So I found my digital camera this weekend and am experimenting with photographing things that my Husband, Jeffery and I have done to the house. First off - my spice rack. I absolutely hate digging through the cabinets to find whatever spices I am looking for and I have no counter space for any counter top spice rack so quite a while back I had my Husband build me a box (for want of a better word) which he mounted on the wall. Simple pine 1" x 3" - cut - screwed together and painted white. The mounting bracket is actually on the top and since the spice racks are so high you can't see them.
Then I went down to the local Cost Plus and found these small white lidded bottles - perfect for spices. I wrote on the top of each bottle (which you can't see unless you lift down the bottle so no glaring labels). I also added some hooks on the bottom for hanging kitchen shears.
I actually have 2 of these - one on each side of my garden window. They work perfectly.
This shot shows the dimensions of the box better. Depending on what spice bottles you find you can customize them for your wall.
Whole Wheat is a Mormon mantra. We store it. We grind it. We cook with it. At least that's the hope or why else would our garages be full of it :) Wheat stores incredibly well in it's grain form. They actually had grains of wheat in the pyramids in Egypt that they planted and grew wheat from. Incredible grain. Unfortunately the modern world has processed it into a white, fine powder and has taken away most of its nutrition so it ends up being mostly starch. If you are looking for truly whole wheat bread you either have to make it yourself or it has to have the words 'whole' or 'sprouted' or 'malted' before the word wheat to let you know that the whole wheat has been used. It also needs to be the first ingredient.
I just wanted to throw in a video here from www.everydayfoodstorage.net. I think this will help your decision to use whole wheat more! Thank you Crystal!
Of course wheat isn't the only awesome grain out there so I'm going to change horses here just a bit (or at least add more passengers to it) and throw in the term 'Whole Grains' of which wheat is a big part but whole grains brings in a lot of other really good things for me. Whole grains included rice, barley, corn, quinoa, sorghum, spelt, rye and bunch of other things.
So what does it do for me? Well whole grains will digest slower than the processed stuff so it stays with you longer and it helps to regulate your blood sugar (no spiking with whole grains). Since it has bulk it helps with those that are 'intestinal challenged' or have diverticulitis like Crystal mentioned in the Video. It has been shown that is may help with DNA damage (that's the B vitamins in it) and in suppressing cancer cell growth (I just quoted this out of the 'Food for Thought' book put out by UCSD, Moore Cancer Center). Part of that is tied up in Ligans (same stuff that is in Flax). They think it may help suppress hormonally motivated cancers (like mine).
I've been pondering lately how can I make wheat a bigger, better part of my diet? And what can I do with what I am already eating to increase the 'Wow' factor in getting the good stuff out of it?
Haven't a clue that's why I write this silly blog :) Okay, Okay, I eat whole wheat in a cracked format in cracked wheat cereal. I tried cooking it in a crock pot and it turned into mush (and if mush is what you are looking for great but for me - not so much). So I got out on the Internet and looked at alternatives to cooking. You're gonna love this one. The night before I want it, I take 2 cups of water and boil it in the microwave. I pour it into the 'unplugged' crock pot add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 cup of cracked wheat. Put on the lid. Then cover it with a kitchen towel and go to bed. The next morning, voila, cracked wheat cereal enough for 2 to 3 people. You can actually refrigerate the left overs to be used the next day. I usually have to drain any excess water off it and then microwave till hot but it's ready to go. You can put the same stuff on it that you add to oatmeal except don't add the ground flax. The flax turns into this gelatinous substance that make the cereal nasty. Not on my list.
Oh and the easiest way to get cracked wheat is to crack your own. I got this hand grinder that I can hook onto my kitchen counter. In just 5 minutes I can hand grind about 6 or 7 cups of cracked wheat. I put it in a sealed container and put it in the refrigerator so the oils in the wheat don't go rancid and the vitamins stay longer. I try not to do more than my family will eat in 2 weeks time.
And just a quick note - if your body is not used to cracked wheat is can be pretty rough on your insides. Maybe start with small amounts spaced over several days and work your way up. We have it about 3 times a week. Please note too the texture is different that probably anything you have ever eaten and may take some getting used to but I really like it.
What else do I eat that has whole wheat in it? Bread. I can make this but usually I buy it from some big box store. I actually don't by whole wheat bread, I usually buy whole grain bread. The one with all the lumps in it (that was a serious issue with my kids when they were small and texture is everything). I try too, if I am buying any other bread product (buns, English muffins, tortillas, dinner rolls, etc.), to pay more attention to the ingredients on the package. If whole wheat isn't listed as the first ingredient (whole, sprouted or malted) then I go back to see if there is anything better. Unfortunately this is usually a higher cost item so I have to weigh my options. Sometimes I pick the lesser quality just because the cost is so prohibitive.
