MAKING LIFE SWEET

My mom always made homemade bread with honey instead of sugar.  It tasted so good all warm out of the oven.  We always smothered butter and honey all over the top of it and stuffed ourselves full before the bread cooled all the way down.  It was amazing.

This month, our long-term storage goal is sugar or honey.  60 lbs per person.  For my family, that is 570 lbs.

I have found that sugar does not like to be stored in air-tight containers.  It seems to clump and smell funny if it is packaged in air-tight mylar bags or cans.  The best luck I have had is to put it in 5-gallon buckets (available at WinCo).  The buckets seem to have a bit of air permeability that keeps the sugar happy.  I have always had great luck with Tupperware too.  Our family stores White Sugar, Powdered Sugar, and Brown Sugar.  The best prices I have found for these are Costco.  I typically buy my brown and powdered sugar at the Costco Business Center as they come in 25 lb bags.  The white sugar is available at either Costco Business or the regular Costco stores.  (And, if you are super fancy, Costco Business even carries Turbinado Sugar).

Honey is a great natural sweetener.  I like to buy mine from Cox's Honey.  They have about the best online prices for raw honey and usually give free shipping.  (Their creamed honey is oh so good, it is worth a try!).  Their store is in Shelley, ID, so if you are ever headed to Idaho Falls or Yellowstone, stop by and grab some.  You can buy it in 45 lb buckets at their store.

I challenge you to add to your long-term storage by adding sugar, honey, or other sweeteners of your choice.  Try to get the 60 lbs per person so you are ready in case of emergency!

NaCl

Do you remember much Chemistry?  I don't from my school days, but with a homeschool Chemistry class a few years ago and a daughter currently taking CHEM 100 at Palomar, sometimes chemical topics creep up at dinner.  Sodium Chloride (NaCl--if you are fluent in Periodic Table-ese) is definitely a good dinner topic.   This ionic compound is formed by the neutralization of an acid and a base (Sodium and Chloride) to create what we more commonly call salt.

"Salt is what makes things taste bad when it isn't in them." ~Unknown

So, what's the deal with salt?  Salt not only makes things taste good, but it provides the essential chemicals of Sodium and Chorine that humans need to survive.  It helps with things like brain and nerve function.  Before refrigeration salt was used as a preserver for meats.  And, there are so many different kinds of salt!  From table salt, to pink Himalayan salt, Kosher salt, rock salt, and the list goes on.

But, the bottom line is:  You need salt in your food storage.  At least 8 pounds per person.  

So, now you have salt in your food storage.  How do you use it?  Well, the possibilities are endless.  Aside from regular recipes that call for salt, here are a few ideas:

• Rub gray salt into a prime rib (or other) roast prior to cooking.
• Sprinkle sea salt onto whole potatoes after brushing with olive oil, then bake.
• Make homemade ice cream with Rock Salt to make the ice colder--hence the freezing.
• DIY some flavored salt to add some kick to your recipes (this was totally new to me, but it seems there are several ways to do this, and it doesn't look that hard!).

And if you have a little person in your life, or need a quick birthday present, this is probably my favorite salty recipe:

Play Doh

1 1/2 cups Flour

1/3 cup Salt

2 tsp. Cream of Tarter

1 1/2 c. Water

1 1/2 Tblsp Vegetable Oil

Food Coloring or Kool-Aid Packet

Mix Ingredients (dry then wet) on stove.  Cook over medium heat until it thickens.  Cook 4-6 minutes until if forms into a ball.  Knead.  For something extra fun, knead in a bit of glitter.  Store in airtight bag or container.