Food Storage

During our short stay in Seattle we heard a lot about food storage. We had the Food Storage "discussion" a couple of times before we left but it was a pretty big deal up there... especially on the San Juan islands understandably. We finally made the commitment to stock up. We had been buying cans of things here and there, and we have cereal to last a lifetime. A couple of weeks ago we made our way over to the cannery to get some of the staples. We now have a pretty good beginning. With our loot heaped in the front room we made a decision, "If we are really going to have to eat this all someday why not start today?" We have decided to start using our food storage and we can replace it as needed. I didn't want to picture what might happen if all I could eat for the next three months was rice, beans, wheat and not have prepared my stomach first. Long story short, here is the first recipe we tried (given to us back in Seattle). It was tasty and will go in our FS recipe book. Please share any recipes you know of that call for FS staples. Enjoy!

Wheat Berry Chili

1 1/2 cups whole wheat
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
3 cups water
1 pkg chili seasoning mix
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional, and we opted out because we didn't have any)
dash of cayenne pepper to taste (optional, we didn't have any of this either so we used Tabasco sauce)
3 bouillon cubes
2 cans whole tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a large saucepan simmer wheat, water, and bouillon cubes for 1 hour. In a heavy saucepan, brown beef. Add remaining ingredients, simmer 30 minutes. Combine with wheat; simmer 30 minutes or until wheat berries are tender.