Time For A Giveaway!!!

We have reached a milestone here at Safely Gathered In...100 posts! To help us celebrate we are having ourselves a little giveaway ("little" being the key word here). During the next few weeks, we will be spotlighting different items and then giving them away in a random drawing. Now don't be shy...we want ALL interested to enter! The more people we have, the more fun it will be to win!

There is a great blog out there called Everyday Food Storage. I have been checking it fairly regularly for about a year now and have learned some great tricks for using food storage items in everyday life. The girl who does the site has just written a cookbook called I Can't Believe It's Food Storage. Here is the product description...

"Do you have a three-month supply of food for your family? Are you building up and using your long-term food storage? In I Can't Believe It's Food Storage , author Crystal Godfrey explains how to transition common food-storage items (such as powdered milk, whole wheat, and dried beans) into your own recipes. Godfrey also provides over 100 kitchen-tested recipes for you to try. In addition, you'll learn how to put together a personalized three-month supply and how to involve your entire family in planning and preparing meals. And as for that vitally important long-term food supply, you'll learn what to store, and you'll be using it every day to make meals your family will love. All you have to do is follow the easy step-by-step program outlined in the book. When you taste the wonderful meals you'll effortlessly create once you follow the program, you'll be saying, "I can't believe it's food storage!"

So, there you have it! We will be giving away a book to one lucky winner. You can enter in three different ways (for a total of three entries).

• First Entry- leave a comment with your first and last name.


• Second Entry- leave a comment with one way you use food storage in your everyday life.


• Third Entry- become a follower of this blog and then leave a comment stating you are a follower.
  

We will draw the winner on Wednesday, May 6th so make sure to check back to see if you have won!

Tips From The Coop

Water…the Most Precious

Water is an absolutely crucial part of your family’s preparedness. It is generally recommended to store 14 gallons per person.

How is this number calculated? Can I store more or less?

One gallon of water a day is enough water to supply basic needs; half for hygiene, the other half for drinking and food prep. Storing a year’s supply of water using these guidelines, a family of 4 would have to store 1500 gallons, or 6 tons of water. It is very impractical, especially considering the fact that this would only supply basic needs.

Many organizations, including the Church, recommend a two week supply of water resulting in 14 gallons of water per person in your household.

If you have the space I would recommend storing more. It is an unusual paradigm, water is the cheapest item to store, the most vital item for life, but may be the most forgotten storage item.

The next few posts on “Tips From the Coop” will be geared toward understanding other ways to store water without having a swimming pool in the basement.

Learn from the Experience of Others

When deciding what to store it is important to think of food your family already eats. That way, you are eating what you store and storing what you eat. While this is good advice, I also think there is value is learning the stories of those who have lived in a time of hardship...

• what things did they wish they had?
• what was valuable?
• what do they personally store now?

Experience is a wonderful teacher...what a blessing to learn from others experiences.

I read a talk years ago given by F. Enzio Busche. In it he discussed his experiences living in post-war Europe. He talked about the challenges as well as what was valued. One of the items at the top of the list...oil. He said this single item could be bartered for anything, it was worth its weight in gold.

After hearing of this man's experiences, we store extra oil/fat.

There is a dear lady in our ward that also lived Europe during and after World War 2. Her family went through many trials. They went for long periods of time on limited food. I asked her if her past experiences influenced what she currently stored. She told me "absolutely" and one thing at the top of her list was Kool Aid, because it would mask the taste of stored, stale water.

I will be storing fruit drink mix. Not because my family uses it now, but because we may need it in the future.

Food for thought at least.

Your 3-Month Supply

I spend a good deal of time staring at my garden...hoping my labors have not been in vain and something good will come out of my less than perfect soil. It is comforting to know there are many out there that are trying their hand at gardening...realizing the benefits it can offer. It is even more comforting and even a bit exciting that the Provident Living site of the Church now has a section on growing a garden!

With plenty of planting time left, I thought it might be worth taking a look at.

Click HERE to get to the site.

image courtesy of allposters.com

Have A Plan

When buying items for your food storage, it is important to have a plan before you hit the stores. I have often walked through aisles of food storage items and thought, "this would be a good thing to get, oh, but what about this? And I am sure I will need this...sometime!" Our minds can go crazy trying to sufficiently plan for EVERY situation! One thing to remember is that we most likely will not be able to get everything we might need for every situation, we just need to do the best we can. But making a plan can be very helpful, not only for our minds, but for our pocketbooks!

