Make Your Own Collection of 3-Month Supply Recipes Handout

Make Your Own Collection of 3-Month Supply Recipes

Most recipes can be converted to be food storage friendly. These new versions of your old family favorites will help you rotate and stock your 3-Month Supply. You will know exactly which items you will need to store and how to use them. Identifying and substituting out perishable, fresh ingredients for shelf stable alternatives turns your recipes into food storage friendly recipes. In the end, you will have your own collection of 3-Month Supply recipes made from meals your family already enjoys.

Step 1: Start With a Recipe
Most recipes can be converted; but some, like “Eggplant Parmesan” or “Mixed Greens Asian Salad”, just aren’t going to work. Choose your recipes wisely.

Step 2: Identify Perishable Ingredients
Anything that requires refrigeration or doesn’t store well will need to be replaced with a shelf stable substitute.

Step 3: Determine the Best Shelf Stable Substitute
Some ingredients can be easily changed out for something shelf stable. For example, most fresh fruits and vegetables can be substituted with canned fruits and vegetables. But with other ingredients you may need to be creative and find something close enough. Minor ingredients can even be omitted if you can’t find a good alternative. If a main ingredient cannot be reasonably substituted you will need to find another recipe.

Step 4: Test it out
Your new recipe may not work perfectly the first time you make it after all those substitutions. And it will probably taste slightly different from the original. Most likely, you will need to make adjustments before trying it again. Then, decide whether or not you want to keep it in your 3-Month Supply Recipe Collection.

Substitution chart for converting basic ingredients in family favorite recipes into food-storage, friendly options.

Food	Fresh	Equivalent	Rehydrate
Beans	1 cup cooked beans	1/3 cup dried beans	1 cup water
Beans	1 (15-oz) can beans	a heaping ½ cup dried beans
Butter	1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)	1/2 cup powdered butter	1/2 cup water
Butter	1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)	6 TBSP olive oil
Dried Herbs	1 TBSP fresh herbs	1 tsp dried herbs
Egg	1 large egg or 1 3/4 oz	2 TBSP powdered egg	2 TBSP water
Egg Substitute	1 large egg or 1 3/4 oz	1 TBSP ground flaxseed	3 TBSP water
Egg Substitute	1 large egg or 1 3/4 oz	1 TBSP ground chia seed	3 TBSP water
Egg Substitute	1 large egg or 1 3/4 oz	1 TBSP gelatin	3 TBSP water
Garlic	1 clove garlic or 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic	1/8 tsp garlic powder
Lentils	1 cup cooked lentils	1/3 cup dried lentils	1 - 1 1/3 cup water
Milk	1 cup milk	3 TBSP powdered milk	1 cup water
Milk	1 cup milk	2 TBSP powdered instant milk	1 cup water
Milk	1 cup milk	1/2 cup canned evaporated milk	1/2 cup water
Onion	1 cup diced fresh onion or 1 onion	1 cup freeze-dried	1/3 cup water
Onion	1 cup diced fresh onion or 1 onion	1/3 cup dehydrated	1/3 cup water
Onion	1/3 cup chopped fresh onion	1 tsp onion powder
Potato, Mashed	4 1/2 cups mashed potatoes	3 cups potato flakes	1 cup milk + 1/4 cup butter + 3 cups water + 1 tsp salt
Split Peas	1 cup cooked peas	1/3 cup dried peas	1 - 1 1/3 cup water

Cooking With Your 3-Month Supply Handout

Cooking With Your 3-Month Supply

“The best storehouse is the family storeroom. It’s the most accessible reserve in times of need and the best suited to our individual needs.” - Gordon B. Hinckley, Oct 2005, General Conference

“Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.” - First Presidency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, All Safely Gathered In

Benefits of Cooking with Your 3-Month Supply:

• Helps you ease into cooking with your food storage staples. 
• On a busy day, when you don’t have a lot of time, you will always have a meal on-hand. 
• You will know how to prepare meals in an emergency situation that your family will eat. 
• Using and rotating your food items ensures they will still be nutritious when you need them.

