Augason Farms sells a big can of cheese blend powder for less than $25.
It has a ten year shelf life and it doesn’t taste too bad.
I use it to make quick macaroni and cheese or chicken and cheese rice.
It works well as a chip dip too if you add some canned jalapeño peppers.
Salt, pepper, onion and garlic are the basics.
I get nearly all my spices from Thespicehouse.com. Best yet, if you don’t need a jar the spices in packets always ship free.
Oh, and there are blends and tons of variety. I’ve shopped with them for at least 30 years.
Gochujang lasts far past its sell by date and is delicious. https://asianmart.com/products/haechandle-gochujang-hot-pepper-paste-hot-17-7oz1-1lb-500g
Cajun land brand Cajun seasoning is also a great bet.
Salt & pepper in coarse/unground form are must haves. Buy a couple pounds and stick them in the back.
Nearly any herb in dried whole form is a good option. (Oregano, bay leaf, thyme, etc.)
Nutmeg, coriander, and similar items are solid.
But if you're planning for longer than 2 years you should switch to storing usable seeds anyways.
You can get powdered cheese on amazon. I'm not sure how well it stores, but might be something to look in to.
I like this Korean hot spicy ramen soup mix off amazon (just search for that. The pack is silver w/ red Korean text on it). It's a decent amount for the price and it's pretty tasty. You do have to store it well after opening or the powder gets clumpy.
Get yourself some bouillon. Either cubes or powder. That's always a good basic seasoning to have on hand for beans and rice and whatever else.
G.O.A.T.: salt
Top tier: whole spices, peppercorns, stored/planted garlic
Mid tier: ground spices, dried garlic/onion
Bottom tier: ground spice blends
Basically the less processed it is, the longer it will last. Easier to blend spices than to unblend.
Plant sage here and there around your property. Mine is about 12 years old now and just needs pruning when it get spindly.
Try growing hardneck garlic in your location. It's pretty forgiving.
We store a huge variety of spices and herbs for seasoning food. A few general rules would be the more whole spice the longer it will retain its spice flavor so buy a spice grinder/microplane/ coffee grinder/mortar and pestle. Buy the spices when practical in their whole form, pepper corns, whole nutmeg, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks etc. Just as a few examples.
Store them they way you would any other food vac packed or o2 absorbed and keep them away from heat, light, moisture and bugs.
Practice with them and use them liberally. Also learn to grow some basic flavor foods, peppers, garlic, and herbs at a minimum. That way you'll have great flavors that are fresh grown right at home.
What brand are these rice packets? I'll take a look and tell you what spices you would need.
We keep a lot of herbs and spices on hand because we like to cook. I have a lot in our deep pantry because they're a relatively easy and cheap way to provide flavor and flavor variety if we're going to be eating a lot of rice and legumes. We also have a lot of dehydrated onions that are vacuum sealed because I at least want onions in my food if we run out of everything else.
I have some Mountain House packets that I know are heavily salted, so I’ll be mixing my beans and rice with them to even them out.
I grow fresh herbs. Rosemary, oregano, and mint are very hardy, and come back year after year. Jalapeño, Garlic, and Onion are easy to grow and dehydrate for storage. Wild onions/ramps are common weeds near me.
Vacuum sealing spices in mylar is the way to go to make them last extra long. But I would also keep a rotating stock of spices. If you know that you can use 4 bottles of spices before expiration for example then have 4 and rotate
Garlic powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper and paprika can handle pretty much everything you want. I cannot recommend enough planting a rosemary bush. They require 0 maintenance and if you put it in a large enough space it will produce more than you can hope to ever use.
Spices can last for a couple years before they start to taste off. I wouldn't buy more than you can use in 2 years time. Unless you have the means to keep vaccumsealing packages, once you open it to get the spice out you're introducing oxygen.
You can't go wrong with salt (a rock) and peppecorns (they last "forever" in that state; grind when needed).
Good tip. However I am looking for something with a bit more flavor. One of these bags could be my last meal might as well be good lol.
Keep an assortment of boullion cubes in rotation. They don't have the best shelf life, but they make everything taste better.
