Halloween...now and future

Halloween is coming soon.  Sure you  might be almost ready for this year, with house decorations, candy and costumes, but what if the SHTF? What will you do?

No matter the situation, most children will expect trick-or-treating, or at least donning costumes for a party. They will miss the candy and treats, and have a hard time accepting that their traditional Halloween won't happen at least that year.

First, take advantage of dollar stores to stock up on hard candies NOW. Store out of reach of children, roaches and rodents. Use only for super-special occasions, which will make it last a long time.  Then start new traditions that don't rely on spending money money money!

Have you considered what to do? Here are a few suggestions:

• Keep old costumes and face paint. Dress up!
• Instead of loads of candy, have them search for a few pieces of hard candies (non-perishable, like dum-dum suckers or hard mints) around the house. We hide them like Easter eggs!
• Have a few close friends over for a meal with easy-to-make dishes and a costume contest.
• Observe the real meaning of "All Hallows' Eve" and remember those who have died ... friends, family and saints (hallows). Have the kids draw pictures of these people, gather natural items like sticks, rocks and leaves, and create a special altar with all of this in remembrance of them.
• Make this day your harvest festival! Gather neighbors and family to harvest. Start the preserving whether by canning or dehydrating. Having many hands to slice makes quick work! The kids can bob for apples after collecting them for storage.

What do you think your family could do to celebrate Halloween if there are no sources for costumes or candy, and trick-or-treating is not safe?

Grab and Go Cooking Bucket

If you are planning to bug-out in case of an emergency situation, do you have all of your cooking equipment gathered together? Suggestion, get a 5-gallon bucket (like the one to the right, or a bright-orange bucket from Home Depot IF you don't mind being bright and visible!) and store these items:

• Cooking pot with a lid (pot first in bucket, rest of items nested in and on top of it. The lid will be on top of all items in bucket)
• Mixing bowl (nested in pot)
• Aluminum foil (for easy clean-up from cooking)
• Matches, lighters, fire-starters
• Can opener (test it to make sure it won't fall apart!)
• Utensils for eating and cooking
• Dishes for eating: bowls, mugs, plates
• Pot holder(s)
• Dish towels
• Soap for washing dishes

IF you have any room leftover, nestle into corners small packages of dehydrated fruit and veggies, protein bars, bacon pieces, SPAM or tuna singles, etc. Use every bit of space, but don't weigh it down too much so you can easily carry it for a long period of time.

Thanks for the notes, Shayla!

Alas, Babylon - use as a guide for food storage

I recently read the book "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, published in 1959 but republished in 2005. I'll review the book on http://www.colorado-preppers.blogspot.com/ tomorrow but for now... just note that it's a must-read for what people most want when they suddenly have to go from a "modern" life to bare-bones civilization pre-electricity and pre-running water.

What I hadn't given previous thought to is honey. Yes, I knew people, especially kids, would need sweets as comfort food, but now I realize that it's more than that. It's a necessary food-store item for calories, sweet-taste, cooking, comfort, and it's a great antibiotic "ointment".

Another thought is salt. I don't salt anything because I have high blood pressure, but I know salt is in a lot of processed foods, and naturally occurs in some vegetation. It's also used to cure meats. When the main characters ran out of salt, they became confused, lethargic, nauseated, tired, headaches, disoriented and more. Hyponatremia (low sodium) can also progress to muscle twitching, seizures, coma and death. Although I don't use salt, I have 5 25-pound bags stored. Might want to get more.

I liked how the central cast of characters thought a little ahead and create a still for when the corn and sugar cane would be ripe. Once they made the "white lightening", they traded it for other things, but also the one doctor used it as an antiseptic. Think ahead: are you growing potatoes (vodka)? Hops, barley and some yeast (beer)? Honey (meade)? Grapes (wine & vinegar)? Apples (soft and hard cider, vinegar)? Elderberries (wine, syrup)? Molasses and yeast (rum)? Fruit, brewer's yeast and sugar (all kinds!)? You better believe that I'll be making lots of these, but meanwhile, I have a few bottles put away of various liquors.

Coffee isn't locally grown, so it became extremely valuable in trading. When the main character found a tin of coffee he has put aside, months after his last taste, he practically screamed with joy. People were willing to barter almost anything for coffee. I found the following list of drinks that have at least some of the caffeine jolt:
•Green tea*. Full of antioxidants, comes in many varieties.
•Black tea*. Strong flavor, good with milk, large variety of options. Has half as much caffeine as coffee.
•Licorice tea. Has a sweet flavor and nourishes the adrenal glands.
•Siberian ginseng tea. Nourishing herbal tea. Has a tonifying effect on the body.
•Yerba maté. No caffeine, but has a stimulating effect.
•Chocolate powder*. Has a bitter, coffee-like taste with a mild stimulating effect when unsweetend.

