Save money on groceries April 2024 Emergency Preparedness Newsletter

 

Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living Newsletter

April 2024

This month I will focus on how people can save money on groceries and how to stock up on pantry items. I will also write about how to incorporate “food storage” into their everyday meals.

I recommend watching a few videos on YouTube by the channel, Frugal Queen in France. They are a British couple who are retired and live in Brittany, France. She has many, many ideas on how to live a frugal lifestyle. They post several videos a week.

How to save money on your groceries

#1 If you are not shopping the weekly specials, you are paying too much!

If you are lucky enough to still get paper grocery ads in the mail each week, be sure to take the time to look at them to see what the specials are. Make your shopping list from the items that your family eats or uses that are on special each week. Some weeks there are a lot of items that are such good deals that I don't pass them up. Some weeks there are not very many good deals. If you are the one who does the weekly grocery shopping you will know what the normal prices are. Be sure to stock up on the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. Think of ways you can preserve these foods such as freezing, dehydrating, canning or freeze-drying.

If the stores in your area no longer send out physical ads, you will need to download their app or go to their website each week to see their ads. You will have to create an account. This account will work online as well as when using the app.

It can save you a lot of money if you look at these ads once a week and make your list. After a while you should see the number of items in your pantry grow. Many stores will say that to get the best deal, you need to buy a minimum of 3 or 5 items. Keep in mind that these are usually a mix and match deal so you do not have to get 5 of the exact same item. I never try to clean off the shelf. If there is a lot of something, I get just a few and leave plenty for others.

Just take the time to read the tags on the shelf at the store so you get the right price to ring up. These apps will also have digital coupons. To clip a digital coupon just tap on it. They will stay “clipped” until the coupon expires or until you use it up when checking out at the register. When checking out you will give the cashier your frequent shopper or account number and all the coupons will lower your bill there.

#2 Quite often I have found better deals on the shelf at the store right next to an item that was on sale that week. Sometimes these are on clearance. If the unadvertised item is cheaper that what I was going to get, I buy the cheaper item instead.

#3 Join a local on-line couponing group. There may be some Facebook groups where people share good deals at their local stores. These are nice because sometimes even I miss seeing something in the ads or it is at a store that I have not been to in a while.

#4 Don't be too brand loyal. Many foods are the same no matter which brand it is. There are only a couple foods that I buy that are a certain brand name. For example, we like Miracle Whip dressing but we don't like mayonnaise. So I only buy Miracle Whip when it is on sale. Most things, I don't care which brand it is such as canned vegetables, beans, etc.

#5 Don't buy something that your family does not like just because it is on sale. I have seen people commenting on this online. If you don't like it or use it, don't stock up on it. It will just cost you money and go to waste. If you want to start to learn how to cook and use something, buy just a little of it and try it out. Find a couple recipes that use that items and experiment with it before you buy a lot.

#6 Buy what you eat and eat what you buy! Adjust your grocery list and food storage to your dietary needs. Only you kn ow what your family likes and if there are any food allergies or if someone is diabetic or not. This is why shopping lists that others make often will not work for you.

Resources for bulk foods

I realize that my readers are from all across the US, Canada, UK and several other countries. This list is just to give you ideas. You will most likely need to do an internet search for your area.

Wal-Mart sells some common foods in bulk like rice and beans

Winco grocery stores

Hispanic and Asian stores

Amish and Mennonite stores

Costco and Sam's Club

Honeyville.com based in Honeyville, Utah

Davesfarms.com in Delta, Utah

Grandpasgrain.com based in SE Idaho (buy through a local distributor found on website)

Walton Feed in Montpelier, ID

Lehi Roller Mills in Lehi, UT

Co-op stores such as Azure Standard in the US. They deliver to most states now. Azurestandard.com

I am sure there are other resources that I am not aware of.

How to incorporate food storage into your meals

If you already know how to bake and cook from scratch this will be easy for you. If you are still learning how to cook this will be a little harder.

If you really think about it, this isn't complicated. Many of us use frozen foods as part of our meals. Simply thaw the food and then cook like it was fresh.

If something was dehydrated, simply rehydrate in a little water and then cook as if it were fresh. Dehydrated foods actually take a while to rehydrate. Many rehydrated foods are good in soups and stews as they have a longer cook time.

Freeze-dried foods rehydrate quickly! Simply rehydrate and then cook as you normally would.

Canned foods are easy to use. Just buy the canned foods that your family will eat.

I often use a combination of dinner ingredients that were dried, canned, frozen and fresh in the same meal. For example, for a spaghetti dinner, I will use pasta that I bought on sale and put in a bucket. I will use store-bought pasta sauce or make my own from tomatoes I canned and herbs that I buy in bulk. For the meat I will use ground beef that I froze or use meatballs that I freeze-dried. I can serve fresh, frozen or canned vegetables on the side.

I frequently use commercially dehydrated onions and diced bell peppers in my soups and casseroles. I just grab a handful and put it in the bowl with the other ingredients. No chopping required!

Meat bought at a really good sale can be frozen or pressure canned or freeze-dried before it goes bad.

Don't want to eat bugs for your protein?

If you are not aware of the international push for people to stop eating beef, pork or chicken, you have not been paying attention. The big push from the EU and WEF is for people to start eating insects for protein. If you don't like that idea, one thing you can do is to stock up on shelf-stable proteins that your family will like.

