Staples and Spices - Priority Buying Guide for Newly Weds and "Just Moved" Families

1. Oil

(our favorites is olive oil) Have you tried cooking without any oil? No bueno. If an apocalyptic food shortage occurs, I bet you could trade on ounce of oil for a whole cow. Most forget to include oil into their food storage--but not you!

2. Spices (see spice page) It makes your meal palatable.

4. Flour Not only do you get your bread from this, but you can also thicken soups and sauces, bake, and batter meat and vegetables. FYI: the typical red wheat you buy by the canister from the bishop's store house is NOT suitable for baking: it's a hearty species best used in meatloaf, casseroles, etc. -- White wheat is the typical source for baking flour.

3. Sugar

(white granulated, brown, honey, powdered) A little sweet does wonders to cure food fatigue. It is also a friendly source to preserve food by turning it into a quick and simple syrup (1 sugar: 2 water) before bottling. We do not advocate bottling without a preservation additive, such as pectin, sugar, brine, etc.

With these four basics, you can do wonders with canned food goods, frozen vegetables and fruit, turn those legumes into something worth eating, and they will last you months without diet fatigue.

The "No-Substitute" List -- Shelf Stable

Below is listed the items with most frequent/diverse use.  They are listed in shelf-stable form, and are preceded by their tier level (1 for first tier, as in what you'd purchase first).

Vegetables

1Onion (flaked, dry)

1Tomatoes (bottled or canned)

2 Jalapeno

2 Green beans

2 Chili (Anaheim)  peppers
3 Beets
3 Carrots
3 Broccoli
3 Cabbage

Legumes

1Garbanzo, or chick peas

1 Peanut butter

1Kidney

1 Black

2 White Navy/butter beans
2 Peas
3 Black-eyed
3 Pinto
3 Peanuts

Fruit

1Applesauce/Apple slices

1 Pineapple

2 orange juice
2 cherries

2 peaches

2 pears
2 raisins
3 dates
3 apricots
3 prunes

Grains

1White flour

1Pasta

1Rice
2 Cereals

2 Cornmeal

2  Rolled Oats

3 Canned corn
3 Barley
3 Quinoa
3 Whole Wheat
3  Canned Corn/Dry Kernels
Processed Grains
Granola Bars
Cereals
Crackers
Instant Rice
Cream of Wheat
Oatmeal
Sandwich Bread
Tortilla
Muffins (mix)
Waffles/pancake (mix)
Biscuit (mix)

Oil

1Canola/ Olive oil

2Butter/Margarine

2Lard/shortening

Sugar

1White granulated

1Brown

1Powdered/confectioner's

2Honey

3 maple syrup

3 Karol syrup/corn syrup

Misc.

1 Vinegar

1 Salt

1 Bouillon

1 Baking powder

1 Baking soda

1 Yeast

2 Cornstarch

2 Lemon juice

2 Ranch

2 Ketchup

2 Mustard

2 Cocoa powder

2 Cream of mushroom/chicken/celery

3 Powdered Egg

3 Powdered Milk

3 Powdered potatoes/mashed potatoes mix

4 onion soup mix

5 ranch dip mix (in event of no cream)

5 dry Alfredo mix (in event of no cheese/creme)

Spices 

1 Garlic

1 Basil

1 Oregano

1 Cinnamon

1 Rosemary

2 Nutmeg

2 Ginger

2 Thyme

2 Cloves

2 Curry

2 Sage

3 Bay Leaf

3 Cumin

3 Dill

3Parsley

4 Taco/fajita mix

4 lemon pepper seasoning

4 herb d' province

4 Montreal steak