Many know that Utah was originally settled by Mormon Pioneers, I’m a descendant of those pioneers from 8 different family lines on my Mother’s side. The Mormon Pioneers crossed the plains from Illinois to Utah in covered wagons, handcarts and many on foot. Many of them buried family and loved ones under a pile of rocks on their way here. It was a harrowing experience the like of which will hopefully never be repeated.
Review: Tomorrow’s Harvest freeze-dried food
There are several markets that are booming in the current economic climate, and one of those is emergency preparedness and food storage. People are quickly realizing that fiat dollars and credit cards won’t feed the family, and are working quickly to stock up on needed supplies. Many people are flying blind in their pursuit of food storage, and are unsure as to what to store.
Filling this niche and marketing themselves to these customers (and others), several companies offering freeze-dried products have begun to more aggressively promote their products and fill a need in the marketplace. I looked into several companies based in Utah, and ultimately ended up making a small purchase through Tomorrow’s Harvest.
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Ice Storm Stories and Preparedness
As most everyone should be aware, the last week has provided a harrowing survival experience for Kentucky and surrounding states with a major Ice Storm cutting off power to over 1.5 million homes and killing 55 people.
For those of us here in Utah, we’re more likely to see catastrophic events from a major snowstorm than an icestorm (in searching, I cannot find records of an icestorm like this hitting Utah). Our winter storms, especially in heavy snowfall years, can leave many icey problems. While we may not be likely to have an ice storm, there are still many lessons we can learn from those who have just experienced it. Let’s look at some reports from the Mid-South Ice Storm of 2009.
Blue Chip Food Storage Group Demo in Salem
Blue Chip Group is a Salt Lake based manufacturer of Emergency Food Storage supplies. They will be providing a demonstration of their products on February 5th in Salem, UT at 7 pm.
Here is the info I received on this event:
The Blue Chip Group will be in Salem at the Community Center, 151 W. 300 S. on Thursday, February 5th at 7:00 p.m. Come and taste test Blue Chips food storage items. Preparedness Items will be there for demonstration also. This is a night to help you feel more confident in what you will have in your food storage in case of emergency. Recipes available and you can use these foods in your everyday cooking…they’re that GOOD! If you can’t make it on the 5th you can still group order. Pick up your food storage order form at the Salem city office building. Order forms and money will be due on the following Thursday Feb. 12th at the Salem city building. Please make your check or money orders payable to Kristy Beck and put your check and order form in a sealed envelope.
This is all the information I have at the moment. For those needing directions, please check here.
50 lbs. Hard Red Wheat $15 in Spanish Fork
I received this from my stake emergency preparedness specialist.
Hi Y’All,
Here is another opportunity to add to your wheat supply.
A friend has made an agreement with a wheat grower in the Delta, Utah area to sell his wheat.
It has been cleaned and is the hard red wheat. The price is 50 lb bag for $15.00. Cash and carry only and 1st come 1st served.
If intersted email Jeremy Taylor at jeremy_r_taylor AT Yahoo DOT com. The wheat can be picked up at his home in Spanish Fork. Contact him for address and when.
I don’t know what quantities are available, but this is an excellent price on wheat at the moment. If you need more wheat to round out your food storage, this is a good opportunity to do so without breaking the bank. If you are able to take advantage of this, please post about your experience.
Keep on preppin’!
Recall of SurePak MRE’s
Here is a case where the recent Salmonella contaminated Peanut Butter might affect us in unanticipated ways.
A Class I Recall notice has been received from Boca Grande Foods, that there is a potential Salmonella contamination of peanut-based products which were supplied to SOPAKCO, Inc. The recalled Boca Grande Foods peanut butter is packaged in 1-oz and 2-oz squeeze packets and included in certain cases of Sure-Pak 12 Meals. A copy of the Recall Notice is attached. Check it for the affected lot numbers. (You can also it from our home page) Check your emergency supplies to see if you have any of the recalled products, and if you do, fill out the Recall Notice.
from LA CERT website
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Adding to your long term supply using dehydration
Someone sent me these great videos on dehydrating food and using it in your food storage. The woman in the presentation is very knowledgeable about the subject and shows the correct way to dehydrate, store and use your food while helping to avoid some of the common pitfalls along the way.
