Sunday, July 31, 2011

Must see video!

Here's a video to make you think about a possible EMP attack.  I spent so much time learning ways to live without electricity just because I know a massive solar flare or an EMP  could live us without electric for a very long time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0odJKYTzXg8&feature=related

Cherlynn

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Tomato Juice & V8

I use lots of Tomato & V-8 juice to make soups and chili. We love to heat juice up in the winter time and drink it warm instead of cold. Warm V-8 is so very yummy!

Tomato Juice
Use ripe juicy tomatoes. Wash, remove stem ends and cut into chunks. Simmer on the stove until softened, stirring very often. Put through a strainer. Reheat at once just to boiling. Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart of juice. Fill quart jars with boiling hot juice to ½ inch of top. Wipe rims with clean damp cloth and adjust the jar lids. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes for pint or quart jars. As soon as you remove the jars from the canner complete seals if necessary.


Now I've been making V-8 juice and canning it for a few years now. Here are a couple recipes I found on line. I just use what I have on hand. I run it all through the juicer then heat it up and bottle it. We all decided it doesn't taste right if there isn't some beet in it so make sure you run some beet through the juicer too! If you don't have a juicer than chop it all up and cook on the stove like the tomato juice was done and you can run it through a sieve or a blender would work well too! These recipes are just a guideline! Like I said I just use what I have on hand! Always have carrots, tomatoes and beets in the garden then add 5 other veggies that we have out there too! Hoping to have a full bed of spinach to add in but 1 week later no sign of little plants yet! Experiment with seasonings until you get the taste you want.

V-8 Juice
8 carrots, cut into chunks
4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
6 tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 bunch fresh spinach
handful of parsley
1/2 a white onion
1 fresh, raw beet, cut into chunks
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic
Recipe
Run all ingredients through your juicer. Stir, chill, stir and serve.



Make Your Own V8 juice
15 lb fully ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 c celery, chopped
3 lg onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced/mashed
2 t salt
3/4 t pepper
2 t prepared horseradish
1/3 c lemon juice
Worcestershire to taste
1/4 c sugar, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large pan over med/high heat. When mix boils, reduce heat to med and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool 10 minutes. Using a blender, puree until smooth, using about 1/4 of the mix at a time. Strain and discard pulp if using as a drink.

Friday, July 29, 2011

I really do try not to think about....

I try to not think about politics! I always feel like there is not much I can do about it! I want to climb on the roof and start screaming”Wake up America!” This isn't about Obama, Nancy, or even Harry Reid. This crisis we are in has been building up for a very long time. It's not about Democrats or Republicans, frankly there is not much difference about them! Each and every Congress person needs to be fired along with the President. Most American's would agree but they all say except for my congress person! Yes they all do such wonderful things for the folks back home and that's a big part of the problem! It's time to turn loose! They are selling our country down the tubes. We need leaders who are there to save our nation, who would lay their very lives down to defend our Constitution instead of chipping away at destroying like our Congress has been doing for the last several years. We need leaders who have the backbone and fortitude to do the right thing even when us folks back home say no not my goodies! We are so head over heels in debt, it will be painful but we need to tighten our belts and start cutting away. Are there any great leaders out there? Anyone who will step up and serve their nation and defend our Constitution? I pray daily that these good folks will step up when our nation needs them more than ever before!

And what about us back home? Why are so many thinking some one owes them something or even everything? People come from other lands and expect a free hand out now. When my ancestors came to America they were given a good swift kick in the teeth and told to earn their own and in English if you please! If you wanted something you went out and worked by the seat of your brow to earn it. Now we just think we can have it all and frankly I don't see very much sweat falling these days! Baby boomers (my self included) on up have never really known a want. Until very recently we always have store shelves fully stocked and never thought about them not being stocked. If we really wanted something we could all go get it one way or the other. If you couldn't talk someone in to giving it to you then you could just get a credit card and get it your self. Lose your job? Go crying to the local family services branch and you'll get a free apartment, food stamps and Medicaid. Come here from another country and go to the right locations and you won't even have to try finding a job! They even send the kids to school for free and teach it in their native language so they won't have to learn English!

And on top of all this, most Americans have turned away from God. They know no moral boundaries, they have no ethics. And we wonder why God has turned His back on us? It's time we stand up and be counted! I know I'm not the only Christian out there! We can't let them stomp us down. Why do other religions have to right to speak out but Christian's are being stomped down. Separation of church and state only applies to Christian’s. It's time we retake our standing! We have just as much rights as other religions!

And trust me, no one owes you anything! Take care of your self! Store food to cover at least a year and learn to work and work hard for all you get. Stuff happens, take care of it your self! You'll feel better when you do and you'll also discover it will all go better too!

Now I promise not to rant about politics any time soon! Just had my fill lately and had to get it out!
Cherlynn

Tomatoes!


I love tomatoes! I can them straight, make them into different types of sauces, make juice from them. Blends of tomatoes for favorite recipes. I planted 26 tomato plants this year and already know I don't have enough! Will have to hit the Amish Produce Auction next month and buy a bunch to make sure we get what we need!

Canned Tomatoes
Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Leave whole or half or chop them up. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired. Fill jars with raw tomatoes, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Press tomatoes in the jars until spaces between them fill with juice. Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process for 45 minutes in boiling water bath OR 15 minutes in a 10 lb. Pressure canner.

Tomato Sauce

For thin sauce – An average of 35 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 10 to 12 quarts of sauce-an average of 5 pounds per quart. For thick sauce – An average of 46 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 28 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 7 to 9 quarts of sauce-an average of 6½ pounds per quart.
Prepare and press as for making tomato juice. Simmer in large-diameter saucepan until sauce reaches desired consistency Boil until volume is reduced by about one-third for thin sauce, or by one-half for thick sauce. Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to jars. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jars, if desired. Fill jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process 40 minutes in water bath canner (add 5 minutes for every 3,000 feet in altitude) OR in Pressure canner for 40 minutes at 6 lbs pressure.

Tomato Paste

  • 8 quarts peeled, cored chopped tomatoes (about 4 dozen large)
  • 1½ cups chopped sweet red peppers (about 3)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon canning or pickling salt
  • 1 clove garlic (optional)
Yield: About 9 half-pint jars
Hot Pack - Combine first four ingredients and cook slowly 1 hour. Press through a fine sieve. Add garlic clove, if desired. Continue cooking slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon, about 2½ hours. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove garlic clove and bay leaves.
Pour boiling hot paste into hot half pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner. For 55 minutes. (add 5 minutes for every 3,000 feet in altitude)

Tomato Ketchup

  • 24 lbs ripe tomatoes
  • 3 cups chopped onions
  • 3/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
  • 3 cups cider vinegar (5 percent)
  • 4 tsp whole cloves
  • 3 sticks cinnamon, crushed
  • 1-1/2 tsp whole allspice
  • 3 tbsp celery seeds
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup salt
Yield: 6 to 7 pints
Procedure: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water. Slip off skins and remove cores. Quarter tomatoes into 4-gallon stock pot or a large kettle. Add onions and red pepper. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes, uncovered. Combine spices in a spice bag and add to vinegar in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover, turn off heat and hold tomato mixture for 20 minutes. Then, remove spice bag and combine vinegar and tomato mixture. Boil about 30 minutes. Put boiled mixture through a food mill or sieve. Return to pot. Add sugar and salt, boil gently, and stir frequently until volume is reduced by one-half or until mixture rounds up on spoon without separation. Fill pint jars, leaving 1/8-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process pints for 20 minutes.

Country Western Ketchup

Country Western Ketchup

  • 24 lbs ripe tomatoes
  • 5 chile peppers, sliced and seeded
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2-2/3 cups vinegar (5 percent)
  • 1-1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 4 tsp whole allspice
  • 4 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp bay leaves
Yield: 6 to 7 pints
Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water Slip off skins and remove cores. Quarter tomatoes into 4-gallon stock pot or a large kettle. Add chile peppers and red pepper. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes, uncovered. Combine spices in a spice bag and add to vinegar in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and let stand until tomato mixture has been cooked 20 minutes. Then, remove spice bag and combine vinegar and tomato mixture. Boil about 30 minutes. Put boiled mixture through a food mill or sieve. Return to pot. Add sugar and salt, boil gently, and stir frequently until volume is reduced by one-half or until mixture rounds up on spoon without separation. Fill pint jars, leaving 1/8-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process 20 minutes.


Have fun canning up all the tomatoes you can get this summer! I will try to post my pizza sauce, salsa, tomato juice and that lovely V-8 juice we make up, ect next week!

Cherlynn

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Bread & Butter Pickles


Ok, today is another type of sweet pickle. Two different recipes to try out!

Bread-and-Butter Pickles
  • 6 lbs. of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
  • 8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
  • 4 cups vinegar, 5 percent acidity
  • 4-1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. mustard seed
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp. celery seed
  • 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
  • 1 cup pickling lime (optional for use in variation below for firmer pickles)
Yield: About 8 pints
Preparation: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16 inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl. Add salt. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, adding more ice as needed.
For firmer pickles: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16 inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/16-inch slices. Mix 1 cup pickling lime and 1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water in a 2- to 3-gallon crock or enamelware container. Avoid inhaling lime dust while mixing the lime-water solution. Soak cucumber slices in lime water for 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from lime solution, rinse, and resoak 1 hour in fresh cold water. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. Handle carefully, as slices will be brittle. Drain well.
Making pickles: Add sugar and remaining ingredients to vinegar in a large pot. Boil 10 minutes. Drain and add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling. Fill pint jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process as below or use low-temperature pasteurization treatment described previously.
Recommended Process (Bread-and-Butter Pickles)
Boiling Water Bath, Pints or quarts 15 minutes
Storage: After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.
Variation: Squash bread-and-butter pickles. Substitute slender (1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter) zucchini or yellow summer squash for cucumbers.

Spicy Bread-and-Butter Pickles
  • 3 qts. cucumbers, medium size, sliced
  • 8 onions, small, sliced
  • 1/2 cup canning salt
  • 1 pint vinegar, 4 to 6 percent acidity
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. celery seeds
  • 1 tsp. mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp. ginger, ground
  • 1 tsp. peppercorns
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
Yield: 4 to 5 pints
Sprinkle sliced cucumbers and onion with canning salt and let stand 1 hour. Drain the liquid from these vegetables and rinse. Make hot syrup of the sugar, vinegar, and spices. Bring the syrup to a boil. Add drained cucumbers and onions to the hot syrup and bring to a boil again. Pack into clean, hot pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Wipe rim of the jar. Adjust jar lid as in fresh-pack dills. Have water boiling in canner. Process in simmering water bath at 200 to 205 degrees F for 5 minutes. Count processing time when water returns to a simmer. Set the jars upright several inches apart on a wire rack or wooden board to cool.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

I Love the Summer Heat!



I love the summer time! No stiff joints complaining of the cold. No snow or ice to deal with. Once the cold gets into my bones the only way to thaw me out is to climb into a hot tub of water for an hour. Now this summer our 3 year old a/c unit has decided to give up the ghost this year. Spending lots of money on it but it's a no go so far. These 100 degree days in the north land are taking a toll. But, I can deal with the heat much better than the cold any day! I start sweating and get soaked clear to the skin, then a breeze or a fan blowing and cools me down real fast. When I know I have to go out and work during these hot days, I take a cold wet drippy towel with me. I wrap it around my neck and let it soak me. Keeps me cooled right down! I love to go dig down deep in the garden beds. I find it so very relaxing to sit on the side of a garden bed and pull weeds and loosen soil up and feed and water my plants. I love knowing where my food comes from. But of course the heat is taking a toll on my garden too! Some plants don't like the direct sunlight when it's so very hot. And the high heat has dried the beds and ground out very much. We try to water a section of the garden every day but even a good deep watering leaves the bed dried out within 2 days. We are having to decide what we want to save and what we will give up as there is no way to water everything every two days. Such is another gardening year. 2 years ago it stayed very wet and cold all summer. I count my blessing daily, that my Heavenly Father blesses me and my family so very much. We are able to survive living off our land if we have to. Lots of wild blackberries, gooseberries and plums. Hundreds of hickory nut trees and a few black walnut trees. Hickory nuts are a pain to crack shell and pick out but oh my they sure are good! We crack a bag every week during the winter months and shell them out while we watch a movie each night. We are already talking about how we can handle this summers weather better in the future. We'll make sure to get some screen covers for part of the beds and also mulch beds when we need to. Colder summers we can use the same frame work but cover with clear plastic to raise the temperatures when we need to. Every year is a learning process. We're going to lay in a 5 year supply of heirloom seeds this year and then start saving seeds as we are able to do so. A 5 year supply gives us a cushion in case we have a failure so that we can still have time to grow a good crop and save seed also. We are hoping and praying that next year we will be able to grow all the produce we need for the coming winter.