#1 Buy meats when they are on sale and freeze, pressure can or freeze-dry them.

#2 Buy canned meats at the store suc h as canned chicken, beef, pork, stew, chilli, Vienna sausages, Spam, and Keystone meats, salmon, tuna and sardines.

#3 learn about and store other protein alternatives such as beans of all kinds, dried peas, lentils etc. Meals that have beans and rice in the same meal will make a complete protein. Save these recipes and try them out. Practice making more meatless meals using your protein alternatives.

Give the gift of knowledge and preparedness for Christmas this year

You can make a family cookbook for Christmas this year. Your cookbook can include family favorite recipes. It can include recipes from extended family members and family members that have passed on. Share their knowledge and include information such as who used to make that recipe, why did they like it, was it served at family gatherings or certain holidays?

Other things you can include are old-time medicines for certain ailments. Are there family tips to pass on? Are there some food storage tips you have learned? Are there some food preservation tips you want to share? Include what you feel is important to pass on and add information that makes your family cookbook more personal. There are many cooking charts, substitution charts etc online.

You can have it printed by an online cookbook publisher or you can print it yourself and put in sheet protectors and put everything in a 3-ring binder. I prefer this method as it makes the pages wipeable if they get food on them. And you can easily add more pages later.

                                    Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living Newsletter

                                                                    February 2024

2024 Church of Jesus Christ Home Storage Center Price Lists

Find a Home Storage Center near you and their hours on this page.  https://providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org/food-storage/home-storage-center-locations-map?lang=eng

Home Storage Center Order Form 2024  (U.S. English version.)   https://providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/providentliving/content/Home-Storage-Center/2024%20Home%20Storage%20Order%20Form%20USA-Locked.pdf

You can order food storage online for home delivery https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/new-category/food-storage/food-storage/5637169327.c

Food Storage Companies and Resources List

These are resources in addition to the Church of Jesus Christ Home Storage Centers. I am not affiliated with any of them and do not benefit from sharing this information.

Costco and Sam's Club and Restaurant Supply companies that are open to the public

Amish and Mennonite Stores

Ethnic grocery stores such as Hispanic and Asian groceries

Winco grocery stores sell many bulk items

Use an app for your local grocery stores and clip their digital coupons and shop their sales each week.

www.azurestandard.com now delivers by semi to most states along major highways.

Www.beprepared.com sells both Emergency Essentials and Augason Farms products

www.amazon.com sells Augason Farms products and posts daily specials

www.wisefoodstorage.com

www.nutrientsurvival.com

www.mypatriotsupply.com

www.thrivefreezefoods.com

www.readywise.com

www.products.4patriots.com

The 8 Enemies of Food Storage

In order for us to make our foods last longer, we need to know the 8 enemies of food storage and how to

combat them. Once we know these basics, we will be much more successful in storing healthy foods.

The enemies to foods that you are storing are, Air, specifically oxygen, chemical contamination, Insects,

rodents, moisture, light, temperature and time. Here is a really good introductory video on this topic

posted by my friends at The Provident Prepper  https://youtu.be/UY1AH7zOMD4?si=Gt4ZDTTSt0e1Pa_u

As you consider storage containers or methods, keep these enemies in mind and make sure you are

keeping as many of these enemies out as possible.

Packaging Long-term Food Storage, how to do it right  https://youtu.be/9J31WXxAEwY?si=RySy9zaGeS-rqIfR

Newbie Prepper Food Storage Questions Answered  https://youtu.be/0geZG0epLT8?si=e7dyoRIeXJrenm7_.

Don't Overthink How to Build Your Food Storage

The following information to meant to help people who feel overwhelmed or stuck and do not know where to start or if they are doing things correctly. As someone who is in several online groups and helps Admin many of those groups, I see many questions from people who are new to preparedness or food storage. Quite often I see questions or posts that show the person is overthinking how to store food or how to preserve some foods and many times they are making more work for themselves than is needed. I wanted to cover this topic at the beginning of a new year to help people. If you have a friend, neighbor or relative that is stuck, please share these newsletters or even share the videos and channels that I often highlight.

#1 Please do not think you MUST have a fancy list that someone created for you to know what to buy. Itis ok if you want one, but I would not worry about it too much. Do not overthink what to buy for your 3 month supply of everyday foods. You in most cases are the main grocery shopper in the home. Write down the meals you make often. What are the common ingredients that you buy often? This is  where you start. Buy what you eat, and eat what you buy! Work up to a 3 month supply. This is just the start! You really want to work up to 1 year, eventually.

#2 Stock up on basic toiletries, medications and cleaners too. Don't forget feminine hygiene items and baby items etc. Concentrate on needs of those in the family. Stick to basics.

#3 Decide if you want to work on long-term foods such as many dry goods right away while you build up your 3 month supply, or if you want to get the 3 month supply first and then get some long-term. This will depend on your budget and space.

#4 Take advantage of sales and coupons. I have never shopped using a list that I found online. Those rarely match up with what is on sale. I shop the sale items of the week that my family uses. I try as much as possible to use coupons on top of the sales. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables while on sale. Preserve them in various ways.

#5 People often get stuck on how to use “food storage” foods. ANY food you have in your home at the moment is food storage. Do not overthink how to use preserved foods.

If something has been canned, either cook the food in the liquid, or drain and then heat and heat or use in a soup or casserole.

If something has been dehydrated, simply put in a bowl and add warm water to it and let it sit until the food is soft. Some foods will rehydrate faster than others. Even if some things never get completely soft, they will still be edible and offer nutrition.

If something has been freeze-dried, you can eat dry, or put it in a moist casserole, in a soup or simply rehydrate it in a bowl with water. They will rehydrate quickly. Use as if it was fresh or frozen.

If something has been frozen, simply thaw and then heat and eat.

#6 You don't know how to use DRY FOODS? Get some cookbooks that focus on cooking with basics. There are many food storage cookbooks on the market. Some food storage books just focus on one type of food such as dried beans, grains, powdered milk etc. You can also buy basic baking books, and  ethnic cookbooks. You can find many books at thrift stores. It may not be possible to rely on the internet in the future for recipes. You will need to have books in your home.

#7 (Freeze drying only section). You don't know how to freeze dry certain foods? I often see people asking about how to freeze-dry things like coffee, cocoa, milk, dry beans etc. Keep freeze drying simple!

If you have a food item that is already in a very dry form...most likely it will keep just as it is.  Coffee, tea, cocoa, milk and drink mix powders will keep for a long time as they are. Just store in an airtight container, out of light in a cool, dry location. As for milk, personally I would just buy and store powdered milk. It has a long shelf-life if stored properly. Many people are focused on freeze drying whole slices of pies, cakes, pancakes and breads. Think about what will reconstitute well. How will you reconstitute these items without them turning to mush? These are poor candidates for freeze drying. Let's talk about pumpkin pie for example, I freeze dry the pumpkin. Then I powder the pumpkin. In the future I can rehydrate the pumpkin powder into a puree. Then I will use my stored milk, egg powder, sugar and spices to make a fresh pumpkin pie. Doesn't that sound more appetizing? Candy? Hard candy already has a very long shelf-life. Store it in an airtight container. Dry beans, peas or lentils if stored in an airtight container, in a can, bucket or glass jar will keep for many years. If you want to be able to rotate through them and use them often, I really like to pressure can them in jars and they are ready to eat out of the jar.

Honey and jams? Those should not be freeze-dried! This is stated in the machine booklet and on the Harvest Right website. Besides, these will store for a long time just as they are.

#8 I prefer to store single item foods in containers. For example, I have fruits, vegetables, meats, grains etc, usually stored individually, not as a meal. This makes it easy for me to preserve these foods and allows me to combine them as desired with other foods when cooking. It is nice and convenient to have a few things ready to eat as a meal like chili, canned soups or Ravioli but most of our stored foods are single ingredients. Do what works for your family.

#9 Some foods are considered “forever foods”. These include things like honey, maple syrup, whole wheat, salt, sugar and many other things. You do not have to do anything fancy to store these. Here are  a couple good videos on these foods.

https://youtu.be/iYTbhqOBWJA?si=CHwPndOqYZsKiuSrby Prepsteaders

https://youtu.be/Zu5gscdCEjQ?si=pXRFXTbcwe_-QY11 by Alaska Granny

#10 If you want to learn how to preserve certain foods, I suggest you go to YouTube and watch reputable channels and watch several of them to get a consensus on proper methods of preserving.

Unfortunately, there are many people in online groups who give out terrible advice. I saw one such video in the past week that was being shared on Facebook showing how to preserve dry rice in a soda bottle using several things that will only ruin the food. Many people thought it was great. But those of us who have been doing these things for many years could immediately see several problems with the video.

The person who created the video had in one way, over-thought how to preserve something that needs no special treatment to be good for decades. At the same time, he did not use any common sense and in trying to preserve the food, actually ruined it.

Be cautious and use common sense and invest in good books such as the Ball Blue Book of Preserving and look up County Extension Offices such as Utah State University Extension office. There are other State Extension offices that are really good. I believe one is Ohio State.

#11 Do not worry or even try to store every food in the same way. For instance, I see many people posting about using Mylar bags for nearly everything. You DO NOT want to store all foods in the same way. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Never store “All your eggs in one basket”. Use a variety of preservation methods. What containers and supplies can you get? How much space do you have? What is your budget?

Parting advice: Pray about what you should store and to be guided in how to store things properly. Use the knowledge that you already have. Be humble and willing to learn new things from those who have a lot of experience. If in doubt, watch videos from several sources to see if there is something that everyone agrees on. Invest in quality books and keep learning. I wish everyone the best in the year 2024.  Keep Prayed up and Prepped up! Happy New Year!

January 2024, Shipping supply chain problems and Family Medical preparedness

 

Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living Newsletter

January 2024

Current Events that affect our food supply and the cost of living

Over the last two months millions of chickens in farms that supply eggs have been culled because of avian influenza again. So far there have been no reports of chickens on meat poultry farms have been culled. No matter if this is a legitimate reason to cull them, this will affect the supply of eggs and will increase the cost of egg products. Please find ways to store extra eggs in various ways. And if you are able to care for a small flock of chickens, consider adding chickens to your property.

There have been many reported cases of shortages of frozen and dehydrated potato products. There have been problems with the potato crops over the last two years and as we have used up the supply of products in storage, we now have fewer of those products on hand. Also, over the last 20 years or more, we have had the supply of foods and other products converted over to a “Just in time” delivery system. That system works well when everything is running smoothly. But if there is a prolonged power outage, truckers strike or a large natural disaster it affects that delivery system and suddenly there are big shortages. Most stores only have about 3 day's worth of products, especially foods, on their shelves. If you add-in a rush to purchase such as right before a hurricane, you can see how quickly the store shelves are stripped bare.

Worldwide Shipping problems are not getting better! There has been a prolonged drought in Panama. This drought is causing a lot of problems with the Panama Canal. Right now only a fraction of normal ships are getting through the canal each day. The number of ships waiting to get through is only getting longer.

New and expanding conflicts in the Middle East are affecting the shipping traffic in the Gulf of Aden and in the Red Sea that leads to the Suez Canal. Ships are being attacked by Somali pirates and Houthi thugs in Yemen.

When these ships cannot get through, they have to find a new route often taking them several thousand miles out of their normal way. These issues make for longer shipping times and large increases in shipping costs that WILL be put onto the consumer. You can do a search of this topic on the following websites; www.maritime-executive.com,, www.fortune.com, www.reuters.com, www.bloomberg.com,

www.marinelink.com,and www.freightwaves.com.

Try to find ways to buy products made closer to home and take care of what you have. And remember to make it do or do without.

The infographic photo below talks specifically about the trucking industry and how quickly we would run out of things that affect us every day. This also applies to the shipping industry. Please take this information to heart when thinking of things you can do to be better prepared.

Ways to build-up your immune system

Now that Winter has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, many people are getting sick with the common cold, Influenza, RSV, CV19 and intestinal problems. Doctor's offices and hospitals have become very busy again and most of us, if not all of us want to avoid illnesses and we want to stay out of the hospital.

In addition to common sense actions such as practicing better hygiene and staying home when you are sick, to get fresh air and some exercise, there are some things we can eat each day to boost our immune system. Here is a list of those things. You can do one each day, or if you feel the need, do more than one each day as desired.

• Take 1 teaspoon of Elderberry syrup or tincture each day. If you feel you are getting sick, increase the amount times a day.

• Eat 1 clove of garlic and some honey each day. You can store unpeeled garlic cloves in a container of honey for at least a year. This will bubble as it ferments and the honey will thin. Use the honey as well.

• Take Vit K2 and Zinc together each day.

• Take Vit. D3 each day. You will want to find a Vit D3 with high IU amounts.

• Make a quart or more of Fire Cider (many recipes online), and take a couple Tablespoons each day. This is also called other names such as a Flu Bomb or anti-plague remedy. You can adjust the ingredients if needed. Best if stored in a refrigerator. Keeps for over a year.

• Improve your gut health by adding fermented foods to your daily diet. These include low-sugar yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha, Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother, fermented vegetables, Sauerkraut and Kimchi.

• This time of year people in my house also make sure they increase their daily intake of Vitamin C. This can be by tablet, citrus fruits or things like Tang or Emergen-C mix in water each day.

• One form of Vit. C is Sodium Ascorbate Buffered Vit. C. powder.

• Tea made of rose hips or pine needles are also full of Vit. C.

I made a list of these things and put it on my refrigerator door to remind family members of their daily options to use to ward off illness.

Things to have on hand before you get sick

These are things that are easy to find in stores or online such as Amazon. Most of these foods can be stored for a long time. If you have small children, are elderly or are prone to asthma or pneumonia I highly recommend getting a nebulizer. You can find a lot of them for well under $100 online.

Over the counter medications that your family uses when sick. Have a few on hand.

Vitamin C tablets

Cough drops

Lypo-spheric C gel

Liposomal Vit. C

Vicks Vapo-rub

Broths, either vegetable or chicken or beef

Herbal teas, especially those high in Vit. C like Rose hips or pine needles. Yarrow is good for fevers

honey, lemon juice, fresh ginger

crackers, Jello gelatin, ginger ale, 7up, or fruit juice

fresh onions (cut up and put in socks and place on bottom of feet for bad coughs)

Herbal remedies that you have bought or made to replace some of these remedies above

Simple to prepare foods such as soups, mac and cheese, fruit, cheese, yogurt

Medical Tools to have on hand (this list is for illnesses, not injuries)

Humidifier

Nebulizer for medications like Albuterol

Pulse oximeter to monitor your pulse and oxygen saturation

Blood pressure monitor machine, you can find in many pharmacies

digital thermometer, have more than one

heating pad

hot water bottle to use on the body, think of the old-fashioned, rubber kind.

Resources for learning about herbal medicine for beginners

Dr, Patrick Jone at https://homegrownherbalist.net he also has a YouTube channel. He also has a school of herbal medicine that you can learn from at your own pace.

www.thepatriotnurse.com She also has a YouTube channel and she has an online herbal course as well.

Dr. Christopher's school of herbal medicine course Contact | Dr. Christophers (drchristopher.com)

Barbara O'Neill of New Zealand has a lot of great videos on Youtube. Her channel is called Living Springs Retreat.

Books by Rosemary Gladstar

Books on alternative remedies by Claudia Orgill at www.healthypreparedness.blogspot.com She has older videos on YouTube. Newer content is on her Patreon page.

November 2023 Emergency Preparedness & Provident Living News

Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living Newsletter

November 2023

Please follow me over on my preparedness blog

For the last two years I have been having several issues with Google trying to restrict how many people I can email the same thing each month. I got a message recently that said I would lose all of my Google accounts. That would be a disaster!

So, I have recently reactivated my blog and I will be uploading my newsletters and other preparedness items to that blog. I may not get much done on that until after Christmas but please keep checking. The link to the blog is HERE: Little Red Hen Preparedness (littleredhenpreps.blogspot.com) For those who receive emails directly from me, it is the FIRST BLUE LINK under my email signature. Once you are on the blog page, you can save that website link to one of your favorites on your computer. Please do this as I may have to stop sending these in an email until I get set up to use an email service such as Mailchimp. If you suddenly stop getting my emails, please check the blog.

I am also going to post the newsletters in the few groups that I admin on Facebook. If you need a suggestion on a group to join, email me with that question at wendydriggsprep@gmail.com

Church of Jesus Christ Home Storage Center

This is a good resource for very basic, long-storing dry foods such as wheat, oats, flour, sugar, pasta and dry beans. These items are already packaged in large #10 cans. You can shop in-person or you may order online to have them shipped to your home. Shipping cost for home delivery is around $6 for the whole order. You do not have to be a member of this church to buy items in person.

To find a Home Storage Center near you, click this link HERE: Find a Home Storage Center (churchofjesuschrist.org)

For the current price list for the USA click this link HERE: Home Storage Center Order Form (U.S.) (churchofjesuschrist.org)

For USA Spanish price sheet click this link HERE: https://providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/providentliving/content/Home-Storage-Center/2023%20Home%20Storage%20Order%20Form%

For Canada price sheet, click this link HERE: Home Storage Center Order Form (Canada) (churchofjesuschrist.org) .

To order online for shipping to your home, click on this link HERE: Food Storage | Store (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Another great resource for food storage- Azure Standard

Azure Standard - Azure Standard or www.azurestandard.com This company has been in business for over 30 years. They offer thousands of healthy, all-natural and organic products. Many of these products can be ordered in a variety of sizes. Your order will be delivered the week after the order cut-off. Orders are delivered via semi-trucks. You meet the truck and take your items home. Delivery to most “drops” are once a month.

How does Azure Standard work?

You browse their website. Once you are ready to order, you create your account. During this process you will be prompted to choose a drop location. There are hundreds of drop locations across the US. Most drops are located along major highways. To choose your drop, scroll to the bottom of the home page. Click on FIND A DROP. You can search for a drop by city and state or zip code. You can change your drop at any time. Drops can be at a home, business or in a parking lot. Within a day or two after placing your order, you will get an email with the anticipated delivery schedule for your drop. Any issues with your order or delivery will be emailed to you. You will want to check your email once a day. The drop coordinator should also contact you with delivery updates as well. The delivery often varies and many times it will be during a workday. If your coordinator is not willing to hold on to your order until you can pick it up, you will need to have a friend pick them up for you.

I have been very pleased with the number of products offered, the quality and customer service. This is a fantastic resource for those who live in areas where it is hard to buy real, healthy foods in bulk. During the shutdown when many stores were out of typical food storage foods, Azure still had them in stock.

My favorite things to order from Azure Standard are bulk sprouting seeds, bulk legumes, bulk grains, bulk spices, bulk dried herbs, homesteading type books, Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers and large containers of oils like coconut oil.

Are you new to preparedness and need a lot of help?

My friend Joan Haney, and her husband have started a new adventure. They are both retired from their former careers and have started a new preparedness website. They have many years of living a self-sufficient lifestyle including law enforcement, self-defense and farming using old-time techniques. Please take a few minutes and check out their website at www.thepreppermom.com They will be doing regularly scheduled webinars. Their YouTube channel link is here: https://youtu.be/8DoHRNNFuR0?si=ufMOhf4unW3dYU3R

Deals to stock up on in November

Turkey, freeze extra for meals later in the future, pressure can or freeze dry.

Baking supplies- watch for specials and stock up

uncarved, whole pumpkins-cut, bake and then puree. Take the puree and freeze, freeze-dry or pressure can it.

Cans of broth of your choice

Stuffing mixes- long shelf-life. You can also learn how to take broken stale bread and make your own from scratch like my Grandma used to make. All you need is dry bread pieces, onions, butter and herbs.

Fresh cranberries-freeze, freeze-dry or make into juice. I have also made a fresh cranberry-citrus relish that I have bottled and frozen or freeze-dried.

Ivermectin and Nature's 'Mectin is now available to the public

Ivermectin has now been approved for us to use for Covid treatment in the USA. Some sources for Ivermectin in table form for Human use are, your Primary Care Physician with a prescription, online at Ivermectin.com and JASE Medical Emergency Antibiotic Medication Kits .

At Jase Medical you can now order Ivermectin as an add-on when you order a year supply of antibiotics. When you order these medications from this company you are in contact with a legitimate physician who will consult with you and prescribe 5 different antibiotics for your kit. These are usually purchased as an emergency back up for traveling or for future emergency use.

Another source of Ivermectin that is an herbal mix that treats CV19 symptoms. You can order this at anytime from my friend Mickey B. on her website The Healer's Art (thehealersart.com) . This herbal version is called Nature's 'Mectin. You can take the herbal powder and fill empty gelatin capsules. She includes instructions and dosage information with your order.

Practical Christmas Gift Ideas

The following is a list of practical gifts ideas that will be great for your loved ones and those who are concerned about being more prepared for the times we live in. I hope you find some of these ideas to be helpful.

• Water filters such as a Sawyer or Life Straw or water filtering bottles, ceramic filter or water purification tables, water barrel and barrel pump. Make sure the water barrel has NEVER had any chemicals in it and it should be blue or other color to prevent algae growth.

• Items that can be part of a 72/96 hour emergency kit.

• Food storage items that you bought or preserved yourself. Who doesn't like canned fruit or jam? Freeze-dried food has the longest shelf-life. If you have a freeze dryer you can make it yourself.

• Give a power outage kit that you assembled or some kind of solar light, batteries etc.

• Warm clothing is always nice. You could give someone new Winter gloves, wool socks, outerwear etc.

• Does every adult in the family have a good, old-fashioned detailed paper map? You can give them a map for an area that this person would most likely be in during a long power outage or crisis. Everyone needs to know or be able to find alternate routes to get home.

• Give a gift that uses one of your talents. Do you sew, bake, garden, do woodworking, knit, crochet, do leather work, make herbal tinctures or make soap etc.? Your gift could be something you made with a promise to give the recipient a lesson or two.

• First Aid kits are useful. Everyone should have one in their home as well as in your camper, at work etc. I find the ones you assemble yourself have better things in them than the cheap ready-made ones. Maybe you can find some items that can be ADDED to their existing kit that they probably do not have.

• Give books on gardening, homesteading, canning, herbal remedies, cast iron or camp cooking, foraging and other interests they may have. You can often find like new books at thrift stores.

• If you make herbal tinctures and salves you can gift a couple of those with instructions for dosage and storage. You could share some plant starts with someone who wants to grow these plants and learn how to use them.

• Give a roadside emergency kit for a new driver, college student or young married couple.

• Maybe you know someone who is on assistance for food uses an EBT card. They cannot use that card for non-food items. They may appreciate toiletries and cleaning supplies. Those are not cheap! Make a useful but cute basket or bucket of the items and dress it up a little.

• Some foodie ideas that I have done in the past that were well received were to type up a bunch of family recipes and print them out and put in sheet protectors and then put in a 3ring binder. I prefer the binders that have a clear cover pocket so I can create a nice “cover” and put that in the front. If you have any recipes that have been passed down from older generations, include those. I like the binder because we can add more pages as time goes on.

• I have gifted small containers full of herbs and spices to someone who is moving out on their own. Spices can be expensive but add so much to each meal. I buy many of them by the pound. If the recipient will not use that much before they get too old, give them half in a smaller container and you keep half of each one. I like to give them all in the same kind of container so they look nice and uniform. You can even repurpose containers you would have recycled.

• If you buy the spices in bulk you can save a lot of money. Some sources for affordable bulk spices that I am aware of are; Alison's Pantry in Pleasant Grove, UT. Costco, Sam's Club, Smith & Edwards (2 Utah locations), and Associated Foods Stores in Utah and Eastern Idaho.

• The last few years I have tried really hard to support friends or family who have a small business. I have commissioned them to make something for me to gift to another. Of course I paid them. I have also supported local small businesses and friends who offer a good product or service that I could afford. Even if all you can afford right now is to SHARE THEIR INFORMATION, they will greatly appreciate it.

 

Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living Newsletter

October 2023

Classes and Trainings for West Jordan, UT

West Jordan Citizen Corps Class Thursday Oct. 26^th 7pm Topic: The Utah Red Cross Disaster Program Manager wil present on how the Red Cross helps during a disaster, what we can expect in the way of aid etc.

West Jordan Fire station Headquarters at Jordan Landing Classroom is on the main floor. These classes are free and open to all adults in the community. The topic is different each month. They are not on Zoom at this time.

Fall Case Lot Sales for Utah, Idaho, SW Wyoming and Las Vegas

Smiths (Kroger) is having their Fall case lot sale right now. It runs through October 10^th.

Want to learn about Permaculture Gardening and live in Utah?

Denise at Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens & Greenhouse is in Orem, UT. She gives tours of her urban food forest and teaches hands-on classes. Her YouTube channel is Utah Valley Permaculture. The following information is what she wants me to pass on to others.

The best place for education, science, weekly videos updates and Classroom Food Forest and events is Facebook: Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens & Greenhouse . They can watch 2020 tour of Food Forest there and other years by putting in Open House in search. But it's nothing like touring in person before first hard freeze and resting and learning in our workshops every week: this week Still going on rest of this week Wed through Friday. We got alot of valuable annual herb and crop plants into greenhouse, now Wed thru Fri 1pm to 5pm we will prep the Food Forest beds with our compost, Azomite mineral powder and mulch the soil for the plants to thrive all Winter at our daily workshops, Native Hardy, drought resistant Trees, berry and nut shrubs, herb plants for sale and harvesting. trade plants and seeds. . Sign up at 801 808 4424 UVPCGG www.permaculturedesignschool.org Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens & Greenhouse

Here is one of her videos to get an idea of what she teaches: This video is 6 years old, filmed 2 years after she started changing her yard. https://youtu.be/QRPWeezrw04?si=EFLfMl5Yw0zGFnWt

Ongoing shortages and supply chain information

Wheat, corn, vegetable oils, potatoes, rice, tomatoes, olives, pasta, salt, vinegar, and salad dressings. You may not notice the shortages in your location but you will notice price increases of these items. 

 India has banned the export of non-basmati rice. There are only two areas in the US where we grow rice and those areas both had lower than average yields because of bad weather. 2023 was a bad year for corn in the major corn producing states. A lot of the corn that is normally for humans is now being used for animal feed. There is a bad drought in Panama that is affecting the water level and there is a long wait time to get through.There are many, many ships waiting to go through and are currently running at least a month behind. Goods that are shipped from Asia to the Eastern US go through the Panama canal.

Some of my favorite YouTube channels to keep ahead of shortages, crop information etc

I was recently asked what my favorite YouTube channels are to be at least one step ahead of things that will and currently do affect our lifestyle. You may not like all of them and some personalities my not be to your liking. If you are interested, just check them out. It costs nothing to subscribe to these channels. If you like them, just click on the SUBSCRIBE button under their videos and then tap on the bell symbol and you will be notified when they upload new content.

Alaska Prepper – lessons from History, financial forcast information, crop reports, current events and many ideas of ways to prepare your family. Military Veteran

Southern Prepper1- Viewer reports of shortages, lay-offs etc. Commentary on current events, advice of ways to prepare. Military Veteran

The Poplar Report- Daily reports of what his listeners tell him. Shares current news that Main Stream Media does not talk about. Reports on crop,supply chain issues and lay-offs.

Appalachian Homestead with Patara-Homesteader, homeschool mom. She has many years of videos on cooking, farming, gardening, cooking and food preservation. She also talks common sense about current events and gives advice on many ways to be more self-reliant and how to handle current events that affect our daily lives.

Off Grid with Doug and Stacy- Hundreds of videos on homesteading, raising animals, gardening, healthy cooking, food preservation, herbal remedies, commentary on current events and what to do to take care of your family in all the craziness.

Glenn Beck or TheBlaze- Commentary on current affairs, the economy and History lessons that we should know and what we can learn from History. How we can be better citizens.

Deep South Homestead with Danny & Wanda- Based in Southern Mississippi, they grow most of their food and teach us how to garden and preserve food. He is a preacher and often talks about the scriptures and how they can be incorporated into our daily life.

An American Homestead- Based in the Midwest he talks about current events, how to be more self-reliant and teaches people how to get your family less attached to the urban life-style.

The Prepared Homestead- He is also in the Midwest and encourages people to pay attention to things going on in our government and encourages us to get “Right with the Lord” and to get our homes in order.

Survival Lilly-Based in Austria, Lilly reports on what is happening in Austria and Germany and how current laws and regulations are affecting everyone. She regularly shows you German Language articles.

Miss Yorkshire Prepper- She is a small channel that is fairly new. She talks about what shopping is like in England and gives her commentary as an average English Citizen.

Frugal Queen in France- A retired British couple who live in Brittany France. She talks about the French economy and how current laws affect those in France. She gives lots of advice on how to live on a tight budget and how to shop wisely and how to cook meals on a budget.

Canadian Prepper- He is based in Central Canada. He does have a business that sells preparedness food and other items. He talks about current events in Canada and how things are affecting Canadians.

Ice Age Farmer You can find his older videos and information on YouTube and his website by the 

same name. He has not uploaded new content for a while. I don't know what happened to him.

How to make Fire Cider for an immune system booster

Fire Cider is an all natural semi-liquid mix of apple cider vinegar, spicy vegetables and herbs that is mixed well and you take at least 1 tablespoon a day for an immune booster. There are many different. recipes that can be found on-line and in some books. Rosemary Gladstar has authored a book of many different variations of Fire Cider recipes. There is no wrong way to make it. Use the ingredients you can find and that you like. If it calls for something that you can't stand, just leave that ingredient out. Exchange that ingredient for another one. You can add lemon or lime juice too. It is fast and easy to make in a blender and it will store for at least a year in the refrigerator. After a month, some people strain the veggie bits out and only drink the liquid. Some leave it as is and consume the veggie bits and the liquid. Here is a recipe from the person who taught me about it. It is a good place to start.

How to make Apple Cider Vinegar from apple scraps

You can make raw apple cider vinegar at home. It will save you a lot of money, it is easy and good for you. And you can use up a lot of your scraps from processing apples in the Fall.

The only ingredients you need at apple scraps, including the core and peel. I would remove any insect damage. Filtered water, a little sugar and a little bit of apple cider vinegar with the Mother.

A lot of people make vinegar in quart or half-gallon canning jars. You can also make it in clean food grade 5 gallon buckets. It is a slow natural process and it takes anywhere from 2-4 months from start to finish but it costs almost nothing to make.

 I have my own apple tree and last year I made over $100 worth of raw ACV with the Mother for the cost of a little bit of sugar.

This video explains some benefits of using raw ACV daily. https://youtu.be/DFJBD9s6jq4?si=-x4_rX_dlNQ0Zikz Apple Cider Vinegar and 5 ways to use it at home

https://youtu.be/FhmexAZqZCo?si=puhwKMR4hzaZopEf How to make Apple Cider Vinegar at home the easy way by Off Grid with Doug and Stacy

https://youtu.be/4CoOzWvEOCc?si=HPR9Vpl5aq3VELzc Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar pt 1 by my sister Penny Tannehill

https://youtu.be/ffD4f9twbAk?si=uh11JozgKmUnHaGe Week 1-Checking homemade vinegars

She also posted videos showing the end process and how to strain and bottle the vinegar.

Make your own salad dressings., without preservatives

You can make your own salad dressings that are cheaper and healthier than those found in the store. All you need are a few basic ingredients. The main ingredients are usually vinegar, olive oil and spices. If you store these basics, you can make salad dressings whenever you need them. I recommend the two books pictured above. You can also find many recipes online. I would make a small batch and try it out. Save and organize the recipies that you like.