Red Beans and Rice

Serves: 6
Start-to-Finish: 30 minutes
Ingredients: 1 ½ cup dry white rice 3 cups water for steaming rice 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ - 2 cup summer sausage, cut into half circles 1 (8.75-oz) can corn, drained (approx. 1 cup fresh corn) 1 (12.5-oz) can of cooked chicken, drained 1 (15.5-oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed ½ cup water (+½ cup for consistency) 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Kosher salt ½ tsp paprika 2 tsp chili powder ¼ tsp chicken bouillon ½ tsp onion powder ¼ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp smoked paprika 6 TBSP ketchup	Directions: Add dry white rice and 3 cups water to rice cooker and steam until soft and fluffy. Measure out all seasoning. (This recipe goes together fast and you will want them ready!) Cut summer sausage into ½ inch thick half circles. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add sausage to saucepan and brown gently on each side (about 3 minutes). Drain and rinse kidney beans, and drain canned corn and canned chicken. Add ½ cup water, beans, corn, chicken, seasonings, and ketchup into saucepan. Stir together and simmer for 8 minutes, adding more water as needed for a nice consistency. Serve sausage mixture over steamed rice

Free Food Storage Pep Talk Guide

The Food Storage Pep Talk is a free downloaded guide put together by Food Storage Made Easy. The guide talks about topics such as "What is food storage?", "Why do we store food?", "Common Food Storage Problems", "Solutions for those problems"and plans to achieve your food storage goals. You can download the 19 page pdf here or head over to there website at www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net and download it from them, as well as see what other great resource they are offering.

The Food Storage Pep Talk

This would make a great starting point for an FHE lesson for those who are looking to start a food storage plan in their home and set goals with their families.

Handouts for Food Storage and Organization

Storage and Organization Handouts:

Food Storage and Organization
3 Tier Home Storage Plan (in one year)

Recipes
We served Black Bean Brownies and Pantry Salsa at our April class. Both recipes can be found by clicking the recipe name links or by searching our Recipes Page.

Storage and Organization Links:

Food Storage Calculator. This provides a generic list of food items for your 1 year supply and fills in an amount you will need based on the people in your family
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

This spreadsheet determines how much food you will need in your 3 month supply based on a menu you enter. Helps you plan your meals, put together an inventory list, track sales prices, and more.
Three Month Food Supply Excel

This spreadsheet helps you determine how much you should store and offers a tracking system for your 1 year supply inventory
Long Term Food Storage Calculator Excel

Includes common foods you can use to substitute in cooking. Also includes tables of measurements and yields.
Common Substitutions, Measurements, Yields

Wendy Dewitt's System. Includes instructions, recipes, and rotation information
http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-2.html

Equivalency Information form Wendy Dewitt
Equivalency Information

DIY Survival Candles

I found this great step-by-step tutorial for making long burning candles. I thought it was worth sharing. The cost to make these candles is approx $1.62 a candle and burn for about 50 hours.
This post is from teotwawkiblog.blogspot.com

DIY Survival Candles:

Candles are an easy-to-use source of emergency lighting and a little bit of heat. I'm shocked to see some of the prices that are charged for long burning candles sold for survival or emergency preparedness - if you want to buy a dozen or so candles, the cost really starts to add up.

Never fear! You can make your own survival candles at home for cheap, using high-quality, long burning soy wax. It's an easy project - the materials are easy to buy and you won't need any specialized tools.

The materials you will need are:

• Soy wax flakes. These are commonly used in making scented candles and are sold in craft stores or Amazon. I bought a 5 pound bag from Amazon for 12.79 shipped - right here. A pound of wax will fill around a 24 ounce container, give or take. You can use other wax, but soy is affordable, typically has a longer burn time than other waxes and has some other beneficial qualities (all-natural, renewable, etc.).
• Canning jars. I purchased a dozen 8 ounce jars from Wal Mart for around $8. If you have jars around the house, no need to buy 'em. We've used jars from jams, sauces and so on for candles in the past.
• Wicks and Tabs. You can find these on Amazon, eBay and at your craft stores. You'll want your wicks to be a bit longer than your candle holder is tall. I have 100 tabs and 100 nine inch wicks on eBay for about $10 total.

The tools you will need are:

• Scissors: For cutting the wicks to size
• Double Boiler: For melting the wax. I don't have an actual double boiler, so I just get a large pot, fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way with water, and then nest a slightly smaller pot inside.
• A Pouring Device: I just used a pyrex measuring cup. 
• Protective Gloves: We'll be using boiling water and hot wax, so you want to keep you hands safe.

