Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of July 3rd)

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

"No one can do everything,
         but everyone can do something."
                                                                                   Max Lucado


I love this statement above. It is impossible for each of us to do everything at once, but each of us can do something each day. I hear many people say I wish I had food storage, water storage and emergency supplies. Wishing does not make it happen. It takes setting goals and dividing the large goal into small goals to make it happen. If you want to have food storage then break it down into the different areas, vegetables, fruits, meats, soups, beans, wheat, grains, drinks (milk and juices), etc. and set goals to accomplish them.

Then figure out how much you will need for your family for the amount of months your goal is, 2-weeks, 1-month, 3-months, 6-months, a year. Remember, only store what your family already eats! Watch for sales at grocery stores, discount stores (watch the expiration dates), big box stores and long term food storage companies. I only buy when things are on sale. You can also follow the food storage monthly goals on this blog.

Albert Einstein said, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got." If you do not work towards for food storage goals you will never have any food storage or emergency supplies. Start now!

What are you doing to make it happen? Are you setting goals as a family or individual? Are you working towards them and checking them off the list. Are you adding to your food storage each week with canned and packaged foods? Are you adding to your emergency supplies monthly? What are you doing? Food storage is a life time process because you are always rotating what you store, especially commercially canned and packaged foods. Long term food storage will last for 15-30 years depending on what you are storing and how you are storing it. Be smart, be wise, and start doing!




New July Monthly Assignments

Summer time is a great time to work on condiments and paper products since they are usually on sale.

Food Storage . . . Condiments


This month we are adding condiments to our food storage, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickle relish, BBQ sauces, etc. Watch for sales in your local grocery stores and big box stores and stock up. If you purchase them at discount stores watch the expiration dates. Only store what your family uses. Remember to rotate them as needed and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Continually add them throughout the Summer while on sale. Before you know if you will have meet your goal.

Emergency Preparedness . . . 
                                 Paper supplies



Another great thing to add this time of year is our emergency paper supplies. If there is a disaster or emergency situation you do not want to use your valuable precious water to do the dishes. Store those paper items your family will use, large plates, small plates, bowls, cups, napkins or paper towels and plastic silverware. You can keep these in your garage, attic, or back yard storage shed. Keep them in a large plastic container so they do not get wet or rodents chew on them. Watch for sales throughout the Summer at your local grocery store, discount stores and big box stores. Store what you family will need for the number of months you have set your goal, 1-month, 3-months, 6-months, a year.

Note: When ever we order take out food and take it home, I save the plastic silverware and use our home silverware. It is amazing how fast it builds up. I then put them in large plastic zip lock bags and store them with the other emergency paper supplies in large plastic containers. 

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

Freeze-Dried verses Dehydrated . . . 


When it comes to long term food storage many think freeze-dried and dehydrated are the same thing, can be stored as long and reconstituted the same way. There is a difference!

Go to emergencyessentials.com by clicking here and learning more about the differences between freeze-dried and dehydrated. You will probably store both types but it is good to know how to store them, how long they will store and how to use them. 

Comments and Questions: Please share your comment and questions below. Remember, we all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. You can also email me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank your sharing.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of June 5th)

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

Three thoughts this month . . .

Be Aware!

Each of us needs to always be aware of our surroundings and what is going on around us. 

We need to stop, look around us, think what we can do to stay safe!

 
When you go into a store know the exit doors and places you can take cover if needed, especially big box stores where things can fall
from above. 
 



When in a crowd of people look around and know places you can exit and take cover to be safe. Be aware of the people around you.





Know different routes to take when a familiar route becomes inaccessible.  Be aware of all those and the drivers around you. Know ahead of time what you would do in different situations. Keep your car in good running order and keep at least a half tank of gas in your car at all times. 




Know what is going on in your neighborhood, community, state, local and federal governments and around the world.

 

This is the time of year when many of us will be going on vacations, road trips, by airplane, train, bus, etc. Know the areas you will going to and what type of natural disasters they have during the summer season, like flash flooding. Know what to do and not do. Know these for what ever season you might be traveling in. Click here to learn about different types of natural disasters that could effect you. Have a Family Home Evening on it before leaving on your trip so all family members know what to do. If on a road trip check the local news often for any warnings of possible weather related danger while traveling. Keep family emergency names and and phone numbers with you and all family members.

Do not live in fear but, 

Be Aware! Be Prepared!
 
Obedience . . .


The first principle of the gospel is obedience. The Bible and Book of Mormon tell us of many times when the people of that time listened to the warnings and prepared, many times not knowing why, but were faithful and followed the promptings.

"We are blessed as we show our faith in God by being obedient to His will." (President Spencer W. Kimball)

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." (Hebrew 11:7)

We to need to move with fear and faith in preparing our house spiritually and temporally!
 
What is food storage and emergency preparedness all about?

 
Patience, persistence and consistency! 
And of course, being prepared!

