Three Good Books on Food Storage

I have several books on Food Storage, and I recommend that you have a few. They will give some great ideas of what to do with all those grains you have stored.  The oldest book I have happens to be one that most everyone has seen and has I'm sure. It's "Passport To Survival" by Esther Dickey.

I believe the new version is under the same name, but has been updated by her daughter. I have the old one with a date of 1969. This is the one I grew up with. My mom got it when it was first printed, and several years ago she gave me her copy. It's filled with recipes, instructions for storing, lot's of photos, methods of preservation, and more. It is the basic manual for food storage. I personally think it's a must read.

She bases her recipes on her "Survival-Four", Wheat, Powdered Milk, Honey, and Salt. Of course she expects you have also stored water. As you work your way through her book she describes different methods of Food Preservation and Rotation of food. She explains how long certain foods last in storage, such as extras like juices, berries, canned meats, etc. How to store and purify water. Then she gets into her lists of other needed items for survival, such as candles, seeds, etc. At the end of the book, she has information about the care of the body.

It is a great book to start, and for many it was the only book that families ever owned on Food Storage. I think most every family in my ward growing up owned this book 

Another book I highly recommend is "Making the Best of Basics" by James Talmage Stevens. It is a large paperback book filled with recipes, and charts. I think most everyone has the "Passport to Survival" Book, buy many probably don't have this book. It has chapters on What is Family Preparedness, Basic In-Home Storage, Problems and Solutions, and of course it has a chapter on water. Then several chapters on what to do with wheat. Each chapter is filled with recipes. An excellent chapter is about using powdered milk to make different cheeses, yogurt, and more. This is a very good chapter especially if you would like to make cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and even ice cream with your powdered milk. Yes, the cheeses do taste the same as the store bought versions, except without all the strange chemicals they put in now. Without the chemicals the cheese have a cleaner taste. You'll also find chapters on Honey, Self-Health, Sprouting, Drying fruits and Vegetables, and then one on Candles and other Fuels.

    

and this is what the newest version looks like

I also recommend a fun little book from Cedar Fort, called "Simple Recipes Using Food Storage". Of course the book starts talking about why you should store, basic food items to store, and amounts you need. Then the book gets into what it really is all about ... recipes. The way it is set up is unique from other books I have. Each chapter is devoted to adding on to the last chapter. The first set of recipes use only Wheat, Oil, Salt, Honey, Sugar, & Water. So, if that is all you have you can make anything in that group of recipes. It then goes on to add milk, spices, etc. This book would be an add on to your library of Food Storage recipes in a simple easy to follow format.

What I also do is keep several notebooks divided into topics, such as recipes, what to do in certain situations, and more. Anyone can grab up the notebook and find what they are looking for to aide them. Remember I like to use the WHAT IF scenario. What if I don't have access to my computer? What if the internet is down? What if I have no power? What if .... is an excellent way to aide you in making sure you have what you need and use. Like what if, I didn't have fresh eggs what would I do? What if I didn't have toilet paper? What should I do now to prepare for each problem that may arise because of my What If's?

You should all be making notebooks to keep your information in. Do not rely on having a computer up and running. Either put your pages in page protectors or laminate them. I'm not putting each page in a protector, just the ones I may be using over and over again. It's a good idea to put several page protectors in the back of your notebook so you can put a page in that you are working with to protect it from the elements, spills, you name it.

A few years ago, I got a laminator free from Staples with a rebate, so the only thing I was out for the cost of it was a postage stamp to send in the rebate form. The lamination sheets were very inexpensive when I purchased them on Ebay. But I also noticed that Sam's Club and Costco also sell the sheets at a comparable price. I personally think that the laminated sheets are a wonderful idea because they make your printed information protected from spills, rain, dirty hands, etc. Especially if we are trying to fix something outside in the elements, our conditions may be less than favorable.

I hope this has helped you.