7 Mistakes of food storage

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/tate55.html 7 Mistakes of food storage By Vicki Tate

If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be as easy as to achieve as many people think, because the facts are that most people make serious errors when storing food—errors that will come back to haunt them when the food they’ve stored is the only thing that stands between them and their empty, dissatisfied, bellies.

There are seven common mistakes people make when storing food. They are:

1. Variety

Most people don’t have enough variety in their storage. 95% of the people I’ve worked with have only stored four basic items: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Statistics show most of us won’t survive on such a diet for several reasons. a) Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they are eating it meal after meal. b) Wheat is too harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as their main staple. c) We get tired of eating the same foods over and over and many times prefer to not eat, then to sample that particular food again. This is called appetite fatigue. Young children and older people are particularly susceptible to it. Store less wheat than is generally suggested and put the difference into a variety of other grains, particularly ones your family likes to eat. Also store a variety of beans, as this will add color, texture, and flavor. Variety is the key to a successful storage program. It is essential that you store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, and onion.

Also, include a good supply of the spices you like to cook with. These flavorings and spices allow you to do many creative things with your grains and beans. Without them you are severely limited. One of the best suggestions I can give you is buy a good food storage cookbook, go through it, and see what your family would really eat. Notice the ingredients as you do it. This will help you more than anything else to know what items to store.

2. Extended staples

Never put all your eggs in one basket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze dried foods as well as home canned and “store bought” canned goods. Make sure you add cooking oil, shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast, and powdered eggs. You can’t cook even the most basic recipes without these items.

3. Vitamins

Vitamins are important, especially if you have children, since children do not store body reserves of nutrients as adults do. A good quality multi-vitamin and vitamin C are the most vital. Others might be added as your budget permits.

4. Quick and easy and “psychological foods”

Quick and easy foods help you through times when you are psychologically or physically unable to prepare your basic storage items. “No cook” foods such as freeze-dried are wonderful since they require little preparation, MREs (Meal Ready to Eat), such as many preparedness outlets carry, canned goods, etc. are also very good. “Psychological foods” are the goodies—Jello, pudding, candy, etc.—you should add to your storage. These may sound frivolous, but through the years I've talked with many people who have lived entirely on their storage for extended periods of time. Nearly all of them say these were the most helpful items in their storage to “normalize” their situations and make it more bearable. These are especially important if you have children.

5. Balance

Time and time again I’ve seen families buy all of their wheat, then buy all of another item and so on. Don’t do that. It’s important to keep well-balanced as you build your storage. Buy several items, rather than a large quantity of one item. If something happens and you have to live on your present storage, you’ll fare much better having a one month supply of a variety of items than a year’s supply of two or three items.

6. Containers

Always store your bulk foods in food storage containers. I have seen literally tons and tons of food thrown away because they were left in sacks, where they became highly susceptible to moisture, insects, and rodents. If you are using plastic buckets make sure they are lined with a food grade plastic liner available from companies that carry packaging supplies. Never use trash can liners as these are treated with pesticides. Don’t stack them too high. In an earthquake they may topple, the lids pop open, or they may crack. A better container is the #10 tin can which most preparedness companies use when they package their foods.

7. Use your storage

In all the years I’ve worked with preparedness one of the biggest problems I’ve seen is people storing food and not knowing what to do with it. It’s vital that you and your family become familiar with the things you are storing. You need to know how to prepare these foods. This is not something you want to have to learn under stress. Your family needs to be used to eating these foods. A stressful period is not a good time to totally change your diet. Get a good food storage cookbook and learn to use these foods! It’s better to find out the mistakes you’ll make now while there’s still time to make corrections.

It’s easy to take basic food storage and add the essentials that make it tasty, and it needs to be done. As I did the research for my cookbook, Cooking with Home Storage, I wanted to include recipes that gave help to families no matter what they had stored. As I put the material together it was fascinating to discover what the pioneers ate compared to the types of things we store. If you have stored only the basics, there’s very little you can do with it. By adding even just a few things, it greatly increases your options, and the prospect of your family surviving on it. As I studied how the pioneers lived and ate, my whole feeling for food storage changed. I realized our storage is what most of the world has always lived on. If it’s put together the right way we are returning to good basic food with a few goodies thrown in.

Vicki Tate is the author of the popular book, Cooking With Home Storage, available in the BHM General Store. Vicki also lectures on preparedness subjects. You can reach her by calling (435) 835-8283.

July Provident Living Meeting -- Beans!!!

Mexican Bean Dip
5 cups water
5 cups refried beans (from the church-not dry beans)
1 cup salsa
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup grated cheese
2 tsp. seasoned salt
hot sauce to taste

Boil water. Turn off stove, but leave the pan on the hot burner. Add dry refried beans to water and cover with a lid. They will be ready in about 15 minutes. Add everything else and mix until blended. You can eat it as it or cook for 30 minutes at 350. Serve with chips or in a burrito.

