Food Storage

Getting Started - Grains

Step Three: Determine how much of each grain to store.

So now that you know how much grain to store for your family, now you need to decide on how much of each grain to store. It is a good idea to store a variety of grains that you know your family will eat. First, Divide your total pounds of grain by 2 to figure the amount of whole grains and refined grains to store.

Here are some tips to help you:

• Evaluate what your family eats on a weekly basis. Try to calculate how much of each grain your family typically consumes in a week and multiply that amount by 52 to arrive at an estimated yearly supply. Remember to include meals eaten out and convenience foods such as microwave popcorn.

 

• Supply yourself with foods that you will eat regularly. If your family eats large amounts of rice, you may determine that this grain will serve as a staple item in your supply.

 

• Evaluate the storage life of different grains. Some grains store very well such as hard grains like uncracked wheat, while others have a rather short shelf life such as brown rice.

 

• Evaluate the volume of space the food to be stored requires. For example, if you plan to store pasta products, consider the shape of the pasta. 25 pounds of orzo, alphabet pasta, or couscous will take up considerably less space than 25 pounds of elbow macaroni while providing the same amount of nutrition.

 

• Evaluate your family's dependency on store-bought foods. For example, if your family is dependent upon store-bought sliced sandwich bread, think about what it would require to make a homemade loaf of bread.