Prepare And Share

alternative fuel ideas...

2011-09-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought much about how you will "cook" your 3 month supply and long term storage during an emergency?

Right now for the Labor Day weekend Home Depot and Lowes has 2 - 20# bags (40#'s total) of Kingston Charcoal for $8.00. Forty pounds of fuel for $8.00 is a great deal!! So you have only tomorrow to get this sale.

There are a number of ways to store your Charcoal. (Which keeps indefinitely if kept dry) 5 gallon buckets (fits 20#) Or even blue barrels. (fits close to 200#)

Solar/Sun Ovens

2011-03-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

The guy (Paul Munson) who taught the free Sun Oven class last week told us about a blog that has recipes and hints on it from a woman that uses hers every day that lives in our area. He said you could find the link at his web site which is: http://www.solarcook.net/

Lots of information on this blog. Lot of the same stuff he told us at his meeting this week. Mr. Munson has been to 5 continents, including Africa, teaching people how to save on fuel and to cook their food with the sun... He said the more people that he can help to help themselves, the better this world will be... As I said, it was a great class! He also said the solar oven works in -5 degrees below zero, but we live in a great climate to make it even easier. He said as long as you have about 2-3 hours of sun a day, you can cook; and he also said that it may take longer than regular cooking in some places, but that you can leave what you are cooking all day (say you put it on in the morning before you go to work, and then it will be ready when you get home later in the day), that the food does not burn in the solar oven...

He also has some great recipes using our food supplies- http://www.sunoven.com/usa/recipes.php#CknAf

Also see Jennifer's Solar Cooking Page with lots of tips and hints, links, and upcoming solar cooking events in our state, as well as elsewhere, books, and other solar oven manufacturers. Very informative and interesting information.

http://home.centurytel.net/morninghill/solarcook.htm

Also see: http://www.sunoven.com/usa/vegetarian-cooking.php

http://preparingwisely.com/blog/category/solar-oven/

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/03/07/cooking-off-the-grid/ On this website, among other things, she talks about pasturizing your water with a WAPI... find out what that means and how easy it is to do that.

Do you know you can boil eggs in the solar oven without any water? See how at http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/03/17/can-your-solar-cooker-do-this/ She also talks about cooking a frozen chicken... see what happened with that!

Wendy DeWitt talks about solar oven cooking on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vigcycRhWs

http://www.sunoven.com/usa/emergency_preparedness.php

Top 10 Mistakes Found in Most 72-Hour Kits

2011-03-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

(This was sent to me in my email...unfortunately I don't know the other, so I can't give credit.)

I’ve tested and reviewed dozens of 72 hour kits and go bags for myself, friends, families, and clients and it amazes me how most of them have the same basic problems.
Fortunately, most of them are easy and inexpensive to fix and I’m going to tell you how you can identify and fix 10 of them.
1. Medications. If you have medications that you have to take on a regular basis, you need to keep at least 3 days worth in your 72 hour kit. Many drugs break down in the extreme heat of a car, so ask your pharmacist how long they’ll stay safe in your car and how long they’ll stay effective.
As an example, if your pharmacist tells you that a certain drug will last for 3 years at room temperature, but only 2 months if you keep it in your car, then you should use the drugs that are in your car every month or two and replace them with fresh drugs.
The life expectancy of your drugs will, of course, be different depending on where you live and the season of the year.
2. Footwear/clothes. If you ever wear flip flops, heels, or dress shoes, then consider carrying a pair of quality shoes/boots in your car.
Stick in at least one pair of quality socks and underwear as well.
Remember the pictures and videos after 9/11 of people running barefoot, holding their $500 shoes? Imagine how your body would feel after doing that for a few miles.
3. Clothes for the wrong season. You should either carry clothes for both summer and winter, carry convertible clothes, or change the clothing contents of your kit every spring/fall. Shorts won’t help much in the winter and insulated cover-alls won’t help much in the summer.
4. Young children. If you have young children, they add a HUGE level of complexity to any survival situation. Can/will they eat your survival food? Do you have spare clothes/diapers/wipes for them? Do you have a way to manage their pain from teething/injuries?
Do you have a way to transport them? It might be worth learning how to use a regular bed sheet to create a wearable baby sling. If you have a stroller with inflatable tires, do you carry spare tires and/or a tire repair kit?
5. Pain. If you aren’t good at handling pain, learn proven techniques from someone you know who has done natural child-birthing, a midwife, birthing coach, or doula.
In addition, consider carrying ibuprofen, anbesol, or even prescription pain medications. If you are concerned about a hurt pet, consider getting livestock lidocaine. (It requires a vetrenarian’s prescription, but costs a fraction of human lidocaine.)
6. Bad Equipment. Almost every 72 hour kit that I’ve bought or reviewed has had bad equipment in it. Some of the worst offenders have been multi-tools that don’t work, matches that are brittle and break, knives that are dull, band aids/tape that doesn’t stick anymore, survival blankets that are worn through, and pumps (both water and liquid fuel camp stoves) that have dried out seals. The only way to know that bad equipment won’t bite you in the butt is to test out all of your equipment every 6-12 months.
7. Can you use your equipment? If your fire starter is a glass or Fresnel lens, can you make it work? Will it work in the late afternoon/evening? On a cloudy/smokey day? What would you do at night? What happens when you eat your survival rations? Can you stomach them? Do they keep you full? (If not, throw in some fiber capsules) Do you know how to start a fire with your flint and steel? Does everyone fit in the emergency shelter that you have? Can you carry your 72 hour kit/go bag if you have to leave your car on foot?
In short, you bought a 72 hour kit/go bag to keep you alive in a worst case scenario. Does it do any good to carry around a bag full of stuff that doesn’t work and that you don’t know how to use? Don’t trust anything. Take the time to test out the equipment that you expect to save your life. If it doesn’t work, find a replacement that does work. Testing your equipment will mean that you’ll have to replace some and it means that you’ll have to repack it, but until you know everything works and that you can use it, it doesn’t do much good to carry it around in your car.
8. Water. Do you have 1 gallon per person per day and 1/2 gallon per animal per day? (2 people and 2 dogs would require 9 gallons for 72 hours. At 8.35 pounds per gallon, that’s almost 80 pounds of water taking up 2000 cubic inches!!) If not, do you have a way to collect and purify more? Do you have an empty 1 liter bottle, collapsible bucket, or water bladder? Do you have one for both dirty and clean water? Do you know if your body can handle water that’s been purified with iodine?
9. Pets. Do you have 72 hours of food for your pets? Are you going to feed them your emergency food? Will they eat it and can they digest it? Can you eat their food if you need to?
10. Bags that are all jumbled together. Most 72 hour kits have everything thrown in the main compartment. Every time you need something, you have to sort through all of the contents. Consider taking some zip lock freezer bags or packing cubes like Eagle Creek to separate the different categories of supplies. Make sure to mark everything VERY plainly. I like doing this by writing on a strip of duct tape or athletic tape. One method you can use to separate everything is the following system:
Fire
Shelter
Water
Food
Medical (prescriptions, pain, stomach, etc.)
Trauma (bandages, splints, tweezers, scissors, wound irrigation, etc.)
Security
Tools
Pets
Clothes
Here’s the trick to getting this all done. Print this page and underline or highlight everything that you need to do. Then, pick the easiest item, do it RIGHT NOW and then cross it off when you’re done! (Crossing off to-do items is great for the mind.) If you can fix more than one issue in a day, that’s great…keep going. If not, make a decision to fix one or more problems each day until they’re all taken care of.
After going through this process, two things are going to happen:
1. Your 72 hour kit(s) will be much better stocked.
2. You will have more confidence and peace of mind since you KNOW that your 72 hour kit will support you and your family in an emergency rather than just guessing and hoping that everything will work out.

Being 'READY'

2010-10-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a year and a half since I have posted here on my preparedness site. I guess my 'time and season' is focusing on other aspects of my life, right now.

I viewed a commercial yesterday that talked about disasters. What we need to do as a family in the event of a disaster. The website given was: www.ready.gov

I went to this website and it looks to be interesting. I haven't had much time to peruse it, yet. I hope to find an opportunity, soon.

Everday Food Storage Cookbook

2009-04-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

This cookbook seems to combine 2 of my passions. Food Storage & Cookbooks. I am somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to cookbooks. I love 'em! I love to look at the pictures, and envision making a specific recipe. Often times, that is as far as it gets. (mostly because I don't have the exotic and unique ingredients the recipe calls for) I think with this Food storage book, I will go beyond just looking, I will delve into the actual making. It has ingredients that we often keep in our pantry, and don't have to go to the local specialty market to find. I really look forward to perusing the recipes inside. Especially the bread recipes right now. (My hubby is on a tangent of making homemade bread...I don't mind, at all.)

Gardening Seminar - Mesa, AZ

2009-03-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

VEGETABLE GARDENING SEMINAR

Special Guest Jim Kennard, Master Mittleider Gardening Instructor

President of the Food for Everyone Foundation

International teacher of the Mittleider Method “BEST OF ORGANIC gardening method

Jim is Humanitarian Missionary for the LDS church and travels WORLD-WIDE teaching these methods.

Less water → bigger plants

Less money → More savings

Less work →greater harvest

Learn a better, simpler way to garden

When: Friday, March 27th, 9 A.M. – 2 P.M. also Saturday, March 28th 9AM – 2PM
Where: 1 McDonald Center
(Main St./McDonald-Lower Level)
Mesa, Arizona

This is Hands On and space is limited.

RSVP: Please email whatsyouriam@gmail.com to reserve your space.
------

"Every family should have a garden"
-Spencer W. Kimball & other Prophets!

"The day may come when we will have to live on what we produce"
-Marion G. Romney
------
Is that day here?? Don’t wait another day!

*5 hours of unique training to give you a great garden in any soil – or in NO soil!

*Demonstrating the world-renowned Mittleider Method, including "the best of organic" and "the poor man's hydroponics."

*You can grow the same great garden in the soil OR in containers.

*Double or triple the amount of healthy produce you get from your garden by using this method.

Jim Kennard, President of the Food For Everyone Foundation & Humanitarian Department Missionary (www.foodforeveryone.org), will conduct the Seminar.

A Mittleider gardener for the past thirty years, Jim is a Master Mittleider Gardening Instructor and has taught classes and worked one-on-one with Dr. Jacob Mittleider. He has also conducted many gardening projects himself in the USA and other countries.

Come Prepared to Dig in the dirt!

Don’t miss this gardening season! The kennards leave soon to fulfill other commitments in two countries in Eastern Europe – call now!

Are You Prepared?

2009-03-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A DISASTER?

By Jane M. Hawley

Trained by the American Red Cross to lead Disaster Action Teams, and by FEMA as a member of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) in our area, and having observed the disasters and conditions in the world which bring alarm, I write this article in hopes that I might encourage others to become better prepared. I would propose this question: "How will you feel when others who depend on you suffer needlessly because you did not take preventative measures against disaster? I would like to share the following experience as an example where disaster planning could have made the difference:

During July of 2007, in an area right outside of St. George , Utah , we had an experience that has caused me great concern about disaster preparedness. A lightening storm bolted through the tinder-dry mountainous region 3 miles east of our home. The forest fire threatened the power lines supplying our entire county of 100,000 people. The front windows of our rural home framed this dramatic scene as we watched 30' flames amidst the raging fire becoming out of control. Helicopters, tankers, planes and fire crews were engaged in a hot battle.

