I have to wonder about ANYONE who advises people to stock up with 250 pounds of rice and beans. Have any of you ever tried to consume 250 pounds of rice and beans?

Variety is the spice of life! Geez, at least throw a few turnips or something in there!

Man does not live on beans alone!

Don't keep all your beans in one basket!

Is that a bean in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

-- dan (dbuchner@logistics.calibersys.com), May 20, 1999

Answers

I'm buying a lot of canned vegetables and canned fruits, as well as penut butter, crackers, water, and hard candies. I haven't bought much in the way of beans and rice yet. That comes next! :) Remember, diversify! Good luck!

-- Crono (Crono@timesend.com), May 20, 1999.

I worked as an instructor on wilderness survival courses where rice and beans were the mainstay. That was a big part of my seeking alternate employment. Rice and beans are healthy but even a few weeks of it can drive you nuts. After the first course I snuck enough Jolly Rancher penny candies in to have one each day. It helped alot.

definitely stock some alternate food. buy a canner and can a bunch of stuff at home this fall when the veggies are cheap

-- Gus (y2kk@usa.net), May 20, 1999.

Dan,

LOL!

I did read the other day that you can grind up rice and use it instead of white flour in your wheat bread recipes (where it calls for half wheat and half white). I am not a big fan of beans either. Aren't you supposed to soak them in coke to eliminate the smelly sound effects? Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you..........

-- Sharon (sking@drought-ridden.com), May 20, 1999.

Us Italians have been stocking up on pasta, salami, dried or canned tomatoes, wine and one accordian. justthinkin

-- justthinkin com (y2kaok@justthinkin.com), May 20, 1999.

When people are starving beans and rice will sound pretty good! I have enough on hand now that I can use them for barter. But for personal use, I have a good variety of spices/seasonings to help with the monotany.

-- winna (??@??.com), May 20, 1999.

Dan,

While I would be more than happy to extend you a supper invitation, I am not sure you would want to accept, as we have been living off of beans and rice, to save money to...well, buy more beans and rice! Perhaps you could skip the main course and go with the greens salad, bread and apple pie! However, I will leave the invitation open... *Mental note to self: purchase more Pepto-bismal*:-)

Actually, though, you got me thinking about a topic that I haven't seen covered here; perhaps it is in the archives? The reason beans and rice are the start of a food plan (along with sugar, dairy, fats, salt and wheat) are because they are the basic staples necessary to sustain life. Beans and rice must be combined to form a "complete protein" for the body to absorb, I think, amino acids(?) I am not as knowledgable of nutritional requirements as I should be. This lends itself to the sound advice to also plan to store vitamins.

Perhaps someone here with the knowledge or resources could start a thread to discuss nutritional information about the diet most of us are storing; or does anyone know of any links that would reveal this information?

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), May 20, 1999.

I'm sure glad someone else feels the same way I do about rice and beans. I HATE rice, although others in my household LOVE rice. If I tried to give my elderly mother rice, I'd be WEARING it.

Beans (dried beans)...has anyone really looked at how much water and fuel is required to COOK those beans? I checked out the instructions on a bag of LIMA beans at the grocery store. I immediately put them back on the shelf.

I'm FURTHER amazed at how folks suggest that the rice and beans can be offered to folks who haven't prepared. I rarely (if ever) see that offer accompanied by water and a cooking source...just give them a sack of rice and beans and they "should live quite a while."

The "give them rice and beans" is similar to the well-thought out preparation plans of folks who have purchased multi-pounds of wheat (with no way or knowledge on how to grind it), and (my favorite): the woman who purchased a wood-burning stove and then noticed that she needed a chimney to vent the thing. Since she lives on the 11th floor of a Miami highrise, she has NO chimney.

It's my opinion, and my opinion only that a food plan for Y2k should a) revolve around the foods you normally eat, b) require as little water as possible to cook, c) cook quickly to save fuel. Of course since I'm domestically challenged, my a) has ALWAYS included b) and c).

Anita

-- Anita Spooner (spoonera@msn.com), May 20, 1999.

Throw in a little Spam to make it really tasty!

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), May 20, 1999.

Having lived other places besides the US, we are accustomed to lots of beans and rice. Yes...it takes water but if you have a "Bush box", (see archives) you can cook it with little heat. Just bring to a boil and put in your box for the day and serve it up at supper.

