Now is the time to invest your wheat storage and other long term dry food storage such as dry beans and rice. These dry foods are the basics for emergency food storage.
The prices were sky high about a year ago, but the cost of dry foods are relatively low at this time.
A five gallon bucket of wheat (45 lbs.) is running $12.00 to $14.00 a bucket in comparison to $22.00 to $25.00 last year. A 50 lb. bag of wheat costs around $12.98 rather than last year’s price tag of $25.00 to $30.00.
Pinto beans have dropped in price also. A year ago I paid $25.00 for a 20 lb. bag and recently I paid $13.00 for a 25 lb. bag on sale.
Rice is was up last year to $18.00 for a 20 lb. bag. Today, I paid $7.98 for a 20 lb. bag that is on sale.
Why stock up on dried long term foodstuffs?
Long Term Food Storage Shelf Life
Wheat: The shelf life for properly storing wheat is…. well forever. They found wheat in Egyptian pyramids that was around 2000 years old and it was still good. It’s best stored in a temperature of under 72 degrees in a dry place. It should be protected from freezing.
Pinto Beans: Along with pintos, storing red beans and navy beans have a shelf life of 20 to 30 years. As with storing wheat… it should be placed in a tight container and stored in temperatures not above 72 degrees and not below freezing.
Rice: White rice, if stored properly and under 72 degrees will keep from 8 to 10 years.
Nutrition:
Wheat and beans can be sprouted. It gives these foods additional nutritional value on top of what you get when they are prepared in traditional ways.
Bartering:
If times really get tough… and I’m certainly not predicting anything here…. you can use these dry foods to trade and barter for other items that you may need.
So… stock up your basic food storage and be prepared… long term. It’s my understanding that prices will increase this year because of a number of factors… weather, and shortages.
Til Later,
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. I just opened a can of wheat kernels that I’ve had for over 35 years. Just perfect.
P.P.S. We’ll be talking in detail about how to prepare these dry foods for long term food storage. Just wanted to give you a heads up on prices.