Pinto Bean Bread Recipe
Delicious, light, different high protein bread. A great use for leftover beans, if you ever have any. You can leave out the middle rising but the bread will be more dense.
2 cups lukewarm milk
2 packages yeast
2 cups pinto beans, mashed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons shortening, melted
5-6 cups flour
Combine the milk, beans, sugar, salt, shortening, and 1 tablespoon of the flour.
Stir in the yeast and wait for it to bubble.
If it has not bubbled in 5 minutes, get new yeast.
Stir in 5-6 cups flour, to make a kneadable dough.
Knead 5-10 minutes, until satiny.
Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease dough.
Cover loosely with a clean damp cloth and let rise till double.
Punch down; let rise again.
Punch down; shape into 2 loaves.
Place in greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until thumps hollow on bottom.
© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved.
Creamy White Beans with Tomatoes
This sounds kind of weird, but it is really good. (I am going to use 2 quarts of my canned beans and 1/2 the recipe.)

2 cups dry white beans, washed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 pint whipping cream
3/4 cup mini diced canned tomatoes
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. sugar

Soak beans overnight. Drain liquid. Place a large saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered on low heat for 2 -3 hours. Drain most of the liquid reserving it for later. Transfer beans to casserole dish with a lid (or use aluminum foil). Stir in whipping cream, tomatoes, sugar, mustard and pepper. Dot top of beans with butter and sprinkle with the additional TBS of sugar. Put beans in oven at 350. When you see the beans bubbling, turn down to 250 (about 45 min). Cook for two more hours. Check after an hour and add more water if it is getting dry.

Hummus
1/3 c. tahini
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 TBS. lemon juice
2 TBS. water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
20 oz. can garbanzo beans (drained)
Few drops of sesame oil

Mix in a food processor until smooth.

Black Bean Hummus
"This hummus comes with raves attached to it. Everything goes into the food processor and is swooshed into a fabulous consistency. Try it with some toasted pita bread."

INGREDIENTS:
1 clove garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain and
reserve liquid
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
10 Greek olives

DIRECTIONS:
Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Add black beans, 2 tablespoons reserved liquid, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add additional seasoning and liquid to taste. Garnish with paprika and Greek olives.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com


White Chili (Football Soup
Yield: serves 12 -14
Imported From: RecipeZaar.com
Ingredients:
● 1 tbsp. olive oil
● 2 medium onions, chopped
● 4 garlic cloves, minced
● 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped mild green chilies
● 2 tsp. ground cumin
● 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
● 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
● 3 (16 ounce) cans great northern beans, undrained
● 6 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
● 4 cups chopped cooked chicken, to taste
● 3 cups grated monterey jack cheese (about 12 oz.)
Description:
This recipe comes from The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery in historic Kimmswick, MO. My
daughter named it "Football Soup" because we always make it when we have a crowd over
watching the game after church! Incredibly easy, freezes beautifully, and my bean hating
husband even loves it. I add an extra can of green chilies for more flavor. You can make it
without the chicken for a cheaper meatless meal, and you can make it without the monterey jack
cheese for a low-fat, less thickened soup (but the cheese adds a lot of flavor!)
Directions:
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat.
2. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and saute 2 minutes.
4. Add undrained beans and stock and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and add chicken and cheese to chili and stir until cheese melts.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls.
7. FOR FREEZING: Pour soup into a rigid container (or freezer bag), label and freeze. To reheat, thaw in
refridgerator overnight or soften, till heated through.Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf (really!)


Tgi Friday's Black Bean Soup
From: RecipeZaar.com
Ingredients:
● 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
● 3/4 cup diced white onion
● 3/4 cup diced celery
● 1/2 cup diced carrot
● 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
● 2 tbsp. minced garlic
● 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans
● 4 cups chicken stock
● 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
● 2 tsp. chili powder
● 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
● 1/2 tsp. cumin
● 1/2 tsp. salt
● 1/4 tsp. hickory liquid smoke
Garnish:
● shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, blend
● chopped green onion, sour cream
Description:
I got this off of Top Secret Recipe's.I love Friday's Black bean soup because of its spiciness and I
was so happy to find this! This is so easy to prepare! You can make this soup on the stovetop or
in the crockpot.I brought this soup to a boil on the stove and then put it in the crockpost and let
it simmer on low for 2-3 hours. If you like Black Bean Soup your gonna love this!
Directions:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic to the oil and simmer slowly (or"sweat" as it's called),
for 15 minutes or until the onions are practically clear.
3. Keep the heat low enough that the veggies don't brown and be careful not to burn the garlic or it will
be bitter.
4. While you cook the veggies, pour the canned beans into a strainer and rinse them under cold water.
5. Measure 3 cups of the drained and strained beans into a food processor with 1 cup of chicken stock.
6. Puree on high speed until smooth.
7. When the veggies are ready, pour the pureed beans, the whole beans, the rest of the chicken stock,
and every other ingredient in the list (down to liquid smoke), to the pot.

