Any good prepper should know how to make their own flour. That’s because this ingredient is ideal for baking, and is great for cooking certain foods as well. Not to mention, it’s fairly easy to grind yourself, and you can make it out of a surprising amount of plants.
Not to mention, if you have gluten intolerances, this is even more reason to make your own flour. Many of these plants will ensure your tastebuds AND stomach stay happy, so that you can keep getting things done.
A good prepper uses all the resources around them to help they stay alive in a crisis. That’s why it’s so important to learn these…
5 Unexpected Ways To Make Your Own Flour
Use Amaranth
The Amaranth weed grows all across both North and South America. Its seed stalks (which measure up to 8 inches long) contain thousands of seeds and are ideal for making flour.
Simply harvest the weed in the fall, and allow it to dry completely in the sunshine. Better yet, keep it on a windowsill so the wind doesn’t get to it.
Once the seed stalks are dry, you’ll want to husk and harvest the seeds and grind them into a fine powder. This flour can now be useful for all your baking needs.
Below is a video explaining the harvesting process:
Use Almonds
If you’re a health “nut” you’ll love making your own almond flour. This is a great gluten-free option, and is actually pretty simple to make. You can use either the blanched or unblanched variety for this, depending on the texture you want.
Check out this video to learn how to make your own almond flour in preparation for a crisis.
Use Ryegrass
This is a type of grass that can be found growing all over the U.S. It grows about 4″ high, and contains long, narrow seeds perfect for making flour.
You’ll want to harvest ryegrass in the fall, when the grass turns a brown color. To harvest, take a handful of the grass and shake it over a large, wide basket. You can also use a stick to help beat the seeds out.
Once you’ve collected enough seeds, crush them in the palm of your hand. Then lightly blow on them in order to separate the seed from the chaff. (You can see this separation process in the Amaranth video at the top). Once you separate the seeds, you can grind them up into a fine powder to make flour.
Use Rice
Rice flour is one of the simplest types of flour to make. All you need is a blender or food processor to grind the grains. Once they become a smooth, fine powder you’ll want to pour it through a sifter. This will help ensure that no large, clumpy bits get in the flour.
This is an excellent option for preppers to take advantage of now. That’s because rice is extremely cheap and available in bulk. Not to mention, flour has a long shelf-life, and is useful for so many recipes!
Check out the process below. The woman in the video uses brown rice, but you can substitute it for white (and it may even last longer!).
Use Cattails
You may not realize that cattails can be good for much anything, let alone making flour. However, they’re a surprisingly beneficial source. In fact, during WWII a huge amount of cattails were grown in order to become a cheap replacement for normal flour.
There are numerous ways to transform cattails into flour. One way is to put the roots in water, and then peel them. Cut the root into pieces, and mash it up. Let the mash dry completely, and then crush it into a find powder to make your own flour.
Here’s a video showing you a bit of the process:
Whether you’re gluten intolerant or just love making things yourself, you’re sure to love making your own flour. And, when SHTF, knowing this information will make you much more prepared than the other people around you. While they’re panicking about having enough food, you’ll be able to keep you and your family fed! As always, prepare now, and survive later!