Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have gone 3 years with no power at all, and no milk for even longer.
My concern is if you were to loose power, you will loose the gennie next, because there will be no power to pump gas. That will take out the freezer for good.
That makes milk as we know it a whole other problem.
Have you ever gone 2 weeks with no power? I have and for the first 3 days i keep flippin' the light switches like a fool.
If you truely need a freezer with no power, get a freezer that burns K-1, and stock up on K-1.
freezers are good for having ice and keeping milk. u can't expect to go several months without milk (or years). some people also need to keep cool otherwise they get real sick.
u can't expect to go several months without milk (or years). some people also need to keep cool otherwise they get real sick.
Frozen milk goes all weird, since it's a colloid and separates with the crystallization of dihydrogen monoxide.
You forgot to add the cow to the list, for your several months of milk (even with a freezer, unless it's a big walk in job full of frozen milk).
As far as people being kept cool, well, given that people survive in pretty much every area of the planet without any air conditioning and cooling, then I'd have to say that in general that's an acclimatization problem. If you're living in an area that you know you get physically sick from due to weather problems, then I'd recommend moving somewhere else with either lower humidity, or lower temperatures. It's poor planning to live in an area that requires the use of refrigeration for normal living without the risk of serious illness or death. Refrigeration requires the use of power generation, or as Mac states a K1 or propane refrigerator, all but renewable electrical sources need fuel that could be better spent on something else.
Of course if it's just it's uncomfortable (with no real risk of serious illness or death) then whoever has the issue could just suck it up.
That's right. It's been so long since I had milk I forgot to freeze it it goes goophy. I might have milk on a bowel of cereal once or twice in a year, other wise if I have milk, my wife has baked it into to something and I don't know it's there.
I have hot cereals with plain water, and add maple sugar in one form or another to that. If I happen to be camping / trecking, that sugar will be little rocks, and at home syrup. No milk.
So far I have dealt with 115 degrees in full blown Md muggies and not kicked the bucket, and so far as cold goes to -50 living in a tee pee. For a good while in that tee pee it came up to -20 around high noon that year for around 3 weeks. All in all I prefer the cold, because i can do something about it. In the heat you can only take off your clothes, or wear wool.
......You forgot to add the cow to the list, for your several months of milk (even with a freezer, unless it's a big walk in job full of frozen milk). .....
Y'all know that there are such things as powdered milk and canned evaporated milk, right?
I'd also suggest that a dairy goat or two will provide plenty of milk for an average family with some left over (cheese, whey, etc...) and not require nearly the amount of feed/space as would a dairy cow.
Minor anecdotal note on powdered milk. Powdered milk is supposedly only good for certain baking purposes for a fairly short time (I forget the limit - like a year, or something). If used as "drinking milk," it's good for a very long time. But when used for certain baking applications, it supposedly has to be relatively new because the enzymes in it degrade pretty rapidly (whether sealed in a can, or not).
I don't bake... also I hate milk.... so I'll never will have occasion to verify that piece of information, but I've anecdotally read that on many preparedness cooking websites. Supposedly Carnation says it in their product documentation. I tried to find the docs to link it, but could not find them.
Minor anecdotal note on powdered milk. Powdered milk is supposedly only good for certain baking purposes for a fairly short time (I forget the limit - like a year, or something). If used as "drinking milk," it's good for a very long time. But when used for certain baking applications, it supposedly has to be relatively new because the enzymes in it degrade pretty rapidly (whether sealed in a can, or not).
I don't bake... also I hate milk.... so I'll never will have occasion to verify that piece of information, but I've anecdotally read that on many preparedness cooking websites. Supposedly Carnation says it in their product documentation. I tried to find the docs to link it, but could not find them.
The below linked BYU study suggests powdered milk (canned or pouched w/O2 absorber) has a shelf life of between 15-30 years.
It is possible to improve the taste of powdered milk by adding 50% milk to the water used to dilute the powder. Thus, you can stretch out your milk supply during times when milk is available and simultaneously reduce your cost investment in fresh milk if your family goes through several gallons/week.
The below linked BYU study suggests powdered milk (canned or pouched) has a shelf life of between 15-30 years.
It is possible to improve the taste of powdered milk by adding 50% milk to the water used to dilute the powder. Thus, you can stretch out your milk supply during times when milk is available and simultaneously reduce your cost investment in fresh milk if your family goes through several gallons/week.
It's not really in debate that powdered milk can potentially last for decades. The distinction revolves around whether the lifespan is the same when using the milk for drinking, as opposed to using it for certain baking applications. Carnation supposedly say's you can't use old powdered milk for certain baking purposes because some of the enzymes rapidly degrade. The enzymes are not really necessary for most uses of the milk such as to add flavor, or for drinking... it only comes into play when doing certain kinds of baking.
*shrugs*
If anyone has any additional information on this, feel free to share.
Fresh milk (i.e. RAW milk) contains active enzymes, namely glutathione, which can interfere with the yeast in many baking recipes and retard rise. This may be a good thing in some recipes, or a bad thing in others. Many complex bread recipes specifically call for dry milk, or at least scalded (raw) milk for this reason. Pasteurized & UHT boxed milk is already heated, which destroys/inhibits any enzymes, so it doesn't need to be scalded first to inactivate the glutathione.
The only baking warning that I've seen for dry milk is that it can alter the dry:wet ratio in the recipe and therefore mess up some of the chemical reactions (because baking is all about chemistry). To combat this issue in recipes that fail when adding dry milk and additional water, it is recommended to reconstitute the powder per manufacturers instructions prior to adding the required amount into the other ingredients. Dry milk can also be a little higher in protein than liquid milk because it's concentrated, which could result in a denser dough... I could see where this might be a problem with something you want flaky or delicate (like pastry crusts).
I couldn't find any warnings about the age of dry or canned evap milk affecting baking on any of cooking/baking sites I frequent or on the Carnation or Dairy Council sites. Granted, most of the sites I frequent are geared toward breads and staple baking rather than confections. So maybe it's more of a problem with cakes and pastries? *shrug*
In any case, I would definitely include powdered milk in my SHTF food stores (if you aren't allergic to milk -- dry milk doesn't contain enough lactose to bother most intolerant folks). Even if you don't drink milk and think powdered milk tastes foul, it is an EXCELLENT source of protein and can be used to fortify many other foods when fresh protein is scarce.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
