Mormon Church Home Canning Center Changes.

Over the past few months there has been a lot of activity on several preper sites, prepper groups, media, conservative sites and other media outlets about the LDS Church(Mormons) shutting down their home canning sites as a result of government interference. This is a news release from the LDS Church on June 24 2013. I hope this will keep preppers and persons who want to live providently up to date.

Always go to the source before you join in rumors.

Church Clarifies Changes to Home Storage Centers

  From the Church News

• 24 JUNE 2013

Cannery black and white beans. Self-canning services are being discontinued, but members can still purchase the same pre-canned items at no additional cost.

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ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• Changes are being made to most of the home storage centers located in the United States and Canada.
• You can no longer can items yourself, but you may purchase pre-canned or prepackaged food at no additional cost.
• Changes increase the Church’s ability to efficiently produce and ship goods in bulk, utilize less warehouse space, and allow for higher quality and safer preparation of home storage food.

RELATED LINKS

• Read more how concerns over home storage center changes are unnecessary.
• Find a home storage center near you.
• Learn more about the changes to the home storage centers.

Over the past several weeks, misinformation and unnecessary concern has been circulating on blogs, over social media channels, and by email regarding changes in operations at the Church’s home storage centers, which are located in the United States and Canada. Here are some important facts:

No home storage centers are being closed.

In 89 of the Church’s 101 home storage centers in the U.S. and Canada, patrons will no longer self-can products, but they may purchase these same items pre-canned or prepackaged at no additional cost.

The following 12 home storage centers will continue to offer self-canning for the time being:

·      Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

·      Mesa, Arizona

·      Boise, Idaho                                                     

·      Idaho Falls, Idaho

·      Carrollton, Texas

·      Lindon, Utah

·      Logan, Utah

·      Ogden, Utah

·      Salt Lake City, Utah (Welfare Square)

·      Sandy, Utah

·      Springville, Utah

·      St. George, Utah

While many individuals have enjoyed self-canning at the Church’s home storage centers, the advantages of providing pre-canned or prepackaged goods include:

· It’s more efficient and cost effective for the Church to produce and ship high-quality, pre-canned or prepackaged goods in bulk rather than ship the same goods and empty cans to a location where individuals can them on their own.

· By offering the goods pre-canned or prepackaged, the Church utilizes less warehouse space.

· Pre-canned and prepackaged operations allow for higher quality and safer preparation of home storage food.

· It is much more costly to maintain and upgrade facilities that must meet food production standards (such as in a self-canning operation) than it is to maintain a facility that simply distributes pre-canned and prepackaged food. 

· Volunteer personnel time can be used more efficiently.

Easy spice to grow.

I hate to think of surviving on just whole wheat, beans and rice. That is why in my garden I have been adding some spices.

Often we think of spice as an exotic and difficult to grow product from the warm climate. It is true that many of the well know spices will not grow in the temperate zones. There are however many spices that grow well in the cooler places.

This year I have began experimenting with mustard. Mustard is an herb that is very easy to grow. Most varieties are heirloom and the seeds can be planted from season to season.

Despite what  the bible indicates mustard is not grown on a tree. It is a low herb that grows a lot like lettuce. It is a warming green. By warming I mean the leaves are warm or hot to the taste. And not too surprising they taste a lot like mustard.

To grow mustard greens plant the seeds a few inches apart. I did mine 3 inches apart. the plants grew to about 12 inches high and produced a lot of leaves. They make a nice spicy addition to a green salad. They are a bit like water cress. I would not use them for the whole salad. They would be to hot. If you suffer from heart burn you may want to have your ant-acid on hand if you eat too much.

This plant also produces a second crop. When the weather turns hot (80 degrees Fahrenheit) the plants bolt quickly. This is not a problem. The flower stalks may grow over 36 inches. They have a lot of small yellow flowers on them. Bees pollinate the flowers that become seed pods that are about an inch or so long and about 1/16 inch wide. Let the pods stay on the pants until they begin to turn brown or yellow. Then pick them off and place them in a paper bag. If you leave the pods on the plant they will split open and the seeds will fly out in every direction. Let the seed pod dry in the bag. When they are dry shake the bag this will cause most of the pods to open. Any pods left unopened and be gently crushed in your fingers to free the seeds.  Separate out the seeds. The seeds can be used for pickling or crushed and made into mustard. The mustard in a bit warmer than the yellow mustard in the store. It has a flavor more like Dijon mustard.

Be sure to save some of the seeds for the next years crop.

Big Brother is watching your Phone and our Online Activity!

