Survival food is sustenance that can be made easily during a survival or emergency situation using mainly simple, long-term storage food items, cooked outdoors, using off-the-grid methods.

by Leon Pantenburg
During one the last conversations I had several months ago with the late Jan LeBaron, Jan mentioned that a great holiday recipe is fudge made out of pinto beans.

Use your pinto beans to make fudge!

I was naturally intrigued at the idea of making fudge from beans, so we chatted a little. We decided the fudge, from “Jan’s Fabulous Food Storage Recipes” would be a great food selection around Christmas time.

In addition to being tasty, this recipe is healthy, the beans supply a shot of protein and the final product lends itself to preparedness recruiting. Take a plate of these brownies over to a non-prepper neighbor. When they marvel at the unique taste, point out that the brownies are good for you, and are made completely out of storage food.

And if that doesn’t get the conversation rolling, mention that the main ingredient is pinto beans!

This is also another good way to use and integrate your storage foods into your normal diet.

Speaking of useful gifts, you can’t beat a copy of “Jan’s Fabulous Food Storage Recipes,” by Jan LeBaron. It has become my go-to book for cooking anything with storage foods. It also cuts down on my family’s grocery bill, since we can now use our storage foods more easily for a variety of dishes. I never imagined there was so much gourmet potential in all those Number 10 cans and white buckets!

Pinto Bean Fudge

1 c cooked soft pinto beans (drained and mashed)

1/4 c milk (made from your powdered milk)

1 Tbs vanilla

2/3 c baker’s cocoa

1/4 c water

6 Tbs butter ( You can use fresh or canned butter)

5 c powdered suger (I substituted evaporated cane sugar, and it worked out fine.)

Nuts, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, stir beans and milk together, adding enough milk to make the mixture resemble mashed potatoes; stir in the vanilla. Add chocolate and butter and stir in bean mixture, 1/4 c water, stir until nice and smooth. Gradually stir in sugar, knead with hands to get it well blended.

Spread into lightly buttered 9-inch baking dish or form into 1-1/2-inch rolls. Chill for one to two hours.

For more survival recipes and cooking tips, check out these blogs: Jan’s Fabulous Food Storage Recipes, Survival Pantry, and Survival Recipes and Off-Grid Cooking

Tags | Jan LeBaron cookbook, pinto bean fudge