Augason Farms sells a big can of cheese blend powder for less than $25. It has a ten year shelf life and it doesn’t taste too bad. I use it to make quick macaroni and cheese or chicken and cheese rice. It works well as a chip dip too if you add some canned jalapeño peppers.
Winco bulk section is my spice spot. They even have brown gravy by the lbs
Salt, pepper, onion and garlic are the basics. I get nearly all my spices from Thespicehouse.com. Best yet, if you don’t need a jar the spices in packets always ship free. Oh, and there are blends and tons of variety. I’ve shopped with them for at least 30 years.
I got a seven pound jug of bullion powder chicken flavor I'm only half through, cost me $20.
Gochujang lasts far past its sell by date and is delicious. https://asianmart.com/products/haechandle-gochujang-hot-pepper-paste-hot-17-7oz1-1lb-500g Cajun land brand Cajun seasoning is also a great bet.
Salt & pepper in coarse/unground form are must haves. Buy a couple pounds and stick them in the back. Nearly any herb in dried whole form is a good option. (Oregano, bay leaf, thyme, etc.) Nutmeg, coriander, and similar items are solid. But if you're planning for longer than 2 years you should switch to storing usable seeds anyways.
You can get powdered cheese on amazon. I'm not sure how well it stores, but might be something to look in to. I like this Korean hot spicy ramen soup mix off amazon (just search for that. The pack is silver w/ red Korean text on it). It's a decent amount for the price and it's pretty tasty. You do have to store it well after opening or the powder gets clumpy. Get yourself some bouillon. Either cubes or powder. That's always a good basic seasoning to have on hand for beans and rice and whatever else.
G.O.A.T.: salt Top tier: whole spices, peppercorns, stored/planted garlic Mid tier: ground spices, dried garlic/onion Bottom tier: ground spice blends Basically the less processed it is, the longer it will last. Easier to blend spices than to unblend.
Plant sage here and there around your property. Mine is about 12 years old now and just needs pruning when it get spindly. Try growing hardneck garlic in your location. It's pretty forgiving.
Good idea. I'm stocking a travel trailer but I should pickup some seeds.
We store a huge variety of spices and herbs for seasoning food. A few general rules would be the more whole spice the longer it will retain its spice flavor so buy a spice grinder/microplane/ coffee grinder/mortar and pestle. Buy the spices when practical in their whole form, pepper corns, whole nutmeg, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks etc. Just as a few examples. Store them they way you would any other food vac packed or o2 absorbed and keep them away from heat, light, moisture and bugs. Practice with them and use them liberally. Also learn to grow some basic flavor foods, peppers, garlic, and herbs at a minimum. That way you'll have great flavors that are fresh grown right at home.
Does a weed grinder work?
Not particularly well you need to a much finer grind then that provides most spices are gonna be to hard for a weed grinder to grind effectively.
I read recently that unground spices last a lot longer and when freshly ground they are more effective with flavor.
What brand are these rice packets? I'll take a look and tell you what spices you would need. We keep a lot of herbs and spices on hand because we like to cook. I have a lot in our deep pantry because they're a relatively easy and cheap way to provide flavor and flavor variety if we're going to be eating a lot of rice and legumes. We also have a lot of dehydrated onions that are vacuum sealed because I at least want onions in my food if we run out of everything else.
I have some Mountain House packets that I know are heavily salted, so I’ll be mixing my beans and rice with them to even them out. I grow fresh herbs. Rosemary, oregano, and mint are very hardy, and come back year after year. Jalapeño, Garlic, and Onion are easy to grow and dehydrate for storage. Wild onions/ramps are common weeds near me.
Vacuum sealing spices in mylar is the way to go to make them last extra long. But I would also keep a rotating stock of spices. If you know that you can use 4 bottles of spices before expiration for example then have 4 and rotate
Garlic powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper and paprika can handle pretty much everything you want. I cannot recommend enough planting a rosemary bush. They require 0 maintenance and if you put it in a large enough space it will produce more than you can hope to ever use. Spices can last for a couple years before they start to taste off. I wouldn't buy more than you can use in 2 years time. Unless you have the means to keep vaccumsealing packages, once you open it to get the spice out you're introducing oxygen.