Sunday, June 19, 2011

Week 25 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

A creative thinking challenge this week.  It's all about seasoning.  Perhaps not quite as much as in this picture (to the left) from Scott Robert's website.


$10 plan
Store pepper, mixed herbs and 1 soy sauce


$20 plan
Store pepper, mixed herbs, 1 soy sauce and mustard


We're all so different, and we have different tastes when it comes down to our food and seasoning.  When I was growing up, we didn't have much salt on our food at all.  It certainly wasn't added to afterwards.  We did use a lot of herbs though when we could, and my parents had a wonderful herb garden.  I have learned to make good use of herbs in my cooking whether it is a simple herb butter or herbs added to a bolognaise sauce and yes, I also grow as many herbs as I can in pots (except SOMEBUNNY likes to eat them!).


We do need some different seasonings when you're dealing with food storage.  You don't want to be having the same bland food again and again. If you have a lot of rice, you can vary the flavour by cooking it in chicken stock one night, adding some soy sauce to it the next, making a simple fried rice with different dried herbs and whatever tinned goodies you have.  I'm talking week after week, month after month perhaps of eating the same thing.  That is why we vary your food storage.


This week's challenge is great because you get to choose the quantities of the items you store, as well as exactly what you store.


Here are some ideas on what you might like to store:-
  • Black or white peppercorns or cracked pepper
  • Soy Sauce (Mushroom flavoured, light or dark)
  • Various dried herbs (oregano, sage, parsley, chives, coriander, chili etc)
  • Mixed herbs and spices
  • Dried onion flakes
  • Meat rubs (Chicken Seasoning, Steak Seasoning, Greek seasoning, Tuscan, Roast Lamb etc)
  • Mustard powder, mustard sauces (American, Dijonnaise, English etc.)
  • Curry Powder
  • Fish Sauce
  • Liquid Smoke (to give meat a smoky flavour - great for ribs or any slow cooked meat)
  • Mint Sauce
  • Liquid Marinades
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Horseradish Sauce
Remember to store what you and your family would eat.