Saints for Self-Reliance

Back In The Saddle

2012-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

We all know I like food. That's no front page news.

Most of us know I am thoroughly enjoying working with the children in our church. I love them. I love my calling. I am in heaven with so many little smiles and big hugs and giggles around me every Sunday.

Having said that, I am going crazy being away from the Self-Reliance scene.

So with the help of my sweet husband, I've made a decision....

I'm doing both!

I will not be taking an official role in the church as a "Provident Living Specialist" like I did before. I will still be with the kiddos in the Primary room on Sunday and not in the hall discussing the latest price of potatoes per pound.

But during the week, it will be about sweet little ones AND survival!

Here are a few of the things I am making a commitment to do:

1. Dry-Pack - I'm dying without dry-pack, so I'm going to start doing it again. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, take a look at the November Newsletter. There is a section in there on dry-pack canning.

2. Classes - I would like to start holding classes again. Even if they're tiny and held in my home, I'll be happy!

3. Group Buys - I am willing to organize group buys on certain items, though probably not on the same scale as before, and I won't be hosting a group through Emergency Essentials. They might drive me crazy a little bit.

4. Steals and Deals - I am most definitely willing to keep you apprised of local steals and deals on all things related to Self-Reliance.

5. Recipes - Believe it or not, my sweet D and I have changed/improved our eating habits even more recently. We have been astounded at the difference in the way we feel, and I am so excited about some of these new recipes I'm using. We're essentially following the diet found in the Word of Wisdom, and it's glorious! Whowouldathunk?!?

I'm sure there will be more, but I am giddy inside just thinking about this. Let me know if you have any special requests, and pass the blog site along to friends and family so we can keep the good word a'goin'!

Back In The Saddle and Loving It,

Laura

New Beginnings and a Whole'lotta Changes!

2011-11-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

Many of you know how much I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am firm in my faith, and as a result of the covenants I have made with my Heavenly Father, I know I can be with my family forever. I trust Him to guide me in the direction I should head, and for me, that direction is changing...

I have been released as the Provident Living Specialist in our ward, and--as a result--will no longer be in charge of the group buys, dry-pack canning nights, provident living classes, or other food-related adventures I have so lovingly organized in the past. I have been called to preside over the children in our ward, ages 18 months to 11 years, and their leaders. I am enthralled at the thought of this new endeavor, and grateful to the Lord for entrusting me with such a charge.

Bearing all that in mind, I have decided to pass the torch, and place the Saints for Self-Reliance blog in other hands.

Melissa and Ben Pistorious have been called as the new Provident Living Specialists. They are wonderful people, actively engaged in frugal living and self-reliance, and there is not a doubt in my mind that they are perfect for this assignment. I'm sure you will hear from them soon, but until then, know that you are in good hands and I plan on attending as many Provident Living activities as I can, so I can see them in action!

I love Provident Living. I'm so grateful for the countless friendships that have been established in my life as a direct result of this calling, and I will be eternally indebted for all the ways in which so many of you have come to my rescue and saved my hind end as I scrambled to get my wits about me.

Please don't hesitate to continue to email me with questions. I will still be around and still be very much involved in improving my self-reliance skill set.

Here's to a bright future, and full pantries!

Happy Prepping,

Laura Cherry

November Service Project

2011-11-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

We have an opportunity to provide service to families in need this month. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all over the world were asked to give one official day of service in 2011 as a ward. Here is ours...

**Members of the LDS Church and non-members alike are invited to participate in this Service Project***

We will be working in cooperation with Food For Lane County at one oftheir organic greenhouses.

When:

November 12^th

10:00am – 1:00pm

Where:

Grass Roots Garden

1465 Coburg Road

**Bring work gloves ifyou have them**

October Dry-Pack Night

2011-10-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

October's DRY-PACK DEADLINE is fast approaching! THIS Sunday, the 9th, is the last day to sign up. We will be canning the following items:

Spaghetti - $5.00/can
Refried Beans - $5.00/can
Hot Cocoa Mix - $10.75/can

Dry Pack will be held Thursday, October 13th at 6:00pm.

The Grange Association donates the building to us each month FOR FREE. To say thank you, we have volunteered to clean the building the same night as dry-pack. Even if you are not participating in canning this time, we would appreciate any help possible to clean the grange Thursday evening. The Grange Regional Conference is being held there on the following Saturday, and it is imperative that we leave them with a sparkling clean building to welcome their guests. Thank you in advance for your service!

This email has not been endorsed or produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; it's content and the opinions expressed are those of the author.

Rocket Stove Group Buy

2011-09-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am organizing a group buy for the following product: Rocket Stove by StoveTec .

Dr. Larry Winiarski, Mech. Eng. and Technical Director of Aprovecho Research Center, invented the "Rocket Stove" and established the "10 Design Principles for Wood Burning Stoves" in 1982. StoveTec offers an optimized rocket stove that burns as efficiently and as cleanly as possible.

There are two types of Rocket Stoves being sold:

- one-door stove - burns wood and biomass ("burnables" such as pine cones, corn husks, etc)
- two-door stove - burns wood and charcoal

There are three levels of quality to choose from in each category: economy, eco ceramic, and deluxe metal

Attached you will find the price sheet. Prices are based on how many units we order. There is a price break at 48 stoves and 96 stoves.

To sign up, please email/facebook/text me your name, telephone number, email address, type of stove, and how many you want.

EXAMPLE: Laura, this is Mickey Mouse. Email: mickeymouse@disneyland.com Phone: 541-HAV-FUNN Stove: (1) Economy 1-door stove

I WILL CONTACT YOU WHEN SIGN-UPS ARE COMPLETE TO LET YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR STOVE WILL BE. AT THAT POINT, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO WRITE A CHECK TO "StoveTec Stove Store". I will then deliver all the money to the owner.

Sign-up Deadline: OCTOBER 1st
Payment Deadline: OCTOBER 15th

For more information, or if you would like to speak with Todd, the owner of StoveTec:

StoveTec Stove Store
3400 Franklin Blvd
Eugene, OR 97403 USA
+1-541-515-4394

--

Laura S. Cherry
http://saintsforselfreliance.blogspot.com
541-285-1606

Do D Salsa

2011-09-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

We love salsa. That's all there is to it. I'm afraid, however, that salsa is one of those things that just happens in the kitchen. We have never used a recipe. We gather tomatoes from the garden, we chop them all up, and we add the other ingredients relative to how many tomatoes we originally picked and chopped. I rely on D's innate ability to make incredible salsa rather than a recipe. His taste buds have never let me down!

So, despite the fact that the title of this post eludes to us making poop salsa, this is really D's salsa. When we have an abundance of fresh, juicy, slightly firm tomatoes taking over our counter tops, we "do D salsa."

Go ahead. Give it a little chuckle.

As I mentioned, the first step is gathering your base: tomatoes. Some people will tell you that you must use certain tomato breeds to make salsa.

Hog. Wash. Hogwash, I tell you.

If you have tomatoes in your garden, use them for salsa! Tada! Simple.

Chop up all the tomatoes you have and place them in a large pot.

Like so...

Now, start adding a few of your favorite things...

Like Anaheim Peppers... oh baby.

Anaheims are great for several reasons. They've for the flavor without the heat. If you like hot salsa, by all means, add things like jalapenos, habaneros, etc.

If you're like me, stick with these puppies.

And garlic. Lots and lots of garlic.

Your garlic will not be this beautiful. That is because you do not have a Kathy Awbrey in your life bringing you boxes of elephant garlic to show you how much she loves you. These babies were grown in Oregon soil not ten miles from here. They were cured on our rooftop. You don't get garlic better than this.

Some other essential "sidekicks" for great salsa include: onions and cilantro.

You can't have salsa without the cilantro taste. It's wrong.

Dice it all up, mix it all together, plant your nose deep down in the pot, and inhale.

Some other things to add include: salt, garlic salt, canned green chilis, cucumbers...

Get creative.

Add about a half a cup of lemon or lime juice to act as a preservative, and bring the salsa to a boil in this big pot. Then simmer for about ten minutes.

Ladle your salsa into hot jars, put a lid and band on, and process in a water-bath canner for 25 minutes.

And pray that you can't fit all of your salsa into jars. Hope that there is some extra that must be eaten right away.

Grab your bag of Juanita's tortilla chips (since they're the best chips on the face of the planet!) and dig in.

After your salsa is done processing, set the jars on the counter and wait for that glorious and very familiar "ping" of success. Then hide these bad boys in a dark cupboard somewhere so no one knows they exist!!

Enjoy!

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 31

2011-09-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Download Week 31 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 30

2011-09-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Download Week 30 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 29

2011-09-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Download Week 29 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 28

2011-09-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Download Week 28 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 27

2011-09-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Download Week 27 here.

Ladies Night Out: Food Storage Sampler

2011-09-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile, a group of crazy Oregon gals gets together for Ladies Night Out. It should, however, really be called Ladies Night IN, because we never go anywhere. We just commandeer someone's home, and spend time with one another talking about babies and birth, marriage and husbands, the gospel, and of course, food. Food, food, food, food. It's what we do best.

A month or three ago *ahem - pay no mind that I'm just NOW getting to writing a post on this* the lovely Naomi Raven and I had an idea for a special Ladies Night In. A food storage sampler! We would buy a bunch of food storage from WalMart and taste test it. All of it. Below you will find the results...

The ever-amazing Naomi opened her home to us for this event. She has to be one of the coolest women I have ever known!

THE MENU:

Click on an item to view nutrition information and cooking directions

Creamy Potato Soup (using the creamy soup base)

Dipping Veggies with cheese sauce (using the cheese powder)

French Dip Sandwiches: Au jus (using the MSG-FREE beef bullion)

Homemade Rolls (using the vital gluten powder)

Chocolate Shakes (using the Morning Moo chocolate drink powder)

WHIPPED CREAM on top (using the heavy cream powder)

Sparkling Peach Punch (with peach drink powder)

And now for a photo summary of the evening...

Naomi's yummy rolls...

I can smell them.. all over again... Mmmmm...

Daddy came to get the baby so he could go to bed. Good daddy!

Man shall not live by bread alone... but it dang sure helps!! ; p

Oh. Yes.

The gals chatting...

The cheese sauce was a little scary. It tastes great, I assure you,

but you'd better want cheese REALLY bad because it is not aesthetically pleasing whatsoever!!

The soup base was DELICIOUS! We added absolutely no spices, no salt, etc - it was wonderful by itself. A great must-have for every emergency pantry!!

We made chocolate shakes with the "Morning Moo" and ice cream. SO good.

Some of the ladies and their chitlins...

M-I-L-K-S-H-A-K-E!!!!

One Word: Spiff-E Whip... Okay two words. Kind of.

And our fizzy peach drink. YUM!

PEAR ORDER 2011

2011-07-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

If you would like to order delicious Bartlett Pears from the Rogue Valley, view the instructions below!!

A 40-42 lb box of Bartlett pears is $22.00 - checks need to be made out to THE PEAR GUY. Cash is also accepted. (No credit or debit cards)

Pears will be delivered late August - mid September. We'll have about a weeks notice as to the day and time.

I will pick up all the boxes for our group on the day of delivery from the Stake Center and take them to my home to be distributed.

TO ORDER: Email me (laura.s.cherry@gmail.com) with your name, phone number, and the number of boxes you'd like to order.

You will have through July 31st to order.

ALL MONEY MUST BE COLLECTED BY August 5th.

This is open to members and non-members alike so please spread the word.

Visit www.ThePearGuy.com. for recipes, canning instructions, etc.

Group Buy: Emergency Essentials - March/April/May

2011-07-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION GROUP BUY PARTICIPANTS: We are still waiting on peppers and celery from March, but all of April and all of May's orders are in. I am leaving for Arizona today - will be gone 10 days - if you'd like to come pick up your items before I get back, my mom will be next door and she can get them for you. Contact her at susannewbury@gmail.com -- Happy Independence Day!!!!! <3

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 24

2011-06-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Download Week 24 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 23

2011-06-19T11:28:00.001-07:00

Download Week 23 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 22

2011-06-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Download Week 22 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 21

2011-05-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Download Week 21 here.

FREE Chicken Clinic @ McKenzie Feed

2011-05-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

McKenzie Feed & Pet Supply is holding an event tonight!!

CHICKEN CLINIC / EGG ANSWERS

Today! May 18 at 6:30 pm

Experts to answer your chick, chicken and egg questions. Housing, Care and Health

Nutrena Expert answers feeding Questions Organic and free range.

Veterinarian Supply answers Health and Care questions

and then just good old fashioned been there done that info, the easy way.

McKenzie Feed & Pet Supply

4343 Main St.

Springfield, OR 97478

McKenzie Feed's Website

McKenzie Feed's Facebook Page

From their website:

"Our mission is to create an honest, caring and forthright business based on sound business practices and ecomomic stability. Our promise to our customers is to provide interactive customer service by problem solving, keeping accurate purchase history and educating on current nutrition which allows the customer to keep the ideal of owning their pet, horse or livestock, affordable and realistic."

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 20

2011-05-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Download Week 20 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 19

2011-05-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Download Week 19 here.

