Expiration Dates

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/505/77-surprising-expiration-dates/

Here is a list of 75 surprising expiration dates, published by RealSimple magazine.

"There will come a time when there isn't any store"

We went to the cannery a few days ago, I feel extremely happy we did that.  Every day that goes by, I am feeling more urgent about food storage and other preparations.  I have been stopping by Goodwill at least every week, buying kids shoes for all different sizes, kids coats, snow boots, baby clothing for my grandchildren.  

  I can't keep from thinking about President Kimball's statement, 

"I remember when the sisters used to say, 'Well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we can put it up.' But that isn't quite the answer, is it?....Because there will come a time when there isn't any store."  (April 1974 Welfare Session.)

So I have been making a list of things that we would really suffer without.  If there were no stores open, and maybe the electrical grid is down, we would already want to own our year's supply of food, but also a lot of other things such as shoes, coats, zero-degree sleeping bags, sewing machine needles, lantern mantles, bug spray.  

Try to get a different mindset, and think of things that you just can't live without, and buy a few while our stores are all open, because as President Kimball said, it won't always be that way.

If we have done all in our power, McConkie, April 1979

Ensign » 1979 » May

Stand Independent above All Other Creatures
Elder Bruce R. McConkie
Of the Council of the Twelve

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=9b3a615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD


Elder McConkie cites scriptural accounts of when righteous people were helped miraculously. I put my faith in these stories, believing that if I have stored my year's supply of food, the Lord will bless me.

We do not know when the calamities and troubles of the last days will fall upon any of us as individuals or upon bodies of the Saints. The Lord deliberately withholds from us the day and hour of his coming and of the tribulations which shall precede it—all as part of the testing and probationary experiences of mortality. He simply tells us to watch and be ready.

We can rest assured that if we have done all in our power to prepare for whatever lies ahead, he will then help us with whatever else we need.

He rained manna from heaven upon all Israel, six days each week for forty years, lest they perish for want of bread, but the manna ceased on the morrow after they ate of the parched corn of Canaan. Then they were required to supply their own food. (See Ex. 16:3–4, 35.)

During forty years in the wilderness the clothes worn by all Israel waxed not old and their shoes wore not out, but when they entered their promised land, then the Lord required them to provide their own wearing apparel. (See Deut. 29:5.)

When there was a famine in the land, at Elijah’s word, a certain barrel of meal did not waste, and a certain cruse of oil did not fail, until the Lord sent again rain on the earth. And it is worthy of note, as Jesus said, that though there were many widows in Israel, unto one only was Elijah sent. (See 1 Kgs. 17:10–16.)

We do not say that all of the Saints will be spared and saved from the coming day of desolation. But we do say there is no promise of safety and no promise of security except for those who love the Lord and who are seeking to do all that he commands.

It may be, for instance, that nothing except the power of faith and the authority of the priesthood can save individuals and congregations from the atomic holocausts that surely shall be.

And so we raise the warning voice and say: Take heed; prepare; watch and be ready. There is no security in any course except the course of obedience and conformity and righteousness.....

“Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her,” saith the Lord.

“But if she observe not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works, with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire.” (D&C 97:23, 25–26.)

Which kind of powdered milk should you order?

We are doing some food storage orders in our ward, one from Walton Feed, and a different group order together with the Durham  stake.  A woman from my ward asked me which powdered milk she should buy.  Here is my answer:




I looked at the milk you can order through Walton Feed, it has instant for $13.70 and noninstant for $11.60. Rainy Day brand.   Walton Feed will have no shipping charges tacked on.

I do not know if the Durham stake order will have shipping charges added.  Their milk is Maple Island brand, which is instant, and costs $10.

I will be doing the group order for Emergency Essentials every month.  With a group order you get free shipping on everything.  Their milk, "Provident pantry" is delicious, according to my friend who is living off her food storage right now.  She says her kids think it tastes totally normal. She only recommends the blue label ($15.95), not the yellow label "fortified" milk (12.95).

I just read this great post on FoodStorageMadeEasy.net  describing why we need to store powdered milk. And, since most of us hate to drink powdered milk, it was handy that the authors included the results of a powdered milk taste test, and gave the winners.

The best tasting instant powdered milk is:
Provident Pantry brand sold at Emergency Essentials.

and the best tasting Non-instant powdered milk is:
Rainy Day brand sold by Walton Feed.

So, you need to do your homework and decide if you need instant or non-instant. On FoodStorageMadeEasy.net they said:

"What is the difference between instant and non-instant powdered milk?
Instant powdered milk is similar to instant rice in that it is faster and easier to reconstitute than non-instant formulas. Typically instant powdered milk takes about twice as much powder per gallon as non-instant, but it depends on which brand you are purchasing."