- 1 -
Wet Burritos
Yield: serves 4
Imported From: RecipeZaar.com

Ingredients:
● 1 lb lean ground beef
● 2 cloves garlic, pressed
● 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
● 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
● 1 tsp. paprika
● 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
● 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
● 3/4 tsp. cumin
● 1/2 tsp. black pepper
● 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, in sauce divided
● 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (or you can use mexican blend)
● 4 large flour tortillas
● 2 cups refried beans, with
● 1/4 tsp. cumin, added
● 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
● 1 (18 ounce) jar homestyle beef gravy
for serving:
● sour cream
● chopped onion
● salsa
● jalapenos
● chopped lettuce
● chopped tomato
Description:
Having grown up with these, I didn't realize that most folks have never heard of a wet burrito. It
is a meat and bean (or all meat or all bean) burrito with a spicy gravy and cheese on top. They
are available here in many restaurants, and no self respecting bar would be without one on the
menu, lol! Once you try them, you'll never go back to "dry" burritos again! Don't let the long list
of directions scare you, these are easy!
Directions:
1. Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic, making sure to chop ground beef into very fine pieces while
cooking.
2. Drain off any fat from browning.
3. Add Worcestershire sauce, paprika, oregano, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and half of the can of
tomatoes with sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. While meat is simmering, heat beans with 1/4 tsp.
- 2 -
5. cumin, and make gravy.
6. For gravy, combine enchilada sauce, beef gravy, and the other half of tomatoes, and heat until almost
boiling.
7. Soften tortillas according to package directions.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Assemble burritos.
10. On each tortilla, layer 1/4 of the meat mixture, 1/4 of the bean mixture, and 1/4 cup of cheese.
11. Fold sides of burrito in, then roll from the other sides until you have a"package".
12. Place seam side down in a 13x9 baking dish.
13. When all burritos are assembled and in the baking dish, pour sauce mixture over all and sprinkle with
remaining cheese.
14. Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and burritos are heated through.
15. Serve each burrito with extra sauce from pan spooned over the top.
16. Have sour cream, chopped onions, salsa, jalapenos, chopped lettuce and chopped tomatoes available
to sprinkle on as desired.

Make your own Jello

It is fun to try to make things from scratch that you usually don't think you can. I started making jello from scratch because I wanted to make sugar free jello with stevia and Xylitol. Those are natural sugar free sweeteners. You can also use fruit juice and/or sugar. I'll give two recipes, one sugar free, one with sugar.

Sugar Free Jello with Stevia

1 1/4 TBSP. Unflavored gelatin (I buy mine in bulk from the link below)

1 package kool aid any flavor you like (I don't like super sweet jello. I usually add a tiny bit of lime jello to my strawberry or cherry just to give it a sweet tart flavor)

1/2 cup xylitol (if you don't care about sugar free, you can add 1 cup of sugar instead of the xylitol and stevia)

1/2 tsp. Stevia

2 cups water
1 3/4 cups ice water

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add dry mix to 2 cups of the water. Mix it well and bring just to a very light boil or until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Add the ice water, mixing well. I like to add fruit and maybe whipped cream on top.

5 lbs. of unflavored gelatin = $34.09 (June 12, 2010) (That makes a ton of jello since you only use 1 1/4 tbsp. for a large jello recipe)

http://www.bulkfoods.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamCat=1&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&txtsearchParamTxt=4005

Tomato Powder

(This is a post from http://positivelyprepared.blogspot.com/2010/06/tomato-powder.html)

Tomato Powder

I recently went to Emergency Essentials to purchase tomato powder. I about died when I saw the price! It was $19.99 for a can- on sale! At Macey's it was $27.99 per can! I decided that this year, I am going to make my own. As soon as the garden is plentiful enough, I can use home grown tomatoes. For now, I used supermarket tomatoes that were on sale for a great price, so I tried it with them. It worked great! What can you use tomato powder for? Mix it with a little water and you have tomato paste! Want sauce? Add a bit more water. It can also be used for pizza sauce (mix 2 parts water, some olive oil, herbs and a pinch of sugar), and spaghetti sauce. It can also thicken soups, stews, chili, etc. Throw some in your artisan bread (with rosemary, or basil and garlic... yummmmm...). Tomato powder is a great thing for your everyday cooking, as well as an excellent food storage item. It takes much less space to store than the canned products. It tastes fantastic! Beware, it can go hard quickly if improperly stored. Keep it as airtight as possible! Just about any variety of tomato would work. Go for the ones with the most robust flavor. I can't wait to make this with my own homegrown tomatoes!