Web Spotlight: Pleasant Hill Granary

2011-05-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

From their website:

"For centuries whole grain has been recognized as "The Staff of Life." Modern industrial processing techniques strip virtually everything healthful from our foods — but you can restore nutrition and character to your diet, and the best place to start is with quality grains, freshly ground in your kitchen. We've chosen the grain mills below as the finest in the world based on their performance, versatility & durability — and the letters we receive from our customers about their new mills have consistently affirmed their outstanding qualities and value. Baking and cooking with whole grains is easy and successful with the kitchen tools & learning resources available at Pleasant Hill Grain"

If you're looking for grinders, meat slicers, and other fine kitchen equipment, Pleasant Hill Grain is a great site to visit! Thank you to Bev for this great resource!

Pleasant Hill Grain Website

Group Buy: Emergency Essentials - (May)

2011-05-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

Emergency Essentials posted their 'Group Buy' items for the month of May! Here they are just in case you didn't receive their email:

Freeze-Dried Peach Dices - $15.00 for 12 or more <-------- This is a great deal on peaches!!
Strawberry-Flavored Apple Chips - $9.00 for 12 or more (Click here to read a consumer review of this product)
1-Day MRE Supply - $10.00 for 12 or more (Click here to see the contents of this product)
Freeze-Dried Banana Dices - $16.00 for 12 or more
Whole Egg Powder - $14.00 for 12 or more
161-Piece First Aid Kit - $15.00 for 6 or more (Click here to see the contents of this kit)

And just a reminder - I'll be taking orders until the 15th of the month. See this blog post for details on how to order/how to pay. You can pay online with a credit/debit card or in person/by mail with a check or cash.

Group Buy: Emergency Essentials - HOW TO

2011-05-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

You want to be a part of the Emergency Essentials Group Buy? No problem! The Group Buy is open to anyone in our area (Eugene/Springfield and surrounding) - no religious affiliation required!

If you would like any of these items, you can let me know in one of 3 ways:

1. Email me - laura.s.cherry@gmail.com
2. Send me a message on Facebook
3. Let me know via comment on this blog

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT:

Orders will be taken until the 15th of each month.

At that time, I will go over what has been ordered to make sure we've met the minimum on each item.

DO NOT SEND ME ANY MONEY UNTIL I VERIFY THE MINIMUMS HAVE BEEN MET.

If we are short on an item, I will let you know so you can either: a)withdraw your order or b)order more of that item to meet the minimum.

Once I have finalized the order, I will begin taking money. All items need to be paid for by the 20th of each month.

You can pay for your items using several methods:

1. Pay by check or cash in person.
2. Pay by check or cash via mail (37486 Hills Creek Road Springfield, OR 97478)
3. Pay with a credit/debit card online using PayPal. (See info below.)

No PayPal Account is necessary. Just click on the donate button below, and remember - there is a fee when paying with PayPal, so please check the chart below and add the correct amount to your original total when paying. Questions? Email me - laura.s.cherry@gmail.com

PayPal Fee Chart:
$1 - $50 = $1.50 fee
$51 - $100 = $3.00 fee
$100 - $200 = $6.00 fee
$201 - $300 = $10.00 fee
$301 - $400+ = $15.00 fee

When you order, please provide me with an email address so I can send you important information regarding the order.

I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions!!

Provident Living Newsletter: May 2011

2011-04-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

If you have friends/family who would like to receive this newsletter via email, please send me a message (laura.s.cherry@gmail.com) with their address. Thanks!

Upcoming Events:

5/8 Dry-Pack Sign-Up Deadline (red wheat, white wheat, and apple slices)

5/12 Dry-Pack Canning Session 6pm @ the Thurston Grange - 6590 Thurston Road (If you would like to order for this, see info below)
5/24 Provident Living Class: Gardening by Ross Penhallegon – “It’s May – what do we do now?” 7pm @ the LDS Building - 525 66th Street in Springfield

Group Buy - Each month, Emergency Essentials offers food/supplies for a discounted price if you meet a minimum amount as a group. These items include freeze-dried foods, first-aid supplies, survival supplies, etc. If you would like more information on this, visit the "Group Buys" post on the blog. Each month I will provide the list of items, and if you would like any of them, just shoot me an email. The best part about this is that we get FREE SHIPPING on all Group Buy orders. That's HUGE!! It's a great way to increase your supply and save money at the same time!!

Dry-Pack Canning - Each month, we borrow the dry-pack canner from the Bishop's Storehouse. With this canner, we can seal foods/supplies in Number 10 cans, making them ready for long-term storage. We offer 3 items each month (i.e. this month we're canning dry milk, granulated sugar, and white rice) or you can bring anything you purchase on your own to the grange, and - working together - we'll put it into cans. I purchased gold fish and animal crackers this month so I can have some on hand for my son as he grows, so I'm going to be bringing those bags to the grange to put into cans. It's amazing what you can put in Number 10 cans!!

If you'd like to purchase one of the 3 items offered this month, you just need to let me know how many cans of each you would like. (Side Note: 6 cans fit into 1 cardboard carrying box)

MAY ITEMS:

***Prices have been updated to reflect the Storehouse price increase on 4-1-2011***

Hard Red Wheat $3.87/can

Hard White Wheat $3.87/can

Apple Slices (dehydrated) $7.05/can

***Prices include one the item, 1 oxygen absorber, 1 metal can, and 1 metal lid. If you would like a box and/or plastic lids, you will need to purchase them.

PURCHASING EMPTY CANS:
If you are bringing your own items to can, you will need to purchase empty cans. We sell them by the case, and even if you can give me an estimate on how many cans you will need, we'll be able to change the amount at the Grange, once you know how many you actually used. (For a reference: 25 lb bags of sugar, salt, etc. usually fit into 5-6 cans)

A case of cans costs $7.15 and it includes the following:

-6 cans
-6 metal lids for sealing
-6 oxygen absorbers (if you don't need oxygen absorbers, we will adjust the price for you)
-2 plastic reusable lids (to be used after opening the cans)
-1 cardboard box

Again, if you would like to sign up for any of these items, email me.

The ORDER DEADLINE FOR MAY IS SUNDAY, MAY 8th!

Provident Living Classes -
Provident Living Classes will be held monthly for the rest of the year. If you have suggestions for classes you would like to see, feel free to email me with your ideas. All classes, unless otherwise specified, will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building on 66th Street in Springfield. These classes are open to church members, community members, youth, etc. All are welcome! We will update you on upcoming classes as soon as we have them finalized!

Upcoming Provident Living Classes:

5/24 Gardening with Ross Penhallegon – OSU Extension Agent

6/14 Retirement with Wade Bell – CPA with Bell&Morgan

7/19 Cooking without Electricity

Self-Reliance Blog -
Don't forget to check out the Self-Reliance Blog. If I can get my rear in gear, you will be able to see the following themed posts, as well as other informational posts several times a week!

Ethleen's Eat of the Week - Learn how to use your food storage in delicious recipes your entire family will love! It's not enough to keep the food, we must rotate and replace! Ethleen's Recipes are a great way to do that!
Danae's Deal of the Week - Our savvy-super-saver-shopper Danae will be providing us with some of the best deals for grocers in our area! We will also be posting links to online coupons in this section.
52 Weeks to Family Preparedness - The 52-Week Plan is designed to help families become better prepared in just 52 weeks! At the end of this course, you will have a year's supply of food, 72-Hour Kits for the entire family, Car Emergency Kits, and your family will be better prepared physically, emotional, and spiritually. They are listed by week. If you have any troubles viewing them, let me know.

As always, if you have ideas, questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to let me know!!

DOWNLOAD: Shelf Stable Recipe Book from FoodStorageMadeEasy.net

2011-04-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Straight from the Food Storage Made Easy Website:

"Remember back in January when we asked for your help to get 100 shelf stable recipes for our Shelf Stable Saturday project? Well…we reached our goal. Actually we doubled our goal! Initially we had planned to combine all the recipes in a document, and add it as another bonus to our eBook Binder, in addition to giving the document to anyone who submitted a recipe as a way of saying THANK YOU. We figured our readers would still have access to them each Saturday as we post them weekly.

In the spirit of giving, and in order to end the April Surprise party with a party favor for EVERYONE, we’re making the document available to all of you! We wanted to do a giveaway where EVERYONE gets something. In fact, we’re calling this the REVERSE giveaway, where not only do you get something, but we encourage you to turn around and give it to all your friends."

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE 58-PAGE RECIPE BOOK:

THE SHELF STABLE RECIPE BOOK

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 18

2011-04-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Download Week 18 here.

Web Spotlight: LDSPreppers.com

2011-04-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent resource for Latter-day Saints Preppers!! Thank you Netta for this great find!! One recent forum post is titled, "Culinary Herbs and Spice Home Remedies" - I like them already!

Take a look at the "10 Ways to Get Involved With LDS Preppers" for some start-up suggestions!

Or Register to become a member.

Here's the Homepage: http://ldspreppers.com

Provident Living Class: Herbs/Meats/Dehydrating/Cheese

2011-04-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

What a title, eh? I'll make this post as simplified as possible without lessening the information given at the class. It was a fantastic night!! And a special thank you to Bev Hansen for her spot-on note-taking!!!

Herbs – Kate Penhallagon

Kate's Favorite books: Eyewitness Book “Herbs”, copyright 1994 (out of print); “Medicinal Herbal” by PenelopeOdy; “Herbs for the Home” by McVicar; “Herbs of the Pacific Northwest” by Ross Penhallagon (available through OSU Extension $8).

Kate's General Advice/Knowledge:

-Most herbs need a soil temp of at least 65 degrees to grow. Cold, wet spring will delay perennial herbs emergence.

-Epazote’ – Herb used in Mexican cooking. It’s what we taste in refried beans served in restaurants and what’s missing when we try fixing refried beans at home. Place some in water with beans when soaking. Drain water and cook, adding more epazote’. Can use leaves or seeds.

-Don’t plant herbs together that you would not combine in cooking/baking.

-When cooking with fresh herbs, don’t add until the last 15 minutes or so.

-Her favorite variety of peppermint is Mentha

-Horseradish – a little goes a long ways. Just break off a small piece of root and toss in the ground. You will have lots of horseradish. Wasabi is very similar. Likes a cool, shady spot.

-The best bay for culinary purposes is not a myrtle, it is lauris nobelus. Grown from a corm.

-Make your own bouquet garnis – blend of oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary?

-Most woody stemmed herbs have a lifespan of about 5 years but can be attractive longer if you diligently harvest and/or prune on them. If you don’t, they become leggy and woody.

-Dried herbs have about a 3 year shelf life; will last a little longer in the freezer.

Last Notes: Kate does not have a Medicinal Herbology License, which means she's not going to give advice on using herbs medicinally. What she can say, however, is that if you are interested in using herbs medicinally, find a book/website and use them at your own risk.

Take a look at the following websites (though remember we are in no way responsible for your using these herbs medicinally) -

eMedicinal

Alternative Nature Online Herbal

Live and Feel

Dehydrating Frozen Fruits/Vegetables – Laura Cherry

For information regarding dehydrating frozen vegetables, see this previous post.

Canning Meats – Laura Cherry

Click here to view a previous post about canning chicken.

PRESSURE CANNING MEAT

Pressure canning is the ONLY SAFE METHOD for canning meat.

All meat should be handled carefully to avoid contamination from the time of slaughtering until the products are canned. Animals should be correctly slaughtered, canned promptly or kept under refrigeration until processed. If you slaughter your own meat, contact your local county agricultural agent for complete information on slaughtering, chilling, and aging the meat.
Keep meat as cool as possible during preparation for canning, handle rapidly, and process meat as soon as it is packed. Most meats need only be wiped with a damp cloth. Use lean meat for canning; remove most of the fat. Cut off gristle and remove large bones. Cut into pieces convenient for canning.
Add boiling beef or chicken broth to jars packed with meat or poultry.
Meat should not be browned with flour nor should flour be used in the broth to make gravy for pouring over the packed meat. Pack hot meat loosely, leaving 1-inch headspace in Mason jars.
Meats may be processed with or without salt. If salt is desired, use only pure canning salt. Table salt contains a filler which may cause cloudiness in bottom of jar. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon to each quart. More or less salt may be added to suit individual taste.
Follow step-by-step directions for your pressure canner. Process meats according to the following recipes.
When canning food in regions less than 2,000 feet altitude (dial gauge canner) or 1,000 feet altitude (weighted gauge canner), process according to specific recipe. When canning food in regions above 2,000 feet altitude (dial gauge canner) or 1,000 feet altitude (weighted gauge canner), process according to the following chart.

ALTITUDE CHART FOR CANNING MEAT AND POULTRY

ALTITUDE	DIAL GAUGE CANNER Pints and Quarts	WEIGHTED GAUGE CANNER Pints and Quarts
1,001 – 2,000 ft.	11 lbs.	15 lbs.
2,001 – 4,000 ft.	12 lbs.	15 lbs.
4,001 – 6,000 ft.	13 lbs.	15 lbs.
6,001 – 8,000 ft.	14 lbs.	15 lbs.

