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Rice and Beans, A Survival Combination - The Best Way To Store

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Rice is rich in starch, and an excellent source of energy. Beans are rich in protein, and contain other minerals. The consumption of the two together provides all the essential amino acids and it is no wonder that this combination is a staple of many diets throughout the world.

Here’s why they are a good combination for long-term survival food storage, and their calories per pound, survival days, etc…

WHITE RICE

5 gallon bucket of White Rice (30 lbs of rice)
50,000 calories
25 survival days

1655 calories per pound (uncooked)
590 calories per pound (cooked)

675 calories per cup (uncooked)
205 calories per cup (cooked)

Note: For long term food storage, do not use brown rice (use only white rice) because it will go rancid within a year from it’s oils.

BEANS

5 gallon bucket of Beans (30 lbs of beans)
47,000 calories
24 survival days

1574 calories per pound (uncooked)
650 calories per pound (cooked)

670 calories per cup (uncooked)
245 calories per cup (cooked)

Note: There is a slight variation of calories per pound for different bean varieties. Numbers listed above are an average. They are mostly similar…

Note: After many years, beans loose their ability to soften up while re-hydrating in water, and the cooking process may result al dente. The beans will remain edible and will not have lost their food value – just saying. Maybe you rotate your beans every so many years…

 
Having one 5 gallon bucket each of rice and beans will provide nearly 50 days of ‘survival’ calories.

While you will not want to eat rice and beans every day and every meal, the combination is an inexpensive food storage ‘staple’ as part of your overall food storage diversity.

Some food storage outlets will sell you rice and/or beans already packed and sealed for long term food storage in buckets. However you can also do it yourself by purchasing in bulk and then use Mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and your own 5 gallon buckets. You might also choose to use an ordinary kitchen vacuum sealer and store smaller quantities (which could still be held in 5 gallon buckets for safe keeping).

 

Rice, White, Long Grain – Nutrition Per Cup, Cooked

Fat (0.44 grams)
Carbohydrates (44 grams)
Fiber (0.6 grams)
Protein (4.25 grams)

Very low in saturated fat
No cholesterol
Very low in sodium
Very low in sugar

 

Beans, Pinto – Nutrition Per Cup, Cooked

Fat (1.1 grams)
Carbohydrates (44.8 grams)
Fiber (15.4 grams)
Protein (15.4 grams)

Very low in saturated fat
No cholesterol
Very low in sodium
Very low in sugar
Very high in dietary fiber
Very high in protein

 
By themselves, rice and beans are bland. No doubt there are countless spices and other ingredients you can add to increase nutrition and make them more palatable.

The Best Way To Store Beans

I believe this is one of the best ways to store beans for long term storage.

To store beans beyond one year, here’s what I do:

This method costs some, and it increases the cost per pound to store the beans, but in my opinion – it’s irrelevant for the purpose of long term food storage and preparedness.

Since we like a variety of beans (rather than buying a 50 pound sack of one type of bean for example) we buy them at the grocery store in their 1-pound packages.

Like I said, we enjoy a wide variety of beans (legumes) and this enables us to pick and choose what we store ahead in a diversified way.

As you can see in the picture, to store them, we first vacuum seal each individual one-pound bag of beans with our FoodSaver and vacuum seal bags.

Besides the initial outlay for the cost of a FoodSaver (which we’ve had for quite some time and use it on all sorts of things – paying for itself already), the cost is that of a vacuum seal bag.

Each bag costs about 50-cents, which does increase the per-pound cost of the beans fairly dramatically (percentage wise). However this cost is miniscule when considering what you’re doing (storing ahead for emergency). Plus, the cost of food is only going to continue to rise, so the more you acquire at today’s prices, the better off you’ll be in the long run.

I also believe that to store beans this way (vacuum sealed with a FoodSaver type sealer), may be better for shelf life longevity than that of storing a bulk quantity of beans in a Mylar bag (with an oxygen absorber) in a 5-gallon bucket.

Reason being – it appears to me that a kitchen vacuum sealer removes more air than an oxygen absorber packet. The 1-pound bags of beans are really tight – hard as a brick with no air left inside. On the other hand, Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers (in 5-gallon buckets) don’t seem to draw out as much air comparatively. Sure, more O2 absorbers would help, but that’s just my general instinct…

As you can also see in the picture above, in a single heavy duty Sterlite 70-Qt plastic bin I can easily hold 50 pounds of individually sealed bags of beans. That’s a-lot of beans. They will store well for many years. I estimate 5 years without issue. Even then, probably no problem with just some extra soak time for the aged beans…

Just think about it – with just two bins of beans, you’re looking at 100 pounds. That will go a long way (with rice and/or other ingredients) in your emergency meal plans!

Did you know that rice and beans are a great survival combination?

Again, I think this is one of the best ways to store beans for the long term because it enables you to buy and store a variety – which would be particularly important to avoid food fatigue in a SHTF situation.

On the other hand, if your intention is to store large quantities of beans for lots of people, then the traditional method of filling 5 gallon buckets with bulk ordered beans (and sealing them with oxygen absorbers) is going to be more cost effective (per pound) and quicker to accomplish.

Emergency Food Storage 101

Proper Food Rotation & Storage Procedures

Quietly Top Off Your Food And Preps For An Ebola Pandemic Panic

Food in the basement is better than money in the bank

5 Methods of Home Food Preservation & 12 Lifesaving Canning Rules

15 Items to Start Your Food Prep Off Right – Number 6 is Vital

Survival Gear List: The Top 50 Things You Need to Stock

Food Storage 101: What To Store

 

www.diyreport.com



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