Organization Is Key

I've had some people ask about inventory and organization.  Easy!!!!  for it you need 5 legal pads, some graph paper and lots and lots of pencils.  Just kidding.  I do know people with such extensive preparations that they do have huge spread sheets; and I know that some people have all their stuff scanned into a computer.  Wow.

Long-term food storage rotation.

One thing to admit to yourself is that your long term food storage is like insurance.  You may not use it but you're glad you have it.  Unless you make 10 loaves of bread a week, you are not going to rotate through your wheat fast enough to even stress about it.  If you have pinto beans with every meal, great; but most of us don't so it's more trouble than it is worth to try and rotate.  Stash the 100 lbs of beans and think about it in another 30 years.  I have bags stored that I don't touch (because I can't reach them, "thank you husband");  and I have one bucket of beans that I use, when it is low I buy the next replacement bag.

So much of what you store is based on how much room you have.  If you are storing your grains under your stairs then you won't beable to put the new bags in the back, so stash the wheat, be grateful you have it and then in 30 years if you haven't used it yet start replacing it gradually over then next year.  In my head I have a grand design for a mini-grainery to fit under the stairs:  pour new wheat in the top, take wheat from the bottom - genious!  I have 4 kids, several hobies and a couple volunteer jobs.  The mini-grainery will have to wait.




3 month food storage rotation.
I only store enough flour to fit on a certain shelf.  The flour container in my kitchen fits 5lbs so I store 6 5bl bags and it works out to about a 6 month supply.  I know that if I run out then I have plenty of wheat I can grind.

Same with the sugar.  I have that on a particular shelf that fits just so much sugar and if something happens and I need more I have 80 lbs of honey in my long-term storage that never needs to be rotated.

The key is to get organized.  Figure out what you want to keep in your 3-months-or-more food storage, organize it and then replace as you use.  You do not need a big excell sheet to keep track of your storage.  Keep an index card on your fridge.  As you use something write it down.  The next time you do a big shopping trip you know what to buy.

For example.  I love Kroger Macaroni and Cheese.  I think it is better than the name brand.  At a case-lot sale you can buy a case of mac and cheese for $.25 per box.  We have the case we are eating our way through and then an un-opened case underneath.  When the next case-lot sale comes along, if I've opened the last case then I buy a new one.  If I still have a whole case then I wait until next time.

Decide your staples that you always want on your shelves, like canned corn.  Think how how many cans you want for a 3 month supply, like 20.  Assign one spot on your shelf that fits that many corn then you always know how many you have. 


                                                       Not enough space

We are a peculiar people, and proud of it!  That includes our food storage.  You are commanded/encouraged to store as much as you can.  If you only have room for a month's supply then so be it, but get that month's supply.  The only food I have in my kitchen is flour, sugar, cooking oil, and spices (okay, and what's in the fridge).  Everything else is stored throughout the house.  You don't see it, but it's there. 

You do not need a designanted food pantry or food storage!!!  If you don't have enough room on a shelf for 3 months supply of corn, get a tote from Walmart or the DI and keep it under a bed.  I built a bench for under a window; I keep small appliances, cans of wheat, rice, beans, and oats in it.

Water Storage For The Ages

Water is an essential part of Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness.  Without water you will die within 48 hours.  Without continued clean water we die within two weeks. 

Basic Water Storage

Store water in juice jugs, 2 liter soda bottles, and 55 gallon blue barrels.  DO NOT STORE WATER IN THE GALLON JUGS THEY ARE SOLD IN AT THE STORE!!!!  You know the ones like milk jugs.  Also, do not store your water directly on or against concrete.  The chemiclas in the concrete will eat through the plastic and the water will take on the flavor of the cement (or anything it's stored by).  They say the blue barrels can go on cement but I still stick a scrap piece of wood or a few layers of cardboard under mine.

The goal, as set by leading preparedness expert Tim Woolf, is to have one 55 gallon barrel per person in your family.  In reality, after drinking and cooking this may last 2 weeks.  I am working on this and plan on sending each kid packing with their barrel and 400lbs of wheat as they get married.   Until you have a barrel per person, start filling soda bottles.  Then as you get the barrells you can recycle the pop bottles.

You should also have at least 1 gallon in every room in your home in case you are suddenly stuck in that room for an extended period of time (while emergency crews dig through the rubble). 

Treating your stored water is easy.  DON’T.  If you have city water that is pretreated then you do not have to add anything.  If your containers are clean then you shouldn’t have to rotate.  Now please continue reading, don’t stop here or you won’t have the whole picture.