Processing time is the same at all altitudes.

CUT-UP MEAT (strips, cubes, or chunks) Bear, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal, and Venison
Remove excess fat. Soak strong-flavored wild meats for 1 hour in brine water containing 1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water. Rinse. Remove large bones and cut into desired pieces.
Raw Pack—Fill jars with raw meat pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. DO NOT ADD LIQUID. Adjust jar lids.
Hot Pack—Precook meat until rare by broiling, boiling, or frying. Pack hot meat loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover meat with boiling broth, water, or tomato juice (especially with wild game) leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.

GROUND MEAT – Bear, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal, and Venison
With venison, add one part high quality pork fat to three or four parts venison before grinding. Use freshly made sausage, seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper (sage may cause a bitter off-flavor). Add 1 teaspoon salt to each pound of ground meat, if desired. Mix well. Shape meat into patties or balls, or cut cased sausage into 3- to 4-inch links. Cook until lightly browned. Ground meat may be sauteed without shaping. Remove excess fat. Fill jars with pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover meat with boiling broth or water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.

PRESSURE CANNING POULTRY

Pressure canning is the ONLY SAFE METHOD for canning poultry.

Cut poultry into convenient pieces for packing and precook until medium done or until pieces, when cut, show almost no pink color at the bone.
Precook by boiling in water or in a concentrated broth for more flavor. Make broth from bones and bony pieces, neck, back, and wing tips. Pack hot meat in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Do not pack food tightly.
Poultry may be processed with or without salt. If salt is desired, use only pure canning salt. Table salt contains a filler which may cause cloudiness in bottom of jar. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon to each quart.
Follow step-by-step directions for your pressure canner. Process poultry according to the following recipes.

CUT-UP POULTRY
Cut poultry into serving size pieces. If desired, remove bone. Boil, steam, or bake poultry slowly to medium done. Poultry is medium done when pink color in center is almost gone. Pack hot poultry loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Cover poultry with boiling broth or water, leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes.
For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts for 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts for 90 minutes.
For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.

RABBIT
Soak dressed rabbits 1 hour in water containing 1 tablespoon of salt per quart. Rinse and remove excess fat. Cut into serving size pieces. Boil, steam, or bake to medium done. Rabbit is medium done when pink color in center is almost gone. Pack hot rabbit loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Cover rabbit with boiling broth or water leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts for 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts for 90 minutes.
For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts for 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts for 90 minutes.
For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.

**This handout attributed to Presto Pressure Canners: http://www.gopresto.com

Cheese –Susan Oakley

Preserving Cheese

Waxing Considerations:

Part of the cheese wax controversy comes with the problem of using the wrong kind of wax. When it comes to the science of waxing your cheese, I can’t say it strongly enough. The only wax you should use is cheese wax. Please do not use paraffin wax. While the cheese wax actually melts at lower temperatures than paraffin, it can ultimately (and safely) reach a higher temperature than paraffin. You want this in order to prevent any bacteria from growing on the outside. So be sure your wax is hot enough. Germs are killed at 180 degrees, so heat up your wax to 200 degrees so that when the temperature is dropped when you put it on the cheese, you still are applying wax that is 180 degrees or more. (Don’t heat the wax hotter than 210 degrees F. After heating my wax sufficiently, I turn off the heat source completely.)
Cheese wax is also more pliable than paraffin. Whatever position you put your cheese in when you store it, gravity will come into play and readjust it a bit. Thus you want a wax that will move with it. Paraffin wax will not do that. Cheese wax also dries faster than paraffin, making your task less time consuming and giving less opportunity for moisture to develop during the waxing process.
In view of the gravity issue I’ve already mentioned, it’s also smart to wax smaller sections of cheese instead of heavy ones in which the weight will cause a greater shift in the position of the cheese. (Since most of my recipes call for 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese, I like to wax nothing bigger than 16 ounces of cheese.)
Use food handling gloves on your hands when you wax the cheese. The oils from your hands will affect how the wax adheres to the cheese. With your bare hands it’s also easy to add germs to your cheese.

Next, the color of wax doesn’t matter. (Some crazy visually impaired person must have started that particular cheese wax controversy ) The color of the wax is really only symbolic to the commercial cheese industry in terms of how long a cheese has aged. However, I prefer to always use the red or the black wax since it will allow less light into the cheese.

Prior to putting your cheese in the wax, or brushing it, be sure to pat the cheese completely dry. You don’t want to see any moisture on it at all. This is part of the reason why I’m adamantly against folks freezing their cheese before or after waxing it. If you freeze it and then put hot wax on it, you are forcing an expansion and condensation process. The same happens if you freeze it after waxing it. You don’t want any expansion going on. Let it sit out to get to room temperature prior to waxing it.
If you have trouble getting your wax to adhere to the cheese, then consider wrapping the cheese first in real cheesecloth material. I apply just a little bit of wax with the brush in order to keep the cheesecloth in place prior to dipping it. (For applying wax on your cheese, I don’t recommend using cheap cheesecloth from the grocery store. It barely qualifies as cheesecloth. What you want is a bit thicker, more muslin type. I recommend getting the cheesecloth from a dairy farmer, or a cheesemaking supply retailer on the internet.)

Use several thin coats of wax instead of a couple of thick ones. I have adapted to dipping my cheese in the wax 3 separate times and then I brush on the last coat, for a total of 4 coats. It’s key to use the boar’s hair brush, because that will give you the most even and smooth coat of wax. You can brush all of your coats of wax on if you’d like, but it takes longer and it requires more wax. (The good news is though that you can reuse your cheese wax. Just peel it, clean it with soap and water, and then you can re-melt it and use it again. I even save my “Bonne Bell” cheese wax and use it.)
When you dip the cheese in the wax, hold the piece above the wax for a full 90 seconds to dry after you’ve dipped it; before dipping in another portion of the cheese. If you lay it down to cool/dry, then you run the risk of a crack or crevice to be created while the wax is cooling. So yes, my arms get tired sometimes, but I’d rather be sure that I’ve done the waxing process right. Also, don’t allow the cheese to sit in the wax when you dip it for longer than 5 seconds. You will run the risk of melting the cheese if you expose it to that heat for that long. (Yes, this is a bit of a tricky dance sometimes.)

Storing Considerations:
The whole point of waxing your cheese is so you don’t have to take up valuable refrigeration space, and so you can still have REAL cheese in the event of a prolonged power outage scenario. It’s no secret that cheese has been around a LONG time—a lot longer than refrigeration. I assure you cheese was not discovered during the Ice Age. In the Roman Empire, cheese had become a major import/export business by 400 B.C. It doesn’t take a paleontologist to confirm that there wasn’t any refrigeration available back then. The Dutch actually created waxing and brining (salting) in order to extend the shelf-life of hard cheeses. http://www.publichealthmdc.com/environmental/food/documents/cheese.pdf
Nothing much has changed since then when it comes to storing cheese safely. The key lies in the light permeation and the temperature of your cheese. A non-clear wax used on your cheese can take care of the light issue. Storing your cheese out of direct sunlight, away from heat, and in a cool area takes care of the temperature issue. In fact, when cheese is aged by professional cheesemakers, it’s kept in temperatures ranging between 55-70 degrees F. In the Balkans, for instance, where the climate is warmer, the cheese is stored regularly at 70 degrees F. The storing of cheese at these temperatures occurs for several weeks or months during the aging process, depending on the type of cheese being made. If you don’t have a home which permits you to store your cheese regularly at this temperature range, then I don’t recommend that you try this route of cheese preservation. You can use a second refrigerator that is set to 55 degrees.

http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/settling-the-cheese-wax-controversy/

New England Cheesemaking Supply Company
54B Whately Rd, South Deerfield, MA 01373
E-mail info@cheesemaking.com

Vacuum sealing cheese:

Start by thoroughly cleaning the surface on which you'll be working. Cut cheese-about the amount that you'd use up in two to three days-into reasonably sized chunks. Count how many chunks you have. Now count how many inches of cheesecloth you have. Divide the latter by the former. That's how much cheesecloth you get for each chunk, so cut up your cheesecloth accordingly. Don't worry if you run out of cheesecloth; your onboard medical kit should be full of sterile gauze bandages, and these work marvelously as a substitute. Spritz each chunk of cheese lightly with white vinegar. This inhibits mold growth and won't affect the flavor. Wrap the cheese in cheesecloth and vacuum-seal it. Voilà! You now have a full supply of cheese that can be kept unrefrigerated-even in the tropics-for up to a year

Canning cheese:

Cheese is a pretty cool thing to can, because you can see when it molds. Because cheese is made from bacteria, green mold forms on the bad part (usually the section exposed to air) and can be scooped off (in the case of cream cheese) or cut off in the case of harder cheese. Truthfully, I haven't read any FDA approved methods of canning cheese or butter, however, because it is being canned commercially successfully there is an FDA approved method.

Spiritual Preparedness: Hands-On Holy Week

2011-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Easter is just around the corner. May I suggest you take some time out this week to discuss "Holy Week" with your little ones? So much happened in the week leading up to Jesus Christ's Atoning Sacrifice. Make it easier for your children to follow the time line with a few of the following suggestions:

Go over the Plan of Salvation.

Make a donkey out of a paper bag and talk about the significance of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem.

Hold a Passover meal, or one similar to it.

Wash your children's feet in a basin of warm water, and talk to them about the account of the Savior washing the feet of His disciples.

Make every Sunday Easter with these tips.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 17

2011-04-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Download Week 17 here.

Fail-Safe Bread

2011-04-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Years ago I attended a 'Super Saturday' in Salem with my sister. The Stake President's wife was there teaching a bread class. The lady was hilarious. She has such a large family that the art of bread-baking for her had become an all-out war. She combines her recipes in a 5-gallon bucket and incorporates them with a square plaster mixer attached to a cordless drill. No. Joke.

Her bread was d-i-v-i-n-e. I took the packet home and decided to try my hand at her white bread. Simple. Easy. A recipe I couldn't screw up. Well... I screwed it up. But in a good way!! To make a long story short, I added baking powder to the recipe (because the recipe called for sugar twice and I couldn't figure out what else would be in bread but baking powder - though my mom later told me that baking powder isn't usually found in basic bread recipes... I was clueless!) and what I ended up with was a wonderful, moist, yeasty bread that needed VERY little kneading and did most of it's rising in the oven while baking. Weird.

What I've noticed most about this bread, however, is the fact that even those who feel they're "hopeless" when it comes to bread-baking haven't been able to mess this recipe up!

This recipe is for master bread bakers and novices alike!!

What You'll Need:

7-8 cups of flour
2 T yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1 T salt
1 egg
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup oil

First things first, mix together your milk and your oil. Put it in the microwave for around 2.5 minutes. You want the liquid to be on the hot side of warm.

Mix together ONLY 2 CUPS flour (I use a mixture of wheat flour, white flour, and sometimes ground flax for fun but it does well with any combination or even JUST white flour), the yeast, the baking powder, and the sugar. NOTE: You'll add the salt in a few minutes after the yeast and the sugar come back from their honeymoon.

Return to your liquid, give a good mixing aaaannnnd...

Add it to your dry ingredients.

Stir this mixture for about 2 minutes (as you can tell, I make my bread by hand. I have a Kitchen Aid, but I rather enjoy making bread by hand, so there.) Next, ADD THE SALT and mix again. Please don't forget the salt. This bread is pretty bland without the salt.

Add 1 egg...

And mix again!!

Okay, here's where the fun begins... add 2 cups of flour to your liquid mixture, and stir.

Add 2 more cups of flour, and at this point I clean the whisk and mix by hand - which means the rings come off ladies. I cannot COUNT the number of times I've had to pick dried dough out of my wedding ring.

This is the only kneading this bread will get... even though I'm left-handed, I use my right hand to knead. I knead for a minute, I add a little flour, I knead, I add. You may use all 8 cups of flour, but I HAVE NEVER HAD TO. I use 7 cups (2 in the beginning, 5 later) every time. You want your bread dough to be soft, but not sticky. Having said that, know that I have put a loaf of bread in the oven that WAS sticky, and it was fine. Don't stress over this.

Here's how the kneading is done:

Scoop your hand under the edge of the bread...

Fold it over, and press down with your palm.

Repeat.

Continue to knead the bread until the flour is incorporated.

At this point, you should have a ball of dough that looks something like this.

Place it in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about 30-40 minutes.

If your house is cold in the winter like mine, set your oven to 200 degrees (or your "warm" setting) and place the bread inside.

DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF THE OVEN AFTER A FEW MINUTES. YOU WANT A WARM ENVIRONMENT, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO COOK THE BREAD... YET!

Sometimes my bread doubles in size, sometimes it doesn't rise AT ALL. Don't give it another thought! It will be just fine. : )

Pinch your dough into two pieces...

Like so!

Form it into two loaves... I usually roll my on the countertop to get the cracks out of it. Sometimes, however, I chuck it right into the bread pan and give a good slap. It's not a science. I promise.

Place your dough into GREASED pans.

Mmmmmmm....

