Hooray, I know you are all excited to be surrounded by something other than beans this week. Last night, in CELEBRATION, I froze all the leftover ham and beans in our refrigerator and put them in the freezer. It's a dish that both Mark and I love, that interestingly enough both our mothers used to make in a similar way with a touch of sweetness and a touch of mustard. And Mark usually makes it with a ham bone and it is delicious. But...he, bless his heart, tends to make it in batches that would feed not only us but all 6 kids and 17 grandkids. Needless to say, after a few meals it is time to put it away for awhile.
And thus it is with our beans.
So this week, we move on to GRAINS!!!
If you'll go to providentliving.org, you'll see that the Church recommends 25 lbs of a combination of wheat, white rice, corn, and other grains for each adult. That then, would be 300 lbs per adult per year. So again, do the math for your family, making adjustments for children, and come up with your goal for long term grain storage. Some of you are in that position, where you already have some grains, so now is a good time to do inventory and then continue the math by subtracting what you already have.
This is one of those areas where you may want to do some price shopping. And as always, if you find good deals, please let us know. If you choose to go out to the Home Storage Center in Round Rock, my price sheet currently says that 25 lbs of white rice is $13, 25 lbs of hard red wheat or white wheat is $11.45.
At $5 a week for every two people in your family, continue the math to determine how many weeks it will take you to get the amount you need.
The important thing here is to not get overwhelmed . 300 lbs per person may seem to be a lot, and in our budget, we may not get all of it stored this year. But that's not the point. The point is to KEEP ON, KEEPING ON. Put what you can away when you can.
On Tuesday, May 22nd, I'll be leading groups over to the HSC for any of you interested in doing some of your shopping there. We'll meet in the church parking lot both at 2 p.m. and at 7 p.m. Please let me know if you are interested in coming with us, so I know who to expect. If we have a large group going, we may need to alert the HSC staff so they will have enough volunteers on hand to help us.
Carry on, carry on, carry on (Hymnbook translation for keep on keeping on);-),
Marie
Monday, April 30, 2012
Week 18 - Provident Living
Once again, we are working on our pasta supplies. So check your ingredients lists and see what the next pasta is. For me it is lasagna. What is it for you?
(Hmmm...for some reason I have visions of Lake Cumo going through my head, bright blue sky with a few fluffy clouds, soft breeze blowing off the lake, table for two set up outside, cloth napkins and PASTA!!!) Who knew that pleasant day dreams were a by product of doing my food storage.
Week 18 - 72 Crew
This week is one of those weeks where we should have the royal buglers sounding a victory fanfare. This is the 6th week, the last week, that we will be working on getting the bedding tied down, literally, for your 72 hour kits. And with getting your bedding in place, that means you now have water, food, clothing and bedding in a ready-to-go container for each member of your family. You certainly are worthy of a royal shout out to be sure! There is still more to do, but give yourselves a pat on the back. You've accomplished the basics here.
The optional assignment this week for those of you who would like to add a bit more comfort to your lives in a crisis is to get those foam pads (that weigh little and can be rolled up and strapped to your pack easily) to put under your sleeping bag. With a little deal shopping, you can usually find ones that are pretty inexpensive. It's amazing the extra comfort you can get from even 1 inch of foam.
Best wishes,
Marie
The optional assignment this week for those of you who would like to add a bit more comfort to your lives in a crisis is to get those foam pads (that weigh little and can be rolled up and strapped to your pack easily) to put under your sleeping bag. With a little deal shopping, you can usually find ones that are pretty inexpensive. It's amazing the extra comfort you can get from even 1 inch of foam.
Best wishes,
Marie
Monday, April 23, 2012
Week 17 - Provident Living
For the next couple of weeks, let's focus on pasta. Be it spaghetti, or ramen, or macaroni, or fetticini, let's go for it.
My 3 month plan calls for 3 16 ounce packages of rice spaghetti, so I think that is what I'll buy this week. What will you buy?
