Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of November 15th)

Hi Torrance California Stake Family, Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Thanksgiving

This is the time of year Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. We mediate and express our gratefulness for all our blessings, family, freedom, health and so much more. It is time we gather to together as family and friends and loved ones to celebrate and give thanks. It is a time to reflect on this great nation and all you have sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. It is a time to be grateful and reflect on our forefathers who listened to the Spirit and created our Bill of Rights and Constitution which protect the right of each individual and this great nation. It is a time to always be grateful, not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day!  May each of of give thanks each day to our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ for he blesses us with!

November Monthly Assignments 

Food Storage: Vegetables

It is important to have vegetables in your food storage to give us the vitamins and mineral our bodies need. You can store them commercially canned, home canned, frozen and dehydrated/freeze dried (long term storage, 20+ years). I would store vegetables in a variety of ways.

First start by keeping track of how many varieties of vegetable you and your family eats in a 2-week to one month period. Keep a list on the refrigerator. Each time you cook vegetables or use them in soups, stews and casseroles add the amount and type to the list. Then you can multiply by the number of months you have set your food storage goal.

 Commercially canned: Come in a variety of types. Only store the vegetables your family will eat. Try to purchase them on sale.They usually store for 2-3 years. You can still use them after their expiration date as long as they are not dented, the lid is not bulging or they are leaking. The nutritional value will diminish over time. Keep in a cool, dry, dark place.


Home canned: If you have a vegetable garden or purchase vegetables while in season you can home can them. It is not hard to do but does take time. Most vegetables are canned in a canning pressure
cooker. High acidic vegetables like tomatoes are done in a water bath canning. They will store for 2-3 years. If the lid pushes down when pushed on they are no longer good for consumption. Keep in a cool, dry, dark place.

 

Frozen: Frozen vegetables will keep in your freezer for about one year. You can also freeze the vegetables from your vegetable garden or fresh from your grocery store by blanching them first, draining off the water and placing in a plastic freezer zip lock bag. Mark the date on the bag.




Dehydrated/Freeze Dried: For long term storage consider purchase dehydrated/freeze dried vegetables. The can come in a variety of sizes, #10 cans, 2.5 cans (emergencyessentials.com has them), and pails (sometimes in individual Mylar bags. They can last for 20+ years depending on the temperature you store them. Store them in a cool, dry, dark place. 



Companies I like to purchase my dehydrated/freeze-dried vegetables from are store.lds.org (limited), emergencyessentials.com and WalMart online Augason Farms. Other companies are Honeyville, Thrive/Shelf Reliance, and foodforhealthinternational.com. There are many other companies out there too. To make sure you are getting the best price, divide the price by the number of servings per can.

Emergency Preparedness: 
       Family Records, Documents and Photos
 

Each family should have a "Family Emergency Preparedness Notebook". This notebook should contain your family's important documents. Each family member's documents (a separate folder within the notebook for each family member) should include their birthday certificate, adoption certificate, baptismal certificate, Social Security card, copy of their Medical insurance card, immunization records, any special needs or prescription drugs they take,  doctors information (name, phone number, address), emergency fingerprinting and ID cards (you can purchase these online, mostly for children but good to have for everyone in the family), life insurance policies (insurance agents name and phone number), passport and VISA and any other important documents. 

There should also be a folder for important documents like originals or copies of your Homeowners, car and other insurances, marriage and divorce certificates, Power of Attorney, Advance Directive for each family member, Will and Trust, guardianship for children, an up to date of each family member's photo, out of state contact information. Anything that you will need to take with you if you have to evacuate immediately. 

It is a good idea to keep all heirloom jewelry, artifacts and other items together in a fire proof, water proof safe. Keep all family photos albums and photos together for quick assess if you need to evacuate. 

Keep all computer information on a hard drive or flash drive, easy to grab and take with you if you need to evacuate immediately. 

Click here to see how to set up the "Family Emergency Preparedness Notebook under "Postings" on the right of this blog.  

Set a goal this month to gather all important family documents, heirlooms and photos, organize them and put them in a safe fire proof, water proof container. Make sure all family members know where it is in case you need to evacuate. 

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

Wonder Oven . . .

Many of you may have already heard about the Wonder Oven, I just discovered it this week. This is am amazing oven you can do slow cooking in just like in your slow cooker pot. It can also keep food frozen and cold. You can purchase one for less than $100. Click here to learn more about the Wonder Oven and how it works.  

You can also make your own . . .

Comments and Question: Please share your comments and questions below. Remember, we all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. If you have a question you can email it to me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank you for sharing your comments and questions. Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving!