Bee Prepared – Food Storage

For decades, government and religious organizations have urged people to prepare themselves by storing extra food and water. In light of recent disasters and unsettled economic times, it is becoming easy to see the importance of doing so.

I have taught food storage classes throughout my life and when I started building this website I decided to focus on the 3 methods of food storage that have worked best for my family. 1) Dehydrated and Freeze Dried Food packed in a jar. 2) Freezer Meals and 3) Canning food from the garden. The most important lesson I have learned is to store the food that you eat on a daily basis and rotate your food. All three of these methods of food storage are great for a family and also a single person or couple that eat smaller meals.

This page is a index page for lessons that can be taught to a group of people or an individual can use the lessons. If you are in need of someone to help out at a Relief Society meeting, or a neighborhood class on food storage, I would love to come and teach or help you plan the meeting. Please send an email to stacy@homemakingdivas.com.

Bee Prepared – Meals in a Jar or Mylar Bag

This section is a series of classes that I am teaching every 2 months using dehydrated and freeze dry ingredients. I will post the lessons as I complete them. The recipes using this method of food storage are fast to cook, and in most cases all you add is water when you cook them. The meals are easy enough for children to cook which gives everyone in the house an opportunity to help. The meals have a shelf life of 3-15 years, depending on the shelf life of the ingredients.

I have prepared a spreadsheet with the ingredients for each meal below and can help calculate how much you need to buy for the number of meals that you or your group want to prepare. One important lesson I learned thru this experience is that you don’t want to make a lot of the meals and then figure out you don’t like to eat them. Its best to make a few meals so your family can try them.
 
 

Introduction to Meals in a Jar

The class teaches how to prepare the meals for long term storage and also when its ok to use a zip lock freezer bag for 1 year storage for some recipes.  The class teaches how to calculate the shelf life of the recipe. This class teaches the difference between Freeze Dried and Dehydrated Ingredients, and how to customize a recipe for dietary needs.

Click here for the Introduction to Meals in a Jar webpage

Oxygen Absorbers and using the Foodsaver

The class teaches how to prepare the meals for long term storage with Oxygen Absorbers and the FoodSaver

Click here for the FoodSaver webpage

Oatmeal in a Jar

The Oatmeal in a Jar class teaches about the Health Benefits of Oatmeal and the 3 different kinds of oatmeal that can be used in meals in a jar recipes. Included is a section that teaches how to store shortening in food storage and a recipe for the cream of mushroom soup that is used in the meat and potato pie meal. The class highlights products such as powdered milk, chicken broth powder, powdered flavorings, freeze dried and dehydrated fruits that are used in the oatmeal in a jar recipes. A 17 page PDF file is available that includes the 21 recipes with instructions. You can purchase a 48 page file that has the tags for each meal in a jar.
Recipes featured in this class are:Carrot Cake Breakfast Oatmeal, Quick Oatmeal recipes and Crock pot Steal Cut Oats. Dessert Recipes are Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in a jar and Apple Crisp.

Click Here for Oatmeal in a Jar webpage

Desserts in a Jar

Dessert recipes are great to have in food storage because they are quick and easy to fix. I love pulling a jar off the shelf knowing I have all of the ingredients and I don’t have to run to the store. In 2014 decided to enter a couple of the recipes in the state fair to see how they would compare to recipes with fresh ingredients and was excited to bring home a first and second place ribbon. Now I can say they are award winning recipes

Click here for dessert recipes In a Jar