Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of May 13th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers and to all those who nurture children in some way! You are all mothers!

Congratulations to all of YOU!!!

Many of you have 55 gallon water barrels filled...
Many of you have the Seychelle Water Filters...
Many of you have a Portable Toilet and other Sanitation supplies...
Many of you have emergency cooking equipment...
Many of you have shelter for your family if you cannot stay in your home...
Many of you have emergency lighting if you cannot use your electricity...
Many of you have or are working towards your 3 months to 1 years Food Storage...
Many of you have or are working towards 1-3 months water storage....
Many of you have an out of state contact person in case of an emergency/disaster...
Many of you practice fire, earthquake and evacuation drills with your family...
Many of you are CPR and First-aid Certified...
Several of you have home vegetable/herb gardens (some in containers)....
Several of you have 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpacks for each family member...
Several of you have an emergency preparedness fund/savings...
Many of you are striving to be as prepared the best you can...

How prepared are you for a disaster or emergency situation?

Quote:

"We have been place on earth in troubled times." President Thomas S. Monson
"The time has come to get our houses in order....There is a Portent [a time of calamity, monumental] stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed." President Gordon B. Hinckley, 1998
"All is not well in America. ... The days ahead are ominously frightening..." President Ezra Taft Benson, 1965

President Monson, President Hinckley and President Benson's statements are just as true then and even more so today.

Watch again the talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson on the April 29th "Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas" posting.

The Carson Ward Emergency Preparedness Blog is to help you and your loved ones become more prepared. The "Postings" on the right side of the blog will give you information in each section, with great ideas and helps. The Weekly Assignments and Food Storage Ideas posted each week will give you more great ideas and challenges to help you become better prepared for the "Portent stormy weather ahead". The monthly goals and Sunday display table, with handouts, will also help you. It is very easy to become complacent and think we have a lot of time to prepare! Tomorrow may become the day we should have prepared!

May Goals: Emergency Cooking and Add Fats and Oils to your Food Storage

Emergency Cooking--Weekly Assignment:

This week add extra fuel for the type of emergency cooking equipment you have (propane, butane cans, charcoal, wood, etc.) May is a good time to purchase charcoal, usually on sale due to Memorial Day weekend.

Add Fats and Oils to your Food Storage--Weekly Assignment:

This week add a large can of shortening and 2 pounds of butter or margarine, or a can of dehydrated shortening powder and butter/margarine powder (EmergencyEssentials.com, Shelf-Reliance.com, HoneyvilleFarms.com) to your Food Storage, add more if you can. Store the butter or margarine in your freezer (stores up to one year). Watch for sales! Remember--only store what you and your family will eat!

Emergency Preparedness Idea:

Sanitation Update--- I learned from our son you can purchase Enzymes called RID-X Septic Tank Treatment, which are much cheaper than the Enzymes 300 from EmergencyEssentials.com. You can purchase this at Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's. These Enzymes are used by people who live in areas where they have septic tanks, we do not have these in the city. You just sprinkle some on each time someone uses the portable toilet to break down the bacteria. Another important note: If you cannot use your toilet in the house, but you can still stay in your house, use the house toilet just like you would use the portable toilet, flush out all the water, line the toilet with the heavy black trash bag, put in some cat liter and sprinkle with the Enzymes each time someone uses the toilet. Once full, tie the bag and bury in your yard, if there is no city trash pickup, away from your vegetable garden. Note: Walmart online has a 9.8oz box for $6.37. If Google RID-X your can print out a $1 off savings coupon, 5th one down, "All About Septic System, Maintenance...".

Your refrigerator when there is no electricity: When electricity has gone out your refrigerator should keep your food cold for about 23 hours as long as you do not open the door as little as possible. Eat the food in the refrigerator first and then the frozen food. Then eat your canned and dehydrated foods. Important: If you have a generator run the refrigerator for 1 hour with the generator, it will keep your refrigerator cold for 23 hours. Repeat every 23 hours.

Food Storage Ideas:

Where do we store our Food Storage? This is usually a big concern for most people with limited storage. A years supply of food for a family is a lot of food! Remember--the cooler, drier and darker the area the longer your food storage will last. The best temperature is about 65 degrees, or cooler if possible.

Garage: A lot of people store their food storage in their garage, not the best idea. A garage gets too hot, usually way over 70 degrees, especially in the summer. If you have to store food in your garage, and it is attached to your house, the best place to store the food against the wall attached to the house. You can build or purchase shelves to fit along the wall from the floor to the ceiling. If you do not have dormers or fans on the roof that let heat escape, you might consider this to cool down your garage.

Cupboards and closets: Go through your cupboards and closets, get rid of things you no longer use or need. Organize the shelves and you will be amazed at how much space you can find. I love organizing small things into labeled containers, they save so much space and things are easily found. Try to eliminate one, or more, shelf for just food storage. You can put canned, jarred and packaged (pastas, mixes, etc.) foods in plastic containers and store in the bottom of the closet or under your beds. You can write on the container what is in the container and the expiration dates. Avoid storing in cardboard boxes, they are attract bugs!

Under beds: A great place to store food items, it is usually cool, dry and dark. Purchase under the bed plastic storage containers and place your canned/jar foods under the bed. Remember to check the expiration dates every 3 months and rotate as needed, move the almost expired items to your pantry and replace with new ones.

End tables and coffee tables: When purchasing new ones, keep in  mind extra storage space. Try to purchase ones with storage space. A good place to store food storage items.

Be creative!!! You will find places in your home to store your food storage.

FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing: To be held Sunday, May 20th. After this drawing I am changing the way we do the FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing, more opportunities to win!