The steps are simple.

First, you'll want to get your wicks ready. If your wicks are way too long for your container, you'll want to trim them down to approximate size. I had 9" wicks here. Insert the wick into the tab - I found it helpful to use my Leathman to "tighten" the mouth of the tab around the wick, but it's not a must. If you buy pre-tabbed wicks then you can skip this part.

 

Put your wicks in the jars. Don't worry if they're not centered - we'll fix that after we pour the wax. Now it's meltin' time!

This is my "double boiler." Works well enough. Using a double boiler helps melt the wax gently, avoiding risk of it catching fire, burning, etc. You could probably do it without, but it's not hard to improvise so why not?

Here are the flakes beginning to melt.

And now fully melted.

Carefully transfer the melted wax into your pouring container. Then, pour away! Don't worry about the container - soy wax is all natural, non-toxic and cleans up fairly easily. Beware if you have a soy allergy, though.

Don't fill the jar up the whole way - leave some room between the wax and the top of the container. You'll want to center the wicks at this point. Then, take a break and let the wax cool and harden up. Almost done!

Last step. After the wax has cooled, trim the wicks as needed--you want the wick to be about 1/4" above the wax. Then, screw the lids on and you're ready for storage!

While some advertise 70+ hours of burn time for 8 ounce candles like this, they're more in the ballpark of 40 to 50 hours, and you'll get the most life out of them if you burn the candles four hours at a time. Since you would only use the candle for about 4 hours every evening, a single candle should last for around 10 days of regular use. Not bad! You can of course use different sized jars--bigger for longer burn time, or multiple wicks for more light.

Including the purchase of new jars, my cost per candle is around $1.62. With recycled jars, it's under a dollar.

These aren't crap materials, either--these are the same quality of materials use for high-end aromatherapy candles that sell for $20 a pop. Another plus - the combination of soy wax's lower melting point and the protective glass jar make this a safer source of light when compared to other candles, oil lanterns and so on.

One modification that I plan to make it to include a booklet of matches inside of each jar - cheap and makes sure you've got a way to light the candle if it's pulled out of storage during a power outage, etc.

Anyways, give it a shot and let us know how it goes! Have fun!

Handouts for Gardening

January's self reliance class was all about "Gardening". We discussed how to make a raised garden bed, soil mixes, and square-foot gardening. There were lots of resources and information in the class about gardening for our area, irrigation, pollination, and solutions to common gardening problems.

Handouts:

This attachment is 76 pages of everything you could want to know about seeds and harvesting and planting. It includes charts for optimal planting times, planting guides, pest control, and how to maintain your garden each month of the year. It is in depth and very detailed.
Hugh Johnson's Garden Class

This handout is in PDF format. It is from the Texas Cooperative Extension and shows the varieties of 35 different vegetables that grow well in Montgomery County, TX.
Vegetable Varieties for Our Area

This handout is in PDF format. If you are looking for specific seed varietes and can't find them in your local home improvement store this handout lists several companies that offer a variety of quality seeds, depending on what you need.
Seed Source

Preparing with Baby

Families with young children and babies have different needs than those without. Which means they will need to store additional items in their emergency kits and 3-month-supply to meet those needs. The lists below are not all-inclusive; reflect on what you and your baby need and adjust the list to fit.

Source: Prepared Not Scared
Here's a List of the Basics You Might Want to Store:

• Formula
• Diapers
• Wet Wipes
• Diaper Rash Ointment
• Bottles
• Pacifiers
• Blankets
• A copy of your baby's immunization records
• Water

You Might Also Think of Including:

• Medicine for Fever Relief
• Pedialite
• Ear Drops
• Bulb Syringe
• Few Toys
• An outfit 6 months larger than the child current needs

Here are some guidelines to help you decide what you may or may not want to include in your emergency kit and how to make it.
Source: Preparedness Pantry
1. Do a little “home shopping” – You probably have duplicate baby items you wouldn’t miss day to day. Select items you don’t need daily because you don’t want to keep packing and unpacking this bag like just another diaper bag. Find items that won’t expire or lose their usefulness (like sized clothing/diapers would).