The greatest concern came when the smoke engulfed the power lines. Smoke can create arcs of electricity between the lines and the ground. Multiple fires could ignite along the 80-mile stretch of power line if something were not done quickly. Authorities decided the only thing that could be done was to "power down." The countywide power outage began at 4:25 p.m. on this very hot, July day of 110 + degrees, just before the evening commute was to begin.

In the first several hours, there was much confusion and chaos. The stream of information was slow and scanty at best. No one seemed to be able to answer the demanding questions of "what happened?" and "how long until we have our power back?" As the fire raged on and homes were flooded with the summer heat, people grew more concerned and tuned into the local radio stations for information. Here's a small taste of what happened:

* I called my husband immediately to let him know of my planned route of travel home. I had a full tank of gas and a gallon of water in my car. I took the route with the least amount of traffic, nonetheless, what would normally have taken 25 minutes, took 1 hour to get home.
* Communication became difficult. Within 5 minutes after I used my cell phone to call home the circuits were busy and remained that way for the next 6 hours.
* Traffic lights were without power which created a traffic gridlock and many frustrated travelers. It took many commuters 1 to 3 hours to get home, in what should have been minutes.
* It was reported that only 2 to 3 gas stations had back-up generators to pump fuel. Those stations had long lines, quickly ran out of fuel-then closed.
* People became stranded and couldn't get home. With the cell phones overloaded many of those people could not call for help. I15 travelers were out-of-luck for their expected needs as well.
* There were overheated and stalled vehicles along the roadways.
* Businesses quickly closed their doors having lost their lights, automatic doors, elevators, security systems, electronic cash registers, and all ability to conduct credit or debit transactions.
* CASH was the only method of payment accepted. With banks closed and credit or debit card machines down, no cash could be obtained by these means. The people who were able to purchase gas and supplies were those who had cash.
* Radio stations were a great help, but with the absence of official information there were many assumptions, rumors, misinformation, anger and panic being expressed by citizens who shared their comments on the air, live and unscreened.
* The hospital went into emergency mode and began treating those affected by heat, and those who had health conditions that required medical devices, monitors, oxygen, etc.
* Many of the elderly and those in convalescent homes had to be evacuated to Dixie State College to escape the heat and be treated for heat-related problems.
* Within the first two hours the local water tanks were nearly dry. The pumps were down for lack of power and the citizens in the county were instructed to use water for DRINKING ONLY (no showers or unnecessary flushing of toilets, etc).
* Stores began to lose their inventory of refrigerated foods and frozen items.
* Police, fire and emergency officials were on overload.
* Hotel rooms in the nearby town of Mesquite , Nevada , went from $35 a night to $350 a night as people flocked to their doors to get out of the heat.
* Dining in Mesquite required hours of waiting in long lines before people could get their meals.

I found it amazing how ill-prepared the majority were to live without power, in the heat, and without essential services for such a short time. In our family we learned a few lessons ourselves. Situations like these cause us to reflect and question, "How prepared is my family for an emergency? I strongly urge you to consider situations that could affect your locale, and then set up an emergency plan to accommodate your future needs. Here are some things you should consider:

Power Outage......................................Severe Storm

Flood....................................................Lightening Strikes

House Fire............................................Forest or Brush Fire

Severe Smoke & Ash............................Streets Closed to Home

Tornado...............................................Earthquake

Hurricane............................................Tsunami

Hazardous Material Spill......................Evacuation

Truck Strike........................................Terrorist Attack or Invasion

Chemical Attack...................................Nuclear Accident

Highways/Bridges Down.....................Quarantine

EMERGENCY PLAN

Make a two-fold plan: SHELTER IN PLACE (staying where you are) and EVACUATION (leaving your home). There are many wonderful books available on this subject that can help you be fully prepared. Check out your library, bookstores & internet.

72 HR EMERGENCY KIT

Consider all of your needs for 3 days and include those items in your kit. Go through those kits every year and update clothing sizes and items with expirations.

COMMUNICATION

Have a hand-cranked radio, a no-battery required home telephone, and a cell phone with a back-up battery or solar charger. Several Walky-Talkies placed on the same station that extend a number of miles could also be effective for families living in the same area. Have coins to use in public telephones.

GATHERING PLACE

Determine as a family where you would meet if unable to reach one another. Also have an out-of-state contact which each of you could call to assure that everyone is okay, or what you are planning to do.

FUEL & TRAVEL

Consider ways to get about under varied conditions. Keeping your gas tank as full as possible is a first step. Have a good pair of shoes for walking. Have other means such as bicycles, wagons, ATV's, and/or horses.

CASH

Obtain what you need in small bills and some coin for at least 30 days.

WATER

Water is critical. Have reserves available, not only for drinking, but for cooking and hygiene needs. A survival ration is one gallon per day, per person. Have at the very least, a 2-week supply for each person. Keep several gallons in your car and also consider water purification methods and treatments.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL MEASURES

HEAT: Have battery & solar operated fans, spray bottles, sunglasses, hats & sunscreen. COLD: Have gloves, hats, coats, boots, & scarves. RAIN: Have waterproof ponchos & waterproof boots, with extra clothing.

ALTERNATIVE POWER/FUEL

Consider fireplaces & stoves for cold weather, storing no less then 4 cords for the winter. Consider a generator, and solar unit.

MEDICATIONS

A 3-month supply of prescription medications is best. Have over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies & essential oils on hand. Consider the need for natural antibiotics. Have potassium iodine on hand to protect the thyroid in the event of radiation. Give special consideration to those who need oxygen, daily injections, inhalers, etc.

FIRST AID & CPR

Have a good First Aid book and kit, CPR mask, splints, etc. Consider how to care for blisters on your feet and shoe pads. Know what needs to be done in any number of incidences that could occur in a disaster to ease pain, assist in healing & save life.

FOOD

It is recommended that every family should have a 30 to 90 day supply of food they are accustomed to eating. A one-year supply is ideal. START NOW! Stores either close immediately or are empty in less than 24 hours. Special dietary needs should also be considered. Grow a garden, plant fruit trees & berry bushes. Learn to bottle & dehydrate foods. Supplement with vitamins & minerals as well. Find a way & do it now!

COOKING & CLEANING SUPPLIES

Consider your cooking needs if there were no power: propane oven, stove & grill; charcoal grill, pit & dutch oven; wood fire pit; pots, pans, utensils, dishes, can openers, serving dishes, etc; towels, wash rags, wash bins, detergent, scouring pad; paper towels, paper & plastic dishware & utensils; tables and chairs.

SHELTER

Don't depend on someone else to shelter you against the elements. Hotels may be booked for miles. Be ready with your own tent, sleeping bags, tarps, etc... Consider how you will transport these items. If possible, have racks mounted on top of your vehicle, and/or have a transport trailer or camper.

LIGHTS

Make sure you have several sources of light such as flashlights, kerosene lamps, lanterns, candles, oil lamps, solar lights, and glow sticks. Don't forget batteries, matches, etc.

CLOTHING

Have clothing and footwear for heat and cold. Consider what you would wear in the heart of a snowy winter day without heat.

TOILETRIES

Have lotion, shampoo, soap, moist towelettes, make-up, powder, etc.

SANITATION

Know the principles of sanitation, how deep and how wide to dig an area for waste products, depending upon the size of your group. Have portable toilets, bags to enclose waste, disinfectants, etc. Consider how you will contain & dispose of garbage.

SPECIAL NEEDS

Consider the many needs of infants, the elderly, the handicapped, pets, other animals & livestock. Make a list and purchase!

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Have an ID, photo & birth certificates for each person. Have insurance papers, bank records, living wills, trusts, maps, addresses & phone numbers, etc., and place them in a water-proof receptacle.

Remember, disasters rarely come with a warning. I encourage you to calmly and quickly obtain information to educate & prepare yourself, NOW, while you are comfortable and safe, for TOMORROW may not be so!

Preparedness takes time, money, energy and ACTION… it's enemy is procrastination - "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"

So you see, the Law of Unintended Consequences cascaded through a series of events that caught everyone off-guard.

* What would happen in your city, home or family in the event of a local disaster/emergency?
* Are you prepared to shelter-in-place if necessary?
* Can you meet the needs of your family for an extended period of time if the much talked about pandemic finds its way to your area and a quarantine is imposed?

Are you prepared?

Response to the captioned photos in the last entry was quite enthusiastic. So I plan to continue to include additional photos as they're appropriate to the current entry's topic (and probably even if they aren't!). I DO think the following is totally apropos to today's entry!

President James E. Faust
Some have said, "We have followed this counsel in the past and have never had need to use our year's supply, so we have difficulty keeping this in mind as a major priority." Perhaps following this counsel could be the reason why they have not needed to use their reserve (Ensign, May 1986, p.22).

Making your own Laundry Detergent

2009-02-28T19:10:00.001-08:00

I am always looking for a bargain...though I'm not always a frugal shopper. A 'bargain' when buying laundry detergent, to me, is about 10 cents a load. So, when I read an article on MAKING laundry detergent, where it ends up being about 3 cents a load, I perked up and read on:

Homemade Laundry Detergent
Here’s what you need:
- 1 bar of soap (whatever kind you like; I used Lever 2000 because we have tons of bars of it from a case we bought a while back)
- 1 box of washing soda (look for it in the laundry detergent aisle at your local department store - it comes in an Arm & Hammer box and will contain enough for six batches of this stuff)
- 1 box of borax (this is not necessary, but I’ve found it really kicks the cleaning up a notch - one box of borax will contain more than enough for tons of batches of this homemade detergent - if you decide to use this, be careful)
- A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters - ask around - these aren’t too tough to acquire)
- Three gallons of tap water
- A big spoon to stir the mixture with
- A measuring cup
- A knife

Step One: Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling. While you’re waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of the bar of soap into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you’ll shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water.

Step Two: Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs worth of it. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax if you are using borax. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool.

And you’re done. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that’s a paler shade of the soap that you used (in our case, it’s a very pale greenish blue). One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent. Thus, out of three gallons, you’ll get about 48 loads of laundry. If you do this six times, you’ll have used six bars of soap ($0.99 each), one box of washing soda ($2.49 at our store), and about half a box of borax ($2.49 at our store, so $1.25) and make 288 loads of laundry. This comes up to a cost of right around three cents a load, or a savings of $70.

Plus, you can make slime in the kitchen - and have a legitimate reason for doing so!

A hammer in want of a nail is useless without the nail.

2009-02-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

I found an interesting Preparedness Site that listed some good ideas for things we may want to have on hand, and in our long-term storage. Even though we may have a half a dozen different lists, many (if any) will list things like nails, screws, etc.
------

Here is a short list of things that you may want to make sure that you have on-hand. With the economy continuing to spiral down, the idea of calling a handyman or general contractor to do small jobs is not going to be to savory to your bottom line. Its best if you have the materials to do it yourself.

* Nails (various sizes from picture hanging to framing nails)
* Screws (drywall and standard in a range of sizes all the way up to 3″)
* Staples (1/2″ to 3/4″)
* Glue (carpenters, and plain old white glue)
* Epoxy (either 2 part or the clay-like sticks)
* Wire (primary wire from the auto parts store works)
* Electrical Tape
* Duct Tape (yes, its on all other lists too, but its a lifesaver)
* PVC Glue and an assortment of spare fittings
* Solder and Flux (copper water pipe)
* Bailing Wire (right up there with duct tape in usefulness)
* Super Glue
* Roofing Cement
* Silicone Caulk

Let your mind wander, all the items listed above are one’s that I have found myself going to the store for or scrounging up somewhere for a repair job.

At the edge of your seat....(wink)

2009-02-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

I know many of you have been sitting at the edge of your seat waiting for me to post about making Wheat Sprout 'Bread'. So, I have FINALLY posted the information on my Sprout Post. Click here: SPROUTING

Also, today in Relief Society our preparedness Specialist shared with us information about a lady Wendy DeWitt on YouTube that shares through videos how to obtain our 3-month supplies.

Here is video 1 of 9:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGaTlwYs-s

(the other 8 will come up in the side bar at YouTube)

Pandemics and a 3 month supply

2009-02-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here is an article that explains the necessity of accumulating at least a 3 month supply of what your family normally eats.

"About a month ago a seminar was put on by Dr. Susan Puls, who is a cardiologist appointed by the First Presidency of the Church as the head of the church's pandemic committee. She said she was not an expert on pandemics as this was not her speciality, but in the two years she's been in her position, is fast becoming one. She now works for the church on a full-time basis working on planning for the pandemic and trying to get the word out to as many church members as possible.There were about 1400 people at the Saturday all-day seminar.In her capacity, she works with the governor's pandemic committee and the federal pandemic planning agency. She also said a pandemic is coming - not 'maybe' but is DEFINITELY coming. She says -the pandemic is expected within the next two years but she personally believes it will be 'sooner rather than later..' The various groups (CDC, WHO, etc..) do not know what the pandemic will be but 'first among their list of suspects is the avian bird flu. It's only one mutation away from being easily transmitted from birds to humans and from human to human.'_She said the World Health Organization expects 40% of the world population to become sick. Of those who become sick, they expect 50% will die.
If you do the math - there are over 6 billionpeople on the earth today - that puts the death rate at over 1.4 billion people - and she says these deaths will happen over only a 3 to 4 month period of time.Dr. Puls related that when the pandemic hits the US , mandatory quarantine's of all infected and NON-INFECTED peoples will occur within the first 48 hours.
Only emergency personnel (Dr's, nurses, firemen, police, national guardsmen, etc..) will be allowed to leave their homes - not even to go to the store, etc..
This quarantine will last during the duration of the 'pandemic cycle' which will last approximately three months.Her main point was that everyone will need a *MINIMUM of 3 months supply of food at home* as the governments of the world will be overwhelmed within the first week and cannot be counted on to provide food, medical help, etc.. she only briefly spoke on the 'social disruption' that will occur and did not go into any detail about what plans may, or may not exist, to deal with this. However - think about this - if your neighbors (both those you know and strangers) run out of food and are starving how might they react? Then think of all the individuals who already live outside of the law and are only 'controlled' by our current legal system. How might they react when law enforcement becomes ineffectual due to illness among the ranks and those who abandon their jobs to stay home and protect their own families. Ditto for the national guard and our own military.This isn't to scare anyone - just to provide a 'heads up' as 'to be forewarned is to be forearmed.' "/That's the end of the e mail. I try and check theauthenticity of e-mails such as this so I Googled Dr. Puls and was eventually linked to the Church's Provident Living Website and was surprised to find that they have a section on Pandemic Planning under Home and Family Preparedness.
http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8041-1-4414-1,00.html The government also had a website: http://www.pandemicflugov/plan/tab3.html I found it very interesting that in the Church's new pamphlets on food storage, they recommend building your supply up to a three months supply.
As you can see in the article, Dr. Puls states that everyone will need a minimum of three months supply of food at home. I think this quote from Elder Perry's Conference Talk (Oct 2008) has application here:*/Thoreau's final necessity was fuel. /*We have been hearing a lot about fuel and energy-about their high cost and limited supply, our unsafe and unpredictable dependence on their suppliers, and the needfor new and sustainable sources of energy. I leave the discussion of these complicated issues to leaders of government and industry. The fuel I want to discuss is spiritual fuel. The Lord has given us a beautiful plan about how we can return to Him, but the completion of our mortal journey requires spiritual fuel. We want to emulate the five wise virgins, who had stored sufficient fuel to accompany the bridegroom when he came (see Matthew25:6-10 <http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/25/6-10>).
What is required to maintain a sufficient store of spiritual fuel? We must acquire knowledge of God's eternal plan and our role in it, and then by living righteously, surrendering our will to the will of the Lord, we receive the promised blessings. As Elder William R. Bradford taught at this pulpit: "In righteousness there is great simplicity. In every case that confronts us in life there is either a right way or a wrong way to proceed. If we choose the right way, we are sustained in our actions by the principles of righteousness, in the which there is power from the heavens. If we choose the wrong way and act on that choice, there is no such heavenly promise or power, and we are alone and are destined to fail"("Righteousness," /Liahona,/ Jan. 2000,103;/ Ensign,/ Nov.. 1999, 85).I am so grateful for membership in this church and for the counsel we receive! I really can't think of any area of our lives where the church doesn't provide needed direction for us. And we are promised, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30)

Thinking Outside the Box

2009-02-15T14:20:00.001-08:00

For those who really 'know' me, they know that I am somewhat fascinated in self-reliance, preparedness, long-term supply, etc. I will find myself immersed, reading article after article down an interesting tangent. (Such as uses for the common Dandelion, or how much of a certain item should I store)

Well, more recently I have tried to hone in on what is most important in all of this 'fluff and stuff' I am delving into. I still haven't came up with an astounding solution, but I am realizing that, ya...it's VERY important to be prepared, and have things 'laid up in store'. But it is also important to seek knowledge and understanding. So maybe all my reading really isn't 'fluff and stuff'. (though I DO need to make priorities, like cleaning the house, feeding my family. LOL) Even if just a portion of what I read sticks, then just maybe I can derive a skill from the stored knowledge, when necessary. (like if i learn how to make a poultice for a sting, or a bite...when/if there isn't a doctor available, it might be a helpful tidbit of information.)

Right now I have the WWW at my fingertips. Endless information and articles that I can glen from. What happens when/if at some point in my future I won't have access to the WWW, what then?!

My sister and I are wanting to compile a comprehensive and enlightening manual/binder on some of the more functional and important things a family or individual might need to know...in the event that civilization as we know it, isn't at our fingertips.

Anyone who has any ideas or suggestions as to what some of the more essential elements (and sub elements) would be good to include, would be wonderful.

Now where to draw the line. I want to have in my manual basic information on such things from First Aid, to canning tips, to basic farm animal knowledge, etc. But do I extend to the extent of how to make cheese (Since I plan on including basic farm animal information). Or how to make soap (since I will include items needed for hand washing clothes in the extensive list of items needed in a long-term supply.) Or how to grow an herb garden (since under First Aid I want to include basic herbal remedies)

As you can see, I could go on and on with the tangents and side roads. So, how do you make a basic and comprehensive manual without getting too overwhelming, yet still getting across the necessary and needed information?

One idea I had is to have the main manual strictly for basic categories or information. Not delving in too deeply. But then having the ability to add to or 'plug in' sub categories or pamphlets. Like the section on what items of clothing you might want to 'lay up in store' might have pamphlets that include how to 'tan a hide', or how to crochet or knit. Or if there is a section on orchards, maybe include a subsection or available pamphlet on canning, dehydration or other methods to store the fruit.

Ok...now I am going to do a 'hands on' experiment. Jakob has an abscess on his gum, above a tooth that has a cavity. He is going to probably need antibiotics, and to see a dentist. Which we plan to do (unfortunately we are in the middle of a 3 day weekend). What say that we didn't have access to either antibiotics OR a Dentist? Then what?

I would turn to my hypothetical manual, look under the section of 'First Aid' or 'Medical'. And then maybe I would have a subsection (or available pamphlet) that delved into the world of herbs. How to grow them, how to use them, etc. This might be what I find, to help me with Jakob's tooth (after all of the warnings to 'first see your doctor', and author holds no responsibility for results, etc):

Raw Garlic
Family: Amaryllidacae, Genus and Species : Allium sativum

Garlic has a long proven history as an effective antibiotic, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antifungal. It was used in WWI to prevent wound infections and by Albert Schweitzer to treat dysentery in Africa. The Russians used it in WWII when their supply of penicillin was scarce. It's active compound allicin, is as useful an agent against staph and strep as some of the heaviest hitting meds, and has even been shown to kill antibiotic-resistant strains of these bacteria. It is a broad-spectrum anibiotic and has often been called a "wonder drug". Herbalists recommend eating one clove of chopped raw garlic two to three times per day (added to food). Garlic Oil can also be taken internally. Place 20-30 drops in your ear for ear infections, three times a day. Ideally a raw clove is chewed or crushed. It can also be applied directly to the skin. Try taking deodorized garlic capsules three times per day if you are worried about garlic breath. ~http://www.reikinurse.com/naturalabx.html
-------

Unfortunately we can't fill a cavity or do a root canal on our own, so at some point a dentist is necessary...whether one is homesteading, or not. The alternative would be to extract the tooth. Thank goodness we are not at that point. A trip to the dentist IS possible. ;)

Sprouts &Tire Gardening

2009-02-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I promised more information on Sprouts. (I left a 'teaser' on my family blog...I will have to get to the tire gardening at another time, another post)

Alfalfa Sprouts
Add 2 Tablespoons of alfalfa seeds to a quart-size jar.

Fill jar with water and cover with 2 layers of cheese cloth or a piece of nylon stocking. Screw a screw-band onto jar over the stocking, or just put a rubber-band around it.

Soak the seeds overnight.

In the morning, drain the seeds and prop in your sink so the jar is at a slant.

Rinse the seeds 3 or 4 times a day, then prop and leave the jar at a slant to drain.

When the seeds have grown to fill the jar, they are ready to eat. This takes about 3 or 4 days. make sure that you are rinsing the seeds 3-4 times a day (seed will stop sprouting, if it is too dry, and it will mold if too wet) You can taste them along the way, and eat them whenever they have grown to your personal liking.

Once they are done sprouting, you can store the jar in the refrigerator and they will keep for about a week.

Wheat Sprouts in a colander:
(It is important to note that wheat that has been stored in the #10 cans from the cannery will not sprout because it has been treated with the oxygen packets added upon canning. The chemical in the oxygen packets treats the wheat so it will not sprout. Also, if you have been storing your wheat outside or in the garage, it likely will not sprout because the heat, especially in hot climates like AZ, cooks the wheat and once it's been 'cooked' it will not sprout. Keep a container of 'sprouting' wheat in your pantry, or cupboard)

Put desired amount of whole wheat in a jar or a bowl and put enough water to at least double the depth of the wheat. (This allows for the wheat to swell while soaking). Soak the wheat over night.

In the morning, pour the wheat into a colander and rinse really well.

Rinse 3 or 4 times throughout the day including one time right before you go to bed.

