Garden Delight

A friend shared this delightfully simple casserole recipe to help me use the armloads of zucchini we are getting from the garden.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Casserole

Layer the following in a greased 9 x 13 pan in given order:

Zucchini (and yellow squash, if desired), cubed to fill bottom of pan

1 lb. raw hamburger, crumbled over zucchini

Grated cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup combined with

1 sm. can tomato sauce and spread over top

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

We like to spoon this over rice.

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Food Storage Life Spans

How long will it last on my shelf?  This is probably the most popular question in food storage, and the answer is essential to ensure a nutritious, tasty product when it’s time to use it.  Temperature and oxygen have the greatest effect on food storage shelf-life.  If your foods are stored in airtight containers (e.g., #10 cans, food storage buckets with oxygen packets, etc.) in a cool area of your home (70 degrees is the standard), their shelf-life will be extended considerably.  So, yes, you should probably throw out that wheat that’s been in the garage for years.  :)  This storage life information, summarized from the Walton Feed website, has been extremely helpful to me so I wanted to pass it on.  All of the storage times are based on the items being stored in #10 cans that are nitrogen-treated or with oxygen packs in other containers, in a temperature controlled area. 

Hard Grains (red or white wheat, corn, buckwheat, etc.):  15-20 years in the environment mentioned above, considerably longer if you are able to keep them cooler.

Dry Beans:  8-10 years

Dehydrated Vegetables: 8-10 years

Dehydrated Dairy Products: 5-10 years (rotate Morning Moo milk by 5 years, as it is whey-based)

Flours:  5 years if stored without oxygen in a cool location, but don’t try to store longer than 1 year if it is unprotected.   This includes baking mixes.  However, if these items are stored in your freezer they will last much longer.

Pasta: 10-15 years if oxygen is removed and it is kept cool and dry.

Honey:  Honey, Salt and Sugar should keep indefinitely if stored free of moisture.

Brown & White Rice: Brown rice will keep about 6 months in average conditions.  If it is sealed in food storage containers without oxygen it will last 1-2 years and up to 4 years if kept really cold (like vacuum-sealed and stored in your refrigerator or freezer).  White rice is much less nutritious but will store 8-10 years if properly packaged and stored.

Yeast:  Store in its original foil packaging in your freezer for the longest storage life–5+ years.

I hope this information helps your family to rotate your dry food storage in a timely way.  For more details, you can click here and scroll down.

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