October 2015 Newsletter

Sanitation kit add-ons:  If you already have a sanitation kit, such as a portable toilet, soap, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, t.p., wipes etc,  you may choose to add a couple other items to your kit.  It might be a good idea to add some mouse traps, rat traps and some fly traps.  These would come in very handy after a disaster where there is no sanitation as we know it and there may be a lot of pests that spread disease.  Get some now while they are cheap and easy to find.

Kit idea of the month:  Fire starting kit 

This would come in handy for camping or for cooking and heating during a long power outage or for a gift for the outdoor adventurer on your list.  This kit is small, is expensive and easy to assemble.  Keep with your 72 hr kits or your camping supplies.

Supplies for kit:   1 9v battery, ball of steel wool in a zip lock bag.  Do not store it in contact with any battery!  Water-proof matches, several small pieces of cardboard, a package of Wetfire fire starter, a small set of flint and steel, 1 or 2 Bic lighters, and a small, plastic tackle box to store it all.  This idea is from www.diypreparedness.net

    

                                                   

Homemade Fire starters using lint

Save lots of lint from the clothes dryer for a while.  Save several card board egg cartons and buy some paraffin wax or re-use some old candles. You will also need an empty #10 can and some tin foil.  You can also use the same idea but stuff empty toilet paper tubes with the lint instead.

1.       Place a ball of lint in each cup of the egg carton.  Put egg carton on the tin foil to protect the counter top.  Put some paraffin wax in an empty #10 can and place the can inside a larger pan that has water in it.  Heat the wax until it melts.  Pour melted wax over the balls of lint in the egg carton.  Fill each cup of the carton mostly full.  Allow a little of the lint to stick up above the wax so you can light it.  Let it sit until it is cool.  You can then store the egg cartons as they are in a plastic tub or tear apart into sections and then store.  To start a fire you can light a piece of this as kindling.

How many ways can you cook without power?

Each family needs to have AT LEAST 1 way to cook without electricity and have the fuel stored for that method.

Food Insurance

We all have home owners insurance, car insurance, health insurance and life insurance.  Have you ever thought of having food storage as having “Food Insurance”?  We cannot live without food and any number of things could happen that would make it harder to have enough in times of trouble.  Please think of food storage as food insurance.

                                            

5 day kits and evacuation plans for your animals

If you ever need to evacuate from your home, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ANIMALS AT HOME!  Government agencies as well as Animal Control agencies and veterinarians now tell everyone to take your animals with you when you leave.  If you leave them at home they may not be rescued, fed or watered for many days, if at all.  Also, many people have left their animals at home and have endangered their lives or the lives of rescuers demanding that they go back for the animals.  Your bug-out or evacuation plans and kits need to include preps for your animals as well.  Well before any emergency you should make a plan for where you would take your animals if you had to evacuate.  The best and easiest option would be to take them to the home of a friend or family member who lives out of the area of danger.  You could also keep a list of pet friendly motels or boarding places.  For large animals, this is a little more difficult.  The best and most common places for these animals would be fair grounds.  If you have 4 horses, you better have a way to evacuate them in a trailer large enough to hold all 4 of them.  You do not want to make 4 trips.

Each kit should contain:

A way to contain or restrain your animal such as carrier, crate, pen, leash and muzzle.  Even the sweetest of dogs under stress and surrounded by strangers can bite.  Have a muzzle just in case you need it.

Several days-worth of food and a food dish and a water dish or bottle. You can get a bowl made for trips or just buy a plastic inexpensive version of what you use at home.  You can keep most of these items in a plastic tub all the time and label as the animal 72 hr kit.

Note on the food:  As pet food has a high fat content, you will want to place food in a gallon zip-lock bag and replace/rotate the food every 6 months.  Write a use-by-date on the bag.  This way the food in your kit will never be more than 6 months old.

Snacks and toys to comfort them. An old towel or blanket if they like that.

Medications that they take

Copies of their most recent vaccinations.  (Most motels and boarding places require them).

