Provident Living...72 Hour Kits!

Am I an Ant or a Grasshopper?
Most everyone is familiar with the Aesop's Fable of  "The Ant and the Grasshopper" where the grasshopper had fun and played the summer away while the ants worked dilligently to put away food for the cold winter months to come.  When winter came...he was left out in the cold, unprepared.  It's hard to imagine during times of peace and plenty that a cold winter of hardship and disaster could be lurking just down the road.  The recent tornados, earth quakes, and a bad economy have been an eye opener to many people and have inspired them to get to work...to prepare for hard times ahead.  Cindy's post today at Rick-Rack and Gingham really made me think.  You should visit her blog...she's a true "Country Woman."

72 Hour Kits...

Natalie's 72 Hour Kit

This 72 Hour Kit is one I found on Pinterest. It belongs to Natalie at Endless Crafting, and is one of the best kits I have seen.  She has kits for each member of her family and a binder with important documents.  After I "pinned" this, my husband set me up a shelf unit just like this in the little utility room at the back of my pantry.  Yesterday was spent updating the food and clothing in our individual backpacks and taking inventory of our long term food storage.

My 72 Hour Kit...

As you can see...my 72 hour kit is still a work in progress.  I haven't yet made a binder for our documents. My kit includes individual backpacks of extra clothing, water, first aid supplies and emergency food and snacks for my husband and myself. (I still need to account for my adult daughter and sister who live with us...the cast of characters is ever changing =D)  There is a large duffle with emergency supplies... flashlights, radio, backpacker stove, cooking supplies...the list is very long.  Another backpack holds freeze-dried entrees...enough for almost a week...but there is enough food in our individual packs to hold us for at least 72 hours.  I still need to add cash to my kits...small bills and change

Other evacuation items include a tent, ground covers, sleeping bags, camping pillows and a 5 gallon bucket with a portable toilet seat.  We also have pets that need to be taken into consideration.  We have put together a kit for our dog, Daisy.  But our cats may need to be left in the home...and that may be a difficult situation...keeping them safely contained.  What we can take with us, also depends upon the conditions we will be facing and the time allowed to evacuate.  If we are given little notice, then we may only be able to grab our backpacks.

If you are interested in getting more prepared with an evacuation kit, but don't know how to get started, FEMA has instructions here PDF for FEMA Family Emergency Kits.  Like they say, "It's never to late to prepare until it is."

If you have anything you would like to share on this topic, please leave a comment.

I need all the help I can get. =D

Provident Living...Lavender Liquid Hand Soap!

Lavender...Clean Smelling and Calming

I Heart Pinterest...
I get a great deal of satisfaction when I actually make something from an idea I pinned on Pinterest.  I actually made a Board for things I have accomplished.  It's been a lot of fun to learn how to make my own laundry soaps and household cleaners.  It's amazing how many useful tips and tutorials are available on Pinterest.  This week I was able to make my own liquid hand soap...it was incredibly easy!

The "Pin"

I found the tutorial for making liquid hand soap on a blog called Savvy Housekeeping.  Since she has done such a good job, please visit her blog for the instructions.  I will tell you that I used...

...1 bar of Yardley English Lavender soap...$1

1 Tablespoon of Glycerin...less than $4 per bottle

10 cups of water

Gifts for the church ladies I visit each month.

As the soap mixture was cooling, I added a few drops of lavender essential oil and a few drops of food coloring.  I think they turned out nice.  I was able to make four gifts, refill two bottles of my own and still have enough left to refill another bottle.  So be sure to visit Savvy Housekeeping for more details.

A Birthday Gift Made With Love...

Zetta's Aprons Nesting Dolls!

This past weekend was my birthday.  It was doubly perfect...the weather was beautiful and my family showed me so much love and caring.  I was especially touched by the darling nesting dolls that my youngest daughter, Sascha, painted for me.  They are like anime girls...each wearing a colorful apron.  Sascha has so much talent and a quirky sense of fun...I never know what she will do next.  It's what I love about her! 