If you've read this book, let us know what you've given thought to because of it. Thanks!

Food Prices Gonna Rise? More?

I keep following links from blogs about how the prices of food stuffs (like rice, wheat and cocoa) are gonna rise big-time and soon. I've been reading that for a while, and I myself posted something to that effect a while ago.

Yes, I see prices increasing. Yes, I see supplies decreasing. But here I am, tucked in my comfy temporary home, all snug and warm, with pantry bursting and closets filled to the brim, while a blizzard rages outside. Over a foot of snow in the last 20 hours or so, and still more expected over the next 24.

We keep a list of supplies we'd like more of, and when prices are low, we stock up. We have enough potatoes, rice, beans, peas, dried fruit/veggies, canned fruit and soups, cocoa, flours (regular and gluten-free), quinoa, amaranth, and much more for probably 9 months. NOT that we're gonna be home-bound that long! Please?!?

So keep a sharp eye out for the grocery circulars, and pop into Costco or Sam's Clubs when you get a chance. Personally... we're asking family and friends for gift card to Amazon.com for birthday and holiday gifts so we can get more cans of powdered rice milk (pic above) and more.

BPA in canning jars

I just read a post about how Bisphenol-A (BPA) is part of the rings, lids and seals that we use to preserve our harvests. BPA is a poison. Here's a link about the effects of BPA: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/484739_5

Check out these links:
- http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/is-there-bpa-in-your-home-canning.php
- http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=921820
- http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/home_canning_faq/42.php
- http://frugalcanning.blogspot.com/2009/09/used-jar-lids.html

That's just a small sampling.

BPA has even been found in some baby food jars! Yes, those we find at the grocery store! AND supposedly in most pre-canned products on any grocery shelf.

Those purported to have BPA in the lids/rings are Ball, Kerr, Golden Harvest, and Bernardin brands. I heard a rumor that Weck Canning jars don't have BPA but can't find confirmation on their website ... they don't even address it.

This makes me very glad that I dehydrate almost everything.

I gotta figure out an alternative to canning. It was bothering me, anyway, about how I needed to buy new lids every year. What did people do to "put up" their harvests before jars were invented?

Tummy Trouble Foods

Have you heard of the BRAT diet?

Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast

This is recommended when you have stomach problems, like nausea and diarhea. Since the swine/H1N1 flu causes these problems, you should make sure your food stores include:

• Bananas (fresh for immediate use, or dried or jarred baby food for long term storage)
• Rice (instant, long cook, rice cakes, etc. - NO pilaf or other ingredients that could harm delicate stomachs)
• Applesauce (jarred or individual servings, make sure natural, with no sugar added, no fruit flavors, etc.)
• Toast (freeze or refrigerate bread to eat plain, plain soda crackers for long term storage)

If milk products "stop you up", then feel free to eat some plain yogurt or simple cheese on toast or soda crackers.

Mylar vs Seal-a-Meal

Question: has anyone done cost-comparison and effectiveness-comparison between using mylar bags and vacuum sealing with seal-a-meal?

I just called Seal-A-Meal and the lady who answered the phone didn't have any info comparing seal-a-meal to mylar bags. She'd never heard of them. But stated that foods should follow the guidelines in seal-a-meal product booklet:

Pantry:
Cereal - 6-12 months
Coffee, ground - 1-2 years
Flour - 1-2 years
Nuts - 1-2 years

That doesn't seem like a long time. I really need more information.

STOP!

Just talked with the lady's supervisor, Sheila, and she said that as long as you get all of the air out, dry goods properly sealed in a seal-a-meal bagging could last 5-7 years! Thanks, Sheila.

A side note: I will use oxygen absorbers, not in the seal-a-meal bags but 10-15 per 4-gallon bucket. Well, I guess I'm gonna be sealin'-my-meals when I'm over this flu!

Question: Will a seal-a-meal machine seal mylar bags?

= = = =

As a side-note, I've broken down and am ordering 26 4-gallon square buckets with lids. I chose 26 so that I can pack 2-weeks worth of food in each - from rice, beans, peas, lentils, gluten-free pancake mix and pastas, dried fruit, spices, tea, powdered milk and eggs, etc. We received a seal-a-meal as a wedding present, and, barring a relapse of the flu, will start unpacking boxes, organizing our food stores, and sealing up 2 weeks at a time.