Part 1

This past week it came out in the media that the government has been gathering information on everyone in the USA. By following Facebook picture posts ad checking who you call on your phone.

The government of the USA stated that this previously secret program was instigated to protect the people from terrorist attack.

First let me ask you some questions.

You really did not know the government was watching you? Tracking your life? Keeping a file about you? If you did not you must be one of the most naive people on the planet. Tracking people is easy.

Most of us however are too boring to track or even pay attention too. We live mundane lives of no real consequence to the global stage. The government will not be spending any resources watching us because in most peoples lives there is nothing to see. Watching people work, go home and then watch TV is not interesting to the Federal government.

The people who may need to worry about the governments ability to snoop are the ones who are doing the wrong things.

This brings us to a primary question of freedom. One of our most cherished rights. How do we define our freedom! What is its meaning. How do we go about being free?

When I was in high school an American history teacher discussed freedom and gave an American idea of freedom and a Communist idea of freedom. In the USA we at that time believed that we were free to do. The Communist nations were free from.

We in the USA could choose our own path in life. Free to work at the jobs we wanted. Free to live where we wanted. Free to marry who we wanted. Free to get higher education. Free to protect our homes. Free to own property. Free to have a private personal life. Free from government intervention. Free from unreasonable search.

The Soviet block nations were free from the responsibility of finding a job. Free from paying for health care. Free from hunger. Free from the cost of housing. Free from crime. Free from personal responsibility. Free to have the government examine your personal life. Free to be searched without cause.

Over the past few years I have seen a change in the mind set of the people of the USA. They are expecting much more from our government. The want to be free from the high cost of of health care. They want to be free from hunger. They want to be free from gun violence. They want to be free from terrorist attacks.They are willing to have themselves searched before getting on a plane. They say its OK to monitor phones and the Internet if it prevents a terrorist attack. It's OK to give up your guns it it could save one child.

How quickly we have changed from a people wanting to choose our own course in life. A people who took responsibility for our actions. To a people wanting to be taken care of, watched over, fed and protected by the government.

SO WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING WHEN YOU FIND OUT THE GOVERNMENT IS WATCHING OVER YOU!!! If the government is going to take care of you they need to know what you need. To know what you need they will watch you. Then they can take care of you. Why is everyone so surprised. You have what you have been asking for.

Seriously do you think the government is concerned about you? They are not. They are only concerned about getting re-elected. They will do what people who donate to their campaign or vote want them to do.

PART 2

I can tell you who is concerned about you and who is watching you much more closely than the government ever has. People who have a vested interest in you, what you do and how you live.

It is Corporate America. Yes the big retail giants are watching you. Do you have any member cards? The one that gives you a discount every time you shop at their store? They are tracking you. They know what you like to eat, drink and sleep on. They keep a list of your favorites. They track all you do and when you will need something. How do I know? Have you ever gone shopping for your food and bought a multi-vitamin with 100 pills in it? Then in about 80 to 90 days latter received a coupon for a multi-vitamin? They track what you buy then send you a coupon for it when you are about to run out. Then you will come back into their store to buy it. That can form a habit of shopping there. All this is not that bad, they are watching over you, helping you and saving you money. Did you check to see if the coupon was for a more expensive item? A brand name vitamin? They are slick and know how to separate you from your money.

The people watching your every move, who know what you buy, what you eat, your choice of entertainment, your shoe size and when your car needs its oil changed is not the government. It is Corporate America. So when the government has a reason to look closely at you they do not expend their resources.  They simply call your credit card company, your phone company, check your Facebook,  your bank and local supermarket. They have so much information about what you have been up to.

Get use to the idea you are being watched and so is every one else. Try to keep it interesting the government is getting bored.

Keep up on your Garden.

Are you thinking it's a bit late to plant a garden?

You still have a lot of time. Hear in Utah I still have more than 120 days of growing before the first freeze.

Just get out and plant some seeds!

Now is the time to start some of your warm weather crops. Planting seeds for corn, squash and beans peppers, egg plant, carrots, beats, turnips, or any other root crop and anything else that needs warm weather. There is still lots of time for for planting.

It is exciting to try a few new crops each year. A lot of seeds are going on sale now so pick up something new and see how it produces and what it tastes like.

There is a lot of security in knowing where your food comes from and knowing how to grow it yourself.

Where are you bugging out to?

I have looked around, spoke with other preppers and listened to a lot of plans about the bug out. That fateful day when something happens, the sky falls, and Armageddon comes over the horizon. You grab your gear and head out.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING.

