Review: Wise Company Creamy Pasta and Vegtable Rotini

For the most part, I prefer to have my diet consist of whole foods and ingredients that I can use to create my own meals.  That’s what I do on a daily basis.  I don’t use a lot of packaged and convenience foods like canned soups, hamburger helper and the like.  I occasionally use frozen meals, especially really challenging stuff like Chinese foods (potstickers!), but even that’s fairly infrequent.

So of course when it comes long term food storage, I don’t want to make the bulk of it from MREs, freeze fried meals and the like.  It’s not the way we eat.  But.  There may be times when being able to rip open a package and est it as is, or only add water, let it sit, and eat are the only real options.  To that end, I have been looking at some of the companies that frequently market to backpackers and for LTS, like mountain house, wise company, Augason farms, and so on.  The problem is, I don’t care to buy big buckets of multiple servings unless I can try it first and see if my family can exist on it in a pinch!

Wise Company kindly sent me a sample, and they chose Creamy Pasta and Vegtable Rotini.

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You heat water to boiling, add the contents (I dumped them in a bowl so you could see it), cover and let sit 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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After following those directions, the peas were still crunchy in the middle, the zucchini bits very chewy, and the pasta edibly soft, but more al dente than I would like.  The first bite or two were ok.  Not delicious, but ok.  Probably more than acceptable if you are a more common user of processed foods than I. The sauce reminded me of Lipton Cream of Chicken Cup o Soup.  That is, something I only ever have eaten when I’m sick, or the power is out and mom needed an instant meal. But edible.

It cooled off very quickly, and that’s when I couldn’t eat it anymore.  The creamy sauce got quite viscous, almost like it had okra slime in it.  And frankly, well, it looked like gobs of saliva dropping off the spoon.  Yuk yuk yuk.

I think that a tomato based sauced product might be a better option. So I need to find the smallest package options from different companies for my taste tests.

Vote for …

img_1423Have you noticed that this election season that something is missing?  I have seen very few bumper stickers and almost no yard signs dealing with the presidential race.  There are some corners that practically bristle with posts and campaign requests, most years.  I’ve seen a few for local/state office (although it still seems low) and for state measures, but I can’t recall one Clinton/Trump bumper sticker or yard sign.

At first I thought well, maybe everyone is too afraid to proclaim thier support for HRC or Trump, out of concern that they might get vandalized or ridiculed.  Or maybe, more people are like me, completely apathetic with no strong feelings, except disgust, for both major presidential candidates.  Of course, it could be more innocuous; maybe campaigns aren’t spending money on that kind of advertising this year, relying on digital media to get thier message out there.  I’m probably the last person in the US who doesn’t follow twitter.  (I hate twitter.  Are we all so stupid that we can’t comprehend more than 255 characters anymore?  It’s nothing but sound bites and I hate it).

 

Seventeen Ways to Sabotage Your Family Food Storage Plan

By Carolyn Nicolaysen · July 28, 2015 (Meridian Magazine)  Find her on Facebook at Totally Ready.

(edited slightly for spelling and formatting)

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In a real emergency, no one is going to ride in and rescue us if the calamity involves the whole community. Government, church leaders, prophets, and emergency response organizations all tell us to prepare – and to expect that in the aftermath of a disaster we will be on our own for 72 hours at least, and possibly for days or weeks after that.

Coping with natural disasters is one thing – coping with a slow drain on our back-up reserves is another. Food storage and emergency preparations require planning, continuing education, and awareness of our changing needs. In this time of downsizing and economic disappointment, it is more urgent than ever before in our lifetime that we commit to self-reliance and stay on top of our family emergency plan. Don’t be left wondering when that crisis comes, “what have I done?” Here are 17 ways we could be sabotaging our own best efforts.

1. Move too fast – that’s right, just go right ahead and jump into emergency preparedness – blow a thousand bucks on off-the-shelf solutions before you’ve educated yourself. Or… Slow down. Take the time to understand your needs. We are all planning for the same things: food, water, shelter, hygiene, sanitation, and medical needs. The challenges we are preparing for may differ. Some live in earthquake country, some in the path of hurricanes, some in tornado alley, some for ice storms or power outages. It really doesn’t matter. The items we store will be the same, but with slightly different priorities and proportions. The knowledge we need to deal with such emergencies is a matter of awareness, study, and organization. Analyze what your family needs before you begin purchasing. Create a list, plan and budget for priorities before buying anything.