2. Think small – You already have a baby to carry, you don’t want a 15 lb emergency bag, too. Think small for items in the bag - use sample packets of diaper cream, ointments, (like those received in the hospital) to equip the bag. Trial size, travel size and sample packs reduce the size and weight of your kit. Included mini nail files, packets of Brush ups for when baby has teeth, and mini books for entertainment. Small stick-on baby thermometers eliminate the need to include a regular thermometer.

3. Make it Multi-Task – Include items with dual purpose. Instead of separate wipes, burp clothes, washcloths, pack three small baby washcloths – these can be wet for washing or baby bum wiping. They can become a tiny bandage, burp cloth or diaper stuffing. Of course, the hope is you have a water supply to wash and reuse, but carrying a lot of disposable items doesn’t make sense if you need your bag to stay a manageable size. Include a small blanket which could be re-purposed as a pillow, changing pad, or even clothing if baby’s outfit becomes soiled.

4. Include information – Your baby probably can’t talk, so include information in the unthinkable event you become separated from your child. Create a laminated information card with the baby’s name, birthday, parents’ names, address/phone information, and medical/feeding information. Include a photo of the baby and parents, so you can be identified and reunited with baby. Also, attached to the outside of the emergency kit include a “Grab It” card – this lists other items NOT in the bag that you might want grab if you have time/room (extras like clothing, diapers, food, medications).

Recipes for Baby items
Source: Prepared Not Scared

Emergency Baby Formula

Ingredients:

1/3 cup plus 2 TBSP instant powdered milk OR 1/4 cup non-instant powdered milk
1 1/2 cup boiled water
1 TBSP oil
2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Mix powdered milk and water together.
2. Blend thoroughly.
3. Add oil and sugar.
If baby bottles are not available, milk can be spoon fed to an infant.

Soy Milk Formula

Soy milk is a good substitute for any one that is allergic to cow's milk.

Ingredients:

2 cups soybeans

Directions:

1. Soak soybeans for 12 hours. (Change the water frequently.)
2. Grind soaked, raw beans with a fine blade in a food grinder.
3. Add 6 cups water to the soybeans in a large pan.
4. Cook until foamy for 1 hour.
5. Put through a blender, then strain through a cheesecloth.
6. Refrigerate.

Emergency Baby Food

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cereal grain
1/4 cup beans

Directions:

1. Boil until soft, then press through a sieve.
2. Boil again to insure that it is bacteria free.
This will provide good protein and iron, as well as calories. This can be fed to infants under 6 months if adequate milk is not available, but it must be pureed to a fine texture.

Teething Sticks

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour (approximately)
4 TBSP butter, melted and cooled
1 cup untoasted wheat germ

Directions:

1. Beat together the milk, butter, and sugar.
2. Stir in the wheat germ and enough flour to make a dough.
3. Knead until smooth and satiny, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Pinch off balls of dough and roll them into sticks about 1/2-inch thick and 4-inches long.
5. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned and hard.
6. Cool the sticks before giving them to your baby to teethe on.
Always supervise any child with a teething stick.

Diaper Rash Reliever

Ingredients:

2 TBSP powdered chamomile flowers
1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

1. Add cornstarch and FINELY powdered chamomile to a container with a shaker top.
2. Cover, and shake it into a mix.
3. At every diaper changing, shake the mixture on baby's bottom until evenly dusted with a thin coating.
HINT: If rash persists, dab garlic oil onto rash areas. It might be stinky . . . but I hear it works!

Handouts For Cheesemaking

September's self reliance class covered the topics of "Cheesemaking" and "Learning How to Shut off your Utilities". We took a team teaching approach to the cheesemaking portion of the class this month; so if you could only make it to one of the classes (morning or evening) you may want to check out the handouts from the other class to see what interesting things were focused on in that class.

Handouts:
How to Turn Off Your Utilities
Your Guide to Cheesemaking
Cheese Recipes

Answers to some questions that came up during our discussion:
This is a good websites that sells cheesemaking supplies. It also has step-by-step recipes with pictures for a large variety of cheeses:
New England Cheesemaking Supply Company
This is the name of a store in Houston, TX that sells cheesemaking supplies and kits:
Defalco's
This is the name of a store in Austin, TX that sells cheesemaking supplies and kits (it has a greater variety and selection than the one in Houston but it is further away):
Austin Home Brew
Junket Rennet Tablets website that shows cheesemaking recipes you can use the rennet tablet for:
Junket Desserts
Junket Rennet Tablets can be found next to the gelatin in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. I found mine in the Fiesta off Mason Rd so I can say with some certainty you will be able to find it there.
Other recipes for RAW "cheeses" can be found here:
Rawmazing

Handouts For Emergency Car Kits

July's self reliance class covered the topics of "Emergency Car Kits" and "Sprouting"
For those who missed the class, we have included the handouts from the discussions.

Handouts:
Emergency Car Kit Handout
Basic and Emergency Car Maintenance (This is a good guide to keep in your emergency car kit that walks you through how to use the supplies in your roadside emergency kit. There is no point in storing them unless you know what to do with them or by lucky chance someone who pulls over to help you knows how to use them.)

Answers to some questions that came up during our discussion:
Here is one option for a collapsible, portable, disposable gas can - Itzagascan
www.itzagascan.com
I have only been able to find them for sale online
This is just one option of where you might find and purchase a portable, disposable gas can if you were interested in including a product like this in your Car Emergency Kit. I do not know anything about the company or the product as far as reviews, comparable prices, etc...

The website address for the company Marni buys her sprouting seeds from
sproutpeople.org

The name of the sprouting device Marni reccommends
The Easy Sprout Sprouter - approx $14.00
If you type in the name into your search engine it will pull up lots of places that sell them
Here are the first three hits I got: Amazon, SproutPeople, WheatGrassKits

Handouts For Water Storage and Purification

June's self reliance class covered "Water Storage and Purification" and "Alternate Grains"
For those who missed the class, we have included the handouts from the discussions. Recipes for the delicious foods are posted on the recipe page.

Handouts:
Water Storage and Purification Handout
Water Contaminants Chart from freedrinkingwater.com
Alternate Grains Handout

Answers to some questions that came up during our discussion:
Where to purchase Iodine Tablets? Here are two sites I found selling Iodine Tablets. I searched in Google and these are the first two sites that popped up (one and two). Prices run approximately $7.00 for 50 tablets. I don't know anything about these products or the companies selling them; this is just an example to show you where you might purchase these products and how to find them if you are interested in Iodine Tablets as a method of water purification. It was also brought up in discussion that you can ask your local pharmacy to order them for you.

Where to purchase high capacity water tanks? High capacity water tanks can be found at this website surewatertanks.com. They sell a 275 gallon water tank and a 575 gallon water tank. These tanks hold substantially more than the traditional 55 gallon water tanks.

The church and water filters. The LDS church's provident living website offers links and product reviews for two companies that sell water filters: www.seychelle.com and www.katadyn.com. As far as I could determine the church itself does not actually sell these water filters they just offer an option of where you might purchase these products if you where interested in filters as a method of water purification.

All About "Sport Sun Ovens"

Information and Sites Featuring Sport Sun Ovens

The temperatures don't get as high as in the Sun Oven, it's more like a slow cooker.
It will not burn food.
It is a great oven and doesn't cost as much.
Some families who bought this oven last year have been cooking in it off and on all year.
It does a great job and very easy to use.

Head over to the Sport Sun Oven website for more information: solarovens.org
Recipes for the Sport Solar Oven: click here
Side-by-side cost and comparison of four sun ovens: click here
Review for the Sport Ovens: click here
Pros and cons for the Sport Ovens: click here

All About "Global Sun Ovens"

Information and Sites Featuring Global Sun Ovens

The oven can get up to 350 degrees.
It is a great oven and it will give you many years of service.
It will burn food if not watched.

Head over to the Global Sun Ovens website for more information: www.sunoven.com
For video instructions on how the sun oven works: click here
Sun Oven recipes: click here
Solar Cooking for a year blog: click here
Wendy DeWitt video on solar oven cooking: click here
Cooking off the Grid" reviews the global sun oven: click here
Solar Oven put to the test: click here
"The Survival Podcast" video showing an actual Global Sun Oven user: click here

How to use Global Sun Ovens - Video Seminar in 6 parts

Part 1:
Basic overview of the Sun Oven and it’s components.
How long with my Sun Oven last for?
How is it possible that nothing burns in my Sun Oven?
The Sun Oven looks small-can I really cook for my entire family in it?
Is the Sun Oven safe to use around children?
Will animals get into my Sun Oven?