Your plan must include a place to go. If you are just leaving town you will end up with everyone else who is just leaving town. IN A GOVERNMENT RELOCATION CAMP! They will take your guns, your supplies and your independence. There you will live under marshal law. They will keep you safe.....well keep you anyway.

It is much wiser to have places you can go. It is better yet to have some good trustworthy people you can go to. It is best if you can find more than one place to go. It is a good bet that you will not be able to go everywhere you want to.

When you look for a place to bug out to, consider where your friends and family live and people who belief like you do. Are any of your people within one tank of gas from your start point? Is where they are better than where you are. Consider that your home may be their bug out place.

Evaluate the travel rout to each potential refuge. Will you be able to get there if there is troubles.
1. Population between here and there. The more people in between you and your goal the less likely you will reach it.
2. Distance to destination. The longer you have to travel your chance of reaching your destination decreases.
3. Are your people already there? An empty place is up for grabs for the first person to arrive and take the high ground. Even if you own it. If there is no law your place may be their place.
4. Open land, that secluded place in the woods? Who else will be competing for this spot. I know a place about 50 miles from my home that at least two well armed groups plan to bug out to. I will not be there.
5. Leave early. The road will be quickly blocked.
5. Have a rout B, C, and D. and a place B, C, D.

 I have a planed place to evacuate to in each direction. Some sites for bugging out to are better equipped than others. Some have better people than others. I belief that if you go to a place you have people you can trust with equipment and supplies, you have a higher potential to survive trouble.You will want to have a place that is defensible, has water and can resupply or self supply. AND one that no one uninvited will be there already as an unwelcoming committee.

Remember the place you live may be the best place. Only leave if you have to.

Be sure you have a plan.

Thinking about bugging in? Sheltering in place.

Some times the emergency you have prepared for is not some thing you can run from. Some times the best plan is to shelter in place.

This past week at the Boston marathon there were 2 bombings.  Three people died and many more were seriously injured.

As the identity of the bombers was made known a man hunt began. During the efforts to find the bombers the people of Boston were advised to shelter in place. It was said to be for their safety. With two men driving around Bean Town tossing grenades at police I can see the point of taking cover and sheltering in place.

There are many more reasons to shelter in place. Radioactive fall out, severe weather, social unrest, an epidemic or chemical contamination. Also if you were unable to evacuate for what ever reason you may be forced to shelter in place.

Having your 72 hour kit is a good start for sheltering in place. It can meet your basic needs for the short term.

Unfortunately it may take a lot longer than 72 hours to get help.  People who were hit by recent hurricanes found that it may be several days or even weeks before there is any sign of help.

It is a cold hard fact that if there is an event near you there is not going to be enough emergency personnel to meet the needs of the disaster.

So get more supplies for your home. If you have been living providently you will already have a supply of food that can last several weeks, months or even years. If you do not have a food supply for your home you should start one. You can start by picking up a few extra food items every time you shop or you can go out and buy a lot of supplies at one time if you have the money to do so.

If you have room store at least 50 gallons of water for each person in your home. If you are short of space make sure your water supply is your first priority.

Other things you will want for your home.

Large rolls of heavy plastic black and clear. This can be used to cover broken windows or create a waterproof shelter.
Some tarps, the blue kind you find at the home center. They can be placed on the roof if shingles are lost.
Large trash bags. There will be a lot of trash you may not be able to take out side.
Be sure you have plenty of toilet paper and paper towels.
A tent for shelter if your home is damaged.
Heat source.

Have some hand tools you know how to use. The claw hammer is a wonderful tool. it can be used to build, tear apart and dig. An axe, saw, shovel, nails, screws, screw driver crow bar, chain saw, duct tape, staple gun, generator, gasoline and good quality knife are very helpful in an emergency.

Next it is good to plan for what could happen.

Know what your most dangerous threat is, When it last happened and how ofter it has happened? Earthquake, hurricanes, floods and active volcano's represent natural disasters.

Industrial accidents, dirty bombs, biological attacks and other terrorist activities can also create a need to shelter in place.

Plan your supplies for what your disaster is most likely to be.

You may need to shelter in place for several hours to weeks. Having food, water, shelter and heat will make it a lot easier.

Thinking of Bugging Out?

For years I have been teaching people about their 72 hour kit. This is most often referred to as a bug out bag. The plan is to have a 72 hour supply to make do with until you can reach a safe place or until help arrives.

I have re worked my kit several times. The best way to know what you need is to use it. This means a camping trip and only use your bug out bag. If you are not into camping see how long you can live in your home with only your supplies. That means living out of your kit.

Quick review of basic kit.