Food Storage Shelf Life

I just got an e-mail from a good friend that stated a lot of canned food and properly-stored dry good will last a long time. Here's the jist:

When stored away from light and heat, in airtight moisture-proof containers at temperatures between 40-70 degrees F:

30+ YEARS
-wheat
-corn
-white rice

30 YEARS
-apple slices
-macaroni (pasta)
-rolled oats
-potato flakes

20 YEARS
-powdered milk

INDEFINITE
The following items have an indefinite shelf life (last a very very long time!) when stored in the original packaging, away from heat and light and moisture (and bugs/rodents!):
-salt
-baking soda
-granulated sugar

Canned foods when stored away from moisture (to prevent rusting of cans) and away from variations in temperature (not in attic or garage) should last 20, 30, 100 years! These include jams, fruits, veggies, and even meats! The vitamins and nutrients degrade but studies show protein levels stay pretty much the same, although the taste ain't all that great!

For items I grow myself, I've been dehydrating then using a seal-a-meal and storing small baggies in mason jars (unprocessed). I'd like to re-pack some of my supplies. I used to buy bulk dried fruits from http://www.justtomatoes.com/ because my kid loves them but am switching to www.thereadystore.com because they have better prices. Need to buy blackberries, blueberries, mango and green peas... he loves these!

Sorry... I digressed! When I buy pasta and huge bags of rice (among other things(, I'd divide in smaller portions and seal-a-meal'd them. But I don't want to keep doing that. I'm thinking I'd like to seal in a mylar-bag and put in a bucket (used and cleaned icing bucket from bakeries). Will buy the supplies after we move (hopefully within another month).

Here's a link for the mylar supplies: http://www.survivalunlimited.com/buckets.htm

I would also like to #10 can (that's the can that things from Providant Pantry come in) my own supplies but I can't find a supplier for a non-Mormon. Anyone have a link and a cost?

NOTES:
1. The info above said "wheat" or "corn" - not the flour made from those. Grains should be stored whole, and ground when ready to use.

2. I can't find info on storing gluten-free grains like quinoa. I'm going to assume that properly sealed in mylar bags or #10 cans that the whole grains of quinoa, amaranth, etc. should be good for at least a couple of years. Hope so.

3. The info said "pinto beans" - sure am hoping it's good for other legumes, like lentils, split peas, black turtle beans, white navy beans, etc. We just don't like pinto beans much.

4. Not on the list was honey but we've all heard the story of honey from ancient Egyptian tombs that was still edible and delicious.

5. Before I store bought-rice, I always freeze it for 2 days to kill any bugs. Starting to do that with almost everything I buy to store!

6. I just read that a lot of dry goods can be preserved in quart canning jars, with just the tight seal of lids and rings, and not processing. Anyone done this?

Shortcut: Onions, Garlic, Herbs and Veggies

Here in Colorado, it's Fall bordering on Winter. Our best growing season is over. So, if you didn't garden this year and are worried about providing decent food for your family, it's not hopeless. This posting will give you a shortcut on providing a few essentials additions to your dishes.

Check out your local health food store. Near where I live are several locations of Vitamin Cottage. If you don't have a V.C. in your area, get out your phone book and call up health food stores to find out if they have the following:

• Onion flakes: These are diced onions that have been dehydrated. I usually buy every bag they have out. If the section labeled "onion flakes" is empty, I find a clerk and ask! Sometimes they have more in the back and sometimes they are waiting to dry more. Sometimes I rehydrate them and use as regular just-diced onions. Most often, I leave them as is and use these while making taco meat, spaghetti sauce, stew, crock pot meals, roasts, etc.
• Garlic flakes or granules: I prefer the flakes even though they look almost as small as a granule. Again, this is garlic dehydrated. These are still pretty potent and really add a great garlic taste, whether rehydrated before adding to a dish, or during cooking.
• Spinach flakes: These are spinach leaves chopped and dried. Sprinkled on salads, add to spaghetti sauce, or rice. Remember that spinach has iron and calcium so we try to add them to our meals several times a week.
• Soup Vegetables: This is a combination of dehydrated veggies like potatoes, celery, parsley, carrots and more. This can be powdered (see below), or added to sauce, stews, chicken bakes, and more. Or, here's a novel idea, make soup with them! One bag of soup veggies makes one decent pot of soup.
• Parsley flakes: Same as spinach. Doesn't have as much flavor as fresh parsley but still provides great nutrition.
• Herbs: they have chives, borage, thyme, and many many bags of dried herbs. Good not only for cooking but also holistic treatment of ailments.

The above aren't very expensive. A $3.00 bag of garlic flakes should last you a couple of months.Each comes in a plastic twist-tied bag, marked with contents and price. They aren't marked "organic", but I think they are pretty close. And they don't have any additives - just what's on the ingredients section.

Most of the above can be found in V.C.'s bulk item section, along with other herbs, nuts, seeds, TVP (textured vegetable protein), granola, beans, and much more. Check out the entire section.