Directions:

1. Select ripe tomatoes. Wash and remove stem. No need to peel.
2. Cut in thicker slices (1/4-1/3"). If the slices are too thin, for some reason they do not blend up as well.
3. Dehydrate until very crisp. In my dehyrator it took about 12 hours (at 130 degrees).
4. Let cool. Check for crispness. They must be completely dry!
5. Put in blender, and blend away!! For a chunkier end product (to use with salsa, soups, spaghetti sauce), leave chunks in the powder. For a smoother product, blend until a fine powder is achieved.
6. If possible, seal in mason jar with the food saver attachment.

Note: To shorten the drying time, you can squeeze all the juice out of the tomatoes prior to drying.

This is from: http://positivelyprepared.blogspot.com/2010/06/tomato-powder.html

This is a link to my sister's awesome blog. It is not usually about food storage, but she posted some great info:

Here is the link to the post: http://www.remodelaholic.com/2009/10/be-prepared.html

(Can't you just see the Hyena's on The Lion King marching when you read/sing that title,

or I guess, a bunch of crazy 11 year old scouts at a matchbox car race...)

I feel like continuing the conversation on food storage, since I had such a plethora of comments.

Many of you had great ideas, and I feel like it is important to be thinking about these things. I like how each of you had different thoughts as to what needed to be prepared. You are all working in different ways, it just shows that there is not one way to do it.

Also, it illustrates how we are guided with the needs of our own family. If saving a little bit of cash is weighing on your mind, that is exactly what you should do. Or, if you are worrying about not having enough food set aside, that is where you should dive in.

Also, I wanted to point out that if you are a member of the LDS church, that the guidelines have changed. They no longer specify a set time for long term food storage, or in other words there is not longer a "year supply" rule. Check out the new guidelines on the link above.

I am not an expert in all thing food storage I have SO much to learn. But I have learned some things, so here is my top ten:

1. Start TODAY!
If you can't afford to buy anything for food storage, save money or even store water, then start inventorying. Watch your cooking habits and see what items you need and use most often. The next time you set a budget for your shopping, buy one extra can of those items most used.

If you feel you are stuck and can't do anything. Say you have some issues with debt and paying that off, I would sit back and reevaluate your habits. This is a topic all in itself. But let me say this. If you are in debt, and can't afford to do more then you are doing, make a commitment to yourself and your future that you will NOT spend more than you have today.

Again, reevaluate the habits of your spending and see if you can cut out a few convenience items (that cost more money) and save a few dollars here and there it can make the difference that you need. I took a class in college called Family Finance taught by Alena Johnson. Her are her thoughts on how to save money when you don't think you can:

• The “step-down principle”—a financial management technique developed by Alena Johnson of Utah State University. Although we all should have budgets, too many budgets fail because people try to totally cut out the things they enjoy and end up feeling deprived and resentful. The step-down principle is a way to make do, not do without. Let’s say you want to see a movie. In stepwise order you can:

1. Go to the theater
2. Rent from the video store
3. Rent on a mid-week bargain night from the grocery store
4. Borrow from the library or swap movies with friends

• You don’t have to cut out movies. You can still have them but at less cost. Keep on doing this and you’ll have money to put toward credit card debt or a three-month emergency savings fund
• When it comes to meals using the same step down principle she said:

1. You can go out to eat pancakes at Ihop.
2. You can buy frozen pancakes from the freezer section at the store.
3. Buy Bisquick to make pancakes.
4. Make them from scratch.

She explained that in order to succeed with your budget you shouldn't skip steps. If you are used to eating out every night, you are not going to be cooking from scratch the next day. Do it in steps. This example can be used throughout your spending habits.

2. Start gardening
(in the appropriate season!) You will be surprised at the learning curve in gardening. And, each state you live in has new challenges, bugs and seasonal changes that will help or hinder you. Leaning now, will help you later.

You should keep in mind what your family eats. As you plant think 1.what will be eaten fresh, 2.what will be canned.

3. Store what you use!
I have been setting up my 3 month supply menu. This is harder than it seems. I have found in the past if I store what my mom buys, food will go bad and be wasted. If I buy what my friends think is important to store, food will go bad and be thrown away. This is where inventorying and watching what you cook makes the biggest difference.

4. Keep track of what you store.
This is harder with the day to day things but absolutely essential for long term. I have created a document in WordPerfect that I update all the time. I write the date of updates I make in the top corner too, so I know if it is up to date. This is my long term check list(below) I would recommend making one of your own. (I deleted my numbers, but as you can see there is room to grow if I purchase something not listed)

When you are ready to work on long term food storage, you should make a specific goal for yourself. If you want that to be a year great. If you want 9 months (plus your other 3 month equals a year) that works too. Or you could do it a month at a time. Whatever works for you is good. But it is important to have a goal to work toward. Smaller steps help you to feel accomplished, not overwhelmed. Remember to keep track of what you have.

5. Recipes!

Start collecting food storage recipes. So you can learn to use what you have. You will not be saving money if things go to waste.

