Somethoughts about stewardship, pantries, and cooking
May 14, 2022 12:32:21 GMT -6
mountainma likes this
Post by eyeofthestorm on May 14, 2022 12:32:21 GMT -6
Ladies,
This has been on my mind for a couple of months. I almost posted about it, but thought I might have been overreacting. But today's news changed my mind.
There is going to be a grain shortage. I believe that firmly. I am not saying there will be a famine. But I believe there will be a shortage.
First: Ukraine is the "bread basket" of Europe (that's a nickname, but not one I made up). Depending on the source you reference, they range from the world's fifth largest producer of wheat to the eighth largest. Because of the current conflict, the Ukrainian farmers missed their planting this spring.
Second: India (among other countries) is experiencing an incredible heat wave. But India is the second largest wheat producing country. And their government announced today (yesterday? it was on the morning news) that they will export NO wheat this year. There is speculation they are worried about having enough wheat for their own population.
The third largest wheat producing nation? Russia.
There are MANY nations that produce wheat, and, in fact, the European Union as a whole appears to be the largest "group" producing wheat, but they are a group of nations.
My point is that, well, people in the U.S. are a little spoiled sometimes. We are so fortunate. We are used to getting what we want. We are not just used to having bread, but having wheat bread (whole or white), and even a specific BRAND of bread.
On PH, we have often discussed the value of having a pantry, and we know the value of storing flour and doing our own baking.
I would suggest that, before the scarcity shows up in the market (raising prices and possibly having less availability), that you consider diversifying your pantry.
I do have flour set back. But not anywhere what I used to store.
I also have (for baking) in a variety of quantities:
I actually chose to grind the rice and buckwheat flour myself. (It's a long story, but I have stocked rice for years, and now DH isn't eating it. So, I decided to grind some, and, with a little bit of xantham gum, it made biscuits that were just fine.)
The "flours" above are NOT like wheat flour. Nope, not at all. But they can be used to make things other than yeast bread. Instead of trying to substitute them, I'm trying to use them to make new things, or things we don't often have. The rice flour makes for good popovers. The buckwheat flour makes good pancakes. I used it to make a quick bread. It tasted fine, but looked REALLY weird. That's something to consider. So, I won't make that unless we NEED it. I've made some very good cakes with the almond flour. Reduce the sguar, and it's a quick bread. Almond, walnut, and pecan flours make great cookies. Crackers are very similar to cookies (again, less sugar).
Also, buckwheat can be cooked and served like rice. It's a good option.
I didn't include oats above, but I should have.
Anyway, after hearing this morning's news, I decided to say my piece. I'm not worried at all about going hungry, but I do think that stressful days are ahead. This is one thing I can do to smooth the way in the future. God created a bounteous world for us, but we tend to stick with a few favorite foods. If grains are a part of your family's diet, I encourage you to broad your menus a little bit now in case we need to later.
Edited to add some sources:
World Population Review
Statista
World Atlas
This has been on my mind for a couple of months. I almost posted about it, but thought I might have been overreacting. But today's news changed my mind.
There is going to be a grain shortage. I believe that firmly. I am not saying there will be a famine. But I believe there will be a shortage.
First: Ukraine is the "bread basket" of Europe (that's a nickname, but not one I made up). Depending on the source you reference, they range from the world's fifth largest producer of wheat to the eighth largest. Because of the current conflict, the Ukrainian farmers missed their planting this spring.
Second: India (among other countries) is experiencing an incredible heat wave. But India is the second largest wheat producing country. And their government announced today (yesterday? it was on the morning news) that they will export NO wheat this year. There is speculation they are worried about having enough wheat for their own population.
The third largest wheat producing nation? Russia.
There are MANY nations that produce wheat, and, in fact, the European Union as a whole appears to be the largest "group" producing wheat, but they are a group of nations.
My point is that, well, people in the U.S. are a little spoiled sometimes. We are so fortunate. We are used to getting what we want. We are not just used to having bread, but having wheat bread (whole or white), and even a specific BRAND of bread.
On PH, we have often discussed the value of having a pantry, and we know the value of storing flour and doing our own baking.
I would suggest that, before the scarcity shows up in the market (raising prices and possibly having less availability), that you consider diversifying your pantry.
I do have flour set back. But not anywhere what I used to store.
I also have (for baking) in a variety of quantities:
- almond flour
- pecan flour
- walnut flour
- coconut flour
- rice flour
- cassava flour
- buckwheat flour
I actually chose to grind the rice and buckwheat flour myself. (It's a long story, but I have stocked rice for years, and now DH isn't eating it. So, I decided to grind some, and, with a little bit of xantham gum, it made biscuits that were just fine.)
The "flours" above are NOT like wheat flour. Nope, not at all. But they can be used to make things other than yeast bread. Instead of trying to substitute them, I'm trying to use them to make new things, or things we don't often have. The rice flour makes for good popovers. The buckwheat flour makes good pancakes. I used it to make a quick bread. It tasted fine, but looked REALLY weird. That's something to consider. So, I won't make that unless we NEED it. I've made some very good cakes with the almond flour. Reduce the sguar, and it's a quick bread. Almond, walnut, and pecan flours make great cookies. Crackers are very similar to cookies (again, less sugar).
Also, buckwheat can be cooked and served like rice. It's a good option.
I didn't include oats above, but I should have.
Anyway, after hearing this morning's news, I decided to say my piece. I'm not worried at all about going hungry, but I do think that stressful days are ahead. This is one thing I can do to smooth the way in the future. God created a bounteous world for us, but we tend to stick with a few favorite foods. If grains are a part of your family's diet, I encourage you to broad your menus a little bit now in case we need to later.
Edited to add some sources:
World Population Review
Statista
World Atlas