Do a search for beans on the net. The Canadian White Bean Growers (or some reasonable facsimle) have a whole cook book on beans that is wonderful.

A Central American dish is black beans and rice and onion and egg scrambled in. Yummmmmmm! With a tortilla and strong Costa Rican coffee it is a breakfast for Kings.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), May 20, 1999.

Even though Minute Rice tastes like cardboard and has no nutritional value, you can get a large box at Sams Club that is not too expensive. Cooks a lot faster.

Same with those nasty instant mashed potatoes. A large bag has a shelf life of two years. If Y2K is a non-event, you can used the instant potatoes for mulch on your garden. :)

-- GeeGee (GeeGee@madtown.com), May 20, 1999.

Rice and beans can keep you from dying of a protein deficiency, its a complete protien source, when meat isn't available its also a good source of carbohydrate. Obviously if you can, add other sources of protein and as much variety as you can to your diet. But it will fill you up and keep you from starving. For some really informative reading look up the seige of Leningrad in the second world war to see just what hungry people can be driven to, God forbid we ever see that....

-- kozak (kozak@formerusaf.guv), May 20, 1999.

I meant rice and beans is a good source of carbohydrate. Dropped a comma kind of garbled my meaning. Sorry

-- kozak (kozak@formerusaf.guv), May 20, 1999.

somewhere I read that rice & beans need a ?dairy component? to insure a complete protein combination, i.e. all amino acids accounted for, on deck.

-- Lisa (lisa@work.now), May 20, 1999.

Soak the beans for 8 to 12 hours first, then they cook real fast. Buy lots of canned tomato stuff - it helps beans a bunch! Buy LOTS of spices for ALL the boring canned goods and beans.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), May 20, 1999.

There are good threads in the archives on some of the issues brought up so far. Can't stand beans myself, so I'm opting for rice and canned peas (more tolerable, less of a water issue). My folks are very partial to baked beans (I guess I must be adopted), so I picked up a few cans for them.

With respect to complementary proteins, the advice has changed since I first took nutrition to say it's ok to spread the foods out over the day rather than having the complete protein source at the same meal. Regardless, a varied diet is more likely to satisfy your overall nutritional needs.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), May 20, 1999.

I had beans and rice last night. Very tasty. My wife cooked. I tend to do the y2k preps. So I have quizzed her carefully on all the spices and other ingredients. Meals like last night's dinner are great!

P.S. our 8 year old son who says he hates beans had thirds or fourths.

-- David Holladay (davidh@brailleplanet.org), May 20, 1999.

How about posting that bean and rice recipe that even your kid ate. :)

-- GeeGee (GeeGee@madtown.com), May 20, 1999.

Regarding the, um, anti-social effects following beans. I've been pushing epazote for ages. Easy to grow, seeds from richters.com (or is it richtersherbs.com, richtersseeds.com, something like that). Herewith info, to which I can personally attest! This stuff WORKS! (And you know I'm a skeptic.) BTW, I don't find the taste that noticeable but maybe I'm ussed to it. If you're leary, try chopping a leaf and adding it to the salad along with your meal. I seem to reall the minimum for effct is two leaves per pound beans. Maybe reduce required amount of epazote accordingly. Epazote: the magical Mexican herb

By Tina Danze Universal Press Syndicate 01/07/97

Epazote is one of those ingredients that will scare a cook off.

A lot of people don't know what epazote is or they don't know where to buy it.

They also don't know what they're missing.

Epazote (ehp-ah-ZOH-teh) is a pungent herb that grows wild in the United States and Mexico. Strong-flavored and leafy, it's used in Mexican cooking, particularly in Yucatecan dishes.

It is also a carminative, which means it reduces the gas associated with beans. Now that's enough to make you run out and buy some.

But there's another reason - the incomparable flavor epazote adds to black beans, quesadillas and other dishes.

"It has a strong, acidic, almost lemony flavor," says chef Ben Ivey. "You have to acquire a taste for it."

Some cooks use another Mexican herb, cilantro, in recipes that call for epazote. The two show up in many of the same recipes, but their flavors aren't really similar.