6. Preparedness Binder
Many of us are google junkies, am I right? If we have a question, we google. This is great if the power is not out! OR the phone and cable lines aren't down, but what if there is an emergency and one or both of these problems exists? My solution is, my preparedness binder. This is a relatively free project too (meaning something you can do today!)! Get a 3 ring binder and start collecting info, from relief society meetings, classes, from the Internet, friends and family.

For example I have a booklet that explains how to store and cool food without a fridge. Or how to build a solar oven out of tin foil and a card board box. I also keep my recipes and tracking sheets in this binder.

7. Shop Around!
From what I have found, the LDS cannery is your best and cheapest resource by far! Always go there first! I would recommend buying all basic items through them. And really if you start with those basic items you can buy the other stuff later. The stuff that they carry mostly lasts up to and sometimes beyond 30 years! (if stored properly)

Personally I like to store my foods in #10 cans. I do this for several reasons. They are all a uniform size and shape which makes it easier to store. Also, because I can open one can and use that up in a reasonable amount of time 6 lbs of wheat is easier to use quickly than 30lbs.


There are other good resources out there. I am totally jealous of the Utahans with food storage in Walmart? (wanna hear something funny, I just brought home 5 cans of food storage items in my luggage from Utah because the price was so cheap! yes I am that strange.)

8. Think of all your needs.
Not just food but soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner. There are homemade recipes for these items, it is good to google now and print for your binder!!

9. Make ahead meals.
This is a great idea that I have totally latched on to lately. It is not fun to cook everyday! More than that, I don't have time everyday. When I make a casserole like lasagna, I will double the recipe and freeze the other half of it, or make two small casserole dishes. I bake pizza roll-ups and freeze individually for quick lunches etc. (collect these recipes that freeze well)

This is also a good way to save yourself from extra calories by eating out- and money!

10. Ask your friends.
There are lots of people with different skills, ask them to help you and teach you. Get their recipes, go over to their house and can with them anything to broaden your knowledge.

Good luck!
11. BONUS- have fun.
It feels so good to check off some stresses in our lives! Any more ideas you all have let me know!

--
Cassity @ Remodelaholic
www.remodelaholic.com

How to Make Wheat More Nutritious

Baking Bread

(This information comes from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It is an EXCELLENT book)

Wheat (the way it is normally prepared these days) is really hard on your digestion. Some people say, “You have to get used to it.” No!! You will not get used to it. You have to prepare it properly. Especially in an emergency situation, where you are eating lots of wheat, PLEASE make sure you are preparing it properly (it is easy, but just takes a little more advanced planning.) People that are wheat intolerant can sometimes eat wheat that is sprouted or soaked.

Wheat used to be prepared by soaking in buttermilk or using a sourdough starter. These methods were probably used to soften the wheat. The flour was more coarse then. Soaking overnight (and the long sourdough method) softened the grain. Unknown to our ancestors, it not only softened the grain, but soaking in an acid medium such as buttermilk or vinegar (or using a sourdough starter) freed the vitamins and minerals that were bound up in the bran of the wheat.

Those old ways of preparing grain have mostly been abandoned. Most of us don’t know about the old ways or why they worked better. Our grain grinders are amazing and grind the wheat up very fine so we may not see the need to soak our grains. But unfortunately, the way we prepare wheat now days does not free the vitamins and minerals that are in the wheat. We make quick breads and use fast rise yeast that does not allow enough time for the vitamins and minerals to “unbind” from the bran.

In order to digest wheat, your body needs (for example) Calcium, zinc, and vitamin B (etc). God prepared the wheat to include these nutrients. But when the grains are not properly prepared, those nutrients are not available to your body to use in digestion. So, to digest the grain, your body goes on a search and pulls the calcium and vitamin B from minerals already in your body. Eventually, this can strip your body of minerals.

Wheat contains Phytates and Enzyme inhibitors. These are important because they keep the wheat from sprouting too soon and discourage bugs (most bugs get sick eating wheat). But, phytates are not good for bugs OR people. Wheat contains lots of vitamins and minerals, but they are not available unless you get rid of the phytates and enzyme inhibitors.

Don’t worry!!!! It is easy to fix these problems, but it does take a little advanced planning.

Sue Gregg is a great resource on how to prepare your grains. She has great recipe books a few recipes on line that you can start with. Here are a few things she had to say:

Maximizing the Nutritional Value of Whole Grains

Just because you’ve switched from white flour to whole grains does not mean that you are getting all the nutritional value. In fact you may also experience new problems with digestion. That is because whole grains contain phytic acid in the bran of the grain. Phytic acid combines with key minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc and prevents their absorption in the intestinal tract. Soaking, fermenting, or sprouting the grain before cooking or baking will neutralize the phytic acid, releasing these nutrients for absorption. This process allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to not only neutralize the phytic acid, but also to break down complex starches, irritating tannins and difficult-to-digest proteins including gluten. For many, this may lessen their sensitivity or allergic reactions to particular grains. Everyone will benefit, nevertheless, from the release of nutrients and greater ease of digestion.
The first stage of preparation in making whole grain porridges or baked recipes, is to soak the whole grain flour in an acid medium (buttermilk, yogurt, or other cultured milk, or in water with whey, lemon juice or vinegar added—1 tablespoon per cup water). As little as 7 hours soaking will neutralize a large portion of the phytic acid in grains. Twelve to 24 hours is even better with 24 hours yielding the best results. (Sue Gregg)

Whole Wheat Rolls or Bread

(I always use White Wheat because that is what I like best!)

