End of the WORLD, and down to "short" Rations. What (2) Two dried foods will I wish I had remaining...??

[UserNameTaken]

Well you guys already mentioned the best options, so I'm going with candy and ice cream. We're all gonna die. Die happy.

But we are in the rice and beans group.

 

[Snowman]

I cook a LOT of dried Beans (after soaking) but never any whole grains (OK, yes rice). How would the Barley be cooked....??? Boiled...???? If so, roughly how long.....???

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-cook-barley/

 

[LadyLocust]

I’m diabetic so I can only eat a small amount of rice at one time. I throw my barley in a slow cooker for 8 hours and make a chicken stew. My Cream of Barley cereal I cook for 8 minutes in my low powered microwave. I’m sure that there are different directions on the package.

For diabetics, I would say dried eggs and greens

 

[LadyLocust]

I know a vegetarian who eats a lentil loaf. I have no idea what else is in it beside the lentils. I've never eaten it.

When I make soups, I often go to the pantry and select a few varieties of beans to add. I don't have canned lentils because they are so easy to cook, but that is a great idea. Some things like lentils can be used to extend what you have cooking in a pot.

I saw someone in another group post about making his first ever beans cooked from dried beans and how horrible they were. I asked what seasonings he used. Water, he cooked them in water and nothing else. Gag and vomit! That told me everything! I also read someone's blog post about black beans and how horrible they were. He opened a can of black beans and added nothing! Gross!

Many years ago, someone told me that many people have no idea about seasoning foods and I hadn't really noticed until then. And then I realized that he was absolutely right. What happens when someone cooks for the first time and has no idea about seasonings?

And all those beans and rice that preppers have will need to be seasoned to make them palatable!

I grew up in a Portuguese & Italian home. When we moved to Oregon, I mentioned to someone that folks didn’t use seasonings. The gal said “We use salt and pepper all the time” like that was seasoning

 

[Weedygarden]

Salt and pepper are bare minimum for seasonings. Garlic is really important for many things.

Right now I am eating some collard greens that I got to go when I picked up some food for my daughter. There are onions, garlic and something with a kick, maybe red pepper. I was talking to someone recently about cooking somethings like collard greens, and how important it is to have good seasonings. I like to put lots of bacon in mine when I make them. that adds to the flavor. Woman told me she cooked hers with ham hocks. That sounded good, too.

 

[Morgan101]

Well you guys already mentioned the best options, so I'm going with candy and ice cream. We're all gonna die. Die happy.

But we are in the rice and beans group.

Rice and beans would get my vote, but if we are going to die happy I'm going with Scotch and cigars.

 

[LadyLocust]

Salt and pepper are bare minimum for seasonings. Garlic is really important for many things.

Right now I am eating some collard greens that I got to go when I picked up some food for my daughter. There are onions, garlic and something with a kick, maybe red pepper. I was talking to someone recently about cooking somethings like collard greens, and how important it is to have good seasonings. I like to put lots of bacon in mine when I make them. that adds to the flavor. Woman told me she cooked hers with ham hocks. That sounded good, too.

Also good with linguica.

 

[randyt]

Just for further clarification. I am not interested in growing any food at this point in my life. My goal is very long-term storage of foods that would keep someone alive. Ideally dried food that could be stored in glass containers for a decade or three.

Does that include sprouting? Reading this thread I wondered if 5 year stored wheat would sprout. I can see a nutritional benefit

 

[Amish Heart]

Yes it does. I sprout it for my chickens. Have sprout jars and also big pans in a greenhouse that I use to sprout sunflower and whole wheat and whole oats in. I rotate my wheat berries to use for this, and it's more than five years old.

 

[lonewolf]

the best survival foods for long term storage are things like Peanut Butter, Christmas Pudding- a sort of fruit cake, this keeps for ever- I have eaten some that was 7 or 8 years old with no side effects, and Honey.

 

[Bluedanube]

Beans for sure. I have 12 different varieties. And cornmeal/ dried corn. Or rice. Or pasta. Or flour. Oats? Dried fruits? Dry tomatoes? Dried peppers … I’m trying to imagine my pantry only having two dried things, it’s giving me anxiety honestly!

 

[forcast]

Can't you heat your store bought flour to kill bugs then bag seal. Then store in metal cans to keep mice out? One thing i learned living without electric for 4 months is every thing takes so much time. From moving water to flush toilets, to bathing. Heating water or cooking. Cleaning in general. To mill flour just seems needless unless you have the plant growing in a safe unpolluted area that you own. Stealing from the farmer at harvest time not such a good idea.
Im all for building a rotation pantry but its got to be practical and easy to handle on the worse day ever.
MRE used to be easy to get and cheap. Now its $3000 buckets for one person being advertised.

 

[Weedygarden]

Does that include sprouting? Reading this thread I wondered if 5 year stored wheat would sprout. I can see a nutritional benefit

There has been wheat found in caves that is thousands of years old that sprouted. It was stored in clay pots with lids.

 

[randyt]

There has been wheat found in caves that is thousands of years old that sprouted. It was stored in clay pots with lids.

I have heard but I have to wonder the germination ratio.

 

[Weedygarden]

I have heard but I have to wonder the germination ratio.

People do experiments with older vegetable seeds. It might be an interesting experiment to do with some wheat.

 

[elkhound]

no need to suffer the end of the world without some pleasure.....by your hands shall you eat....

https://www.instagram.com/commonwealthseed/p/C_6ELxZPq3I/?img_index=1

i dont know why instagram wont post the picture here sometimes and only does a link...i screenshot for yall...dang it

 

[LadyLocust]

People do experiments with older vegetable seeds. It might be an interesting experiment to do with some wheat.

Not with wheat, but I acquired a bunch of seeds from about ‘00. None of the flowers grew. It seems like one of the lettuces sprouted then died. I didn’t care about the seeds, I wanted the tins they came in

 

[elkhound]

in early 70's i had a student teacher that talked about how they had just gotten some pea seed at Pompeii and sprouted and grew them out.

 

[LadyLocust]

in early 70's i had a student teacher that talked about how they had just gotten some pea seed at Pompeii and sprouted and grew them out.

Peas are good for a long time. I also saw an old film from back in the 80s and one of the fellas said don’t throw away your grandparents seeds when they pass, because they are often older hardier natural varieties.
(Sorry slightly off topic)

 

[Weedygarden]

Not with wheat, but I acquired a bunch of seeds from about ‘00. None of the flowers grew. It seems like one of the lettuces sprouted then died. I didn’t care about the seeds, I wanted the tins they came in

There was a time when I had collected a bunch of tins. Like a few other things that I collected, I eventually got rid of them because it was one more thing to clean.
I have seen videos where people have packets of old seeds and will test a few to see what percentage of them are probably still viable.

 

[Mountain trapper]

in early 70's i had a student teacher that talked about how they had just gotten some pea seed at Pompeii and sprouted and grew them out.

I had some scotch one time that came out of a ship wreck that was about 200 years old, and it was still good. Oh wait, that's not a seed.