Honeyville Grain Discount

Greetings from Honeyville Farms:

SUMMARY:  10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER* from Thursday, February 3, 2011 thru Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 6:00PM PST.  Simply enter the coupon code ROSEBUD during checkout. Stock up and save on all of your favorites for a limited time.

DISCOUNT CODE:  ROSEBUD 

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com

LONG VERSION and EGG UPDATE

From Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 thru Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 you'll get 10% off of every item in your cart*.  Just order as usual and enter the coupon code ROSEBUD during checkout.  The coupon code field is on the second page of the checkout process.  Enter the ROSEBUD coupon code, click the APPLY button to the right, and the savings will automatically be calculated. 

As many of you know we have been out of stock on our #10 cans of Powdered Whole Eggs and Egg Whites for about 3 months.  This has been as a result of working with the USDA on plant and label approval with new stricter requirements with respect to eggs.  We've endured numerous delays and setbacks throughout the process.  About a week ago we had received approval to begin Production.  We did so and even had product on UPS trailers ready to be picked up.  We got a call from the USDA stating that they had put us through the wrong process and we would have to start over again.  We had to pull all of the outbound orders and go back into a holding pattern.  At this point we are moving through the process but have no idea when we'll be back in business with the canned eggs.  It is a frustrating situation with one of our best sellers and we apologize for the delay.  Just as soon as we have product ready to ship we will send out an email to all of our great Honeyville Customers.  We appreciate
your patience.

Visit us at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/.

ACT NOW as this discount will end promptly on Tuesday February 8th at 6:00PM PST.  If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to place an order over the phone call us, toll-free, at (888) 810-3212.  We're happy to help.

Thanks for your business.

Regards,
Chris Ondatje
Director of E-Commerce
Honeyville Food Products, Inc.
chriso@honeyvillegrain.com
http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/
Toll-Free:  (888) 810-3212

Cannery Info

We are preparing the cannery for next week’s family canning sessions and have realized we don’t have enough people to help with any of the sessions.

We have one person on Monday for Diced Tomatoes and the cannery staff needs 10 people,

two people on Tuesday for Black, Pinto and White Beans and the cannery staff needs 10 people,

three people on Wednesday for Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup and the cannery staff needs 15 people, and

three people on Thursday evening for Cream of Mushroom Soup and the cannery staff needs 10 people.

The cannery staff have requested a quick response for those available to help on Monday.  If anyone is available, please either call 303-371-6675 and leave a message or send an email to wel-wp-aurora@ldschurch.org by tomorrow afternoon.  For the remaining sessions, the staff will need to know they have crews by Noon on Monday, February 7^th or they will have to cancel sessions. 

The Aurora Cannery Staff

303-371-6675

Cannery Info

Happy New Year!  I have the wet pack cannery calendars for January and February 2011 if you would like them emailed to you.  Please note the following information regarding the Home Storage Center and Wet Pack Cannery.

Aurora Home Storage Center

Current Operating Hours are as follows:

     Monday          9:00 am to 3:30 pm

     Tuesday          9:00 am to 3:30 pm AND 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

     Wednesday   9:00 am to 9:00 pm

     Thursday        9:00 am to 9:00 pm

There was a recent price change for the Home Storage Center products and the new order forms are available online at providentliving.org.  We are happy to announce that the prepackaged items are now sold by individual cans or pouches and not by the case, other than the Starter Kit.  This means that the cases of potato pearls, pancake mix, and the white flour, white rice, white wheat, red wheat, pinto beans and quick oats can now be opened and sold as EACHES.  For those who love the potato pearls, you don’t have to purchase the entire case, but only the number of pouches you want.  If you have questions the service missionaries are there to help you.

Wet Pack Cannery

     This year the cannery has received the assignment to produce all the tomato soup for approximately 135 storehouses throughout the United States.  Therefore, the volume of soup needed has increased so the cannery will processing tomato soup one week each month, except for April and July.  For anyone interested in helping, please contact your stake high councilor assigned to welfare.