When you bring these home, mark on the bag the date you purchased them. Then store them in the original bag but placed inside something airtight like a mason jar. Include a dessicant package (moisture-eater) if you have some (we save them from new shoes or vitamin bottles). No need to process by canning; just seal tightly. Store in cool place, away from light. I have my VHTS color brown paper bags, cut to fit, as labels.

POWDERED: If you need to get more veggies into your children, use a spice or other grinder to turn them into a powder. This will hide the color and individual tastes. We call this our "all-vegg powder". Add to mashed potatoes (covered with cheese), rice, into mac-n-cheese, pizza sauce, etc.

Eating to Boost The Immune System

I don't plan on taking the H1N1 Flu Virus vaccine that supposedly will help prevent the "swine flu". I don't believe it, and really doubt that the vaccine came about while this virus is still mutating.

I've done my own research and am working to change my eating habits and food storage plan to go through this naturally. Here's our plan:

• Lots of fresh vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, with gluten-free grains (for 2 of us but the 3rd gets other grains too).
• Very little cooking to preserve nutrients.
• Minimize processed foods. Processing foods into chips, candy and etc. takes out vitamins and other nutrients.
• Cut out dairy products. Milk from dairy animals can cause an increase in mucous production. We've switched to supplemented rice milk and hemp milk. (Can't have soy milk.)
• Cut out flesh products. We're not going 100% vegan or even vegetarian but we're minimizing. I recently saw a special on PBS that discussed how horrible the meat processing is ... and it's so bad that many meat inspectors become vegetarian. Meat is recommended to be fully cooked not because of the intrinsic nature of the meat but because it almost certainly has e-coli or other bacteria that needs to be cooked to be eaten safely. Except for tuna and some bacon (probably), we're working to become mostly no-meat people.
• Garlic. I have lots of dried garlic and will add that everywhere and every chance I get.
• Increase Vitamin D levels. It appears that Vitamin D levels are lower in the Winter when we're less exposed to sunlight. I'm storing rice milk supplemented with Vit D and the actual capsule/pill supplements. We'll also sun ourselves on the patio whenever we can.
• Pro-biotics. Supplements, sauerkraut (for hubby because... ew!), kefir, etc.
• Sugar - cut it out! We like honey in our rice and oatmeal, but I'm working to at least cut it back to one tablespoon per meal. We don't use white sugar. I like a little stevia in my tea but can do without. We eat a lot of fruit but since it has a lot of sugar in it - albeit natural - we'll cut it back.
• Blueberries. Yes, I know, blueberries are fruit but they are a superfood and great for the immune system. I have a lot of dried blueberries stocked up, and we'll have one small "dixie" cup each day with lunch.
• Lots of liquids. Keep things moving along with lots of water. Don't skimp.
• Elderberry capsules. Starting with the first sign of Winter, we'll be taking one a day. Should I come down with a respiratory-something, we'll take elderberry syrup/extract.
• Vitamin C... well, this one everyone knows. Goldenseal and echinacea are absolute musts for supplements.

Other things to do:

• Get lots of rest to help the body fight off viruses and bacteria.
• Use coping mechanisms to deal with stress - talk, throw pillows, scream, cry, hug, etc.
• Exercise is essential to get the body in shape to fight off illnesses, but also produces adrenalin and endorphins and helps the circulatory system.
• Wash hands often. Everything I touch has already been touched by someone else... shopping cart handles, items in the grocery store, car door handles, door knobs, money, etc. Keep hand cleaners handy, but don't use too much because we need some bacteria! Buy a good plain chemical-free soap. Even a "dry-rub" (rubbing your hands together for 3 minutes to get rid of the top layer of skin) is a good substitute when you can't get to a sink and soap.

We've set up an indoor grow room in our home (with grow lights). We are planting seeds for string beans, shelling peas and cucumbers. We already have 2 tomato plants, and 2 buckets with strawberry plants. We'll add parsley, zucchini, spinach and carrots when we figure out where to put them! This is in addition to veggies we've already dried.

We are also going to be raising quail soon. This can be done indoors, with very little evidence to people who don't come into the home or garage (not much of a smell or sounds). We'll be eating the eggs - 4 quail eggs equal 1 small chicken egg. Good source of protein.

2009-10 Winter Prediction

As you know, I live in Colorado with my little family. The weather here has been very very weird for the last couple of years, and this Summer was quite unusual. Compared to 2008 with scorching heat and very little rain, this 2009 Summer has been actually cool, with periods of intense rain and no days thus far over 100 degrees.

By watching the signs, studying animals and plants, intuition, and reading everything I can... I'll give the following prediction for this area:

The Winter of 2009/2010 will come early, be hard, and stay long.

