52 Week Food Storage Plan: Week #38 Part 2 of 3

For the 38th week, Sept (20-26)

Week # 38 Part 2 of 3: 10 lbs of Brown Sugar
(If you can’t accomplish this in 1 week, don’t worry, just take your time and do it in steps.)

Brown Sugar:
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar. It’s used in everything from breakfasts to desserts. Add it to chicken, oatmeal, cakes, pies, cookies and so much more. Brown sugar can be used in everything!

Difference between Light & Dark:

Brown sugar contains from 3.5% molasses (light brown sugar) to 6.5% molasses (dark brown sugar). Use these two sugars interchangeably in recipes calling for brown sugar. For a delicate, light, nutty caramel flavor, use Light Brown Sugar. For a rich, old-time molasses taste and deeper color, use Dark Brown sugar. If you’re in doubt or if it’s not specified, you might choose the Light Brown.

Store Brown Sugar
Air hardens brown sugar. Store it in a cool, moist area in a covered container. If that’s not possible, store the entire container in a second canister with a tight-fitting lid. You can also empty the sugar into a rustproof container (or a heavy, moisture-proof plastic bag) and keep it tightly closed. Even though the shelf life of brown sugar is indefinite, it’s best to use it within six months of purchase for maximum flavor. Don’t store brown sugar in the refrigerator. However, if you are in a very dry area or are going to keep it for a long time, you may want to freeze it. To use frozen sugar, thaw it for two or three hours. If ice crystals form after long freezer storage, gently stir the sugar as soon as it thaws to prevent pockets of moisture from causing damage.

Soften Brown Sugar
When brown sugar hardens, it loses its natural moisture. Here are some suggestions to restore the moisture and soften the sugar:

* If you need to use hard brown sugar immediately, remove it from the package and heat it in a 250-degree oven. Watch it carefully. As soon as it’s soft, measure the amount you need right away because it will again harden as it cools. Please use caution. Oven heated sugar is very hot!

* To soften brown sugar in a microwave, place it in a microwave-safe container, cover loosely with a wet (but not dripping) white paper towel, set the microwave on high, and check the sugar every 30 seconds. Again, microwave-softened sugar hardens as it cools so microwave only the amount of sugar you need. And it’s very hot. Please use caution.

* Time permitting, place the hardened brown sugar in a rustproof container with a dampened – not dripping wet – white paper towel or napkin placed over a small piece of plastic wrap or foil on top of the sugar. Cover tightly. Remove the paper towel after the sugar absorbs the moisture and softens (about two days) and tightly reseal the container.

Information aggregated from: wikipedia.org, chsugar.com, askville.amazon.com, answers.yahoo.com

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Click on the images below to view all 52 weeks at once or the recipes to go with it, in a .jpg or download the 52 Week Food Purchasing Plan (PDF) or the Custom 52 Week Food Purchasing Plan (Excel file) and calculate exactly how much you’ll need for the size of your family.