These videos have changed the way I think about dehydrating food at home. Many of the tips about using oxygen absorbers, buying buckets, etc. are useful for other types of food storage as well.
Give them a thorough watching, take notes and let us know what you think.
Continue reading “Adding to your long term supply using dehydration”
Slimline Can Roller Project
Ever wanted to find a way to store a bunch more cans, especially those big #10 sized ones? Love the idea behind products such as the Shelf Reliance, but maybe you don’t have enough money for one, or better yet, maybe not enough space because of oddly sized rooms? Maybe you’re like me and maybe several of those are true all at once. What follows is a restatement of a post I did last year about some home-made can rotation shelving I built, along with the basic instructions you need to create your own (and you’ll want to).
Dinner Grouping
One of the most important factors in being able to build up a quality food storage program is to actually store the food that you will eat and find a way to rotate that stored food into your daily diet. The problem many of us face is that while pizza is fast and convenient, and the pizza boxes stack really well, the food sure doesn’t last. I also don’t think that if I ordered an extra meal from the local Chinese delivery place, that I could just throw it onto my food storage shelving and expect it to do any good.
Part of the problem is that most families, especially those of my admittedly younger age group, have grown so accustomed to having cheap, tasteful food at our fingertips that we have lost the skill of actually cooking for ourselves. The family dinner at the table has become a thing of the past as have the requisite skills from planning meals ahead of time to storing for particular meal needs. Fortunately, for the past couple of years my family has participated in a program with several of our neighbors that has helped combat this trend and created an excellent, yet unplanned opportunity for us all to build up our food storage supplies and skills.
How does it work? Let’s look at the basics of our dinner group program.
Starting the New Year – Rounding out Food Storage
The New Year is a great time to do a full inventory of your Food Storage – especially your rotating day to day storage – to make sure you know what you have. By doing this you’re able to make a list of things you need to get to re-stock everything and start the year with a fully year’s supply of food. We recently finished doing this at my house and I thought I would share some of the results with you.
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Dry-pack Christmas
For Christmas this year, we decided to forgo gifts and add to our dry-pack food supply. With access to a dry-pack canner through the local unit of my Church, I decided the most cost effective and efficient route this time would be to buy in bulk and do the canning myself at home. I purchased all of the food and supplies from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Home Storage Center in Sandy.
We were able to get everything we wanted except wheat which they were out of until the first of the year. I will be going back in a few weeks to finish off that part of the order. I did learn exactly how much will fit in a 4Runner, although I had more than the traditional blind-spot to worry about on the drive home. For this round, I canned rice, sugar, pinto beans, black beans, white beans, potato flakes, dry milk, dried onions, apple slices, and both quick and regular oats. Continue reading “Dry-pack Christmas”
January Utah Food Co-Op
Another reminder that the Utah Food Co-Op orders are due this Friday (the 9th). As I mentioned last month, this is a great way to get high quality food, at a very good price.
Pictured on the right was a single ‘share’ order from the December order. That night part of it went to make a great crock-pot stew that fed my family for several meals, and still had food left for quite a few more. The included bread loaf was excellent, and fruits were good. I do wish I’d also picked up a “Harvest” share, as the extra veggie (includes and extra variety) were some great looking avocados.
We also bought some of the cider, as well as the Nutty Guys sampler. The cider was the best I’ve had since leaving Washington State where I grew up. Fresh, and tasting of just high quality apples. The Nut’s were great, and cheaper than buying anywhere else. So if you have a little more room in your budget, it’s worth checking out the add-on deals you can get.
Check out the January Order Form.
Wondering if there is a distribution point near you? Check out the list.
Remember, there’s never a better time to start shopping more economically than now, and utilizing the local co-op is a way to not only help yourself budget better, but to help those around you.