ID such as collars and more importantly, An AVID microchip in each pet.  Even if your pet does not have a collar anymore, any vet or animal control facility will be able to get your animal back to you if you have them micro-chipped and your info is current.  It is up to you to make sure  that the Avid Company is notified when you move or sell the animal.  www.avidid.com

September Gardening Zone 6

It is nearly mid-September!  I am in the middle of the Fall harvest and canning vegetables from the garden and the peaches are done.  Most of us just think about harvesting and don't give much thought to planting.  If you want to have a Fall crop of cool weather vegetables, now is the time to plant some lettuce, spinach, kale and radishes in any empty places in your garden.  I should have planted mine about 3 weeks ago, but I kept forgetting.  In late Fall, if your cool weather crops are threatened by frost, you can cover them at night and uncover each morning.
  Frost will not harm your carrots or beets.

  Fall is the best time of year to plant new trees or shrubs.  They will have a lot less transplant shock because of the cooler temperatures.  Keep them well watered through the Fall.

  It is also a great time of year to create and fill any raised bed planters.  This is a perfect time to take advantage of cooler temperatures to work outside.  You can get everything built and filled and you will be ready to plant as soon as the soil thaws in early Spring.

Soil amendments or additives that are good for your garden and are very affordable:  wood ashes from a fire place or fire pit, play sand, manure from chickens, cows, horses, rabbits or guinea pigs, wood shavings, or saw dust, shredded newspaper,  vegetable peels, grass clippings, peat moss, and old potting soil.

January 2013 Newsletter

Thoughts for the month:  This is not meant to be a “downer newsletter” but more of an encouragement to help you want to become more prepared. 

November 18^th in the LDS Church News there was a great article on Preparedness that I saved.  It was so good that I will share most of the article here with you.

A week after Super Storm Sandy hit the northeastern part of the United States one observer noted that the storm had transformed an advanced area of the world, at least temporarily, to conditions faced daily in many Third World countries.  Many areas of the East Coast had no power, no fuel, no water, limited refuse collection and no public transportation-all changing a lifestyle of plenty to one of need and dependency on government and other groups.

In 2006, A Time magazine article explored reasons why people do not prepare for disasters. A year after Hurricane Katrina hit the article stated that “people are even less likely to plan ahead.” A poll done in connection with the article found about half of those surveyed had personally experienced a natural disaster but only “16 percent said they were very well prepared for the next one”.

The article found that 91 percent of Americans live in places “at a moderate-to-high” risk of natural disaster, yet many polled explained their lack of emergency preparation saying they believed they were not at risk.  Reasons given for lack of preparation included “it won’t happen to me” and “if it happens to me, it won’t be that bad.”

We are encouraged to plan and prepare and consider having a three-month supply of food, drinking water, financial reserves, medical and first aid supplies and clothing and bedding.

When our government is broke, which it is…FEMA will not have the money to give out to everyone affected by a huge disaster. And even if they are able to help, it takes forever and your world will be drastically changed for quite a while.

Members of the LDS church have been counseled for MANY years to be prepared for temporal and spiritual adversity.  Preparation, both spiritual and temporal can dispel fear and allow us to serve others.  We cannot help our friends, family and neighbors if we cannot help ourselves.  A message we learn in 2 Nephi 25:23 teaches us that we cannot stand still and do nothing and expect that our faith will increase and our afflictions will be resolved.

I read the whole article and loved all of it so much I wanted to share it will all of you. It is sound advice that all of us can use.  Do what you can, a little bit all the time, and it will be worth it!

February 2013 Newsletter

Gardening Corner:  Yes, time to start thinking of the garden already.  If you plan on doing  a garden then this is the month to plan it out on paper and start to order your seeds.  If you wait very long some seeds will sell out early.  In about 1 month you can start some plants from seeds.  Better to plan early and be ready.

 Product Highlight of the month:    Dehydrated or Freeze dried foods

I have had several people ask me from time to time about how to use these foods.  It is rather easy I think.  Don’t think of them, especially the fruits and veggies, as being very different from using canned, frozen or fresh.  If you are to use frozen, you thaw things out first.  If wet canned you open the can, drain and dump.  If you are using dehydrated you just rehydrate for a while and then use like wet canned or fresh.  If you are making a soup or casserole and it will sit awhile you can even just throw the dry stuff in and let it soak up the liquid that is in your recipe.   I personally try to keep 1 #10 can of each commonly used food in my kitchen pantry and throw some of that stuff in as I am making dinner. That way I am getting used to it and I am rotating my stock.  Here are some of the ways I use my dried foods to keep them rotated.

