Grains

Good morning, class.
If you would turn or click in your scriptures to D&C 89:14
What is the staff of life?

That’s right!….Grains! Click here to learn more about why it is important to eat grains.

So class, what are grains?

(Here is where you all raise your hands and shout out a type of grain.):

Wheat!

Good, Sister Brown.

Oats!

Good one, Sister Quaker!

Rice!

Another excellent choice, Sister Chang.

Popcorn?

That’s right, Sister Redenbacher.

Barley!

Yes, a great source of fiber and the staple cereal of the ancient Egyptians.

Flour!

Flour is ground from wheat and other grains and you may choose to store flour if you don’t have a wheat grinder, but be careful of those weevils.

Cornmeal, pancakes and waffles!

That is correct, Sister Jemima.

Pasta!

Another wheat derivative, and a good choice, Sister Ronzoni.

Tortillas!

Yes, both flour and corn, Sister Gonzales.

Amaranth, quinoa, and millet!

Wow! Thanks, Sister Hippie Chick.

And finally in a deep southern accent, Grits!

Great choice, Sister Boone!

The providentliving.org suggests storing 300 pounds of grains per person for a year supply. Just to give you a visual that is about nine 6 gallon buckets of grains per person. Uh, whoah. that’s a lot of grains! So if you have been admiring those 4 shiny #10 cans of pasta, wheat, rice, and cookie mix sitting on your pantry shelf for the past ten years, it’s time to get some more. You’re not expected to obtain all your grains at once so make a smaller goal for the time being (perhaps a 3 month supply.) I try to make the goal to buy 1 or 2 buckets of wheat each year until I have 2 buckets or 90 lbs per person. I stash them in my bedroom closet. It will store for a very long time if stored properly (no oxygen and inside your AC’d home.) I don’t even have a wheat grinder yet, but it’s nice to know I have wheat on hand because what if there was an unexpected drought in the Great Plains and we experienced a wheat famine? Dr. Atkins would probably be looking down with a smile from heaven and the cows would be jittering in there hooves, but we all know that it would not be good for us living mortals who like our carbs. So think about getting some wheat and other favorite grains. You don’t have to order bulk. You can gradually buy grains at the grocery store too. However you might want to purchase some oxygen absorbers and 6 gallon buckets in which to store them and keep them safe.

Now fill in the blank:

My family needs to store ________________ pounds of grain for a one year supply. (300 lbs x # of people)

Did you know a family of seven needs one ton of grains? KaRAYzee!!

Hymn #252 Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel>

This is the general goal I set for my family per person for a year supply:

(I have not yet reached my goal. In fact, not even half way there, but I’m working on it and probably have 600-700 lbs.)

90 lbs Wheat (2 buckets or about 16 #10 cans)
45 lbs Rice (1 bucket or about 8 #10 cans)
100 lbs Pasta (4 buckets or about 32 #10 cans)
25 lbs Oats (1 bucket or about 10 #10 cans)
45 lbs Corn stuff like popcorn, grits, and cornmeal (1 bucket or about 8 #10 cans)
For a total of 305 lbs or 9 buckets or about 75 #10 cans

Other interesting tid bits:

White rice stores longer than brown. Do not plan on storing large amounts of brown rice because it will go rancid within about 6 months once opened and 1-2 years in the absence of oxygen. Instead buy smaller quantities of brown rice at the grocery store and use it along with your white rice to enhance your meals nutritional value.

Think about storing denser shaped pastas such as orzo, bowtie, or alphabet. They take up considerably less space than other pastas such as rigatoni, penne and jumbo shells.

From what I’ve gathered from the internet, the difference between red and hard white wheat is the color of the bran. Both types of wheat contain high amounts of protein and fiber. Red hard wheat is the most common wheat available and is useful for making breads and can be used in recipes as an extender of red meat. White hard wheat is gaining in popularity and is also useful for making breads and as an extender for white meat. White hard wheat is said to have a more delicate flavor and better for making lighter and fluffier bread products.

Most grains should store safely up to 8-10 years in the absence of oxygen and at a temp. of 72 degrees or below. However, I recommend using them much before that to ensure that they still taste good. Flours and cracked wheat will store for up to 5 years, but use them quickly as well.

300 lbs of grains would provide one person approximately 1300 calories/day for one year. (About the same as a Big Mac, Fries, and Coke)