2. Follow someone else’ plan. There are many plans floating around on the Internet. Be careful. A common plan challenges you to spend five or ten dollars a week for a year and provides you with a list of items to purchase each week. Take a careful look at those lists. One such list included only a few jars of peanut butter and a few cans of tuna for protein and no veggies or fruit. Storing from all the food groups should always be your goal. Each plan will be unique to the family storing, or at least it should be. Following your own plan also allows you to consider any special dietary needs in your family and only you can determine what to store for those family members. Again, think food groups.

3. Look for the easy fix. They say in real estate it is location, location, location. In food storage it is variety, variety, variety. As you create a list of foods and supplies to store, remember that variety is key to maintaining a lifestyle as normal as possible. You can find many lists that will tell you to store X amount of oats for example, but what if your family hates oatmeal? Remember when you told your mom you loved barbecued potato chips and she put them in your lunch every day? Remember how, after a month, you traded them for a new taste? Do not make the mistake of storing large amounts of specialty foods. You may enjoy these, but if you have others evacuating to your home they may not. Children may also rebel and refuse to eat. Instead of ending up with foods that are unfamiliar, plan to include a variety of foods.

4. Ignore nutritional needs. Again, think about Food Groups. When creating your shopping list, be sure to incorporate all of the food groups into your plan. Each group provides a different nutritional need. You should design your list to include grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and fats. Again – remember variety – but this time think color. Fruits are not created equal. Orange fruits provide different nutrients than blue and purple fruits.

5. Forgetting spices and condiments. If it doesn’t taste good, who wants to eat it?

6. Fail to include non-food essentials. Cleaning supplies, toiletries, personal hygiene products, medications, pet needs, and sanitation needs are all essential for a successful storage plan, one that is truly self-reliant.

7. Ignore a sensible storage strategy. All foods, even grains in cans and dehydrated foods, should be stored in a cool, dark, and dry area of your home. Temperatures should remain at under 80 degrees on the worst days, and hopefully below 70 degrees for optimal storage. Create new names for the areas of your home to break the mindset that you have become used to. The coat closet can be renamed the grain pantry. The linen closet can be thought of as the toiletries and medications cupboard. There is no law that declares a home must have a coat closet by the front door, though it is nice to have one, It is also nice to protect your preparedness investment. In a few minutes, you can add a few shelves and make storage spaces much more valuable areas of your home. It may take a few more minutes to grab a coat from your bedroom closet, but it might just be worth the effort.

8. Improper packaging. Paper bags, paper and cardboard are not good for storing food long term. If you are storing for long term always transfer food to metal, plastic or glass containers. Plastic, except for buckets, should be your last choice. You want containers that are moisture proof and safe from the ravages of pests like mice and insects.

9. Overlook comfort items. Yes – chocolate, candy, and popcorn all have their place in a good, well constructed food storage plan. Did you know popcorn is also the corn you will want on hand to grind for corn meal? Real popcorn, not the microwave variety. During a time of stress, comfort foods can provide the catalyst that transforms kids from whiners to helpers. This is a chance to continue family food traditions in a crisis. Birthdays come even during difficult times, and a birthday cake can really lift the spirits.

10. Storing foods you do not know how to prepare. All the food in the world will do you no good if you can not prepare it. You may have a neighbor or friend who knows how to bake bread and soak beans but when the time comes you better have enough stored for both families if you plan to ask for the friend’s help.

11. Failing to have the proper equipment. If you don’t have a wheat grinder what good is wheat, except for use as a cereal but that won’t make much of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so why are you storing peanut butter and jelly? Do you have the ability to cook those foods off the grid if you should be without power or do you have at least some foods that can be eaten right from the can? Which begs the question, do you have a can opener that is not electric?

12. Overdo it! Whether you purchase all at once or create a weekly budget and purchase over time, never purchase too much of just one food group. Always spread your money between all the groups and if you are on a limited budget get a one day supply of everything, then a one week, them a one month and so on. Three hundred pounds of wheat is not going to be satisfactory if that emergency arrives before you add the peanut butter and jelly to make the sandwiches.

