Getting Prepared and Having Peace of Mind

June 2011

June Preparedness:

Free or Under $1: Take one or both of the following challenges with your family: (1) The 10 Minute Challenge: A firefighter comes to your door and tell you that you need to be out of your house in 10 minutes! (2) For one day (24 hours) live on one gallon of water per family member.

$5-$20: Buy a fun preparedness cookbook (Food Storage For the Clueless, Dinner in a Jar, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, I Dare You to Eat It)

More Expensive: Build shelves for your storage, a base with wheels for under your 55-gallon water drums, invest in some organization items to help you store your items, even some bins to pre-pack items for a quick evacuation.

Food for Thought: In 1987, Ezra Taft Benson said, “The council to store food may be as essential to your temporal welfare as boarding the ark was in the days of Noah.” This is revelation to us from the Lord through his prophet? What are we waiting for? I know that if we seek out the Lord in this matter, He will give each of us personal revelation in the ways that we need to accomplish this principle.

Cannery: Upcoming Dates: Wed, July 13, 6-8pm/Tues, Sept. 20, 6-8pm/Sat., Oct. 15, 9-11 am. If you need help getting there or are unable to make the scheduled dates and would like us to pick up items for you, please call Sister Ranck. Also, if you can’t make these dates, you and your family may call to schedule a canning time at the Cannery (631-2438).

Did You Know: Spam and Hormel chili are two items with indefinite shelf life. If that doesn’t excite you…according to the Utah State University Cooperative Extension website: extension.usa.edu/foodstorage/htm/cannedgoods – commercial canned foods in metal or glass jars are safe as long as the seal has not been broken. Check it out! I emailed them a question last week and got an answer within just a couple of hours…on a weekend! Think outside the box!

Buckets: I have (20) 5 gallon food grade buckets with lids for $5.25, first come first serve, no reservations; or you may contact Lee Lloyd at aussielloyd@cox.net or 568-6088. Lee’s are $5.50 each with a pop on lid. Great for storing your bulk purchases from the cannery for long-term storage. (Also, can be used as a potty, 72 hr Emergency Kit, Emergency Car Kit, and more…)

Recipe of the Month: Dutch Oven Bisquick Cobbler

Ingredients:
2 T. butter (use canned butter or shortening)
1 c. Bisquick,
1/2 c. sugar,
1/2 c. powdered milk,
1/2 c. water,
1 pt. canned fruit

Directions: Heat 16 or 21 briquettes, depending on Dutch Oven size (16 for 8″, 21 for 10″). Melt butter or shortening in dutch oven. Mix Bisquick, sugar, milk powder, and water in a bowl. Pour over melted butter. Pour canned fruit over Bisquick mixture. Cover with Dutch Oven lid. Set over 5 or 7 hot charcoal briquettes. Put 11 or 14 hot briquettes on the lid. Let cook for 20 – 30 minutes.

Getting Prepared and Having Peace of Mind

May 2011

May Preparedness:

Free or Under $1: Have a fire drill, learn where your water and gas shut off valves are

$5-$20: Foodsaver jar sealers and hose attachment, flint starter, butane lighter, weatherproof matches, flashlights, batteries

More Expensive: Foodsaver, Propane stove

Food for Thought: There have been rumors that the government is buying up $1 BILLION in dehydrated food in the event of attacks on domestic targets in the US. One of the largest suppliers is letting go of their dealers and distributors because they are using every bit of manufacturing capacity they have to fulfill massive new government contracts. This is also coming on the heels of one of the largest terror drills performed by the US Navy on American soil. Terrorist alerts have been raised by FEMA in the past months, and this new special order of dehydrated food, at the magnitude of $1 billion dollars in taxpayer money, should be a call for everyone to prepare on your own for any potential crisis. If this is a rumor, great--then we may be fortunate enough have more time to prepare…if it is not, we, of all the peoples of the land, have been warned! Remember…do all that you can…if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.

