Alot of people don't realise but in the time before refrigeration spices were the main means of food preservation along with salt. So i suspect that if the SHTF spices will once again be a very very valuable commodity. my question is what spices are you storing and how are you storing them.
Salt, pepper, dried onion, dried garlic, chili powder, and Italian herb mix. We have mass quantities of these. You can do just about any cooking with these basics.
Vinegar, sugar, yeast, baking powder, and cold pressed oil, though not spices, are also a very good idea to stock.
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my wife and i already have plans for this, we are going to pack up and travel to the nearest body of salt water and harvest sea salts for trade to the inlanders... maybe find others along the way that share the idea and start a community along a non-hbitated area with salt being the chief export for our community... or grow our own fresh herbs and dry them for the long haul, maybe in corperate them into the community... all would be welcome to share in our bounty... come my children... partake in our love... whoa, snap what the hell... sorry had that dream again...lol!!!
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Yeast... doesnt it have a shelf life being as its alive and all... i thought after awhile it becomes inactive and usless...
when it hits the fan, i'll show you where some great salt beds are. all ya gotta do is bag it. no one else around here's gonna be thinking about the salt pools at the time. since i'll be following you around thinking of how to cook you anyway, it'll kill two birds with one stone!
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Alot of people don't realise but in the time before refrigeration spices were the main means of food preservation along with salt. So i suspect that if the SHTF spices will once again be a very very valuable commodity. my question is what spices are you storing and how are you storing them.
what spices besides salt preserve food? you mean like spices you'd use preserving pickles and stuff? i'm not into preserving meats and am not aware of any spice but salt to make it last longer. heck, is salt even considered a spice? man i feel ignorant right now. lol!
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remember, spices have a shelf life of between 6months and a year.
after that they can start makeing things taste funky. salt as far as i kknow does not have a shelf life. and yeast will go bad, probobly befor the date on the package.
In the prolonged SHTF scenario (more than a year) you'll need to keep the yeast alive. To do this you just "feed" it daily - basically every couple days you'll be making bread (if you don't have the wheat or other grains you won't be making bread every couple days, in which case you won't need the yeast!) so you take half your previous day's yeast to make bread and add some wheat and water or sugar and water to the yeast that's left. The yeast that is left multiplies (that's what yeast does) and the next day or two you repeat. In this way you keep the yeast going indefinitely.
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Black Pepper and Salt in mass quantities. with whatever fits your tastes added in there. We also keep seeds to grow fresh herbs and there is a salt lick nearby. Pepper is a necesity as it keeps insects away from whatever meat you are curing. And well salt explains itsself. we also keep lots of Creole seasoning around as im pretty sure it will make anything taste edible lol.
Salt is the most important. The Novel "Alas Babylon" by Pat Frank addresses the salt shortage issue very well. Necessary not only for the human body, but many processes as well. Food preservation, tanning, medical procedures, cleaning and chemical processes.
In some areas (like the Pacific Northwest) there is a shortage of iodine in the environment. Iodised salt should be stored for human consumption. Sea Salt is a good choice for providing other supplementary minerals and potassium. Pure sodium chloride salt should be used for making medical saline.
In addition to the spices mentioned abouve I'd recommend herb gardening. Start now, and you'll not only be ready, but have a nice addition for your current diet.
Salt is the most important. The Novel "Alas Babylon" by Pat Frank addresses the salt shortage issue very well. Necessary not only for the human body, but many processes as well. Food preservation, tanning, medical procedures, cleaning and chemical processes.
In some areas (like the Pacific Northwest) there is a shortage of iodine in the environment. Iodised salt should be stored for human consumption. Sea Salt is a good choice for providing other supplementary minerals and potassium. Pure sodium chloride salt should be used for making medical saline.
In addition to the spices mentioned abouve I'd recommend herb gardening. Start now, and you'll not only be ready, but have a nice addition for your current diet.
Alot of people don't realise but in the time before refrigeration spices were the main means of food preservation along with salt. So i suspect that if the SHTF spices will once again be a very very valuable commodity. my question is what spices are you storing and how are you storing them.
Are you sure about that? Salt yes, but most spices offer no preservative effect other than hops, cloves, thyme and cinnamon. Things like garlic and onion have no preservative effect but are good at masking rot.
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haha... great, remember humans taste like chicken so when cooking go slow and long with the right aplications of a dry rub and mmmm... mmmm...