Ivey always uses epazote in black beans. He recommends adding the herb during the last 30 minutes of cooking to maximize flavor.

"We also add a little lemon or lime to bring out the flavor of the epazote," he says.

Ivey notes fresh epazote is often paired with melting cheese in the Oaxacan province of Mexico. Perhaps the most popular use of fresh epazote leaves is in cheese quesadillas.

Chef Helen Duran moves beyond the typical applications of epazote, chopping it and cooking it with scrambled eggs and adding it to cream sauces.

"It goes really well with dairy products," she says. "If you roast some peppers, peel them, slice them and add them to a reduced cream sauce along with some epazote, it gives you an indescribable, `Gee, this is good - what IS it?' flavor."

Duran pairs this epazote-spiked sauce with grilled chicken or veal chops.

Although epazote is typically added to black beans, Duran says it is good cooked with pinto beans too. Keeping in mind its anti-flatulent qualities, she uses two 6-inch pieces of epazote per pound of beans.

Unlike other herbs, packaged, fresh epazote is difficult to find in grocery stores. Some specialty supermarkets stock it.

For a reliable supply, plant a pot of epazote in the back yard. The annual plants are inexpensive and readily available from spring through midsummer at nurseries that specialize in herbs.

"It grows very easily and doesn't necessarily need good soil," says garden center manager Patrick Butterworth. "It doesn't matter if you don't have a garden - you can grow it in a pot on the balcony or the porch. Just be sure you have good drainage."

Butterworth says the plants flourish in full sun.

"Most (epazote) plants will grow with morning sun and afternoon shade," he adds. He advises pinching off the flowers regularly to encourage new growth.

If you have a brown thumb, dried epazote substitutes beautifully for a fresh sprig in cooked dishes. Look for it in herb and spice stores.

The flavor is more concentrated than that of the fresh herb, so a little bit goes a long way. One teaspoon of dried epazote seasons one pound of black beans.

Quesadillas With Epazote

6 to 12 thin slices Monterrey Jack cheese

6 corn or flour tortillas

6 small sprigs epazote

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies (optional)

Lay 1 or 2 slices of cheese on half of each tortilla. Top with a sprig of epazote and optional chilies. Fold each tortilla in half and wrap in paper towels. Microwave on medium high (75 percent power) for 20 to 30 seconds or until cheese is melted. Or spray a nonstick skillet with vegetable oil and heat quesadillas, turning once or twice until cheese is melted. Cut into halves, if desired, and serve immediately with salsa. Makes 6 servings. Per serving: Calories: 235 (53 percent fat); Fat: 14 g; Cholesterol: 40 mg; Sodium: 352 mg.

Mexican Black Beans

2 cups dry black beans, picked over and rinsed

2 tablespoons lard, bacon drippings or fat rendered from chorizo

1 small onion, diced

1 large sprig epazote

1 tsp salt

Place rinsed beans into a one-gallon pot. Add 6 cups water and remove any beans that float. Let beans soak for 4 to 6 hours, until you see no dry core when you break one open. Alternatively, you may quick-soak the beans by boiling them for a minute or two then letting them stand off the heat for one to two hours. Drain beans completely. Cover beans with 6 cups fresh water. Add the lard or other fat, onion and epazote and bring slowly to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully tender, one to two hours. Add hot water as necessary to cover beans by 1/2 inch. Season with salt, remove epazote and serve. Makes 6 servings. Per serving: Calories: 265 (17 percent fat); Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 4 mg; Sodium: 359 mg.

Garbanzo-Vegetable Soup

2 quarts chicken broth

1 large whole chicken breast

1 tsp. mixed dried herbs, such as marjoram and thyme

1 tbs. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzos (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 sprig epazote

Canned chipotle chilies to taste, seeded and thinly sliced

Salt to taste (none if using canned broth)

1 ripe, medium avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1 large lime, cut into 6 wedges

Place broth and chicken in a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Skim off any grayish foam that rises during the first few minutes of simmering. Add herbs, cover and simmer for 13 minutes. Remove the chicken breast, skin and bone it, then tear the meat into thick shreds and set aside. Strain the broth and skim off all the fat that rises to the top. Wash the pan. Set it over medium heat and add the oil, onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Stir in broth, garbanzos and epazote. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Just before serving, add chilies, salt and shredded chicken to the simmering soup. Let them heat through, then ladle the soup into bowls, top with diced avocado and serve with wedges of lime. Makes 6 large servings.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 20, 1999.