Let your dough rise in the pans (covered) for another 20 minutes or so. You'll notice that one loaf is a lot bigger than the other. Do not ask me why. It seems to happen every time. I've just accepted it. I'm not here to make uniform bread. Pppfff.

Oh and this is the point where you'll want to preheat your oven. 350, please and thank you!

Bake at 350 degrees F for uuuhhh... uummmmmm... around 20 minutes? Just bake it until the tops are golden brown. Sometimes my bread bakes longer than others... because I forget about it. I'm very busy. ; p

Sometimes it looks like this... golden brown and slightly unruly... Mmmmmm... every crumbly piece is heaven.

Sometimes it looks like this... straight, smooth, boring. Still tastes lovely!

The best part about this recipe is the fact that it makes 2 loves.

I mean loaves.

I love bread. : )

Moving on... it makes 2 loaves, which we all know is vital because 1 loaf will be g-o-n-e in 60 seconds if your family is anything like mine.

We like ours with homemade plum jam.... *drool*

And sometimes with honey... THIS is the only reason I can handle working our bees. They still scare me to death, but when the world goes to pot, I refuse to live life without the golden deliciousness.

The most important thing to remember about this bread is that, really, you'd have to try EXTREMELY HARD to mess this recipe up. I have made literally hundreds of loaves with this recipe, and have never thrown one away. So have fun! Here's to breader beginnings!!!

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 16

2011-04-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Download Week 16 here.

Guest Post: Frugal Plan for Frugal Living

2011-04-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

Frugal Plan for Frugal Living

An Armature's Guide to Spending Wisely

By Stacy Landen

A coupon here, bulk-buy there, a "buy-one-one-get-one" sale here... how much are we actually saving?

Dear Audience,

I'm encountering a newly-appointed (Yes, appointed!! Can you believe someone has actually trusted me with an official task?!) adventure to pursue the essence of what makes a frugal (and much less expensive) life. I have been chosen to fill one of five positions as a member of the Frugal Living Committee, organized by the church.

My Mission: To find ways to be a thrifty, nifty, savvy shopper.
Sounds like a CHALLENGE!!! :D Which means I will find every extreme way of saving money as best as I possibly can. (I always over do every task I'm given - so let’s see what level I can take this to!)

Here's what I already do at home:

Bulk-buys!!
I love buying bulk! Flour, sugar, spices, cereal, dog treats, - there is an amazing selection when it comes to bulk foods and items out there, people!!

Here’s what I do (Or am working up to!)

1. Buy bulk spices. I bought individual spices, all in their own little jars at the spice rack section of my local grocery store, just for my husband and I to realize later that all that individual spending really ate up our wallet! After our spice jars were all empty, we kept them and decided that buying the spices from the bulk section and re-filling the jars would be a much more economical way spicing things up in our kitchen! Even our salt and pepper shakers joined in!

2. Buying bulk ingredients. It is most often cheaper with most items you cook with, buying cheap items this way, like sugar, flour and cereal is a great way to go.

3. Buying bulk water. Instead of buying dozens and dozens of 24-packs of bottled water, consider trading for reusable water bottles and either the fill-it-yourself 1 gallon or 10 gallon jugs at the grocery store, then refill those nifty reusable bottles. Or! If you’re savvy like my momma, instead of throwing those empty water disposable/recyclable water bottles in the recycling bin, fill ‘em back up!! (Make sure they are nice and clean though! We like to run them through the dish washer!) Get creative! Refill those bad boys with your favorite flavored drink! Yum!

Some quick Tips in Frugality:

· Be a Savvy Shopper! Look in your weekly ads for coupons and sales!

· Buy per unit price not the comparison item on the shelf that is marker at a cheaper price - look for cheaper price by comparing price per weight. The more you get for your dollar is what counts, even if the overall price is slightly higher than the rest. It might just be me, but 15.8 cents per unit (weight) sure sounds like a better deal that 26.3 cents per unit, don’t you think?

· Make a goal for your spending every time you enter the store. Tell yourself “I’m not leaving this store with more than $$ in my basket.”

· Take a calculator with you to the grocery store! If you don’t already use one when you go shopping just to keep track of you accumulating spending, take one anyway! You never know when you’ll find a discount that needs calculating or a price comparison (this works great with figuring out which price per unit [weight] is the best deal). Heck! If your calculator is basic and doesn’t have a duel calculating function for adding up those totals and figuring out a discount… bring two!! ;)

Baby

Baby can be expensive, we all know that. But there are a lot of ways you can save money and provide all the necessities for your bundle of joy.

Baby Food
· Baby is easy to feed when he's still getting his meals from the mom factory (or as my husband calls it, "The Dairy", but for those of you who use formula, it can get expensive -and fast!
· I recently learned that a local 2nd-hand/consignment store in my area sells unopened, unexpired containers of baby formula for half the price you would find it at the grocery store! Who knew?

· MAKE YOUR OWN BABY FOOD! You can find kits and How-to books on how to make your own baby food! Chances are, you can probably find it cheaper, and in as-good-as-new condition, at a 2nd-hand or consignment store, too! ;)

2nd-Hand and Consignment Stores and Baby
THE THOUGHT of SECOND-HAND SHOPPING!!!!!! It used to make me quiver and send a nasty shiver down my spine! "Eewww!! Who would buy someone's used garabage??" My previous way of thinking has significantly changed, that is, under a few circumstances:
I only buy second-hand items that you can't tell that they are second hand - yes! These items DO exist!!! I recently bought a second-hand up-right baby swing, one that would have been somewhere around $150-200 new on the shelf for just $50! (This price choice was mine for 4 other possible choice - in this case, I chose the more expensive choice because I felt that of the 5 possible choices for a second-hand swing, this swing was newer, in better shape, all around, and worked the best for my needs, as well as longevity. No way I would spend less just because it costs me less now, when I know the thing is going to die on me in a week and be forced to buy another one - that kind of spending racks up the $$$ fast!
Bottom line: Look for items that are unstained, undamaged – because 2^nd hand store rarely, if ever, have a return policy, good-working condition, safe and hygienic – be smart people, use your common sense ;)
Think outside the box! Bet you never thought of looking at a consignment store for much more than baby clothing at a 2^nd hand store! You can buy used (no, not gross or disgustingly stained – no self-respecting store would accept or sell those-) cloth diapers there, too! You can buy them at half the price you’d find them new!
Ask if you can work for credit. Some privately owned consignment stores may consider letting you work for credit to buy stuff in the store
Trade and exchange! That’s what they’re here for! Trade in your baby’s and kid’s out-grown clothing for clothes that fit!!

If at first you don’t succeed! Shop, shop again!!!!
Practice patience, it may take time to find the deals and save the money.
Discipline. Practice it. If you resist the urge to buy whatever, whenever and whatever price you happen to find it, you thank yourself later!
These are the personalities of a frugal shopper.
Keep a few extra bucks hand y for the opportunistic buy! Sales and deals are always popping up – you never you when or where you’re going to find those savings!!

Save Money on Diapers!!!
Our family uses cloth diapers. You might be thinking of the folded cloth and safety pin your mother used with you if you’re not familiar with the cloth diapers of the 21^st century. Cloth diaper, today, have vastly improved fro their fore-runners, with highly more absorbent materials, leak protection, a vast array of styles to suit your personal preferences and need, you wallet and even your fashion sense.

MAKE EVERYTHING YOU EAT FROM SCRATCH!!

No, I don;t mean scratch yourself then open a box-dinner!

Learn to cook from scratch! Not only is cooking from scratch healthier, that is, it can be if you choose to cook as so, it is CHEAPER!!!!!!!!!!! Save you money and eat a home-cooked meal!!!

This feels like a good place to end, for today, that is! There is more to come!

DISCLAIMER: All information is merely observation through personal practice and experiences. Please note that your experiences and outcomes of any attempt to model your shopping habits are 1. At your own will, I am not responsible for your personal shopping habits, nor do I claim to change them in any way, or improve your financial status or financial management, or financial standing in any way, 2. Have, here by, been advised you may experience a different outcome based on your geographical location, local economy, and resources and time available to you, the individual, and 3. Personal preferences of chosen brand of any and all item, shopping location and stores and all other variables, thereafter.

REMINDER: Provident Living Class - HERBS/CHEESE/MEAT/VEGGIES

2011-04-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

DON'T FORGET!!!!!

We will be holding a Provident Living Class tonight at the church!

Kate Penhallegon will be talking to us about common herbs - how to preserve them and use them!
Laura Cherry will be teaching us how to can meat and how to dehydrate cheap frozen veggies!
Susan Oakley will be teaching us how to wax cheese!

The class will run from 7:00pm - 8:00pm at the 66th Street Chapel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 525 66th Street Springfield, OR 97478

This class will be held in the multi-purpose room (next to the kitchen) on the south side of the building.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 15

2011-04-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

Download Week 15 here.

REMINDER: Emergency Essentials Group Buy and an ANNOUNCEMENT!!

2011-04-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!!

2011-04-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on increasing your Food Storage! Your Emergency Essentials should be here within the next 2 weeks. Laura Cherry will contact you as soon as it arrives. Questions? Email Laura - laura.s.cherry@gmail.com

Self-Reliance 101: SPROUTS

2011-04-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Visit this website - SproutPeople.org for information on sprouts! If you've never grown them yourself, now is the time. They're extremely nutritious, they pack a lot of punch (as far as survival foods go) in a small quantity, and they're CHEAP! You get a lot of bang for your buck!

Also, here's a must-see video on growing sprouts from SouthernPrepper1 - a no-nonsense prepper who has proven himself to be an invaluable resource to the prepping community! I've talked about him before.

Enjoy!!

Group Buy: Emergency Essentials (April)

2011-04-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Emergency Essentials has released their Group Buy items for April.

Here's an overview if you'd rather not view the site. Orders need to be made by April 15th. If minimums are met at that time I'll keep ordering open til the 20th.

APRIL ITEMS:

1-Day MRE (a full 24 hours worth of MRE's for one person) - $10.00 (for 12 or more)
Whole Egg Powder - $14.00 (for 12 or more)
Freeze-Dried Strawberries - $20.00 (for 12 or more)
161-Piece First-Aid Kit - $15.00 (for 6 or more)
Freeze-Dried Bananas - $16.00 (for 12 or more) <------- THIS IS A FANTASTIC DEAL!!

If you would like any of these items, you can let me know in one of 4 ways:

1. Call/Text me @ 541-285-1606
2. Email me - laura.s.cherry@gmail.com
3. Send me a message on Facebook
4. Let me know via comment on this blog

--

Words of the Prophets: Video Edition

2011-04-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bishop's Storehouse Price Increase

2011-04-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

I would just like to start off with: there's no need to panic.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has implemented a Bishop's Storehouse price increase effective now.

You can see the price list here.

Now, these are somewhat large price increases. But as I said before, there is no need to panic. We can do this!!

Here's an overview of the kinds of changes you'll see:

Wheat is now $11.45 (up from $7.65) for a 25# bag.

There has been a price increase of 19.1% in the past 22 months on the 20 most-purchased foods. That's almost a 1% increase per month. No panicking, however prices are just going to go up from here. If you have been putting off heeding the call to food storage, now would be a good time to stop.

We'll see the biggest increase in:

Sugar @ 26%
Regular Oats @ 29.6%
White Wheat @ 31.9%
Macaroni @ 36.4%
Potato Flakes @ 39.2%

Rice and beans increased very little during the same period.

You guys are great!! Keep your prayers up and your tempers down. We have known for a long times that the last days are here. The time for rationalization has passed. The time to ignore the Prophet's warning voice has come and gone. We must band together and find strength in our relationship with our Father in Heaven through prayer. Much of the world is in trouble. It will reach our shores one day. We know this. Price increases like this will become ever-more frequent as we grow nearer and nearer to the Lord's Second Coming.

Time to get busy!!

Spiritual Preparedness: Jesus the Christ

2011-04-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on Easter...

Provident Living Class: Gardening

2011-03-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, OSU Extension Agent Ross Penhallegon spoke to us about gardening in the Willamette Valley.

He spoke of four vital areas to consider while gardening:

1. Soil
2. Sun
3. Water
4. Fertilizer

Soil - Ross spoke of the tried and true way to test your soil. Dig a hole about 1 ft deep. Take a handful of soil in your hands, and squeeze it into a ball. If it crumbles and falls apart, you've got loam-based soil. The good stuff. If it forms a solid ball that's slick, you've got clay-based soil, in which case you'll want to add as much organic matter as possible - but avoid sand. If you add sand to clay-based soil, you'll wind up with adobe brick. Great for villas, bad for veggies. For a more in-depth discussion on soil and at-home soil testing, view this article from About.com.

Sun - It's best to plan your garden before planting. Visit this site for sample garden plans. One of the main things to consider while planning is light. You want to plant taller plants (like corn) on the north side of the garden to prevent them from shading other plants as the sun moves across your land.

Water - In the Willamette Valley, we run a lower risk of having to stress too much about water. Generally speaking, and with a good layer of mulch, you should only need to give your garden a good soaking once or twice a week. View this article from OSU Extension on watering. One of the main things to avoid is giving your garden frequent, shallow waterings. It's important to let the water reach the roots where it does the plant real good.

