New Beginnings and a Whole'lotta Changes!

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

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 of their organic greenhouses.

When:

November 12^th

10:00am – 1:00pm

Where:

Grass Roots Garden

1465 Coburg Road

**Bring work gloves if you have them**

October Dry-Pack Night

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

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

 

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

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 30

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 29

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 28

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 27

Download Week 27 here.

Ladies Night Out: Food Storage Sampler

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***

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

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

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 23

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 22

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 21

Download Week 21 here.

FREE Chicken Clinic @ McKenzie Feed

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

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52 Weeks to Family Preparedness: Week 19

Download Week 19 here.