I hope you are able to survive these hot temperatures! I'm loving it and hoping to avoid the bitter cold winter's we tend to have here! Yes, I'll take 100 degree's any day over -10!

Cherlynn

Fresh pack Dill Pickles

Most of these recipes call for whole pickling spice but I grew up with dill pickles made with garlic and fresh dill and peppers in them! So I will give you both recipes!

DILL PICKLES
Printed from COOKS.COM

4 cloves garlic (more if desired)
hot red cayenne peppers
fresh dill weed (no substitutes)
1/2 peck 3-inch cucumbers or picklers
14 cups water
2 cups vinegar
1 cup canning salt
Sterilize 4 1-quart canning jars. Place in each jar, 1 (or more) cloves garlic (peeled), a ring of hot pepper (or a whole small hot pepper, depending upon heat), and a sprig of dill with seeds attached.
Scrub and dry the cucumbers well. Discard any cucumbers with blemishes, or any that haven't been picked within the past 24 hours (older cucumbers will shrivel when pickled).
Pack whole cucumbers into the jars. Combine water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil and fill the jars with brine. Adjust 2 piece caps.
Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Half of the pickles will lose their bright green color when they are ready to be removed from canner. Do not over-process or the pickles will be soft.
Quick Fresh-Pack Dill Pickles
  • 8 lbs. of 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
  • 2 gals. water
  • 1 1/4 cups canning or pickling salt
  • 1 1/2 qts. vinegar (5 percent acidity)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 qts. water
  • 2 Tbsp. whole mixed pickling spice
  • about 3 Tbsp. whole mustard seed (1 tsp. per pint jar)
  • about 14 heads of fresh dill (1-1/2 tsp. per pint jar) or 4-1/2 Tbsp. dill seed (1-1/2 tsp. per pint jar)
Yield: 7 to 9 pints
Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4 inch of stem attached. Dissolve 3/4 cup salt in 2 gallons of water. Pour over cucumbers and let stand 12 hours. Drain. Combine vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, sugar, and 2 quarts water. Add mixed pickling spices tied in a clean, white cloth. Heat to boiling. Fill jars with cucumbers. Add 1 tsp. mustard seed and 1-1/2 heads fresh dill per pint. Cover with boiling pickling solution, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process as below or use the low-temperature pasteurization treatment described previously.
Recommended Process (Quick Fresh-Pack Dill Pickles)
Boiling Water Bath: Pints 15 minutes, Quarts 20 minutes

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Common causes of poor quality pickles

Today I'm going to cover some of the things that might go wrong for you! Nothing is more frustrating to opening a jar of pickles to find them all shriveled up or worse, all mushy! I remember my first canning experience after leaving home. I laugh about it now but it wasn't funny at the time! I bought cucumbers at the store and got fresh dill and made a batch of dill pickles. My mistake was I bought waxed cucumbers! They turned to a mushy, slimy mess! So hopefully this guide will help you make wonderful pickles!

Shriveled Pickles:
Shriveling may result from using to strong of vinegar, sugar or salt solution at the start of the pickling process. In making the very sweet or very sour pickles, it is best to start with a dilute solution and increase it gradually to the desired strength. Over cooking or over processing may also cause shriveling.

Hollow Pickles:
Hollowness in pickles usually results from:
  • Poorly developed cucumbers
  • Holding cucumbers to long before pickling
  • Too rapid fermentation
  • Too strong or too weak a brine during fermentation

Soft of Slippery Pickles
These usually result from microbial action which causes spoilage. (Like my waxed cukes! They rotted from the inside out due to the waxing material) Once a pickle becomes soft it can not be made firm again. These are the pickles you have to throw out! Microbial activity may be caused by:
  • To little salt or acid.
  • Cucumbers not covered with brine during fermentation.
  • Scum scattered throughout the brine during the fermentation period.
  • In sufficient heat treatment.
  • A seal that is not airtight.
  • Moldy garlic or spices
  • Blossoms if not entirely removed from cucumbers before fermentation may contain fungi or yeasts that will cause spoilage in the whole batch.

Dark Pickles
Darkness in pickles may be caused by:
  • Use of ground spices.
  • Too much spice
  • Iodized salt
  • over cooking
  • minerals in water especially iron.
  • Use of iron utensils.
May all your pickles turn out perfect!


Monday, July 25, 2011

Sweet Gherkins

I don't like sweet pickles. But my family loves them! So here I am going through the four day process of making sweet pickles.

Day one:

Wash about 7 pounds of small cucumbers. Wash thoroughly, scrub with a vegetable brush. It is ok to leave stem ends on if desired. Place in a large container ( I filled a gallon and a quart canning jars) And cover with boiling water.

8 hours later drain and cover with fresh boiling water.

Day two:

Drain and cover with fresh boiling water.

8 to 10 hours later drain; Add ½ cup salt (I'll add 2 Tablespoons to my quart and the rest into the gallon) Cover with fresh boiling water.

Day three:
Drain. Prick cucumbers in several places with a table fork. Make a syrup of 3 cups sugar and 3 cups vinegar; Add ¾ teaspoon turmeric and spices.( 2 teaspoon celery seed, 2 teaspoon whole mixed pickling spice, 8 one inch pieces of cinnamon stick, ½ teaspoon fennal, if desired) Heat to boiling and pour over cucumbers. (cucumbers will be partially covered at this point)

8 to 10 hours later drain syrup into a pan; add 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of vinegar to the syrup. Heat to boiling and pour over the pickles.

Day four:
Drain syrup into a pan; Add 2 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar to syrup. Heat to a boil and pour over the pickles

8 to 10 hours later: Drain syrup into a pan. Add 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoon vanilla if desired; heat to boiling. Pack pickles into clean hot pint jars and cover towithin ½ inch of jar tops with hot syrup. Release air bubbles with chop stick or butter knife, being careful to not nick pickles. Clean rim with clean damp cloth and add lids and screw bands.

Process in water bath canner for 5 minutes. Start your timer when the water returns to a full boil. Remove jars when timer goes off. Tighten screw bands if needed. Set jars up right on a clean towel or wire rack to cool with room around the jars and away from any drafts. Nothing is more lovely then sitting down and hearing the pings as the jars cool down and seal.

Hope you make good use of any free cucumbers that come your way!

Cherlynn


Sunday, July 24, 2011

Water Bath Canning



“With all thy getting get understanding.” (Prov. 4:7.)

This week I will talk about canning in detail. Every where you turn people are offering produce from their garden. Now is the time to preserve it so that you will have food this winter. This week at church the donation boxes by the front door were filled to over flowing with cucumbers. Many took 3 or 4 to add to their salads. I took none because I already knew my own garden was over flowing.

What do you do with cucumbers? Make pickles of course! Pickles are easy to make and you only need a water bath canner to do them. Today I will just talk about water bath canning.

You can buy a water bath canner or you can make do with what you already have. I have a very tall stock pot I've used for years. I put a wire rack in the bottom and place my jars on that. The trick is, you have to be able to get the jars off the bottom and you have to have 2 inches of boiling water above the canning lids on the jars. You can use a wire rack in the bottom or use several of the lid screw bands set on the bottom. I use those lid screw bands with my Dutch Oven's too! Once something is canned and sealed I remove the screw bands so have quite a collection built up over the years.

Now if you don't have a pot big enough for canning then you'll need to buy a water bath canner. They have several newer ones that the top is bigger than the bottom. These are steamer type water bath canners. They work great and use much less water. So if water is an issue for you than you should buy this type of a canner.

Other equipment you'll need are canning jars with lids and screw bands, a jar lifter to get the jars out of the boiling water, a canning funnel, a ladle, a chop stick of butter knife to get air out of the jars before sealing and a lid lifter is nice to have. A lid lifter has a magnet in the end to pull the hot lids out of the hot water. I don't have one, I use a fork to hook a lid and pull it out of the water so I can grab it.

To start wash your jars and either boil for 10 minutes or run through the dishwasher. In the past you were able to find plain rubber rings and zinc porcelain caps but most of what you will find nowadays are flat lids that have a rubber seal compound on them. They have some that are reusable but most of what you find are one use only. They can be used to vacuum seal but that's another topic for another time!

Now while your jars are washing, start your water bath canner to heating up. fill it 3/4 full of water and start it heating up. I keep the lid on mine and let it simmer. I fill a smaller pan to put my lids in. They use to tell you to boil the lids but now they say to just let sit in hot to warm water. The rubber can become brittle if they are boiled. We just want to soften the rubber up to help it seal.Now you are ready to fill jars!

Now the things you can water bath can are: most tomatoes (there are a few low acid varieties that should be pressure canned) Fruits and fruit juices, beets, tomato juice and V-8 type  juices, pickled fruits and vegetables, chutney's, sauerkraut and jams and jellies.

Always be on the lookout for canning supplies at yard/garage sales, thrift stores or end of the season sales. Use common sense when deciding what size canning jars to invest in. I started out with quarts but now mostly use pints and half pints. I still use the quarts for vacuum sealing dry storage items like nuts, brown rice, ect but no use canning quarts when only 1 or 2 of us will be eating it! Remember a half pint is 1 cup or ½ pound, a pint is 1 pound or 2 cups and a quart is 2 pounds or 4 cups.

Happy canning to you!
Cherlynn

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Laundry Kit

Another kit you can make up is a portable washing machine. You will take a 5 gallon type bucket like you get at Lowes, or even Walmart in the paint department. Make sure you also get the lid that goes with it! You will drill a hole in the center of the lid big enough for a broom handle to go through. Now go buy a new cheap toilet plunger. I got mine for 99 cents! Drill holes in this also. 3 ¾ inch holes or 5 smaller holes. Add a package of clothes line rope and a package of clothes pens. Add in a bottle of laundry soap and fabric softener. Now your kit is ready! If the electric goes out or your washing machine goes out you can empty your supplies out and fill you bucket half way, add a little soap and a few clothes. Put your plunger in with the handle going up through the hole in the lid. Seal the lid and now plunge away! When done remove the lid and wring out your clothes. Now I confess many long years ago I did my clothes by hand and wringing out clothes is not anything I care to do again. I also invested in a two roller mop bucket and wring the clothes out with that. Set them aside and wash another batch until you are done washing all you have to do at this time. Now dump your dirty water and add fresh water. Rinse all and wring out. Dump the water and add fresh water again with a little fabric softener and rinse all again and wring out. Now you are ready to hang out your clothes. I had my dryer die this summer so would also recommend you have a few good size hooks to tie your rope to and some of those rope tighteners. Not sure they are called rope tighteners but they are fully extended and then you tie your rope to both ends and make it as tight as you can get and then hand tighten the rope tightener to make it good and tight. You can also install your rope inside in the winter or rainy days and the heat of your home will dry the clothes. Might take a little longer but it will work!
MYO laundry soap
  • 1 cup washing soda {Arm & Hammer}Should be able to find in the grocery store laundry soap section along with the Borax!
  • 1/2 cup Borax
  • 1 bar of soap Fels Naptha (you can use what you have or buy the cheapest if you have to!)
  • 4 cups of boiling water
  • approx. 3 gallons of warm water
  • 5 gallon bucket with lid

    Now you need to grate the soap but I started setting the bar on my big chopping block and taking a big knife and slice it real thin and it just crumbles into very fine pieces which I find easier than grating soap. Put this into a large pan with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Stir until all soap is melted. Fill 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water and add washing soda and borax and liquid soap and mix well. Top off with more water to fill 5 gallon bucket. Now let sit overnight and use adding twice as much water to it. I actually use two 5 gallon buckets and it's already diluted so I don't have to dilute as I go each load. This 10 gallon mix last me 2 to 3 months. I use vinegar in the rinse cycle. Nice fresh Laundry!

    I tried to add a few pictures with this one but ended up with a big mess!  Will see if I can find someone to show me how for next time I have some pictures to go with it!

    Cherlynn

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Great web sites to visit and learn from!

Here are some great sites to visit and learn from! If you find info you really like that are downloadables then you need to work toward printing them off as you are able. When you get desperate due to a crisis you can't count of being able to get onot your computer to read the info you need! Print it off and start some binders up with the info so they will be there if and when you need it!