Fertilizer - There is SO much information out there about fertilizer. Where in the world do you even begin? Right here, of course! Read this article from OSU Extension on fertilizer. Ross' main point about fertilizer is that it has one objective: to feed the plant. There are many, many discussions/arguments on what fertilizer to use, whether you go organic or chemical, etc etc. Your main goal is to feed the plant, which ever way you may choose.

As a side note, we are about 4 weeks behind in the Willamette Valley because of the moisture we've been experiencing. Surprise, surprise. : )

If you don't have anything in the ground yet, don't feel bad. If you haven't even looked in the direction of your garden plot, you still have time. If you don't even have a garden plot, all is not lost!! Start simple, start now.

Also, check out this series of great articles from OSU Extension on growing your own vegetables:

"Growing Your Own Vegetables"

Provident Living Newsletter: April 2011

2011-03-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

If you or your friends/family who would like to receive this newsletter via email, please send me a message (laura.s.cherry@gmail.com) with their address. Thanks!

Provident Living Newsletter
_____________________________________

Upcoming Events:
4/12   Provident Living Class: Food/Herb Preservation 7pm @ the LDS Building - 525 66th Street in Springfield
4/10   Dry-Pack Sign-Up Deadline4/14   Dry-Pack Canning Session 6pm @ the Thurston Grange - 6590 Thurston Road (If you would like to order for this, see info below)

Group Buy - Each month, Emergency Essentials offers food/supplies for a discounted price if you meet a minimum amount as a group. These items include freeze-dried foods, first-aid supplies, survival supplies, etc. If you would like more information on this, visit the "Group Buys" post on the blog. Each month I will provide the list of items, and if you would like any of them, just shoot me an email. The best part about this is that we get FREE SHIPPING on all Group Buy orders. That's HUGE!! It's a great way to increase your supply and save money at the same time!!

Dry-Pack Canning - Each month, we borrow the dry-pack canner from the Bishop's Storehouse. With this canner, we can seal foods/supplies in Number 10 cans, making them ready for long-term storage. We offer 3 items each month (i.e. this month we're canning dry milk, granulated sugar, and white rice) or you can bring anything you purchase on your own to the grange, and - working together - we'll put it into cans. I purchased gold fish and animal crackers this month so I can have some on hand for my son as he grows, so I'm going to be bringing those bags to the grange to put into cans. It's amazing what you can put in Number 10 cans!!

If you'd like to purchase one of the 3 items offered this month, you just need to let me know how many cans of each you would like. (Side Note: 6 cans fit into 1 cardboard carrying box)

APRIL ITEMS:

***Prices have been updated to reflect the Storehouse price increase on 4-1-2011***

Rice, White            $4.50/can
Milk, Nonfat Dry   $8.87/can
Sugar, Granulated   $6.30/can

***Prices include one the item, 1 oxygen absorber (no oxygen absorber in sugar), 1 metal can, and 1 metal lid. If you would like a box and/or plastic lids, you will need to purchase them.

PURCHASING EMPTY CANS:
If you are bringing your own items to can, you will need to purchase empty cans. We sell them by the case, and even if you can give me an estimate on how many cans you will need, we'll be able to change the amount at the Grange, once you know how many you actually used. (For a reference: 25 lb bags of sugar, salt, etc. usually fit into 5-6 cans)

A case of cans costs $7.15 and it includes the following:

-6 cans
-6 metal lids for sealing
-6 oxygen absorbers (if you don't need oxygen absorbers, we will adjust the price for you)
-2 plastic reusable lids (to be used after opening the cans)
-1 cardboard box

Again, if you would like to sign up for any of these items, email me. The ORDER DEADLINE FOR APRIL IS SUNDAY, APRIL 10th!
Provident Living Classes -
Provident Living Classes will be held monthly for the rest of the year. If you have suggestions for classes you would like to see, feel free to email me with your ideas. All classes, unless otherwise specified, will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building on 66th Street in Springfield. These classes are open to church members, community members, youth, etc. All are welcome! We will update you on upcoming classes as soon as we have them finalized!

Self-Reliance Blog -
Don't forget to check out the Self-Reliance Blog. If I can get my rear in gear, you will be able to see the following themed posts, as well as other informational posts several times a week!

Ethleen's Eat of the Week - Learn how to use your food storage in delicious recipes your entire family will love! It's not enough to keep the food, we must rotate and replace! Ethleen's Recipes are a great way to do that!
Danae's Deal of the Week - Our savvy-super-saver-shopper Danae will be providing us with some of the best deals for grocers in our area! We will also be posting links to online coupons in this section.
52 Weeks to Family Preparedness - The 52-Week Plan is designed to help families become better prepared in just 52 weeks! At the end of this course, you will have a year's supply of food, 72-Hour Kits for the entire family, Car Emergency Kits, and your family will be better prepared physically, emotional, and spiritually. They are listed by week. If you have any troubles viewing them, let me know.

As always, if you have ideas, questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to let me know!!

--

Laura S. Cherry http://saintsforselfreliance.blogspot.com "It's better to have this and not need it than it is to need it and not have it..."

REMINDER: Provident Living Class - GARDENING

2011-03-28T21:07:00.001-07:00

REMINDER: FREEEEEEEEE Gardening Class TOMORROW NIGHT!!!! The legendary Ross Penhallegon will be teaching us all about what to plant/when to plan for our area!! 7:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Building - 525 66th Street in Springfield. Message me if you need directions! These free gardening classes will be happening monthly for the rest of the year!!!!!! ♥

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 14

2011-03-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Download Week 14 here.

Emergency Preparedness: Earthquake Prep Checklist

2011-03-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

You can find loads of disaster prep information on the FEMA site - including the "Earthquake Checklist" - see it below for ideas on what you can do to prepare now for an Earthquake in your area!

What to Do Before an Earthquake

Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently and without warning. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake. Repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling, and following local seismic building standards, will help reduce the impact of earthquakes.

6 Ways to Plan Ahead:

Check for Hazards in the Home
- Fasten shelves securely to walls.
- Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
- Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.
- Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, couches, and anywhere people sit.
- Brace overhead light fixtures.
- Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks.
- Secure a water heater by strapping it to the wall studs and bolting it to the floor.
- Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
- Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
Identify Safe Places Indoors and Outdoors
- Under sturdy furniture such as a heavy desk or table.
- Against an inside wall.
- Away from where glass could shatter around windows, mirrors, pictures, or where heavy bookcases or other heavy furniture could fall over.
- In the open, away from buildings, trees, telephone and electrical lines, overpasses, or elevated expressways.
Educate Yourself and Family Members
- Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on earthquakes. Also read the "How-To Series" for information on how to protect your property from earthquakes.
- Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1, police, or fire department and which radio station to tune to for emergency information.
- Teach all family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity, and water.
Have Disaster Supplies on Hand (For ideas on an Emergency Kit see the "72-Hour Kit" Post)
- Flashlight and extra batteries.
- Portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries.
- First aid kit and manual.
- Emergency food and water.
- Nonelectric can opener.
- Essential medicines.
- Cash and credit cards.
- Sturdy shoes.
Develop an Emergency Communication Plan
- In case family members are separated from one another during an earthquake (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), develop a plan for reuniting after the disaster.
- Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to serve as the "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.
Help Your Community Get Ready
- Publish a special section in your local newspaper with emergency information on earthquakes. Localize the information by printing the phone numbers of local emergency services offices, the American Red Cross, and hospitals.
- Conduct a week-long series on locating hazards in the home.
- Work with local emergency services and American Red Cross officials to prepare special reports for people with mobility impairments on what to do during an earthquake.
- Provide tips on conducting earthquake drills in the home.
- Interview representatives of the gas, electric, and water companies about shutting off utilities.
- Work together in your community to apply your knowledge to building codes, retrofitting programs, hazard hunts, and neighborhood and family emergency plans.

Food Preservation: Dehydrating Frozen Vegetables

2011-03-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is something I had never put much thought into, believe it or not.

I picked up 2 bags of frozen veggies from Winco for a whoppin' $0.78 a piece!! Look out!!

Just threw them on the dehydrator trays...

And a few hours later...

Voila! We have dehydrated peas and carrots!!

I'm thinkin' fried rice... mmmmmm...

In the photo above, you're seeing 2 small bag's worth. It would take probably 6 of those bags to fill a #10 can, which means you're looking at an overall cost of just over $5.00/per can (that's including the cost of the can and oxygen absorber.)

Dehydrated veggies like this, hermetically sealed, will last around 10 years. Not bad! Not bad!

Boiled a tablespoon of the little guys in some water, just to be sure I'd like them after they were reconstituted.

Yum!!!

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 13

2011-03-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Download Week 13 here.

Emergency Preparedness: Candles

2011-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Light is extremely important, both for physical and psychological reasons. Keep all the lights in your home off for 24 hours. I think you'd be surprised how gloomy a house can feel in the absence of light. Not to mention, if you were without light in the Winter in Oregon, you'd be sitting in the dark or going to bed at 4:30 pm. That doesn't sound appealing, even to me, and I go to bed at 9:00 pm most nights!

You'll want to decide what kind of light is most appropriately suited for your family's needs.

Here are some options:

Lanterns

kerosene: great light source - some models will burn around 70 hours
battery operated: convenient and easy to use, but require larger batteries
propane: easy to find, propane cylinders are easy to use

Flashlights

plug-in: great for short-term use, but no where to recharge - you would have to keep a good supply of batteries on-hand
hand crank: crank for 1 minute and get 30 minutes of light with no need for batteries or light bulbs
LED shake light: 20 minutes of light with 30 seconds of shaking, no need for batteries or bulbs
squeeze light: no batteries; just squeeze the handle repeatedly to generate light
solar powered: needs 6-9 hours full sun to charge, can use back up batteries, more costly than other choices
book lights: wonderful for reading, but not a good choice for other lighting

Oil lamps

Oil candles: small candles sell around $4, burn 100 hours, clear oil-less soot
Hurricane lamps: produce a lot of light, amount of light output is controlled-dim to bright, produces some warmth, oil easy to find at mass merchant
Light sticks: fair amount of light if very dark, safe for a child, lights up to 8 hours, around $2 each

Fireplaces

Gas models are very costly to burn, so stock up on firewood!

Candles

small stick: burns 4-6 hours, provides good light, but can tip easily
pillar: burns 8 hours or up to 100 if emergency variety
votive or tea light: short life with wax puddles, but small enough to buy and store easily
fragrant/jar: soot and scent are drawbacks, they're expensive

Keeping all that in mind, our family decided to boost our supply with stick candles. The candles are going to supplement our 15 hurricane oil lamps. Some people dislike the smell of oil lamps, but I LOVE it - probably because I didn't grow up with it. :)

At The Dollar Tree in Springfield, they sell these packs of 6 Emergency Candles for a buck! What's even better than that is the fact that they sell them online at their site by the case, with free shipping if you have them sent to one of their stores!! $48.00 for 288 candles!!

But what, really, does that mean? How many hours will one of those suckers burn?

I wanted to know, so I conducted a little experiment!

I placed the candle in my butter keep, of course. Where else?

I lit the candle at 5:05pm and let it burn for 4 hours. Like I said, we go to bed around 9:00pm, so I blew it out at 9:05pm. Then, the following morning at 6:05am, I re-lit the little sucker. It burned with a solid flame for another hour.

Here are the results in simplified terms, and what they mean for you:

1 candle = 5 hours of light

6 candles = 1 box

48 boxes = 1 case

Which means... if I buy a case of these, and use them for around 2.5 hours per day, I will get 2 days' worth out of one candle. Which means...

1 box will last me 12 days. If I continue this pattern...

1 case of candles (for $48.00) will give me 576 days.

And just for fun...

$48.00 for 288 candles, at 5 hours per candle amounts to...

1,440 hours of light, at $0.03 per hour of light.

I'm a fan of those figures.

One last note: While your family is making a decision on what kind of light sources to store, take a look at this video:

*SouthernPrepper1 talks about Emergency Lighting*

I've posted information about SoutherPrepper1 before - he's a regular guy, dedicating a lot of his time to prepping and educating others about the process. He's great! And in this video, he discusses several ways of storing/using light.

Happy Prepping!!

Waste Not The Wipes!!

2011-03-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

**I took this post from our Family Blog. If a date/wording seems off, this is why. I wrote this post while I was pregnant with Trenton - last year!**

I have been extremely intrigued by a great many things lately... having a baby is an eye-opening experience of the best kind.

Countless topics have been discussed in our home over the course of the past few months, and bless D's heart, he has been right there with me, always supportive, going over pros and cons, always willing to be the other half (the sane half, really) of my "Oh I just read something else that turns my world upside down" conversations. Bless. His. Heart.

I will be posting several blogs over the course of the next few months (years) about eco-friendly kid raising. Yes, this farming, dirt loving, surely conservative woman just said the words (hyphenated word rather) "eco-friendly" and I plan on saying much more on that topic. The main idea is that I would like to protect my children. All of them. Even the girls. : ) As parents-to-be, we worry about some of the same things our grandparents worried about when they were raising their brood. However, we worry about much different things too. Things that, until late, have not reared their ugly heads for parents to worry about. We plan on doing all we can to give the Cherry Clan the kind of wholesome, homegrown, dirt-streaked life we enjoyed and love still.