Milk:  I use to make milk when we are low and I am not in the mood to run to the store.  Make ahead when no one is looking and give it time to get really cold!  Also when making pudding or any dish like potato soup that calls for lots of milk, whisk in a bunch of powdered milk to the water as it cooks.  There are so many other things in there, no one will know that you used powdered milk and not fresh. Use in baking too.

Eggs:  Yes, they have egg powder.  I am not a fan of fresh eggs, and these sound awful but we all use eggs.  I use these mostly when I am baking and have run out of eggs.  So glad I have a few cans of these.  No late night or Sunday afternoon runs to the grocery store.  Keep in mind that most of your ready-made mixes have egg powder in them.  I have not used them like fresh so I can’t comment on that.

Freeze dried or dehydrated fruits:  Rehydrate and use in cobblers or pies.  We recently opened a can of freeze dried strawberry dices.  They are TINY little pieces of REAL strawberries.  They taste really good.  I opened up the can because my child was mad that we bought a plain cereal that had strawberries on the photo.  There are no strawberries IN the cereal.  It became a lesson in product advertising.  She would not eat the plain cereal without strawberries.  I remembered we had some of these and thought “Now is the time to test them out.”  We put a bunch in the box of cereal and shook it up well and “Viola”, strawberry yumminess. 

Freeze dried or dehydrated vegetables:  I use the onions a couple times a week at least, my personal favorite.  And I use the celery dices in soups and other recipes when I realize I don’t have any fresh.  Most of the other veggies I have in #10 cans just to have for hard times.  I also have wet canned from the store and home canned from the garden.

Dehydrated potato products:  We all use potatoes in many different forms. These are really handy to have on hand.  I use the potato pearls and hash browns all the time.

Dehydrated red and green bell peppers:  I keep these in the pantry to use in soups and casseroles. You can also add them to your frozen or fresh hash browns once they have been rehydrated.  I have also used them a few times when canning homemade salsa or pickle relish when I realized I did not have any fresh ones on hand.  These are very small, no need to chop.

TVP/Soy based meat replacements:  They come in several flavors now such as beef, taco, BBQ, chicken and sausage.  I use them on occasion to “stretch” the amount of meat I am using in a recipe.  These are usually not cheap so I buy them when they are on sale.  Great to have when you are out of a job or low on meat. Use on occasion to get familiar with them.

If you are interested in finding some recipes on-line you can find a bunch at www.augasonfarms.com   I will put a couple in this newsletter that I found at the grocery store next to some of their products.

Freeze Dried Corn Chowder by Augason Farms

8 C. water                                                                     ½ C. dehydrated chopped onions

2 T. Chicken Bouillon                                                  1 sm. Can diced green chilies

4 C. freeze dried sweet corn                                     2 t. salt

2 T. dehydrated diced carrots                                  1 ½ t. cumin

1 C. dehydrated diced potatoes                               ½ t. garlic powder

½ C. dehydrated cross-cut celery                            2 C. heavy cream

Place all ingredients except for the cream in a pot and bring to a low boil, simmer 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

1.      Place soup in a blender in small batches and blend until smooth.

2.      Return to pot and add cream.  Mix well.

3.      Garnish with hot sauce and fresh lime juice if desired.

Pasta Salad by Augason Farms

10 oz. Rotini pasta                                                2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)

¼ C. chopped onions, dehydrated                     1 C. chopped mushrooms (optional)

½ C. dehydrated red & green bell peppers, dehydrated

¾ C. fat free Italian style dressing                      1 sm. can sliced black olives

1.       In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.

2.      In a large bowl, combine pasta, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms.  Pour enough dressing over to coat; toss and refrigerate until chilled.

March 2013 Newsletter

Words of advice:  The time to install a new garden system or build grow boxes and to learn new skills of self-sufficiency is not AFTER you have lost your job or might have to sell your home but BEFORE.  While times are good and you are doing ok you should be learning new skills and investing in equipment. A pressure canner costs at least $60.  A water bath or steam canner costs about $30. Getting started costs money and you should use the good times to be getting things in place and building up your skills and food storage so when times get harder and more stressful, you already have a back-up system.

The gardening corner:  In northern Utah you can plant peas around St. Patrick’s Day.  In March you can also start planting tomatoes and other warm weather crops in tiny pots from seed.  Keep them indoors!   Warm weather crops cannot go outside until at least Mother’s Day.