     The wet pack cannery will be undergoing a remodel and will be closed from Monday, March 14^th through Wednesday, April 27^th.  This only effects the WET PACK cannery.  The Home Storage Center will be open during the remodel.

     The cannery staff was excited to see the interest in the surplus product available in November and December.  They were happy to know that many families benefited by being able to come and purchase without actually canning.  Beginning this month, all non meat family canning products will require interested individuals to preorder and attend the canning session in order to purchase.  Meats are the only family canning products that anyone can purchase without helping to process.

Wet pack cannery info

The Aurora Cannery staff would like to wish all cannery patrons a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

**In January, the cannery staff have 7 family canning products scheduled.  If anyone is interested in purchasing any of these products, individuals need to call or email the cannery to submit a preorder. 

The Beef Chunks and Cream of Chicken soup will be canned by assignment and the calendar indicates which stakes have that assignment.  If you are in the Westminster, Littleton, Parker or Columbine stake and would like to help process the meats, please contact your stake high councilor assigned to welfare.  Each stake has the assignment to provide 20 people per session.

If anyone is interested in Tomato soup, Honey, Maple flavored syrup, Salsa or Spaghetti sauce, call or email your preorder then plan to attend the session to help process.  The cannery staff will only produce product if they have a minimum of 20 people per product.

For the rest of the month, the cannery staff will be focusing on welfare canning.   This year the Aurora Cannery has the assignment to produce ALL the tomato soup for 114 Bishops’ Storehouses in the United States. 

Therefore, to meet the need, each stake listed on the calendar will need to provide 20 volunteers for their assigned shift.  If you are interested and available, contact your stake high councilor assigned to welfare.  Please come 15 minutes early to participate in a brief orientation.  If you have any questions, please contact the cannery through email or phone (303-371-6675)

Food Storage for $5 a week

I have never done this plan but it is an option for those who want to try it out.

Week l: 6 1bs. salt

Week 2: 5 cans cream of chicken soup

Week 3: 20 lbs. of sugar

Week 4: 8 cans tomato soup

Week 5: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 6: 6 1bs. macaroni

Week 7: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 8: 8 cans tuna

Week 9: 6 lbs. yeast

Week 10: 50 lbs.wheat

Week 11:8 cans tomato soup

Week 12: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 13: 10 lbs. powdered milk

Week 14: 7 boxes macaroni and cheese

Week 15: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 16: 5 cans cream of chicken soup

Week 17: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins

Week 18: 10 lbs. powdered milk

Week 19: 5 cans cream mushroom soup

Week 20: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 21: 8 cans tomato soup

Week 22: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 23: 8 cans tuna

Week 24: 6 lbs. shortening

Week 25: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 26: 5 lbs. honey

Week 27: 10 lbs. powdered milk

Week 28: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 29:5 lbs. peanut butter

Week 30: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 31:7 boxes macaroni and cheese

Week 32: 10 lbs. powdered milk

Week 33: 1 bottle 500 aspirin

Week 34: 5 cans cream of chicken soup

Week 35: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 36: 7 boxes macaroni and cheese

Week 37: 6 1bs. salt

Week 38: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 39: 8 cans tomato soup

Week 40: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 41: 5 cans cream chicken soup

Week 42: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 43: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins

Week 44: 8 cans tuna

Week 45: 50 lbs. wheat

Week 46: 6 1bs. macaroni

Week 47: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 48: 5 cans cream mushroom soup

Week 49: 5 lbs. honey

Week 50: 20 lbs. sugar

Week 51:8 tomato soup

Week 52: 5 lbs. wheat

Some weeks you will have leftover change. Save the change each week in a kitty to be used for the weeks you may exceed S5.00 (like wheat or milk).

 

You will end up with:

500 pounds of wheat

180 pounds of sugar

40 pounds of powdered milk

12 pounds of salt

10 pounds of honey

5 pounds peanut butter45 cans of tomato soup

15 cans of cream of mushroom soup

15 cans of cream of chicken soup

24 cans of tuna

21 boxes of macaroni and cheese

500 aspirin

1000 multi-vitamins

6 pounds of yeast

6 pounds of shortening 12 pounds of macaroni

 

This should be enough to sustain two people for one year. For every two people in your family add $5.00 more and double or triple the amount of the item you are buying that week.