So to continue on with Bread comes butter. I probably mentioned this before but I eat butter not margarine. There are several reasons. One is taste, butter just tastes better. Two is it's natural - it comes from a cow, nothing else added (except maybe salt) so my body has a better chance of processing it. And finally my cancer is estrogen positive and soy products are a question mark item for estrogen positive. Do they or do they not make my cancer grow? So the next time you are at the grocery store look at margarine's. What it the first ingredient? Soy Oils. Bad. So it's butter for me :)
You know another option on bread is cinnamon and a sugar substitute for flavor. I put a mix of cinnamon and splenda in a small glass shaker so I can have it on cereal and toast. Works great. And cinnamon is good for your blood sugar - 1/4 tsp a day is suggested. What better way is there to get that than on toast with butter.
I bought Crystal Godfrey's book 'I can't believe it's food storage' off Amazon.com and have been enjoying the information and recipes. I thought today I would share with you her top 9 rules for shopping edited for this format with Jan commentary:)
1. When you purchase something that you're running out of, buy two. My mom's philosophy of life was if one is good then 6 are better. I always buy in bulk so I can keep ahead of the curve. Even for things like shampoo and dog food.
2. Keep your three-month-supply list nearby when you go through grocery ads or coupons. When you see an item on your list on sale, either at the grocery store or with a coupon, stock up. Of course this requires that you have your three-month supply list done :)
3. Make a list of items you need to buy each week and take them with you to the store. How many times have you purchases items off the list? If you can control this you will more easily stay in budget.
4. Don't go to the grocery store hungry or you'll be tempted to buy items not on your list. If you go in hungry you will buy the first thing that looks good - trust me on this one, I have blown many a budget by going in and buying things that 'look good'.
5. Beware of Warehouse bulk buying. Just because you are buying it in a warehouse doesn't necessarily mean you are getting a good deal. Shop around and price compare. I find that the warehouse often time carries the 'exclusive' name brand items you just have to have but pay way to much for since the generic isn't always offered there.
6. Shop case lot sales. Do we have anything like that in California?
7. If you are unsure if the price of an item is high or low. Don't buy it. Watch it for a couple of weeks. I personally like to shop at the local grocery stores and then try the big box stores to see what the prices are in comparison. Helps if you keep a running list of prices of items you generally use.
8. Buy canned foods that look perfect - a perfect can has no dust on them, no bulging, no dents, no torn labels, etc. Don't try to save money by buying dented or bulging cans there is probably something seriously wrong with them. Nothing like a trip to the emergency room for food poisoning to wreck your budget for a long time - don't cut corners on this one.
9. Shop at off peak times. Sometimes it really does matter when you shop to get the best deals. You can often finds meat and baked goods at clearance prices. And donuts? :)
I found this information on the Emergency Essentials website and their link is on my page (on the right) to their blog. What an amazing source of information. Anyway I wanted to spend a couple of minutes today and write a bit about which is the better storing method. The options they cover include Dry Ice, Dehydrated and Freeze dried. Please note that most of the wording is theirs with a bit of Jan thrown in :)
First - Dry Ice:
The purpose of this method is to eliminate beasties by releasing carbon dioxide into the container and the product. It's perfectly safe and will help your product to last a lot longer. This method of preservation is used mostly for grains (wheat, rice, etc.) and legumes (beans).
I was taught that the easiest method is to put the dry ice on the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket (the site suggests putting parchment over the ice) and then pouring the product on top of it, leaving the lid just slightly ajar to let the ice vent. When the ice it totally gone then you seal the bucket (you leave the paper inside). Done :)
But site also talks about doing it on the top - which makes makes sense since who wants to dump out a five gallon bucket just to put ice on the bottom and then load all that back in. You put the dry ice on the ice on top of 'a non-conductive insulating material such as kraft paper'. Then put the lid on (not tight or it will launch itself) and then wait for the ice to disappear. About 30 minutes or so. Then take out the material and seal the bucket. Cool. Literally :)
Next is Dehydrated:
Dehydration is the process of slowly removing moisture from food without actually cooking them. There are three methods - Air Dried , sun dried (like with raisins or apricots), and Kiln Dried. I suspect that Kiln Dried refers to heavy duty equipment and Air Dried would be a simple food dehydrator but even Wikipedia can't seem to help me with that. Suffice it to say the food is dried out. This makes it easier to store but it does have some flavor loss in the process. The plus about this method is that you can do it at home.
Finally is Freeze-Dried:
Not a home skill since in this method fresh or cooked foods are flash frozen and then put in a vacuum chamber and kept frozen while introducing heat - the idea is to move the food from frozen to dry without going through the liquid phase. Then the product is bagged or canned. This is the best and most flavorful way of storing food.
So if you have to buy food for storage remember that you can do the dry ice and the dehydrated methods at home but if you are investing your hard earned dollars then buy Freeze dried - best flavor and the only one you can't do yourself.
