Congratulations to the Makaafi Family! They won the March FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing, a one burner Butane Stove with two cans of Butane Fuel.
April Goals: Sanitation/Add Grains, Rice, Cereal and Dry Pastas to your Food Storage
Story:
A few years ago our daughter Heidi set a goal to walk in the 26.2 miles Los Angeles Avon Breast Cancer Marathon Walk in honor of her grandmother who had breast cancer. It was held in the hottest month in California, September. Thousands participated.
As the day worn on the heat continued to rise. They walked from the Santa Monica Pier inward 26.2 miles towards Los Angeles. Most of the walk Heidi was in the front. As the walk continued it became harder as they went up and down large hills. The hills became so high you could not see the next one. People were amazed at her performance, being able to stay in the front for so long. Many of the participants asked her how long she had trained for the marathon. She said, "Train, were we suppose to train?" She had walked and jogged every day, but had not trained for the gurgling 26.2 miles marathon.
As the day worn on she began to show some signs of concern for the medical teams along the way. They spoke with her for a few minutes as she walked and insisted on checking her. She insisted she was alright, but reluctantly followed their advise and concerns. It appeared she was dehydrated and was having some difficulty with a knee and her ankles. They advised her to stop, but she insisted she would be alright and continued the walk. She drank more water as she continued. Each hill became more difficult and painful than the last. She knew she was in trouble, but wanted to finish the marathon in honor of her grandmother. She said a silent prayer and immediately felt a cool breeze blow over her and knew her Heavenly Father and grandmother would help her. She continued the walk several more miles. Now less than a mile from the finish, the medical team noticed she was limping quite a bit and insisted she pull over again. Once again, she fought them, she was so close, she could see the finish. This time they would not take no for an answer and pulled her out. They insisted she drop out of the marathon walk, she was putting her health in danger. After many tears she sadly followed their advise, she would have crawled if they would have let her stay in the marathon. They took her by golf cart to the finish line, less than a mile away. She cried and cried, but knew she had tried her best.
Why this story? How does it relate to Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage?
Never give up. You may think getting your Food Storage and Emergency Supplies in order are an impossible task, but it just takes one step at a time. It does not happen in one day, one week or one month. It takes time by adding a little to your Food Storage and Emergency Supplies each time you go to the grocery store.
April Goals:
1. Sanitation: This month add a portable toilet, toilet paper and baby wipes to your Emergency Supplies.
See the sign-up sheet at church on the Sunday, the 8th, if you have not already signed up. The cost, $20, which includes the portable toilet shown below, 6 Enzyme packets and a bag of cat liter. You will need to purchase the heavy large black plastic trash bags. You should purchase extra bags of cat liter. Last date to sign up and pay Sister Cuppett is Sunday, April 29th. You can also purchase the portable toilet at EmergencyEssentails.com for $14.95, which comes with 2 Enzyme packets. Shipping cost is $6.
This is how it works--Use it only if you cannot use your house toilet. Line the portable toilet with a heavy plastic black trash bag, pour it just enough cat liter, about 5 inches. After someone uses the toilet, sprinkle with a little of the Enzymes, which helps breakdown the waste. Add more cat liter as needed. Once the toilet is about 1/2-3/4 full, remove the trash bag carefully and bury it, if possible in your yard.2. Weekly Assignment: Add Grains, Rice, Cereals and Dry Pastas to your Food Storage.
This week add a large bag of Rice and a large container of Instant Oats to your Food Storage. Costco and Sams Club have these items in bulk.
Grains: Most us know the usually ones, corn, barley, millet, oats, rice, rye and wheat. But there is also Amaranth, Kamut, Quinoa, Rice, Rye, Spelt, and Teff. They are an everyday staple in most diets, from cereal you eat at breakfast to the popcorn you eat as a snack. They are the edible, carbohydrate-rich seeds of various plants and grasses. They can vary in price.
How much should you store per person? Store a combination of the above grains your family will eat. Determine how much you will need of each grain for your family.
Pounds Per Person: 300 pounds per person per year, 150 pounds per person for 6 months, 75 pounds per person for 3 months, 25 pounds per person for a month
How to store: Store in #10 cans or Mylar bags in a cool dry dark place. They will store for 30 years. If stored in the store plastic bags they come in, first put in the freezer for 24 hours to get rid of any moths, their eggs and larva. Then let warm up to room temperature. Watch the expiration dates on the packages. They usually on store for about a year this way.
Storing Brown Rice and other foods with high oil, high moisture or high sugar content: These types of foods, like brown rice, nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, cornmeal, candy bars, egg noodles, poppy seeds, dried apricots, cookies, granola bars, just about anything in the pantry. In our house we mostly use brown rice. Do not store them in #10 cans (due to interaction with metal) or Mylar bags. They have a short shelf life. You can store all these types of food in mason canning jars up to 3-5 years if you vacuum out the air. Here is how you do it---Put your ingredients in a mason jar and put a lid (just the flat lid, not the screw on lid) on the jar. Attach the hose of your jar sealer to the port hole of your Food Saver. Place the jar sealer attachment over your lid and start the machine. The jar can be opened and resealed over and over if you are careful taking off the lid. If a jar with not seal, try placing one lid down and one facing up or you can heat the lid in boiling water. (If you heat the like, you cannot use it again.) Store in a cool dry dark place. Remember, the warmer the temperature, the shorter the shelf life. Check the food in the jars every years.
Note: You cannot vacuum seal foods that need refrigeration...only foods that sit your pantry shelf. Vacuum sealing fine powders, like cake mix, will gum up the works of your machine. To avoid this, put a plastic or zip lock bag in your jar, fill the bag, express the air, zip lock in then vacuum seal.Food Saver Vacuum Sealer: I purchased my on ebay for about $20, much cheaper than in the department stores. You can also find them on craigslist. If it does not come with the jar sealer attachment, you can purchase the small and large jar attachments online for about $10-$15.
Food Storage Tips:
Secret to successful Food Storage---ROTATION!
This quote is from he Utah State University Extension Center--
"Commercially canned foods should retain their best quality until the expiration code date on the can. This date is usually 2-5 years from the manufacture date. High acid foods (like tomatoes and some fruits/juices) usually have a shorter shelf life than low acid foods. For emergency storage, commercially canned foods in metal or jars will remain safe to consume as long as the seal has not been broken.""The Canned Food Alliance also shares the view that canned foods are safe to eat as long as the can is not damaged in any way. They will lose nutritional value but are safe to eat. With this information, and the knowledge that most of the foods from the cannery will last 20 and 30 years (freeze dried or dehydrated in #10 cans or Mylar bags), food storage and it's rotation have become much easier for everyone." Wendy Dewiit, "Everything Under the Sun"
But it is better to rotate before the canned or jar foods expire!
Remember: Post your name and comment to have your name entered into the April FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing.
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