Read their blog post and find out more.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2010/04/26/lets-talk-about-powdered-milk/

So now you have all the information I know.  You'll have to decide for yourself.

Top 10 Reasons why I don't have my food storage- Wendy Dewitt

Top 10 Reasons Why I Don't Have My Food Storage

10. My neighbors have a TWO year supply! No, they don't. They don't have any food. Did you know that 85% of the members of the church don't have any food storage at all? If your idea of food storage is to eat someone else’s food………..this is a really bad plan.

9. I've paid tithing for 20 years...the church can give me a little food. Many members believe that when the times get hard, the church is going to come through like Joseph in Egypt. Absolutely not true. All the church storehouses and welfare farms across the country would only feed 4% of the members of the church. The church has been asking YOU to store food for 75 years. They're NOT storing food for you. Thus, another bad plan.

8. I'm moving in with my children / parents! Really....that’s just a bad plan all by itself. But it points out that most members don't have a year's supply because they're PLANNING on eating someone else's food! Of course, since no one HAS any food, we have yet another bad plan.

7. I have a gun...and the bullets to go with it! I've heard time and again, "How dumb is that to go to all the time and expense of getting food...just to have some guy with a gun come and shoot my family to take it away?" Here's a better question. Are you afraid of the guy with the gun? Or are you more afraid of BECOMING the guy with the gun? What would you do if your children were starving to death? Would you lie? Cheat? Steal? Would you shoot your neighbor for his food? I guarantee....if you were watching your child starving to death, you would do anything you had to to keep them alive. If you don't have your year's supply, you are putting yourself in danger of losing not only your temporal salvation, but your spiritual salvation as well. So far, all the reasons we don't have our food storage involve eating someone else's food. Please, don't put your family's temporal salvation in other people's hands. No one is storing food for you. Not your neighbors, not the government...not even the church.

6. The boat and the 4 wheelers are taking up all my storage space! (priorities!)

5. 3 letters....Y2K. Ok, that's 2 letters and a number....but they're always making way too much out of everything! This is never going to happen!” (Every prophecy that has ever been given WILL happen.)

4. If anything DOES happen, the government will be here within hours! (insert laughter) Did you know the government has been telling us that we need to have food storage? They're actually CALLING it food storage! We now have the government telling us to store food, water, medicines...whatever we will need to be able to stay in our homes for several months.

3. I can't afford scrap booking AND food storage. The average food storage can cost as little as a dollar a day. We live in the richest society in the history of the world, and while there are cases where money may be a problem, most of the time it is a matter of priorities. We have chosen bigger homes, nicer cars, more tv's, computers, vacations ...everything is more important than our food storage. If I asked, "Who has a cell phone?" most of you would say yes. You pay at least $30 a month to have a cell phone....that's about a dollar a day...the cost of one year's supply of food for your child. Is your cell phone really more important than your child's temporal salvation? You have to make food storage a priority.

2. I'm waiting for the cannery to sell Papa John's dehydrated pizza! Food storage has always had a stigma attached to it. If it's not wheat, beans and powdered milk, it's not food storage. With the system I use, food storage can be sweet and sour chicken, tamale pie, chile and cornbread, beef stew, shepherd's pie, minestrone...even chocolate chip cookies! Your imagination (and your pocketbook) are the only limitations you have.

And the #1 reason why I don't have my year's supply of food? A year?? I thought it was 72 hours!!

You KNOW you should have your food storage. You WANT to have it, but it can be so overwhelming! How much do I buy? Where do I store it? How do I cook it? It seems like an impossible task.... but it's not. It doesn't matter if you use my system or just start buying extra food, the important thing is to do something. Good luck in your efforts!

Wendy DeWitt
http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.theideadoor.com (to watch a video of her presentation)

http://peaceofpreparedness.com/Resou...0have%20FS.pdf

__________________

KSL does a story on emergency preparedness

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14445277

Here is a news story and a video showing how to use a small solar panel to power a few small appliances, also some emergency food and how to purify water.

Here are the sources for the solar panel and generator.
http://thesolarpoweredproducts.com/archives/a-review-of-the-solar-generator-from-solutions-from-science

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041E7TX2?ie=UTF8&tag=shatteparadi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0041E7TX2

Phoenix Capital Research writes about food shortages

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/real-crisis-will-soon-hit-us
Another interesting article about the world food supply.

A&Z Produce market report has great information

 Here is a great website to look at every week, A&Z Produce Market report.  You need to click on the newsletter to view it.

