Yum yum Strawberry Jam!

It's jam making time! 

You can find strawberries on sale this week at Smith's for $1.25/pkg or at Macey's for $4.99/case (4 pkgs).  Haven't been to Walmart yet but I expect to see deals there too.  When strawberries are $1.25 or less, it's jam making time!

Please see my post from April of 2011 for complete instructions on how to make homemade yum-o strawberry jam (on the right hand side of this page click on '2011' then 'April').  It will take only 1 hour to make 4 - 16 oz cans of jam (plan 1 1/2 hours for your first time).

Please give me a call if you have ANY questions on how to make jam, cuz I love it!  We have gone 2 years without purchasing strawberry jam at the store, and you can too. :)

Stock up on Bottled Water

It's always nice to have extra water as part of your food storage and in your 72 hour kits.  If you need to stock up, stop by Smith's this week for this deal:

Kroger Bottled Water - package of 24, 16 oz bottles @ 5 for $10 ($2 each!)

Not a bad deal, so do something for your family's emergency preparedness and grab one next time you are out.

Shelf Reliance Party

Please join me this Thursday at 7:00 at my home for a Shelf Reliance party.

I have invited Shelf Reliance over so that I can learn more about freeze dried and dehydrated foods.  The consultant has agreed to acutally do a cooking demonstration and make a dinner entree at the party.  I am so excited to see how this works so I can incorporate this kind of food storage into my everyday and long term storage. 

I am hosting this party so I can learn about Shelf Reliance's product and how to use it (really not worried about the sales part of it!).  So please don't hesitate in dropping by just to learn about this type of food storage.  And, bring a friend!

5 small steps for your 72 hour kit

Time to pull out your 72 hour kits and make sure everything is still in working order and/or edible!  This could be a great FHE activity and can be accomplised in 5 easy steps:

• Step 1: Have each family member bring their own kit to the activity.
• Step 2: Use a 72 hour kit checklist to inventory each kit (Click on the '72 hour kit 3 month plan' for a list or use your own).   Have each family member report status of items in their own kits as you go.
• Step 3: Make a list of items that need to be replaced.
• Step 4: Schedule a day within one week to purchase all needed items.
• Step 5: Add purchased items to you kits as a family at your next FHE.

Remember to check in on your 72 hour kits every 6 months.  April and October Conference is a fun time to do this as the kids can enjoy 'free' granola bars during Conference week-end.

If you do not have a kit yet you can look at recommended items by clicking '72 hour kit 3 month plan' on the right side of the page.  If you cannot get everything at once, use the 3 month plan to start your family's new kits.  Ready.gov also has a basic list of 72 hour kit items found here: http://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/checklist_1.pdf

When building your kit, consider what you would want in these and similar scenarios:

• You need to evacuate cannot return for 3 days
• You are stranded in the aftermath of an earthquake - no communications/power
• You have been snowed in for a week w/ intermittent power outages

The Evacuation List

I will assume that most of us at one point or another thought about the possibility of evacuating our homes this week-end due to the Dump Fire on our mountain.  The question is: How prepared were you and what can you do to better prepare?
A quote from the Deseret News on-line article titled "Nearly 9,000 residents evacuate neighborhoods near Saratoga Springs fire" helps make a point:

Christian Judd awoke to officials knocking on his door and telling him to evacuate.

"My immediate reaction was: 'So what do I do?' I don't even know. I've never been in this experience before," Judd said. "I just didn't imagine this would happen to us here.

Don't we all feel that way?  When do we ever expect a disaster to happen to us?  If we did expect it, I am sure we would put more effort into preparations.

The question is valid: "What do I do?"  Another quote from the same Deseret News article:

"It's just crazy. I'm just trying to get pictures and stuff you can't replace," said April, one of the residents who was forced to evacuated her house."

In the event of an evacuation "What do I take?"

Here comes the assignment for the week so pay attention. 

I challenge each family to make a priority list of things they would take in an emergency evaucation.  The list should have three columns with the followng:

• Item Priority (1, 2, 3, etc.)
• Item Name
• Item Location

Once the list is completed hang it near the primary exit of your home.  If you don't want papers hanging on your wall like me, you can tape it on the inside of a cupboard, coat closet, etc.  Just be sure it is easily accessible.