Part 2:
What are the two basic ways to cook in a Sun Oven?
What is the basic rule of thumb for cooking in a Sun Oven?
What about the basic cooking times for a Sun Oven?
Can you tell me specifically how the Sun Oven will save me money on my energy bill?
What is Paul’s favorite thing to bake in the Sun Oven?
How can I multi-task in the Sun Oven?



Part 3:
How do I bake bread in the Sun Oven?
How do I pre-heat my Sun Oven?
How do I know if it is sunny enough to use my Sun Oven?
How can I know when my bread is done in a Sun Oven?
How can I bake cookies in the Sun Oven?
Is it possible to burn cookies in the Sun Oven?



Part 4:
Can I cook a turkey in a Sun Oven?
Which pots are best to use in the Sun Oven?
Which pots are best for use in the winter in a Sun Oven?
Can I simply reheat leftovers in a Sun Oven?
Can I use the Sun Oven in the winter?



Part 5:
Can I use the Sun Oven as a Solar Dehydrator?
Can I make jerky in the Sun Oven?
What do I do if the drying process takes longer than one day?



Part 6:
How can I purify water in a Sun Oven?
What is a WAPI and how do I use it to help me purify water?
What is the most efficient way to purify water in the Sun Oven?

7 Food Storage Mistakes

This is an interesting and informative article from Vicki Tate at www.backwoodshome.com. The article discusses the seven most common mistakes in storing food and gives suggestions on how to avoid them. It is a quick read with lots of helpful information.

If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be as easy as to achieve as many people think, because the facts are that most people make serious errors when storing food—errors that will come back to haunt them when the food they’ve stored is the only thing that stands between them and their empty, dissatisfied, bellies.
There are seven common mistakes people make when storing food. They are:

1. Variety

Most people don’t have enough variety in their storage. 95% of the people I’ve worked with have only stored four basic items: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Statistics show most of us won’t survive on such a diet for several reasons. a) Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they are eating it meal after meal. b) Wheat is too harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as their main staple. c) We get tired of eating the same foods over and over and many times prefer to not eat, then to sample that particular food again. This is called appetite fatigue. Young children and older people are particularly susceptible to it. Store less wheat than is generally suggested and put the difference into a variety of other grains, particularly ones your family likes to eat. Also store a variety of beans, as this will add color, texture, and flavor. Variety is the key to a successful storage program. It is essential that you store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, and onion.

Also, include a good supply of the spices you like to cook with. These flavorings and spices allow you to do many creative things with your grains and beans. Without them you are severely limited. One of the best suggestions I can give you is buy a good food storage cookbook, go through it, and see what your family would really eat. Notice the ingredients as you do it. This will help you more than anything else to know what items to store.

2. Extended staples

Never put all your eggs in one basket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze dried foods as well as home canned and “store bought” canned goods. Make sure you add cooking oil, shortening, baking powder, soda, yeast, and powdered eggs. You can’t cook even the most basic recipes without these items.

3. Vitamins

Vitamins are important, especially if you have children, since children do not store body reserves of nutrients as adults do. A good quality multi-vitamin and vitamin C are the most vital. Others might be added as your budget permits.

4. Quick and easy and “psychological foods”

Quick and easy foods help you through times when you are psychologically or physically unable to prepare your basic storage items. “No cook” foods such as freeze-dried are wonderful since they require little preparation, MREs (Meal Ready to Eat), such as many preparedness outlets carry, canned goods, etc. are also very good. “Psychological foods” are the goodies—Jello, pudding, candy, etc.—you should add to your storage. These may sound frivolous, but through the years I've talked with many people who have lived entirely on their storage for extended periods of time. Nearly all of them say these were the most helpful items in their storage to “normalize” their situations and make it more bearable. These are especially important if you have children.

5. Balance

Time and time again I’ve seen families buy all of their wheat, then buy all of another item and so on. Don’t do that. It’s important to keep well-balanced as you build your storage. Buy several items, rather than a large quantity of one item. If something happens and you have to live on your present storage, you’ll fare much better having a one month supply of a variety of items than a year’s supply of two or three items.

6. Containers

Always store your bulk foods in food storage containers. I have seen literally tons and tons of food thrown away because they were left in sacks, where they became highly susceptible to moisture, insects, and rodents. If you are using plastic buckets make sure they are lined with a food grade plastic liner available from companies that carry packaging supplies. Never use trash can liners as these are treated with pesticides. Don’t stack them too high. In an earthquake they may topple, the lids pop open, or they may crack. A better container is the #10 tin can which most preparedness companies use when they package their foods.

