WHY do you prepare? Why whole wheat?

[Home Maker]

A few years ago we started buying wheat and grinding it because of the health benefits. Wheat is not available in my area, so I have to order it through an expensive health food store. I may compare them to some of the online grain suppliers next. So for those reasons, I really need to take advantage of it when I can get it and stock up. The food buckets are the best way for me to do this.

Even though we have currently fallen away from grinding wheat for our bread, I do make bread. (DH would like to get an electric motor for our hand-crank mill).

I think we're in for a bad depression and that wheat will be a good basic food. If I can barely get hold of it now, I don't expect I'll see it when the depression gets bad.

As far as disasters, even though I live a few hundres miles inland, we were without water and power for 80 hours when Ivan hit. Other than that, I don't think about disasters very often.

 

[patandchickens]

I don't store wheat -- no grinder -- but if I DID use wheat I am sure I would buy it in quantity and store it, because it's just cheaper and simpler than buying a bit at a time over and over again

I have a certain degree of stockpile of some other foods -- not ready for the collapse of civilization, but we could eat for probably a month if we had to -- but just because the food was "there", you know? On sale, or cheaper in large quantity, or hey look at all these apples what am I gonna do with them


Pat

 

[Homesteadmom]

I have a few reasons for my preparedness. One is because when we had our accident & went on disabiity & food stamps we really had to scrimp & scrape to make ends meet & some months they did not meet to well & I was the mom slicing one apple for 3 people to share at a meal after we ate a ramen noodle soup with a tad bit of meat in it(if any at all) & a can of mixed vegies & crackers(if any were left). So now I want to make sure if something happens like that my kids will be able to eat better. The second reason is in case something does happen like a bad flood & we are not able to get to town I have plenty of food to feed my family & not worry about it. The third reason is the economy we are still going down & if we do have another depression & the stores are limited on the stock I will have plenty to feed us, not to mention what we can grow & produce for ourselves. And the fourth reason is that we should be good stewards of the land & prepare as the bible tells us to. I have stocked up my family extremely well because of the great sales the stores were having during the holidays from $.50- $1.50 for most of the items. And if I use them sparinly(sp?) in a disaster then we will be able to eat about 1 yr. Why whole wheat? It stores well & has the most nutrients for us. I got my 50lb buckets of red wheat @ a yard sale for $5 ea. I also got a bucket of corn & alfafa for $5 too. All were sealed still. I have a hand grinder to grind with.

 

[freemotion]

Man, why don't I find those deals?!?!?

I figure if the economy gets really bad, I will likely remove wheat from my diet once I run out, or use it as a rare treat. Shipping costs will drive it out of my budget. Which is why I am learning to grow root veggies on my property for the chickens and goats, and we can eat them, too. Corn grows here in MA, but not wheat. Corn is not grown commercially in my area because of land values, but I could grow enough for us if I absolutely had to. I could do buckwheat, too, if necessary.

Although, like most of us here on ss, we are resourceful! Imagine a network of people bringing what is local for them to other areas when they have to travel for another reason. Imagine me bringing a couple bushels of local apples to OK for a business trip and coming back with a few sacks of grain, some for me, some for a neighbor.

 

[Wifezilla]

I figure if the economy gets really bad, I will likely remove wheat from my diet once I run out, or use it as a rare treat.

I am already ahead of you on that one

 

[freemotion]

Yeah, I did low carb for a while, and it did not fit with my genetics. But I learned a lot about what sugar and refined foods and even fruit juice was doing to me!

I do really well on a low glycemic lifestyle, with lots and lots of veggies, and grains in moderation. I probably average the equivilent of 2-4 servings per day max, with some days the carbs being in the form of yams or beans.

I am so thankful to be able to eat good fats again and not be afraid of egg yolks, cheese, lard, chicken skin.....again, in moderation!

When I want to drop 5 lbs, I just increase my LGI veggie consumption for a couple weeks, without really changing much else, other than limiting the grains as my carbs. Works like a charm!

 

[TanksHill]

I second that Freemotion, everything in moderation.

I store wheat because it last and it is very versatile.

This is a very informative web page I found.

http://www.simplylivingsmart.com/

In the event of a disaster be it minimal or severe, I want to have some basic storage to provide for my family. We had wild fires two years ago, the air quality was so bad we didn't leave the house for a week. Others have many weather challenges. Being prepared is a great feeling.

 

[freemotion]

Hah! If I didn't leave the house for a month, we could eat just fine....I might get a bit whiney about fresh stuff if it was in winter, but it would have to be pretty major for me to yank the lid off a bucket of grain (when I have it finally). I guess I was reading all these threads and feeling a bit behind y'all, like I had some catching up to do....thinking, hey, I don't have sealed buckets of grain, am I really ss?!?!?

Well, I am happy to report, it would be a while before we lost our fluffiness, even though I don't have too much, just a bit. I still want my grain, but we have plenty. I am telling myself more than I am telling you! Gotta do that now and then...

 

[patandchickens]

Plus, for those (*not* me) who think it is an actual realistic possibility that some massive ccollapse of civilization may return us to a fairly primitive state of living, you could always, if you HAD to, PLANT the wheat and grow more

Pat

 

[Homesteadmom]

Plus, for those (*not* me) who think it is an actual realistic possibility that some massive ccollapse of civilization may return us to a fairly primitive state of living, you could always, if you HAD to, PLANT the wheat and grow more
Pat

I already thought of that Pat. I have been contemplating putting some in a bag & putting it up in case I need to grow some.