You can create a plan in a variety of ways.

• One way is by setting a budget, plan to only spend a certain amount of money each week or each month on food storage. When the money is gone, it is gone. This will help with impulse buying.
• Focus on a particular area of food storage each month. For example, one month just focus on Wheat, another on Powdered Milk, another on Water, etc. Don't forget about your 3-month supply and just stock up on a few extra things each time you go to the grocery store.
• Save your money and take advantage of semi-annual case lot sales (particularly at Macey's where they sell a lot of great food storage items). Shopping this way allows you to get a variety of items at once. It will require some discipline though as there are SO many things at such a great price. Deciding what you need before hand will make a big difference.

Taking some time to establish a plan and then really following through with it will help you not only achieve your goals, but will allow you to keep your sanity in the process :)!!

The Thirst Quencher

It doesn't take me long to feel slightly panicked when I think about not having access to water. I drink A LOT of water! I carry around a mug I was given at the hospital after having my children and just refill it all day long. I usually know it is time to have another kid when my mug breaks...but that is a story for another day.

I usually buy a flat of water every time I go to Costco and every year or so will buy or seriously consider buying a new water container (sometimes big, sometimes small). It gives me peace of mind.

The one great thing about storing water is that it is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP! Bottled water doesn't cost much, and storage containers don't really cost that much either...especially when you just recycle your soda pop or juice containers. Click HERE for tips on how to clean your bottles.

The other nice thing about water storage is that it can handle severe temperature fluctuations...it doesn't always have to be in a cool place. So you can store some of your water in the garage or other areas of your home that may be subject to heat. It is actually a good idea to store water in various places in your home so that if one area was inaccessible for any reason, you would always have access to water.

Want additional info?

LDS Church-Provident Living

FEMA

image courtesy of Kidipede

Tips From The Coop

Peanut Butter Balls…YUM

One of my favorite memories as a kid was making Peanut Butter Balls with my family. With a short ingredient list, and no cooking required, these are perfect for the whole family to make together. AND this tasty treat is made up completely of things in the storage room!!!

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup instant milk
3 T. water

Mix and shape into balls by hand…FUN. Refrigerate and eat.

Make It Personal

I was talking with my husband yesterday about an Elders Quorum activity he was trying to put together that centered around Family History. He said the purpose of the activity was to provide a way for those that attend to come to know just one of their ancestors...to learn a bit more about them...to make Family History personal.

When he said that, something clicked. I realized the effect "personalizing" has on things that are hard. I think it gives us motivation.

For me, storing food has always been personal. Food Storage played a very significant role in my family after my father passed away. It is still personal. I think that is what motivates me to keep going.

What personalizes food storage for me may be very different than what personalizes it for you. Most of the time I think it starts with just a desire...a desire to be obedient, a desire to be self sufficient. Take some time today to just think of ways to make storing food personal...it may just make all of the difference. :)!

Your 3-Month Supply

I recently finished a large container of Taco Seasoning (that I bought at Costco) that I have had in my cupboard for years...well, at least two. My family loves tacos, but even with fairly regular use, it has taken us awhile to get through it. As time has gone on, I have found it necessary to add a bit more seasoning than suggested to get a decent taco flavor.

Last week I opened up a fresh new container for a tasty batch of taco salads. I took my first bite...I think fire shot out of my mouth and my nose ran like a faucet. The seasoning seemed SO intense! Clearly the seasoning is the same...my taste buds are just different. I had gotten used to the "past its prime" seasoning bottle.

Why would I bring up this story? Seasonings and Spices are a critical part to your 3-month supply. They can turn something ordinary and bland into something very palatable. One thing to consider though, is shelf life.

Most ground seasonings can last 3 to 5 years unopened (whole spices will last longer). But once you open it, the quality starts to degrade. Within a year, you no longer have the flavor you started with. So, do you throw away your spices after a year? No, but just make sure and store seasonings in bottles small enough that your family can go through them in a relatively short amount of time. If you use a lot of certain seasonings...i.e. I use cinnamon like it is going out of style... store it in big containers. Otherwise, buy it in the smaller containers at the grocery store so they can stay sealed up longer and be ready for you when you need them. Stores like Walmart, Smiths and Dans all have lower priced spices that can be purchased for as low as $1 for a decent size bottle.