 It will tell you what produce is in short supply, and what will be scarce in the future.  Here is an excerpt from this week:

http://www.azproduce.net/newsletter.shtml

GENERAL OUTLOOK:  Damage assessments continue from the massive February 4thfreeze that affected  

our domestic southwest vegetable growing regions plus the production areas in the Mexican states of  

Sonora and Sinaloa.  Fear as well as early devastation reports caused panic buying that forced prices  

sharply higher.   It is true that many growers suffered terrific losses while others came through the ordeal  

in fairly good shape.  What has happened this past week is “salvage harvesting” which has resulted in a  

false sense of supply and lower pricing.  We are still several weeks away from really knowing how much  

damage actually took place.  Retailers have raised prices to reflect multiple news reports and early high  

pricing.  This has severely hurt demand.  Grower prices are lower than last week on most products as they  

try to stimulate lost demand in an effort to move their temporary heavy inventories.  We expect lower  

prices for about two weeks before supply gaps begin to develop and prices inch higher.  Even with all the  

changes that have taken place, there are still some great temporary profit opportunities and values as we  

navigate through this very interesting market adjusting.  

Look what NitroPak posted on their website

http://www.nitro-pak.com/products/Food-storage/survival-Foods?gclid=COzGs62imqcCFeR65QodYmE9dg

****CURRENT INVENTORY UPDATE****
All Mountain House & Nitro-Pak food storage #10 cans are in EXTREMELY HIGH DEMAND due to national & world current economic uncertainty and inflation fears. With this increase in demand, our food order processing times have greatly increased. AsMountain House’s leading distributor, we are receiving HUGE shipments WEEKLY to fill our customer orders, but demand exceeds the available supply. 99% of MH dealers have been been cut off & receive no food, period. Supplies are VERY SCARCE. But like Disneyland, the line is long and still moving. Please be patient. Rest assured that your credit card will not be charged until we are ready to process your order. Food prices are on the rise. Place your order and LOCK-IN today's low prices NOW! All canned food orders and units may take up to 60 business days to ship. Thank you for your business!
-Harry R. Weyandt, President

See what some guy posted about his food storage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D79-7Xpe32c&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Here's a YouTube video on food storage made by a Prepper (a guy who is into preparedness).  He is not LDS, as evidenced by all the coffee and tea in his storage.

It was interesting to watch his presentation.  I disagreed with some things.

1- I think a lot of his food is going to get bugs in it, since he has it stored in bags and boxes.  I recommend dry-pack canning or putting flour and beans, etc. into buckets.

2- I think his food will be hard to rotate, with unlike foods being placed in front of each other.  I recommend putting one item (corn, for example) all the way front to back in a shelf so you will know to take the oldest from the front and put the new in at the back.  (This is annoying to do in a shelf like that, but very necessary so you don't leave the old stuff in the back to rot.)

He says he thinks this one closet has about 2-3 months worth of food in it.  That might be true.  But he has about 1 year of salt in there.

I agreed with his belief in buying the things his family eats.  Thats what all of us should be doing.

Plus, I really want to point out that his shelves are built in all the way to the ceiling.  Thats what we did in all our closets, and it give about 3 extra shelves in the tops of our coat closet, linen closet, kitchen pantry, broom closet, and bedroom closets.  That is A LOT of extra storage, where it would otherwise be wasted.

Patriot Nurse: A Medical Kit for $50

Here is another great YouTube video by Patriot Nurse.  These are what she considers the most important things to include in your home medical kit, on a budget of $50.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePatriotNurse#p/u/26/NLwI9PSAdy0

Gardening- Spencer W. Kimball, more from 1976

..."We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. 

Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yards. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden neat and attractive as well as productive. 

If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities...Develop your skills in your home preservation and storage. 

We reaffirm the previous counsel the Church has always given, to acquire and maintain a year’s supply—a year’s supply of the basic commodities for us. We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, ‘Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?’ How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so-called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says. Spencer W. Kimball (April Conference, 1976)

Some quotes from prophets and apostles #12

"How on the face of the earth could a man enjoy his religion when he had been told by the Lord how to prepare for a day of famine, when, instead of doing, so, he had fooled away that which would have sustained him and his family." Elder George A. Smith (JD 12:142)

"...I should like to address a few remarks to those who ask, ‘Do I share with my neighbors who have not followed the counsel? And what about the non-members who do not have a year’s supply? Do we have to share with them? ‘No, we don’t have to share—we get to share! Let us not be concerned about silly thoughts of whether we would share or not. Of course we would share!" Vaughn J. Featherstone (April Conference, 1976)

"...If we are to be saved in an ark, as Noah and his family were, it will be because we build it… My faith does not lead me to think the Lord will provide us with roast pigs, bread already buttered, etc., He will give us the ability to raise the grain, to obtain the fruits of the earth, to make habitations, to procure a few boards to make a box, and when harvest comes, giving us the grain, it is for us to preserve it—to save the wheat until we have one, two, five or seven years’ provisions on hand, until there is enough of the staff of life saved by the people to bread themselves and those who will come here seeking for safety...(the fulfillment of that prophecy is yet in the future)". Marion G. Romney (Quoting Brigham Young) (April Conference, 1976)

Gardening- Spencer W. Kimball, 1976 and 1977

Ensign » 1976 » May

The Stone Cut without Hands
President Spencer W. Kimball
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=372efd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

If every family had a garden and rural families had a cow and chickens, some fruit trees, and a garden, it is amazing how nearly the family could be fed from their own lot.

