Saturday, July 16, 2011

Week 29 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 challenge
Store 2 kgs milk powder

$20 challenge
Store 4 kgs milk powder and 5 kgs lentils

Check the use by dates on the powdered milk you have stored.  Make sure you are able to use it up because when it goes off, it doesn't smell very nice, and certainly won't be pleasant in your tummy!

Here are some ideas for using it up: http://denleydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-to-do-with-powdered-milk.html

It is your choice as to which lentils you store.  There are many different varieties and they come dry or canned.  I love canned as I don't have to worry about pre-soaking them.  You can rinse them under the tap and they're good to go straight away.  I have some dried lentils as well, but my family doesn't eat them very often.

If you don't want to store lentils, how about something like barley, rye or oats?

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Week 28 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Plan
Store 1 kg honey

$20 Plan
Store 2 kgs honey and 2 kgs sugar

Yay!  More honey and sugar.

I won't be storing the honey this time though because I have LOTS of the stuff.  I will get more sugar because I use that in my baking.

Don't forget that there are different sugars out there - not just white sugar.  You can store raw sugar, brown sugar, caster sugar, icing sugar if you really want to.  It depends really on what you use as a family and what will work best for you.  You can also store things like maple syrup, golden syrup, glucose syrup.  I classify these under 'sugar'.  My children would live on pancakes and maple syrup if they could!

I was fortunate enough to get good quality honey just before honey prices went through the roof.  I purchased a few kilos of it (4 or 5 - I can't remember) and it is stored away until we go through the bucket of honey I have in my pantry cupboard.  That bucket has lasted us 5 years so far (it was a 2 kg bucket).  Mmmm I can feel some honey jumbles needing to be cooked!

Honey doesn't go off, but it may crystalise.  Simply leave it out in the sun for a little bit (with the lid on).  I don't really recommend putting it in the microwave but it is possible.

This will be the last of the honey and sugar we store for this year.