In the morning, if you see a very small sprout coming out of one end of the wheat, your sprouts are ready to eat. Taste them and if you want them a little softer and sprouted just a little longer, you can leave them sprouting for the rest of the day, making sure to rinse them a couple of times. You don't want to leave wheat sprouts to sprout too long because they will start to get a 'green' taste and lose their sweetness. Once they have sprouted to your liking, put them in a container with a lid and store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Wheat Sprout Bread
Pus as many cups of wheat as desired in a food processor with the knife blade attachment. It is important to get enough or else you will not be able to get a good gluten worked up, so at least a minimum of 2 or 3 cups of sprouts. Turn on your food processor for a few seconds, then stop to scrape the sides of the bowl. Turn back on again for a few seconds. Continue this process of running, stopping, and scraping until your wheat sprouts are a big ball of sticky dough-like substance. (It will be pretty stiff, sticky stuff) If needed, add a Tablespoon or 2 of water, if your sprouts are too dry and are not sticking together. Be careful not to add too much water or you will have a flat loaf. Once your gluten is well developed (meaning your sprouts are holding together well into a 'dough') sprinkle a baking sheet or baking stone with sesame seeds to prevent your bread from sticking, and put your dough in a big glob in the middle of the sesame seeds. Bake in a 225* oven for about 3 hours, until you have a nice crust around the outside of the bread.

helpful hints: you may want to do at least 2 loafs, to 'justify' having the oven on for 3 hours. (maybe even a good time to make jerky or dehydrate something?)

Also, a food processor IS necessary. I tried doing it in my Bullet Blender. No dice! Not enough 'torque', and ya...I smelled the motor. Plus, it didn't blend it well enough, to get the gluten going. (when it gets stringy, that is when you know when the gluten is activated.) So, I had a flat, and not very tasty lump of something. ;)

1 Year Food Storage

2009-02-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Exactly What Does a Basic 1 Year Food Storage for 1 Person Look Like?
These are the MINIMUM Basic Amounts of Food Needed for Survival for ONE PERSON for ONE YEAR:

DO YOU REALLY THINK YOUR READY TO LIVE ON THESE SURVIVAL RATIONS.

BARE-MINIMUM LDS Church Food storage requirements for
1 adult male for 1 year Appx. 2,300 calories per day. (only 695lbs total)

This will keep you fed, but leave you hungry.
TOTAL FOOD PER DAY = 24.65 Ounces

Grains (400lbs)
Unless your family already eats 100% whole wheat homemade bread, white flour should be used in the transition process to whole wheat.
Adding rye flour (10%) helps make wheat bread a more
complete protein. Dent corn is used to make tortillas.

Beans & Legumes (90lbs)
{minimum reduced to only 60lbs in 2002}
Black beans cook quickly, make a good salad complement with a vinaigrette dressing over them.
Soybeans can be used to make soy milk and tofu, a protein food you should be prepared to make.
Familiarize yourself with sprouting techniques.
Learn how to make wheat grass juice - the best vitamin supplement you can use.

Milk-Dair products (75lbs)
{minimum reduced to only 16lbs in 2002}
Milk powder can be used to make cottage cheese, cream cheese and hard cheeses.
Ideally your milk should be fortified with Vitamins A & D.
When reconstituting aerate to improve flavor (special mixing pitchers can accomplish this). Whole eggs are the best all-purpose egg product.
Powdered sour cream has a limited shelf life unless frozen.

Meats / Meat substitute (20lbs)
{minimum reduced to only 0lbs in 2002}
Use meat in soups, stews and beans for flavor. Freeze dried is the best option for real meat. Textured Vegetable protein is the main alternative to freeze dried meats.

Fats / Oils (20lbs)
This group can boost the calories one is getting from food storage products, and supply essential fatty acids.

Sugars (60lbs)
Store your honey in 5 gallon pails.
Candy and other sweets can help with appetite fatigue.

Fruits / Vegetables (90lbs)
{minimum reduced to only zero lbs in 2002}
Some fruits and vegetables are best dehydrated, others freeze dried (strawberries & blueberries).
Fruits are a nice addition to hot cereal, muffins, pancakes and breads.

Auxiliary foods (weight varies)
Vanilla extract improves the flavor of powdered milk. T
he production of tofu requires a precipitator such as nigari, epsom salt, calcium chloride or calcium sulfide (good calcium source).
Learn how to make and use wheat gluten (liquid smoke adds good flavor).

Chocolate syrup and powdered drink mixes help with appetite fatigue.
Vitamins and protein powders will boost the nutrition levels of foods that may have suffered losses during processing.

Note:

For an average adult Female - multiply the weight by 0.75

For children ages 1-3 multiply by 0.3, 4-6 multiply by 0.5, 7-9 multiply by 0.75
For adults engaged in manual labor multiply by 1.25-1.50
_______________

Wheat

2009-02-09T10:07:00.001-08:00

The more I read about wheat, the more versatile I realize it is. The article I mentioned in my previous post had a statement about grains: “Remember the counsel that is given: ‘Store up all your grain,’ and take care of it! Prize it above gold and
silver, above rich clothing, and fine apparel, and above everything else except the bread of life!”
~ Orson Hyde, JD, vol. 5:17, p. 17

There are those who are allergic to wheat, and can't consume it in most of it's forms. If you grow wheat (wheat grass) there is no gluten involved. Which is often what causes the allergic reactions Rice & Corn do not contain gluten.

I found a website that gives various recipes on how to use wheat, and it has some other great information about wheat. It is called 'Wheat Montana'. I have considered ordering some wheat from there. The 'soft white wheat' sounds really good.

Here is another quote that I found in the pamphlet I referenced to in my previous post:
“There is more security in wheat, than in all the political schemes of the world, and also more
power in it than in all the contending armies of the nations...
“They have sold themselves for naught, and must be redeemed without money!’ It will take
wheat to redeem them! ...it will preach the ‘gathering’ more eloquently, successfully, and extensively than
all the missionaries that we can send out to sweep through the nations,..” ~ Orson Hyde, JD, 1:207
“The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat” ~ Brigham Young,
JD, 1943 ed., 1:250, p.29

'Really' Using your food storage

2009-02-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have a weakness for perusing preparedness blogs, discovering interesting tidbits of information. There are SO many that I would love to post on my blog, but then this blog would be much more sporadic then it is.

I just discovered an interesting article that the church published in 2005. It is on 'Using only the ingredients contained in the One-Month Basic Food Storage' Wow! It talks about everything from Sprouting, to Baby Foods, to growing Wheat grass. It gives recipes that can be used from your basic food storage. I really, really like this...and I want to print it, and put it in a preparedness binder. (that I have yet to compile)

Survival Ration Bar

2009-02-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Survival Ration Bar

3 cups cereal (oatmeal, barley flakes or wheat flakes)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 package citrus flavored gelatin
1 cup white sugar
Optional: (chocolate chips or mixed fruit)

Directions for mixing:
Place all dry ingredients (except gelatin) into mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of water to the honey and bring it to a boil. Dissolve the gelatin in the honey-water mixture, then add it all to the dry ingredients. After mixing well, add water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture is barely moist enough to be molded. Pack in a refrigerator dish or other mold. This recipe makes two bars (each bar 1/2 the size of a match box), or drop on cookie sheet (bite size for eating).

Each bar will provide about 1,000 calories and is sufficient food for one day. It can be eaten dry, or cooked with about 2/3 of a canteen cup full of water.

The bars may be placed in the oven and dried under very low heat -- 250 degrees F., then wrapped in foil and stored indefinitely in a covered container (rotating every 6 months to a year).

(Source: Handout from Utah Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, "72 Hour Emergency Survival Kit - Plus - Food & Water Storage)

NOTE: The size package of gelatin was not specified, nor the amount of time required for drying in the oven in these instructions. I tried googling to see if I could find any specific amounts and was not successful. Your best guess will have to do until we hear from someone who has actually tried these. :)

Pressure Canning

2009-01-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post this for quite some time, now. A couple of weeks ago we did some Pressure Canning. Let's just say I'm a bit addicted. We Pressure Canned Pinto Beans, and Roast Beef.

Caroline did the Pinto Beans. (I actually did some Pinto, Red and Black Beans a couple of months back)

This is the Roast Beef.

Aren't these Pressure Canners awesome? I am trying really hard not to covet them. LOL

We have already used the beef to make bbq roast beef sandwiches, and also beef enchiladas. Both were a hit with the family. (except one little picky eater we won't mention...he liked it, but he was funny about everything that went into the enchilada mix.)

Washing clothes by Hand...

2009-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

I just got done reading a blog entry on washing clothes by hand. Very informative, and a GREAT idea. I remember about 8 years ago that I had one of those 'hand crank' little washer containers. Where you put the clothes in, close the lid, and then rotate or 'crank' the handle. This tutorial I just got done reading sounds like a much better solution. PLUS, there are more then one uses for the bucket and plunger (well, if you use the plunger for that you might not want to use it again for washing your clothes). plus, not as much 'wasted space' in your storage room. ;)

This might be a good solution for a friend of mine that doesn't have a washer, and has had to do her laundry in her tub a few times. (when there isn't any extra money to go to the laundry mat)

Water Storage - Testimonial

2009-01-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

This was forwarded from a family who lives up in
Washington. Here are three important points, derived from the article:
1) quantity of water
2) quality of water
3) usage tips (pressure rinse spraying the dishes)

I thought I'd share some experiences we had from
this previous storm cycle. As some of you know, we live in an old
house with nuthin' but crawlspace betwixt us and the ground. All our
plumbing is hanging out there in the breeze. We've insulated it of
course, but if the temps go much below 20F for more than a few hours,
that usually penetrates the insulation and we get blockages. Well,
during this last storm cycle, our pipes were frozen for a full 7 days.
We knew that a blockage was likely, and we've had them before, so we
had what we thought was plenty of water saved up in advance. We have
close to 400 liters of water in our pantry, stored in 200 2-liter soft
drink containers that we've used and saved over the years. Very handy
storage method by the way. For our livestock, we have a 300 gallon
stock tank, two 100 gallon tanks, a 20 gallon tank, two 15 gallon
tanks, and four 55 gallon poly drums as backup. All of those were
filled prior to the freeze.

And then we started using it all.

For fresh drinking water, meal prep, sponge baths and dish washing
(ie, anything in direct contact with food or our bodies), we would use
the 2 liter bottles. We went through about 7 of those a day for a
total of 14 liters per day, or 7 liters per person. Sorta blows that
"1 gallon/person/day" estimate right out of the water, no pun
intended. Keep in mind that did NOT include water for flushing the
toilet, and it most certainly (sadly) did not include showers. Also
keep in mind that we've done this before, so our no-tap water usage is
well practiced and very efficient. I did dishes once/day, using a
single basin for all the sudsing, then a pressure-sprayer for the
rinsing, which is WAY more efficient than simply pouring the 2 liter
bottle contents over everything. Also keep in mind that we drank a
lot of non-water drinks, like milk, and non-dehydrated pantry items
like canned soups, which cut consumption too. So there is very little
room for reducing that number without dramatically impacting quality
of life (or health). Our household consumption rate became an
irritation, and made us reconsider how long our 2 liter supply would
last, but it never became an emergency. We only ended up using about
1/3 of our stores in that regard.

