Welcome to the blog, Colorado Preppers. Prepping doesn't mean we think the apocolypse is coming or the earth will blow up. It simply means that we are preparing for any eventuality that may strike here in Colorado (USA) ... from swine/bird flu to blizzards to global financial collapse to loss of income and more. // Come learn with us about things like water purifying and collecting, inventory checks and more. However, we are NOT political and not affiliated with any specific religion or group. // FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO WWW.SURVIVAL-COOKING.BLOGSPOT.COM OR TO FIND OUT ABOUT MY BOOKS ON THESE AND OTHER TOPICS, GO TO WWW.VIKKI-LAWRENCE-WILLIAMS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Inventory Check: Rice

I read an article recently that rice is getting ready to zoom up in price, probably by the beginning of Year 2010. We have several 25-pound bags of rice from one of those warehouse clubs, but I never got around to pouring them into buckets and sealing them. I wonder if they are ok, or if they are riddled with bugs or have mouse-chew-holes?

Next week I'll be checking our rice stock. With 2 out of 3 people in this family being on a gluten-free diet, we heavily depend on rice, and will need it in stock while we experiment with growing it ourselves.

Have you checked your stock of rice lately? It's cheap, filling, and somewhat nutritious. Plus, it's versatile.

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Update March 11 2014

Our rice storage was ok, for the most part. We had neglected to put several bay leaves in with each package of rice. We did have a few small bugs. Don't make the same mistake we did. When you bring the rice home from the big stores like Sam's or Costco, be sure to put it in the freezer for a few days. That will kill all the bugs. Then empty it into a watertight airtight bucket. Include a handful of dried bay leaves to keep any additional bugs out. And a few desiccant packages. Seal it up tight. Label. And place in a secure location.

DID YOU KNOW that you can use rice is a feed for your chickens?  This what we feed our chickens and turkeys:
...rice, uncooked
...oats, whole, uncooked
...lentils, uncooked
...sunflower seeds
...parsley, spinach
...whole flax seeds
...pearl barley

They also get leftovers.

Did you also know that you can feed your dogs rice? They need it cooked.  Dog food:
...rice or oats or millet or quinoa, etc
...chicken or eggs or turkey
...vegetables

I am concerned that in the recent news, it appears that rice has an "acceptable" amount of arsenic in it. Really bothers me. However, it is a staple here. Just try, like we are, to buy the best rice you can afford.

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Please visit www.survival-cooking.blogspot.com for more information. Thank you.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

2 out of 3 are gluten free?
If one is gluten free then the whole family is gluten free. Do U know what kind of torment it is when others are eating YUMMY pasta but I have to eat rice? They get cake i get an orange. how are u going to eat the gluten in and emergency? Don't store anything that the whole family cant eat.

ThrtnWmsFam said...

Anon: My kid has always eaten different meals than me, which I'm ok with. And Hubby's lactose intolerant so he gets special cheese and "butter". Kid can't have soy, tree nuts, corn or peanuts. So... I'm just very careful in what dishes and utensils I use for whom.

About the pasta, while rice pasta isn't quite as tasty as regular pasta, it can be satisfying. Kid loves rice mac and cheese, which I'm actually making for him this evening, while Hubby eats spaghetti squash with marinara sauce, and I eat rice pasta with marinara sauce and mozz cheese.

We all eat the rice. That's not a problem.

What would be a problem is I took your advice "don't store anything that the whole family can't eat" - if I did that, we'd have nothing but canned fruit, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and rice. That's not really gonna work!

Thanks for writing... Vikki