I was at the Big K today and came across an interesting Christmas gift set for 7.99 It's called "The Twelve Jellies of Christmas." Each one is a different flavor and in little 12 oz jars so in a power outage it can be used up that day. I thought the variety, some flavors I'd not normally pick like "Pear Jelly," a good defense against food fatigue.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 19, 1999

Answers

Its really important to have these little things. I have spent alot of money on "nibbely bits" and "tasty treats" and put them in my preps. Its amazing how much of this stuff is very shelf stable, I keep finding great munchie-type foodstuffs with expire dates well into next year.

I got boxes of cookies, the fancy assorted types which expire in June of 2000. Caviar expires in July, Roasted Eggplant in Pepper sauce expires in July, and on and on. This in addition to normal foods of course.

I AM DYING TO START EATING MY PREPS, are you ?? :->

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), November 19, 1999.

I've been trying to add snacks and what appears to be edible odd things for some time. The possibility of diet fatigue scares the willies out of me. When I did the bulk of my stash, I did try to have variety, but that is limited in buying canned goods I discovered. I found it's a sameness but rotated to be "variety." For instance, cans of stew and cans of Chunky Steak N Potato Soup aren't very different in flavor. There's the beef, the gravy flavor liquid, the taters, you know? Then there's the Ravioli, the Hunts canned speghetti sauce, the little cans of Franco American speghetti, and so once again it's the "sameness" again. That is a whole lot of tomato flavor coming at oneself.

I bought a couple of jars of pickled vegetable salad. It's at least a break from the canned vegetable flavor. Then comes the Cheese Nips, the Ritz bits, the tinned Danish cookies, too much candy, and so forth. Oh and the different kinds of Easy Cheese type stuff.

No, I'm not looking forward to eating my stash. I'm dreading it. The sameness-always the sameness. Little cans of chicken or the big whole cooked chicken. Little canned lentil soups and a 20 pound box of lentils. The Rosarita Refried or the bags of pinto beans.

I seem to have this thing about canned plums as "variety." I have never eaten canned plums yet I keep buying canned plums. I've read so many novels set back in the old fashioned days of only the wealthiest in the town of PLUMS! That I keep buying these dang things. It's like some sort of pseudo intellectual need that I have some canned plums.

I'm caught the a maze of my own stash. I turn once more and there is never really any valid variety.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 19, 1999.

I mean the wealthy having plums. Sorry about those errors I'm too lazy to rise up and go fetch my eye glasses.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 19, 1999.

Paula, I have always loved canned plums! However, I've tried to err on the side of light syrups and natural juices. Pineapple is good for that. I do have treats and yes, I'm looking forward to eating them, but for the most part, we have been strict. There's variety and we have dressings and sauces, but the diet will be high protein, moderate fat and moderate carbs. In the meantime, I am eating too much chocolate.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), November 19, 1999.

The number one thing I found between "preps" and "regular food" was the "Bread Factor", at least in the USA. We eat so much bread in America, just think about it. Another item is the "Crunch Factor".

If we want to try to preserve as much of our normal current diet as possible we need to carefully note EVERYTHING we eat for a 7 to 14 day period, write it all down, even the smallest of snacks, go back and look at the foods and you will find we eat tremendous amounts of bread products and crunchy foods like deep fried stuff or things not wet out of a can.

Things like hush puppies, quick breads, crackers, etc.. will be important to keep ourselves satisfied that we are truly eating and not just existing on our 'stores'.

If you know how to make a deep-dish pizza in a Coleman stove you might be more valuable than you can imagine if things get nasty during the rollover.

This nonsense of buying bags of wheat and a grinder make me laugh, how many people eat PURE, WHOLE WHEAT in everything. Get those bags of white flour, some dried yeast and play with it now. Maybe we wont need it, but at least you have it and know how to make the bread you will really eat.