We believe in work for ourselves and for our children.... We should train our children to work, and they should learn to share the responsibilities of the home and the yard. ......Children may be given assignments also to take care of the garden, and this will be far better than to have them for long hours sitting at a television.

Ensign » 1977 » November

Welfare Services:
The Gospel in Action
President Spencer W. Kimball

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=51c51f26d596b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

“I hope that we understand that, while having a garden, for instance, is often useful in reducing food costs and making available delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, it does much more than this. Who can gauge the value of that special chat between daughter and Dad as they weed or water the garden? How do we evaluate the good that comes from the obvious lessons of planting, cultivating, and the eternal law of the harvest? And how do we measure the family togetherness and cooperating that must accompany successful canning? Yes, we are laying up resources in store, but perhaps the greater good is contained in the lessons of life we learn as we live providently and extend to our children their pioneer heritage.”

(in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, p. 125; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, p. 78.)

Some tips from an Israeli agent

Juval Aviv was the Israeli Agent upon whom the movie 'Munich' was based. He gave these tips on safety:

Aviv also was concerned about the high number of children here in America who were in preschool and kindergarten after 9/11, who were 'lost' without parents being able to pick them up, and about our schools that had no plan in place to best care for the students until parents could get there. (In New York City, this was days, in some cases!)

He stresses the importance of having a plan, that's agreed upon within your family, of how to respond in the event of a terrorist emergency. He urges parents to contact their children's schools and demand that the schools too, develop plans of actions, just as they do in Israel. 

Does your family know what to do if you can't contact one another by phone? Where would you gather in an emergency? He says we should all have a plan that is easy enough for even our youngest children to remember and follow. 

Kellene Bishop's Food Supply series, part 1

I've been reading Kellene Bishop's blog for about 6 months now, and she is not an alarmist.  So today's post really stuck out:

"Point blank: We are in for some serious trouble with our food supply and consequently our ability to afford it on what we’re presently earning.  This trouble isn’t going to manifest itself in a year or two. Nope. We don’t have that much time in this particular area. Rather, it’s headed into our homes no longer than 6 months from now, and more likely to be obvious 6 weeks from now. Unless you’re enjoying an income that can take a 40-50% increase hit in your essential expenses, then I’m certain you will not be spared the impact of this snowball that’s rolling down hill, gaining in momentum and size and it comes right to our front doors."

She's going to write about the food supply every day this week, you can go straight to her blog if you want:   http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/

Carolyn Nicolaysen - Preparing a Day at a Time

Wednesday, February 02 2011

Preparing a Day at a Time

By Carolyn Nicolaysen

http://www.ldsmag.com/index.php?option=com_zine&view=article&ac=1&id=7431
From Meridian Magazine.

February could be the month you get serious about protecting your family from an uncertain food future. So many economic issues are out of our reach to solve, but this one can be addressed by simply planning, saving, organizing, and building up our family resources. By doing just one thing each day you can make great strides this month.

February 2nd:  Meet with your family and tell them of your intention to spend the month of February preparing to be more self reliant in case of an emergency. Tell your family this may involve purchasing some items. It may mean some sacrifices will have to be made. Get a coin bank and tell everyone if they would like to help, that you will be placing your spare change in the bank every night, and they can do the same. Tell them any family member contributing will get to help decide what to purchase. This will help your children feel included and empowered and also help teach them a little about money management. Beginning today, save your pocket change at the end of each day.  Make saving a part of your dinner time ritual. Use this money to take advantage of sale prices or to accelerate your food storage goals.  

February 3rd: Find a food storage buddy and set up a time to meet. This can be someone who has been building a family General Store in their home for years, or a friend who has expressed an interest in getting started. Having a friend to work with holds you accountable to another person. With our busy lives and so many distractions it is so easy to get started and then find excuses not to continue.

February 4th: Check the water you have stored in bottles and jugs - dump and replace any that is older than 1 year.

February 5th: Call grocery stores and bakeries and ask if they have 5 gallon buckets they are willing to give away or sell. Sometimes they will just give them to you. These can be used to store grains, pet food, or even to stack your food pouches in so the pests can’t get to them.

February 6th: Read the talk “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” by President Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign November 2005).

February 7th: Visit Our General Store at Totally Ready and add the items listed to your food storage this week. Family Home Evening: Make a list with your family of all their favorite meals and snacks. These will become the basis for your year's supply of food.

February 8th: Gather recipes for the meals that are family favorites. Make a list of the ingredients in each recipe. You should see a pattern develop. You may discover you eat far more rice than pasta. That will help you when purchasing grains to understand you should be storing more rice than pasta. The same is true of favorite fruits and vegetables. Once you have your ingredient list you will understand what spices, sauces, extracts and other condiments you need to be storing.

February 9th: Collaborate with others. Create a list of items you will need for food storage or family preparedness, and a list of friends and family who may be able to provide some of those items. You may know someone who always plants a huge garden while you don't have a large yard. They may appreciate some help weeding in exchange for vegetables. You may know someone who has fruit trees who would let you have fruit in exchange for help picking or canning. This is especially true of older family and friends who may no longer be able to do it on their own. 

February 10th: Brainstorm with your family on a list of talents and resources you have in “surplus” that might be used to barter for the items on the list you created yesterday. If you do canned foods each summer, consider trading some for fresh fruit or veggies. If you can bake bread, cut hair, or teach piano, consider a trade for fresh eggs. Don't forget services like mowing lawns or shoveling snow now, for barter "credit" tomorrow.

February 11th: Become a detective. Label items not emptied after one use with the date they were opened. This will include shampoo, soap, TP, toothpaste, oil, mayonnaise, pickles, anything not used up the day you open it. This will help establish benchmarks for family consumption patterns.

February 12th: With a permanent marker mark the tops of all the cans and jars currently in your

cupboards and storage with a slash or an X. As you purchase new items, mark them with the dates they were purchased. Canned foods will remain good for a minimum of two years past the expiration date. Marking with the date purchased ensures you will always use the oldest first.

February 13th: Read Becoming Self Reliant by L Tom Perry (October 1991).

February 14th: Check Our General Store at Totally Ready and add the items mentioned to your food storage this week. It's Valentines Day - so for Family Home Evening brainstorm a list of treats to add to your food storage. Every great food storage plan includes chocolate, snacks and ingredients to make favorite desserts.

February 15th: Begin an inventory of your food storage. Today you can start by listing your stock of pet food, cleaning supplies and toiletries.

February 16th: Continue your food supply inventory by listing all of the  fruits and vegetables, proteins, grains and dairy, canned, frozen and/or dried, these should be items you normally eat.

February 17th: You’re really rolling on this inventory – today you count your long term cache of grains, powdered milk, beans, etc.

February 18th: Gather together all over-the-counter medications and check the expiration dates. Discard any liquid medications that have expired - tablets are good at least two years beyond the expiration.  Make a list of those you need to purchase and post it in your kitchen. Read through the weekly ads and replace the items on the list when they are on sale.

February 19th: Make a list of handicapped or elderly family, neighbors, and friends who may need help with food during an emergency. This list may also include those who financially cannot prepare. Make it a goal to help them do all they can on their own and then plan for them in the creation of your own General Store.

February 20th:   Read Family Home Storage: A New Message  Ensign March 2009

February 21st: Visit Our General Store at Totally Ready and add the items for the week to your own General Store. For Family Home evening prepare a meal entirely from food storage. For help with recipes search "recipes" at Totally Ready.

February 22nd: Plan your summer garden and make a list of supplies you will need. For help with this listen to READY OR NOT tonight 6:00pm Pacific- 9:00pm Eastern.

February 23rd:  Purchase pet food. If you have no pets, then you have a free day.

February 24th: Check out a new resource, such as the Federal Citizen Information Center athttp://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/  to find a list of available bulletins on many subjects including nutrition, canning, and preparing for medical emergencies.

February 25th: Gather empty canning jars and fill them with water.  Flip the lid over so the metal side is down, not the gasket, and your lids will remain usable for canning later. Return them to their boxes on your shelves and you have added to your water storage. Water stored in this way does not need to be processed. 

February 26th: Place a magnetic note pad on the door of the refrigerator or place a note pad and pen in your food storage room. Every time you use items from your storage, record it on your note pad. When you use another place a hash mark next to the item. Do this until the items goes on sale and you can replace them at a reduced price. Once you have your three month supply you NEVER have to pay full price again!

February 27th: Read “Food Storage” by Bishop Vaughn J Featherstone (Ensign, May 1976).

February 28th: Prune fruit trees and bushes and prepare them for summer.

Now, a parting thought to ponder: Although the Savior’s parable of the Ten Virgins was mainly given to teach us about the spiritual snares that await the unprepared, having the temporal equivalent of oil in our lamps may be just as essential to the well-being

of our families when soaring food prices, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards and floods can affect so many in turbulent times.

Got Food?

Produce prices skyrocket with freeze in Mexico, Southwest

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Produce-prices-skyrocket-overnight-115985429.html http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Produce-prices-skyrocket-overnight-115985429.html

Pay attention, things may get worse.

Some quotes from prophets and apostles #11

“Noah heeded God’s command to build an ark...that they might be saved from the floodwaters…Yet there was no evidence of rain and flood…His actions were considered irrational…The sun was shining and life moved forward as usual. But time ran out…The floods came, the disobedient were drowned… When God speaks and we obey, we will always be right” Thomas S. Monson,  Ensign 10-07

“No one knows the time of His coming, but the faithful are taught to study the signs of it and be prepared for it…We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming” Oct. 2007 VT Message in Ensign, Dallin H. Oaks

Speaking for the first Presidency, President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. exhorted the Saints to live within their means: "Let us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague...Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and, where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead...Let every head of household aim to own his own home, free from mortgage. Let us again clothe ourselves with these proved and sterling virtues—honesty, truthfulness, chastity, sobriety, temperance, industry, and thrift; let us discard all covetousness and greed." (President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., April 1937 General Conference)

"Perhaps if we think not in terms of a year’s supply of what we ordinarily would use, and think more in terms of what it would take to keep us alive in case we didn’t have anything else to eat, that last would be very easy to put in storage for a year...just enough to keep us alive if we didn’t have anything else to eat. We wouldn’t get fat on it, but would live; and if you think in terms of that kind of annual storage rather than a whole year’s supply of everything that you are accustomed to eat which, in most cases, is utterly impossible for the average family, I think we will come nearer to what President Clark. advised us way back in 1937." (President Harold B. Lee: Welfare conference address, October 1, 1966)

"How on the face of the earth could a man enjoy his religion when he had been told by the Lord how to prepare for a day of famine, when, instead of doing, so, he had fooled away that which would have sustained him and his family." Elder George A. Smith (JD 12:142)

Carolyn Nicolaysen gives 4 tips for self reliance

http://www.ldsmag.com/index.php?option=com_zine&view=article&Itemid=154&ac=1&id=7357

(Carolyn Nicolaysen writes a column for Meridian Magazine, and a blog http://blog.totallyready.com/. )

"Are we following the counsel to become self reliant?  As times continue to worsen, are we ready to care for the needs of our families?

The following are a few things to help you on your path:

• Include Heavenly Father in the plan. As you are prayerful, opportunities and answers will present themselves to assure your success. "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7)

• Increase your efforts to obtain a three month supply of the foods you eat and a years supply of basic foods for survival. The price of food is going up every month. Once you have a three month supply you never have to purchase foods again except when they are on sale, always saving you money. Food storage will see you through the winter months until you can plant a garden and produce your own food. Food prices went up 9% in 2010. If you were spending $500.00 per month on food in January of 2010 you would now be spending $545.00 per month for the same food or an additional $540.00 per year. For $540.00 you could purchase a three week supply of all the foods you normally eat for four people. Make food storage a priority now, before prices increase further.

•  Maintain a  healthy lifestyle. The cost of medical care has also risen dramatically the past year.  It is wise to eat a healthy diet and  exercise regularly to avoid medical expenses. Do not forget good dental habits. Many illnesses and medical expenses are a  result of poor dental hygiene.

•  Stop accumulating debt, live within your means. Cut up or take your credit cards out of your wallet and leave them at home. Create a budget and live within it. If you have trouble with this, then take cash out the bank each payday, place it in an envelope, and when it is gone there is no more money for the month. This may take a little practice but if you have your food storage you will be able to enjoy great food while you learn a new habit."

by Carolyn Nicolaysen.

Some quotes from prophets and apostles #10

“I bear my humble witness to you that the great God of heaven will open doors and means in a way we never would have supposed, to help all those who truly want a years supply…All we have to do is to decide, commit to it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place…” Vaughn J. Featherstone, Ensign, May 1976, pg. 116.

“We should ask ourselves; What are the Brethren saying? The living prophets can open the visions of eternity; they give counsel on how to overcome the world. We cannot know that counsel if we do not listen. We cannot receive the blessings we are promised if we do not follow the counsel given” James E. Faust, Reach Up For the Light, pg. 17

"But what about the American nation. That war that destroyed the lives of some fifteen or sixteen hundred thousand people [Civil War] was nothing compared to that which will eventually devastate that country. The time is not very far distant in the future when the Lord God will lay his hand heavily upon that nation....What! This great and powerful nation of ours to be divided one part against the other and many hundreds of thousands of souls to be destroyed by civil wars! ....The time will come when there will be no safety in carrying on the peaceable pursuits of farming or agriculture. But these will be neglected and the people will think themselves well off if they can flee from city to city, from town to town and escape with their lives." Orson Pratt J. D. 12:344

“If a war of this description should take place, who could carry on his business in safety? Who would feel safe to put his crops in the ground or to carry on any enterprise? There would be fleeing from one State to another and general confusion would exist throughout the whole Republic. Such eventually IS TO BE the condition of this whole nation if the people do not repent of their wickedness....” Orson Pratt, J.D. 18:341

Crystal Godfrey's Bread recipe

http://everydayfoodstorage.net/2011/02/07/bread-runs-in-my-genes-well-that-and-food-storage/food-storage-recipes

On Everydayfoodstorage.net,  Crystal Godfrey teaches about dough enhancers and how you can make your own out of regular kitchen ingredients.  And there is a video to watch, and her bread recipe.  I am ALWAYS trying to find my perfect bread recipe so I am going to try that one soon.

