Food Storage Nutrition

Food storage- Those two words used to make my hands sweat. I had no idea where to start and it just seemed overwhelming to me. So like most people I put it off.

As economic times have gotten worse, I’ve begun to see the wisdom of having a certain amount of food set aside in case of emergency. So where do I begin?

Well I wanted to put away foods that would have the most nutrition for my family. I found out something that surprised me. When you put beans and rice together they have as much protein as a serving of meat. News to me!

I will be eating that serving of rice and beans at my favorite Mexican restaurant from now on. Obviously they knew something I didn’t!

My vegetarian friend will gloat when I tell her. I am sure she already knew this.

So I will be starting with the basic food storage items of rice and beans.

Rice comes in several varieties. White rice comes in long grain, medium grain, short grain and even instant rice. It stores well in one-gallon, five-gallon and even ten-gallon containers with tight fitting lids.

Brown rice is also a delicious option. It doesn’t store as well as white rice. However, it contains a higher nutrition value. It is best kept in the freezer before use and in the refrigerator after opening.

Beans come in a huge variety! I was surprised to learn that there were so many of them! So again I looked at the basics to start with.

Kidney beans make a great chili. They are high in soluble fiber. Storing beans is simple. Just put them in one, five or ten-gallon containers. They are best kept in a cool dark place.

You can add other varieties of beans also. Navy or white beans make great baked beans or ham and beans. There are always soybeans which have gotten a lot of attention lately because they are so high in protein.

So my next question became, what do I do with those beans that have been in my storage for so long, that I can’t remember when I bought them? There is an easy fix for that too!

I can just borrow mom’s or grandma’s wheat grinder. I can even get my own! Then I put the beans through the grinder turning them into flour. Now I can use the bean flour to make a paste that I cook up to make refried beans. I don’t know about your family but my kids love burritos!

So with only two items, I’ve found quite a bit of nutrition in my food storage and it was quick and easy!