This first one has so many awesome books that are very useful and free to down load and print off:

Aaron has had great info on many survival topics but his current projects are going other places. He has had to best info on water stuff I've ever found online! He also has a great video on starting a fire with one match. Don't just watch it, go try it out! You never know when this skill will save your families life!


This one has some basic soap recipes you might want to have on hand:


Heating with a rocket stove bio mass. We're in the middle of a big heat wave right now but I know before I know it winter will be here again. Wish I could get my other half to build me a nice sofa with one of these!


Here is the listing first for PRN Blog talk radio station. They have a wealth of knowledge and tons of shows to listen to. All their shows are achived so you can go back and listen to them all if you want to!

Here is one for my friend and another blogger (but she's been at it much longer!) She also does a newsletter that is a very valuable resource to have! Carolyn also has her own show on tuesday nights on the station listed above.

This is an awesome place to get good basic items that are very well made. They have been around a very long time!

Here are a few more sites I think you'll enjoy exploring!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Taking care of the really big emergency!


Ok the power goes out, most of us think about the fridge and freezer thing first. But before the power goes out you need to know something very important! When you flush the toilet, where does it go and how does it get there? I asked this question in my own home town and everyone laughed. But the city administrator was there and I asked her this question. No one was laughing after her answer! It went quite a ways and used “pumps” to get there. No electric means it isn't going any where. You flush and whoever is down stream of you or in the lowlands is going to be blessed with your waste! Not a pretty picture is it! So ask someone at your utility or city hall where your waste goes to and how it gets there. If it involves pumps or other services that uses electric then be a real pal and make other arrangements before you have a long term outage that causes some real bad feelings!

I bought a very simple toilet kit from Walmart.com and had it shipped to my local Walmart for free. It's called a Luggable Loo and comes with two boxes of Double Doodie bags with BioGel. You should also buy Absorbent Gel in case you run out of the Double Doodie bags. The kind I got is called “Super-sorb” instant lemon scented Absorbent. This turns that mess into a lemon scented Gel—really! Can also be used for other spills like blood, urine, vomit, oil, ect. Most listings online were for a 6 pack case but I've listed one below that sold single bottles if you want to try it first. It's at Waresdirect.com. http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Office-Supply/FRESH-PRODUCTS/Supersorb-Liquid141544?trackURL=shopzilla

You should also have vinyl gloves and a good bathroom cleaner that kills all the germs and viruses. I found one at one of those big box home supply places like Home Depot or Lowes. It's “Hi-Genic” by Franklin Cleaning Technology. What you want is something that kills Strep, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Staph, Ringworm, Athlete's Foot, Influenza, herpes and AIDS virus. If you get into a long term situation you will want something to clean up your toileting area to prevent spread of diseases while you get your act together and figure it all out. If you use regular trash bags for your toilet make sure you double bag and bury it as fast as you can away from all water sources. Regular trash bags are made to decompose rapidly so fast disposal is very important. We go camping several times a year on the other side of our good pond and have set up a toileting area over there using a tarp and our emergency toilet. It bets walking the ¼ mile each way in the middle of the night when you really have to go! We have our own waste solution so we know we can pour buckets of water in our toilet safely as it goes out to a sewage lagoon without pumps being involved. But we are grateful for the emergency toilet for camping in our primitive places!

Now for the second part of this! My family inhales toilet paper! Ok, not really but it sure seems like it! I know if I filled my entire basement with TP we'd run out in 6 month's or less! No way could I store enough for my family! So I went looking for another solution. It involves eating lots of ice cream out of those big 5 quart buckets! I use a clean one of those and a clean large plain yogurt container or a cottage cheese container. I add to it a couple of sponges, a peri bottle and a stack of double flannel wipes. You can find these online but I just made my own. Got each family member their own color and zig zagged around them. Made a dozen each about 4 ½ x 7 inches. You could serge them if you have a serger or sew them leaving a small opening and then turn right side out and stitch the opening shut. Add it all into the ice cream bucket and you have your own little toilet paper repair kit. Fill the peri bottle with clean water and you can rinse with that and use the flannel to dry with and use the sponges if you need to scrub. Add the dirty cloths to the yogurt or cottage cheese container and wash them when you are able. I know a large struggling family with 10 kids who made each up their own kit and they went a head and did away with toilet paper all together. They've been using this for about 10 month's now and assure me it's working fine. They are able to use that extra money to buy extra food storage.

Cherlynn








Sunday, July 17, 2011

In 1974 I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Twice a year we have general conference in April and October.  The Prophet and Apostles and other leaders have always spoken on being prepared until a few years ago.  Suddenly they talk on Faith, Hope and Charity.  Well the time for warning is past.  We have either listened in the past and gotten prepared or we haven't.  In our church being prepared is a multi faceted item.   1st, you must be Spiritually Prepared.  Without the Spirit to guide you, you are already lost.  So being Spiritually prepared is the most important preparation!  I am in no way telling all of you to dash out and join the LDS Church!  If you want to learn more by all means come and learn!  You can go to http://mormon.org/  to learn more about our church if you want to!  But out of all those who take our missionary discussions to learn more about our church less than 20% take it any further.  Most say thank you and go their own way, which is fine, we really don't want converts unless they truly believe that our church is true.  So relax and just get your self spiritually prepared however you think you need to accomplish that! 

#2 Next we feel education is very, very important!  If you can't read the scriptures then you can't really get to know our Savior and learn how to act more like Him. I read the scriptures daily and have for years.  As I learn and grow spiritually I get new understanding of the same scriptures I read over and over throughout the years.  We should keep on learning to gain greater understanding in many things.  We believe "knowledge" is the only thing we get to take with us.  Spend each day of your life learning something new!

#3 is career development.   Being able to find work and get paid a decent wage so you can support your family.  Updating your job skills and learning more so you can advance as you go.

#4 Financial and Resource Management.  The Lord has blessed us greatly.  Are we good stewards of all He has given us?  I confess, my husband and I were not good stewards to start with.  We had to reach a point where we realized we had messed up badly and gotten way over our heads before we could get this point down.  We went to the Lord with very humble hearts letting Him know we had done this all ourselves and knew we needed His help to get out of the mess.  It was painful.  We both worked 2 and 3 jobs for a few years and He blessed us richly for our hard work.  We still have a Mortgage but are trying to work through that also.  If we had started out as good stewards we wouldn't have to go get jobs in our retirement to get the house paid off!  We made sure our children knew how we had messed up so they could learn from our mistakes.  One has bought a house with a 35% down payment so he has a low house payment and has been able to make two payments a month until this month when he lost his job.  But now he can work a minimum wage job and get by if he has to!  All the kids bought used cars with cash and most saved up and are going to school via cash instead of student loans.  Hopefully they and you will be much better stewards than My husband and I were! 