Sysco document about Mexican crops freezing

YouTube video, Feb. 8, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6oL77tUCn8

I keep finding these news items about crop failures in various parts of the world this year.  I cannot tell you what is true or not, study it for yourself.

Just keep reviewing what the prophets have said, and that is "get a year's supply of food."

News Article: "Get Ready for Higher Food Prices"

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110210/NEWS01/702109884/0#get-ready-for-higher-food-prices

Because the price of corn is going up, basically everything else is going up.

Some quotes from prophets and apostles #9

"The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat." (President Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p.298.)

". . .save the wheat until we have one, two, five, or seven years provisions on hand, until there is enough of the staff of life saved by the people to bread themselves and those who will come here seeking for safety." (Discourses of Brigham Young, pp.291-293)

"I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order...avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage... There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed" (Gordon B. Hinckley, October Conference 1998.

"Peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable..."I do not know what the future holds. I do not wish to sound negative, but I wish to remind you of the warnings of scripture and the teachings of the prophets which we have had constantly before us. I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn. 

I cannot dismiss from my mind the grim warnings of the Lord as set forth in the 24th chapter of Matthew. I am familiar, as are you, with the declarations of modern revelation that the time will come when the earth will be cleansed and there will be indescribable distress, with weeping and mourning and lamentation. . . . 

Now, I do not wish to be an alarmist. I do not wish to be a prophet of doom. I am optimistic. I do not believe the time is here when an all-consuming calamity will overtake us. I earnestly pray that it may not. "As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son... (Gordon B. Hinckley,October Conference 2001.)

Patriot Nurse: What to put in your first aid kit

I have just discovered Patriot Nurse and her YouTube videos.  Here are two on what to include in your first aid kits:

"Medical Kit: A Nurse Gets You Ready, Part 1"
http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePatriotNurse#p/u/33/t3qLk9VXMr0

"Medical Kit: A Nurse Gets You Ready, Part 2"
http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePatriotNurse#p/u/32/bIkze84k-bQ

If you want, you can check out all her other videos.

Some quotes from prophets and apostles #8

"And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country." (Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2nd. ed. Rev., 1:315-16.)

"How long you will have good crops, and the famine kept off, I do not know; when the fig tree leaves,, know then that summer is nigh at hand." (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 3:391.)

"Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. ... And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well–and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. ... Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" (2 Ne. 28:7, 21, 24)

"The Lord is not going to disappoint either Babylon or Zion, with regard to famine, pestilence, earthquake or storms. . . . Lay up your wheat and other provisions against a day of need, for the day will come when they will be wanted, and no mistake about it. We shall want bread, and the Gentiles will want bread, and if we are wise we shall have something to feed them and ourselves when famine comes.” Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, 18:121.

If you really want to be prepared, take CERT training

I attended Citizens Emergency Response Training  for about 17 hours this weekend, and thought it was a great program.  And the best part was that it was completely free.  (Our instructor said that a similar course was $150 and I believe it.)

CERT was started after 9-11, and is affiliated with Homeland Security.  The City of Raleigh was the sponsoring organization of the CERT training I attended.  Every state has CERT, but not every city has it.  So you’ll have to check out your own city to see if they offer these classes.

I was the only female in a class of about 13.  There were two teenage boys in the group, the rest were all men.

On Friday evening we attended three hours about Recent Disasters and Emergencies, Disaster Threats, Disaster Workers, Impact on Infrastructure, Structural and Non structural hazards, Hazard Mitigation, Community Preparedness.

On Saturday, a Physician’s Assistant taught us first aid and we got to practice bandaging and splinting injuries.  We learned about hypothermia, establishing treatment areas, conducting head-to-toe assessments (and setting up a triage), treating burns, wound care, treating fractures, sprains, and strains, splinting, eye injuries.

Then we learned about fire chemistry, reducing fire hazards in the home, firefighting resources, fire suppression safety, hazardous materials, and then got to do a hands-on exercise of putting out fires using a fire extinguisher.  We learned all about terrorism, terrorism targets, weapons, tactics.  Biological, Nuclear, Incendiary, Chemical, and Explosive devices.  Plus we learned about conducting search and rescue operations.

