This week's Food Storage Essentials item is oats. Oats are a versatile, easy comfort food. Read this article to see why you should have oats in your food storage.
Food Storage Essentials – Oats

This week’s food storage item is oats. Take your $10, go to Walmart, and get yourself 4 containers of Old Fashioned Oats. They store so much longer than the instant. Right now Walmart has a 42 ounce canister of Old Fashioned Oats for $2.39 each. So for just over the $10, you can get 10 1/2 pounds of oats! Oats are very versatile and make an easy comfort food. You can easily make granola out of it for a nutritious, filling snack. Or mix it in with ground beef to make it stretch for a meatloaf. Oats are also great for baking.

Nutritional value

Old Fashioned Oats are whole grain, and high in fiber. They are also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Lately they have come into the health food spotlight for being heart-healthy. They can actually help lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Oats are also a great source of carbs for energy, and a good amount of protein.

Long term storage

Old Fashioned Oats can be stored for 15 years or more with the right preparation. Once again, mylar bags and oxygen absorbers are wonderful. Another great way to store oats is by vacuum sealing. I suggest vacuum sealing smaller portions so you can use them up quickly when you open the package. Then you put a bunch of the vacuum sealed bags into a food-safe storage bucket. Label the outside of the bucket so that you know what’s in it without opening it.

Preparation

Oats are super easy to cook. Add boiling water and let it sit. If you have milk or even dehydrated fruit, you can make a more deluxe oatmeal. You don’t even have to have power available to do overnight oats. Simply put the liquid of your choice, the oats, and the flavoring in a jar and let it sit in the cold overnight.

You can grind oats into flour. Or use them in your baked goods. Toast oats with molasses to make a great crunchy granola. Easy and versatile!

 

Old Fashioned Oats are a fantastic addition to your food storage plan. Pick some up whenever you have a little extra money!

Are you following with our January 2019 Self Reliance Challenge? You, too, can increase your self reliance this year!

Shawna

2 Comments

  1. What kind of food safe storage bucket is good? Where can we get them? Is it possible to post a pic? Thanks.

    1. Great question, Gail! You can buy food safe buckets at almost any store. Check Walmart, Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc. They will just look like a 5 gallon bucket, but the label will say “Food Grade”. If it doesn’t say “Food Grade” it will leach the chemicals into your food. Another option is to check with bakeries for frosting buckets. I haven’t done it yet but I heard Walmart sells their frosting buckets from the bakery for $1, including the lid. These are square and great for stacking!

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