Week 19 - The Long Haul

Again, we are working on storing grains for the long term.  So we are looking for grains that have a shelf life of 30+ years.  This shelf life is achieved both by the product itself and the packaging you use to keep out moisture, etc.  I'd continue to encourage you to read the material on providentliving.org, if you have not already.  It's good stuff.

Feel free to be using your food storage budget this week to stock up on more grain (any that fit the above criteria) or to save up for our trip the the HSC on May 22nd.

Sometimes it is nice to take each week and focus on one kind of grain.  It you like that approach, this week, let's focus on our rolled oats.  Again, this is a discussion, you may want to have with your family.  If we need to be putting away 300 lbs of grain for each adult (and some percentage of that for each child), how much of that do you want to be in oats?

From last week, I'll repeat that 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.

Have a great grain filled week!

Week 18 - The Long Haul

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