Today, Sunday, I was there all day again.  We learned about how to psychologically help a wounded person, and how to deal with survivor’s trauma.  

Then we had a mock disaster, where past CERT class members came back and volunteered to put on gruesome makeup and lay around so we could bandage them.  (I am looking forward to doing that for the next group.)

It was a mock bombing, a woman came in our building screaming that there had been a bomb, she had blood coming out her nose and ears, and then she fell down.  We all had to organize, get the supplies from the medical trailer and start treating all the 7 victims.  I was designated to be in charge of Administrative, so I actually had to call 911 and report the mock exercise, telling them about all the mock victims and their conditions and ask for the fire truck, police and ambulance to come.  

Then I had to take notes on people’s conditions and who was doing what, so that we had a time line and a report to give to the police when they got there.  (However, they knew it was a drill and didn’t come.)

It was VERY eye-opening to me to see how I would handle a disaster. Now I feel so much more empowered, I think I might be able to handle some things quite a bit better than I could have previously. 

Future CERT training classes:

Feb. 19- Water purification:  Raleigh/Wake CERT

(Here I am putting out a fire.)

Here are the dates when the Basic CERT training course will be offered again in our area:  Apr. 1-3,  June 3-5, and Aug. 5-7, 2011.  The locations have not been announced yet.  Unfortunately, all of these are on Fri-Sat-Sun so you would have to miss church.

How to make alfalfa sprouts

On Thursday, I gave "Alfalfa Sprouting Kits" as prizes at my ward's Relief Society activity.  I used the instructions here:  http://www.backyardnature.net/simple/alf-spr.htm.

The photo above is from that website.

Some quotes from prophets and apostles #7

"The time will come when we will be obliged to depend upon our own resources; for the time is not far distant when the curtain will be dropped between us and the United States. When the time comes, brethren and sisters, you will wish you had commenced sooner to make your own clothing. I tell you, God requires us to go into home manufacture; and, prolong it as much as you like, you have got to do it." Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 10, July 5, 1857.

"A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints [in the last days], and the results will be financial bondage. Persecution comes next and all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit." Heber C. Kimball, Deseret News, May 23, 1931.

The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel, through His Servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times. Have we heeded His counsel?" (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1980)

"When the economies of nations fail, when famine and other disasters prevent people from buying food in stores, the Saints must be prepared to handle these emergencies." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 264.)

Feb. group order Emergency Essentials

Emergency Essentials:  http://beprepared.com/search.asp?t=c&c=900&sap=true&ipp=5000

Here is the website for the group orders.  Give a check made out to me by Sunday, Feb. 13.  Do not give it to me in the chapel.  You can also mail it or bring it to my house (Look on Morrisville ward google group email for my name and address).  There is no shipping charge if we make it to the number needed on the group order.

Emergency Essentials has some items on special each month, which are only a special price if enough people order them.  (You, personally, only have to order one, the rest of the group can order some to make up the amount.  You do not have to order all 12.)  The website page is not very clear on this, I receive the paper catalog and it has a better description.  For this month,  these are the specials:

Be aware when you go to that website, for some reason they are not showing you the sale price, they are showing the regular price for those group specials.  I typed these prices straight from the paper catalog so the cheaper prices I listed are the group special prices.  I expect they will see their error soon and correct their website.

Freeze dried strawberry slices, #10 can.  13.00 each (regular $17.95)  At least 12 cans must be purchased to receive discount.  (I will be ordering one of these.)

Hotties hand and body warmers.  60 cents each (regular 95 cents).  At least 80 hand and body warmers must to purchased to receive discount.

(I will be ordering ten of these to put in 72 hour kits.)

Freeze dried pork patty crumbles.  #10 can.  24.00 each.  (regular $34.95)  At least 6 cans must be purchased to receive discount. 

Freeze dried celery pieces. #10 can.  12.00 each.  (regular $18.95).  At least 6 cans must be purchased to receive discount.

Dehydrated Green Bell pepper dices.  #10 can.  9.00 each.  (regular $14.95)  At least 12 cans must be purchased to receive discount.

If you will call 1-800-999-1863, you can sign up to get the paper catalog mailed to your house.  Or sign up on  www.BePrepared.com.  

The really great thing about this company is that if our group meets any group order (for example, if we get the 12 cans necessary for the strawberries), anything else you want to order can go into the order, and the whole thing has free shipping.  So if you want anything from this company, put it into the order even if its not on special this month and the shipping will be free.

Disclaimer:  There are hundreds of great food storage companies on the internet.  I am not saying this one is better than any of the others.  The only reason we are doing this order is because they have a good group order policy, and their prices on the group orders are usually pretty good.

I have had the freeze dried strawberry slices, they are very good. I know nothing about the other products.