I'm quite sure I don't even need to discuss how the H1N1 flu virus will affect our Winter. This all being said, we are very stocked up on not only food and water, but also medical supplies, quilts, mittens, ski masks, and more.

Are YOU prepared for this Winter?

Staple Storing in Groups

My post from yesterday got me thinking.... I might not have written yet about how I store certain staples, like beans, peas and rice. Thought I'd do that today.

As you know, we're pretty picky eaters, with dietary allergies and other problems. I have to pick what we buy to eat and store (ok, same thing!) very carefully. I don't really store wheat since only one person in the family can have it. Same with soy, tree nuts, peanuts, and cow's milk dairy. Most of what I'm storing is gluten-free, and I store things in groups to make sure we have all the ingredients to make certain things.

The following packages are gathered up, placed in seal-a-meal packaging along with a recipe and informational card and a couple of bay leaves, and sealed up. Then they are put into a plastic storage bucket, contents marked on a sheet on the outside of the bucket, and marked in our inventory. Very careful to note expiration dates, especially for the special flours or grains. (Note: I don't store millet because it needs refrigeration.)

Package 1:
-Small bag green split peas
-Small bag brown rice
-Small jar real bacon pieces
-Small baggie dried onion pieces

Package 2:
-Small bag lentils (any color)
-Small bag white rice
-Tiny baby-food jar garlic powder

Package 3:
-Small bag white beans (navy usually)
-Small bag grain: quinoa or amaranth
-Small tomato paste
-Small bag dried onion pieces
-Small bag dried garlic pieces
-Small baggie brown sugar

Package 4:
-small package adzuki or anasazi beans
-small package gluten-free oats
-small tomato paste
-small baggie brown sugar (times 2)
-small jar real bacon pieces
-small onion powder

Package 5:
-1 jar unsalted sunflower seeds
-small package cornmeal

Package 6:
-package of teff flour or coconut flour
-package of potato starch
-package of sorghum flour
-package of garbanzo-bean flour
-tiny baby-food jar of baking soda
-tiny baby-food jar of xanthum gum

Package 7:
-2 packages of rice crackers
-2 large cans chunk chicken
-2 small cans tuna in water
-3 single-servings of Spam (for hubby)
-1 squeeze mayo
-1 squeeze pickle relish

In a survival situation (whether a worsening of economy or otherwise), each package will last our family of 3 for 1 meal per day for 3 days, IF we are careful about portion control. More or less. Yes, we'll be eating the same protein meal for 3 days in a row, but we get to look forward to what the next package will be!

I'd take pictures but we're still in major upheaval with selling the house, moving, etc.

So... anyone else do something similar to this?

Storing powders in mason jars

A recent comment: "Please tell me your process for storing powders in Mason jars. I have been putting cake mixes in the wide mouth jars still in the bag. But I tried to do the same thing with Pancake mix and it would not go in the jar. I worry about the powder getting in my Food Saver and it suddenly stop working. That would be a terrible thing! Thanks for all you do. GRITS"

Great question.

First, I tend to use the larger wide-mouth jars... mason, ball, etc. Second, since I was talking about the small bags of gluten-free flours, they will usually fit.

However, I've found a resource for certified gluten-free oats and those bigger bags don't fit in my mason jars. Here's the 2 options I've come up with:

Option 1:
Freeze the product to kill any potential bugs (between 2-3 days). Open the original package, and divide into smaller portions using ziploc or other strong baggies. Squeeze out all of the air. Place in the mason "canning" jar. Add a dessicant package and a couple of bay leaves (to keep away critters). Apply lid then ring. No need to process. Mark with contents and any expire date that was on the original package. Sometimes I photocopy (shrink to 50%) the original package and wrap around the inside of the jar before applying lid.

Option 2:
There are other ways to do this one. Gather those large glass pickle jars. Except, well, not pickles because anything you store in those jars will smell like pickles. Go through Sam's Club or Costco or even Wal-Mart and look at the bulk condiment section... salsa, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc. Need not be glass. Place what you're storing in the big jar/container. Again, add dessicant packages and bay leaves, seal and mark.

I've even used a super-large plastic coffee container, emptied, cleaned, and loaded with small bags of coffee beans!

I recently found a huge bulk pancake mix (just add water kind of thing) in the bakery markdown section at my local grocery, for $3.00. I froze to kill any bugs, then scrubbed out an old huge mayo container. Perfect!!

Let me know if this answers your question, GRITS.

Buying Gluten-Free Long-Term-Stored Staples

As you know, we have food allergies and intolerances in our family. As I was perusing the newest "Backwoods Home Magazine" yesterday, I realized I hadn't put away (storing for emergencies) any long-term-stored oil or butter. I took a look at where I get most of my supplies, Emergency Essentials at http://www.beprepared.com/, and took a look at the ingredients for shortening powder, butter powder and margarine powder.