As sobering as that was, our livestock water came within a few hours
of reaching critical. Normal consumption rates for animals are
roughly: 15 gallons/non-lactating cow/day, 7 gallons/horse/day, 1
gallon/2 non-lactating goats/day, 1 gallon/20 chickens/day, 1 gallon/4
non-lactating rabbits/day, and 1 gallon/2 non-lactating pigs/day.
With those approximations, we go through between 50-70 gallons/day for
the farm, so our 750 gallons of water should have been plenty. We
busted through the ice as much as we could the first few days for the
animals' usual water sources. But the buildup of ice consumed as much
water as the animals themselves, which had the effect of boosting the
average daily consumption. In other words, the cold "consumed" water
at the same rate as the animals. We used the 300 gallon stock tank
for all the animals that didn't have individual stock tanks. That 300
gallon tank remained almost ice-free for the first 3 days, but then we
lost more and more water to the ice as the volume of water decreased.
The water in the individual tanks in each yard filled with ice too,
and if we chipped away the ice such that it went out on the ground,
that was water we'd never get back. And finally, because the water
tanks started to freeze up, they began to suspend foreign matter in
the ice like dead leaves, dirt, or whatever blew into the tanks during
the several windy days we had. So that ice was rendered unfit for
consumption too. We were also drawing water from the 300 gallon stock
tank to flush our toilet once/day, which drew it down further.

When the 300 gallon tank reached bottom, we probably still had 50
gallons worth of ice that we couldn't use, and by then the individual
tanks were also nicely contaminated. So we turned to the standby
barrels, but alas we lost fully 1/3 of our volume there to ice too.
To cut to the chase, we "burned" through our entire 750 gallons
reserved for livestock use in that 7 day period. And that number
would have been a lot higher if the animals didn't have the option to
eat snow, which we saw them doing (even the chickens did that). Had
the water pipes not un-frozen that last afternoon, we were looking at
pulling water out of two unreliable sources - our old well and a pond
near the house. We already know those water sources are not fit for
human consumption and I really didn't want to have the animals
drinking it either.
So, I go through all this record keeping for one reason - sometimes
even our best forward-looking plans are thwarted by conditions that
only become apparent when it's too late to do anything about it. In
this context, we thought we had plenty of water for the one storm, but
those storms kept coming and our supply was almost exhausted before
the storm cycle eased off. We're going to drastically bump up our
estimates for what water reserves we need and ways to ensure we have
it in the future. I hope all of you take a good hard look at what
water stores you have, and how those stores might not stretch quite as
far as you'd like to think they will. Look at it now and pad your
supplies a little more before you find yourself running dry like we
almost did.
Kathryn

Recipes, using every day food storage.

2009-01-11T16:38:00.001-08:00

My Sister-in-law, Sarah, sent me some recipes that look YUMMY! They are from the blog: everydayfoodstorage. I have perused this blog a few times, and really like what I see. Love, love, love all the pictures of the completed recipes. I am a visual type of person. At the site she states: 'don’t we all eat with our eyes first?' For sure!

Here is a link to some printable recipes, that look scrumptious. Sarah said she was planning on trying the banana pineapple freeze, I hope she does and posts a comment on how it turns out.

The Twelve Months of Preparedness

2009-01-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

This last few days I have been 'itching' to get out and put some seeds in the ground...but unfortunately I need to prepare a little better before I can start on my garden. It would seem I am already too late for things like peas (sniff), lettuce, broccoli, and such. And it's a bit early for tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. (but I could start some tomatoes inside)

Well, today I was reading an article from the Meridian Magazine, and it talked about having a garden (among many other things) I really enjoyed the article, so thought I would put a link here: The Twelve Months of Preparedness.

I will prepare

2009-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

I went to an interesting site for the first time, today. It is I will Prepare. I haven't had an opportunity to delve much into it, but I like what I have seen so far. It gives instructions how to build water barrel stands, solar ovens, etc. It gives preparedness ideas and methods...and there are a LOT more interesting and helpful things that I haven't had the opportunity to check out, yet.

Food Storage - Is it still good??

2009-01-04T10:35:00.001-08:00

I came upon a post at another preparedness site. It talks about some safety tips for knowing 'How old is too old' for your food storage.

Give a gift of Preparedness

2008-12-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Give a Gift of Preparedness for any Occasion......

Christmas, Birthdays, Valentines, Anniversaries, Mothers/Fathers Day, Easter, or Whenever!

Items with sayings-

~Flashlights ~100 Hour Candles ~Matches ~Oil Lamp with oil ~Candles

“You light up my day/life”

“May your Christmas be Merry and Bright”

“You are so bright”

“Let your light so shine”

“We love how you light up our lives, we've come to depend on your glow. Here's a Flashlight to store, so you'll

always be sure, to create light wherever you go.”

~Matches

“No one matches you as friends/neighbors/family.”

~Seeds

“The kindness you show, makes our friendship/love grow and grow”

~Paper Towels (1, 3, 6, ect. Month supply)

“Blot your troubles; absorb the Christmas Spirit”

~Hand Egg Beater/Blender

“Have an Eggstra Special Holiday”

~Wheat Grinder

“Grind away your worries; have a special day”

“Just Grind right into a loaf of bread; happy holidays”

~Fire Extinguisher

“My love Burns for you; Happy Valentines/Anniversary”

~Solar Oven

“Here's a little help for Sunshine to brighten your day”

~Honey (Any size, with honey dipper & bow on top)

“Bee Prepared; Have a happy Holiday”

“Bee-cause you are great neighbors; Happy Holidays”

~Hand Crank Radio or Ham Radio

“Tuning into a great neighbor/friend/son, ect.; Happy Holidays”

“Tune into my heart full of love/friendship for you”

~Filled Basket of any individual Items

“Wishing you a basketful of Preparedness/Holiday blessings”

~ Sleeping Cots

“I “cot” the Preparedness bug, and now you can catch it too”

~Jars of Jam (3, 6, 9, or 12 month supply)

“Hoping you have a hoilday jam-packed with fun!”

“Have a “Berry” nice holiday season/mothers day.”

~Cocoa Mix (Purchase a case from the cannery)

“Wishing you a warm and wonderful Christmas/new years/birthday/Valentines day”

~Pasta (Purchase a case of Macaroni from the Cannery)

“Have a “pasta-tively” happy holiday/birthday/new year”

~Muffin Mix (3, 6, 9, or 12 year supply)

“You're getting “Muffin” for Christmas.”

~Popcorn(3, 6, 9, or 12 month supply)

“Just “popping” by with a Holiday/Birthday hi!”

~Soup (homemade jars of dry mix or a supply of canned soup)

“Wishing you a “Souper” Holiday Season/birthday, ect.”

“We wish you a Wonderful Holiday/Birthday “simmering” gently with love.”

~Washboard & Clothes Wringer or Washclothes & Dishtowels

“This Christmas/birthday/mothers day, you deserve the best, a present unlike all the rest. We considered a new car or an exotic cruise... but decided on something you could really use. Finally we found you a gift to admire,

We hope you enjoy your new Washer & Dryer!!

~Jarred Bread & Recipe (3, 6, 9, or 12 month Supply)

“We're not “Loafing” around when we say you're the best mom/neighbors, ect. Happy holidays/birthday,ect.”

~Jarred Butter or Powdered Butter

“You “butter” have a very Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday, ect.”

~Chocolate Chips (3, 6, 9, or 12 year supply)

“However the “Chips” may fall, we wish you a Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday, ect. All in all!”

~Pancake Mix & Syrup (3, 6, 9, or 12 year supply)

“We are “pouring out” Christmas/birthday wishes and hoping you have a Christmas/Birthday “Flip-over”

~Rope/Bungee cords/Straps for years supply

“May your Birthday/Holidays be “tied” up with festive fun!”

~Batteries

“Twas the night before Christmas and Santa was worried, he had an emergency, boy was he flurried! The power was off, and his flashlight was dead, he didn't buy Batteries” when Mrs. S. said. We wouldn't want you in a similar plight, so we give you batteries to lighten your night. Merry Christmas to you, may you walk in the light”

~Cannery Fruit Drink Mix

“Pouring out” Christmas/Birthday cheer to you and yours!”

~Any Preparedness Book (Canning, survival, recipe, gardening, ect.)

“May the message of this book fill your heart and home with love and safety this Christmas Season.”

Individual Item Ideas Big & Small-
(Wrap them up, put a bow on top, stuff them in stockings)

~Sewing Kit

~Blankets

~Cots

~Sleeping Bags

~Hand Crank Radio

~Pressure Canner

~Metal Dinnerware

~Hand Crank/Shaker Flashlights

~Food Storage Buckets with Lids

~Any Item from the Cannery- Single Can or Case of 6 with a

~Hand Can Opener

(Add a recipe corresponding with the food to the top with a bow)

~Tarps with no tear grips & straps

~Tents

~Water Bath

~Cast Iron Cookware or Dutch Oven

~Canning Jars & Lids

~100 hour Candles

~Books- Recipe/Survival/Canning/ Gardening

~Non-Hybrid Seeds

~Rope/Bungee cords/straps

Gift Baskets or Packs-
(Add to or Take Away Items, to make it cost affective)

Sewing Box/Basket

Safety Pins(all sizes) needles, thread(heavy/lightweight), buttons, zippers, iron-on patches, shoelaces, sewing

patterns, material, stove top iron -vintage

Emergency Car Kit/Bag

Food, water, first-aid kit, blanket, flashlight, gas siphon, wipes, Kleenex/T.P, map/compass, cash, pad/pencil,

cards/activities, flares, matches, jumper cables, calling card, extinguisher, a reminder to add spare keys and

walking shoes/socks.

Potty Bucket
“Hope you don't have a crappy day”

Toilet(bucket & seat), T.P., hand sanitizer, baby wipes, garbage bags(for lining bucket), gift card to purchase

feminine products.

First Aid Kit

list is endless, purchase already made, or create your own.

Emergency Family Activity Basket/Rubbermade Container/Box

Board games, cards, dominoes, coloring books/crayons, game/activity books, pencils/sharpeners, puzzles.

Water Pak

30 0r 55 gallon Barrels, hand pump, barrel wrench, Filter, water purification tablets/liquid, white hose.

Keeping your Mouth Happy Basket (3, 6, 9, or 12 month supply)

Toothbrushes (1 per month, per person) Toothpaste (1 lrg. per month per person) Dental Floss (1 a month per person) Mouthwash (1 bottle per 2 months per person) Toothrepair kit(fillings, picks, ect can be bought at store)

72 Hour Kit/bag/backpack

There are a lot of different ideas and lists. Remember to add a reminder to pack clothes and shoes.

Lighting the Way Basket

Add any and all kinds of ways to light. Candles, flashlights, matches, oil lamps, lightsticks, lighters, ect.

A Gift that keeps Giving Basket

Non-Hybrid Seeds, small garden tools, sprouter, gloves, seed starter, watering can.

Basket of Preparedness Books

Canning, recipe, survival, herb/plant, gardening, ect.

Laundry Gift Tub (packed in large tub)

Clothes line, bag of clothes pins, hand crank clothes wringer, laundry soap or gift card, wash board, scrub brush

Keeping You Connected, Communications Gift Basket

Hand crank radio, signal mirror, signal whistle, road flares, calling card, quarters/cash, map, pre-stamped

postcards, document to be filled out entitled friends and family phone numbers/addresses with your name already on the list to start.