#5  Home Production and Storage.  This is what I will focus on most of the time.  Storing food and learning to garden and having what we need put away.

#6 Physical Health   Eating properly and getting good exercise.  We believe our body is a temple from the Lord.  We only get one and it is sacred to us.   If we eat trash then we are showing a lack of respect to what the Lord gave us.  If we can't take care of ourselves and get exercise then our bodies fall apart on us and it's all our own fault.

If you would like to read some of our conference reports on being prepared I selected the 1979 April conference and suggest you read the one near the bottom by Bruce R McConkie titled "Stand Independent above all other creatures"     http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions/1979/04?lang=eng   


Have a blessed day!
Cherlynn

Saturday, July 16, 2011

When the Tap runs dry

I have mostly talked about food but you can go a couple weeks without food and survive.  That is not the case with water!  3 days is usually how long you would survive if you had no water.  I live in an area that has no public water supply.  Our farm thankfully has a good running creek and 3 ponds, one of which is spring feed and 30 foot deep.  We dropped a pump into this pond and ran it to the house and then spent a small fortune attaching 5 different filtering systems to it to get water we would drink and use.  I greatly appreciate having water just coming out of the tap that I don't have to think about!  I am constantly working with our system to keep it up to par and when we are having very heavy rains it's a lost cause!  So if you have water that is just there when you need it, please thank your Father in Heaven tonight for it!   What would you do if the tap suddenly went dry?  The authorities advise us to keep a 3 day supply of water on hand.  They suggest 1 gallon per day per person.  For my family of 7 that is 21 gallons.  That's to drink, clean, flush the toilet, ect.   I think 21 gallons wouldn't last very long!   We have four 55 gallon food grade blue plastic barrels.  I also try to keep several cases of bottled water on hand.  Our heat wave has created a big gap in our storage currently but we'll get past this and restock!  220 gallons sounds much more comforting than 21 to my family!   In Dec '08 we went 3 weeks with no power and no power for us means no water either.   We didn't have those lovely blue barrels yet (lesson's learned!)  so we ran out pretty quick and were left trying to get down to the pond, break ice, collect water and then try to get it and you back to the house.  When you are in single digits and dealing with a foot of ice and 40MPH winds this project is no fun at all! 
Wendy DeWitt has some awesome stands you can build for those 55 gallon barrels!  It's her April 1, 2009 blog at http://www.everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/    You might be saying I don't have room for any 55 gallon barrels!  So I will tell you that glass canning jars are great for storing water in. Just don't store all your water in glass in case you end up in an earthquake and they break! Any food grade plastic bottles will work.  2 liter pop bottles work great!  So do juice bottles.  Do not use water containers!  They have gone to a type of plastic that is made to break down quickly so a couple months after storing water you'll walk in and find water leaking everywhere!  DO NOT EVER use milk bottles.  Plastic adsorbs the proteins in milk and this leaches back into the water.  Not a good situation!  Stick to pop and juice containers and you'll be fine.  If you have good clean tap water all you need to do is fill your clean containers and seal them.  Store in a cool dark location off the floor!  Change your water out every 6 months to 1 year.  We use our water to water livestock or the garden and change it twice a year.  Remember we are not on a public water supply.  I have to add 8 drops bleach to each gallon or it will be growing some strong stuff when we open it.  Municipalities add bleach so you don't need too if you are on a public water supply. 

Now what if the tap really does go dry and doesn't come back on any time soon?  Well you have to have supplies and know how to get more  from a source such as a well, lake or river.   I keep a good supply of 1-micron industrial liquid filter bags on hand.  Store these in a dry dark location.   You can process thousands of gallons of water through one of these bags as long as you dry it hanging up out of the sun and then fold it and store it in a dark place.  Sunlight really breaks the bag down fast.  You can watch a video on how to do this here:  http://www.pazumpa.com/video/series/water-purification/             Go down the page to the water purification kit.  Aaron no longer sells the kit but with his list and watching the video you can make your own kit.    You need two plastic buckets.  One to dip water and another to hold the filter over and collect the filtered clean water.  After you filter it you still need to treat it!   Bleach can not be stored!  I called Clorox myself and talked to a real live person.  I was told that once the bleach goes into the bottle it will be dead in 3 years.  They said once we buy bleach it must be used within 1 year to assure it is still a viable product.  Your other options is to boil or solar kill viruses and germs or to use iodine crystals.  The bottle gives directions and will do 2000 gallons.  If you want to solar kill than you also should get a WAPI (solar water pasteurization indicator) for each container you will use unless you use a Sun oven.  In the Sun Oven you only need one as they will all be the same temperature.  the WAPI has a special type of wax at the top that melts when it reaches the correct temperature so if the wax is in the bottom you know your water is ready for use.  Boiling requires a lot of energy so if you have sun doing the solar kill is a better option!   You can also store Calcium Hypochlorite (Pool Shock) but you MUST store it in glass jars that have been vacuum sealed.  If humidity gets into it, it will release a poisonous gas.  Putting the correct amount into water is fine but you must treat it with respect!  If your water goes flat like when you boil it, pour it back and forth between two clean containers and it will taste better.     

I buy my filters from  tfs total filtration services but their site is down this weekend so I will try to repost it later on.  Somewhere on their site they have a contact link that will list all their locations with phone numbers.  The filter unit number is : POG1P2P-WE.  I get the 30 inch but they also have it in a 24 inch.  I order 25 at a time and it has been running around $124 with shipping or close to $5 each. 

While you need to get food stashed away, please take time to get what you need for water too!  Their is no life without water!

Cherlynn


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Another food storage recipe

Years ago when we were adding new stuff to our food storage we went looking for cream of wheat.  Couldn't find that in bulk per say but the Amish had Farina which is pretty close.  Sometimes we have cream of wheat for breakfast but what my kids really like is the chocolate cream of wheat I developed over the years!  So today I will give you another recipe:

Chocolate Cream of Wheat

Mix in a small bowl :
3Tablespoons cream of wheat
1 Tablespoon Cocoa
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 heaping Tablespoon dry milk

Bring 1  1/4 cup water to boil in small saucepan.  Stir in the cream of wheat mixture and stir until it starts to thicken.  Turn off the heat and cover and let sit a few minutes.