I know how to make Tacos and Tortilla chips, just learned last month. This is going to go great with the TWO CASES of Tostitos Roasted Garlic Salsa I have in my "preps". Just toooo tasty with the dozen wheels of Laughing Cow Cheeze bits. Shelf life good until 8/1/2000.

BRING ON THE ROLLOVER, I'M HUNGRY !!!!!

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), November 19, 1999.

"No, I'm not looking forward to eating my stash. I'm dreading it. The sameness-always the sameness. Little cans of chicken or the big whole cooked chicken. Little canned lentil soups and a 20 pound box of lentils. The Rosarita Refried or the bags of pinto beans."

Paula, I guess I'm lucky I don't have much imagination when it comes to food (I save it for when it counts). Aside from the vile stuff that LDS consider "potatoe granules" that's about all in my storage I don't actually like (and have other brands of dehydrated spuds). I usually only torture my 10 year old boy with my cooking on weekends when he visits so I'm generally just cooking for myself. Canned Chilli, over rice, in an omlet or by itself several times a week is fine by me. Better be; have 200+ cans. Ditto spagetti. Oatmeal almost every morning (with amendments) is great. Love tunafish, got lots...

So, for the most part I'm eating/rotating my food storage. I have been adding comfort touches (Halloween candy, Maria cookies, 6 boxes of Balance bars, pudding cups, real maple syrup, Kahlua) mostly for Alex but for me too. The jellies sound interesting, will have to check that out. Have lots of jelly (did I mention Peanut butter? 47 jars) but it still might be fun.

-- Don Kulha (dkulha@vom.com), November 19, 1999.

Yep, I have been super aware of variety, esp since we hit the point that we now have months and months worth of food stored. Hubby bought a huge jar of yummy marinated mushrooms for when he just can;t face the canned stuff. I have even bought different kinds of canned veggies, such as beets, spinach, three bean salad, lima beans, etc. Sauerkraut...things I would only eat if I were really really really hungry.

If things are really bad, I will come to hate Spam. I can tell.

I am getting a bit worried about the amount of food we have. I am convinced I will not ever feel like I am "done". Time will force me to be done. Only a few more paychecks left, and we still need a tent, replacement water filter, antibiotics from Mexico, little more ammo, etc....bigger tennies for our daughter? More twin sheets for her bed as she still occasionally wets the bed and what if I can't do laundry (or can't do it easily?)

(big HUGE sigh) So much to do yet, so little time and money left.

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), November 19, 1999.

I've been buying products that do not need milk or eggs to cook such as Betty Crocker pouch pancake mixes (29 cents each) and Marie Callendar corn bread mix. There's other things besides cornbread and pancakes that you can make with these products. At the Dollar Tree I bought cans of toffee peanuts. Prunes and raisins have a very long shelf life and are good for you. Most of my preparations will be soup because of the nutrition value and it's a source of liquid. There's a zillion different recipes for soup and one has to be creative. As for bread, I will make flat breads. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on them for a treat or serve with beans and rice for burritos. Since fresh veggies will be hard to come by if you do not have garden space, sprouting is your only option. Stove Top Stuffing and Rice-a-Roni calls for butter, but use canned chicken broth, and add a small can of cooked chicken, it's tasty and extends the meal. Variety will be difficult because we won't have the fresh stuff available, I wonder how many of us will be craving ice cream?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 19, 1999.

Ooh someone else thought of the Coleman oven and pizza? Yeah, I've got that going too. I've the Jiffy pizza crust mix (I think it is Jiffy) and I've the boxed pizza kit(With all ingredients type.)

I've also got the canned sauerkraut.

I've a number of sauces.

I've stuff to make different bread items.

One desperate move was to buy two itty bitty Beanie Weanie cans at .79 each (Gads talk about hyperinflation!), simply because it has real weenies versus all the other cans of baked beans.

Hmmmm, I can see what the forum will look like this Feb. One person will post, "So how'd you like your Kraft Mac N Cheese this evening?" And there will be too many responses to follow.

