Hi, we're trying to put a list of storage foods together to help newly aware people when they come to a Wash D.C.y2k meeting. Can you please help? It would be best to keep each description concise as possible as room is limited; maybe something like: Spagetti sauce - shelf life -approx 2 yrs............................................................tuna- shelf life 10 yrs? ...............................Beans , best way to store?- sealed in buckets- shelf life ? ............................Pasta? .........................Rice? .............................Oatmeal?... Spices? .....Powdered milk? ...sugar? .....Dried fruit? ............ We feel this might help lessen the shock for some. Thanks in advance, Art

-- Arthur Rambo (buriedtreasure@webtv.net), November 16, 1998

Answers

Art, Go to waltonfeed.com for a lot of your answers and look into the information area. As far as can goods - look into the archives in this forum but most will tell you to look at expiration dates on cans. Most are good for two years, but understand the nutritional value decreases in time. Teach people to practice their cooking skills now with food storage items. I cook from scratch but most people don't know how. To start the grocery list look for inventory list in the book Making the Best of Basics (family preparedness handbook) by James Talmage Stevens it also gives shelf life of items. There have been some recent threads here about food storage in buckets - read those as they tell you how to use dry ice and where to find it. I grow alot of herbs but will still go to Sam's Club to stock up on extra next year as they give variety to the bean dishes.Oh yes and lots of real vanilla extract as it brings out the flavor of other spices! Dehydrated items have a shorter shelf life 6- 18 mths but alot depends on how you store items as with the others. Glass jars are more air tight than plastic. I always recommend sprouts, too! (seeds last up to 5 yrs and are great nutrition) Now my question because I am trying to help family near D.C. Is your meeting open to others and if so when and where? Thanks! Diana

-- Diana (familybible@iol14.com), November 16, 1998.

Diana, thanks. The group is called Center for Visionary Leadership 3408 Wisconsin ave Wash DC 202-237-2800

-- Arthur Rambo (buriedtreasure@webtv.net), November 16, 1998.

Lots of info on these topics and I wish I had the time to answer here. I don't visit this forum regularly, but I spend more time at the Millennium Salons. What I will suggest is to:

1) Get a couple of books to start if you need them: Amazing Grains and Romancing the Bean, by Joanne Saltzman, of Boulder Colorado and the School of Natural Cookery, 303-444-8068. These are designed for cooks new to the ingredients, use few utensils, and are simple and nutritious. Sprouting beans and pre-soaking grains is great for reducing cooking time. If you soak the grains and then drain them off, you use the water to both soften and clean. Add fresh water for your cooking pot.

Beans sprouted one or two days can then be easily pureed, and cooked quickly without as much heat. Grains can be cooked quickly by putting them to bed: Heat your grains and water and roiling simmer/boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the covered (thick walled is best) pot quickly into a basket or box stuffed with crumpled newspaper. Cover with a towel. They'll be fully cooked after several hours. Beans take a bit longer, depending on the bean. Vinegar added to beans increases shelf life.

2) Don't sweat the shelf life issues too much. If you need to store something for years, be sure you'll be opening it a lot sooner. Bugs can contaminate something in a matter of weeks, so this *is* an issue. A 6.5 gallon container holds approx. 45# of grain or bean. Oxy packs seem the simplest to me. Shelf life of beans and grains in an oxy-free environment is 8-10 years minimum, (brown rice is 2 years). Keep temps as stable as possible.

3) Oxygen, light and heat degrade nutrient values by stimulating change. Minimize these challenges to your food storage system and you'll go a long way to getting the optimum life out of your foods. Sprouting of beans and grains is a great way to go to max out nutrition. Organic foods haven't been treated with sprout inhibitors and are not, at this time, genetically engineered.

4) Asian staples of miso, tekka and seaweed, American green foods like dried wheat grass and barley grass tops, and chutneys and hand-made Chai Tea are foods that we quite often forget, but can add spice, pleasure and nutrients to the basic foods list. Butter can be clarified into ghee, and stabilized for non-refrigerated storage for several months.

**** My Indian Chai Tea Recipe *****

Powdered Milk Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves & fennel seed (black pepper and other pungent spices can be added if you want) Black Tea granules bought in bulk tins clean water heat

Grind/crush spices. Simmer covered in a bit of water for a few minutes. Mix up powdered milk in water (I use a jar and shake it). Add milk to sauce pan and stir - cook gently for awhile. Add tea granules - stir for awhile til color comes.

Strain into pump thermos. Drink all day.

This is how the tea sellers make it on the streets of India. It's inexpensive, a good stimulant, pleasant, and stimulates digestion.

******

-- cynthia (cabeal@efn.org), November 16, 1998.

Where can we mail order wheatgrass seeds for sprouting?

-- Hi (new@old.com), November 16, 1998.

Art, you might check these sites out:

www.cassandraproject.org look for food storage

www.y2kwomen.com look for Home Preparedness checklist, its excellent

www.survival-center.com click on food storage for excellent info

Hope these help & good luck!!

-- Donna in Texas (Dd0143@aol.com), November 17, 1998.

Art, here is a list that gives brand name shelf life, plus some phone numbers and web sites. If you decide to print it out, choose the "landscape" setting for your paper as the table is too wide for the regular "portrait" setting.

http://www.glitchproof.com/glitchproof/storlifofgro.html

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 17, 1998.

You may want to Get a copy of this Y2K Checklist: http://users.itsnet.com/~foodnow/y2kchecklist.htm

Might help.

-- Steve (Just@helping.com), November 18, 1998.

Arrggh! Netscape's "page setup" doesn't give me the landscape option, and the table is too wide for my printer. Any other options I could try other than cut/paste to Word?

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 18, 1998.

I sent an email to the owner of that site and he replied right away :) The table is available to download at Food Shelf Life Info. It's an 84k MSWord file, 12 pages printed. Nice.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), November 18, 1998.

Thanks Chris! That is a very neat, compact version. Easier to print out 12 pages instead of 29. You did GOOD!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 18, 1998.

I looked at a few cans of differerent vegetable in the grocery today. I coldn't find anything that looked like an expiration date. Only the embossed lot numbers on top or bottom.

Anyone?

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 23, 1998.

Tom;

Try this link. There is an explanation of the date codes for some of the brands of foods.

http://www.glitchproof.com/glitchproof/storlifofgro.html

I don't know how to hot link the thing so you'll have to do the typing yourself.

I hope this will help you a little.

S.O.B.

-- sweetolebob (La) (buffgun@hotmail.com), November 23, 1998.