Dutch Oven, any size

Add dutch oven liners, hot pads, lifter, cook/use book

Cooking Gift Basket (3, 6, 9, or 12 month supply)

Plastic wrap, heavy duty foil, zip lock bags (all sizes), wooden/metal spoons, tongs, spatulas, colander/stainer,

cheesecloth, dish towels

A to Z Preparedness Items

2008-12-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

PREPAREDNESS ITEMS NEEDED IN A CRISIS OR DISASTER

This list covers a variety of conditions - being able to stay in the home after a crisis, as well as having to leave your home because of a disaster.

Some of these items are obvious luxuries which would bring comfort in a time of crisis. Prepare for a variety of scenarios.

Alarm:
Carbon Monoxide - Battery Powered

Aluminum Foil:
Regular & Heavy Duty, also for Make-Shift Items (See “Cardboard”)

Arts & Crafts:
Paints, Colored Pencils, Glue, Beads, Art Paper, etc.

Appliances:
Wheat grinder-Hand & Electric, Blender, Mixer, Crock Pot

Electric Fry Pan-Roaster, Toaster, Pressure Cooker (Electric with Solar)

Babies:
Diapers, Formula, Ointments, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Wipes, etc.

Backpacks-Duffle Bags

Batteries:
Re-chargeable, Non-rechargeable, Solar Batteries

Battery Chargers:
Electric & Solar

Beds:
Cots, Mattresses, Tri-Fold Pads, Frames, Mats

Bedding:
Sleeping Bags, Blankets, Pillows, Sheet Sets, Throws, Quilts

Bicycles:
Tires, Tubes, Pumps, Chains, etc

Bleach:
Plain, not scented: 4-6% sodium hypochlorite

Books:
Scriptures, Religious, Camping, Survival, Educational, Relaxation & Entertainment

Bugs:
Mosquito Coils, Repellents, Sprays, Skin So Soft, Fly Swatters

Canning Supplies:
Canner, Jars, Lids, Wax, Timer, Markers

Cardboard:
Have on hand to construct make-shift survival items for others who do not have these things such as sun ovens, coal ovens, refrigerators, etc. Patterns are available trough internet & books.

Cleaning Supplies:
Disinfectant, Scrubbies, Dish Detergent, Window

Clothing & Shoes:
Cold Weather, Outerwear, Underwear, Night Wear, Sunday Wear, Athletic Shoes, Boots, Sandles, Water Shoes

Cookware:
Cast Iron, Electric skillet (Solar), Pressure Cooker, Pots,Pans

Communications:
Ham Equipment, Frequency List Books, Radios, Walkie-Talkies, Flare Signals, Mirror-Signals

Chests of Drawers:
To contain and transport items

Disinfectant:
Bleach-Non Scented, 6-6% Sodium Hypochlorite, Anti-Bacterial Soap, Disinfectant Sprays & Wipes

Essential Oils:
Distiller, Droppers, Spray Dispensers, Empty Bottles & a Variety of Oils as an alternative means of medicine, cleaner, ect.

Electrical Access:
Power strips and Multiple Size Extension Cords to connect to Solar Unit

Entertainment:
cards, books, board games, crayons, ect.

Eye Glasses:
Reading and Prescription

Fire:
Extinguishers, Baking soda, Matches, Lighter Fluid, Fire Starters

First Aid Kits:
Basic First Aid Kit, Trauma Kit , Suture Kit

Fishing:
Poles, Lines, Supplies & Tools

Flooring:
Tarps, Rubber Squares, Carpets, Outdoor Mats

Food:
Drinks, Oils, Baking Goods, Canned Goods, Drinks, Grains, Legumes, Milk Products, Dry Packed Meals, MRE’s, Snacks, Spices, Sweeteners, Thickeners

Furniture:
Chairs, Tables, TV with DVD player, Shelving, Chests, Beds, Kitchen set-up, PVC Pipe Bathroom Cubicle

Food Storage:
#10 Cans, Buckets, Bucket Lid Opener, Diatomaceous Earth, Oxygen Absorbers,

Fuel:
Propane, Kerosene, Lighter Fluid, Charcoal, Wood, Gas, Siphons, Pumps, Funnels

Games:
Games, Cards, Dice, Timer, Pads & Pencils

Garbage Bags:
Several sizes

Garbage Cans:
For Garbage, Transporting & Water

Garden Basics:
Square Boxes & Grids, Seeds, Tools, Water Pail

Garden Soil:
Compost, Peat Moss, Coarse Vermiculite (1/3rd each)

Genealogy:
Family Histories, Search & Result Files, Forms

Generators:
Gas Generator, Solar Generator

Guns:
Rifles, Hand Guns, Ammunition, Cleaning tools, Holsters

Hooks & Hanging Cubbies:
Use hooks on vertical poles in tent

Hygiene Needs:
Body, Hair, Dental, Feminine, Nails, & Shaving, Facial Products, Make-up, Curling Iron/Curlers

Ice Chests:
insulated (Also keeps things from freezing in winter)

Important Papers:
Bank Records, Birth Certificates, Church Records, Deeds, Medical Records, Certifications, Wills, Genealogy.

Insulation:
For Windows, Tents, Make-Shift items (See “Cardboard”)

Journals:
Diaries, Scrapbooks, Journals, Personal History

Kitchen Aides:
Can openers, Egg Beater, Whisks, Timer, Cooking Utensils-Spoons, Grater, Drainer, Bowls, Colander, Cutting Board

Knives:
Files, Stones, Steel, Hunting Knives, Pocket Knives & Kitchen

Laundry:
Clothes Line, Clothes Pins, Hangers, Detergent, Washboards, Mop bucket- wringer, Buckets, Plunger

Light Sources:
Solar Lights, Flashlights, Light Sticks, Torches, Candles, Wicks, Lamps, Lanterns, Mantles, Oil, Light Bulbs

Lumber:
Various types and sizes

Medical Equipment:
Blood Pressure Cuff, Stethoscope, Oximeter, Thermometer, Glucose Meter

Medicines & Alternatives:
For Common Medical Conditions such as ADHD, Anxiety, Asthma, Depression, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Hypothyroid, Heart Medications, Oxygen Needs, Seizures, EO's ,Etc.

Music & Movies:
CD’s & DVD’s, LDS Hymnal, Primary Music, etc.

Navigation:
Maps, Compass, Address Book, Phone Book

Over-the-Counter Medications & Alternatives:
For Allergies, Bites, Stings, Bronchitis, Colds, Canker Sores, Constipation, Diarrhea, Eye Irritation, Fever, Fever Blisters, Flu, Fungal Infections, Hemorrhoids, Indigestion, Nasal Congestion, Nausea, Pain, Poison Ivy, Sunburn, Vomiting, Wound Care

Office Supplies:
Paper, Pads, Pens, Pencils, Sharpener, Calculator, Stapler, Tape, Ink Cartridges, Lap Top, Printer

Ovens:
Solar Oven, Wood or Coal Burning Oven, Propane Oven, Dutch Ovens, kerosene

Paper Products:
Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels, Napkins

Picnic Products:
Plastic Utensils, Plates, Cups, Bowls

Rain Gear:
Ponchos, Rubber Boots, Umbrella

Repair Kit:
Screen Patches, Glue, Nails, Screws, Nuts & Bolts, patches for Inflatable’s

Ropes:
Various sizes and types

Sauces-Gravies:
Soy Sauce, Braggs, Vinegar, Bullions, Gravies

72 Hour Emergency Kits

Sewing:
Scissors, Fabrics & Sewing Supplies

Special Needs:
Babies, Elderly, Handicapped, Medical Conditions

Stoves:
Propane, Coleman, Kerosene, Wood-Coal-Pellet Stove

Tape & Plastic:
Duct Tape, White& Black Plastic for Misc needs

Tents & Storage:
Tents, Tarps, Stakes, Twine, Rope, Spikes

Tools:
Hammers, Screw Drivers, duct tape, Etc.

Toilets-Portable:
Plastic Bags, Disinfectants, Deodorizers

Towels & Rags:
Dishes, Hands, Bathing, Multi-Purpose

Traps-Poison:
Mouse, Rat, Ant, Cockroach, Wasp, Fly Swatter

Vitamins-Minerals:
Child and Adult

Transporting Receptacles:
Wagons, Carts, Bikes & Dollies

Water:
Purifiers, Filters, Storage Receptacles, Pumps, Siphons

Wood Cutting Tools:
Bow Saw, Axe, Hatchet, Wedges, Honing Oil

Zip Lock Bags & Plastic Wrap:
Several sizes and rolls
------------

As you may notice, this list is quite extensive and extreme. Yet I like how detailed it gets in some areas...I think more then anything it is good to get one thinking about what might be useful for one's specific circumstances. And also getting out of our complacency.

I have a cousin that told me that they as a family have decided to not buy anything at all in the month of December. They are going to try and live only on what they already have stored, and stocked up on. I need to do a follow up with her and ask how that is going. A possible idea to implement in your on family. It would probably take me a year of preparing and setting up to do a full month of not going to the store, or doing ANY type of shopping.

If anyone is thinking of trying this, please let me know..I would love to hear how it goes.

Christmas Wish List

2008-11-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

I really like this list of preparedness items to ask for at Christmas. I found the list at Safely Gathered In blog:

In past years, whenever my husband/parents/in-laws asked me what I wanted for Christmas/birthday/anniversary, my mind went blank. Well, this year I know exactly what I'm asking for - food storage and emergency preparedness items!

We have compiled a Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness "Wish List". These are things that you may want to consider purchasing for yourself (or spouse, parents, children) this year, or you can mention these items when someone asks what you want!

We've broken down the items by price, but of course many items range in prices, so some things may be listed under two prices. If you aren't sure what some of these items are, just Google them and they're pretty explanatory. Or, feel free to email us (safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com) and we'll give you more information about a certain product, along with some recommendations.

*Note: these prices are based on quick online research. Shopping around or buying used will help you find the best deal on any of these items.

Under $20
Small first aid kits
Flashlights for the whole family
Jumper cables
Fuel for your camp stoves or grills
water storage containers
spices and herbs
seeds for the garden
bottles/jars for canning

$20 - 50
Water purifiers
good-quality sleeping bag
jumper cables
Dutch oven
Solar-powered radio (or solar radio/flashlight combo)
Wheat grinder (very small, hand cranked - useful if you lose electricity!)

$50-100
Ready-made 72-hour kits
Wheat grinder (small - hand cranked or automatics)
Pressure cooker (small)
Dehydrator
55-gallon drum for water storage

$100-200
Rotating shelf systems (small)
Wheat grinder (small electric)
Good quality electric or hand-crank wheat grinder
Pressure cooker (large)

$200+
Rotating shelf systems (small to large)
Good quality electric wheat grinder
Pressure cooker (huge)
Good quality, large solar oven

$500+
Generators (for information on these, read a Popular Mechanics article here)

You could also just ask for some actual food storage - #10 cans of wheat, rice, beans, oats, powdered milk, etc.... YUM!
------------

Other ideas would be stuff for camping. My sister has a cool bucket that has gloves, heavy duty spatula, aluminum foil, roasting sticks, salt and pepper, paper towel, hatchet, etc. Everything ready to grab and take when you go camping.

These same items above would help in a 'clean up' situation, if there was a hurricane, fire, earthquake or ? that happened in your neighborhood/city. Here in AZ we get microbursts. Trees are up rooted, telephone polls are downed, etc. Gloves, hatchets, goggles, flashlights, etc would be handy things to have around. (of course don't mess with any downed electric/telephone polls)

Ideas of storing perishables long-term

2008-11-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

There are SO many ideas out there on how to bring our perishables from the fridge to the Pantry shelf.