This month’s area of focus:  Communication

The Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center is now accepting cell phone numbers and email addresses into their notification system.  This is sometimes called reverse 9-1-1.  For now, if you have a land line that number is already in the system.  But if you do not have a land line anymore or you want to also be notified on your cell phone, you will need to register your number(s) with them.  This is a quick and easy process on their website www.vecc9-1-1.com

If you register your numbers they WILL NOT ever email or solicit you!  This is only in the case of an emergency or disaster that would affect the ADDRESS of where that phone is registered.  This system was used in Utah several times last year when there were several fires that forced thousands of people to be evacuated.  If you had your phone registered, and your neighborhood was being evacuated, your cell would be called and you would find out.  You create your own account on their website and you can go in at any time and change anything that you need to.  Please note; for those of you who do not live in the Salt Lake Valley, south of Salt Lake City, your area may have their own similar system. Salt Lake City proper is NOT included in this system.   Utah County also has their own.

You have decided that you want to do this.  Here are the steps:

1)      Go to www.vecc9-1-1.com  Click the menu item VOIP registration (top of screen)

2)      Click NEW USER link at the bottom of the screen.  Fill in the blank fields and click ADD.  Log-in using the information you just entered and click LOG-IN.

3)      Click ADD ADDRESS.  Be sure to follow the directions given on the page!

4)      Do not put any dashes in your phone number.

5)      Select either VOIP or MOBIL in the drop down box.

6)      Check the box that you agree to have this entered into the DCC database.  Then click ADD.

7)      Check your information and then if satisfied, click LOG OUT.  Be sure to keep your information and password! 

April 2013 Newsletter

The Gardening corner:  If you have not planted your peas yet, now is the time.  This month you can also plant lettuce, radishes, broccoli, kohlrabi and later in the month, plant carrots and beets.  If you want to make your old wooden grow boxes deeper, that is an easy fix.

1)      Buy more of the same lumber as the original boxes.  Also have exterior wood screws, brackets and tie plates on hand.  Build new boxes using the wood screws and brackets.

2)       Place the new box on top of the old one. On the inside of the box use tie plates in several places to attach the new one to the old one.

3)      If you have a sprinkler in the center of the box you will need to buy a PVC riser and coupler to make it taller.  This takes less than a minute per box.  Remove old sprinkler head attachment, screw in the riser and coupler and reattach the sprinkler head.

4)      Fill your deeper box with your choice of soil.

5)      To make your boxes look better as well as last longer, use a water-proofing deck stain on the outside of your boxes in the spring when it is warm and dry and the plants are small.

My Garden Soil Recipe  This is not an exact thing.  Just what I ADD to the FREE CLAY TOPSOIL that I already had.  To each 4’x8’ box that was ½ full of top soil I added…3 bags of composted steer manure, ½-1 bag of sphagnum peat moss and several pounds of play sand.  Mix well and then plant.  Then each spring I add 2 new bags of manure.  As time goes on you can add material from your compost bin, grass clippings and even some saw dust or bagged pine shavings bought in bulk.

Dark garden soil has more organic nutrients in it and absorbs heat faster and is therefore warmer than a light colored soil.

Info-4-life/vial of life kits

These two (very similar), programs are designed to provide local safety agencies and medical response teams with pertinent and timely information during an emergency call.  This would be especially vitally important if you or an elderly parent lives alone or is unresponsive or incoherent in a medical emergency. Every home should have one of these kits. These programs would work for your family or family member no matter what part of the country they live in.  It is just a quick, easy way to access your emergency medical information.

How much does the kit cost? How do I get one?  These FREE kits are available at your local Kroger Pharmacy if you ask for one.  You can also read more about it and print your kit out for free online at www.info-4-life.org or www.vialoflife.com

If using the info-4-life program click on the “forms” button on the left-side of your computer screen and follow the directions to print out your forms.  Store the forms in a clear bag that has been taped to the fridge in a prominent place.  If you get the kit from the pharmacy, there is a magnetic pouch in the kit for this purpose.  The kit also includes a sticker for the front door AND a small card to be placed in your wallet.

The Vial of Life project is very similar and is also sponsored by Smith’s Food and Drug and the Salt Lake Valley Health Department.  Another idea to store the paper work instead of a baggie could be a water-tight container or a large pill bottle kept on the top shelf of the refrigerator on the right side.  For more information see their website.

