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.