Hasta la pasta,
Marie
My 3 month plan calls for 3 16 ounce packages of rice spaghetti, so I think that is what I'll buy this week. What will you buy?
Hasta la pasta,
Marie
Week 17 - 72 Crew
So how is your bedding coming? Have you identified the sleeping bags you want and have you either purchased them or have you been putting away your $5/wk/every 2 people in your family so that you can purchase them next week? We will allot this week and next week to getting this very important part of your 72 hour kit in order.
The optional item this week is a whistle. I think the only two criteria is that it works and it is loud. It is one of those things you may never use, or it may become very important in locating yourself to others or to finding someone else in a crisis situation.
Or maybe you will just "whistle while you work" ;-) (It is possible that I am spending too much time on the internet watching old Once Upon a Time episodes.)
The optional item this week is a whistle. I think the only two criteria is that it works and it is loud. It is one of those things you may never use, or it may become very important in locating yourself to others or to finding someone else in a crisis situation.
Or maybe you will just "whistle while you work" ;-) (It is possible that I am spending too much time on the internet watching old Once Upon a Time episodes.)
Monday, April 16, 2012
Week 16 - The Long Haul
To quote one of my favorite poets and philosopher, Shel Silverstein:
So to all you wonderful magic-bean-buyers, hail to thee. And store away another 8+ pounds of beans for every two people in your family this week.
Have a happy week,
Marie
So to all you wonderful magic-bean-buyers, hail to thee. And store away another 8+ pounds of beans for every two people in your family this week.
Have a happy week,
Marie
Week 16 - Provident Pantry
Morning,
This week we are still making bread - or more accurately, we are storing the ingredients for the bread we will be needing/making in our 3 month supply.
I see on your ingredients' lists that some of you have tortillas or frozen roll dough. If these are ready made and you have freezer space, simply purchase, store, and you are done. For those of us who have limited freezer space and will need to make bread from scratch, let's make sure we have the ingredients to do so.
So this week let's focus on yeast and sugar and shortening and salt.
Yeast is probably just for your bread, but the other ingredients may be used in other of your menu items.
If you have or are also working on your long term storage with us, you already have your sugar and salt, so this week's task is even easier - it is just the yeast and shortening.
Of course, I have not seen your bread recipes, so if you have other items in those recipes, please include those as well this week.
The goal this week is: We now have our bread requirement for 3 months stored away.
This is big sisters. When you complete this, give yourselves a pat on the back. And you can even serve PB&Js to celebrate with the family:-)!
Blessings,
Marie
This week we are still making bread - or more accurately, we are storing the ingredients for the bread we will be needing/making in our 3 month supply.
I see on your ingredients' lists that some of you have tortillas or frozen roll dough. If these are ready made and you have freezer space, simply purchase, store, and you are done. For those of us who have limited freezer space and will need to make bread from scratch, let's make sure we have the ingredients to do so.
So this week let's focus on yeast and sugar and shortening and salt.
Yeast is probably just for your bread, but the other ingredients may be used in other of your menu items.
If you have or are also working on your long term storage with us, you already have your sugar and salt, so this week's task is even easier - it is just the yeast and shortening.
Of course, I have not seen your bread recipes, so if you have other items in those recipes, please include those as well this week.
The goal this week is: We now have our bread requirement for 3 months stored away.
This is big sisters. When you complete this, give yourselves a pat on the back. And you can even serve PB&Js to celebrate with the family:-)!
Blessings,
Marie
Week 16 - 72 Crew
OK...we are on the 4th (of 6) week of working on getting all those sleeping bags in place. So keep those bags a-comin'.
In addition this week, we are going to put into the 72 kits something you probably all have around the house: paper and a pencil. Any kind of blank paper will be fine. The pencil needs to be sharpened and probably a half size or stubbier pencil is best. If you have one of those little plastic cased sharpeners around you can throw that in for good measure. Put it all in a zip lock bag and tuck it in your kit.
Good work team. See you next week.