 One of these websites allows you to store the information on-line so you can go back and update it electronically and then print out a new copy.

May 2013 Newsletter

The Gardening Corner:  Most years it is safe to plant your tomatoes in the garden around Mother’s Day in Northern Utah or zone 6.  If you plant them before that day, or even afterwards and the weather is unusually cool…place Wall-o-water’s around them to protect them.  Remove them when it is consistently warm and the tomato plant is growing out the top.  A hint for using the Wall-o-waters:  I plant the seedling, place a tomato cage around it and then place the wall-o-water around the cage.  That way the wind cannot blow it over and kill your seedling. 

How to plant a tomato plant for the best success:  It is ok and even recommended to plant tomatoes “deep”.  Roots will grow all along the stem length.  If a plant is really crooked it is ok to lay the plant in the hole on its side and have the top pointing up so it looks straight above ground.  Add some great compost or manure to the bottom of the planting hole.

What is the difference between Determinate and Indeterminate tomatoes?  Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size and stop growing.  Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow all Summer and Fall until killed by frost.  If you want to grow “giant” tomato plants in very tall cages or have them tied to a tall trellis, these are the ones you will want to grow.  Check for this information on the plant tag or seed packet.

Spinach:  If you want to grow your own spinach but have a hard time growing it there is a solution!  Spinach is a cool weather crop and like lettuce once it gets too hot it will bolt and go bitter.  You can grow “New Zealand” spinach by seed. This spinach does well in hotter weather and will not go bitter for quite a while.  I grew a patch of it last Summer and it did too well!  Plant some and wait about 2 weeks before planting a little more to prolong the harvest.

Deals of the Month:    IFA Country Stores is a great source for home canning and food processing equipment.  They have all kinds of canners, cherry pitters, grinders, steamers and strainers as well as canning jars and books. They also carry cast iron camp cookware.

Do you want to make a garden vegetable trellis that will never rot or fall down?  My family has discovered “cattle panel fencing”.  This can be bought at any farm store as well as major hardware stores.  It is made of heavy gauge wire and comes in lengths of 8 feet and longer.  It has large holes in it so one can reach through to pick your vegetables.  Use wire cutters to cut to the desired length and attach to fence posts on each end with wire or zip ties.  This fencing can also be curved as desired and one can even build an arch from one grow box to another for crops such as peas and beans.

Use the Internet for great tutorials for preparedness topics:  You can find a tutorial and many videos on the internet for any preparedness topic you want.  I have recently found videos on canning butter in pint jars and for building your own grow-light stand for plant starts for almost nothing!  I already have projects in mind for next winter.

If anyone has a topic they want to know more about let me know. If you have some great information to share with others via me…let me know that too.

June 2013 Newsletter

The Gardening Corner:  Now is the time to finish planting all of your warm season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, squashes etc.  If you have Wall-o-Waters around your tomatoes you can remove those now.  Install a trellis next to your climbing crops before they get very tall.  You may have to help each plant start to climb at first.  Keep everything weeded and watered and in about 2 months you will start to harvest.  Plan what you will do with all of your produce.  Start to buy your canners, jars, sugar, vinegar etc for food preservation.  Buy a little at a time.  Once the food is ready to harvest, it does not keep.

Highlight of the Month:  Rain Perfect Solar Powered Rain Barrel Pump System

This pump is made to use solar energy (free), to quickly and easily use the collected rain water in your barrel(s).  Install the pump in about 30 seconds and let the battery charge in the sun.  When you want to use the water you can attach a hose and water your garden with as much pressure as if you were using water from the faucet.  One full charge will pump up to 100 gallons of water.  The pump is a little pricey, but you can move it from barrel to barrel.  To learn more about it you can go to www.rainperfectpump.com  We recently bought one and we are very happy with it.  We have even attached a soaker hose to it and used that to water some shrubs.  I think this will help us to use our stored water more often and not forget about it.  Some people have a row of rain barrels “daisy chained’ together and one pump could be used for all of those also, no need to move it around.