Wet Pack Cannery Update

Please Note: 

   The Aurora Cannery will not be canning Black, Pinto or White Beans, Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup or Applesauce in December. 

   We didn’t have any interest through sign ups and we don’t know when these products will be offered again next year.  Please share this information with the members in your ward/stake.  We hope to avoid anyone coming to the cannery to help without having contacted us first to preorder.

The Aurora Cannery Staff

Honeyville Farms discount code

Greetings from Honeyville Farms:

SUMMARY:  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER* from Thursday, November 18, 2010 thru Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  Simply enter the coupon code GOBBLE during checkout. This week we're introducing our all new Gift Baskets, only available during the Holidays.  Save on these and all of your favorites for a limited time.

DISCOUNT CODE:  GOBBLE 

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/gourmetgifts.aspx

LONG VERSION

Happy Holidays from Honeyville!  We're ready for the Holiday Season...are you?  From Thursday, November 18th, 2010 thru Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 you'll get 10% off of every item in your cart*.  Just order as usual and enter the coupon code GOBBLE during checkout.  The coupon code field is on the second page of the checkout process.  Enter the GOBBLE coupon code, click the APPLY button to the right, and the savings will automatically be calculated. 

This week we're introducing our all new Holiday Gift Baskets.  These Holiday Baskets are packed with all kinds of delectable Honeyville Treats.  These are great gifts for family, friends, and at the office.  Get the jump on that Christmas list!

See our Gourmet Gifts at:  http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/gourmetgifts.aspx

    Visit us at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/.  ACT NOW as this discount will end promptly on Tuesday November 23rd at 6:00PM PST.  If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to place an order over the phone call us, toll-free, at (888) 810-3212.  We're happy to help.

Wet Pack Cannery Info.

We are excited to announce two new products available in the Home Storage Centers. 

Beginning next week (11-22-10), White Flour and White Wheat can be purchased in prepackaged cases (six cans to a case).  Each home storage center has a limited number of cases with more on order.  You may want to call to confirm inventory before travelling long distances to purchase.

These new items are now included on the Home Storage Center Price Sheet available at providentliving.org. 

ALSO

The Aurora Wet Pack Cannery staff would like to announce they have surplus items THAT would make GREAT GIFTS for family and friends ...AND…

*For a limited time, anyone interested in the following items may come to the cannery during the listed hours and purchase without having to participate in canning.

Meat Products –                                           

        Chicken Chunks                            $1.85 per can/$44.40 per case

        Cream of Chicken Soup               $1.40 per can/$33.60 per case

        Beef Chunks                                  $2.65 per can/$63.60 per case

        Beef Stew                                      $1.55 per can/$37.20 per case

        Ground Beef                                 $2.40 per can/$57.60 per case

        Pork Chunks                                  $1.85 per can/$44.40 per case

Fruits –

        Peaches                                         $1.20 per can/$14.40 per case

        Pears                                              $1.20 per can/$14.40 per case

        Pearsauce                                      $.93 per can/$22.32 per case

Soups and Sauces

        Cream of Mushroom Soup        $1.10 per can/$26.40 per case

        Salsa                                               $1.10 per can/$13.20 per case

        Spaghetti Sauce                           $1.70 per can/$20.40 per case

Jams –

        Cherry                                            $1.45 per can/$17.40 per case

        Loganberry                                    $2.35 per can/$28.20 per case

        Marionberry                                 $1.90 per can/$22.90 per case

        Peach                                             $1.50 per can/$18.00 per case

        Raspberry                                      $2.30 per can/$27.60 per case

        Strawberry                                    $1.55 per can/$18.60 per case

Honey –

        1 lb squeeze bottles                    $2.33 per can

Maple Syrup (Artificially flavored) –

        28 oz bottles                                 $1.50 per can

        1 gal containers                           $5.15 per can

*The expectation for all family canning products, other than meats, is that individuals would help process product in order to purchase.  Meat products are canned by stake assignments to benefit all individuals.  The Wet Pack Cannery Staff would like to extend their sincere appreciation to all patrons that have helped produce the available products that will help to strengthen individuals and families in their desire to be self-reliant.