Are we all sitting with the can of sauerkraut for variety?

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 19, 1999.

What a delight!

I love it when you folks remind me how to laugh!

I've been studying the Y2K problem for 11 months now, trying to prepare the best I know how, balancing multiple needs against a $300 per month budget-- all the while worried that I don't have enough money to feed by 2.5 year old boy and why I can't think of cool monikers like you guys...

Now you're having a deep discussion about...FOOD!

Here's my 2 cents worth:

Having had the honour of serving 2 tours in the Canadian Army and 1 tour in the Canadian Navy, I feel truly qualified to speak as an expert on bad food. "I've ducked shrapnel and sung Christmas carols while sipping my beer from a combat boot somewhere in Europe..."

Ladies and gentlemen, if it's edible, It's as good as gone!

You are all on my mind and in my prayers.

-- Kurt Borzel (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), November 19, 1999.

Here are some must haves in my y2k pantry: Jello instant pudding mix, Jello Cheesecake Pie mix, Just add water Brownie Mix, candy sprinkles, flavored powder sugar, Jello geletin (really perks up the canned fruit when sprinkled on it) Ice Cream Mix and Dream Whip in the box (to flavor the powdered milk) marshmallow cream and cake mixes. I have made some very interesting desserts using these items with only water or powdered milk. My grandkids gobbled the brownie mix up before I could bake them. Put a few candy sprinkles on some canned fruit and it becomes a special treat to the youngsters. Mix the cheescake mix like a milk shake and yummm. Use your imigination and forget the recipe rules.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), November 19, 1999.

Egads, sheesh, what kind of post did I stumble onto? Women talking about there food stashes? Quick turn the page.

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@bwn.net), November 19, 1999.

Got the gelatin, got the spinkles, got the brownie mix, got the powdered sugar...I don't have the box mix cheescake though and had been pondering that choice. I've got the pudding but in the premade "snacker" style. I'll skip the ice cream mix. Got frosting and a whip cream mix.

Don't have army boots for my beer though.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 19, 1999.

Wow you guys are creative. I have gotten a few things with variety in mind: Lots of syrup (covers a multitude of bleh!). I also picked up a Nordic crepe maker (over the flame type) from the thrift store to make then with and use a variety of stuffings for main meals or treats, you can make it a burrito type or stuff with goodies, quick and easy. Could use some recipes for flat breads though. Lots of good ideas, thanks.

-- Sammie (sammiex0@hotmail.com), November 20, 1999.

I really don't cook much,a sandwhich,salad of a bowl of soup is fine for just me.If there are others I will cook.

Now to talk about snacks,I have put away Pringel potato chips,Fretos in a can,cheese dip,cookies in a holiday tins,candy,pudding cups,dried fruits,nuts,lots of packages of hot cocoa,Pepsi,rootbeer,coffee,coffee,coffee and bottled juice.I also have crackers,cheese spreads and dried hard salomi rolls that will stay good without refrigeration.These are for me and in case my grandkids come over.Beleive it or not, I don't snack that much,but I do need my coffee.

-- Maggie (aaa@aaa.com), November 20, 1999.

My prep pantry looks like my cupboards only bigger and downstairs. of course there is some contraband ( anything with real sugared chocolate or actually anything sugar sweetened) but that goes with the territory. If we gert out past 3 months then the wheat and stuff will get ground and THEN we'll NEED the chocolate syrup and the maple syrup and the honey and the sweetend grape juice and.....

Chuck

who really IS hypoglycemic, even if his preps ain't

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 20, 1999.

Ok guys here's what I have to overcome the OMG its the same old stuff... lots of different flavoring mixes, like pesto, black olive, basil, that kind of stuff. Hit the "gourmet" sections and you'll find all kinds of interesting mixes to add to pasta and rice. Import stores like Cost Plus have lots of interesting goodies.

-- Stacia (ClassyCwgl@aol.com), November 20, 1999.