 

Where in Disneyland?

This one is probably pretty easy.

I didn't get a guess on the last picture...

The figurehead is located in Fowler's Cove...where the sailing vessel Columbia docks.

 

Provident Living...Emergency Car Kits!

On the road...
Disasters can happen any time.  We've all been taught to have disaster and evacuation kits prepared.  We've learned how to deal with prolonged power failures and what to do in the event of an earthquake or devastating storm.  But what about when you are away from home...on the road somewhere?  I've read stories where people were stuck in snow storms or stranded in the desert when their cars broke down.  Many of the stories had tragic endings which could have been prevented by having an emergency car kit.

Having a well-stocked car will give you a lot more peace of mind and help you to stay calm and focus on what needs to be done.   Prepare your car now, by keeping your gas tank above half-full, check the weather and road conditions before a trip and keep up on the car's maintenance.  You may not have the chance to return home for your 72 hour evacuation kits...so you may want to keep a smaller version in the trunk of each of your vehicles.  I started with a medium size duffle and a couple of milk crates that will fit across the back of the cargo area of my SUV.  The car kit pictured is from Emergency Essentials

Car Kits might include...

• Emergency car tool kit which includes battery cables and a small air compressor. 
• Road atlas 
• First aid kit.
• Windup radio/cell phone recharger.
• Flashlights, headlamp and extra batteries. 
• Auto Buddy tool...this is a light, flasher, window breaker and seat belt cutter.  I keep this in the driver's side door.
• Folding shovel, window scrapers, lock de-icers.
• Jack, lug wrench, tire gauge and a fix-a-flat product.
• Gallon each of windshield washer fluid and anti-freeze.
• Bottled water and 3600 calorie food bars.  (Coast Guard ones are good)
• For warmth:  hand and foot warmers, 10 hour heat candles, water proof matches, extra hats, gloves, and ear warmers.
• For rain:  umbrella, rain jackets.
• Quilts or blankets.  I have a heavy denim one.
• Extra cash (small bills and coins).

This is just a basic list...what I started with.  I am sure there are other things to consider...like if you are traveling with children.  It's hard to prepare for everything...but you can prepare for the most likely.

Don't let this be your next family vacation! =D

"Prepared...Not Scared."

My new motto for provident living.

Provident Living...Canning Butter for a Rainy Day!

Guest Post...How to Bottle Butter!

My good friend Sheryl posted some wonderful information yesterday on her blog Larry and Sheryl Fowler's Fabulous Family.  I have been wanting to can my own butter for shelf storage ever since I heard about it.  Now Sheryl has posted the instructions and has graciously allowed me to repost them here!  On her blog, Sheryl is writing to her children.

Sheryl Writes...

Dad [Larry] and I canned our own butter last year.  Generally I freeze my butter or margarine, but that does take up quite a bit of room if you are trying to store for long term.  Now I will have some margarine in the freezer, but butter on my fruitroom shelf.

Dad and I needed some butter last Sunday and rather than go to the store, I grabbed a jar off the shelf.  I have found this is easy to do and would make a great family home evening and working on your food storage at the same time.  NOTE:  you need to use real butter, not margarine.  I am going to try to grab some everytime I go to Costco for a while so I can stock it up. 

How it Works... 

Heat pint jars (without bands) in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes.  (A dripper pan works well for this.)  One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars.  While the jars are heating, melt the butter slowly (in a large kettle) until it comes to a slow boil.  Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to prevent scorching.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Place the jar lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving to simmer until needed.

Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with [the spatula and using] a measuring cup with spout and handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning funnel.  Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar.

Wipe the tops of the jars, then place on hot lids and screw on the bands tightly.  Lids will seal as the jars cool.  The butter will separate into three layers: foam, oil and milk solids.  Once the lids "pop" and seal, shake the jars to mix your butter.  Do this every 15 minutes or so, until the butter retains more consistency throughout the jar.  (This may take up to an hour our longer.)  When just slightly warm, move jars to the refrigerator for an hour.

Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool dark shelf.  Note: It does not need to be refrigerated onceopened, if used within a reasonable amount of time.

Hope this is something you will do in your family to help with your food storage.

Love,

Mom

Thank you so much, Sheryl, for sharing this information.  I know I will be stopping at Costco this weekend.  Right now they have a much better price on butter than Walmart.  If anyone knows where some killer butter deals are...please share!

It's a chilly Trix colored morning here in Highland.

The leaves are falling from the maples now.

I am so blessed to live in the shadow of these beautiful mountains.

Each season paints its colors on their foothills.

Aspens glinting golden below the granite crags are of more value to me than any jeweled crown.

My heritage lies at their feet and in their canyons.

I am grateful for the Wasatch.

Provident Living...Adventures in Dry Pack Canning!

150 lbs. of Sugar in 45 Minutes!
I've been trying to convince my neighbors and church ladies how easy it is to package bulk foods in #10 cans.  So today I am going to show everyone just how simple it is.

We purchased 150 lbs. of sugar at Costco, joking about it being used as future currency when the country collapses.  (If Glenn Beck says it...it must be so.)  We plan to buy another 150 lbs. next week.

Lindon Home Storage Center
We went to the home storage center to get the cans, lids and boxes.  We figure we will need 48 cans and lids and 8 boxes...each holds 6 cans.  The friendly workers loaded them on a cart for us and we were on our way.  So far, so good.

 This is a dry pack canner for #10 cans, which hold about a gallon in volume.  We have our own, but the Lindon Home Storage Center lends them out for no charge.  They also sell bulk foods like sugar, wheat, beans, nonfat dry milk...several dozen different items.  We bought the canner last year when we decided to help our married children with their emergency food storage.  It's available to any of my neighbors, relatives and friends who want to use it.  It waits patiently on a table in the downstairs kitchen.

Canning the Sugar...
George fills the cans.  One 25 lb. bag of sugar fills 4 cans.  Sugar doesn't require the use of an oxygen absorber, so it is the fastest and easiest item to package.  After the cans are filled, the metal lids are put in place.

Our canner is manual, but there are also electric canners to use at the home storage center. The can is put onto the machine and with only a few turns of the wheel the can is sealed.  Sugar will store for at least 30 years.  We label  and date the cans, then box them up and put them in the store room.  I enjoy seeing the cases of different foods filling up the shelves.  Another time we'll do a post on organizing a store room...it'll make me do a better job on mine.

Cannery Info for Highland 12th Ward...
The four cans on the right took less than 10 minutes to do.  I know you have bags of bulk things sitting in your pantries needing to be packaged.  Here are some things you should know.

1. The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2. You can check out a canner, or do it at the center.  No appointment is needed. First come, first served.
3. Canners checked out on Tuesday are returned Thursday...but if you check one out on Thursday, you can use it all weekend!
4. Most of the canners go out on Thursday.
5. If you are in the Highland 12th Ward (or one of my relatives) you can borrow my canner.
6. The address of the Lindon Home Storage Center is 940 W. Center Street in Lindon, Utah.
7. Phone is 801-785-0997
8. For bulk items pricing and ordering cans, you can print an order form at providentliving.org

Wasn't this fun and easy?  Yes...it is a rhetorical question.  Have another beautful Fall day!

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the Winter storms begin.

Provident Living...Freezable Foods!

Freezable Foods...
Are you emulating the little squirrels, busily storing nuts for winter?  We've been bottling food this fall, but I know a lot of you like to fill your freezers with the fruits of your labors.  I came across a website called Simple Organized Living.  Andrea, the author, has a list of freezable foods. She says, "While I don't claim to be a "Freezable Foods Expert", I have frozen more than my share of foods over the last few years; and I've taught classes on freezing, drying and canning.  So with that said..."

Andrea's List...
She's personally had success freezing everything listed below:

1.  Baked Goods.

• Brownies and Cookies...resealable bags or storage containers.
• Breads, Buns, Muffins and Rolls...double bag to prevent freezer burn and they should be fine for several months.
• Cupcakes and Cakes...You can frost cakes before or after freezing, but if you use store-bought frosting, wait until you defrost the cake.
• Granola...freeze in mason jars or zip-top bags.
• Pies...freeze before baking.

2.  Baking Supplies
"I freeze many of my baking supplies in shoe boxes in our freezer."

• Chocolate..."I store all my baking chocolates in the freezer because I think they keep for much longer this way and taste fresher."
• Nuts...Store nuts in the freezer to keep the oils from going rancid.  She got this tip from Rachel Ray..."so it must be true!"
• Flour and Sugar...I've frozen whole wheat flour, but never considered freezing sugar.

3.  Dairy
Most dairy products should keep at least 6 months.

• Butter/Margerine...just stick the whole package in the freezer.  I date my butter so I can rotate it better.
• Block Cheese...Remember to slice or shred before freezing or it may crumble.
• Cream Cheese...it may be a bit "lumpy" after defrosting, but it stll tastes the same.
• Milk...a good idea if you're leaving on vacation.  Just remember to remove a cup of milk first, because it expands.
• Yogurt...yogurt can be frozen for a delicious, healthy treat.

4.  Fruits and Vegetables
Most of the following tips pertain to fruits.  Andrea has put together a list of 20 vegetables and how to freeze them.  Vegetable Freezing Chart  Herbs can be frozen in ice-cube trays.  Fruit: wash, dry and divide fruit into small portions...this makes it easy to grab what you need.  Fruit should keep for up to a year if properly sealed.

• All Fruits...You can pretty much freeze any fruit you plan to use in smoothies. It will probably be too soggy to just eat when defrosted.
• Berries...Freeze all kinds of berries for pancakes and smoothies.  Keep 2-cup containers of crushed berries for making jam, ice-cream toppings or for berry shortcake.
• Bananas...peel your over-ripe bananas and put 4 in a bag or freezer container.  Most recipes call for 3-5 bananas...so you're probably good with 4.
• Jams and Jellies...the quickest and easiest way to make jam.

5.  Meals
If you make double batches of your favorite foods, you'll always have something ready to defrost for busy days.

• Soups, Stews and Broths...Divide these into 1 or 2 cup portions to defrost quicker.
• Casseroles...you can freeze everything from lasagna, fajitas, enchiladas, chicken dishes and more.  Just make sure the dishes are fully cooked before freezing.
• Pasta Sauce...Freeze leftover pasta sauce and save for the next meal.
• Meat...Freeze any meat, fresh or cooked.  Just make sure it's properly sealed to prevent freezer burn.  Andrea had a well-wrapped turkey in the freezer for 18 months and it was "delicious!"

A Blast of Cold Air From the Past!
Remember when the freezer would get so choked with frost that it looked like the picture on the left?  Whenever I had to "defrost" the "Fridgidaire" the air would be blue with naughty cuss words.  You had to pry everything out...if you could...and turn the knob to "defrost."  What an exercise in misery!  We tried to hurry the process with bowls of hot water...and a hammer and chisel! 

I was still defrosting in the 80's.  Do you mean to tell me I could have had a frost-free Westinghouse?  Grandma Zetta's "Fridgidaire" (her term for all refrigerators) had only a tiny freezer compartment, about the size of a cereal box.  She never froze her left-overs...she gave them to us!

Have a Frosty Freezy Day!

If you know any more tips for freezing food, please tell us in the Comments section!

Provident Living...Emergency Ingredients Substitutes!

Ingredient Substitutes
Have you ever been in the middle of baking something only to find you are out of a crucial ingredient?  Are your neighbors tired of finding you at the door begging for an egg or a cup of sugar?  Instead of running to the store, you might be able to fix it with ingredients you already have!  Thanks to Yummly.com a recipe search engine, I was able to find these useful substitutes.