Boxed milk, evaporated milk, canned butter (yes, you really can do this...I have seen it done, I should do a tutorial, sometime), powdered eggs, etc, etc.

I had someone ask me recently about storing cheese. Her grandchildren LOVE Macaroni & Cheese, and she wanted a more long term, and possibly more cost-effective way of storing Mac & Cheese.

The neat thing is, there are many different ways to store cheese...you don't have to rely on refrigeration.

I read a method of how one family stored a block of cheese in a cool dark place for many months...it was still edible, just a sharper flavor.

There is also powdered cheese...which is of course PERFECT for the comfort food of Macaroni & Cheese. Below are a couple of links to companies that carry Cheese Powder...I have never ordered from any of these places, so I don't know anything about them...I just wanted to give some ideas.
Honeyville Grain
Emergency Essentials
A browse through a search engine will bring you a dozen more ideas. There are SO many companies out there! If you have ordered from a specific company, or know of a place that has fair prices, and good service...please share your information.

Helpful Hints

2008-11-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Random Helpful Hints and ideas, that just might (or might not) come in handy sometime:

Bananas
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Cheese
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Ground Beef
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

Scrambled eggs/omelets
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

Brownies
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Garlic
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Snickers
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.
Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg.
Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose.
Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ... static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car . When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The lint filter is made of a mesh material, using dryer sheets can cause a film over the mesh that can eventually burn out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! The best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. It makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! (You will know it is filmy, because won't run through very well, it will basically collect in the mesh screen, but once you wash it, the water should run right through.)

NOTE: I tried this last 'hint' myself, with the lint filter...the water ran straight through for me, without washing with warm water and soap, maybe because I use softener liquid in the washer. Someone who uses dryer sheets needs to try this, and let me know their results via 'comments.' ~Steph

Top 100 items to Disappear First During a National Emergency OR Items You'll Wish You Had On Hand

2008-11-03T06:26:00.001-08:00

Imagine you hear a rumble in the distance.....You wonder what it could be as it grows louder and louder. Whether it's an earthquake, a bad storm, nuclear testing, or an invasion of our country and the beginning of war, imagine the panic that would set in. Can you weather the storm? What if gas, power and water were unavailable? The reality of such a catastrophe would be much easier to survive through if some "essentials" were thought of and purchased ahead of time...

Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage is risky. Noisy...target of thieves)
Water Filters/Purifiers
Portable Toilets
Seasoned Firewood (Wood takes about 6-12 months to become dry enough for home use)
Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First choice: BUy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
Coleman Fuel--Impossible to stockpile too much.
Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats, and Slingshots
Hand can-openers, hand egg beaters, whisks
Honey/syrup/white and brown sugar
Rice--Beans--Wheat
Vegetable oil (for cooking) Without it, foods burn/ must be boiled, etc.
Charcoal, lighter fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
Water containers (URGENT item to obtain) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY note--food grade if for drinking.
14 and 15 are missing on my list???
???
Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur)
Survival guidebook
Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer term lighting is difficult)
Baby supplies: Diapers, formula, ointments, aspirin, etc.
Washboards, Mop bucket w/wringer (for laundry)
Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
Vitamins
Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: small canister use is dangerous without this item)
Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products
Thermal underwear (tops and bottoms)
Bow saws, axes and hatchets, wedges (also,honing oil)
Aluminum foil Reg. and Heavy Duty (Great cooking and barter item)
Gasoline containers (plastic and metal)
Garbage bags (Impossible to have too many)
Toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels
Milk--powdered & condensed (shake liquid every 3 to 4 months)
Garden seeds (Non-hybrid) (A MUST)
Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
Coleman's pump repair kit
Tuna fish (in oil)
Fire extinguishers (or...large box of baking soda in every room)
First aid kits
Batteries (all sizes--buy furthest out for expiration dates)
Garlic, spices and vinegar, baking supplies
Big dogs (and dog food)
Flour, yeast, salt
Matches (Strike anywhere preferred) Boxed wooden matches will go first
Writing paper/pads/pencils/solar calculators
Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in winter)
Workboots, belts, Levis and durable shirts
Flashlights, lightsticks and torches, "No. 76 Dietz" Lanterns
Journals, diaries & scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experiences; historic times)
Garbage cans, plastic (great for storage, water, transporting--if with wheels)
Men's hygiene: shampoo, toothpaste/brush, mouthwash, floss, nail clippers, etc
50 is also missing--fill in the blank???
FIshing supplies/tools
Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
Duct Tape
Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
Candles
Laundry detergent (liquid)
Backpacks, duffel bags
Garden tools & supplies
Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
Canned fruits, veggies, soups, stews, etc.
Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
Canning supplies (jars, lids, wax)
Knives & sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
Bicycles...Tires/tubes/pumps/chains , etc.
Sleeping bas & blankets/ pillows/ mats
Carbon monoxide alarm (battery powered
Board games, Cards, Dice
D-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
Mousetraps, ant traps & cockroach magnets
Paper plates/ cups/ utensils (stock up, folks!)
Baby wipes, oils, waterless & antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc
Shaving supplies (razors, creams, talc, after shave)
Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
Soysauce, vinegar, bouillons/gravy/soupbase
Reading glasses
Chocolate/cocoa/tang/punch (water enhancers)
"Survival-in-a-can"
Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
Boy Scout Handbook, also leaders catalog
Roll-on window insulation kit (MANCO)
Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, trail mix/jerky
Popcorn, peanut butter, nuts
Socks, underwear, t-shirts, etc.
Lumber (all types)
Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
Cots and inflatable mattresses
Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
Lantern Hangers
Screen patches
Teas
Coffee
Cigarettes
Wine/liquors (for brides, medicinal, etc.)
Paraffin wax
Glue, nails, screws, nuts & bolts
Chewing gum, candies
Atomizers (for cooling, bathing)
Hats and cotton neckerchiefs
Livestock

Water Storage

2008-10-28T12:11:00.001-07:00

I have talked with a few people about the importance of water storage. The trick is finding creative ways to store the water (the right containers, the right place to store it, etc.)

Below are a couple of different articles derived from other groups I am part of.

Water Storage

By Scott Pedersen, Vicki Tate, and Barry Crockett

How Much Water Do You Need?

Store as much “drinkable” water as is convenient to maintain. The average water need for an average-sized person in an average climate is approximately one gallon of water per day (two quarts for drinking and two quarts for cooking). Most preparedness experts recommend storing 14 gallons of “drinkable” water per person. When you consider that the average person uses about 100 gallons of water per day for drinking, bathing, laundry, water lawns, etc., it is evident that one gallon per person per day is minimal. But in an emergency, you can survive.

Containers

It is important that you use only new, high quality, food-grade plastic containers designed for water storage. Do not use old bleach containers, plastic milk jugs, fuel cans, paint buckets, or antifreeze containers to store drinking water. There are many other storage options that are safer and more reliable. We recommend using durable, dark-colored (blue, green) polyplastic, polyethylene containers that restrict light. This helps control algae and bacteria growth.

Water weighs eight pounds per gallon, and transporting a 440-pound, 55-gallon drum would be almost impossible without the use of a hand truck. Likewise, the 1-gallon containers or the 2- to 3-liter bottles don’t hold enough water and would require that you make many trips to a water source. The 5- or 15-gallon containers can be easily transported in a wheelbarrow or a child’s wagon. The 5-gallon metallized bag in a box is another good choice for storing portable water because it is nonporous (odor control), and it prevents light from entering. Beyond these transportation problems, however, the 2-liter pop bottles make good containers.

Storing Your Water

Heavy containers should always be stored close to ground level and secured to prevent breakage or possible injury in the event of an earthquake. Be sure to store your water in plastic containers away from any harmful chemicals or foul-smelling products because plastic tends to absorb odors. Avoid setting water storage containers directly on a cement floor because they will leach moisture from the cement that will end up in your water.

Elevate the containers by placing them on boards or pallets. Rotate your water at least annually to ensure freshness, taste, and purity. Pastel or white colored containers need to be stored in a dark room or pantry to avoid being exposed to light. If you cannot store containers in a dark room, cover containers to keep out light.
-------------------------

Here is a link from Alan Martindale of the city of Mesa (AZ) Water Department: Water Storage And Purification. I chose to do it as a link, because it is a pretty long article.

------------------------

Seven Major Mistakes in Food Storage

2008-10-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am part of a yahoo group that talks about preparedness. Below is an article sent to me, that I really liked

Seven Major Mistakes in Food Storage
by Vicki Tate
Sunday, August 12, 2007

“Considering conditions in the world,” a woman once told me, “my husband and I decided to put away some food storage. I bought twenty bags of wheat, some 60-pound cans of honey, and now all we have to do is get a couple of cases of dehydrated milk.”

“Do you know how to cook with your wheat?” I asked. “Oh,” she chuckled, “if we ever need the storage, I’ll learn how. Anyway, my kids only like white bread, and I don’t have a wheat grinder.”

She had just admitted every major misunderstanding about storing food (other than not storing anything at all). She’s not alone.

Essentials

Here are seven important concepts to remember when planning your food storage program.

1. Variety

Many people only store the four basic items: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Most of us could not survive on such a diet for several reasons: a) Some people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they eat wheat meal after meal. b) Wheat may be too harsh for young children. They may be able to tolerate it in small amounts, but not as the main staple in their diet. c) Appetite fatigue—we get tired of eating the same foods over and over. Young children and older people are particularly susceptible.

The solution? Store wheat, become familiar with using it, and be sure to add other grains, particularly ones your family enjoys eating. Also store a variety of beans to add an array of color, texture, and flavor. Both whole grains and beans store well for long periods of time and are very inexpensive. Store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, and onion. Put away a good supply of the spices that you like to cook with.

Flavorings and spices allow you to do many creative things with your grains and beans. Without them you are severely limited in the dishes you can create. Buy a good food storage cookbook, read it, and decide what your family really would eat. Notice the ingredients. This will help you know what to store.

2. Extended Staples

Never put all your eggs in one basket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze-dried foods as well as home-canned or store-bought canned goods. Makes sure you add cooking oil, shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast, and powdered eggs. You can’t cook even the most basic recipes without these items.

3. Vitamins

Vitamins are especially important if you have children, since children may not be able to store reserves of nutrients in their bodies as well as adults can. Most vital to your storage program are a good multivitamin, minerals, and vitamin C.

4. Quick-and-Easy and “Psychological Foods”

Quick-and-easy foods can help you through the times when you may be under too much stress to cope with preparing food, such as times of illness or in situations when you cannot safely make a fire. “No cook” foods such as freeze-dried foods are wonderful since they require almost no preparation. Other quick-and-easy foods are MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and canned foods, such as chili and soup. “Psychological Foods” are goodies such as Jell-O, pudding, and hard candy. These may seem frivolous, but they can raise your spirits.

5. Balance

Too many people make the mistake of buying all their wheat, then buying all of another food storage item. Keep balance in mind as you build your storage. Buy a variety of items rather than a large quantity of one. If you suddenly needed to live on your present storage, you would fare better having a three-months’ supply of a variety of items rather than a year’s supply of two or three things.