David - please - can you crib your wife's recipe/instructions for us?

I've made beans maybe two times in 32 years and I'd love to know how to make beans kids will eat, Y2K or no.

-- Lisa (lisa@work.now), May 20, 1999.

the rice and bean we ate on the wilderness course was just that - plain rice and beans boiled in river water

even after a supply-drop mixup that extened our fast to 5 days that food didn't taste good, we just had more motivation to eat it despite the taste

nobody in the western world should be too poor to stock something to go along with their beans and rice

-- Gus (y2kk@usa.net), May 20, 1999.

Here it is again - maybe someone hasn't already seen this...

htt p://soar.Berkeley.EDU/recipes/beans-grains/indexall.html

A pressure cooker cuts bean cooking time down to ~10-15 minutes. Or, bring up to pressure and immediately remove from heat. 8 hours later, beans are ready (the Bush Box principle).

No it ain't gonna be easy.. this Zoner/lowcarber/rawfooder will prepare to make compromises. Barely tolerate canned meats. Fortunately, I do like beans and seasoning adventures. Got sprouts? A garden?

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), May 20, 1999.

This response is for old Grit:

I enjoyed hearing of your recipes. However, there are MANY ingredients listed in those recipes that may not be available if one cooks during a period in which Monterrey Jack Cheese, Whole Chicken Breasts, fresh carrots, fresh garlic, fresh avocados and fresh limes are unavailable. Also, I felt that the water required seemed extensive in some cases, as well as simmering time.

I have the feeling that you're a culinary artist. I'm a culinary IDIOT. However, I can throw together a meal in 10 minutes from a can of tuna, some tuna helper, some canned vegetables and canned fruit. I can fry pancakes in minutes, fry cornbread in minutes, etc. THESE are things we're accustomed to eating. These are ALSO things we intend to eat if there are problems with electricity or availability in the months ahead.

I hope you and your family can also enjoy the foods to which you've grown accustomed.

Anita

-- Anita Spooner (spoonera@msn.com), May 20, 1999.

If TSHTF or some variety of TEOTWAWKI, it would be very smart and simple to purchase a back-up plan to the fundamental Rice-n-beans and water storage scenario. At Walmart or wherever, you can get 1 case of wide mouthed Quart sized jars w/lids for 7.77 per case,12 jars per case. For 1 person per year, I figure maybe between 24-30 cases of these with a bunch....I mean Buttload of spare lid tops, not rings. They are cheap. Of course a pressure canner would be necessary with a thermometer and cheap recipe book. Water is also a requirement. This is insurance for those who want to go all-guns or over-kill on preparations. The Jars will last a lifetime and it will depend on how many spare lid tops you buy for the amount of years you want to prepare for. People in the depression, I'm sure, found this to be a fundamental necessity. What you don't eat from your garden, cannit in the Jars. Those Jars represent big bucks if you do your math or think about cause and effect or affect. Meat and Veggies are cannable or cannibal, that is if you want to feed your pets others pets, I mean strays....forgive my sense of humor. Wars and Y2k seem to be a real jader for those of us in the preparation trenches. Happy canning and enjoy the fact you may have everything you need in those food-empty boxes.

Sincerly, Feller

-- Feller (feller@wanna.help), May 20, 1999.

Powered potatoes and minute rice were inventions of the devil. You can eat them, but why bother. I store the foods I normally eat (which includes some rice and beans, too). I recommend that you just keep a larger than average stockpile of what you normally eat. Make sure you rotate out the older cans or you will end up with spoiled food or a real bad stomach ache.

You will need to learn how to make bread, because that is hard to store for more than a few days. I can't imagine going for a month or two without bread.

How much do you store? I think you have to consider the event you are protecting against. If it is a Chinese invasion, I guess a year isn't too much. If it is a truckers strike, I think 4 weeks would surely be enough. I am trying to keep a couple months.

There is a big danger of having food spoil. I wrote a database to prevent spoilage. Check it out:

http://www.srv.net/~jlayman/

-- John Layman (jlayman@srv.net), May 20, 1999.

as insurance you can buy 250 #s of rice and beans for around 100 bucks.if you don't want/care to spend much money,100$ can buy a lot of food

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), May 20, 1999.