Number one item for a kit is 3 gallons of water for each person in your home.
Second have 3 days of food that can be eaten without any extra preparation. Like canned food or MREs
Third any medications you need.

After these three things you will need to determine what works for you.  Shelter, bedding, tools.

Bugging out?

If things at your location are too dangerous to stay the plan must be to bug out. This would be any emergency that had an ordered evacuation or social situation that makes where you live unsafe. If there is a chance you will need to leave. Be sure you are one of the first ones on the road out. To be one of the first out you need to be ready. Always leave at the first suggested evacuation.

Have your car kit up to date. You should check your kit every month or so to be sure it is still intact. If you are at home grab your bug out kit and add it to your car kit. If your at work grab your work kit. Have a plan of what you will be taking. Water, food, shelter, important papers and money. Be able to bug out in less than 15 min.

Have a place to go. If possible have more than one place you can evacuate to. Going to the community shelter is not the most pleasant place to end up. Plan the routs you will leave on. Try to have a safe place to evacuate to that is less than one gas fill up for your vehicle from your home. If it is a large evacuation for a hurricane, radiation exposure or other regional disaster, a lot of people will be trying to leave. Some routs may be blocked so also have a plan b, plan c, d, etc.

Some things that will slow you down as you bug out.

Need gas? You must have gas in the car. You do not want to have to wait in line to buy gas. Keep your gas tank more than 1/2 full. If you have a safe place to store gasoline store several gallons so you can fill your tank quickly without going to a retail outlet. You may want to have a few cans of gas that you can take along so you can make it if you are caught in traffic.

Waiting for family. It is important that your family have a plan of what to do if every one is not together. Most of the time your family will not all be together. Each parent may be at work, children in different schools. Grandparents at their homes. The longer you wait the less chance you have to get out.  Plan a rendezvous point for the members of your family who can drive. Use an out of state contact to keep track of the exit plans and routs your family is taking. Make assignments of who will pick up which family members who do not drive. This will speed things up if everyone knows what is expected of them. You need to accept that all your family may not be able to evacuate together. If you have to wait for every one to be together at home the chance of you leaving early will be greatly diminished. It is better to have some leave early than for no one to leave.

Have everything you plan to take packed and ready to go. If you need to gather things up from around the house you will leave late. All your bug out equipment should be together. Have copies of important documents and a cash stash as part of your equipment. Keep the bug out equipment in the front of the place you store them. If you have to dig them out from the back of the garage you are loosing valuable time.

Once on the road, keep ahead of the crowd. Keep an eye on the gas gage. Watch for a gas station near the exit. If you need to stop for  gas, try to get it quickly. If you see a long line of cars waiting and still can keep going to the next exit, keep going. Do not get into line to buy things unless you absolutely have to.

Because you are on the road quickly you will be ahead of the rest of the people. This means you will have the best chance to maintain a good speed, buy gas, food and water along your evacuation rout. You will also have first pick of lodging when you reach your destination.

Making a car Bug Out Kit.

As the weather changes its time to look at our bug out kits. Sometimes referred to as a 72 hour kit.
It is a very good idea to have several kits. The first kit I check each year is the car kit. A car kit is for general use at anytime, any where you may be for any reason.

The number one need for any kit is water. Be sure you have a good water container. The recent commercial water bottles are for the most part very weak. They can break and leak easily. If they get your supplies wet the supplies may be ruined.

So start with strong water bottles. I like to use pop bottles. The pop bottle is much heavier plastic. The lids fit tight and they were made to hold higher pressure. Because it is getting warmer fill the water bottles to the top. You will want at least 2 gallons of water for each person you think will be in your car.

I like to add some flavoring for the water. After a few months in your car it will not taste very good. So some powdered sport drink or other flavoring like tang or cool-aid to make it taste better. If you mix it at 1/2 strength it will last longer and not increase your thirst.

Next you will want some kind of food for energy.  Most foods will spoil over time. The inside of car that gets hot and cold quickly car can make food spoil much faster. Do not use canned or bottled food in your car kit. The heating and freezing inside a car can make the containers leak. The best food energy source for a car kit is hard candy. It is pure sugar. It is not high in nutrition. If fact it is very low in nutrition. But hard candy is high in calories so it will give you plenty of energy. Any hard candy will do. I would have about 1 pound for each person in the car. Keep it in its original wrappers and then put it in a sealed bag. To keep the candy good and easy to use keep it dry.

Next have some tools in your car.

A flash light is the best tool if you have trouble at night.
A small shovel.
A small took kit for minor repairs is a good start.
A knife should be part of every kit they have many uses.
Have a basic first aid kit.