6. Containers

Always store your bulk foods in food-grade storage containers. So often food is thrown away because it was susceptible to excessive sunlight, moisture, insects, or rodents. Use a food-grade plastic liner or metallized plastic bags—never use garbage bags—to line your plastic buckets.

7. Use Your Storage

Not knowing what to do with food storage is one of the biggest problems. It is vital that you and your family become familiar with the things you are storing. Learn to prepare these foods. This is not a skill you will want to acquire during a time of stress. A stressful situation is the worst time to dramatically change your diet. Learn how to prepare these foods and begin eating them!

Getting Started

If you have a limited budget, here are some things you can do that may cost you little or even nothing.

· Set aside a plot of land to grow some of your own food. For examples, tomatoes don’t take up much room. If you live in an apartment where gardens are not allowed, make a deal with a friend who has some idle ground in his or her yard or someone who owns a vacant lot. Share part of your crop. You can also grow plants in pots in a windowsill.

· Sprouting seeds cost pennies yet yield big dividends in quantity and nutrition. Sprouts make tasty additions to salads, sandwiches, soups, and stir-fry recipes. Sprouts are your fresh greens while you are waiting for your garden to mature.

· Cut down on waste. Plan a menu and stick to it. Buy in bulk. The extra is storage! Make sure you store extra or bulk items properly to avoid expensive waste.

· Budget a comfortable amount of money each week to use for your family’s preparedness and food storage plan. You’ll be amazed how fast your reserves grow.

· Can excess fruits and vegetables from your neighbors’ unwanted crops.

How does your Garden Grow?

2008-10-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Until recently I figured I was a bit limited in what I could grow in my garden, since it gets SO HOT here during the summer. I knew that you could grow things in the early spring, but I don't think I realized that you could actually have a garden over the whole winter! AMAZING! I really need to turn my backyard (at least a large portion of it) into a veritable green house. I could even do more if I got a small greenhouse.

I have tried growing a few things here in AZ, but haven't had a huge amount of success. I have grown a small handful of cucumbers, radishes, peas and even a couple of squash successfully. I HAVE had a fair amount of success with tomatoes, but I usually only plant 3 to 5 plants.

I have tried planting carrots, broccoli and peppers. I knew when planting them that they wouldn't work, because it would be too hot too quickly. Didn't even stop to consider doing it later in the season. I think it's a bit too late now, I should have planted any 'cold weather' plants probably about 4 weeks ago. I might just go to Home Depot or Lowes tomorrow, and see if they have any strawberry and maybe green pepper plants.

Sad that I have been here for over 12 years, and just now starting to 'climatize' to the gardening methods. Planting in late May and into June is just SO ingrained in my brain. I didn't pay much attention to exactly when my parents planted things, but I knew most of the planting happened when school was out (or close to being out). Here, if you don't start planting by February or March, then WATCH out, it will get too hot for your plants before they can produce.

For some of the different veggies (and timing) to plant them, here in our AZ climate. Click here: AZ Planting Schedule.

If you know of any other good gardening sites for AZ, or for the climate you live in, please share. Also your success stories in gardening. I will add pictures if you send them to me. :)

These are my tomato plants the summer of 2008. We were gone for a couple of weeks, and the tomato plants were neglected..Jakob counted over 30 tomatoes that we picked when we got home from our vacation. The tomato plants didn't survive, though. :(

Oh, the interesting things you can Can...

2008-10-23T22:36:00.001-07:00

We had our ward temple night this evening. Afterwards we went to a icecream social with some of the ward members. There was a couple there that had recently gotten home from a mission in Wyoming. Already they have planted in their garden!! They have only been home a few short weeks. They have strawberries, peas, lettuce, carrots, etc. I had NO idea of the many things you can grow here in AZ over the winter months. I guess I better not complain about the TOO HOT growing season ever again...since in actuality we probably have 2 or 3 'growing seasons'.

Gardening can (and will be) a whole other post or 2, or 3...

Why I mentioned gardening in the first place, is because what do you do when you have extra produce? You should CAN it, of course! ;) Well, at this gathering we talked about all of the different things you can Can. From peaches, to pinto beans, to chicken, and even cakes and breads! Bet some of you didn't know that! One person mentioned how canning is becoming a lost art, and how when he was growing up it was just automatic at harvest time to start storing up foods in jars. (Yup, been there, done that..Mom still cans a lot of things). Another gal said that she would much rather learn how to can, and preserve foods, then learn how to better scrapbook. She said scrapbooking is fun, and all...then her husband said that he guessed the would have to get a pressure canner. She said that is what she wants for Christmas, and also a steam canner. :)

I really REALLY want to try some of these interesting and unique things. (A couple of months back I went to a Preparedness activity where they canned butter!) Oh the amazing things you can do with canning jars!

Ok, so...what is one of the most unique or enjoyable thing that you have canned? Please share...and then give the directions of how to do it. Also which canning method you used. Whether you used the bottle bath method, a steam canner, or a pressure canner.

Odds & Ends

2008-10-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Last night while flossing my teeth, I wondered how much was left in the canister. Did I need to buy more floss? Which inadvertently led to the question: Do I have enough floss for my long-term storage? You might wonder how I jumped from flossing my teeth, to thinking about my long-term supply...well, lately it hasn't taken much to pull my mind toward such thoughts. I will be making lunch for my kiddos, and question how many ziplock bags (in various sizes) I might actually use in a year. What about soap, shampoo, etc. How much to store of each of those? And WHERE to store?

There is the big question...how and where and in what quantity do we store these obscure, yet useful items? Floss might have an easy answer...since a canister of floss doesn't take up that much space. And you might need 1/2 a dozen canisters. It takes up a lot more space to store some of the other daily items we use. Such as soap, shampoo, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, etc. (and this is just things we need for hygiene.) There are many other non-edible things (beyond our long-term supply of food) that are a good idea to store. From the afore mentioned ziplock bags, to extra socks & clothes to laundry soap & softener, etc. (and wow! a long-term supply of all your laundry needs will take up a good chunk of space!)

These aren't the only questions I frequently ask myself. I am so used to running to the local store if I run out of something, that I really don't have a clue some of the things that maybe I should be storing. School supplies, batteries, band-aids, pain medicine. Wow! The list could get pretty extensive...let alone daunting. (in checking my wording in the previous sentence, I noticed that I first wrote 'expensive' instead of 'extensive'. Both would be true.)

This is why I think it is important to have your long-term goals, as well as short-term, and attainable goals. Someone training to do a marathon, isn't going to run the 10k immediately, they are going to start with smaller and reachable goals, to help build their stamina up to the ultimate goal.

So, that is what I am going to start doing...and maybe take a portion of either Sunday evening, or Family Home Evening to evaluate and update the short term goals, see where I have gotten...and what I need to do in the upcoming week.

Anyone have any good resources for getting together a 3 month supply, and on to the long-term supply of more then just food? In a step by step 'attainable' method.

Here is the link to the lds.org website on Family Home Storage.

What's in YOUR pantry

2008-10-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is a rhetorical question, of course. Wouldn't want a mob of hungry people at your door, if you tell us that you have enough stored away to last into the next decade. hehee.

I ask this, because I have had my pantry come to the forefront of my mind this last week. My pantry was a HUGE mess just a couple of weeks back. It's still not in excellent order, but you can at least see what is available, and pretty much know the general area where something might be if it's needed. I found that I do have a variety of items, but there are really some areas that are LACKING. Such as spices, canned meats, mayonnaise, oil, etc. So, it is a goal of mine to start listing some of the immediate needs that our family might need. (working toward the 3 months supply of food that we have been counseled to obtain)

Here is an example of one person's 3 months supply list, it will vary extremely from family to family. Depending on size, finances, tastes, etc.

3-MONTH SUPPLY OF FOOD PLAN

This is how much food we need for 3 months (14 weeks). There are 12 dinners, because we can make 6 dinners per week and have leftovers on the 7th day of the week. And then I multiplied those dinners x 7, because 12 dinners x 7, including leftovers, is enough for 14 weeks worth of dinners. For lunch we can have leftovers half of the time and peanut butter jelly or another kind of sandwich the other part of the time. Breakfast can be oatmeal or bear mush most of the time, and a bread product made from scratch like bagels or muffins less of the time. We will keep a list on the fridge, separate from our regular grocery list, and mark all these items, so that when we use one up, we can write the item on the list to be sure to replace it.

Dinners:
1. pasta, marinara, canned green beans
2. tuna casserole with peas
3. lentil burgers, broccoli
4. stir fry vegetables and rice
5. boston baked beans, rice, broccoli
6. chickpea ratatouille, spinach
7. festive dal soup, bread
8. homemade “spaghettios”, green beans
9. “everything” rice
10. chicken veggie fajitas, spinach
11. sub ball sandwiches, broccoli
12. mac and “cheeze”, canned green beans

WHAT WE NEED:

BUCKETS:
3 buckets of hard wheat
1 bucket of oats or oat groats
1 bucket of sugar
1 bucket white flour
1 bucket brown rice
1 bucket kidney beans
1 bucket navy beans
1 bucket chickpeas
1 bucket red lentils
1 bucket regular lentils
smaller bucket of raisins
smaller bucket of bear mush

CANNED:
3 containers of salt
8 jars jam
8 jars peanut butter
8 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
8 cans cream of mushroom soup
8 cans tomato soup
14 cans green beans
14 cans tuna
16 cans petite diced tomatoes
16 cans regular diced tomatoes

DRY PANTRY:
14 lbs. macaroni
4 lbs. penne
4 lbs. fettuccini
4 lbs. spaghetti
bag of instant yeast
2 jars baking powder
1 gallon vegetable oil
1 container molasses
1 container maple syrup
1 bottle soy sauce
1 bottle stir-fry sauce
1 container olive oil
2 bottles ketchup
1 bottle mustard
1 jar mayo
1 tub breadcrumbs
1 container lemon juice
1 bottle vinegar
8 cups nutritional yeast (a big bag full)

FREEZER:
15 pounds butter
8 lbs. frozen green beans
4 lbs. frozen spinach
8 lbs. frozen broccoli
4 lbs. frozen peas
4 lbs. frozen corn
1 bag frozen bell pepper
8 lbs. frozen stir-fry vegetables
8 lbs. ground beef
8 - 12 lbs. frozen chicken breast

Please share a couple of your meal ideas & recipes, and what you might buy at the store that would keep well for at least the 3 months.

Can you sleep when the wind blows?

2008-10-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were
reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the
awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received
A steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached
the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help,
Hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from
dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed
next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the
little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No
sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on
the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had
been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens
were in the coops, and the doors were barred.
The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his
hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while
the wind blew.

MORAL of Story:

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically,
you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the
wind blows through your life?
The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he
had secured the farm against the storm.

---------
This is an Uncle Arthur story. I think the title was "I can sleep on windy nights" from -- Uncle Arthur's Online.

A long time in the making

2008-10-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

For quite some time now, I have had the desire to create a place just for ideas on preparedness, self-reliance, basic skills, etc. I know that I will probably have kind of a rough start, and might not be able to portray exactly where I am coming from, but it is a start. So, there may be a lot of random wanderings. (I tend to go on tangents), intermixed with some interesting finds, and information.

The more input, the better...for this blog. I have created it not only to have a place to jot down my thoughts, ideas and links. But also to gleen information from others.