Chili In a Jar For Food Storage

Chili In a Jar For Food Storage

Minestrone Soup In a Jar

Minestrone Soup In a Jar

(click on picture)

Spicy Buffalo Chicken and Rice

Spicy Buffalo Chicken & Rice

Spicy buffalo anything is a favorite in our house by the majority of people here.  So I thought, what better meal in a jar to prep for than some buffalo chicken and rice!!

It turned out great so I had to share the recipe with all of you.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons spice mix (Knorrs or home-made), more or less to taste
• 1 1/2 cups minute rice
• 1/2 cup freeze-dried mixed vegetables OR 1/4 cup celery and carrots each
• 1 1/2 cup freeze-dried OR dehydrated chicken, you can use cubed or ranchers cut (shredded)
• 3 cups of Hot water
• 1 case of Quart Jars (about $10.00 at Walmart)

Directions For Cooking: Print this label and secure it to the jar.

• Add ingredients from jar and 3 cups of warm water to a cold skillet.
• As your skillet heats the water will re-hydrate the ingredients.
• Place lid on skillet stirring occasionally so rice does not stick to the skillet.
• Cook until rice is tender and meal is hot. (about 10-20 minutes)

You can put the ingredients in the jar in any order that works for you. I like to start with the rice or chicken and then add the buffalo spice mix so I can shake the powder down some to make more room for the rest of the ingredients. Use your vacuum sealer to seal the jars.  (Equipment picture links below)

This particular recipe will make 8 quart jar meals before running out of Chicken.  I had leftover Vegetables, rice and buffalo mix. Had I opted to use another can of chicken then I probably could of gotten another 6 meals made out of it.  There are four of us and we each got a large full bowl of this meal.  The great part is that it passed the test!! Everyone really enjoyed this meal with no questions asked.  They could not tell that any of the ingredients were freeze-dried.

Cost for 8 Spicy Buffalo Chicken and Rice meals in jars was approx $103.00. This one jar will feed 4 people a good size bowl for supper. So technically your getting 32 meals if it is for one person. In my opinion that is not bad for 8 great meals that will last a long, long time.

Dehydration Chart

PLEASE NOTE: Drying time depends on several factors:

• Thick or Thin Slices - the thinner the slice of item being dried, the quicker the drying time.
• Temperature - The lower the temperature- the longer the drying time.  When dehydrating fruits, vegetables and nuts, we recommend dehydrating at 105-110 degrees to preserve enzymes and nutrients.
• Humidity - the higher the humidity, the longer the drying time
• Water content - the higher the water (liquid) content of the item being dehydrated, the longer the drying time.
• Crispiness - some people like their dehydrated items still a bit soft, while others like it "crunchy or crispy".. If you want it more crunchy-crispy, it will increase the time it takes to dry all the water out..
• Product - Of course the product being dehydrated also will dictate how long it takes to dry, as shown by the chart below as a reference.

FRUITS

Apples	7-15 hours
Apricots	20-28 hours
Bananas	6-10 hours
Berries	10-15 hours
Cherries	13-21 hours
Cranberries	10-12 hours
Figs	22-30 hours
Grapes	22-30 hours
Kiwi	7-15 hours
Nectarines	8-16 hours
Peaches	8-16 hours
Pears	8-16 hours
Persimmons	11-19 hours
Pineapple	10-18 hours
Prune Plums	22-30 hours
Rhubarb	6-10 hours
Strawberries	7-15 hours
Watermelon	8-10 hours

VEGETABLES

Asparagus	5-6 hours
Beans, Green or Wax	8-12 hours
Beets	8-12 hours
Broccoli	10-14 hours
Cabbage	7-11 hours
Carrots	6-10 hours
Celery	3-10 hours
Corn	6-10 hours
Cucumber	4-8 hours
Eggplant	4-8 hours
Greens	3-7 hours
Mushrooms	3-7 hours
Okra	4-8 hours
Onions	4-8 hours
Parsnips	7-11 hours
Peas	4-8 hours
Peppers / Hot Peppers	4-8 hours
Popcorn	4-8 hours
potatoes	6-14 hours
pumpkin	7-11 hours
Summer Squash	10-14 hours
Tomatoes	5-9 hours
Turnips	8-12 hours
Winter Squash	7-11 hours
Yams	7-11 hours
Zucchini	7-11 hours

OTHER

Leather & Fruit Rolls	4-6 hours
Jerky	4-6 hours
Fish Jerky	12-14 hours
Herbs & Spices	2-4 hours
Nuts	10-14 hours
Re-crisping	1 hour

Make Your own Food Storage Rotation Shelf System

 Make Your Own Food Storage Rotation Shelf System

via The Ready Store

(Note: I have not personally designed these shelves yet, however it appears the design is for # 10 cans.  I feel this design is an excellent choice, but for our family I would alter it to fit regular, large  and tuna sized cans. It seems a waste of material and time to design a shelf for #10 cans when they last 20+ years and do not need to be rotated. That is just an observation from my POV.)

This Photo is NOT the actual design in the article.

When using your food storage, you’ll want to make sure that you are tracking your cans of food storage correctly. After all, no one wants to find a dusty old can that they purchased 30 years ago (even though with freeze-dried food, it still would be good.)

FIFO (First In First Out) shelves are an easy way to track your food storage and keep things organized if you use your food storage on a regular basis. You can pay a lot for a commercial shelving system or you could put in a little elbow grease and save yourself tons of money.