Project #1: Reusable Wipes!!

I like to save money. "Like" may be the wrong word here... ummmm... I'm so cheap I squeak.

There I said it.

I'm also somewhat of a naturalist. A homesteader. A home-loving housewife.

All of the above.

Back to the wipes...

I first read this recipe on Progressive Pioneer, a wholly inspiring blog written by Amy Thompson. The woman has a soul of gold, to say the least. She shares great ideas for making the most out of raising your children, easy do-it-yourself projects, and if I start now I'll be here all day explaining the benefits of following her blog... so just do it. However, I will give the same disclaimer for her site as I did for the other... I am not responsible for the addiction that ensues after visiting her world. ; ) You can find her baby wipe recipe, among other great articles here.

Reusable Baby Wipes
______________________________________

What you'll need:

For the wipes -
flannel squares (to fit whatever container you'll keep the wipes in)
a serger (the other day I called my mom's a surge protector and I thought she was going to pee her pants)
a sewing machine (if you have one of the nicer four-spool sergers you won't need the sewing machine)

For the solution -
3 cups warm water
2 T olive oil
3 drops essential oil (mint, lemon, lavender, you pick!)
2 drops tea tree oil
2 T natural baby wash (preferably the no-suds kind... I'll tell you why later. Ugh.)

Step #1: Wash the fabric. You'll always want to wash fabric before you start working with it - especially flannel which can shrink up to 3" in the first wash. Dry on low heat, and you're ready to start cutting!!

Step #2: Cut your flannel into squares/rectangles that will fit into the container you're going to be storing them in. I used a BPA-free plastic container with a flip top lid. NOTE: you will want to cut the pieces about 1/8 of an inch larger (on all sides) than you actually want. The serger will take off about that much from each side. NOTE#2: The wonderful thing about flannel is that, if you start a cut at one end, the fabric will rip easily and give you a nice, quick, straight edge. Excellent!

The golf pattern - my dad would be so proud.

Is this not the CUTEST fabric for a builder's family? I'm in love.

Step #3: Double up the fabric. The flannel I purchased had a print on one side and not the other. The material is also softer on the printed side than the non. Because of that, I serge two pieces of fabric together - printed sides facing out obviously.

Step #4: Serge all four edges of the fabric pieces. Trim the tails.

Come back soon to see what I do with these scraps!! It's so exciting!!

Step #5: Because I was using a 3-spool serger, I ran a straight stitch down each edge (in the middle of the serge) just to insure that these bad boys would not come undone. Ever. If you've got a 4-spool serger you won't have to worry about this step. If you do add a straight stitch, just trim all excess thread from the wipes, and fold them so they're ready for solution!

Step #6: Make the "wet" part of the wipes...

Put all ingredients in the blender. NOTE: This is the reason you want a baby wash that doesn't create bubbles... I had a lovely explosion in my kitchen last night because I thought I could ignore Amy's advice on that.

Curiosity killed the cat.

And foamed the kitchen.

Step #7: Add your liquid to your wipes. I just put half the wipes in (I can fit 12 in each container I bought), added the liquid, squish squish squished, added more wipes, more liquid, etc until they reach desired liquidiness. Yes. Liquidiness.

What's amazing about flannel is that it holds liquid VERY well, but doesn't drip. Perfect.

Congratulations! You have reusable wipes!!

In the past 24 hours I have used mine to wipe a butt, wipe a counter, clean a picture frame, dust a piece of wood furniture, clean a dirty face, and polish glass.

Yes. I used clean ones for some *ahem* tasks.

Happy wiping!!

Emergency Preparedness: Homemade Firestarters

2011-03-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

***This post was taken from my Family Blog. If a date/wording seems off, that's why. I wrote this post over a year ago!***

What to do? What to do? Every other day I have a stand off with the lovely, hairy, appetizing lint that comes from my dryer. It says,

"Throw me away. We both know where this is headed."

And I say,

"But I don't want to. You're mine. You're part of my clothes, my dogs, my dirt. I made you for goodness' sake! Can't I use and abuse you in some fashion?!?"

Yes. Yes I can. And so I will.

Dryer lint, sewing scraps, shredded paper for the love!! You can use it all to make your own firestarters!! It's a wonderful idea I tell you, and the ones we just made burned. They burned hot, and for a very, very long time. Excellent.

So here are the steps:

You will need:

Some form of flammable something (dryer lint, bellybutton lint - gross - or sewing scraps - best to use something that will catch easily and burn hot. Flannel seems to work really well)

Egg cartons (We used the kind with a flip top, but if you have the large, open-top flats, they'll work juuuuuust fine)

Paraffin (Paraffin is kerosene in it's solid form - it's the most common type of wax used for candles, lamps, etc. You can buy it online, or at places like Glory Bee Foods - they have a retail location in Eugene and if you've never been there, the trip is a must. Also, if you've got old crayons laying around the house, they're made of paraffin. Use them! Melt those bad boys down and make them work for you!)

Step #1: Gather your material -

Our material came from two places...

The dryer vent...

And the wipes project I just finished...

Step #2: Place your material into egg cartons

Step #3: Melt the paraffin - Use crayons or commercial wax (a Number 10 can IN A DOUBLE BOILER on the stove works great for this! Be careful to sink the No. 10 can in water to melt the wax because if you put it on the stove directly it can catch fire. Not good.)

Step #4: Pour the melted paraffin onto the material in each hole of the egg carton.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: Put parchment paper or some other leak-proof paper under your cartons. They will leak. Oh and don't pour so fast that the paraffin sloshes out of the container and onto your stove and floor. You'll be scraping paraffin for years. Just ask my mom.)

Step #5: Let them dry and voila! It's a fire starter!

____________________________________________________________________

When you need to start a fire, you break a little section off (this is another reason to use egg cartons) and light it on fire! Mom said when she put a match to one after it had dried, it went up beautifully, burned really hot, and stayed burning for over 5 minutes. That's pretty dang good.

Food Preservation: Dill Pickles/Green Beans/Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam/Plum Jam

2011-03-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

***The following post was taken from my Family Blog - if a date/wording seems off - that is why. This post was written last year!***

Mid-August in our neck of the woods translates: sticky floor, aching back, home as hot as Hades, and a stark reminder why we spend so much time tending to the garden.

I love canning.

Love it.

Did I mention I really love canning?

Here's a wrap up of the projects we've been working on lately...

QUICK DILL PICKLES

I get my dill pickle recipe from one of the greatest books ever written. Carla Emery, a brilliant woman to say the least, has since passed on, but her book - The Encyclopedia of Country Living - is ageless. Seriously, if you don't have a copy of this massive piece of literature, do yourself a favor and get one. The lady really floats my boat.

I like crunchy pickles, so I soak my cucumbers in culinary lime for about 12-18 hours before processing. Before we could get our hands on culinary lime last year, we crushed up a bunch of calcium pills and soaked them in a solution of calcium and water. It helped with the pickles' soggy nature, but not a ton. Wilco (owned by True Value) wound up ordering us a bunch of bags of lime, so now we're set!

Disgusting...

Repulsive...

GREEN BEANS!!

My green bean "recipe" comes straight from another of my favorite books... The Ball Blue Book of Preserving (don't laugh at the name - it's right there! I didn't make it up!!)

We add very little to our beans. They're canned in water and a tiny bit of salt - 1 teaspoon per quart jar to be exact. They process in the pressure canner for 25 minutes, and voila! You have GLORIOUS green beans. Holy moly no matter how many bean rows we plant, and no matter how many quarts we put up, we always seem to run out by December. We just can't help ourselves.

SIDE NOTE: Thank you, thank you, thank you Lindsay Surface and mommy for helping me snap beans this year! D was working and we had a great girls get-together. Woah. So many G's.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB JAM!!

My mom is famous in our family for her strawberry-rhubarb jam. I. love. it. My brother Chris has morphed his diet and nutrition into something I would never be able to tolerate, so this is the first year she hasn't shipped him some. I think I heard him cry a little on the phone when she told him what we were doing. Excellent. ; P

The recipe she uses comes right off the back of the MCP (pectin) box. One of the greatest lessons I have learned from my mother in the kitchen is this: always, always try the recipe on the box. So I confess... many of my best recipes come right off the boxes of the ingredients I'm using. I, too often, go searching for the best recipe online when, in fact, it's right there... right under my nose. Who knew?!?! Especially when you're making jam or jelly, the recipes on the table in the box are simply the best in my opinion, so we stick to 'em... sort of. ; )

We're apparently very thorough when using up the last of the batch... *ahem*

Hello love...

AND PLUM JAM... kind of.

I'm sure you all remember these gems from last year... my beloved plums. *sigh* I love plums. This year, the pear and plum trees blossomed right at the wrong time. It rained. It hailed. The bees never made it to them, and so, no plums. : (

Thank goodness, D had the sense to bring up the fact that we had 30 quarts of halved plums in the food storage room!! We didn't plan on turning these into jam, but we haven't used any of them - canning them semi-whole was more of an experiment than anything - so we got busy! The plums, though canned for a year, made GREAT jam and the juice that the plums were packed in made ever better jelly!! Score!!

D and I have one trick when it comes to plum jam... you may call it our best mistake in the world. We do. Last year, when we were making plum jam, and we were so googly-eyed about each other, giggling in the kitchen, dreaming of being husband and wife and the hundred babies we would have, we stopped paying attention to the recipe (*ahem* - I stopped paying attention to the recipe) and told D to add DOUBLE the lemon juice that it called for.

Yes. Double.

As it hit the pot I realized what I had done. We had not the slightest idea whether or not it would turn out. As it cooled in jars we watched, and we waited... And when it was all said and done, we had the best darn plum jam we'd ever tasted! It was lighter (in color and texture) than regular plum jam - our plums are dark in color and extremely firm and meaty. They make "man jam" so to speak... and the lemon juice added a tart tinge of flavor that was to die for.

So to make a long story longer, "our" recipe will call for double the lemon juice for the rest of our lives.

This is what happens when you have a bad ring. Yup. This bad boy exploded TWICE! I thought I had just lined up the seal wrong after it exploded all over the counter the first time, but when I tried it a second, we wound up with the same result. Bad, bad ring. : (

All in all we're happy with how things are going this year in the garden, though they may be slow...

Up next, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes... tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes!!

Food Preservation: Tomato Sauce

2011-03-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

***The following post was taken from my Family Blog - if a date/wording seems off - that is why. This post was written last year!***

There was a saucy situation going down in my kitchen today...

I received an email from OSU Extension Agent Ross Penhallegon, advising me to pick tomatoes and use them in sauce immediately. The weather we've been experiencing in Oregon lately has been less than ideal for growing tomatoes.

Heat, rain, heat rain... that makes for a lot of cracked, pathetic, and confused tomatoes.

I decided to get crackin' myself and whip out a batch of sauce.

We use this sauce for everything... pastas, pizzas, calzones, lasagna... it's a wonder sauce. It's fabulous.

The recipe comes from Barbara Kingsolver's Book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" - a must read if you haven't done so already.

She calls it her...

FAMILY SECRET TOMATO SAUCE

Dun dun dun duuuuuuuunnn...

Ahem.

Straight from the book: 'The point of this recipe is to make a large amount at one time, when tomatoes are in season. If you are canning it, stick closely to the recipe; adding additional fresh vegetables will change the pH so it's unsafe for water-bath canning. If you're freezing it, then it's fine to throw in peppers, mushrooms, fresh garlic, whatever you want. This recipe makes 6-7 quarts - you can use any combination of pint and quart canning jars or freezer boxes."

I got 10 quarts out of my batch, and only did one thing different than the recipe calls for.

I let my simmer.

Overnight. All night. The whole night. Night entirety.

It was a glorious smell to wake up to. Really.

Here's what you'll need:

10 quarts tomato puree (about 30 lbs of tomatoes) - And if you're a little slow like me, that's 40 cups. That's how I measured mine out. While I was washing the tomatoes, I cored them and then I chucked them in my blender and frapped the suckers. It felt good.
4 large onions, chopped
1 cup dried basil
1/2 cup honey
4 Tablespoons dried oregano
3 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons ground dried lemon peel - I didn't have any so I left it out. So there.
2 Tablespoons thyme
2 Tablespoons garlic powder (or more, to taste) - I used the 2T garlic powder, plus about 3T garlic salt. Cause I'm crazy. And I have a husband who hates sweet sauce but loves garlic. Can you blame him?
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Soften onions in a heavy kettle (I used my big aluminum stock pot) - add a small amount of water if necessary but NO OIL IF YOU ARE CANNING.

Add pureed tomatoes.

Add all seasonings.

Bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for two to three hours until sauce has thickened to your liking. Stir frequently, especially toward the end, to avoid burning.

This is where I changed things up a bit. I let the sauce simmer all night long. Aaaalllll niiiiggghhhttt loooong! Aaaalll niiigghht. Okay I'm done singing.

