How to post

If you would like to be added as an author to this blog so you can contribute Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage information, email me: Shaylabear@aol.com Feel free to pass this site around to anyone you think may find this a helpful resource.

When posting, make sure you use descriptive labels so it is easy for others to find your info. If I posted an article about what to put in a 72 hr kit for each member of your family, and what you should have in your car including a first aid kit, as well as how often you should rotate the items in your kits, I may label it as: 72 hour kit, Car kits, First Aid kits, Rotation. Try to use labels that have already been created, as in: Food Storage Cooking verses making a new label: Cooking with Food Storage, unless it isn't a completely accurate title for your info.

Don't forget to post questions you have or info you're looking for.

I'm not sure how multiple authors work, or if you guy can change the pages elements (someone let me know), but if you can, feel free to add links to other helpful websites to the link element on the left. If not, just post the link anyway and I can add it.

If you have any suggestions on what I can change or add to make this site better or more user friendly, email me:
Shaylabear@aol.com

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

15 week storage challenge


This is the chart that Shel passed on. Click on the picture to see it larger and print it out. I carry mine in my purse with me so I always have it handy when I am at the store.

Monday, May 19, 2008

square foot gardening

check out this site. tandy turned me on to it and it is fabulous!! i am going to do this in my backyard. it is perfect for those with not a lot of room but the desire to grow. tell me what you think!!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Food Storage Recipe - Magic Milk Shakes

Stolen from MMW


If you follow these directions, I kid you not, you will end up with a chocolate milkshake so much like a Wendy’s frosty you will be amazed. I believe the original credit for the recipe goes to the Prairie Homemaker website, but I’m not 100% on that one.

1 1/2 - 2 cups ICE water- really, really cold.
1 1/2 cups non-fat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 cups ice cubes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (yes, really- it’s an emulsifier)
Place ALL the ingredients in the blender, including the oil. Use less water for a thicker milkshake or more for a shake that’s easier on your blender motor. With lid on, process for two minutes. Makes about 4 shakes.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Bread Essentials

From a recent emergency prep/food storage class in my ward:

Essentials you must store to make bread:

GRINDER
An electric one is best, but it's good to have a hand grinder as well, in case the power goes out. However, a hand grinder is a LOT of work for a little flour, so for everyday use, get an electric one if you can.

WHEAT
Hard Red and Hard White wheat store best. It can be stored for 30+ years if kept below 74 degrees. Use wheat with at least 12% protein and less than 12% moisture. The higher protein content forms enough gluten to make the bread rise well and the low moisture content helps to prevent growth of fungi and bacteria during storage. Red wheat is acidic and white wheat is alkaline, so white wheat is, for some people, easier on the digestive system. Wheat stored at high temperatures -- in a garage or shed during summer heat -- will not make bread that rises well, but in an emergency you can eat bread that is not "beautiful".

Protein content varies depending on the grower. If you have lower-protein wheat you can experiment with adding gluten flour or dough enhancer (like lemon juice, Vitamin C powder, vinegar or a commercial dough enhancer) to your bread dough.

You can also make bread from white flour, although it doesn't have the fiber of whole wheat. Storage life of white flour is 10+ years if kept under 74 degrees. Freshly ground whole wheat flour will go rancid quickly, so store it in the fridge until you use it, or in the freezer if you need to store it longer than about a week.

YEAST
Yeast will store up to 7 years if frozen in the freezer. A good quality yeast should be in a foil packet with all the oxygen removed. This makes a "brick-like" package. A year's supply for one person is about 1-2 lbs.

Active Dry Yeast is usually dissolved in warm water with sweetener.

Instant Yeast can be added directly to the bread without first dissolving it in water. It raises in half the time of regular yeast. It is a much more aggressive yeast. Note: Some people are finding that instant yeast is linked to candida health issues and allergies. This may not be a problem for everyone, but you can experiment and see what works for your family.

OIL
Any oil will work. You can experiment to see what your family likes. Oil doesn't have a very long storage life, but baking bread is a great way to rotate oil. Oil stores approximately 1 year.

SWEETENER
Sweetener is needed to activate the yeast. A lot of bread recipes call for honey. This has a nice flavor. Sugar can also be used. Both will store indefinitely.

SALT
8 lbs of salt is recommended per person for a year. Approximately 1-2 tablespoons of salt are used in a bread recipe, depending on the size of the batch.

Optional Items:

GLUTEN FLOUR
This can help wheat bread rise higher. If unopened, gluten flour lasts approximately five years. Once it is opened it lasts two years.

DOUGH ENHANCER
This gives bread a fine, light texture and preserves moistness. Commercial dough enhancer has a shelf life of about 3 years.

BREAD MIXER
Bread can be made entirely by hand, but a mixer will make it easier. A large mixer with a dough hook will work, and most can make 4-6 loaves at a time. A breadmaker is a fast, convenient way to make one loaf at a time.

Seeds

The following are a Master Gardener's suggestions for varieties of seeds that are open-pollinated, so that the seeds from the produce can be used the next year.

Beans: Provider Bush
Carrots: Nantes fancy
Cucumber: Marketmore 76
Lettuce: Mesclun mix
Peas: Green arrow
Peppers: King of the North Bell
Peppers: Early Jalepeno
Spinach: Longstanding Bloomsdale
Tomatoes: Pruden's Purple
Tomatoes: Speckled Roman
Zucchini: Black Zucchini

Additional seeds (some are hybrids):
Broccoli: Waltham 29
Cabbage: Early Jersey Wakefield
Corn: Bodacious (sugary enhanced hybrid)
Squash: Saffron
Pumpkin: New England Pie
Tomato: Sungold Cherry Hybrid
Watermelon: Sugar Baby

Store seeds in sealed jar in freezer or refrigerator.