You’ll need:
Plywood
• Two pieces of 24 x 68 inches
• Three pieces of 31.5 x 17 9/16 inches
• Three pieces of 31.5 x 24 inches
• Two pieces of 24 x 32.5 inches
• Three pieces of 32.5 x 2 inches
• 15 strips measuring 17 9/16 x ½ inches
• 15 strips measuring 24 x ½ inches
Circular Saw
Wood screws or heavy-duty glue
Paint (optional)

Is ‘Oven Canning’ Safe?

By Jalapeno Gal77 via APN

When learning to can there are certain safety measures we all need to know about to make sure you, (or those around you) do not become injured, sick or seriously scarred.  We learn these safety measures through research, manuals, and other canners' experiences.  In this article I am going to give you a sensible argument about why it is unsafe to oven can and why it could be considered an impractical way to store dry goods.  We will also discuss alternative methods to storing your dry goods.

Is Dry Oven Canning Safe?

The answer is NO.  As Wise Geek so elegantly explains this...

Oven canning is not safe because it is a dry heat and the jars are not made for that. They can explode. Contamination is the main fear when it comes to dry canning. In order for food to be shelf-stable, it must be heated to a hot enough temperature that any latent bacteria in the food is killed off. The premise behind dry canning is usually sound, as a 200°F oven is generally hot enough to be considered sterile. Not all oven thermometers are accurate, however, and it can be tough for home cooks to know whether the external temperature is actually penetrating the jars.

There is no way for cooks to test the internal jar temperature without removing the lids and compromising the food. Any bacteria that remains in sealed jars can grow into toxins over time, which can cause serious food poisoning once the contents is eventually consumed. Sometimes spoiled food looks discolored or has an unpleasant taste, but not always.

Then there is oil.  Some of the few things that have oil in them are nuts and seeds and even some flours.  The heat from the oven liquefies the oil making the product go rancid faster than if you had left it alone, which defeats the purpose.

WHY Can’t I *Can* that?

Guest Article By Stephanie Dayle 

*** Note From The APN ***
This topic often becomes controversial.  There seem to be many differing opinions out there regarding canning different types of food.  The bottom line is this:  When you can food you must make a choice whether you want to follow “age-old” advice or scientific data concerning safe heat levels food must reach in order to kill the lingering bugs and germs that are omni-present in today’s store bought food.  

This article presents well researched and heavily documented information regarding the baseline for how to can SAFELY.  None of what is presented is opinion other than the opinion that when you are preserving food for your family to eat, it is best to err on the side of absolute safety.  

Comments on this article which are derogatory, attack the author or attack those of us who consider family food safety to be paramount will be deleted. 

Note From the Author concerning the Content of this Article:

I feel we (as preppers) are all on the same team working towards a common goal. This article is somewhat aggressive to get the point across, but it is also full of facts and backed up with research – I wrote it because someone on the internet NEEDED to be very clear about safe canning practices.  I presented this information just as everyone else who posts canning articles presents their information, and I have left it up to you, the readers, to make up your own minds. 

I feel you need all of the information to do that – not just the feel good stuff.  At no point do I claim to be an expert in this article which is why I thoroughly cited all of the information and provided links where you could locate and get in touch with canning and food experts.

I do not mean to offend anyone personally with this article.  It is intended to be blunt, to spur a discussion, and to get people to think about their actions, but not meant to offend individuals or blog writers.

The 52 Week Food Storage Plan; Made Simple

via APN

In the beginning, we all struggle to wrap our heads around the idea of having enough food in our food storage to last our family for a year.  It can be very overwhelming.  I have learned through multiple sources how to break this project down to make your long-term goal more attainable AND controllable.  Organization is the key to getting your storage done faster and more effectively to ensure your family has a 3 month supply of food, and also a years worth of food.

This article will show a different way to go about collecting food storage, by having a set goal and plan in mind versus just buying this and that all the time and then wondering, “Just how many meals do I have here?”  So much space is wasted on food storage because a plan is not laid out and followed and you never really know how many meals you have on hand.

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.

Flour Facts You Need To Know

By Jalapeno Gal77 -via APN

Let's face it, with all the information out there on how to store your food, it can get mighty confusing. When it comes to preparing for job  loss, economic collapse, and natural disasters we are taught to store food for those hard times.

Flour seems to be controversial as to how long it is *safe* to store.  After much research, I put together a list of facts I have found on many different types of flours.  Remember to do a basic test of any staples before using them.  Observe and smell.  If either test fails, then be safe and toss it out.

Simple Sprouting Techniques and Recipes For Beginners

By Jalapeno Gal77 - via APN

Have you ever wondered why people grow sprouts or what they could possibly find good about them?  I know I have!  Who would of thought something that often looks like grass would taste good!  However, you would be surprised at the nutritional value that sprouts have!   After all, isn’t being healthy one of our main goals?  There are many different types of sprouts one can grow.  In this article, I will not be referring to any particular sprout seed because they are basically sprouted the same way.  Some will take longer to sprout than others.  Most fall into one of three classifications: Seeds, Grains, and Legumes.

Waste Not, Want Not : Food Preservation and Preparation

By Jalapeno Gal77 -via APN

  How many times have you scraped food off your plate and thought to yourself, “Man, do we waste so much food,” or  money down the drain so to speak?  How much food have you thrown away out of your refrigerator because it wasn’t eaten in time and just sat there rotting?  Again, money down the drain.  I know I have done it hundreds of times.  I have even spent so much money on different bowls that are *suppose* to help food stay fresher longer,but most don’t work and I was tired of wasting money.  In doing all of these things, I was inspired to learn ways to save money and food which in turn, lead me to Food Preservation and Preparation.