Other tools could include:
 A star lug nut wrench(many lug wrenches in common tire change kits are not very strong.
 A crow bar for digging or prying.
 An ax for chopping and cutting.

Now add a blanket one for each person who generally is traveling with you.

A tarp. If you break down you can use the tarp to cover the windows and keep the car cooler. It can also be made into a tent or canopy to provide shade, protection from rain. Also if you need to get under your car to fix something you can use the tarp to lay on. This is especially helpful if it happens to be wet under your car.

Now get a white handkerchief. A white flag tied to your car antenna is a signal for help.

I always have a bandanna in my kits. They are incredibly useful.

Last you need a container to keep your supplies in. You will want something that will hold it together. One of the best is a used suit case. You can go to a thrift store and find a old hard sided suit case for just a few dollars. You can also use a plastic tub, backpack or wood crate. You do not want your supplies rolling around in your trunk getting damaged.

Be sure to keep your kit covered so that no one can see it through the windows. You do not want to have your kit stolen.

If you think of other things that you would keep in your car for emergency use feel free to add make a comment.

Plant your peas.

Its time to plant the cool weather crops. As soon as you can dig into the earth you can plant your cool crops.

I like to plant peas first. This is the time to put them in the ground. I plant Green Arrow pea. It is a tall bush about 24 inches. It produces a lot of peas and keeps blooming and producing until mid June when the hot weather burns the blossoms.

To plant peas break up the earth. You can use a tiller or spade. I like to use a spade because my pea patches are only 6 feet by 3 feet. I have 2 pea patches. After I break up the earth I rake it smooth. Then using a hoe I carve a furrow into the ground. Each furrow is about 8 inches apart. I plant a pea every 2 inches between the furrows.  That's 2 rows between the furrows.  I plant them about 1 inch to 1.5 inch deep. Now just cover the seeds over and wait.

Peas are self fertile. They fertilize themselves before the blossom opens. You can have hybrids if you plant more than one kind, but it is not a frequent happening. Most peas are heirloom plants and you can save the seeds from year to year. Just let some of the pods stay on the plants until they are dry. Then pick them, pop the dry peas out of the pod, put the peas into a airtight bag or jar and put them in the freezer till next spring.

Next year do the same thing. You will never have to buy pea seeds again.

Russian Meteor! INCOMING !!!!! Duck and Cover!!!!!!

Every prepper's dream and nightmare is when it actual happens. Just yesterday an asteroid passed very near the earth. As expected it missed by 17000 miles. Very close to a hit by any cosmic standard.

Then suddenly to our astonishment A meteor slams into Russia! UNEXPECTED!!! Complete surprise!!!

A sudden bright flash across the Ural mountains. A loud boom then a huge shock wave!!! Windows are blown out, roofs collapse, over a thousand injured.



It was estimated the meteor was about the size of a school bus. When it exploded about 15 miles above the earth it created a shock wave about 20 times greater than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima Japan at the end of the second world war. Lucky for the Russians because it was so high in the sky the air absorbed much of the impact. Had it been nearer the earth when it exploded there would have been much greater damage.

With the end of the cold war no one is being taught what to do if there is an explosion. I grew up learning DUCK and COVER.

What is duck and cover?

First. If you see a bright flash of light turn away from the light.
Second. Duck, get down low.
Third. Take cover get under something.
Last. If possible get underground or to the center of a building.







If you are outside get as low as you are able. Get behind a stone or mason wall or in a ditch.

In Russia yesterday when there was a bright flash in the sky many people went to the window to have a look. As they gazed up at the trail of smoke in the sky they heard a loud boom. This was the sonic boom caused by the meteor coming into the atmosphere. Then followed the shock wave. Most people did not see it coming as they looked out the window. When it hit the buildings they were in it shattered the windows. Hundreds were hit and injured by flying glass and other debris.

If you suspect any kind of explosion move away from any windows. They may shatter and can cause sever injury.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kvHl5Qcnzc

Russia is not the only place to have this happen. In Nevada near Las Vegas a factory exploded. Much the same thing happened there. Hundreds of people were struck with broken glass and debris. The shock wave was so strong it knocked cars off the road.

So remember! If you see a bright flash in the sky. Duck and Cover! Wait to see if there is a shock wave. Give it plenty of time before you get up. When you do get up do not go to the window to look out. Go to a door on the side of the building away from the point of the bright flash of light.

Fortunately the Russian meteor was not as devastating as it could have been. It is a warning for what can happen, a sneak preview of what can and someday may happen.

Plant all the garden all season!