Upcoming Events

Cannery: Wed. May 17, 6-8 pm. Price sheets available on the Preparedness Wall in RS. Check out the new prices…you will find they are still the best prices for most all your basic needs! Get serious! Get smart! Get started!

Preparedness Fireside: May 22, 6:30 pm. at our ward building. Topics:

So. Highlands Emergency Plan, Communication During an Emergency, Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Tips, Emergency Radio Displays, Shelf Stable Recipes, and Refreshments.

Did You Know: Pepper spray vs. wasp spray. Police recommend wasp spray for protection over pepper spray as it can shoot up to 20 feet and is a lot more accurate. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.

Recipe of the Month: Peanut Butter Bread

Ingredients:
 2 1/2 c flour,
3 tsp baking powder,
1/2 t salt,
2/3 c sugar,
1/3 c instant nonfat dry milk,
1 egg beaten (or 2 T whole egg powder, add 3T of water to mixture),


1 T grated orange rind (or 1 t orange flavoring),
3/4 c water,
1/2 c peanut butter

(or 1/4 c peanut butter powder and 1/4 c water).

Directions:
 Mix flour, baking powder, salt sugar, dry milk, and peanut butter into a bowl. Add the orange rind. In a separate bowl combine the egg and water. Then add to the flour mixture. Stir until just mixed. Pour into a greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake in a moderate oven at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. It can also be made in a bread maker. Just dump everything in and it still comes out great! It may take a bit longer.

Getting Prepared and Having Peace of Mind

April 2011

April Preparedness:

Free or Under $1: whistle, sewing kit, toothbrush, compass, hand warmers, take a CPR class

$5-$20: multi-function tool, knife, rope, duct tape, gloves, 1 pkg-3600 calorie Mainstay bars (72 hrs of nutrition)

More Expensive: dutch oven, generator (gas, propane, diesel, or solar)

Food for Thought: For those of you who may not be very excited about TVP (textured vegetable protein) for your meat substitute in your food storage, you might want to consider bottling your meats. I, for one, am very excited about learning to do this. Bottled meats means REAL meat in your food storage with a shelf life of at least 3 years. You can bottle chicken, turkey, beef, hamburger, fish, ham…even wild game! The meat is tender, juicy, ready to eat and needs no freezing or refrigeration! Think of it like canned tuna from the store. If you are interested in learning more about this, please contact Sis. Ranck at 269-1807. If there is enough interest, perhaps we can put together a class. I also have the Wendy DeWitt video that can be checked out. She does an excellent job showing how to bottle meats along with many great storage tips.

Cannery: Wed. May 17, 6-8 pm – Please note that there are no more mylar bags. All canning items will be available in #10 cans or in bulk.

Did You Know: Honey is one food storage item as good as gold! It has no shelf life. No germs can live in it. It is a healer, hair rinse for dry brittle hair and scalp, face scrub for acne, a salve for wounds and burns and great for colds and sore throats. Medicals studies show that 1 t. honey/day helps avoid colds.

Just a Reminder: If you can squeeze any money out of your tax return or should any unexpected money come your way…you won’t lose it by putting it into your emergency preparedness or food storage. We never know when we may need it and it will be more valuable than money in the bank! With all the world-wide disasters that have taken place over the past year, even though they may not be at your back door, we are beginning to feel the effects of them from far off nations across the ocean! Do something! Do it now!

Recipe of the Month:

Sweet and Sour Chicken-Emergency Preparedness Style

1 pint chicken, 1 1/3 c. rice, 1 can pineapple, 2/3 c. vinegar, 1 1/3 c. sugar,

4 T. cornstarch, 4 T. soy sauce, 1 t. molasses, 1 T. dried onion, (opt. ½ c. sliced almonds, ¼ c. dehydrated celery)

Heat the rice and water in separate jars. When hot, combine and cook until done. Heat bottled chicken at the same time. Put the pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, soy, and molasses into a qt jar. Shake well and cook in solar oven shaking repeatedly until thickened or put in pan and heat stirring until thickened. On the bed of cooked rice place the heated chicken, almonds, pineapple, and hydrated celery. Pour sauce over the top. Serves 7-8 cups.