In addition this week, we are going to put into the 72 kits something you probably all have around the house: paper and a pencil. Any kind of blank paper will be fine. The pencil needs to be sharpened and probably a half size or stubbier pencil is best. If you have one of those little plastic cased sharpeners around you can throw that in for good measure. Put it all in a zip lock bag and tuck it in your kit.
Good work team. See you next week.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Week 15 - The Long Haul
Hi sisters,
Again, this week we are working on storing beans, the dry, long shelf life kind of beans, be they red, or white, or black, or pinto. Be sure to get another 8+ pounds into storage or tuck the $5/week/every 2 people into a savings envelope until you can go get it.
Beans are such great protein and are so very important in our long term, life sustaining kind of storage, but they also are full of interesting associations and memories. I am reminded of a funny birthday card I ran across a while back while looking for a card. On the front it said,
"Some nights I lie next to you and feel like the luckiest woman in the world."
Open it:
"Other nights I feel like a woman who should never serve chili for dinner ever again. Happy Birthday"
And Happy Bean Hunting.
Love,
Marie
Again, this week we are working on storing beans, the dry, long shelf life kind of beans, be they red, or white, or black, or pinto. Be sure to get another 8+ pounds into storage or tuck the $5/week/every 2 people into a savings envelope until you can go get it.
Beans are such great protein and are so very important in our long term, life sustaining kind of storage, but they also are full of interesting associations and memories. I am reminded of a funny birthday card I ran across a while back while looking for a card. On the front it said,
"Some nights I lie next to you and feel like the luckiest woman in the world."
Open it:
"Other nights I feel like a woman who should never serve chili for dinner ever again. Happy Birthday"
And Happy Bean Hunting.
Love,
Marie
Week 15 - Provident Pantry
Anyone hungry for a PBJ? Keep at it this week. Peanut butter, check, Jelly, check ?, bread???? Hit Reply All and let us know how you are tackling your bread needs. At our house, Mark needs gluten free, so we have to do things a little differently to accomodate that. Luckily, we have found some products that not only meet the need, but that we both like the taste, so life is good.
I need to say a word about flour storage. If you have not already read it, be sure to read the section on storage containers in providentliving.org. And basically, don't store your flour in a metal container. It picks up the taste. I love the #10 can storage. It works great for all the rice we have to have, but it is lousy for flour. The flour picks up a metallic taste, and I have had to throw out a bunch of flour. My daughter tells me she has found out a way to rehabilitate flour that has been in metal containers, but it sounds rather labor intensive. Better to pick a different storage method at the beginning, I'm thinking.
Also, remember, generally speaking, you are only looking at storing enough flour for 3 months, not long term storage. Flour does not have a long shelf life. (For long term storage you would have wheat and some kind of grinder - but that's a subject for another group and time.) With flour you do have to make sure that you can store it in a way that will keep it weevil free, and that may or may not be the original packaging it come in. Most of us don't want "protein" in our flour;-).
And, as always, as you get your flour, be sure to put stickers on the storage containers as to date of expiration, and be sure to rotate it properly.
Have fun with your storage! You are doing a great work!!
I need to say a word about flour storage. If you have not already read it, be sure to read the section on storage containers in providentliving.org. And basically, don't store your flour in a metal container. It picks up the taste. I love the #10 can storage. It works great for all the rice we have to have, but it is lousy for flour. The flour picks up a metallic taste, and I have had to throw out a bunch of flour. My daughter tells me she has found out a way to rehabilitate flour that has been in metal containers, but it sounds rather labor intensive. Better to pick a different storage method at the beginning, I'm thinking.
Also, remember, generally speaking, you are only looking at storing enough flour for 3 months, not long term storage. Flour does not have a long shelf life. (For long term storage you would have wheat and some kind of grinder - but that's a subject for another group and time.) With flour you do have to make sure that you can store it in a way that will keep it weevil free, and that may or may not be the original packaging it come in. Most of us don't want "protein" in our flour;-).
And, as always, as you get your flour, be sure to put stickers on the storage containers as to date of expiration, and be sure to rotate it properly.