2 1/2 Cups warm water

6 cups Whole Wheat Flour 3 TBSP. vinegar
1/2 cup warm water

1/2 Cup honey

1/2 Cup dry powdered milk

2 TBS yeast
2 eggs
1/2 cup potato flakes

2 1/2 tsp. salt 

1/2 Cup oil

1/3 Cup vital gluten

2 TB dough enhancer (optional)
1-2 cups of white flour (or sprouted wheat flour)
This is to add if the dough is too sticky 



Combine warm water, whole wheat flour and vinegar (I put it in my Bosch bowl). Cover it and leave in on the counter for at least 7 hours or overnight. In the morning, add the yeast to the 1/2 cup warm water and let it set for 5 minutes. Now add the yeast and water mixture along with the rest of the ingredients to your flour, water, and vinegar mixture. You can add white flour, wheat flour or sprouted wheat flour it is too sticky. It should be tacky but not sticky (meaning it will stick to your fingers but not come off on your fingers). It is better for the dough to be a little too wet than too dry. Knead for 6-10 minutes or until gluten is developed or dough is soft and pliable. Grease baking sheets. Pinch off 2-inch round portions or shape into bread. Place in rows on baking sheets, cover, and let rise until double. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. (Cook bread for 35 - 40 minutes). Brush with melted butter if desired, and remove to a cooling rack. Makes 2-3 dozen or a two loaves of bread.

No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread (makes one loaf of bread)

3 cups (430 grams) whole wheat flour, plus 1/4-1/2 cup more for dusting (you can also do 1 cup of white and 2 cups of wheat flour)

¼ teaspoon (1 gram) instant yeast (or 1/4 plus 1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast*)

1¼ teaspoons (8 grams) salt

1 1/2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1 3/4 cup Flour
2 TBS. Vinegar
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, instant yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten. Add water and vinegar and stir until blended. Keep adding water until the dough is shaggy and sticky, like a stiff muffin batter. It should not be so wet that it’s pourable. You will probably use all of the water, but different brands of flour are more absorbent. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Liberally flour a work surface and place dough on it. Fold your dough into itself once or twice. Clean out your bowl and spray with non stick spray. Sprinkle lots of corn meal all over the bowl. Put the dough back into the bowl, sprinkle with and cover with a cotton towel or saran wrap. Let it rise for 2 hours.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees and put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. (I have used almost any pan and covered it the bread loosely with aluminum foil. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Dump the dough into your pan as carefully as possible.It may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Sprouting Grain for Bread Making

According to research undertaken at the University of Minnesota, sprouting increases the total nutrient density of wheat berries. Here is an example of what happens to the wheat berry once it sprouts. It’s absolutely amazing!

Vitamin B1 (thiamin) increase of 28%
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) increase of 315%
Vitamin B3 (niacin) increase of 66%
Vitamin B5 (pantathenic) increase of 65%
Biotin increase of 111%
Folic acid increase of 278%
Vitamin C increase of 300%

I like to sprout lots of wheat at one time and dehydrate it. Then I can grind up whatever I need a little at a time. You can keep the sprouted dried wheat in the freezer. Sprouting and drying the wheat makes it taste more mild than regular wheat and the grain is softer so it also tastes more like white bread (soaking in vinegar without sprouting it does the same thing--see recipe above).

This is how I sprout a large amount of wheat. I get two large bowls and fill them a little over half full of wheat. (Probably about 8-9 cups per bowl). I fill the bowls with water and let them sit overnight. Then I put the soaked wheat in colanders and rinse the wheat well. I put the colanders on a plate and cover them with a towel. In the AZ summer, it only takes a day for the wheat to sprout. I usually wait until the little tail is about 1/2 as long as the wheat or even until it is just starting to poke through. You can rinse the wheat in the colanders about 2 times a day or I just shake the wheat to have the moist bottom wheat come up to the top.

After it is sprouted, I put lots in my dehydrator. I put it about 3/4 inch thick on each sheet or however much I can fit on there. It doesn’t need to be in a single layer. You can use it like regular wheat flour.

Interesting tips for bread making:

Cool RISE: A cool rise, also known as a refrigerator rise, is when yeasted dough, whether shaped or unshaped, is placed in the refrigerator to rise slowly. The cold slows the yeast's activity, allowing for more flavor and an interesting texture to develop.