Using Powdered Milk

I sat down to post about Water Storage, but thanks to a great question by Julia...I am switching gears.

How do you rotate Powdered Milk if you do not plan to drink it?

Here are a few options to consider...

1. Make your own Hot Chocolate Mix!

Fudge-Flavored Hot Chocolate

6 cups powdered milk

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups dry nondairy coffee creamer

1 1/2 large packages chocolate fudge pudding mix

Mix all ingredients together and keep in an airtight container. To use, mix 1 cup hot water to 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix. Makes 40 servings

(recipe from Carla Jean Meaders)

2. Use Powdered Milk in your regular cooking and baking.

• Use powdered milk in any recipe that calls for regular milk. Mix up a batch and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Powdered Milk adds tenderness and flavor to meat by holding and absorbing the meat juices. Add to meatloaf or hamburgers to enrich flavor. Add 1/4 cup of milk to each pound of hamburger and mix well.
• I have heard that powdered milk is TASTY in mashed potatoes! Add 1/4 cup of powdered milk to 1 cup of potatoes and use the potato water to get the right consistency.

3. Use it in most bread recipes (except for mine :)!)

Natalie's Speedy Rolls

from "Favorites"

2 T dry yeast

2 cups warm water, divided

1 cup instant powdered milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 t salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

6 cups flour

Combine 1 cup of the warm water with the yeast; set aside (I use SAF instant yeast, so I don't have to "soak" the yeast before hand). In mixing bowl, mix together the other cup of water with the powdered milk, sugar, eggs, salt, butter and 1 cup of the flour. Add the softened yeast and blend. Pour in remaining flour slowly while mixing and knead for 10to 15 minutes (I have always had to add more than 6 cups of flour...after adding the 6 cups, I slowly add flour to the dough mixture until I get a nice, tacky consistency with the dough. You need to be able to work with it.) Place dough in oiled bowl and let rise until double in size (about an hour). Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half into a large circle on a floured surface and cut with a pizza cutter or knife into 12 segments. Roll up "croissant-style" and place on greased cookie sheets. Let rise 15 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until golden.

Hope this is helpful. If anyone has any great recipes using powdered milk...please share!

Rotating Can Racks

For YEARS I have wanted a Shelf Reliance Food Rotation System! They are an organizers DREAM! The problem...they are VERY expensive and I can't talk my husband into it! So what is a girl to do? Make her own (or get her husband to make them if she is blueprint challenged...like me)!

Months ago, I came across a food storage blog that talked all about making your own rotating can racks out of cardboard boxes. I have seriously searched hours for it since then...and lo and behold, I found it this morning while looking for blog images! Click HERE to see their post.

Then I noticed at the end of the post, one of the ladies at Food Storage Made Easy had made a few and provided a detailed description of how they did it...including pictures. Click HERE for easy instructions.

If anyone decides to make one of these...let us know...and include pictures! I would love to get a handful of these in my food storage room!

Tips From The Coop

The Powdered Milk Dilemma

Ideally, everything in your storage room would be rotated before expiring because it was used up in the kitchen. This creates a MILK DILEMMA for most families, including ours.

The recommended 90 quarts of stored milk per person is a lot of milk, powdered or otherwise. Adding to the problem, powdered milk has always carried with it a very short shelf life; as little as two years. The dilemma is only compounded by the fact that powdered milk has a nemesis…a gallon of real milk.

LUCKILY, BYU (boooo) recently finished a study that helps fix the dilemma. In the last few months the Ensign noted that in the study, powdered milk (among other stored foods) was found to have a much longer shelf life than previously expected; as much as 10 years. That is plenty of time for my family to cycle through powdered milk.

Here is the catch… Packaging is critical. “Number ten cans” (a coffee can) are the most approachable way to store milk for such long periods. Many powdered milk products come pre-packaged in #10 cans.

Difference Between Instant And Non-Instant Milk

Have you noticed there are two varieties of powdered milk...instant and non-instant? The differences may not seem too significant, but they can be. Here are a few things to be aware of.

• Non-instant is more dense, therefore it takes up less space to store as you get more milk per container. (The cannery sells non-instant)


• Instant milk can be mixed with cold water, non-instant requires warm/hot water to dissolve the powder.


