Shoppers Scramble to Add Dried Milk to Pantry Shelf

Posted byVirtual FarmgirlPosted inUncategorized
U.S.-produced dried milk for export in 1944. USDA Photo. 

As I scrolled through the photos my friends had posted on social media about there prep for self-isolation to slow the spread of the coronavirus, my eyes stopped on one featuring dried goat’s milk.

His post with the photo:

So…it’s come to this…I now understand why my Grandma and my aunts always had a box of powdered milk on the pantry shelf, though I never understood it as a kid…

I laughed because I had stocked up as well. I already had a partial bag on the shelf, but thought I’d add another just in case there was a run on milk or I would have trouble getting to the store for during a possible quarantine order.

I shared a recipe to use once the crisis is over and before the milk goes rancid.

Then I got curious about how many others have been stocking up. How many? A lot. In the days after President Trump finally acknowledged that COVID-19 concerns were valid, sales of dried milk jumped 126% in the first week of March, according to Food Dive.

Nielsen is tracking powdered milk sales along with other go-to pantry staples during the crisis. [Unfortunately for dry milk suppliers, exports to China are way down because of a decrease in demand, according to UN News.]

History of Powdered Milk

There are reports that powdered milk has been around since the 13th century when Marco Polo reported that Kublai Khan soldiers carried sun-dried milk on expeditions. By the 1800s, milk was dried using heated rollers. But since the ‘60s, the process involves separating the water, then continuing through stages until the condensed milk is spray dried.

The processing creates a product that has a long shelf life and is perfect for those in rural areas without refrigeration. It’s also used in recipes and in baby formula.

Dried milk was a staple for my family when we lived in the mountains of New Mexico. And I have most recently kept some on hand because my children loved peanut butter balls.

Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

The recipe is simple, just three ingredients: 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup honey, 2 cups powdered milk. Mix, scoop into balls. At this point, you can opt to roll them in crushed cereal, dust with powdered sugar, or use another toping. Chill on waxed paper for at least 20 minutes. These freeze well, but we never have enough leftovers to freeze.

Published by Virtual Farmgirl

Virtual Farmgirl is a communications professional with a dream of one day becoming a real farmgirl.

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