Yum!  Even I love it!   Simple things can make life better!  Have a great day!

Cherlynn

Monday, July 11, 2011

Filling the pressure canner

I've been canning green beans and they have to be pressure canned as they are a low acid food.  My canner holds 7 quart bottles.  Got the first load done and only had 5 jars for the second load.  Hate to waste energy so decided to whip up my home made Hersey Syrup to fill the space.  It isn't Hersey syrup but sure taste exactly like it!   This is made 100% from our food storage.  In February 1998 we invested in a 50 lb bag of cocoa powder.  We canned it in #10 metal cans with our dry pack canner.  You can use these free of charge at any LDS Food Storage Center.   They may not let you can things like cocoa but you can buy lots of stuff from them to can and you can vacuum seal the cocoa powder into canning jars or seal into plastic containers with oxy paks.  Cocoa powder lasts a very, very long time so is great in food storage!  Our family of 7 has been using the cocoa to make brownies, hot chocolate mixes, ect and still have 7 #10 can's left.  It was one of the best investments we ever made!  We got another 50 lb. bag back in January when I heard prices were going up and we could still get it at a reasonable price.     Anyway you can find the nearest Food Storage location near you by clicking the link at the top of this page I am listing here and you can also click to see their order form and current prices:   http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8133-1-4352-1,00.html              

Now for the fun!   Making your very own chocolate syrup is easy and so great to have!  

MYO Hersey style Chocolate Syrup

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1cup water
1 dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan.  Add water and mix until smooth.  Bring this to a boil.  Allow to boil for one minute, being careful that it does not boil over.  Remove from heat and let cool.  when cooled add the vanilla.   This makes 1 pint. 

I don't usually can this but decided it would be a good filler when we had space in the canners so they are full and we could have the syrup canned and ready to use when we need it and I'm to busy or not around to make it. 

You don't have to buy a big 50 lb. bag of cocoa either!  Just pick up a box of Hersey's cocoa in the baking isle when ever you can afford the extra stuff.  It can be a wonderful comfort to your family in really tough times!  Have fun!

Cherlynn

Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Plan

Ok you've had most of a week to maul over the food storage plan.  Have you decided what would be best for your family?  Once you decide that You need to make a list of what all you need.  Did you want to just get traditional supplies?  Then you already have a list of those basic items to lay in.  But do you know how to use it?  I very highly recommend Jan Labaron's new cookbook.  This isn't your normal cookbook.  Jan is over at healthy harvest and over the years she has came up recipes and ways to use our basic food storage.  If you can only get one book, get Jan's!    Here's the link to go order Jan's book:   http://www.healthyharvest.com/jansfabulousfoodstoragerecipes-convertingstoredfoodsintouseablemeals.aspx    

Now if you decided to go with a menu based plan, how far out are you planning your menus?  2 weeks?  4 weeks?  13 weeks?  What ever you decide is how you will plan your food storage!      Thinking of getting a years supply can seem over whelming!  Don't try it all at once!  Just start by getting a 2 week supply laid in.  That wasn't so hard was it?   Now get another 2 week supply laid in.  Now you have 4 weeks covered!  This is how you build it up and before you know it you'll have 6 month's or maybe even more!   If you are using a menu plan collect your recipes.  Have them in a binder or box with your food storage.  Use your recipes to build you your shopping list.     If you have done a two week plan your shopping list would repeat 26 times for a years supply.  A 4 week menu plan shopping list would repeat 13 times for a year supply.  And a 13 week plan's shopping list would repeat 4 times for a years supply. 

Now you are thinking how would I store all this?  I couldn't store a years worth of meat in my freezer!  No,  you will learn how to can most of your meats to go with your food storage menus.  Your own home canned meats are yummy!  I have a hard time keeping my family out of them!  but it will also make you rethink your menus!  Canned meats are tender and fall apart.  So instead of fried chicken I might plan on taco baked chicken casserole.  Now if your power goes off long term you are freaking out worrying about all that meat!  You can keep some meat in the freezer for fried chicken or steaks to toss on the grill.  Then if the power goes out you'll use those items first.  A year supply for one person would fit under neath a twin sized bed.  Really!

We'll talk about cooking options another time.  We'll also talk about storage options later too!  Right now you just need to get started storing anything you can.  We've never gone through a famine or not had stores full of food.  But in the last two years I have seen spot outages that stores could not fill.  What is happening this year is going to make food prices sky rocket and those outages will become much more common.  They already know there is not enough food to feed the world this coming year.  The United States for the first year ever has not been able to grow enough to feed even our own citizens.   For that reason, I am pleading with you to store food. Learn to can or dry and take anything that is offered to you this summer.  Dry it, can it.  Find a friend who cans and learn from them or just use their canner while you learn this summer!  Ask around at church and I can pretty well assure you that you'll find someone who can's there and would be more than willing to help you! 

I am also very worried about our economy.  So many people are out of work.   Our government is way out of control.  It's not the current administration who created this mess.   It started going out of control back in the 1960's (and even before!)  Now we're in deep trouble.  the US dollar since WWII has been the world currency.  Every nation in the world had to trade in US dollars.  This year Russia and China agreed to trade in their own currency instead of using worthless US dollar's.  The writing is on the wall.  the US Dollar is about to be dumped.  Might not be this year but it will be soon.  Once that happens, the Fed's will no longer be able to run out and print more money to cover the debt.  We won't be able to afford to buy food even if it is available. 