• Instant milk dissolves instantly, the non-instant takes a little more time


• If you are making a recipe that calls for instant powdered milk, you would use about half as much of the non-instant, because of the density difference. The opposite would also be true, if a recipe called for non-instant milk, you would have to double the instant milk to get the same result.
  

Using powdered milk in everyday cooking can be challenging here is a recipe for starters. Notice it calls for instant powdered milk...

Crunchy Potato Bake
1/3 c. water

1 t. salt
1/2 c. instant nonfat dry milk

Dash of pepper
2 c. mashed potatoes

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 egg, well beaten

3 T. butter, melted
1/4 c. finely chopped onion

1 c. crushed corn flakes
Whip nonfat dry milk with water until smooth. Mix in potatoes, egg onion, salt and pepper. Beat until fluffy. Place mixture in greased 1 quart baking dish. Mix cheese, butter, and corn flakes. Spread over top of potatoes. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 min.
Makes 4-6 servings

image courtesy of amazon.com

Your 3-Month Supply

Have you ever looked at the grocery store ads that come in the mail or the newspaper and wondered if the "BIG SALES" advertised were really a good deal? I have, and I am so excited about the Price Point List I found on Pinching Your Pennies. The list they have created shows a variety of goods you would purchase at the grocery store and shows you at what price an item would be considered a "3 star, 4 star, or 5 star" item. 5 star items are the ones you want to stock up on...so this give you a little heads up when doing planning your shopping list.

Click HERE to see the Price Point list.

Hints for using Powdered Milk

Growing up my Mom would try and trick me by putting powdered milk in the store bought milk carton. Did anyone else have that experience? I was unfortunately a milk snob...still am, and I ALWAYS called my Mom out on her trickery. Since then, I have had to pull the same tricks on my own kids. Luckily for me, I have learned a few tricks which have saved me lots of grief.

To make powdered milk that is truly consumable (even my husband will drink this) try this..

• Mix the milk the night before you use it.


• Try adding 1 1/2 t. sugar or 1 t. vanilla to enhance the flavor.


• Be sure the milk is well chilled.

Even if you don't want to go cold turkey, try adding a little powdered milk to your store bought milk...it will just make last longer!

image courtesy of hillbillyhousewife.com

Milk Storage

Storage is critical for powdered milk. The colder it is, the better it will store. It will also store longer in a metal can than it will in a cardboard box (like the ones you typically buy at the store). Studies have shown that the shelf life of milk has been lengthened to up to 20 years, but that is if stored in optimal conditions. If you really want to rotate your milk when the quality is as its best...try and use it within 5 years. It can definitely last longer than that, but the quality might degrade a little bit. Just to illustrate the value of cold temperatures, the following is a list of how long your milk will last under different temperatures (these are conservative numbers).

50 degrees-48 months
70 degrees- 24 months
90 degrees- 3 months

When storing your milk, try and find the coolest place in your home. Place the powdered milk on the lowest shelf as the air will be the coolest near the floor. Also, don't store milk (or other food storage items) in your garage if you can help it. If you live in a place that is either always hot, or a place that fluctuates between hot summers and cold winters...your garage will take the brunt of it and the temperatures (especially the fluctuating ones) will shorten the shelf life of your food immensely.

Tips From The Coop

Milk Tips

Tip #1—Before buying a large amount of powdered milk storage, taste a few brands to determine which your family likes the best.

Tip #2—When trying milk brands, notice that some are powdered milk and others are milk alternatives. Personal preference/circumstance will determine which is best for you.

Tip #3—For a one year supply, store at least one cup of reconstituted milk per person (not age based, a 1 year-old and a 50 year-old should get their cup) per day.

Tip #4—Often lists will suggest storing dry milk based on weight. BEWARE. Not all dry milk powders reconstitute to the same amount of drinkable milk. In fact, 4 pounds of powdered milk/milk alternatives can produce between 8 and 26 quarts of drinkable milk depending on the brand. Wow! Our solution was to count powdered milk by produced quarts rather than its weight. Based on the one cup rule that is about 90 quarts per person.

Great Price On A Wheat Grinder!!

I am going a little off topic because a good friend informed me of a FANTASTIC price on the VitalMill Wheat Grinder (I did a post on it awhile back when it was on sale for $139.99). A website called mainlymixers.com is having a Spring Sale from April 1-15 and are offering group discounts on the VitalMill. The deal goes like this...

1 grinder for $179.99

2-4 grinders for $159.99

5-9 grinders for $139.99

10+ grinders for $119.99

A group in my neighborhood has reached the 10+ mark, so they are getting the mill for $119.99 (and free shipping). If you want to get in on this deal, please leave a comment with your email address. Don't live nearby? See how many people you can get in your own neighborhood.

My grandma has purchased this mill and I have had it at my house for the last month or so (due to some bread making classes) and I have been really impressed with it. It has only one grinding level, regular flour, but it is easy to store, and grinds very quickly (7 cups of wheat in 3-4 minutes). It is a great mill and if you are looking to purchase one, this is a great time to buy!

Click HERE for more information.

Your 3-Month Supply

CASE LOT SALES

One great way to build up your 3-month supply is at local case lot sales. After you have identified a list of meals your family eats on a regular basis and come up with an ingredient list, case lot sales are a fantastic way to stock up food items you really need.
Smith's case lot sale just started and I got quite a few good storage items...

• Skippy Peanut Butter- 12 count case for $15.00
• Kroger Tomato Sauce- 24 count case for $4.79
• Libby's Vegetables (corn, beans and peas)- 24 count case for $11.99
• Cream of Mushroom, Chicken, Celery, or Broccoli Soup- 24 count case for $11.99
• Betty Crocker Cake Mix- 12 count case for $10.00
• 4 lb Kroger Granulated Sugar- 10 count case for $18.60
• Kroger Canned Beans (black, pinto, chili, or kidney)- 24 count case for $11.99

There is much more on sale...click HERE to see their ad.

The Bosch Kitchen Center on Highland Dr. is also having their Semi-Annual Conference Sale this weekend. They sell great items for bread making...pans, bread bags, dough enhancer, vital wheat gluten, wheat, etc. and they are all on sale. Click HERE to see their ad.

Water Purification and Rotation

BIG THANKS to Julia for her awesome questions! I really appreciate it! One question she asked was, "for the enormous blue water barrel that i bought, should i be adding some bleach to it? and how often should it be emptied/refilled?"

First of all, water storage is SO important. If you refer to the Church's Home Storage Pamphlet," All Is Safely Gathered In", water storage is the second most important thing after storing a 3-month's supply of food you eat everyday. The minimum storage requirement is 14 gallons per person (a two week supply). I store as much water as I can.

If you are putting your water into food grade containers...such as the enormous 50 gallon blue water barrel, and your water comes from a chlorinated municipal source (ours does), there is no need to purify it further. If you were getting your water from a well, or you weren't certain your water was clean, you would want to add some bleach to it. The ratio is 1/8 teaspoon of bleach to every gallon of water and only regular bleach should be used.

In regards to rotation, I like to rotate my water every year (summer is a great time because you can use the old water for your garden). I have tasted water that was stored longer than that...probably 2-3 years and it was fine. I was hesitant to drink it, but it really tasted good.

For a few additional tips, click HERE.

image courtesy of a.k.a. green's blog

Needing Some Direction...

Food Storage is something I am very passionate about. I haven't always been that way and I still have a long way to go, but I feel very compelled to learn all I can and at the same time help whomever I can. I am learning, along with all of you and I am grateful for the peace that comes in just "doing".

As I sit down to write each night, I hope that whatever is written is helpful to someone, anyone. I search my brain, trying to come up with posts that will be of value to those who read them. I hope that at times I am inspired, but for the most part I am just talking about what is constantly spinning around in my head. My ramblings will continue, but I would LOVE a little "reader direction"! So...I am seeking a little help. What interests you? What do you wish this blog had more of? What would help you the most? I know it is a pain to leave comments sometimes...I am terrible at it, but I would love to hear some feedback. Like Joey said yesterday, "it is very helpful to all of us to work together."

So there you have it. I am expecting a long list of comments :)!

For the month of April we are going to be talking about all things liquid...OK, not all things, but water, powdered milk and the like. And, we are nearing the 100th post of this blog! That is a milestone as far as I am concerned, so I am putting all of my resources together so we can have ourselves our own little giveaway! Fun times await!!