Have fun with your storage! You are doing a great work!!
Week 15 - 72 Crew
Hi again,
As promised, this week we are still working on bedding. With our current budget plan, hopefully you are now at least half done storing the bedding needs of your 72 hour kits (or having the money squirreled away to purchase half the bedding needs now). If you have questions or concerns, be sure to ask or comment.
And, of course, if your bedding needs are now or already met, good on you - keep putting your $5/week/every 2 people into savings for the other needs. Or if your kit has room for it, you may want to tuck in a small travel pillow for every one.
Have a great week. Your kit is shaping up!!
As promised, this week we are still working on bedding. With our current budget plan, hopefully you are now at least half done storing the bedding needs of your 72 hour kits (or having the money squirreled away to purchase half the bedding needs now). If you have questions or concerns, be sure to ask or comment.
And, of course, if your bedding needs are now or already met, good on you - keep putting your $5/week/every 2 people into savings for the other needs. Or if your kit has room for it, you may want to tuck in a small travel pillow for every one.
Have a great week. Your kit is shaping up!!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Week 14 - The Long Haul
You guessed it. BEANS, again. A few more weeks and you may be coming close to getting in your year's supply of beans. Give me a quick "Done" reply when you have, so I know when to start either giving alternatives or moving on the the next section.
Blessings,
Marie
Blessings,
Marie
Week 14 - Provident Pantry
So...how is your fruit coming? My grandkids were delighted this weekend when they came over to find that I now have a supply of Tang. Aw, the simple joys of life.
So let's take a break from fruit (we can always come back) and go on down your ingredients lists.
This week and for the next 2 weeks, let's work on PB&Js, i.e. the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You may have put in peanut butter when we were working on nuts. You may have put in jelly/jam while we have been working on fruit. If not pick one, and put it in now. If so, work on the ingredients for bread.
Some of you may have the large freezers and can simply pop in loaves of bread. Others of us need to start down the list of our favorite bread recipe. How much have you indicated on your ingredients' list will you need of flour? of salt? of yeast? etc.
Even though all of you do not have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on your menus, it looks like most of you have the same ingredients although you may be using them for different things, and who knows, in a bind, a PB&J might just hit the spot.
Love,
Marie
PS My dogs think a little peanut butter is a magnificent treat, so you might stick a little extra in for the dogs in your family;-)
So let's take a break from fruit (we can always come back) and go on down your ingredients lists.
This week and for the next 2 weeks, let's work on PB&Js, i.e. the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You may have put in peanut butter when we were working on nuts. You may have put in jelly/jam while we have been working on fruit. If not pick one, and put it in now. If so, work on the ingredients for bread.
Some of you may have the large freezers and can simply pop in loaves of bread. Others of us need to start down the list of our favorite bread recipe. How much have you indicated on your ingredients' list will you need of flour? of salt? of yeast? etc.
Even though all of you do not have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on your menus, it looks like most of you have the same ingredients although you may be using them for different things, and who knows, in a bind, a PB&J might just hit the spot.
Love,
Marie
PS My dogs think a little peanut butter is a magnificent treat, so you might stick a little extra in for the dogs in your family;-)
Week 14 - 72 Crew
Here we are, the 14th week of our project and the 2nd week of working on bedding. At $5/week/every 2 people in your family, we going to be working on this a few weeks. So please drop me a quick "Done" email as soon as you have your bedding completed. Anyone find any good deals this week, or want to send along a quick photo of your nifty sleeping bag?
For those of you that have your sleeping bags in place, let's toss out another optional item you can purchase and add this week: a sewing kit. These are the little (about 1" x 2" x 3") kits you can often find in the same section as you find your travel size bottles of shampoo and the like. You never know when a needle and a little thread will come in handy.
For those of you that have your sleeping bags in place, let's toss out another optional item you can purchase and add this week: a sewing kit. These are the little (about 1" x 2" x 3") kits you can often find in the same section as you find your travel size bottles of shampoo and the like. You never know when a needle and a little thread will come in handy.
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