I can let things simmer all night long for two reasons:

1. I have a natural gas stove. I wouldn't recommend doing this on an electric range - ask my sister how that fares.

2. I am pregnant. Let me rephrase that... I am hugely, ginormously,8 months, fatty fatty type pregnant... which means I don't sleep so good. I toss and I turn and even when I can get comfortable and I don't have to pee, I still wake up at 3 am just for kicks and find myself fully alert and energized. I swear that's my body preparing me for late-night feedings. Anyways, I'm not complaining - I still get enough sleep - but I can get up several times in the middle of the night to stir sauce and not think twice about it. Last night D woke up and I was just sitting in bed, staring off into space. He looked at me like I was nutso and in only a way D could, asked sincerely, "Everything okay?" He's so sweet. I let him know I was just contemplating the meaning of life and that he was free to go back to sleep. Don't mind the crazed fat lady sitting next to you. Dream away.

Where was I?

Oh yes. I can leave sauce simmering. You may not be able to. If you cannot, follow Barbara's recommendation. If you can, praise the Heavens because it means you can break this saucy situation into two days. Excellent. Procrastination at its finest.

This morning I collected my canning things, fed the child in the high chair, and started filling quart jars. 10 quarts of sauce is easy shtuff.

If you can't simmer when the sun's down, continue the process as follows...

Meanwhile, (this is back when you've added your seasonings and such to your sauce... I'm almost positive you forget where I left you) heat water in canner bath, sterilize jars in boiling water or dishwasher (what's that?) and pour boiling water over jar lids.

SIDE NOTE: Make canning easier on yourself, and use a couple of tricks that women have used since the dawn of time. They're tried and true, and they are glorious. I like easy. Easy peasy.

1. Steal your paper towel holder. use it to hold your rings so you're not chasing them all over the counter. They're slippery little buggers.

2. Don't run your jars through the dishwasher every time you're going to use them. Run them under hot water for a moment, drain them, and then stick them in the oven at about 250 degrees. I promise by the time you use them, there will be nothing living. And then they're piping hot when you put what you're canning into them. Love it.

Bottled lemon juice or citric acid - NOT optional!

Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice OR 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar (half that much to pint jars). This ensures that the sauce will be safely acidic.

When the sauce is ready, ladle it into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Cap jars, lower gently into the canner and boil for 35 minutes. Remove, cool, check all seals, and store for winter.

Voila! You have Super Sauce!!!!

And thank you Barbara Kingsolver!!

Emergency Preparedness: 72-Hour Kits

2011-03-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

***This post was taken from my Family Blog - we made these 72-Hour Kits in July 2010 which is why the wording is a little off***

Well, we did it. We have our 72-hour packs ready and waiting!! We have been meaning to do this for quite some time now... I mean, we HAVE been married for 150 days today (but who's counting) after all.

I did a lot of research. D and I discussed our plans for days before we executed them... Monday came, FHE plans were still undecided, and we went for it.

I'm a list person. I make lists of ALL sorts of things... baby's names, grocery lists, our tasks for the week, my baby weight, household chores to be done every day, my schedule down to "1. Prepare Breakfast 2. Eat breakfast"... EVERYTHING. So I made lists. I have lists of survival-related topics coming out my ears! I searched for the 72-hour pack shopping list list, and we headed to Wal-Mart!

We were excited to say the least.

We left WallyWorld with about eight sacks of "shtuff" and a couple hundred dollars poorer. Not bad considering we had to buy packs, food, an emergency radio, and all the other survival supplies needed. We were starting from scratch!

I went to take a picture of D carrying in some of the groceries and Super Man got them all!! And shut the doors to the suburban!! What the heck?!?

Oh and he wasn't pleased with himself at all. What a hunk.

Here's the loot, pre-packed!!

We had to get scissors to open the knife so we could open everything else, and voila! Ready and waiting to go into the bags!

The emergency radio...

My pack: stuffed! We were actually surprised at the amount of space left in these bags. They were $19.00 for goodness sakes, and you can almost fit a body in them! They have a ton of pockets, and several support straps. Good find, for sure.

A hymnal, a journal, and a Book of Mormon for some reading (D and I have scriptures in "senile size" just for fun. They're a tad heavy.)

We are rockin' those packs. Fo'sho.

And now for the important stuff...

72-Hour Pack

1 backpack -- $19.00
1 rain slicker -- $2.88
3 pairs socks -- $3.00
1 water bottle -- $3.00
1 gallon water -- $0.78
5 packets oatmeal -- $1.40
1 packet raspberry ice -- $0.20
3 packets hot cocoa -- $0.45
3 packets apple cider -- $0.60
2 granola bars -- $0.50
1 small bag jerky -- $2.98
3 packets ramen -- $0.60
2 small cans fruit -- $1.50
23 lifesavers -- $0.75
1 pack gum -- $0.75
4 fruit snacks -- $0.50
1 bunch zipties -- $1.50
1 can sterno fuel -- $3.00
1 pack tissues -- $0.60
4 small boxes matches -- $0.40
1 waterproof canister w/ matches -- $1.00
1 small bottle sanitizer -- $1.50
1 small bottle multi-use liquid soap -- $2.88
1 small first aid kit -- $6.88
1 emergency blanket -- $2.88
1 bottle insect repellent -- $2.88
1 ballpoint pen -- $0.50
1 roll camper toilet paper -- $0.60
1 small flashlight -- $3.00
1 7-in-1 tool -- $3.88
1 pocket knife -- $1.00
1 mess kit -- $5.88
1 whistle -- $1.00
1 pointed shovel -- $3.88
1 emergency radio -- $20.00
1 bag medication/vitamins -- ON HAND
1 sleeping bag -- $9.00
1 pair garments -- ON HAND
1 Book of Mormon -- ON HAND
1 hymnal -- ON HAND
1 journal -- ON HAND
1 pair Carhartts -- ON HAND
1 t-shirt -- ON HAND
1 hoodie -- ON HAND
1 beanie hat (something that covers the ears) -- ON HAND
1 pair gloves -- ON HAND

Special Considerations:
(that means these are in my pack because I'm a sissy, but not in D's)
1 tube chapstick
1 small bottle of lotion
1 travel size bottle contact solution
1 extra pair contacts (plus case)

TOTAL COST: $111.15/pack

TOTAL WEIGHT: 27 lbs.
(that includes 1 gallon of water and a sleeping bag)

So there you have it. We're more prepared today than we were yesterday, and that's what counts! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!! We purchased everything from Wal-Mart.

**If you're interested, SouthernPrepper1 has a great video on 72-Hour Kits (or "Bug-Out Bags" as a lot of the prepping community calls them) - he has some great information in this one**

Southern Prepper1's Video on Bug-Out Bags

Group Buy: Emergency Essentials (March)

2011-03-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

Okay folks... Emergency Essentials has released their March Group Buy specials!!

Here are the products:

Visit their website to see the Group Buy Specials for yourself!

18+ Hour Hand Warmers - 80 or more @ $0.60
Whole Egg Powder - 12 or more @ $14.00
Green Bell Pepper (freeze-dried) - 12 or more @ $9.00 <------ GREAT DEAL!!
Strawberries (freeze-dried) - 12 or more @ $13.00
Pork Patty Crumbles (freeze-dried) - 6 or more @ $24.00
161-Piece First Aid Kit - 6 or more @ $15.00 <------- THIS IS A GREAT DEAL!!
Celery (freeze-dried) - 6 or more @ $12.00

So here's how this works...

If you would like any of these items, you can let me know in one of 4 ways:

1. Call/Text me @ 541-285-1606
2. Email me - laura.s.cherry@gmail.com
3. Send me a message on Facebook
4. Let me know via comment on this blog

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT:

Orders will be taken until March 15th.

At that time, I will go over what has been ordered to make sure we've met the minimum on each item.

DO NOT SEND ME ANY MONEY UNTIL I VERIFY THE MINIMUMS HAVE BEEN MET.

If we are short on an item, I will let you know so you can either: a)withdraw your order or b)order more of that item to meet the minimum.

Once I have the order finalized, I will begin taking money. All items need to be paid for by the 28th of each month.

When you order, please provide me with an email address so I can send you important information regarding the order.

I hope this makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions!!

Laura

Web Spotlight: Heirloom Seeds - FREE GARDENING E-BOOK

2011-03-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

MyHeirloomSeeds.com is an excellent resource to keep in your Bookmarks folder! But what I'm REALLY excited about today is the fact that they have a FREE E-Book called the Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia and it's REALLY COOL!!!!!!!

It covers growing, freezing, canning, drying, and storing!!

Here's an Overview of each section:

PART ONE - The Garden
1. Planning Your Garden (Complete with pictures, area frost dates, etc)
2. Soil Amendments (adding things to make your soil the best it can be!)
3. Planting Your Garden (Spacing, seed depth, water needs)
4. Caring for Your Garden (Includes pictures and descriptions of common weeds!)
5. Keeping Your Garden Healthy (Weeds, pests, disease... all you need to know!)

PART TWO - The Plants
6. Vegetables (A-Z guide to all your favorite veggies!)
7. Herbs (An A-Z guide to all kinds of herbs, and how to grow them indoors and outdoors!)
8. Storing Vegetables (The Preserving method chart rocks!!)
9. Freezing Vegetables (All you need to know about freezing)
10. Drying Vegetables (One of my favorite ways to store veggies and fruits)
11. Sprouting Vegetables (THIS SECTION MAKES THIS WORTH A DOWNLOAD ALONE!!!!!!)
12. Storing/Using Herbs (A MUST have)

This E-Book is FREE and is chalk-full of extremely useful information. It includes 261 PAGES of gardening material. And did I mention it won't cost you anything? ; P It's in PDF format, and ready for printing.

Download the Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 12

2011-02-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Download Week 12 here.

Danae's Deals of the Week: 2/23 - 3/1

2011-02-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Albertons -

Ground Beef 85/15 - $1.99 lb
Mix-N-Match - Each of the following are only $1:

Glaceau Vatmin Water or PowerAid
Bar-S Meat Franks
Knorr Side Dishes
Healthy Choice Soup
BumbleBee Tuna
Swiss Miss Cocoa (10 ct.)
Daisy Sour Cream
King's Hawaiian Rolls
And More!!

Save-A-Lot -

Hamburger Helper/Tuna Helper Meals - $1.00
Foster Farms Whole Fryers - $.99/lb
Hungry Jack Specialty Potatoes - $1.00
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix - $.39/box

Web Spotlight: StillTasty

2011-02-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

How long will your favorite food or beverage stay safe and tasty? What's the best way to store it?

Get the answer for thousands of items at www.stilltasty.com!!

This is a great site. Really really. However, take their word with a grain of salt.

Take mayonnaise for example. It has an indefinite shelf life.

Yes. Indefinite.

Mayo for Eternity.

However, the StillTasty website states 10-12 months.

So Happy Browsing, with a grain of salt. : )

Laura

Web Spotlight: Emergency Essentials

2011-02-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

“Helping People Prepare…for over 20 years. Offering Food Storage, Emergency Kits, Water Filtration, First Aid, MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), Survival Kits, Camping Gear, disaster preparedness and more! We are committed to serving you with over 900 products!"

I will be forming an Emergency Essentials group to take part in their Group Buys Program each month. They offer several products each month for a discounted price if you buy over a certain number of the product. ALSO, they offer FREE SHIPPING on the items purchased in the group buy, as well as any other item purchased at the same time!

If you'd like additional information on the Group Buy Program through Emergency Essentials, visit this link:

Group Buy Program

If you are interested in signing up to be part of the group buy each month (no purchase required every month) send me an email, or comment below.

Happy Prepping!!

Laura

Video Spotlight: SouthernPrepper1 on YouTube

2011-02-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

There is a man on YouTube (okay there are hundreds of men - and women - on YouTube) who has dedicated his life to Preparedness efforts. His "handle" is SouthernPrepper1 and his information is fantastic!!

Here's some general information on his profile:

"I am married and the father of 2 great teenagers. Retired army infantry, prepper, survivalist, homesteader and most important a Christian. I am interested in helping people survive the hard times that are coming. I have a very supportive wife that lets me prepare for the disaster that is heading our way. My only goal for this channel is to help people."

Here's my DISCLAIMER: I have not watched all of his videos, but what I have seen I find to be appropriate and extremely useful. Take a look at his channel if you like.

You can find his videos here:

SouthernPrepper1 YouTube Channel

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 11

2011-02-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Download Week 11 here.

Food Preservation: Canning Chicken

2011-02-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

I love preserving. That's no front page news. But this year, my mother (bless her soul!) has gotten me addicted to meat preservation in all it's forms!! So we'll start this series of Food Preservation posts with something that is so simple a ten year old could manage.

Canning Chicken.

1. First things first - gather your supplies.

You will need:

a pressure canner

salt

raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast

quart or pint jars w/ lids and rings

And... cinnamon rolls for breakfast. YUM!
(Not required, but helps tremendously.)

2. Prep your breasts. Laugh all you want.

Trim the fat as much as possible. If you buy chicken breast in bulk, it will most likely come with a relative amount of fat still attached.

Also, you will probably need to separate the breasts. They are not sold singularly in bulk like they are when you buy them packaged and weighed in the store.

