Basic Storage

What should we store?
(Click on the title of this blog for basic storage information on providentliving.org)
First of all, we should store a variety of grains.
*Wheat is the most important. It is called the "staff of life." D&C 89 tells us, "wheat for man." Wheat contains calcium, copper, iron, flourine, iodine, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, chlorine, sodium, silicon, cobalt, zinc, cholin, and other trace minerals plus vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, G, Biotin, Folic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Inositol, Niacin, Choline, and others. (refer to page 8, Kitchen Magic by Deanna Sudweeks, published by Kitchen Magic 1974).
*Rye "According to some nutritionists, wheat and rye combined give you all the essential amino acids your body requires." (pg. 15, Kitchen Magic)
*Oats "Oats also contain 10 to 12% protein. This grain can be used as a substitute for white flour. Since it has a bland flavor it can be mixed with other grains to make a strong flavor more mild. Mixing wheat and oats will give a more bland tasting bread." (pg. 15, Kitchen Magic)
*Rice "Whole brown rice is considered to have excellent protein value, and all 8 essential amino acids are balanced. It has 37.5 grams of protein per pound against 53.5 for wheat. Wild rice contains twice the content of protein as natural brown rice. Rice has approximately 10% protein value." (pg. 15, Kitchen Magic)
White rice has much less nutritional value because it has been stripped of its bran, etc. White rice will store for much longer but if you are using your storage it would be more beneficial to have brown (at least a fair amount) on hand. Stored properly in a cool place in an airtight container with oxygen packets, it will store for a few years without problem. If any rice begins to have a rancid odor or taste, it can be rinsed before it is prepared and that should help with flavor.
*Corn "It stores well, and after it is dried out, you can bring it back to a tasty fresh vegetable, just by sprouting it and cooking it with butter, salt, and pepper. Corn can also be ground into flour to make corn bread and tortillas or added to any flour recipe, by using 1 part corn flour to 2 parts regular flour. Corn can provide a welcome change for mixed grain breakfast cereals." (pg. 14, Kitchen Magic)
Corn can also be stored in the forms of corn meal and corn grits, as well as Masa (a corn flour used for making tortillas).

Next in priority would be a variety of beans and legumes. Some of the most common varieties of beans include black beans, blackeye peas, garbanzo beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pea beans, pinto beans, red and pink beans, and soybeans. Dry peas and lentils will also add variety and nutrition and include green dry peas, yellow dry peas, dry split peas, dry whole peas, and lentils.
Beans are inexpensive, nutritious and if stored below 70* in a tightly covered container in a dry place will keep indefinitely (according to Country Beans by Rita Bingham, published by Natural Meals in Minutes).

Nonfat dry milk and evaporated milk are also recommended items to store. They are good in baking and with the right recipes can be used to make many things from cream soups to mock sour cream to cottage cheese, not to mention using the reconstituted milk as you would fresh. Instant dry milk is easier to mix but more expensive than non-instant. Non-instant is a better money value because you will use less of it to accomplish more. It can also be used without scalding in recipes that call for scalded milk.

Sweeteners can be an important addition to your basic storage making the above items more user friendly. White and brown sugar are nice to have but not as valuable as honey and molasses. Honey is better for you and contains trace vitamins and minerals and has some food value. Molasses has nutritive value as well but is less expensive than honey and can easily be used to extend your honey in recipes.

Salt is essential to life. The best kind is sea salt which is natural and retains all of its nutritive value but it is more expensive than plain salt.

Fats and oils are also an important part of your basic storage. Vegetable oil will store for at least two years. Olive oil is one of the best for you but can be expensive. Canola oil also has benefits. Regular vegetable oil is fine to store. It is not as nutritive as the other two but is less expensive.
Some sources recommend storing shortening because it will store for longer periods of time. Shortening, however, is unnatural and hydrogenated. It is not healthy and contributes to heart disease. Some studies have linked it to cancer as well. I personally do not recommend this item as a part of your storage or your daily life.
Butter can be frozen and stored that way. There is also information on bottled butter but I don't have any personal experience with it myself.

You would also want to have on hand some basic baking items to make your basic storage more useful; things such as yeast, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, etc. These things will help make your food useful in a larger variety of ways and will make some things more palatable. Baking powder mixed with water can also serve as an egg substitute in some recipes such as muffins, pancakes, etc. (1 tsp. baking powder to 2 TBSP water).

Don't forget to have a variety of garden seeds on hand. Fresh vegetables are delicious and nutritious and extras can be preserved and stored in your food storage.