Now is the time to prepare!  If you have food stored, if you have seeds stored and know how to garden, if you know how to survive, then you and your family will make it.     Having faith and preparing will protect your family.  Don't panic!  Just diligently work toward having food stored as you are able.  Make yourself right with God.  Now is not the time to walk away from the one person who can bless you with miracles when they are needed!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

First day on my new job

At my age, the thought of going back into the work force seemed scary.  Will my old fingers be able to do what they want?  Will I be able to remember all I need too when half the time I can hardly remember my name?  So many folks are losing their jobs lately.  My son just lost his.  One of 1,800 jobs cut to help fund relief efforts in Joplin.  Started today with a guy who lost his teaching job due to budget cuts.  Don't know how long I'll be able to work but every penny counts so hopefully I can make it until the end of the year so we'll be able to take care of all we need to here!  My retired husband was just offered a job at Sonic so he's going to go back to work a couple days a week also.  Time is running out, time to get prepared so you'll be able to face what ever happens in the future.  Many things can be free.  Learn new skills that might help you out.  Watching Video's on youtube.com can help you learn many things.   The Patriot Nurse or Dr. bones and Nurse Amy have video's that can teach you medical skills that can help you survive.  Learn how to can, sew, make soap, ect but just punching things into the search bar and watch things that will help you instead of garbage that is a waste of time.  You can go to blog talk radio and visit Dr. Preppers site that has a ton of archived shows listed you can listen to when you have time! Here's the link:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/profile3.aspx?userurl=doctorprepper        So much info to find online but you need to print out info so you'll have it if you ever lose internet of even your computer.   I have been filling binders the last several years and have lots of info ready to roll if I ever need it.  Many items we have been trying out just in case we need to use it some day.  Learning to cook over an open fire is a fun way to learn life saving skills.  My daughters were excited when I taught them how to make bread and put a wire rack in our big dutch oven and put the bread pan in and bake bread over and open fire.  Not a big raging fire but one that has cooked down.  Putting hot ash on top and having hot coals under it.  Using charcoal to start with is a good way to learn how to use your Dutch Ovens.  Here is an online guide for the number of charcoals to put on top and under for the size of dutch oven and the temp needed.  http://www.angelfire.com/md2/bsatroop721/DO_cooking_temps.pdf         Once you have figured out how to bake with charcoal you can have a better idea of how to do so using hot wood ash.  So many skills to learn.  Have fun trying them out so you'll know how to do it if you have too!

Cherlynn

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

My begining journey and lessons learned

When I first got started storing food back in 1975 I followed the traditional food storage plan for our church.  Very simple,  per person store: 300 pounds of grains (wheat, oats, corn, rice, ect.) 75 pounds of dairy (powdered milk, cheese powder, ect  4 quarts liquid equal 1 pound dehydrated) 60 pounds sugars (sugar, honey, molasses, Jello, jam, ect)  5 pounds salt, 20 pounds fats (shortening, oil, ect) 50 pounds legumes (beans, lintels,ect.) and 14 gallons of water (1 gallon per day for 2 weeks) 

This is a good basic supply per person but over the years what I discovered is when we hit our personal disasters we really didn't know how to use just this list.  So we added other canned goods like soups, fruits and veggies, ect.   But still when disaster struck we'd be so befuddled in our minds we still needed help using what we had long term.  Yes, we had lots of personal disasters in our life! 

When we think of disasters we tend to think of things like the Japanese earthquake or the Joplin tornado.  Those things do happen but what we found was we'd suddenly without warning lose our jobs, get injured or sick, or have other things happen that was beyond our control and left us financially drowning. 

So we as a family came up with a menu based plan to add to our traditional plan.  I was aiming at 91 different meals (13 weeks x 4 = 52).  I really struggled with my list until I made copies and asked my family for help.  By the time they got done with it we were suddenly up to 133 meals.  My husband insisted we have planned left overs to serve on Sundays so I wouldn't have to cook that day.  Well it sounded nice but if we have no refrigerator, ect we'd have no way to store the left overs.  We also had to cross out several that was not suitable for long term storage.  So we've gotten it worked back down to a workable level.  Then my husband came up with his plan....

He thought laying in everything we needed for a set menu was to much so he suggested we have planned meals to cover the first month stored in a bag with instructions ready to roll out and by the time we get through the first month we should be over the initial shock so we could think enough to plan out meals again.  He is allowing us 15 cases of pint jars for meats.  I have until November to fill them and after that what ever is left over will be filled with venison.  Ah, free meat!  We also have hens for eggs and of course we could eat them if we needed to.  We also have 2 very large ponds with fish.  Lots of deer, turkey and rabbits run around our farm too!  Anyway we have our 91 day plan printed out and in a nice binder with sheet protectors.  I am collecting meals and putting them into bags trying to get 30 days worth.  And I am filling canning jars with meats and broths when I am able.

If you have nothing laid in at all I highly suggest you lay in 300 to 400 pounds of beans and rice.  Then start trying to add to it.  We are entering a very uncertain time.  This is the first year that the United States will be unable to feed our people fully, less alone ship stuff out.  Many nations that import food to us has already said they won't be doing that this coming year.  That alone is a very good reason to lay in everything you can get this summer.  You need to get supplies and learn to can, dry, foods.  Accept each and every free will offering given to you this summer!  Yes take that zucchini and tomatoes!  Dry or can it!  Ask around and find someone who can show you if you need help!   I have seen miracles happen when you make an effort to store food for crisis.  My dear friend in Japan thought he had enough to feed his Mother and himself for 3 months.  He couldn't just hid and feed himself so he feed the whole neighborhood and he still is doing so.  The rice pot never seems to go down he has told me.  When their crisis is over it will go down but until then the Lord will bless them.  It drives me crazy when I hear people say they have food and weapons to protect it.  I would have a hard time eating while my neighbors starved.  I will count on the never ending rice pot should things get very ugly here in the next few years. 

So my word for today is to have a plan and try it out.  Make sure you know what you have and how to use it.  Having foods your family know and love is important in a disaster. They bring comfort in uncertain times.  Take a look at you circumstances and see what you can do to protect your self and your family.  Have a plan!

Cherlynn

Monday, July 4, 2011

Teaching this old dog to blog

I'm a prepper, been one for over 30 years.  I teach classes free of charge in my area to help others get prepared but not to big on computer stuff.  Several have begged me to start a blog so decided to try it out.  I don't have a  degree in prepping unless you want to count life experiences!  I got introduced to prepping officially in 1974 when I joined the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Before that I guess my Grandmother showed me life skills that gave me a good solid prepping knowledge.  I learned about soap making, ect from her as a child.  While serving in the Air Force I was sent to several schools that taught me prepping skills.  The things I write in my blog will be about my prepping and things I have learned to do over the years.  They might not be government approved way of doing things but they have worked for me and my family.  I have appeared several times on different shows on the Dr Prepper blog talk radio channel, so I've been around over the years but I'm brand new to this blogging thing!  Feel free to let me know what I'm doing wrong or what I'm doing right.  I will start listing my thoughts on prepping when I have time to do so. 

Cherlynn