Getting ready to Plant your garden. Here's the challenge! Never let any spot in your garden go fallow. It is not as daunting as you may think. It can be a fun to see how much each part of your garden can produce.

Plan 1, plant something that will take all season to produce food. or that will produce food for a long time. This would be planting something like peppers, tomatoes, egg plant, squash or pole beans. Each of the plants will sprout, grow, bloom and make fruit for a full season. Be sure to choose varieties that continue to bloom until frost or that produce till frost.

This will keep you in fresh produce for the full time of the harvest. You may however get a bit tired of always having the same things to eat.

Plan 2, planting and harvest cycle. This one is the most fun. It also adds variety to your diet.  This will take some planning and experimenting. I am going to give you a head start by telling you a few things you can do.

Cycle A. As soon as you can break the ground in the spring plant you favorite pea. I like Green Arrow pea. The peas are cool weather crops and can take some moderate freezing. In my aria I plant peas in the end of February, they come up and grow in March and April depending on the year. I have fresh peas from the end of April till about the second week of June when the temperature gets too hot for the pea blossoms. Then I clean all the pods off my peas, till or spade the vines into the ground. The nitrogen form the peas will Make your soil fertile for your next crop. Plant corn in the same place. I choose a early corn that takes 90 to 100 days to mature. This gives me fresh corn or pop corn in September. when the corn is over I pull the stalks out and add a little compost then plant the same place with smaller sections of radishes, beats and several varieties of lettuce. I use them all in salads until they freeze. If I cover them at night I frequently have fresh salad until mid November.

Cycle B. Some crops can be planted in a continuous rotation. I use this method for root crops like beats, carrots and radishes that I use frequently in smaller amounts. I like to plant mini plots, I will plant 8 to 10 carrots, beats and radishes in 4 to 8 very small rows. about 1 foot long.  I like the young and fresh small roots for fresh eating. As I use a row each week I replant it. That way all the crop is not ripe at the same time. If I find I'm running out of them too fast I increase the number I plant each time.

It is a lot of fun to plan your cycle. Start by finding out the number of days without frost where you live. Then pick a cool weather crop to start with in the spring. Look at the number of days it takes it to grow.  Plan for a week or two of harvest,  If you subtract the number of days it took to grow and harvest the first crop from the number of days without a freeze you will know how many days you have left for the growing season. Now pick a warm weather crop to plant in the same place that will produce a crop before freezing. If there are still at least 60 days left for harvest you may want to pick a third crop to finish the season with. Third crops are most often cool weather crops.

So go out and plan your garden Pick some long producers for your plan 1 and create a crop cycle for plan 2.

Be sure to use heirloom seeds so you can save them and replant the same things next year.

Plan your fruit cycle.

I love to plan the garden in winter. It gives me a chance to think of the warm green days of summer. I have to replace 2 trees this year. One of the trees I planted last year was so badly damaged by deer that I need to replace it. The second tree apparently was not suited to life at my home. So I have to replace them.

I choose my trees, bushes, and vines by when they bloom and when the fruit is ripe. In my very small orchard I have trees that come ripe over nearly all the summer.

I have over the years added plants into the landscape that provide food at different times. One of the first fruits is strawberries. I have a small bed set aside for the strawberries. This often my first fruit each year. A second early fruiting bush is the honey berry, They are similar to blueberries in taste and are ripe about the same time as strawberries. My next fruit produced is apricots. They come on the end of June into July on my tree. The fruit of my Manchurian apricot stays on the tree for nearly a month. After the apricots come the nectarines then Green grapes,  currents, peaches, Red grapes, plumbs, pears, concord grapes, josta berries, and apples. I also have a run of nuts with the almonds starting in July followed by filberts and walnuts latter in the fall. As the trees have matured the amount of fruit and nuts has increased. Now I have fruit to preserve at the peak of flavor. The canned fruit most years will last me until the next years new crop. Often I have more than a years worth of fruit. So I have been able to build a supply of more than a years of fruit that is ready to eat. This has saved me a lot of money. Over the last year I have kept track of what I have not had to buy. I saved nearly $1200.00 with my home production.

If you have space in your yard start your own fruit cycle. If you take out non productive plants replace them with plants that will provide you with a source of food.

Before you start do your home work. Know when your first and last average frost date is. Choose trees that bloom after the last average frost and produce fruit before the first frost each year. When looking for trees and bushes to plant check how long it takes for it to produce fruit. You can pick early trees like apricots to start your cycle, a nectarine,  followed by a pear then a apple. This can start your home production of food by trees.