A few thoughts on what I will call the Evacuation List. 

The purpose here is to think about what you need ahead of time so you don't waste time in a real situation.  It is so easy to sit down and write a list now of what is most important.  Brainstorming before the emergency will assure that you will grab the most essential items in the time alloted to evacuate and that you don't forget anything.     

Your list can have as many items as you like on it.  You may have 5 minutes to evacuate, maybe 15, maybe 30.  But when the emergency comes and you never expected it would happen to you, it doesn't matter, because you are prepared.  You will know exactly what to get and where it is.

I would recommend 72 hour kits be at the top of the list.  Other things you may want to include (these are in no particular order) are:

• Important documents (insurance, birth/marriage certificates, etc.)
• Extra water
• Extra food
• Pets and pet needs
• Irreplaceable keepsakes
• Journals
• Laptops or hard drives with important information or family photos
• Extra clothing

So go, and make your list.  An ounce of preparation is worth....

Next week I will discuss how to revamp 72 hour kits to make sure they are sufficient for your family's needs. 

As always, please report any thoughts or ideas on the blog.

 

 

More on Food Storage

Short Term Food Storage

Over the last few months we have focused on short term food storage.  Just to re-cap here is a paragraph about short term food storage from "All is Safely Gathered In":

"Build a small supply of food that is part of your

normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a

few extra items each week to build a one-week supply

of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply

until it is sufficient for three months. These items

should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage."

Also, a list of items to work on from the March 2012 Ensign article: "Everyday Home Storage". 
Review this list and choose at least one that you can improve on this week:

• Designate an area in your home where you can keep your food storage.
• Each time you go grocery shopping, pick up a few nutritious items that will store for several months to add to your storage.
• Stock up on items when they are on sale, and buy in bulk when practical. Be sure to check expiration labels before you make the purchase.
• Buy only items you know you’ll use so you can easily rotate through your food storage.
• Store water in sturdy plastic juice or soft drink bottles that you have emptied and rinsed.
• Order basic long-term food items such as wheat, flour, and oats from a Church home storage center or other trustworthy organization.
• Designate a percentage of your monthly budget for food storage.
• Start putting a percentage of your income or a certain dollar amount in a savings account each month.
• Help others establish home storage by giving food storage items or money for savings accounts as gifts.

Long Term Food Storage

Another paragraph from "All is Safely Gathered In" on Long Term Food Storage:

"For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually

build a supply of food that will last a long time

and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat,

white rice, and beans.

These items can last 30 years or more when properly

packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of

these items may be rotated in your three-month supply."

As you build your long term storage, set a goal to learn how to use and rotate it just as you would your short term storage.  If you don't know how to use wheat and beans, it won't help you when you need it.  So, when you purchase some, learn how to prepare meals with it.

In addition to storing wheat, rice, beans, and other long term items, I am going to look into long term meal storage such as Daily Bread and Thrive.  These are said to store 25 years and are meals that are easy to reconstitute.  I will report what I learn about these other long term storage programs on the blog.

Goal

As always, I encourage you to act upon what you just read.  Choose at least one thing you can do to improve your short and/or long term food storage and do it this week.  It can be as simple as 'find a recipe that uses beans' to 'buy extra salsa for short term storage'.    Please report what you did by commenting on the blog or sending me an e-mail. 

Lindon Cannery Openings

Below is an e-mail from the Lindon Cannery:

There have been several cancellations for Salsa on June 5-8th. The online signups are closed, so if you are still interested in doing salsa, please call the Cannery @ 801-785-0998 to check for available shifts.

We will be selling surplus family canning when you come to your shift. (You have to have worked on Jams, Syrup or Salsa to be able to purchase these surplus products. The only days you can purchase are on the days we are doing the Salsa: June 5, 6, 7 and 8.) The following products will be sold without limit, until they are gone:

Raspberry Jam - $24.00/case of 12 pint jars

Peach Jam - $21.00/case of 12 pint jars

Pancake Syrup - $21.00/case of 6 – ½ gal jugs (may be purchased individually @ $3.50/jug).

Ground Beef - $76.80/case of 24

Beef Stew - $44.40/case of 24

Pork & Beans - $20.40/case of 24

You must arrive early enough to purchase before the shift begins. Otherwise, you will have to come back at the end of your shift in order to purchase.