little harder than spring as well. Red winter wheat tends to be better for baking than red spring wheat. There isn’t much difference between winter and spring varieties of white wheats.

Our preferred variety of wheat to use is hard white (either winter or spring, whatever you can find). We don’t do much pastry cooking so the hard white has been great in everything we have tried to make. Our families don’t object to any of the meals or foods where we have replaced store-bought white flour with whole wheat hard white wheat flour. To view some of the success we’ve had with using our wheat visit our Wheat Recipes category page.

Emergency Chemical Toilet Contents

• 5 gallon plastic bucket (with tight fitting lid)
• 2 large boxes of garbage can liners (8-10 gallon size)
• 1 gallon of liquid chlorine bleach
• Pinesol
• 6-8 rolls of toilet paper
• Feminine hygiene products
• 2 boxes of baking soda
• Paper towels
• Wet wipes
• 1 bar of hand soap

Emergency Chemical Toilet Instructions

To use the toilet, simply remove the contents from the bucket, insert a plastic garbage can liner into the bucket and fold the edges over the rim of the bucket. Mix one cup of liquid chlorine bleach to one half gallon of water (one to ten ratio) and pour this solution into the bucket. This will kill germs and ensure adequate coverage. Though the bucket may be uncomfortable to sit on it certainly beat the alternative. For greater comfort you can remove the seat from a toilet and secure it to the top of the bucket. You could also consider including a child’s potty training seat in the toilet kit.

Every time someone uses the emergency toilet, he should pour or sprinkle into it a small amount of Pinesol, chlorine bleach, or baking soda to keep down odors and germs. The lid should then be replaced securely to keep insects out and the smell contained.

When the bucket is one third to one half full, tie the garbage bag liner shut and dispose of it appropriately (i.e. burying it or placing it inside a large covered metal garbage can for later disposal). Then simply replace with a new liner and a new mix of bleach water.

Image from http://www.endtimesreport.com