Utah Yellow Dot Program 

www.publicsafety.utah.gov/highwaysafety/yellowdot

    This program is designed to help first responders in the event of a car accident.  The Yellow Dot in the driver’s side rear window alerts first responders that you have a small packet of information for them in your glove box.  The packet helps them to know who you are, and any vital medical information that they or hospital personnel would need.  You can pick up your free packet of Yellow Dot papers and the sticker at any Salt Lake County Library and other locations.  You should fill out an information card for each person in your family who regularly uses that vehicle.  Other states in the country are also using this program.  For those of you who live out of state, google the Yellow Dot program for your state.  Even if your state does not participate, it is still a great idea to have info cards like these in your glove box in case you are not able to communicate after an accident. 

July 2013 Newsletter

Thinning the fruit on your fruit trees:  If you have not thinned the fruit on your fruit trees yet this year, you need to do it right away.  Fruit trees only have so much energy stored for fruit production.  If your tree has produced too many baby fruits and you do not thin them, you will end up with hundreds of fruits that are too small and not ripe in time. You will have nothing to harvest except for a tiny lump of skin and pit.  My apple tree had about 20 baby apples per less than one linear foot of branch.  From one small apple tree I removed about ½ of a 5 gallon bucket of tiny apples!    From each cluster leave the largest or best looking fruit and remove all others.  After thinning you should have only 1 apple or peach for about every 6-8 inches of tree branch.  This will allow the energy to go into the fruits that are left and they will be larger, juicier and worth picking.  There is a nice photo tutorial on the Conservation Garden Park’s Face book page from June 30^th.  In this heat wave be sure that your fruit trees are getting enough water.  Also keep up on spraying your trees for pests on a regular basis.

Topic of the Month:  Powerless Cooking

Did you know that Utah has one of the nation’s worst power grids?  We could lose our power due to a snowstorm that downs power lines, an earthquake and hurricane force winds that take down power lines too.  It could be days or weeks before the power comes back on.  Before this happens to your family there are several steps to take to prepare.

1)      Decide how you will cook your food and choose a variety: gas and propane grills, Coleman camp stoves, Dutch ovens, wood burning stoves, solar oven, fire pit etc.  Learn which of these methods can safely be used indoors and which cannot.

2)      Have proper tools and equipment. These include the pots, gloves, tongs, lid lifter, etc.

3)      Decide which kinds of fuel you will need and how to properly store it.  Have a place to store your fuel safely outdoors.  

4)      Purchase a fire extinguisher if you don’t have one and know how to use it.  (PASS-Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep).  Keep your extinguishers updated.

5)      Make sure you have enough matches (1,000-2,000 is not too many).

6)      Practice cooking using your various powerless methods.

7)      Practice safety around flames.

8)      Store some foods that are easy to cook or can just be warmed up.  Even make a list of good powerless meals to keep on hand so you can find those foods quickly in an emergency.  You can eat those foods while you are gathering your supplies and getting things organized once the emergency has set in.

August 2013 Newsletter

The Gardening Corner:  Fruit Trees

Fall is the perfect time to plant new fruit trees.  Many local nurseries will have their trees on sale or you can order them from gardening catalogs.  Most young fruit trees will cost you around $30 each.  There are some things to keep in mind when deciding what tree to buy.

1)      Order a tree with the fruit that your family likes.

2)      Be sure to plant it in a spot where it will have room to grow to full mature size without going completely into the neighbor’s yard.

3)      How much fruit do you want to harvest? And how much room do you have?

4)      Will you need another variety of the same fruit for pollination?

Standard Size trees can reach up to 25 ft tall and wide at maturity.  They will produce a lot of food, but even with a ladder it will become too tall to harvest, prune and spray most of the tree.  For a city/suburban yard they will take up a lot of space. Unless you have a lot of acreage this size may be too big.

Semi-dwarf trees can reach up to 12-15 ft tall and wide at maturity.  They produce a lot of fruit for their size.  With a ladder you can still reach the top or close to it, to harvest, spray and prune.  Nice size for a suburban yard.

Dwarf size is very small and will only get up to 8 ft all at the most.  A dwarf will only produce a bushel or less of fruit.  Good size if you do not eat a lot of fruit or you do not plan on canning the fruit.

Pollination:  Most fruit trees will need a pollinator so your trees(s) will produce fruit.  Each tag on the tree will tell you if it needs a pollinator or it if is self-pollinating.  If it needs a pollinator you will need to get a 2^nd tree of the same kind of fruit but a different variety.  This means you may need a Jonathan apple tree and a Delicious apple tree.  Many tree catalogs and nurseries will tell you which varieties to choose from. They will have lists of which trees can cross-pollinate.