It takes time and patience to build up our food storage and emergency supplies. It does not happen over night. We should never go into debt to purchase these items. 

If we are persistent in setting goals and working towards them we will accomplish them. Before we know it we will have 3-Months of food storage, and may be even a year's supply of food. Same thing goes for our emergency supplies. 

If we are consistent we will accomplish our goals and be better prepared for what may come our way. 

Patience, persistence and consistency will bring us peace in knowing we are prepared!  

New June Monthly Assignments
 
Food Storage . . . 
                     Grains


Grains are one of the basics of food storage. They consist of wheat (hard red and hard white), white and wheat flour, barley, oats, corn (maize), sorghum, millet, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat, rye, brown rice, wild rice, couscous, amaranth, chia, farro, teff and others. Most of us do not cook with most of these.  It is a good idea to become familiar with others we do not use. Get a good cook book on Cooking with Grains and try new recipes. 

There is a program on the BYU channel I enjoy,  "Fusion Grain Cooking" with Chef Brad. He shows
how to use all types of grains in many interesting ways, making breads, in salads, in casseroles and deserts.  You can also find him on YouTube doing demonstrations. I love his show, very informative!

 
How much to store per person: Yous should store a variety of grains, not just all wheat. Only store the types of grains your family will eat. Experiment with new ones and add them to your list if you family likes them. The best way is to hide them in recipes like Chef Brad does. Learn how to cook with wheat and use often. If you spring wheat on your family, and they are not used to it, in an emergency they will have really bad stomach issues. 

Per person per month
1 month--25 pounds
3 months--75 pounds
6 months--150 pounds
1 year--300 pounds

Where to store grains: As always, in a cool, dry, dark place. 

How to store: If you are purchasing packages or boxes from the regular grocery store or big box store they should store for a least 1 year in their original packing. Since grains do attract insects I like to put mine in the large Mason jars. Write on the jar what it is and the date so you can rotate as needed. You can seal them in the Mason jar for possibly 3 years (brown rice only keeps for a year) by using a FoodSaver to extract the air or an oxygen absorber to draw out the air. You can also seal them by using the oven method. Check on YouTube how to do these this methods. Remember, the key to good food storage is rotation, rotation, rotation and replace them as soon as you use them.

How to purchase, short term or long term?  If you are just starting out on your food storage first only purchase your grains in their original packing (short term) until you have reached your months goal. After you have at least a 3 months supply then you can think about purchasing them in the #10 dehydrated/freeze dried cans or super pails (long term), which can be expensive and requires extra water storage to rehydrate. Wheat is best stored this way. The best place to purchase your wheat (hard red and hard white) is through store.lds.org, great prices. Click  here to view their website. You do not have to be a member of our church to purchase from there, just set up an account.


 
Emergency Preparedness . . .
                                        Sanitation 

Emergency sanitation is a very important 
part of emergency preparedness. 

Each family needs to plan for this, you may not be able to use your conventional toilet or have running water. Human waste needs to be handled correctly. Click here to learn more about
emergency sanitation. 

I ran across this picture and like how they have an emergency toilet for "poo" and "pee" separately. Good idea since they are handled differently.



 

Clean hands are another important part of sanitation. It cuts down on infections and serious illnesses.  Have a way to wash you hands on a regular bases. Keep a basin of water and hand soap near by. If there is no running water available do not dump out the basin until needed. 


 
If you cannot use your conventional toilet due to no running water and you do not have an emergency portable toilet here is a good example of how to use your conventional toilet in an emergency situation.Use it the same way you would use your emergency portable toilet and dispose of the waste the same way.




One of our blog followers asked how much of the enzymes should you use with the portable toilet. Sprinkle on enough to lightly cover the waste.  It will break it down so you can bury it.



Emergency Preparedness Ideas 

How prepared is your home for when a natural disaster hits?

I find most people are not prepared.  Each time hurricane season or tornado season it upon us or we live in earthquake country, our homes are not ready. We can minimize the damages by being prepared. 
If you know you have hurricanes or tornadoes in your area, then always have the supplies on hand to deal with them instead of each year running off the to local hardware or home improvement center to purchase the needed supplies only to find out they have run out. Keep them in your garage or backyard storage shed. If you live in earthquake areas then prepare your home the best you can. Anchor down items that could fly off the walls/shelves or fall over and hurt you; If your home is not retrofitted (the house is secured to the foundation) then look into having it done, which can be expensive. 



I just learned of a program in California were they are issuing grants (up to $3,000) to homeowners with older homes to help retrofit them. Click here to learn more. A strong earthquake can knock your home off its foundation.




Always keep flashlights with extra batteries on hand, a weather emergency radio on hand if you live in areas were they send out warnings, and extra canned foods and water. 

Be prepared, be safe!

Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and questions below. We all learn from each others knowledge and experiences. Or you can email me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank you for sharing.