Week 15 - Provident Pantry

Anyone hungry for a PBJ?  Keep at it this week.  Peanut butter, check, Jelly, check ?, bread????  Hit Reply All and let us know how you are tackling your bread needs.  At our house, Mark needs gluten free, so we have to do things a little differently to accomodate that.  Luckily, we have found some products that not only meet the need, but that we both like the taste, so life is good.

I need to say a word about flour storage.  If you have not already read it, be sure to read the section on storage containers in providentliving.org.  And basically, don't store your flour in a metal container.  It picks up the taste.  I love the #10 can storage.  It works great for all the rice we have to have, but it is lousy for flour.  The flour picks up a metallic taste, and I have had to throw out a bunch of flour.  My daughter tells me she has found out a way to rehabilitate flour that has been in metal containers, but it sounds rather labor intensive.  Better to pick a different storage method at the beginning, I'm thinking.

Also, remember, generally speaking, you are only looking at storing enough flour for 3 months, not long term storage.  Flour does not have a long shelf life.  (For long term storage you would have wheat and some kind of grinder - but that's a subject for another group and time.)  With flour you do have to make sure that you can store it in a way that will keep it weevil free, and that may or may not be the original packaging it come in.  Most of us don't want "protein" in our flour;-). 

And, as always, as you get your flour, be sure to put stickers on the storage containers as to date of expiration, and be sure to rotate it properly.

Have fun with your storage!  You are doing a great work!!

Week 14 - Provident Pantry

So...how is your fruit coming?  My grandkids were delighted this weekend when they came over to find that I now have a supply of Tang.  Aw, the simple joys of life.

So let's take a break from fruit (we can always come back) and go on down your ingredients lists.

This week and for the next 2 weeks, let's work on PB&Js, i.e. the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  You may have put in peanut butter when we were working on nuts.  You may have put in jelly/jam while we have been working on fruit.  If not pick one, and put it in now.  If so, work on the ingredients for bread. 

Some of you may have the large freezers and can simply pop in loaves of bread.  Others of us need to start down the list of our favorite bread recipe.  How much have you indicated on your ingredients' list will you need of flour?  of salt?  of yeast? etc.

Even though all of you do not have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on your menus, it looks like most of you have the same ingredients although you may be using them for different things, and who knows, in a bind, a PB&J might just hit the spot.

Love,
Marie

PS  My dogs think a little peanut butter is a magnificent treat, so you might stick a little extra in for the dogs in your family;-)