When bakers use a sourdough or sponge starter culture, where the yeast is allowed to ferment over a long period of time or chill a dough and slow down its rise, the cold dramatically reduces yeast activity. The bacteria, on the other hand, function well even in cold temperatures, so they now have an opportunity to thrive, producing many more marvelously flavorful acids. However, there are a number of chemicals naturally present in dough that promote the breakdown of gluten. This is one of the reasons you cannot hold the dough infinitely long in a fermentation to improve its flavor.

A long rise improves the bread's texture and flavor from its long, slow fermentation. In cookbooks, it is said that all yeasted dough can be refrigerated, but I have found that it doesn't work well all the time. In my opinion, starter or high sugar dough works the best.

A cool rise can be done when you don't have the time to finish the bread recipe or if you are interrupted.

Dough can be kept to rise for three days in the refrigerator, however it is best to use it within 24 hours. So it won't "over-proof" and spill over its container or collapse, it is necessary to punch the dough down once every 18 - 24 hours after it has been placed in the refrigerator. If it still over-proofs, it will look like it's fallen - with flat, wrinkled tops. There is a way to fix the dough; see solution.
There are two ways to do it:

Place dough in the coldest part of the refrigerator, which is the middle and towards the back.

1. Sometimes I make bread dough in the evening, place it in the refrigerator and let it rise overnight. Take it out when it has almost doubled in bulk and let dough warm slightly at room temperature, where it will complete its rise albeit slowly until the dough has warmed to room temperature. Check for doneness after the dough doubles in bulk: gently stick two fingers in the risen dough up to the first knuckle and take them out. If the indentations remain, the dough is ready to be punched down and shaped. Let the bread go through its second rise and bake it; or,

2. The other way is to shape the bread after its first rise and punch down. Let the second rise take place in the refrigerator overnight.

QUESTION: I want to make cinnamon rolls and bake them in the morning. Is it possible?
ANSWER: Yes. Shape the rolls, place in the baking pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap -- make sure you grease the side that will touch the bread. Then place them in the coldest part of your fridge overnight. In the morning, take them out of the refrigerator and keep them covered while the oven preheats. If they need to rise a little more, let them do so before baking. Remove the plastic wrap and bake!!


Slashing: The scoring of some breads before baking is done for a couple of reasons. First, for a beautiful visual appearance and second, this scoring allows the dough to expand quickly during baking so it reaches its maximum volume. It also prevents a "blow out" from happening if bubbles appear under the crust and then burst. S

For brown and serve rolls: Bake rolls as usual, but do not let them brown; they will be slightly tacky on top. Take out of pan let cool completely on a rack. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and then place in an airtight bag. They will keep up to 7 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. They can be baked right from the fridge, until golden brown. If frozen, let thaw covered at room temperature and then bake.
When a loaf is first placed in the oven to bake, it goes through a quick rise what is known as "oven spring". It is caused by the yeast becoming more active when first subjected to the oven's hot temperatures creating a burst of carbon dioxide that is responsible for the bread's rise. You want your oven to be up to temperature before you put your bread in.

The most common reason for dense breads is the addition of too much flour. You must learn to work with a slacker (wetter) dough. It's also the moisture content in the dough that turns to steam in the oven that helps to give it the oven rise, creating an open, light and airy texture and crumb.

The amount of flour (water) used in a bread recipe is always variable; that's because flour absorbs different amounts of water depending on where and when it was grown, its protein content and lastly, the weather. I have found that most baker's have trouble knowing how much flour or water to add or not add in advance? You don't because it's hard to predict. (Only the flour knows for sure!).

Learning how to mix the dough so you get its "right consistency" is the most important aspect of bread baking that can mean success or failure. For example, the objective in mixing MODERATELY STIFF DOUGH is to end up with dough that is tacky, not sticky or wet. It should also be pliable, soft and moist. By sticky, dough will stick to your finger as you pull it from the dough and some may stick to your finger. If that happens, the dough is too wet. By tacky, I mean when you touch the dough, it feels like the glue on the back of a "Post-it-Note" - your finger will stick to the dough when you pull it away, but it will come off easily and not take dough with it. When the dough is kneaded, it should remain the "right consistency". Sometimes additional flour is added to correct the dough; even though you may have mixed it correctly, as you knead it and incorporate more of the flour, and the flour hydrates more from the water or liquid in the recipe.