It will take about 3 years to get your first real crop from your trees. Each crop will increase in size as the tree matures. Most trees are very productive by the time they are 5 years old. Some people do not want to wait so long for fruit. I advise you to plant some trees and some bushes. raspberry, strawberry, honey berry, Golgi berry  blue berry. or grapes. Most of the bush and vine plants produce fruit much sooner. If you plant some trees and some berries you can have fresh fruit each year till your trees produce and much more fruit when they are all mature.

It you grow your own food you will not have any worries about where it came from. What chemicals are on it. How sanitary were the growing conditions were. If it has been tampered with by a terrorist.

Take less drugs.

How often do we take medications?  Have a head ache pop some pain killers. Need to sleep pop a sleep aid. Have a cold lots of choices for treatment over the counter. A bit plugged up there is something to move things along. For most day to day medical needs there seems to be an endless array of over the counter medications.  Do you reach for the extra strength because you have extra need or because you think you need more than regular strength.

Most people take some kind of over the counter medications from time to time. Some people take them frequently.

How do you decide how much to take? one pill, two, three, four? A lot of people check the directions on the bottle. This is a very good place to start. Some very common instruction for adults are take one pill every so many hours or to take 2 pills every so often.

Lets go to the take 2 tablets instructions for an adult. An adult is someone over 18 years old. Now think of the adults you know. I have an adult daughter who is just over 100 pounds, I am over 200 pounds and I have a co-worker who is over 300 pounds. Is 2 tablets the same for each of us? I do not think so. Think of a cup of water. If you put a tablespoon of sugar in a cup of water it will taste sweet. The same amount of sugar in a 2 cups is not nearly as sweet and in 3 cups much less sweet. The same thing applies to how big you are. The bigger you are the less drug you have per pound. Do not think that means the drugs are not effective. If 2 pain killers take away the pain of a 300 pound person and a 100 pound person is some one taking too much? It could be they each are.

So what do you do? You may consider taking less medications. Its not dangerous to take the lower dose of an over the counter medication. For example if the adult dose of an over the counter medication you take for a head ache is 2 pills, try only one next time. See if one will do the job. You can always take the second pill if after 30 min you still have the pain. Start with the lower dose to see if it is effective. You may be surprised by the results you get from lowering your dose. Same effect less medication.


Never take more medication than is recommended by the maker.

Every time you take a chemical into your body it reacts with your body. Every over the counter medication has a list of warnings. Some may damage your liver,  kidneys, lungs, stomach or cause changes in your mental status. If you lower the dose you lower the toxic side effects. Why take a greater risk for the same outcome.

If you lower your medication use you will same money. Over the counter medications are not cheep. Why take more then you need.

I have found that for me on average the lower listed dose works very well for the over the counter medications I take. I do not need extra strength, regular strength lower dose hits the mark.

If the medication is ordered by a medical professional take it only as it is ordered.

Always seek medical help for symptoms of side effects. If symptoms continue seek medical attention.

Pick up some food storage.

Dooms day preppers. 

There are a lot of groups who are planning for various dooms day events. They are afraid the end of the world as we know it is near.  As a result they are making preparations to live through the bad times. They fear the eruptions of the Yellow Stone Caldera, Astroid impacts war and financial collapse from poor government. The fear is this will lead to a melt down of the social system we live in.  Chances of this happening is not very great.

I’m not very worried about a sudden collapse of society. It could happen, but it is not as likely as more personal problems. Loss of a job, sickness or death of a primary bread winner or other personal losses. This is what we need to be ready for. If we are ready for the personal losses we will be ready for any major catastrophe that may also occur. 

Food Storage.

For many years the church has advised its members to have food storage. This is a good hedge against shortages and personal troubles. It is financially prudent. Having a supply of food on hand gives you the option to purchase food or not each time you may want to go shopping. If you have food stored you can wait for the better deals, sales and bargains. This can save hundreds of dollars each year. Buying food in bulk saves money and gives you stability.

I like to break food storage into 3 parts. 

Part 1 is hard storage. 

part 2 is moderate storage.

Part 3 is soft storage.

Hard storage.

Hard storage is the storing of things that last for many years or even decades. Most often this means storing grain. I have made bread that was very good with wheat that was over 40 years old.

The first choice for hard storage is wheat. Many people do not know how to use whole wheat. But they know it is the best for storage. So we all store it. 

Wheat is an excellent food. It has much of the protein and nutrients we need to live. However all wheat is not the same. There are 2 main categories of wheat  Hard and soft. Hard wheats are higher in gluten and protein and are the best for making bread. Soft wheats are lower in gluten and used for pastries, cakes, biscuits and crackers. For the most part for home use they are pretty much interchangeable. There are also sub categories of red and white. Red wheats have a stronger flavor than the white. 