Water Treatment

Like I said in the above paragraph, if you have city water you do not need to treat the water you put in your containers and you don't have to rotate, unless you want to.

The best single thing you can add to your food storage shelf is an under $20 bottle of powdered chlorine!  One bottle will clean enough water to supply your entire block with water for a month or more.  If 15 families in our ward had these then the entire ward would be set for several months.

To use this all you do is add ¼ teaspoon (let me repeat) 1/4 TEASPOON to a 55 gallon barrel of water from a good source (I’ll expand on that in a moment).  Put the lid on and let it sit for 24 hours.  If you want the chlorine smell and taste gone then let the barrel sit for another 24 hours without the lid.  Do the math:  1 barrel with chlorine/lid on, 1 barrel lid off, 1 barrel being used.

The limitation of this is it only kills biological contaminants.  It doesn’t cleeeeean the water.  Unless you know your water source is clean of non biological contaminants you also need a good filter that will take out the dirt, petroleum (gasoline/oil) and  the radioactive dust (I know you were thinking it).

Water Filtration

There are chemical filters, micro pour filters, bio sand filters, and any other kind of filter you can dream of.  Some very, VERY expensive and others homemade with stuff you can buy at the hardware store for a few dollars.

One of the best filters you can buy is the Aquarain.  It uses gravity and ceramic filters to purify up to 25 gallons a day.  The water needs to be free from debris but the filter will take everything else out. If you are interested go to their website at http://www.aquarain.com .  I also have a lady out of draper that buys these in bulk so she might have a better price.  Her email is preparednessproducts@comcast.net .  There is a problem with these:  The ceramic filters are extremely fragile.  One tiny crack and the filter is useless.

An awesome filter you can make at home is a sand filter.  It’s like taking the city’s water treatment plant and putting it in a Rubbermaid garbage can, or even a 5 gallon bucket.  Here is a basic diagram of a sand filter.  You can also look up videos on Utube.  OR if we have enough interested people, we can make this a ward activity.  The only thing I would add to my filter is a layer of “activated carbon” that you can buy at any pet store with a fish isle.

In Short

Start with filling the two liter soda bottle from family parties and stuffing them in the back of closets.  Then add blue barrels.  Then add a filter, or learn how to make one.   In an emergency (like Katrina or Japan) Start using your stored water while you collect water to start filtering:  you filter out the big stuff (a friend said “pick out the body parts” ewww!), send the water through your filter and then chlorine it to heck.



Forever Food Storage, Never Rotate, Butter

The next few posts will be things that once you store correctly, you never need to rotate.  They can sit on your shelf until your great-great-grandkids find it and wonder what other crazy things you have on your shelves.

Oil is such an important part of food storage.  It has been told that during WWII those on the run, or those suffering in consentration camps, craved butter.  Fat feeds your brain and regulates hormones. 

Clarified, canned butter, also know as Ghee, is perfect.  A healthy oil that is choleserol free. Once stored correctly it will never go bad.  It will be priceless if, when, we have to rely on our food storage.

Clarified butter is really soft and sort of grainy when cool.  It melts at a lower temperature (70 degrees) but othere than those differences it can be used just like everyday butter/margarine.  It smells delicious, but doesn't have a lot of flavor so I like to add a little salt when I use ghee.

You can buy commurcially prepared butter, but it is expensive and just as easy to do at home.  Set a goal to can 1 lb. of butter a week until you have a couple of gallons.  I'll tell you about other oils to add soon. 

The instructions follow.  Be patient with yourself.  You might mess up a couple of times.  It's okay.

Materials needed:        

ü Heavy bottomed pot with tall sides because the butter splatters some as it boils. 

ü 1lb of butter.  I use unsalted but have been told it doesn’t matter.  The actual instructions say to use “organic butter from pasture fed cows” but I think $1.50 butter works just as well as $5.00 butter.

ü Cheese cloth or a fine, wire strainer

ü Container to store your butter.  Any clean container with a lid will work.  This does NOT need to be sealed like other canned foods.  I use an empty mayo or peanut butter jar that has been cleaned out real well and is completely dry.  I just add the next layer until it is full.

Instructions:        

v Put the butter in the pot and place it on the burner.  Turn the burner on to its lowest possible setting that will still melt the butter.  Mine is the “R” on WARM. 

v Set your timer for 50-60 minutes.  It will take trial and error to know how long it takes.  Too short and it wont set up, too long and it is ruined.

v DO NOT STIR, AT ALL.  White, foamy, yuck will rise to the top and gritty stuff will sink to the bottom.  This is the stuff that you’ll strain off in the end. 

v You know it is done when the white, foamy, yuck turns gold and crispy.  Brown and crispy is a sign of over done.  Everything needs to be a beautiful golden yellow color. 

v Slowly pour contents through several layers of cheese cloth or through your fine wire strainer.  The oil is VERY, VERY, VERY HOT so be sure you strain it into a container that can handle the heat until it has a chance to cool down.  Let it cool down at least 1 hour before pouring it into any plastic container. 