Lovely fat, eh?

Add 1 teaspoon salt to each empty quart jar (1/2 tsp for pints) and start stuffing the jars with chicken!

Fill 7 jars, and stop.

Give them each a lid and a ring, screw 'em on tight, and put them in your canner.

Process for 90 minutes at 15 lbs of pressure.

Voila!

Congratulations, it's chicken. This chicken is cooked, and ready to be thrown into whatever recipe strikes your fancy!! It's not slimy like so many other canned meats are, and since you haven't added any liquid to the jars, that lovely chicken broth that's staring at you there is just dying to improve the flavor of dinner. : )

And FYI - I canned 40 lbs of chicken breast yesterday. It gave me 18 Quarts and 5 lbs of jerky. Chicken Jerky recipe in the dehydrator to come!

Danae's Deals of the Week: 2/16 - 2-22

2011-02-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

Albertsons -

- Grade A Large Eggs dozen - $0.99 each

- Blueberries 6 oz - $1.50 each

FYI - Albertsons has dry ice for $1.39/lb if you're needing some for sealing buckets!

***Don't forget that WalMart will price match. I went on their Corporate site for details on exactly how it works, and here are their guidelines for price matching:

Our unbeatable promise:

Store managers make the final decision in always taking care of our customers, but we do have guidelines for matching our competition.

We do honor "Preferred Shopping Card" advertised prices. Must be like items, be advertised and require a competitor's shopping card, for the discount to apply.
We do not honor advertisements that require a purchase in order to receive the advertised price or free product.
We do not honor "Buy One / Get One Free" advertisements.
We do not honor double or triple coupons or percent off advertisements.
We do not honor other retailers' "Misprinted" advertised prices.
We do not honor Internet Pricing.
We do not honor competitor advertisements from outside of the store's or Club's local trade territory.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 10

2011-02-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

Download Week 10 here. (Naomi Raven, am I on the ball, or WHAT!?!)

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 9

2011-02-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

Download Week 9 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 8

2011-02-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

Download Week 8 here.

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 7

2011-02-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Download Week 7 here.

Grocery Spotlight: Winco Foods

2011-02-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Winco Foods is one of those amazing, Employee-owned, 24-Hour, high quality, low price markets that just really does it for me. Most people realize they have a bulk foods section that would make other stores blush, but what you may not realize is that you can make special bulk orders on stuff you use regularly. Just visit the bulk section of any Winco and speak with their Bulk Rep - you know - the guy refilling the bins.

Yes. It's as easy as that.

You let him know what you want, he writes it on his fancy clipboard, takes your name and number, and BAM! It's there two days later.

This year alone the Cherry Family has ordered white rice, brown rice, wheat flour, white flour, 5 different kinds of beans, 8 different kinds of pasta, flax, spices, corn meal, dried mango, dried banana chips, and Skittles in bulk. Yes. Skittles.

Needless to say, they Bulk Foods employees know me on a first-name basis. They just chuckle every time I approach with that look in my eyes. They don't even ask anymore. They just reach for the nearest clipboard.

It's awesome.

You won't find their prices online (company policy) but Winco Foods does have a website with a link to in-store coupons! Also, they have a list of the foods you can purchase in bulk from them. Just click on the section you'd like to view!

Baking goods, DOG BISCUITS, candy, staples... it's all there folks. It's so convenient.

We use this stuff day-to-day and we've put some away in storage. Like the the rice we buy in 25 lb sacks... I keep one sack open in the pantry, but we've also borrowed the canner from the Bishop's Storehouse and put some away for our long-term storage. Rice and pastas will last over 10 years if stored that way.

Needless to say, I am a big advocate of Winco Foods... mainly because they let me buy in bulk and they let me do my grocery shopping at 6 am or 11 pm. I'm anti-social. What, you didn't know that?

Winco's Bulk Foods Section. You've got to see this list.

Danae's Deals of the Week: 2/9 - 2/15 AGAIN!!

2011-02-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

So here's the skinny folks: Danae's Deals of the Week will now be going up on Wednesdays for a Wednesday to Tuesday rotation. (Most of the coupons and ads we're using come out on Wednesdays... go figure.) So tada!! You get ANOTHER Danae's Deals of the Week post today! Yay!!!

And while we're talking food... did you know WalMart will price match?!?

Winco (still the same)

Cheerios 14 oz. for $1.58
Long Grain White Rice - 20 lbs for $8.48 (same price as Cash-N-Carry minus the drive!!)
Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce - 26.5 oz (large can) for $0.78 (Comes in all sorts of flavors - four cheese, mushroom, garlic&onion, tomato basil - YUM!)

Albertsons

85/15 Ground Beef - $1.99 lb
Hunts Pasta Sauce - $1.00 each
Albertsons Canned Vegetables - .50 each

Danae's Deals of the Week: 2/7 - 2/13

2011-02-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

Dunnn duuunnn duuunn dduuuuuuuunnn!!!! Here they are folks!

Winco:
Cheerios - 14 oz. for $1.58
Long Grain White Rice - 20 lbs for $8.48 (same price as Cash-N-Carry minus the drive!!)

Albertsons:
Heinz Ketchup 36-40 oz - $1.50 each (must buy 2, limit 2) - only good thru Tuesday!!
***Just got word from a friend that "Chunky" brand soups are $.99 at Albertsons right. This has NOT been verified, but if it's true, that's an incredible deal!!***

Spiritual Preparedness: Making the Most of Your Scriptures

2011-02-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

I love my scriptures a lot. A lot, a lot.

There are several things I do to 'personalize' my scriptures. For me personally, I know I will use and turn to my scriptures more often if they're indeed mine. They need my stamp on them. I need to feel some connection to and ownership over my scriptures in order to grow really close to them. I mark them, I write notes in them, I highlight, I tape, I glue, I do all sorts of things to them (all respectively, of course) and as I add "personal touches" to them, I grow more attached to them.

Others feel differently about their scriptures. *This is completely okay* Take my D, for instance. My husband does not mark in his scriptures. He does not highlight. He never has, he probably never will, and it has holds no bearing on how close he feels to them. He holds them in just as high a regard as I do mine. We're just different in that respect... probably one of the few things we can say that about!

If you are like me, however, here are several suggestions on what to do to make your scriptures truly yours!

1. Add your name.

Have your name printed on the front of them, or on the front of your scripture case. An employee of Deseret Books would be more than willing to do this for you! Many other church bookstores (family-owned) have the tools to do this. You never know unless you ask! But this is one of my favorites. There's just something glorious about seeing your name - YOUR NAME!! - in gold or silver on a book as beautiful as scripture... Parents, I believe this is especially important for children. Some get their first set of scriptures at their baptism. I kind of like that... the age of accountability, and you celebrate it with your own scriptures.

Yeah... I like that. : )

2. Add your Patriarchal Blessing

This is, by far, my favorite. I cannot count the number of times I have sat during the Sacrament and read the words of my Patriarchal Blessing, only to see something or feel something completely different, and equally important, than the last time I read it. When I received my blessing, I decided I would read it often, and then only way for me to remember to do that is to make it available.

I now read it during the Sacrament every Sunday, and because of that, my Patriarchal Blessing means more and more to me every year.

3. Add 'trigger memories'.

This yellow "CHARACTER MATTERS" sticker was given to me by one of my Sunday School teachers. Brother Bradford taught us so many things, but this lesson stands out in my memory as one of the most important. At his work, he began placing these stickers in common places. It spread like wildfire. In an environment outside of church, he was making a profound statement. Character does matter. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I will never forget the way it made me feel, as I sat on the stage in the 66th street building as a youth, the moment I truly understood that what we do Monday-Friday is just as important as what we do on Sundays. So add something that triggers an important memory or learning experience like this one.

4. Add sticky notes/reference quotes

There is a company that sells these lovely little sticky notes to put in your scriptures. Though I love them, as just a warning note, they tend to rub off after years of use, and there are some I can hardly read anymore.

Which brings me to my next suggestion...

5. Add quotes!

Nearly every once-blank inch on the front and back pages of my scriptures are filled with my favorite gospel quotes. I have, on more than one occasion, used these to add to a lesson I was sitting in on or a discussion I was a part of. Prophets and Apostles and Church Leaders have said all the things I wish I had the poetic sense to say. Sometimes, their words are just what I need to share a spiritual point with others, and it's so much better to be able to reference quickly and accurately than the alternative of,

"Oh one time I heard someone say... oh who was it... it was really important. Anyways, they said, oh I want to get the words right but uhh... dur dur dur dur durrrr..."

You get my point.

This is one has helped me smile when I have felt the nagging feeling to do otherwise...

"Mortals make mistakes!"

Amen Sheri Dew! AMEN!!

6. Highlight!

Here's what I love about highlighting: On this page, with a moments glance, I can tell that there are three verses on affliction, two verses on repentance, one verse on joy&peace, two verses on obedience, and two verses having to do with Christ. I can flip pages quickly on a bad day and find numerous scriptures on how to handle trials. Or notice more than usual all the verses having to do with the need to repent... again.

Love it.

And it's pretty.

7. Add personal impressions/thoughts

It is really, really interesting to read my thoughts and notes in the margin of my scriptures. Every time I get a new set, I transfer all the thoughts over. I have impressions, promptings, and insight from ten years ago still in my scriptures. Every once in awhile, I'll run across something and think, "Wow! That's a really good point, Laura!" Not to toot my own horn or anything. But this is a great way to remember promptings from the Holy Ghost, sent specifically for your life. Yours. From Heavenly Father. Because He knows you. Personally. And he puts those thoughts into our hearts through the Spirit because that's the best way to communicate with us, especially when we're receptive!

8. Add flowers!

Just because they're a nice touch. : )

9. Add poems/stories

This is a really funny poem about all the different ways/places we can pray. I got it during a lesson as a handout while I was in the Single's Ward, and I've used it several times since!

10. Add a key!

I mentioned highlighting. Equally important is the need for a key, because believe me, just when you think you'll never forget what red stands for, you forget. It happens.

11. Add Important Information

I know, I know, I said there would only be ten. And there's no picture to go with it. So sue me.

One really important thing I like to do is to record my full name, baptismal date, marriage/sealing date, and membership record on one of the blank pages in the back. This has come in handy more times than I care to mention!

"The central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ." - D. Todd Christofferson

My prayer is that, as you make your scriptures your own, you will feel begin to draw nearer to our Savior. He is the reason we search, ponder, and pray. He is the reason we have to rejoice. And His Atoning Sacrifice makes all that we love possible.

Ethleen's Eat of the Week: Cinnamon Pecan Apple Crisp

2011-01-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

I know I've said it before, but... oh my Heavenly Day. I thought the spice cake was good. That cake has nothing on this Apple Crisp! So simple. So 'I live in a cabin in the woods'ish... this recipe is the Godfather of all food storage recipes.

I shant keep you waiting!

You will need:

For the body -
3 cups dehydrated apple slices
4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt

For the topping -
1 cup sugar
1 cup quick oats
1 cup flour
3/4 cup soft butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans

First things first... Combine the apple slices, water, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit about 30 minutes so the apples can get married and go on a honeymoon with the cinnamon-sugar syrup. Oh yeah.

Pour the mixture into an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.

Combine the topping sugar, quick oats, and flour.

Cut in the butter until the mixture is about as fine as corn meal.

Spread the topping over the apple mixture.

NOTE: If you're lazy like me, cut up butter pads and place them *strategically* over the topping mix.

Now you would ask, "Really? THAT much butter?"

And I would say, "Yes silly. That. Much. Butter."

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and serve with ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream!! Yowzers it's good!!

Scrumditiliumptious.

Oh my crap I can't take it. Look how gloriously the syrup spills over the top of the pan...

I need help.

Really.

DISCLAIMER: I got so excited about this dish that I actually didn't even add pecans. And I GUESS it turned out okay. ; P

Danae's Deals of the Week: Introductions!!

2011-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

Oh our Nae Nae... how we love her!!!!

Danae Winder will now be sending me 'Deals of the Week' as she scours markets for the BEST deals out there!!!! I'm so excited I could scream!!

This week's deals:

Winco:
Flour $6.08/25 lb bag (that's $.24/lb) - AMAZING DEAL ALERT!
Corn Syrup $1.78/ qt.

Also to note...

Danae and I hit the stores a couple weeks back to update her food price comparison chart. A few of you may have already seen this - it's FABULOUS!! It compares the price of common bulk foods between Winco, Cash-N-Carry, and the Bishop's Storehouse. I will also be adding a column for Azure Standard, an online food co-op. Anyways, after making the rounds, here are Danae's notes on a few important things:

Rice has gone up- quite a bit. In October the cheapest long grain rice was $.29/lb and now the cheapest is $.40/lb. (!!!)

Popcorn has gone up too. In October it was $.39/lb and now it is $.46/lb.

But beans have gone down a little bit. In Oct the cheapest prices were:
pinto: $.50/lb
white: $.56/lb
black: $.52/lb
kidney: $.80/lb

And now:
pinto: $.48/lb
white: $.50/lb
black: $.52/lb
kidney: $.77/lb

Excellent!! Thank you Danae!!!!