Storage without knowledge is still storage...

My best source (as you know, Mom) has a theory that makes really good sense to me. She asks it in the form of a question: "Who do you think someone will be more willing to help, someone who says, 'I have this wheat, and don't know what to do with it-- can you help me learn how to prepare it to feed my children?' or the person who says, ' I don't have any wheat, can you give me the wheat that you were planning to feed your children?' " Even if you don't know what to do with wheat and rice and beans and the other staples, it is better to get some on your shelves and learn as you go along than to be stuck with nothing in the event of an emergency. Even in the above scenario, people may want to help if you have nothing. They just may not be able to.
One of the reasons I started this blog is because I looked at the food storage that is the most useful and long-lasting to have and realized that if whatever happened happened the next day and that was the only thing that I had to eat, that I knew very little about what to actually do with it. If you are in the same boat, don't wait until you know everything to get some food in storage--get some and then learn. I understand the thought process of "What's the point of getting something that I don't know how to use?" Thing is, even in an emergency, chances are good that someone will know how to help you, and it might just be a reciprocal thing--they may not have it to cook, but know how to cook it, and they may cook it in return for using some of it to feed their family while making it edible for yours. There still may be a price to pay for not knowing how to use it, but you'll still eat.
Right now, there is still time to learn. I have a couple of recipes that I can make, as seen here on the blog. Even if it isn't a loaf, I can still make bread to feed my kids. (Speaking of which, Alison kindly left a link on a comment on my "hit and a miss" post for bread, complete with substitutions that I would actually have in my storage, (except gluten at this point) that looks awesome--check it out if you want to get there ahead of me. If I do it successfully, I'll link it in a post.) I can make beans and rice that my kids will actually eat. Now I just have to learn more recipes, because they won't want to eat that every day. (And neither will I. :) )
This applies beyond just the cooking aspect of storage. Even if you don't know how to garden, store seeds. You get the idea. Hence, storage without knowledge is still storage, and you never know when you'll need to really depend on it.