Then I looked at the nutritional info. Shortening powder and margarine powder are made with soybean oil, which my Kid (VHTS) can't have. The butter powder does not have that... just dairy which my Hubby can't have. All three are "processed in a plant that handles dairy, wheat, soybean, peanut, and tree nut products". Which means I can't get any of them because my Kid's behavior would go so completely out of orbit if any of that is eaten.

Plan: I'm gonna keep buying olive oil, and keep working towards getting 2 dairy goats to make our own butter.

Sigh.

But that's not all. Many of these storage places (not just E.E.) don't provide products for people who have food allergies or reactions. I can get some wheat for Hubby, but the Kid and I need gluten-free grains like quinoa, amaranth, rice flour, even cornmeal that hasn't been processed where wheat has been. I realize we're in the minority and it's not cost effective to provide long-term-storage containers of these grains, but it is a little frustrating.

Solution?
Because most of these grains are so expensive, we're buying only a few extra packages every month. (3 brown rice flour, 1 quinoa, 1 amaranth, 1 gluten-free oats, 1 cornmeal, 1 bean flour, 1 teff flour, 1 coconut flour, 1 potato flour, 1 millet flour, 1 sorghum flour). I mark the date, and seal in a mason jar.

We can also grind/mill from our whole grains/etc: rice flour, bean flour and corn flour.

Fun fun.

Powdered Milk for Long Term Storage

Most people stock powdered cow's milk because that's (1) most readily available, and thus (2) cheapest. However, some children are born unable to tolerate the lactose, or adults develop problems over time.

What would happen to your storage plans if you stored only powdered cow's milk... you're in the middle of a 3-month quarantine... and your tummy suddenly can't handle the milk? You either leave it out of your recipes, or you drink it and get sick.

Don't.

Make plans for alternates. There are three that I can think of that can be found in most supermarkets or health food stores, and certainly online at amazon.com:

• powdered goat's milk - it's a bit strong and takes some getting used to. Add a bit of sugar or cocoa powder. My kid loves it! It can be mixed half goat with half rice or soy to change up the taste.
• powdered soy milk - I get the carob flavored because it tastes just like a chocolate malt! Also comes in plain and vanilla. And probably chocolate too.
• powdered rice milk - I like this the best because my kid's tummy can't handle cow or soy milk. Also comes in vanilla, which I find a little too sweet.

Most powdered milks will last a lot longer than the expiration date. Manufacturing plants have to do that for legal reasons. I'm going to tell you that I've opened a carob-flavored soy milk 5 years after the expiration date and not only did it not make me sick, it was pretty tasty. However, I'm also going to do the disclaimer thing because I don't want to get sued: follow expiration dates!

Store in original packaging (sealed cans work best) in a dark cool area. Freeze if necessary. Don't allow to get too warm.

Start stocking now, and using them in your regular rotation. The tastes are a bit different and may take some getting used to. Start now!

Tips for Using Powdered Milk:

• add a tablespoon or two to smoothies for calcium and creaminess
• add 1/4 teaspoon of white table sugar to 2 quarts of reconstituted powdered milk, any kind, for added sweetness
• add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla to reconstituted powdered milk to bump up the taste
• cold milk just tastes better than room-temperature milk
• cold milk in a glass container tastes better than cold milk in a plastic container! Time to use those quart-size mason or bell canning jars!
• my mother would buy a gallon of 2% milk, and when it was half empty, add a half gallon of reconstituted powdered cow's milk... try this if you're working to get your family to accept the taste
• use reconstituted powdered milk when a recipe calls for a creamed soup
• add a tablespoon or two of powdered milk to the instant hot cocoa mix, combine, then add the hot water - makes for a creamier hot chocolate!

Use this link to buy these at amazon.com

Recipe: Zesty Radish Relish

More radishes available from the garden, or fresh from your local farmer's market! This relish is citrusy, sharp and peppery, with a beautiful pink color. Goes well with fish, beef, lamb, bread and cheese, and even nacho-chips!

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded or julienned radishes
1/2 lemon (zest and juice)
1/2 orange (zest and juice)
2 tablespoons table (white) sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt/pepper to taste
water to cover

Directions:
In a wide shallow skillet, place all ingredients with enough water to almost cover ingredients. Turn to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning or sticking, until all water has reduced to just a few tablespoons of buttery syrup. The radishes will be very tender. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers and gently reheat on stove (not in microwave).

I suppose this could be canned but it never lasts long enough in this house, and is just as easy to make fresh from dehydrated radish slices.

