Hi Everyone,
NOTES:
As with all lists that tell you what and how much to stock up on, you need to consider your own needs and circumstances. But here is a good one about hygiene:How Much Is Enough? Hygiene Supplies for Your Survival Stockpile
Your list should at least include:
toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, and deodorant. I will tell you now, that shampoo and liquid soap do not last forever. They will separate and get clumpy. Even feminine hygiene products will be less absorbent after a number of years. Date what you buy and rotate!!
If you are interested, you can research how hygiene was handled before all of our modern conveniences and products were produced. Get your great grandmother to tell you how she did things. We may have to do it that way again!
There are other individuals online who have also come up with food storage challenges. The one that was sent to me is included below.
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
Someone posted
Rules for Bugs, Snakes and Rodents.
Rule #1: Inside is mine, outside is yours, you cross the line and you die.
Rule #2: You eat my garden and you die.
I thought these rules were hysterical. But it’s exactly how I feel!
See these tiny black dots on the tomato plant stems??
?
Aphids? Not sure, but I AM sure that whatever they are, they are sucking on my plants. Spray! I used Safer Soap. It’s organic, available anywhere.
TIME TO FEED THE GARDEN. Heavy feeding plants in the garden include those that grow quickly and produce large yields. They require more nutrients from the soil. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, corn, broccoli, beets, carrots, pumpkins, melons, onions, cabbage, and garlic are examples of heavy-feeders. I try to feed them every 4 weeks – usually the first of the month. Some gardeners suggest every 3 weeks, but I can’t keep track of that. LOL
Watch your berries:
These are my meager blueberries. AS SOON AS they look like they are going to darken up, get a bird netting around them. The birds will strip the plant of EVERY last berry in a matter of hours. Be prepared, however. Last year we found a dead bird caught in the netting and on another occasion we caught two lizards in the net. BUT, we saved our berries!
Finally, I couldn’t resist a garden meme:
LONG TERM STORAGE: Wheat
In the 1970’s there was a big push to store wheat. We used empty paint cans and dry ice. Then, again, with the Y2K scare, we were urged to get prepared for the end of the world. Then there was the Mayan calendar thing in 2012. Frankly, it’s always something and you NEVER KNOW when disasters will happen. Or maybe NOT a disaster. Maybe a job loss, or an illness, or a death will have an impact on your finances.
Don’t know how to make bread? Don’t want to know how to make bread? It’s okay. You will! Can’t eat bread? That’s a different story.
Have you ever wondered why no one was “gluten intolerant” until a few years ago? Probably the main reason is that GMO modified wheat is NOT the same as it was 100 years ago. But another reason is the yeast. Up until 1970, there was no such thing as “rapid-rise” yeast. History of Baker’s Yeast – History of Different Types of Yeast
For hundreds of years, women baked with natural yeast. To make bread with natural yeast, you have to let it rise longer – usually overnight. This long rise gets rid of more of the harmful effects of the gluten. Many people who are gluten intolerant have no problem with sourdough, or bread with natural yeast.
If you already have all the wheat you will ever need, maybe it’s time to open a can, grind it up, and experiment with it. Try adding 1/2 and 1/2 fresh ground wheat flour and white flour to cookies, muffins, and rolls. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Don’t have a wheat grinder? Find someone who has. Join a bread Facebook group in your area. See if there is someone who will let you grind up a can of wheat.
OR……Did you know you can grind your flour in a VitaMix blender? Place 2 cups of wheat berries in the blender. Select variable 1. Turn on machine and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to high. Grind for 1 minute. This will yield 3 1/4 c. very fine flour.
When you buy your blender, it comes with the “wet blade”. Grains will grind best with the “dry blade”. Who knew??? Amazon.com: Blender Dry Blade
Learn now, not later.
As a side note: I have an evacuation plan posted on the inside of my cupboard door. My wheat grinder is on it!
At the Home Storage Center, you can buy #10 cans of wheat for $7.83 ($1.42 per lb.) You can also buy 25 pound bags of wheat for $19.98 ($.79 per lb.). Quite a bit cheaper, BUT you have to repackage that wheat. It will probably take 2 5-gallon buckets. The buckets at Lowes or Home Depot are $5 each and the lids are $3?? It probably all works out in the end.
SHORT TERM STORAGE: yeast
Rapid rise yeast will last at least a year or more if stored in the refrigerator and even longer if stored in the freezer. I always do a “test” before adding yeast to the bread. Dissolve the needed amount in warm water with 1 TB sugar. After 15 minutes, there should be bubbles.
As a young mother, I used to make 8 loaves of bread a week. One time, my bread didn’t rise and I realized my yeast was probably dead. In tears, I called my grandmother. I didn’t want to “throw away” all that flour and dough. She told me to dissolve some new yeast, add it to the dough with a little more flour and it would be fine. I did, and it was. Lesson learned. How to Store Active Dry Yeast | Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods
72 HR KITS: flashlights
Time to check the batteries in your flashlights. On your next shopping trip, just get a pack of D batteries. Look in all the cars, 72 hour kits, bedside stands, and anywhere else you may have stashed a flashlight. Replace them all, whether or not they are still working.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES:
Cracked Wheat Cereal
Your blender or wheat grinder doesn’t just make fine flour, it can also make “cracked” wheat? My dad used to eat this for breakfast. I never liked it much, but in an emergency, you’d probably be willing to eat cardboard if it had milk and sugar on it.
For cracked wheat in the Vitamix, start with 1/2 c. wheat. Blend on speed 7-8 for 10 seconds. Place wheat in a saucepan and add 1 1/2 c. water. 1/4-1/2 tsp salt optional. Simmer for 20 minutes. Yields 1 1/2 c. cooked cereal.
Another option is to add boiling water at night. Turn off the heat, and place a tightly fitting lid on the pan. Allow to soak overnight. In the morning, reheat or enjoy it cold. You can also do this in a thermos.
You can spice up your cereal with nutmeg or cinnamon. Add your favorite fruits (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raisins, or coconut.
Creamy Rice Cereal
Add 1/2 c. uncooked rice to the Vitamix blender. Select variable 1. Turn on and slowly increase speed to 7 or 8. Gride about 10 seconds.
In a saucepan, heat 2 c. water and 1/4 tsp salt.
Slowly add cracked rice to boiling water. Stir constantly with wire whisk. Simmer 8-10 min more.(slightly longer for brown rice)
Marti Shelley