Getting Prepared and Having Peace of Mind

March 2011

March Preparedness:

Free or Under $1: Take photos, make inventory of personal items, gather important documents

$5-$20: purchase a case of water bottles for each member of the family, potable water tablets, water filter straws, first aid kit

More Expensive: Make 72 hour backpack, add one years supply of an item to food storage

Food for Thought: It’s tax time…if you are one of the lucky ones getting a return…how about putting it toward your preparedness goals. We have done this for the past 3 years and have been able to find comfort in knowing we are better prepared.

Instant vs. Regular: Instant oatmeal is just regular oatmeal that's been broken up so it will cook faster. All grains store better and longer if they're kept intact, so regular oatmeal is best for food storage and often cheaper. If you want instant oatmeal, just put regular oatmeal in the blender and pulse it a few times.

CANNERY: Wed. Mar. 23, 6-8 pm

Did You Know: If you cut mylar bags in quarters, edges can be carefully sealed w/a flat iron for hair. Into each now-resized mylar bag put the the dry ingredients + an oxygen absorber. Sealed them up w/ the flat iron, add sticky labels to the front w/ recipe name or item, ingredients to be added at time of making, and instructions.

Recipe of the Month:

Flatbread

This recipe for Italian flat bread (focaccia) is remarkably versatile and easy to make.

Mix:

1 1/2 C flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp of rosemary, basil, red pepper, or any seasoning you like -- or combine seasonings!

To make the flatbread:

Combine the mix with 1/2 C water & 1/8 C oil. Mix til it forms a ball. Pat it out on a small cookie sheet or pizza pan and let rise 1/2 hr. Bake in 425 oven for 15 minutes.

Variations: This is good with parmesan or grated cheddar cheese on top. Try tomato sauce and cheese, and you've got pizza. You can try other toppings, too. Add an additional 3 T sugar (1/4 C total) & omit savory spices for sweet bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon, raisins, dates, icing, anything you like.

Getting Prepared and Having Peace of Mind

January 2011

SENSIBLE FOOD STORAGE BY WENDY DEWITT- Come hear her sensible and entertaining approach to the right way to do your food storage. Her system is easy, affordable, and broken down into simple steps. She has traveled from coast to coast, teaching classes on food storage for over twenty years. Her brand new DVD is selling out everywhere. Come enjoy and hour of invaluable tips, a step by step walk through her “system,” and pick up a copy of her booklet, “Everything Under the Sun,” (a guide that goes with her talk and is chalked full of recipes and additional information to help you put the foods you love into your food storage).

You won’t want to miss this!

WHEN: Thursday, January 20^th at 7pm

WHERE: June Ranck’s home, 5057 Gable Crest Ct., Cortona Hills

Food for Thought: Check out the book One Second After. It is a realistic look at EMPs (Electromagnetic Pulse) and the ability this weapon has to shatter our nation, literally within seconds. It’s a riveting story with thought provoking lessons on being prepared. PG-13 (some language)

Upcoming Cannery Dates for 2011: Sat 2/5, 9-11 am; Wed 3/23, 7-9 pm; Tues 5/17, 5-7 pm; 7/13, 5-7 pm; 9/20, 7-9 pm; Sat 10/15, 9-11 am

Did You Know: Many foods with high oil or high sugar contents cannot be stored in #10 cans because of the interaction with the metal, like chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins. You can significantly increase the shelf life of these foods by placing them in mason jars and using a Food Saver and a Jar Sealer attachment to vacuum the air out of the jars. Shelf life should be 3 years or more if you keep the foods cool.

Recipe of the Month: Minestrone Soup (makes lots!)

1 can green beans

1 can corn

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can kidney beans Combine ingredients in large soup pan

1 small pkg macaroni and cook until macaroni and carrots are

1 lb hamburger, cooked & drained done.

handful of chopped carrots (optional)

1 quart water

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp beef bouillon

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder