August 2015 Newsletter

Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living Newsletter

August 2015

Case lot sales:  Macey’s semi-annual case lot sale in Northern Utah will start on Monday September 7^th.  It will run for 2 weeks.  Stock up on the foods you use the most.  Be sure to write the date on everything and put the new items in the back or bottom of your shelves.  Take inventory and make a list, before you shop.

What to buy this month?  Peaches ready in N. Utah by end of the month, followed by tomatoes, apricots, grapes and then apples and pears, then pumpkins. If you plan on doing any canning or home food preservation now is the time to continue stocking up on things such as vinegar, pickling spices and sugar and fruit fresh or lemon juice.  Also stock up on canning lids.

What to do with tomatoes for food storage:  Tomatoes are one of the most useful foods you can grow and store.  They are very good for you and can be canned/bottled, dehydrated or frozen.  Use them in soups, stew and Mexican and Italian foods.  Tomatoes can be canned whole, crushed or used in salsa and spaghetti sauce or plain tomato sauce.  The more you cook them, the thicker the sauce becomes.  If all you have is tomato paste, and you want a sauce, just add water.  Add enchilada seasoning to some tomato paste or sauce to make red enchilada sauce.

 

What to do with Spam.  Most families have a hard time buying and storing enough protein in the food storage.  Spam is on source of protein that is easy to find and store.  It is a pork/ham product in a can.  Most people have never eaten it or don’t like it.  Oddly enough, it is VERY popular in Hawaii. They even have restaurants that feature Spam in every menu item.  I asked someone who is from Hawaii, what she would recommend as far as using Spam.  She said that it tastes best to slice it and fry it in a skillet.  Then chop and use as you would ham or any other meat.  For more hints and recipes you can find a lot of information on the Facebook page for Spam.  Also check out www.spam.co/recipes

Highlight of the Month: Gas Wrench   $4 

   

                                               

                                                                                     

Pictured above is a basic gas wrench that can be purchased at an Emergency Supply store.  These can also be purchased online or at any hardware store.  This one has 2 ends.  One is made for turning off the gas at a home. The other end is for turning off a commercial gas meter.  This one comes with a zip tie to attach to the gas meter.  If you have it stored there at all times, it will be there when you need it.  It also has stickers on both sides for knowing WHEN and HOW to use it.    Only turn the gas off if….. 

1)     There is structural damage to your home from an earthquake or tornado.

2)    You HEAR gas leaking from the meter or a gas line.

3)    You can SMELL gas leaking from anywhere in your home.

If you can HEAR or SMELL a gas leak, NEVER light a match or have anything flammable near the gas source.  Turn it off as fast as you can and then go and try to put out the fire, if there is one.  It would be a great idea if you spend part of a Family Home Evening showing everyone where the gas meter is and how to turn it off.  Also teach about when you should and should not turn it off.  Do NOT actually turn it off!

A utility company is the only one authorized to turn the gas back on.  And it will cost you a bunch of money and can take a few days for them to get to you.  Only turn it off if you have to.

New long-term Food Storage Recommendations:  The LDS Church and Brigham Young University have recently come out with new recommendations on how much long-term foods to have on hand.  This is something to work towards, and for most families is not something you can afford to do over-night.  Like everything else, do a little at a time, all the time and make it part of your normal life.  I will include this info in an attachment along with this newsletter this month