Suggestion: Try serving this with your next potluck or big family dinner, and see what kind of reactions you get! I'd love to hear about them.

Alternate: If you have dehydrated radishes into slices, they work well here. Rehydrate for 20-30 minutes in water, drain excess water, and continue as above. Fresh summer taste in the cold in winter.

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Storing Food vs Eating

I just read this posting at http://www.survivalblog.com/ - http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/04/letter_re_save_money_get_prepa.html - great discussion about whether you should eat your stored food, or whether it should be stored until absolutely necessary and needed. Here's a summary:

Brown rice goes bad quickly. Beans get impossible to rehydrate after a while. Pasta gets stale.

When properly stored, white rice, powdered milk, wheat berries, dehydrated veggies and fruit, vacuum-sealed beans, and dried potatoes do well for long term. Canned goods (like fruit cocktail or baked beans) are just fine unless dented and bulging.

So... which side are you on? Do you stock only the basics but you rotate them and eat them regularly so that (1) you can practice preparing/cooking with them and (2) your body gets used to them? OR... do you stock up on the basics and put them away for that special rainy day, while eating "regular food"?

Avian/Bird Flu FOOD Prep

Last week I wrote an article about basic preparedness for the possibility of a bird flu pandemic. Today's will give more info on what foods to store.

Fruits/Veggies: If you don't grow any yourself, that's ok. We buy a lot of dehydrated foods from http://www.justtomatoes.com/. My VHTS loves the dried blueberries, blackberries, mango, peas and soybeans. My favorite are the bananas, strawberries, raspberries and cherries, and Hubby likes the tropical mixture that has pineapple and kiwi. They also have pomegranate, cranberries, peaches, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, corn and much more. The prices are pretty reasonable, especially if you get the larger sizes. We also get a good supply of dried onion, garlic, spinach, parsley and soup veggies from our local health food store, Vitamin Cottage. Gather what you can, and either process by canning, freezing or dehydrating. Have a good supply of foods that your family will actually eat. Remember quick-cooking grains like rice, oatmeal and millet (preserving fuel), and plenty of protein like dehydrated eggs, peanut butter, jerky, nuts and seeds. Be sure to include in your diet (for their anti-viral properties): Onion, Garlic, Shiitake Mushrooms, Green Tea, Cranberries, Turmeric Spice, Red Wine.

Supplements: Stock up on: grape seed extract, grapefruit seed extract, fish oil, ginger, cranberry concentrate, (odorless) garlic oil, high quality multi-vitamin, 1,000 mg vitamin C, 25 mg zinc, and 50 mg selenium. We also are stocking up on echinacea, golden seal, mullein and feverfew. Get lots of ibuprofen and acetaminophen (different classes of drugs so if each says to take one or two every 4 hours, then take 2 ibu and 2 hours later take 2 acet then 2 hours later take another 2 ibu and so on.) We've also heard conflicting reports about colloidal silver - you decide.

Store water: can't emphasize that enough. Usually it's recommended to have one gallon per person per day for drinking, cooking, and cleaning (body and other). I've tried to get by on 2 liters (a re-filled soda bottle) and sometimes do ok.

Cleanliness: You MUST keep yourself clean to help your immune system. And face it.... you do NOT want to use your bottled drinking water for cleaning. It's certainly understandable. So we store (and use regularly just to be in the habit) baby wipes (sometimes). We buy a big box at a time at Wal-Mart of the cheapest unscented baby wipes we can find. It takes no time at all to swipe one over a growing 12-yr-old boy's face, buzzed-haircut-head, hands, underarms and, er, other places.

Storage: When we get a large container of dried pomegranate seeds from http://www.justtomatoes.com/, we divide them up into small snack-size baggies, seal, and store all in a mason jar. When we finish one, we open the jar, pull out a snack baggie, and close the jar back tightly. One baggie lasts a while. ... ... ... ... ... Store tomato paste instead of tomato sauce (less space). Use a lot of peanut butter? Get the dehydrated peanut butter powder and use some of your water stores to rehydrate (check out http://www.beprepared.com/). Not enough storage room? Look under your bed: you can fit quite a few cans under there. Or your linen or broom closet. In the spare bedroom/bathroom. Or fill up a long-lasting great-sealing trash can with super-sealed stuffs and bury it in your backyard (make a map!). Make a list of what you actually use on a regular basis, acquire your stock (a little at a time is fine) and start writing out recipes. Forgot to add salt to your list? Get some. Forgot you need a little cumin for your favorite rice dish? Pick up some on your next grocery trip. Now is the time to experiment and make sure you have the things stored you need to provide nutritious meals for your family members (and pets) in case you are forced to live off of what you store. (Note: this is the essence of why people come to this website: to have enough food stored in case of blizzards, power outages, economic disasters, or pandemics. Your comments as to what you are preparing are appreciated!)