Another way to save money is to buy the packets of the dry seasonings that you add to vinegar, water and the oil of your choosing.

Russian Dressing (similar to Catalina but tastes better)

1 C. ketchup

1/3 C. each of vinegar, oil, sugar

1 T. yellow mustard

1 t. paprika

1 T. parsley leaves

Ranch Dressing from book Best Dressed Salads by Jim Long 93 pgs

¾ C. Mayonnaise

¼ C. buttermilk

1/3 C. finely chopped celery with the leaves

2 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 T. dry parsley

1 T. grated onion or 2 t. dry onion powder

1 clove garlic, minced or ¼ t. garlic powder

1 sprig fresh thyme or ¼ t. dried thyme

½ t. celery salt

dash black pepper

April 2016 Newsletter

April Gardening Chores Zone 6:  If you have not yet planted your peas, plant them right away.  You can also plant other cool season vegetables such as lettuce, kale, radishes, carrots, beets, broccoli and cabbage.  Do not plant warm season vegetables outdoors yet unless you have a greenhouse or can keep them covered every day.  Most of these will need to be transplanted or started by seeds around Mother’s Day.

Product Highlight of the Month:  Victorio Grain Mill  (non-electric)

If you plan on storing any grains, YOU NEED TO HAVE one of these!  This is small, very affordable and will be much better than smashing your grains between some rocks to make flour so you can have bread and other baked goods in an emergency.  Keep in mind that grains stored in their whole, unground form, will keep a lot longer than those that are already ground.

This grain mill can be used for wheat, barley, spelt, popcorn (for making corn meal), and even for making rice flour from your stored rice.  It clamps to your counter top or a table and does not need any power.  This retails for around $50-60.  If you just want to “save it for an emergency” it stores in a small box.  If you have an expensive electric grain mill, I would still get one of these to have for situations where you may be without power for long periods of time.

For those who still do not have a grain mill:  7 Great Ways to Use Wheat Without a Wheat Grinder.  This is the simplified version of a post by the ladies at Food Storage Made Easy.  They have this article posted on their website and on their Facebook Page.  You can do a search on those pages using the above title.   www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net

#1.  Thermos Wheat (like a hot cereal that has been cooking overnight in a thermos).

#2  Wheat Berries

#3  Popped Wheat

#4  Wheat grass

#5  Cracked wheat

#6  Wheat Sprouts

#7  Blender wheat flour (placing whole wheat kernels in a blender with other recipe ingredients and mixing in the blender.)

Small Space Storage Solutions

Even if you live in an apartment or a small house, you can find creative ways to store your food storage and other emergency supplies.  I will post some information here to help you get started searching for ideas.

www.thesurvivalmom.com   search her website for posts on this topic on her homepage.  Also if you use Facebook go to her Facebook page called The Survival Mom and search for “small space storage solutions” in the upper left corner of the page.  She posted ideas about this multiple times in 2015.

www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/01/26/small-spaces-storage-solutions-results/

This post above is really long.  They have lots of great ideas and you can also see comments from people who have tried these ideas or have even more ideas.  Remember the saying, “If there is a WILL…there is a WAY.” 

March 2016 Newsletter

March Garden Projects:  Amend your garden soil with manure.  If you live in the city you can buy it in bags from hardware stores for very cheap.  Empty composters into the garden as well. Mix well before planting.  Plant peas about St. Patrick’s Day in zone 6.  By the end of the month you can usually plant hardy cold weather vegetables such as broccoli and kohlrabi.  If you use row covers to protect from frost, you can start to plant lettuce and radishes.

 Sprouting Seeds: 

Sprouting various seeds is a fast and easy source of nutrition.  Sprouts pack a lot of nutrition in a very tiny package and you can eat them in just a few days.  Sprouts can be used as a replacement for vegetable if you have none.  All you need for basic supplies are seeds, a container with a lid for some ventilation and a source of clean water to rinse them off a couple times a day.

There are several different options for containers for sprouting.  The old fashioned way is just a quart jar and a cover of cheese cloth. Now you can buy a plastic “sprouting jar lid”.  You lay the jar on its side in a sunny spot.   There are also sprouting trays that are square or round. If you have multiple trays you can grow different varieties of sprouts at the same time.

Seeds that are commonly sprouted;  alfalfa, mung beans, other beans, peas, lentils, and wheat.

Use sprouts fresh on a sandwich, use in salads, as a soup topping, add to vegetables in a stir-fry dish, and use in an omelette.  

To buy bulk sprouting seeds check out Azure Standard Supply in Oregon, USA.  www.azurestandard.com  They can ship about anywhere inside the continental United States.  To see how you can make your own bulk seed sprouting mix, check out www.youtube.com and search for a video by Healthy Preparedness.  She has posted a video titled "Sprouting Mix-Save Money!"   

You can grow a few sprouts at a time in just a Mason jar covered with cheese cloth or use a plastic sprouting lid.

Shown:  The Victorio Brand Seed Sprouting "Kitchen Garden" kit.

A round seed sprouting container with 4 tiers.  You could grow 4 different kinds of sprouts at one time in this one. 

A sample of just one sprouting book for beginners.

A seed sprouting chart from www.rawforbeauty.com