7. Use your storage

In all the years I’ve worked with preparedness one of the biggest problems I’ve seen is people storing food and not knowing what to do with it. It’s vital that you and your family become familiar with the things you are storing. You need to know how to prepare these foods. This is not something you want to have to learn under stress. Your family needs to be used to eating these foods. A stressful period is not a good time to totally change your diet. Get a good food storage cookbook and learn to use these foods! It’s better to find out the mistakes you’ll make now while there’s still time to make corrections.

It’s easy to take basic food storage and add the essentials that make it tasty, and it needs to be done. As I did the research for my cookbook, Cooking with Home Storage, I wanted to include recipes that gave help to families no matter what they had stored. As I put the material together it was fascinating to discover what the pioneers ate compared to the types of things we store. If you have stored only the basics, there’s very little you can do with it. By adding even just a few things, it greatly increases your options, and the prospect of your family surviving on it. As I studied how the pioneers lived and ate, my whole feeling for food storage changed. I realized our storage is what most of the world has always lived on. If it’s put together the right way we are returning to good basic food with a few goodies thrown in.

Vicki Tate is the author of the popular book, Cooking With Home Storage. You can reach her by calling (435) 835-8283.

How To - Storing Flour

Why are there bugs in my flour? Oh, and how to kill the little critters.

by Scott from The Real Epicurean www.realepicurean.com with an additional note added by Denise Killingsworth, Katy 2nd Ward Preparedness Specialist

I’m no physics expert but I do understand that a seemingly inanimate object such as a bag of flour should stay where it is put and not move unless I pick it up. So why when I started spooning out the contents of a bag of semolina flour yesterday were the contents moving by themselves?

I definitely had to rub my eyes. The contents looked like semolina flour, off white and speckled with light shades of brown. But it was those little specks of brown that were wiggling away happily, and I’d been eating cakes made with said flour only a day earlier without realising. Surely, I was going to die of food poisoning or something similar (perhaps, they were going to eat their way out through my flesh).

A day later and I’m still alive and the little buggers haven’t finished me off yet. In the duty of public service I hereby publish the contents of my extensive research (i.e. 20 minutes on Google) into said beasties:

Why are there bugs in my flour?

1. The little bugs found in flour are a type of tiny beetle called a weevil. They’re not picky and like anything from flour, to cereal, nuts and coffee.
2. Scarily, these evil blighters are already in the flour when you buy it. Their eggs are present in the wheat and survive milling, and hatch if the flour has been hanging around for too long, or sitting in warm or humid conditions.
3. Many people don’t seem at all bothered about eating them as they’re perfectly harmless to humans and killed when they are cooked. Yuk.
4. To make it even more fun, the little gits infest anything else they can get their hands on such as boxes of cereal, packets of pasta, etc, and can even gnaw tiny holes in the packets. Oh, and they learn to fly as they get older!

Sounds like fun. So far, I’ve learned that since they’re already in the flour I buy I’ve probably eaten them loads of times before, and that since they have a hankering for practically everything I keep in my cupboard, I’m guessing everything is infested.

How do I get rid of the bugs in my flour?

1. Freeze them. They don’t like the cold and will die after the flour (or whatever) has been in the freezer for a few days. (Seal in a ziplock or other plastic bag so that your product does not absorb the moisture and smells in the freezer and freeze for 48 hours to be on the safe side).
2. Cut off their food supply. Storing flour, pasta etc in sealed glass or plastic food storage containers should stop them from getting at in, meaning they starve to death. That’ll teach ‘em.
3. Clean them out. Bin everything they’re likely to have come into contact with (bags of flour, open packets of pasta, cereal, etc), and give the cupboards a good old clean with disinfectant.
4. Marinate them. Well, not quite, but apparently they don’t like bay leaves, so a few scattered around or placed in food stuffs likely to be affected should keep them at bay (pun intended). Note from Denise (as relayed to her by our Stake Cannery Specialist, Barbara Anderson): You can get a good sized cellophane baggie of bay leaves at the 99 Cents store on Mason Road in the spice section for, you got it, 99 cents!