Anita, you're about right--I've edited cookbooks and served as research editor for a ritzy entertaining book as well, plus I taught international cooking for a while. And, most important, I lived in New Orleans for 13-14 years. Sorry if I went off on a tangent. Okay, here's what you do to substitute/improvise.

Monterey Jack Cheese - you can find dehydrated Jack at adventurefoods.com. There are also jars and cans of thick cheese sauces in the Mexican food section of your local supermarket. Or you can use a jar of Cheeze Whiz or maybe even Velveeta. I don't use that stuff but I'd imagine it lasts for years.

Whole Chicken Breasts - use canned or dehydrated chicken, or chicken-flavored TVP, or fresh rabbit, or even road kill!

fresh carrots - use canned or dehydrated. Or use another veg.

fresh garlic - use dried, powdered or bottled.

fresh avocados - canned guacamole in the Mexican Foods section. adventurefoods.com might even have deydrated avocado by now. In this recipe you're supposed to top with diced avocado for eye appeal - so dice some other green veggie (cucumber? zucchini?) or omit altogether.

fresh limes - in this recipe lime wedges are really meant for garnish, so you could either omit or (for a bit of zing) add a touch of lime juice (for a while, believe sell-by date is about 6 mos), or powdered lime juice from adventurefoods.com. You could also substitute lemon wedges or juice.

Also, I felt that the water required seemed extensive in some cases - you can use the water left over from canned veg or even tomato juice if you have to. Hope you have a rain barrel (we have two) and a filter, so you can save and use rainwater.

as well as simmering time - Taz has been using a bush box (see Food archive) and there are several threads re solar cookers or ovens (see also Food archive).

I have the feeling that you're a culinary artist. I'm a culinary IDIOT. However, I can throw together a meal in 10 minutes from a can of tuna, some tuna helper, some canned vegetables and canned fruit. I can fry pancakes in minutes, fry cornbread in minutes, etc. THESE are things we're accustomed to eating. These are ALSO things we intend to eat if there are problems with electricity or availability in the months ahead.

Well, this thread is about being sick and tired of beans and rice so I thought I'd throw in some jazzy recipes. My spouse and I are vegetarians and I'm also now a diabetic, I have to be very careful what I eat. Being English and married to a well-traveled West Texan means we eat a lot of international dishes, plus Tex-Mex and Mexican food, as do many in the South, Southwest and West. We do have a varied pantry for Y2K, among which are lots of beans (kidney, navy, black, pinto, cranberry, canellini, adzuki, and so on), plus lentils (red, green and orange). We're lucky enough to have a whole foods supermarket here in Durham and lots of good stuff is available in bulk, including five or six kinds of rice at least.

The recipes I printed were mainly to get people accustomed to the taste of epazote now so that it wouldn't be a problem when mixed in with beans later.

If you'd like to see more traditional bean recipes, there are several threads in the Food archive.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 20, 1999.

This response is for Old Grit AGAIN:

You tickle me. How did I KNOW that you knew your way in and out of a kitchen?

Well, it's been a standing joke in MY house that "MY mom's idea of dinner is micro-waved lasagna with a salad and cottage cheese on the side." Hey...they ALL lived and appear to be healthy.

I'll simply go with what I have in the cache, Grit, but thanks for the offerings of thoughts. Now, if I could ONLY get someone besides me to eat RADISHES! LOL.

Anita

-- Anita Spooner (spoonera@msn.com), May 20, 1999.

Please, do not count on water-packed cans if you live in the northern 3/4 of the U.S.! If you let the room such cans are kept in get significantly below freezing even once, you could lose them ALL to freeze rupture. Get cans of tuna/sardines packed in oil, beef jerky, or corned beef. Use dehydrated foods whereever possible. Fruits come this way, but veggies are harder to find like this. Go to dollar stores and buy all the chopped dried parsley (in spice dept.) they have. Dried tomatoes are available in some produce depts., as are dried peppers. Anyone else with good ideas on cheap, readily-available sources for dehydrated vegetables, please post them.

http://y2ksafeminnesota.hypermart.net

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), May 20, 1999.