• Allspice, 1 tsp...1/2 tsp. cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp. ground cloves.
• Baking Powder, 1 tsp...1/3 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar or 1/4 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk (decrease liquid by 1/2 cup).
• Bread Crumbs (Dry), 1 cup...3 slices bread, crumbled.

• Butter, 1 cup...1 cup reg. margerine or 1 cup vegetable shortening (for baking) or 1 cup oil (but only if melted butter is called for).
• Buttermilk, 1 cup...1 T of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make a cup (let sit for 5 minutes).
• Cream/Half and Half, 1 cup...7/8 cup of whole milk plus 1/2 T of butter or 3 T of oil plus enough milk for 1 cup or 1 cup evaporated milk.

• Cocoa, 1/4 cup...1 ounce (sq.) chocolate (decrease butter/oil by 1/2 tsp.).
• Condensed Milk, 1 cup...heat 1/3 cup evaporated milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 2 T butter until dissolved.
• Cornstarch (for thickening), 1 T...2 T of flour, let cook at least 3 minutes longer to thicken.

• Egg, 1 whole egg, 1/4 cup Eggbeaters or 2 T of mayonnaise (for baking batters only).
• Flour (All-Purpose), 1 cup...1/2 cup whole wheat flour plus 1/2 cup of all purpose flour (don't substitute more than 1/2 the flour).  The following require more leavening, so add 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder per cup of flour.  Also recommended, use buttermilk and 1/2 tsp. baking soda instead of milk to decrease heaviness. 3/4 cup rice flour or 1 1/2 cups oat flour or 1 1/4 cups rye flour or 5/8 cup potato starch flour or 1 cup rolled oats or 1 cup fine cornmeal.

• Sugar (Powdered), 1 cup...3/4 cup granulated sugar.
• Sugar (White), I cup...1 cup packed brown sugar or 1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar (not for baking) or 3/4 cup maple syrup (reduce liquid by 3 T).
• Whole Milk, 1 cup...1 cup buttermilk plus 1/2 tsp baking soda (if baking, reduce baking powder by 2 tsp) or 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk, 7/8 cup water, and 2 tsp. butter.
• Plain Yogurt, 1 cup...1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup blended cottage cheese or 1 cup sour cream.

That's it for now.  If any of you know of any tried and true substitutes please let me know.  We may need these some day.

Have a fun and productive day!

Post Script:  Missy writes,"You can also make your own brown sugar and the best thing is it doesn't dry out. All you need is a 12 oz bottle of molasses and 5lbs white sugar. Mix in mixer till the color and texture of brown sugar, about 5 minutes."



Powdered Milk...The Sequel!

I CONFESS...I'VE DONE THIS TOPIC BEFORE!
If you are on my Provident Living Newsletter list, just pretend you've never seen this.  I just knew that if I didn’t find some new and interesting ways to use my powdered milk storage, it would just sit on the shelf gathering dust and losing nutrients.  So I decided to learn how to make my own yogurt.  The best instructions that I came across are in the cute little handbook called “The Family Storehouse” put out by Highland Stake. 

INSTANT OR NON-INSTANT

What could be simpler, I wondered, than a recipe with only three ingredients:  water, powdered milk, and a small container of plain yogurt?  I decided to try it out and…only if I liked it…pass it on to you.  The recipe specified non-instant nonfat milk, not whey-based varieties such as Morning Moos.   I only had instant in my storage, so I went all over trying to find the non-instant.  I finally tracked some down at the “hippie-organic-wheatgrass store” in American Fork and set to work.  The finished product was creamy and yummy, especially with strawberry fruit preserves stirred in.  I was pleased with the result, but didn’t feel I’d saved any money because I had to pay $10 for the milk and almost $3 for the Greek yogurt I used because of its live cultures and higher protein content. 