I am often asked how much wheat should I store? You should store 150 pounds of wheat for an adult for each year of storage. This will come to about 0.4 pounds per day. Children under 8 years should have 75 pounds for a year. Remember children grow so plan for their future if you are able. 

Be sure you can prepare your food. If you store wheat you need to be able to use it. Wheat can be ground, popped or cracked. It is not very easy to eat whole. If you plan to store wheat it is a very good idea to have a wheat grinder. Flour is more useful than popped or cracked wheat. 

If you are not able to eat gluten, or want an easier grain to cook you may want to pick rice. 

White rice will store for many years. Brown rice tends to spoil because it has a higher water content. Rice is easy to prepare. 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water and boil. 

Pearled barley is also easy to store and prepare. You can boil it the same as you do rice.

Because white rice and pearled barley have been milled they do not have as much nutrition as unmilled grains.

Other grains have different storage life's and preparation be sure you know how to store them..

Moderate storage 

The moderate storage items are the canned and boxed goods that are bought from the store. They have an expiration or best used by date. Most of the time this date is 2 to 3 years in the future. 

When storing canned and boxed goods be sure to look at the expiration date at the time you buy them. Some retailers will place food on sale that is near the expiration date. Do not buy more of a product than you will use before the expiration date. 

The best way to determine how much canned goods you should have to buy. Is by the number of meals you will eat. If you have tuna sandwiches 2 times a week, you need to have enough tuna to make the sandwiches. If you use one can of tuna each time you will need 104 cans for one year. To determine how many meals are in a box or can check the serving size. You may be surprised at how small the serving size is. If you are use to eating a can of soup for a meal buy the amount  you eat. Many cans have 2 or more servings in them. 

The food that has passed the date may still be good but it tends to have less food value. Once the food is passed the expiration date it should only be used with caution. Leaking, swollen, or bulged cans are not safe to eat. To avoid loss of your food supply be sure to rotate what you buy. Use the old first and place new behind it. I have seen a lot of wasted storage because people bought food that they put away and never used or rotated.

 Moderate storage items should include all the things you and your family regularly eat. Do not buy things you do not use on a regular basis because they will eventually expire and spoil. Then you will have to put them in the garbage and it will have been a wast of money.

Soft storage is perishable food on hand.

 This is the food in your refrigerator, freezer and fresh bakery items. You should not have more than a week or so of these items. They are for consumption when they are fresh. Keeping them over time increases the risk of spoilage and increases the chance that harmful bacteria or mold may grow on them. This could make you sick and even cause death.

Renewable foods.

This is food you can produce on your own. It includes fruits, nuts, vegetables and any farm animals you may be able to keep. 

Having fruit and nut trees and a garden can provide additional food for your family. Fresh fruit and vegetables are more flavorful and  nutritious than that purchased in a store. Not having to buy fresh produce will significantly decrease your grocery bill.

Getting started with food storage:

The simplest way to start food storage is to buy a few extra meals with each shopping trip. They can be more expensive products like canned meats or they can be cheap things like Top Raman noodles 24 meals for $4:00. It is up to you to determine what fits into your budget. 

If you have extra money come in like a tax return or gifts you can buy additional storage items. If you save a little money out of each pay check you can wait for a sale and stock up when things are less expensive. 

Provident living.

The idea of provident living is to make your food storage, garden and shopping habits work for you.

First take stock of what you have. Count your meals and check how much grains you have. This will let you know how much more you may need to reach your food storage goal. A year supply is the most common goal. 

Next think of the meals you most often eat at your home. Then with your next shopping trip buy the things you generally eat. Be sure to pick up a few extra for storage. 

If you have wheat stored do not buy flour, you will want to grind some of the wheat into flour. This will help to rotate your food supply. 

Begin to add things into your families diet that are from your food storage. Have meals with rice, beans and canned goods from storage each week. Make pancakes,  bread and cookies from scratch. You will find the flavor is better and it will save you some cash if you make your own. 

Plant your garden with foods your family generally eats. Plan your garden so some produce is being produced throughout the growing season.  Plant some fruit trees or nut trees. 

Plant a variety of fruits if you have room. Choose trees so some of the fruit ripens throughout the summer and fall. Then do home canning so you can enjoy your produce all year. It may take a few years to get  your first crop, but the trees will produce for many years. The fresh foods will increase your nutrition. Not having to buy fresh food will save you money. 

The money you save by provident living can be used for other needs or to increase your food supply.

When you plan your meals you will begin to plan by not what you need to buy but by what you already have.