A Year of Supplemental Food Storage for $300!

I have come across an amazing find, thanks to a FB friend; I have learned how to add enough food to my storage to feed us (2 adults and two kids) for a year!  This is a combination of legumes, grains, beans etc that provides balanced, nutritious meals daily very cheap.  The thing I love about this recipe is that it can be changed in many different ways by adding left over meats, vegetables, dry vegetables, TVP, potatoes, etc.

This recipe has been around the internet for years now, but this is the first time I have seen it.  I have researched for hours on ways to get a years’ worth of food storage for a reasonable cost and finally found it, so I thought I would share it with all of our APN readers.



Note: Please feel free to share this with everyone you know. I feel it will greatly benefit anyone that has food storage, struggles with food storage, or is just beginning.  I know for me, the thought of trying to get enough food for a year was sooo overwhelming, but with this plan, it created a *baseline* for me to build on so I felt secure knowing I had at least some basics to make a meal for my family.  This will last a year if you ration it properly, but you will want/need to add things like meat and other vegetables (canned or dehydrated) to your pot of food.  Lets face the facts, no one wants to eat the same thing over and over day in and day out.  So you will want/need to build on this once you have it. 

I am going to list the things needed and what you are supposed to do so you have an easy list at hand and instructions to add to your buckets.

What you will need:

Food:

• 4 x 22 pounds of rice. Any kind of rice will do.  (Four 20 pound bags + 8 one pound bags) OR two 50lb bags at Sam’s.
• 2 x 11 pounds of Kidney Beans.  (22 one pound bags)
• 2 x 11 pounds of barley.  (22 one pound bags)
• 2 x 11 pounds of yellow lentils.  (22 one pound bags)
• 1 x 5.5 pounds of split green peas.  (6 one pound bags)
• 1 x 5.5 chick peas/garbanzo beans.  (6 one pound bags)
• 30 pounds beef or chicken bouillon.  (or both) It will be added to each batch as you cook it.

Hardware:

• Four/Five 5 gallon buckets for the rice. (rice usually settles if you shake it down so its give or take here)
• One 5 gallon bucket for kidney beans.
• One five gallon bucket for the barley.
• One 5 gallon bucket for the yellow lentils.
• One 1 gallon bucket for the split green peas.
• One 1 gallon bucket for the chick peas/garbanzo.
• Thirty-two oxygen absorbers

Total of  six 10 gallon buckets and two 1 gallon buckets.

Approximate Cost Where I Live:

• Rice @ Sam’s: 2 x $16.48 = $32.96 (two 50 lb bags)
• Kidney Beans /sale: 22 x $0.67 = $14.74
• Pearl Barley /sale: 22 x $0.59 = $12.98
• Lentils / sale: 22 x $0.45 = $9.90
• Green Split Peas / sale: 6 x $0.40 = $2.40
• Chick peas (garbanzo) / sale: 6 x $0.58 = $3.48
• Beef Bouillon: $65.49

Total Food:   $141.95

• Ten 5 gallon food grade buckets: $51.10 (free shipping) You can also check with your local Sam’s or grocery store bakeries for free buckets.  We go to fire house sub and pay $2.00 for them when they have them because ALL procedes go to the local fire departments.
• Ten Gamma lids: $69.70(pick up in store)
• One Gallon Buckets & lids: $15.25 (have to order a min of five, $15.25 is total cost)
• Shipping for buckets and lids: $7.90
• Oxygen Absorbers: Sixty 300CC = $9.97 (3 packs of 20)

Total Hardware: $153.92

Total combined cost: $295.87

Note: The reason the title says for $300 is to give some room based on cost of living in your area.

Directions:

• Put split green peas and the chick peas in a separate 1 gallon bucket, add 1 OA (Ooxygen Absorber) to the bucket, seal.
• Put Barley, Kidney beans, and lentils in separate 5 gallon containers adding 5 OA per bucket, seal.
• Divide rice up in remaining 5 gallon buckets with 5 OA in each bucket, seal.

How to make your soup:

• 8 oz of rice
• 2 oz of red kidney beans
• 2 oz of pearl barley
• 2 oz of lintels
• 1 oz of split green peas
• 1 oz of chick peas/garbanzo’s
• Bouillon to taste

Take the 16 oz dry mixture and add 6-7 quarts of water with a spoon of butter or olive oil (optional) to prevent the water from boiling over.  Add 3 tablespoons bouillon or to taste.  Then add any other meats, vegetables, potatoes or seasonings you’d like to.  I personally love to add garlic and Lima beans.  DO NOT add onions.  They will spoil the mixture. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for two hours.  You should have enough to feed 4 people for two days if rationed correctly.

Note: Onions ferment too quickly and will cut the time you are able to store the already cooked soup mixture. There is always the option of dried onions and you can add it to smaller batches you know will be eaten on the first day.

On the second day you will need to add more water and a tablespoon of bouillon because it will thicken in the refrigerator overnight. Boil for a min of ten minutes to kill off any potential bacteria, especially if you’re not able to store it in the refrigerator because you’re without electricity.

You will be full off of ONE large bowl of this delicious soup.  The kids usually eat about a half a bowl with bread.  That’s what makes it so great.  If able to, bake some bread or corn bread to go with it.

If there is any mixture left on the third day, then just add it to the new mixture you make.  (If making a new mixture on the third day) As time goes by you will learn to tell how much of each ingredient you need to fit your family’s needs.

With the exception of dairy and Vitamin B 12, this should take care of your nutritional needs.  Maybe not all of your wants, but once you get this out of the way, you can concentrate on adding the stuff you want to your food storage knowing you have enough for a year already if you half to use it.
I hope this helps you all to begin or expand your food storage like it has me!

Keepin It Spicy,
Jalapeño Gal

Note: These prices may or may not go up a little with inflation after 2013.