For my second attempt, I used instant milk, only I doubled the amount called for in the recipe.  And it came to pass (lol) that it worked out even better.   So go ahead and substitute the instant if that’s what you have…but not Morning Moos.  For those who don’t have “The Family Storehouse,” the recipe is as follows:

YOGURT RECIPE—(makes 4 pints—can be doubled for quarts)

2 ¼ cups warm water

2 cups dry powdered milk (or 4 cups instant)

4 ½ cups cold tap water

2/3 cup plain yogurt (no gelatin) this is your start—you will use your own home-made yogurt hereafter.

Mix dry milk and warm water in blender or mixer.  Pour into kettle, foam and all.  Slowly heat to 180 degrees, stirring often to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl containing the cold water, bringing temperature down to below 110.  Spoon off foam and mix in the yogurt start. 

Pour into jars. (I used ½ pint jam jars because they are cute)  Place filled (uncovered) jars in warm oven that has been preheated to about 170 degrees.  Turn off oven, but leave oven light on, it will keep the oven warm.  You can use the “proofing” function or a warming drawer if desired.  Do not allow jars to be jiggled or moved.  It should set up in 8-12 hours, so leaving it overnight to set would be ideal.  When set, put lids on jars and put in the refrigerator.  Keep 6-8 ounces to start your next batch.

VARIATIONS:

You can pre-flavor your yogurt by mixing in 2 ½ T of dry Jell-o and 2 T of sugar into 2 cups of the mixture before pouring it into the jars.  I made one pint of vanilla yogurt by mixing in 3 T sugar and ½ tsp. Vanilla.  Be sure to keep enough plain yogurt for your start.

Hope you have fun trying this easy recipe.  It will make you feel all provident and virtuous. =D If you can figure out a way to get it into Gogurt tubes let me know.

Don't you miss the early-morning rattle of milk bottles being left on your porch?

Homemade Ketchup...or is it Catsup?

I love ketchup.  I don't care if you call it ketchup or catsup...you can call it whatever you want as long as it's Heinz.  Store brand ketchup and other major brands just don't cut the mustard. =D  They are just too sweet.  Heinz has the perfect salty to spicy ratio that makes it the ideal accompaniment to french fries.  I found a blogspot that tells you everything you would ever want to know about ketchup:   nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com  I am going to share with you a few of the facts I learned.   

Some Random Facts About Ketchup

• 97% of American homes keep ketchup in their kitchens.
• Each person consumes about 3 bottles per year.
• A Tablespoon of ketchup has about 16 calories and no fat.
• 4 Tablespoons have the nutritional value of a ripe medium tomato.
• Like fine wines there can be good and bad ketchup years depending on the quality of the harvest.
• Heinz ketchup was introduced in 1876 as a "blessed relief for Mother..."
• Heinz sells more than 50% of the ketchup sold in the U.S.    
• The "catsup" spelling went out of popularity in 1981 after the Reagan Administration declared "Ketchup" to be a vegatable that could be used in school lunches.
• Public outcry caused a reversal of that ruling, so now ketchup is back as a condiment.
• Disclaimer:  Heinz does not pay me to "love" their ketchup. =D 

 Homemade Tomato Ketchup
By now your gardens are probably producing a good crop of tomatoes.  They were slow to come on this year.  I still have a lot of salsa and chili sauce left from last fall, so I wanted to try something new.  My good friend, Lynette graciously allowed me to publish her tried and true recipe for ketchup.  She says she likes it better than store-bought.  I think it would be fun to try this out.  Grandma Zetta used to make a lot of her own condiments.



Lynette's Ketchup
Ingredients:
3 gallons plus 1 quart tomato juice
4 cups white sugar
3 cups white vinegar (could use part cider)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. dried cloves
1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Carefully boil the juice, stirring frequently, until juice is reduced to about half.  Add 1/2 of the vinegar and all of the sugar and salt.  Cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the rest of the vinegar.  Just before ladling it into the jars, add spices and mix well.  Until recently Lynette processed it in a boiling water bath.  But she warns that because of the lower acidity of today's tomatoes, it would probably be prudent to pressure process pints at 15 pounds (Highland, Utah altitude) for 15 minutes.

Hope you are having a great tomato harvest this year,