How I started my food storage: Part V--Sugar

Well, friends, this will be the last post in the how I started my food storage series.  I saved the best for last: sugar!

The food storage calculator I used as a reference point when I began my food storage journey 5 years ago suggests 40 pounds of sugar per person for a year supply.  I just use a 6 gallon bucket with a gamma lid.  At one point I had a back up bucket too, but that's now gone.  I should note, however, that if you like to can, especially, jam.  Store more sugar!

The suggested amount of honey at 3 pounds per person won't work for bread makers.  If you are going to be making a whole wheat bread recipe with honey (like mine) then you will need 33 pounds to make 4 loaves a week.  Thanks to my in-laws we have always had a full supply of honey.

I do have a few #10 cans of brown sugar in my storage, but I no longer buy the stuff since I can make it.  But this also means I need a larger supply of molasses.  One pound per person won't cut it.

I haven't ever put together a supply of sugared drinks or gelatin because I just don't use them.  But I have seen recipes on how to make fruit snacks from gelatin.  That could change my mind.

On to corn syrup.  Now I know that high fructose corn syrup has a bad rap, but I will make a plea for storing some corn syrup.  First of all, it's not the high fructose kind.  But more importantly there are a few handy uses.  The first is this pin:

Source: cometogetherkids.blogspot.com via Katherine on Pinterest

If your kids like to make bubbles as much as mine.  You will love this recipe for bubbles.

1/2 c. Dawn dish soap
1/2 c. corn syrup
2 1/2 c. water

Store some corn syrup.  Make your kids happy.

The second use for corn syrup is that adding a tablespoon to sugar based syrups (think home made maple syrup or even my vanilla recipe) will prevent it from crystalizing.  I  know.  Mind boggling.

So the last sugar item we store is jam.  Three pounds per person is not really enough for us.  I do, however, think measuring jam in pounds is less helpful than say, pints or quarts.  But that is beside the point.

This last year I canned 10 pints, 2 quarts and one 12 ounce jar of peach jam (and a few other jams).  We are down to our last 5 pints.  That's a lot of jam!  It's mostly my husband who loves it.  It's his mom's recipe.  He grew up eating it.  She once told me she canned 50 quarts a year!  Can you imagine?  In any event, we eat a lot of jam.  But then we make a lot of homemade bread.  The two seem to go together.

I hope all of this rambling about my food storage has been helpful.  Let me know if you have any specific questions.  Thanks for reading!!