Basic Food Staple; Pasta

Pasta is one of our most important food staples that we make on our homestead. During the slow times, we break out the flour and eggs and the house will be a maize of long stranded noodles hanging from the rafters. Well, actually broom handles and other clean long sticks of various materials. But we don't stop with the long stranded, on a good weekend we make shaped pasta, and fill raviolis to go into the freezer. The ravioli is filled with simple local fare, like mushrooms and pesto, nothing we have to go far to look for. We also can items that are familiar to our children, like Spaghetti O's.

It takes 1 acre of wheat to feed a family of four with all their bread and pasta needs, harvest to harvest. If you are thinking about growing your own, there are a few people out there that still sell heritage or non GMO wheat seeds, like the Heritage Wheat Conservancy.

Pasta is also great for making a little money on the side, or for bartering purposes. Many people are not willing to take the time to make their own. If you add some of your own produce, like brandy wine tomatoes, basil, hot peppers, or spinach to your flour mix, more people are willing to buy or trade for your homemade pastas.

When keeping pastas for a length of time, allow them to completely dry before placing them in an air tight container. Plain pasta is good for up to a year. Pasta with dried produce in the mix, stay fresh for 6 months. This is true for your freezer pastas as well.

The links above are to my personal blog and various recipes.