Canning Beans

Canning Beans

1. Rinse beans well in a colander.
2. Put a cup of beans in each quart jar.
3. Fill with water.
4. Soak overnight
5. Pour out the water and refill up to 1 inch below the neck of the jar
6. Add 1/2 - 1 tsp salt
7. Boil your lids for 3 minutes
8. Put lids and rings on and put them into your pressure canner (it must be a pressure canner).
9. Follow your canner’s instructions (they are all a little different).
10. Process for 90 min. at 10 -11 pound of pressure. (don’t start the timer until you have let the steam escape for 10 minutes and THEN put the weight on. When it gets to 10 pounds, start the timer for 90 minutes)

Crispy Cinnamon Garbanzo Beans

1 cup dried garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons raw (or regular granulated) sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1. Soak the beans overnight in cool water. Drain and pat them dry with paper towels. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, toss the beans with the vegetable oil and sugar. Spread them in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Roast them in the oven until crunchy and no longer soft in the centers, about 45 minutes. (Stir them a few times to prevent burning.) Immediately toss the beans in a bowl with the cinnamon and salt. Cool and serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up

Crunchy Garbanzo Beans

(You can use lots of different flavorings. I used chili powder and Garlic salt on mine)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 (15-ounce) cans Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Rinse the beans in a colander, drain and dry well with a paper towel.

Add the oil, salt and pepper to the beans and toss evenly to coat.

Spread beans in an even layer on the baking sheet, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until crunchy, stirring and shaking the pan midway through baking.

Sprinkle the rosemary evenly over the beans, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until beans are crunchy. Some will be slightly soft in the center.Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the beans to a serving bowl.

Sprinkle the cheese over the beans, and stir to evenly distribute the cheese.

Pinto Bean Fudge

2/3 cup Canned milk (or light cream)

1 1/2 cups Mini marshmallows

1 1/2 cups Strained pinto beans

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 2/3 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Nuts

1 1/2 cups Chocolate chips

Combine sugar and milk in kettle. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients and stir until marshmallows melt. Pour into buttered pan; (I would line with waxed paper for easier clean-up) cool and cut into squares.

Idaho's Pinto Bean Pie

• 1 heaping cup mashed pinto beans (Note: 1 1/2 cups cooked beans equals about 1 cup, mashed)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Blend sugars, eggs, and butter until creamy. Add the mashed beans and blend thoroughly.

Pour into a 9-inch unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean.

These pies taste a lot like pecan pie. Serve them with whipped cream, with your favorite non-dairy whipped topping, or--better yet--with a scoop of ice cream.

Pinto Bean Bread Recipe (Recipe Zaar)

• 2 cups lukewarm milk
• 2 packages yeast
• 2 cups pinto beans, mashed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening, melted
• 5-6 cups flour

Combine the milk, beans, sugar, salt, shortening, and 1 tablespoon of the flour.

Stir in the yeast and wait for it to bubble.

If it has not bubbled in 5 minutes, get new yeast.

Stir in 5-6 cups flour, to make a kneadable dough.

Knead 5-10 minutes, until satiny.

Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease dough.

Cover loosely with a clean damp cloth and let rise till double

Punch down; let rise again.

Punch down; shape into 2 loaves.

Place in greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until thumps hollow on bottom.

Crock Pot Bean Dip Recipe (Recipezaar.com)

• 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 cup picante sauce (your choice)
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• tortilla chips
• salsa

In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients; transfer to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through, stirring once or twice. Serve with chips and salsa.

Smokey Black Bean Hummus (Recipezaar.com)

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dump everything in a food processor and whiz until smooth.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving with raw veggies, crackers, pita chips, and other favorite dippers.

Pinto Bean Cake

"Here's a cake to surprise the crowd!":

1 cup white sugar 1/4 cup butter 1 egg 2 cups cooked pinto beans, mashed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda		1 cup golden raisins 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 cups diced apple without peel
1	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube pan.
2	Cream butter or margarine and sugar together. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Stir in the mashed cooked beans and the vanilla.
3	Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground allspice together. Add the chopped pecans, golden raisins, and the diced apples to the flour mixture. Stir to coat. Pour flour mixture into the creamed mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
4	Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Dribble with a simple confectioner's sugar icing and garnish with candied cherries and pecan halves, if desired.
Chicken and Corn Chili

	Rated: "Use a slow cooker to make this chili with chicken, pinto beans, and corn, flavored with salsa, cumin, and chili powder.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder		salt to taste ground black pepper to taste 1 (11 ounce) can Mexican-style corn 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans

DIRECTIONS:

1	Place chicken and salsa in the slow cooker the night before you want to eat this chili. Season with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 6 to 8 hours on Low setting.
2	About 3 to 4 hours before you want to eat, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot, and continue cooking.
3	Stir the corn and the pinto beans into the slow cooker. Simmer until ready to serve.

Taco Soup Allrecipes.com
2 pounds lean ground beef 1 onion, chopped 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained	1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix 1 1/2 cups water 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix 1 (15 ounce) can white hominy, drained 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS:

1	In a large Dutch oven, brown the beef and chopped onion over medium heat. Drain off any fat.
2	Add chilies, salt and pepper, beans, water, seasoning mixes, hominy, and stewed tomatoes to the beef and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3	Top with shredded cheese, and serve with chips.