Sunday, January 20, 2013

Living on food storage


"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."

~ Ben Franklin ~
 
We've been living on our food storage for longer than I can remember.  We do grow a garden and put up as much as we can and I never refuse anything free given me if I can at all help it.  2 bushels of peaches were offered me 6 hours before we departed to California for our son's wedding and as much as it pained me I had to say no.  I am capable of using some common sense when needed.

Anyway it's been so long that some things are beginning to run out.  Daily dinner plans are getting more creative.  Today we are having White Chili.  I still have some chicken and can get more by butchering when my family is gone for the day.  And we still have plenty of beans for the most part.

White Chili

1 pint (1 Lb.) of canned chicken
 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and browned in butter
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 pints or cans of great northern beans
1 pint or can chicken broth
1 can chopped green chilies (4 0z.)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper

Mix together and bring to boil and then turn to a simmer and let simmer 30 minutes.  Or you can cook it in a crockpot on low all day.   When ready to serve you can mix in Sour Cream if you have any to add.

So many of us have gotten use to running to the store whenever we need to.  But in the past our ancestor's always planned ahead and stored what they needed.  Their very lives depended on it.  A crop failing could make them face death during the coming winter.  They grew all they could in hopes to have enough in case something didn't make it.  Being prepared is even more important today than it was back then.  All our stores operate on an instant delivery system now.  They don't store extra in the back.  Any time there is a big storm the shelves empty off very quickly.  There is no reason for us to be running to the store when a storm is looming.  We should already have what we need. 

I can up just about every food item we need.  But if you don't can or don't want to can you can buy everything already canned.  There is canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, canned water and juices.  You can buy what you need ahead of time and never have to bother canning stuff up. 

How long can you go without going to the store.  You should easily be able to go a month without going to the store other than for fresh milk.   You should make sure you have dried and canned milk on hand if you can't get it at the store.  I would hope you are making sure you can make it 3 month's at least. 

Now is a good time to take an account of exactly what you have and planning on how to use it and deciding how far you think it will go.

I personally think good times are coming our way in a few more years.  Not even Washington's Pig Headed politicians can stop it.  It's called fracking.  It has a bad name but the fact remains by fracking in a few more years the USA will become the #1 oil supplier in the world.  Many are still spreading doom and gloom but from all the reports I get in I know a great big rainbow is coming our way.  Good times are coming but we should still be prepared.  It just makes good sense.

Blessings,
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com


 
 

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