If you buy a self-pollinator or you have neighbors just over the fence with a pollinator on their property, you will not need to worry about this.  

Goal of a 3 month supply:  The LDS church in the last few years has changed how it is encouraging members to build up their food storage.  It has become apparent that most members do not have a 1 year supply of food and too many members feel overwhelmed with the thought of working toward that goal and give up.  So, with that in mind, the church is now telling us to have a goal of a 1 month supply of food.  (basic, everyday foods you commonly eat.)  Then build up to a 3 month supply of these same foods.  After you have those foods, keep building up your storage until you have at least a 1 year supply of your foods, cleaners and toiletries.  Could your family make do without needing to go to a grocery store for a year? The ultimate goal your family should be working on is a 1 yr supply, not just 1-3 months.  The average time for a full-time worker to find a new job making a decent wage is still 8-9 months.

Storing sugars and Sweeteners:

White sugar:  If stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place it can be stored indefinitely.

Brown Sugar:  It stores well in the original bags if you keep it in a cool, dry place.  It also has an indefinite shelf life.  Put purchase date on each bag.  Personally, I try to keep as many of my foods as possible in something that will keep weevils out.  You could get a 5 gal. bucket or smaller one and keep many bags of brown sugar in there.  Over time brown sugar gets hard.  If using hard sugar you can put some in a smaller container and add ½ slice of bread for a day to soften it. You can also soften it just before using by warming it up in the microwave.

Powdered Sugar:  It can be stored in the original bags in a cool, dark place.

Honey:  Honey can be stored nearly forever!  It does darken with age and will have a stronger flavor but it is still very usable.  Pure Honey will eventually crystallize.  If crystallized, just melt it at a low temperature to use.  If you buy honey in a very large quantity you can transfer it right away to canning jars.  Put the date on a new lid and screw the canning lid band on tightly.

Maple Syrup:  It stores well for at least a year if kept in a cool, dark place.

Jams and Jellies: If kept in a cool, dark place they can be stored for quite a few years. (The only ingredients are berries/fruit, sugar and pectin).  As with any foods, if the lid is not sealed anymore and there is ANY sign of spoilage, you should throw it away.

Agave: Pasteurized Agave produced by C&H has a shelf life of 2 years.

  The Above information was gleaned from an article written by Leslie Probert in the Deseret News.  She is the co-author of “Food Storage in a Nutshell” 3^rd Edition.

Canning Bulk Foods in #10 Cans

Canning Bulk Foods

How many # 10 Cans will I need?

I have estimated these numbers using the most common bulk weights available.  Very often there will be some left-over after canning.  Take the left-overs home and use or store right away.  Please print out and keep with other food storage papers. NOTE: all products need oxygen absorber packets except for sugar.

 

20 lbs      Rice                                 3 cans

25 lbs      Rice                                 4 cans

25 lbs     Oats                                  9 cans

15 lbs     Dried Apple Slices         15 cans

35 lbs     Dried onions, chopped  14 cans

25 lbs     Sugar                                  4 cans

25 lbs     Flour/pancake mix          5 cans

25 lbs    Wheat                                4 cans

50 lbs   Wheat                                  9 cans

35 lbs    Hash browns                   11 cans

25lbs     Beans, various                 5 cans

10lbs pancake mix                        2.5 cans

 

 

 

These items will fit in 1 can:

10 packets of Knorr Rice Mixes such as Spanish Rice.  Open each packet and pour in can.  1 packet is 1 ¼ C.  Write cooking instructions on lid of can.

2 lbs of Rotini pasta

2 lbs of large sea shell pasta

2 lbs of bow tie pasta

2 lbs of egg noodles

3 1/3 lbs of macaroni

3-4 lbs of spaghetti if broken and carefully placed upright in can.

3 lbs of powdered sugar

5 lbs of salt

 

Bagged potato Pearls      (2 bags will fill a can).  1 Full case is 12 bags.  Weavils can eat thru these bags.  It is recommended to put them in cans and seal or put into a 5 gallon bucket.  Potato Pearls have a shorter shelf-life.  Eat within 2-3 years!