13. Underestimate the value of water. Water is often the overlooked or under planned element in a preparedness plan. When designing your plan be aware that dehydrated and freeze dries foods need extra water to reconstitute and prepare. Remember, you need water for drinking, flushing, cleaning, laundry and cooking. Don’t forget pets are family members too and need to be counted when calculating how much water to store. Often overlooked sources of liquids are the canned fruits and vegetables you should be storing and this is precisely the reason for storing them instead of the dried varieties. Additionally, you already know how to use canned varieties and the kids are used to their taste and texture.

14. Put your storage in the basement and forget it! Or, you might consider the importance of rotating your food and other supplies on a regular basis. This is by far the biggest mistake most people make. They run out and purchase food storage and it is not what they are accustomed to eating, therefore, they do not cook with it and they do not rotate it. What they do after a few years, is throw it away. You must rotate your food storage, medical supplies and even cleaning supplies. All have a shelf life. What good is all this hard work and money invested if it all ends up in the dumpster?

15. Who needs dates and labels, anyway? When you purchase foods, label them with the month and year purchased on top of the can. This will ensure you are always using the oldest first. Canned goods do not lose nutritional value for at least two years after the expiration date so you will have at least two years from date of purchase to rotate through your three month supply.

16. Lose track of what you have. Create an inventory system so you can keep track of what you are storing. Design a spread sheet or get out the good old paper and pencil and record what you have so you know what you still need. Once you have completed your three month supply of the foods you eat this can be as simple as a paper on the fridge where you record items each time you use them up so you know how many you need to purchase to maintain your supply at the three month level.

17. Put it all under the bed. If you have a natural disaster strike your home, some rooms may be destroyed while others are untouched. If you have spread out your storage you may be able to salvage at least part of your supplies. Thinking a little more negatively, should someone enter your home with the intent to steal, they may find some of your stash and be satisfied and leave. Or, if you take a needy stranger to one area of your storage with the intent of sharing, they can take what they need while the rest will remain safely unnoticed, just in case they discuss your generosity with others who are not so trustworthy.

Once aware of these preparedness hazards, we can avoid these common stumbling blocks and keep our family storage plan on track, in balance, and ready for whatever may come our way. It’s all in the way we plan, budget, organize, and keep track of our best efforts and intentions to prepare and be self-reliant.

The final measure

In the end, I got about 12 cups of sprouts from my 1/4 salad mix seeds.

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A nice dressing for these sprouts is:

1/4 cup minced onion (I used scallion, from my CSA box)
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced (I used a late harvest heirloom tomato)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herb (I used basil, but you could use almost any)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar (rice wine vinegar would be nice too I think, or mirin.  A more mild vinegar anyway; I think cider or balsamic would overwhelm the delicate sprout flavor)
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

I whisked all the liquids together, added the seasonings, whisked again, then mixed in the onion and tomatoes.  I don’t like plain sprout salad, but I put my dressed sprouts on a bed of other greens (arugula is a good with my seed mix, which has arugula sprouts, but whatever works).  I had some more avocado and added a few slices.  Nice, light, healthy and tasty salad.

FYI, the PeakFresh bag my sprouts are in is awesome.  I got mine from sproutpeople although I’m sure there are other sources, and likely less expensive.  I’ve been using them about a month now.  The produce in my CSA box comes loose, and I bag it up in these, and I’ve been very impressed with the longevity of the produce it provides. They somehow move the ethylene gas out of the bag slowing down the ripening (aging) process.

The little and not so little things

Just before bed yesterday I noticed a sore spot along my jawline, just under my left ear.  When I woke up, there was an almond sized lump and a little internet research made it clear that self diagnosing this could be a real problem.  There’s a lot of things that it could be.  The prime candidates are infected saliva glands or lymph nodes, but there’s a number of other possibilities, from minor to super scary.  Even given the most likely, I would need antibiotics so I pulled up my insurance app and made an appointment for this afternoon.

By the time I left for the appointment, my almond was a shell-on walnut size.  It’s sore as hell, and if you touch it, it’s sheer misery.  Even my doc can’t be sure what it is apparently.  I’ve got no fever, which you’d expect with an infection.  But it is hot to the touch, and sometimes with diabetes, the body responds oddly.  So I was prescribed augmentin.

It does make you think – in a disaster situation, how do you deal with something like this?   I went right to the doctor but you can search google images for infected jawline lymph node for some really scary, disgusting pictures of what can happen if you don’t have treatment.