What can YOU think of?

Raw Food Diet on Stored Foods?

My health is horrible. I eat junk, even though I'm supposed to be getting healthy by changing my eating habits. I'm a cheeseburger and pizza junkie. I love cookies and cakes and ice cream. I try to eat a lot of stored foods, but I need to get out of the MickeyD's cheeseburger/Big Mac mindset to enjoy them. I'm a really picky eater; I don't like most cooked vegetables but I'll eat them raw. However, the taste of them changes when they are dehydrated, which is necessary to make them last over the Winter.

A wonderful lady, Susan Schenck, is considering donating her book "The Live Food Factor" to our blog contest but that got me thinking. I did the raw food diet a few years ago, and felt great while on it. Then I slipped and couldn't get back on for various reasons.

Now, I'm wondering. Is it possible to get back on the raw food diet and actually survive on it via stored foods if confined for a long while?

I went over my list of stored foods. Here's what we store that qualifies as raw:
-dehydrated fruits
-dehydrated vegetables
-beans/peas/lentils/soybeans
-rice and corn pasta
-rice? cornmeal? oats?
-pre-ground flax seeds (40 oz container-expires 2 years unless opened)
-frozen walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, peanuts

I'm sure I missed a few things.

And I'd have to grind the vegetables into a powder (all-vegg powder) to make them palatable (to me).

Our garden can/has produced the following, which we can either freeze (not preferred in case of loss of electricity) or dehydrate:
-peanuts
-corn
-sunflowers
-eggplant
-beans, including string and soybeans
-peas
-tomatoes
-okra
-peppers (bell and hot)
-greens
-radishes
-carrots
-etc.

On our homestead we'll plant lots of fruit and nut trees so we'll have those to freeze or otherwise store (almonds, pecans, walnuts, filberts, apples, pears, nectarines, etc.). Bushes of cherries, blueberries, cranberries and elderberries. Vines of grapes and passionfruit.

Plus we have growing inside year round a couple of tomato plants. In the Winter we grow carrots, radishes and greens like lettuce and spinach. We just started adding sprouts to our indoor "gardening". Could possibly add blueberry to year-round. Possibly strawberries. If we get/build a house with a big south-facing room with lots of windows, we could grow even more, like the lime/lemon/tangerine tree, banana tree plants, and more.

So... I could, depending on the availability, eat a fresh salad every day from our indoor and outdoor garden with a variety of veggies to go in it. I could eat my special crackers (below) with a variety of nut butters, salsa, guacamole, or raw hummus. Fresh or rehydrated fruit drizzled with homestead honey. Gazpacho (raw soup with tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.).

When I was full-on gluten-free a couple of years ago, I learned how to make a raw flax cracker. (Will post recipe soon - I made one that was unbelievably delicious.) Could grind the beans/peas/lentils/rice and add as "flour" to the cracker, along with the cornmeal/corn masa. Maybe even oats. Could add powdered veggies - the ones I don't like - and spices/herbs to change up the taste. This is a cracker that's dehydrated so it would qualify as raw.

I'm going to look into this and start posting raw-recipes as soon as possible. Perhaps this would help my myriad of symptoms if I'd just get off the junk food. Does a diet that has 85% raw food interest anyone besides me? Vikki

What Do You Tell People?

You have boxes of storange/dried foods mailed to your home. Twice a week you bring lots of bags into the house from the dollar store or grocery or camping store. Friends and neighbors walk to your house to see boxes and storage buckets neatly labeled "peas", "sugar", "rice", "first aid". You practice regularly at the range. You attend gun and ammo shows every chance you get. You order special supplies over the internet. You subscribe and have delivered to your home several militant magazines. You have a warren of rabbits and cages full of "quiet" quail that increase and decrease on a regular basis.

What do you tell people?

That you're planning for the end of the world? For the s*** to hit the fan? For earth changes? For the next blizzard or earthquake or flood?

Yeah, right.

If you tell them all or any of that, chances are they'll be the first people on your doorstep when anything hits the fan. Gas prices go up again? They'll be 'round asking for a couple of gallons from your big reservoir that you'll never miss. Grocery store has a run on bread and milk just before a storm? Hi... can we borrow some bread, milk, meat and rice... just until all of this blows over?

Hmmm...

Here's what we do... since, for the most part, we're kinda anonymous with our blogs. We aren't impossible to find, but still.. our friends and families know we're store some things but ... we just say, our main purpose is to prepare for the next blizzard. For the most part, that's accurate

What do YOU tell people who ask "what on earth do you have all this for?"