If you have questions or would like a demonstration please call:

Brenda Burrup, brendaburrup@q.com

What to do with a Wheat Berry.

Whole Wheat Pilaf:

• 2 Cups whole wheat, wash several times then
• Add 6 Cups of cold water, let stand in cool place for 24 hours
• Cook in crock-pot for 10-12 hours then
• Melt ¼ lb butter in a skillet and
• Add 1 large onion, chopped fine
• Simmer for 30 minutes, do NOT brown
• Add to wheat and cook for 2 more hours

Makes a lot, very tasty and keeps in freezer well.

You can freeze it in portions and add it to casseroles with, or instead of, meat. 

Wheat! I Had No Idea!

Kamut and Spelt are the originals

They are the same today as they were 3,000 plus years ago.  Purists only use these two because they have not been genetically altered, that also makes them more expensive.  I have been told that these two are easier to digest.

Red and White Wheat

These are available from the Dry Pack Cannery for about $8.00 per 25 lb bag.  Most common question at the Cannery:  “What is the difference between Red and White wheat?”  You seem to get more flour from the White wheat but when it comes to taste I found that some people were really passionate about their Red (heavy and lots of flavor) and some about the White (lighter, more pastry like).

A Year’s Supply of Food for Under $10.00

One 25lb bag of wheat IF SPROUTED will keep a person alive for 1 year.  That’s eating less than ¼ cup of sprouts a day.  If you haven’t done any long term storage and your goal is to get a year’s supply then start by going to the cannery and buying one bag of wheat for each person in your family and learn how to sprout.  Then you can honestly say you have enough to keep you alive for a year BUT BY ALL MEANS KEEP ADDING TO YOUR STORAGE!

Suggested Reading

The Sprouting Book by Ann Wigmore.  ISBN 0-89529-246-7.  I feel any family that stores whole grains for a time of scarcity should have this book with their supplies even if they don’t read it until that day comes.

Storing your Grains

The Church recommends storing your grain in different ways.  Here are the most common.

Cans:  You can go to the cannery and seal your grains in #10 cans with oxygen absorbers.  This is great and virtually impervious to any elements but your grain will also be unsproutable.

Buckets:  The only thing I really do is put about a cup of salt in a brown paper bag in the center of the bucket to help absorb any moisture that might be in the air.  If you are worried about bugs (weevils eat the wheat germ also rendering your wheat unsproutable, but they are protein J ) you could add diatomatious (sp?) earth to your bucket or I have heard of people lining the bottom and top of their buckets with bay leaves. 

Amount to Store

The Church recommends:  400 lbs of grain:  wheat, corn, rice, oatmeal, etc. per person.

If you ration this out that might give you enough wheat for a dinner roll every day. 

Survivalists recommend:  400 lbs of wheat per person and then storing different grains in addition.  This, rationed out, will give you enough wheat for a small loaf of bread per person per day and adding different grains gives you more energy.



March's focus: FOOD STORAGE

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 109:88)

This month we are going to sort of focus on food storage, but we'll talk about anything and everything that YOU want to talk about.  We have a canning date at the Ogden Home Storage Center on Saturday, March 19, at 1pm.  We have 1 station for 1 hour, but things have been so slow there that we can probably stay longer or take another station if we need to.

I worked in the office of that cannery every Saturday for a year during the last "panic".  It was so much fun and easy.  If you've ever wanted to serve a mission close to home on your schedule then the cannery is a great place.

If you go to providentliving.org and follow the links to food storage order form then you can see the offerings at the cannery.  Some of the tasty favorites are the apple slices and hot cocoa.  If you want some products then fill out the order form and give it to me with a signed, blank check.  It needs to be blank because they are sometimes out of some things or their prices change without notice.  I've done this a lot and can tell you that blank checks are by far the easiest and most efficient way to do this.  You get copies of all receipts so you know I've been honest.

For the record, I'm new to blogging, so .  . . be paitent and participate.  Send me any pictures and posts you would like to add.  Or you can just comment under the post.  Also, if you have anything around the house you want to get rid of you can offer it to the ward members here.  We had one of these in our last ward and it was a great success.