My son had a lump on his face that turned out to be a central giant cell granuloma.  It didn’t respond to treatment and the tumor had to be removed, along with most of his upper jaw, and everything up to the bottom of his eye orbit on the left side of his face.  It went from a tiny bump to the size of a grapefruit in a few weeks.  He will eventually need extensive reconstructive surgery and implants.  At the moment he has a denture like appliance to give him a chewing surface – and it needs regular refitting as he grows.  He’s only 12.

img_0040I have genetically terrible teeth.  I have about 6 natural teeth left in my mouth.  I have some implants but need 8 more to support as many teeth as I need; I just need 30k to spare to get it done.  Just.   In the meantime I have upper dentures. Like some old lady.  Barely a week ago, one tooth broke off under the gum line and it had to be extracted. I couldn’t eat or drink; even lukewarm water touching that tooth (lower jaw too so gravity was an issue) was beyond excruciating.

It was probably the worst pain in my life, even more than the spinal I needed for an emergency c-section when my daughter was in distress.  That was painful, and scary.  She had the cord around her neck; without that surgical intervention …

In a SHTF scenario, all three of us would be dead, and no amount of prepping could protect us from that.

I have type 2 diabetes (well, not really, but it’s easier to say that than explain why my problem really is.  I have high blood sugars so it’s close enough.)  I’m fortunate to not be insulin dependent, but I could be working a lot harder to lose the extra weight and get my blood sugars under control.

My son and I both wear glasses.  My prescription changes every year by a lot.  And my blood sugar fluctuations – well, it’s a problem for my vision.  What happens when those glasses break? Or the prescription changes?

My husband had lasik years ago, but before that his vision was worse than mine.  My daughter isn’t in glasses yet, but given her genes, it’s just a matter of time.

In the face of these things, it can make you think, what’s the point?  No matter how much time, energy and money I put into preparing for the bad and the worse, no matter how much “insurance” I manage to put in place; some things just can’t be prepared for, so why prepare at all?

I can’t really think that way though.  If there’s an emergency situation, and my family fails because we didn’t have the basics I could’ve provided, that would be on me.  That’s not OK.

So back to the beginning here.  I’ve read that some folks stock fish antibiotics.  Supposedly, it’s the same stuff.  It makes me uncomfortable. I would never resort to such a thing in the normal.  But then I look at my issue today.  If a simple course of antibiotics is the solution, and the alternative is pain, abscess, rupture, wouldn’t you take the chance?

Theres a very thorough discussion on fish antibiotics over at Top Survival Preps.

Eat the fruits of your labor

Seeds sprouted in my Easy sprouter aren’t as green as I would like, but perfectly edible.  Would certainly be a quick, easy and low maintenance way to get some fresh food into your diet if the SHTF and you’re surviving on LTS.

In the meantime, after my experiment, I need to eat some of these sprouts up.  Little quarter cup of my mix has resulted in several cups of sprouts.

This morning I threw in a couple extra eggs while scrambling them for the kids’ breakfast.  Then I topped mine with a big handful of sprouts and a small green zebra tomato, cut into slices, then cut in half to make half circles.

I think I’ll pick up some goat cheese so I can make a yumm-o omelette.

Sprout & Avocado Omelette

6 eggs
1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 avocado (ripe, peeled and sliced into strips)
1⁄2 cup sprouts (delicate salad mix type)
3 ounces goat cheese (thinly siced or crumbled)
4 tablespoons butter or ghee

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture.  When the egg mixture is half way through cooking, spread the goat cheese on one half of the omelet, and spread the slice avocado on top of the goat cheese, and on top of the goat cheese, spread the sprouts. (I don’t love avocado cooked myself, I’d rather add them at the end). Flip the ungarnished half of the omelet over the half with the ingredients, and continue cooking to your liking.  Cut the omelet in half and serve.

Water storage thoughts

I was planning on ordering 55 gallon water barrels through my SiLs church contacts, but my water will have to be stored in the garage, but then I read that it is not a good idea to store the barrels directly on concrete, so I held off.  Elsewhere I have read that is mostly a myth.  One site quotes some guy [“According to preparedness lecturer Kenneth Moravec: “Concrete attracts fluids and ‘bleeds.’ Anything that has been on or in that concrete will find its way into your plastic water barrel. This includes the lime in the concrete, any hazardous materials (i.e. gasoline, oils, kerosene or anything a contractor used in construction), algae, etc. Usually it is not enough to make the water toxic but it will taint the water enough to make the taste unbearable. And no amount of pouring it from container to container will take that taste away.”] who turns out to be a long term prepper from Utah, no particular expert except via experience (which is not to be sneezed at, except when you’re wrong), and then it gets parotted and shared as gospel.

