New Ingredient: Powdered Buttermilk

 I tend to avoid recipes involving buttermilk, or make soured milk with vinegar as a substitute, because I can never finish a quart of the stuff before it goes bad.  Before the election, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole on YouTube watching Prepper videos.  I am not storing 2-5 years of food and supplies!  That's how this blog got started.  I just don't want more than six months of anything; quality suffers and you tend to throw out items you never used.  That's a waste of money and your shopping time.

I did learn about some new products through these videos.  I knew about egg replacement powders, but not powdered eggs.  I also learned how few prepper videos mention coffee and tea as important staples.  Are you kidding me?  First thing on my stock-up list in March.  I am not going through the apocalypse without caffeine.

The first item I found from the new-to-me supply list was buttermilk powder.  It wasn't cheap ($7 on discount), but neither is 3.75 quarts of liquid buttermilk, the container's expected yield.  The Use By date is in 2024, and you do have to refrigerate after opening.  I can keep it next to my never-ending tub of miso paste.  It's made of cultured buttermilk, dairy whey, and lactic acid.  So, real buttermilk in powdered form and no chemicals.  It's also certified kosher, GF, and nut free, so I guess I could use it during Passover if I'm not picky about a KLP label.

There's a pancake recipe on the canister that I'll try the next time I want pancakes and realize I don't have enough milk.  That happens more often than I'd like to admit.  Or maybe mix up enough to use in French toast custard for some extra zing.  There will be more buttermilk cakes, like red velvet, than I've made previously.  I bet it could even be used for Ranch Dressing, with the advantage of choosing your consistency.

I'm also admitting to purchasing one other prepper-style item that I should have done years ago.  The power in my neighborhood goes out at least three times a year.  It always has, since my parents bought the house in the 1970s.  I don't even park in the garage if I have an early shift, in case the power goes out and I can't open the door.  Growing up, I thought that was normal.  Didn't know otherwise until I moved away.  So, I bought a cool emergency radio on Prime Day that can be powered 4 different ways (3 without a wall socket), has a flashlight, and can even partially charge a phone.  Tons of peace of mind.  So my pre-election panic wasn't a total waste.

I'm really looking forward to finding creative uses for the powdered buttermilk.