 

    

September 2013 Newsletter

Good items to dry-pack in #10 cans:  wheat, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, pastas of all kinds, white rice, (no brown rice), all dry beans, pancake mix, powdered milk, cocoa, and puddings.

Nearly all of the Home Storage Centers in the church are now offering all of the dry goods already in the #10 cans.  You do not need to do the work yourself.  You can buy your foods in bulk, by the can or by the case.  The Sandy Home Storage Center now takes ALL forms of payment.  You can find an order form online at www.providentliving.org to search for it if needed, look under “self-reliance”, then “food storage”, and then “Home Storage Center Order Form”. 

Product Highlight of the month:   Ball Blue Book and Bottled Lemon Juice

                           

If you plan on doing any canning, freezing or dehydrating this fall you will want to have both of these products.  “The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving” not only shows you everything you need to know about canning, it also covers freezing and dehydrating.  It also has hundreds of recipes and great color photos.  This book is usually in stock anywhere canning supplies are sold.  The lemon juice is a great and cheaper alternative to Fruit Fresh.  Use it in cold water to preserve the color of fruits such as peaches, pears and apples before placing in your canning/freezing containers.  You can also add 2 T. to each quart of tomatoes to increase the acidity.  Most stores carry a generic version of this name brand product.

The "must-have-book" for canning

bottled lemon juice can be used in place of Fruit Fresh

What to do with all of those tomatoes:  Tomatoes are one of the most versatile fruits/veggies to grow.  Bottle them whole, make your own bottled tomato juice, make salsa, or make meat-less spaghetti sauce and bottle.

Wendy’s no-measure canned Spaghetti sauce 

Lots of ripe tomatoes, scalded and peeled

Chopped onions and garlic cloves (can use dehydrated onions)

Fresh or dehydrated bell peppers, chopped

Italian seasoning or 1 bay leaf and basil, oregano, salt and pepper

Do not add any meat or cheese products to this at this time!

(Sorry this does not have measurements.  Sometimes I just cook like Grandma did, to taste.)  Simmer for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Mash tomatoes with a potato masher too.  Once it reaches the consistency you desire, pour into prepared quart canning jars.  Wipe rims clean and place prepared lids and rings on.  Process in a waterbath or steam canner for 40 mins.  When ready to use, just open jar and add to cooked ground beef if desired. Add in the parmesan cheese before serving. (If you were to put cooked ground beef in it before processing, it would HAVE TO BE PRESSURE CANNED.) 

October 2013 Newsletter

Things to do this month: 

Stock-up on facial tissues and medicines. Update your immunizations.

Replace batteries in smoke detectors and test them.

Finish harvesting and clean out garden beds.  Empty composter into garden beds and mix in.

Drain hoses and store for the winter.  Turn off and drain all sprinklers.

Clean out gutters.  Check for any water damage. Make repairs as needed.

What to do with Green Tomatoes when frost is in the forecast:

The first option is to cover the tomato plants in the evening and uncover in the morning.  Watch the weather forecast daily, it can change quickly.

If you get tired of covering and uncovering your tomatoes or it is late enough in the season that it will stay too cold for them to ripen, you can pick them while still green.

Pick green tomatoes and place in boxes with alternating layers of newspaper.  Tomatoes, newspaper, tomatoes, newspaper…  Store boxes in the basement.  Check the tomatoes about every-other day.  As they are almost ripe, remove and place in the kitchen to finish ripening.  Then use in sauces or can or freeze. There are several recipes in the Ball Blue Book that use green tomatoes.  They will have a slightly different texture ripening this way but they will ripen.  This is a slow method, yes, but at least they will not go to waste.  I have a couple family members who grew up in Idaho and they did this and I finally had to start doing this.  It really works.  If you have lots of tomato plants you could be canning well into November. 

Product Highlight of the month:   Fruit Picking Basket/Harvester

If you have fruit trees, this little tool will be very handy.  Use it to reach fruit that is out of reach, even with a ladder.  No more leaving tons of fruit at the top of the tree for the birds.  Attach the basket to a pole or broom stick.  The “fingers” at the top are bent and will grab limbs with fruit.  Give the basket a tug and the fruit will fall into the basket.  It will hold several apples at a time.  It comes with a foam cushion in the bottom. These are sold on-line through several different retailers.