*Heated* concrete is a problem, so if it’s in an environment with relatively stable temperature, like in a basement, it’s probably fine.  My garage isn’t temperature controlled though, so it might be a good idea to raise it.  If you are going to do that, then why not create a rack that stacks 2-3, to use the vertical space?  Right now, I could get this metal stand with upgraded plumbing system, with delivery, for around 385$ from groundzero3.com. It’s on sale, and there’s a coupon code, which drops it 60$ altogether.  Note this is without barrels.  Assembly of this would be relatively simple.

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There’s are also a number of plans out there to build a wooden rack.  A 2×3 takes it up to 330 gallons, which would make me pretty comfortable, once a rain cachement system is in place. Do I have the skill to build that though?  Well, no.

These are great videos and make it seem easy.  But I don’t have the tools.  And if you add the materials and time, well, perhaps it’s not more cost effective.  But it’s twice the barrels.  It’s easier to expand.  Once you have the tools, the additional supplies aren’t that much.  Tools are useful and should be owned anyway.

Times like this, I quite wish my guy was handy.  And that he was on board.

Preparedness Pro has a great article on myths and facts of water storage.  Worth the read.

My black thumb and I

The pea shoots look terrible. Pretty sure it’s just density and it’s not that I can’t grow something.  I hope anyway.  I wonder if pea seeds of different varieties can be different enough sizes that mine are that much larger than the video I watched.

I also wonder now that I’m having crowding issues — when he did 1 1/2 cups for a 10×20 tray if that was measured after soaking, which would make a big difference.  Obviously I didn’t think so, but I just can’t account for the discrepancy otherwise .

Even my new batch seem like they will be too crowded again.  And that was 1/2 cup before soaking for 10×10.

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My sprouts look and taste good.

img_4479This is French Garden mix from Sprout People and includes Clover, Arugula, Cress, Radish, Fenugreek, Dill. More expensive than a basic seed but I wanted a tasty mix for my first foray into sprouts.  I used an Easy Sprouter but it is basically like doing it in a mason jar. This just has an inner cup with holes like a strainer in the bottom which makes draining it super easy. Having done it though, I don’t think it has that much advantage over a mason jar with an easy to remove and replace sprouting lid.

I started with 1/4 cup seed mix in my sprouter and set it to soak for 8 hours (important, with a salad mix. Too long and it will go anaerobic, too little and they won’t sprout well).  Drained well, kinda tapped it so seeds were climbing the sides and spread out a bit, and then left it 24 hours with a vented lid. After that I fill the cup and soak 5-15 minutes twice a day, using a chopstick to fluff it up and break up the solid mass. Re-drain, until as dry as possible, repeating. The sprouts eventually produce a leaf, shedding a hull, and the cup keeps getting fuller.  It’s ready to eat now. It’s a lot of sprouts for just me.  Hope the kids like it in their salad at least.

I like the flavor. It’s not too grassy, which is how I recall “sprouts” (they were probably alfalfa).

Wrapping up the weekend

Pretty good day.  Went to the NW Sustainable Preparedness Expo.  Attended some nice seminars, chatted with some friendly people, sampled LTS storage foods, learned about a bunch of topics, and brought home a few trinkets and a bunch of brochures.  I didn’t have a lot of money to spend or I probably would have come home with a car full.

img_1405 This was a good listen on beekeeping from the folks at Bee Thinking.

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Jere of You Can Survive with a graph of recorded natural disasters over the past 100 years. Can the incredible climb in frequency solely be from better ability to learn of and record them in the latter years?  Or are we doing something to cause them to increase in frequency? Scary thought.

While there, I received a reposnse from a craigslist inquiry.  A complete water bath canning system, used only once, more jars (probably 50ish more, bringing me up to about 200), tools, lids, rings, preserving books, jar labels,  even unopened bags of canning salt, at only 25$.  A nice older couple, downsizing as they move into a condo in a 55+ community.  After I left the expo I picked this up.

I keep looking for a good camp stove, pressure canner, dehydrator, and vacuum sealer on Craig’s list.  Not from some expensive resaler but from some kind soul with more fortitude than myself (good will over the effort of Craigslist, baby) putting unneeded items out there for a few bucks. Maybe I’ll get lucky!