Grains and their uses

I have been surfing other self reliant type blogs and found some really really great ones. Check out the link list on the right to see some phenomenal blogs dedicated to making food storage, emergency preparedness, and any other form of self reliance easy and doable.

This particular post I found on a blog called Food Storage Made Easy. They have 10 baby steps on making food storage something we can all strive for and attain. The list below has certain grains, the types, uses, how to store them and more. Read on to find out what you can do with those grains you've been storing in case you don't already know-or in case you want more ideas. And don't forget to go check out their site!

Rolled Oats:
Uses – Breakfasts, granola, cookies, filler in meat loafs or casseroles, thickener for soups/stews.
Types – Quick rolled oats or regular rolled oats. Quick oats cook faster but regular oats retain flavor and nutrition better.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is up to 8 years. If opened should be used within 1 year. We recommend storing large amounts in an airtight plastic container and pulling out a smaller amount every few months for your actual usage/rotation.

Wheat:
Uses – Wheat grass, appetizers, desserts, breakfast cereals, crackers, brownies, tortillas, breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes, snacks, in salads, to make vegetarian meat/protein, and any other baking item you would use flour for.
Types – Spring or winter, hard or soft, red or white. Hard varieties have higher gluten (protein) and are better for making breads. Soft varieties have lower protein and nutrients but are better for pastries, pastas, and breakfast cereals. Red wheats are typically hard and whites are typically soft. However if you prefer the flavor of one over the other you can find soft red and hard white. Experiment with different varieties in your recipes to find out what works best for you.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is 12 years or more. If opened will last about 3 years. However, once ground into flour, wheat loses most of its nutrients within a few days so only grind small amounts at a time. You can add oxygen absorbers, bay leaves, or dry ice to help keep critters out of your wheat.

Spaghetti or Macaroni:
Uses – As a main course, in casseroles, in soups.
Types – You can store any type of pasta you like to use, the main ones sold in bulk are macaroni and spaghetti so they are convenient for long-term storage.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is 8-10 years. If opened will last about 2 years. If you buy it in plastic bags we recommend transferring your pasta to airtight plastic containers for better storage.

Cornmeal:
Uses – Grits, cornbread/muffins, mush, jonnycake, hushpuppies, breading on fried items.
Types – Steel ground or stone ground. Most common is steel ground, it has husk and germ almost all removed. Loses flavor and nutrients but has a long shelf life. This is what you will find at the grocery store. Stone ground retains more of the husk and germ but is more perishable. Cornmeal can be found in white, yellow, red, and blue varieties. Yellow and white are the most common.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is 5 years. If opened will last about 1 year.

Enriched White Flour:
Uses – Cakes, biscuits, pie crusts, pastries, gravy, thickener, puddings.
Types - Bleached or unbleached. Both have had their bran and germ portions removed and are “enriched” by adding back some of the lost nutrients. Bleached has been treated with chlorine, while unbleached is aged and bleached naturally by oxygen in the air.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is 5 years. If opened will last about 6-8 months.

Enriched White Rice:
Uses – Rice pudding, cereal, casseroles, side dishes.
Types - Bleached or unbleached. Both have had their bran and germ portions removed and are “enriched” by adding back some of the lost nutrients. Bleached has been chemically bleached while unbleached goes through a natural bleaching process.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is 30 years. If opened will last indefinitely.

Pearled Barley:
Uses – Thickener in soups and stews, in sides or casseroles similar to how you would use rice.
Types - You can buy pot barley which retains more of the nutritious germ and brand, but it has a shorter shelf life. Pearled barley is recommended for long-term food storage.
Storage – If unopened, optimum shelf life is 8 years. If opened will last 18 months.