Hours for the AURORA HOME STORAGE CENTER where surplus products AND dry pack products are available:

        MONDAY 11/22 – 9 AM TO 3:30 PM

        TUESDAY 11/23 – 9 AM TO 1 PM

        WEDNESDAY 11/24 – CLOSED

        THURSDAY 11/25 – HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY – CLOSED

        MONDAY 11/29 – 9 AM TO 3:30 PM

        TUESDAY 11/30 – 9 AM TO 1 PM          6 PM TO 9 PM

        WEDNESDAY 12/1 – 9 AM TO 1 PM     3 PM TO 9 PM

        THURSDAY 12/2 – 6 PM TO 9 PM

        MONDAY 12/6 – 9 AM TO 3:30 PM

        TUESDAY 12/7 – 9 AM TO 1 PM             6 PM TO 9 PM

        WEDNESDAY 12/8 – 3 PM TO 9 PM

        THURSDAY 12/9 – 6 PM TO 9 PM

        MONDAY 12/13 – 9 AM TO 3:30 PM

        TUESDAY 12/14 – 9 AM TO 1 PM            6 PM TO 9 PM

        WEDNESDAY 12/15 – 9 AM TO 1 PM     3 PM TO 9 PM

        THURSDAY 12/16 – CLOSED

        MONDAY 12/20 – 9 AM TO 3:30 PM

        TUESDAY 12/21 – 9 AM TO 1 PM

        WEDNESDAY 12/22 – CLOSED

        THURSDAY 12/23 – CLOSED

        MONDAY 12/27 – 9 AM TO 3:30 PM

        TUESDAY 12/28 – 9 AM TO 1 PM

        WEDNESDAY 12/29 – 9 AM TO 1 PM

        THURSDAY 12/30 – CLOSED

Provident Living Club

Due to the 4th Tuesdays of November and December falling the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I figured we should not have our meetings for those months.  If you object let me know and we can reschedule.  Depending on when I have this baby, we may not have one in January either since I am due the 20th.  I will however keep posting things on the blog and would be happy to meet with you individually to help in your food storage planning.  Let me know if I can be of help!  Lauren

Provident Living Fair for 2011

This coming Wednesday I am going to a meeting to talk about planning the next Provident Living Fair for our Stake.  Is there anything that you would like me to bring up or that you would like to learn about??  I will obviously be submitting my current 3 month supply plan and maybe doing a class depending on what the stakes needs are.  It will be sometime in April. Let me know!

Cinnamon Rolls....seriously good

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)       2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 eggs, room temperature                                        1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup margarine, melted                                        1 (3 ounce) pkg cream cheese, softened

4 1/2 cups bread flour                                              1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt                                                           1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup white sugar                                                   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast                      1/8 teaspoon salt

 1/3 cup butter, softened

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.  Mix in the margarine, salt, sugar and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large bowl, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.  Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size.  Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

THE BASICS OF FAMILY FINANCES

PAY TITHES AND OFFERINGS

Successful family finances begin with the payment

of an honest tithe and the giving of a generous fast

offering. The Lord has promised to open the windows

of heaven and pour out great blessings upon those who

pay tithes and offerings faithfully (see Malachi 3:10).

AVOID DEBT

Spending less money than you make is essential to

your financial security. Avoid debt, with the exception

of buying a modest home or paying for education or

other vital needs. Save money to purchase what you

need. If you are in debt, pay it off as quickly as possible.

USE A BUDGET

Keep a record of your expenditures. Record and

review monthly income and expenses. Determine how

to reduce what you spend for nonessentials.

Use this information to establish a family budget.

Plan what you will give as Church donations, how much

you will save, and what you will spend for food, housing,

utilities, transportation, clothing, insurance, and so

on. Discipline yourself to live within your budget plan.

(See the Budget Worksheet on the back page.)

BUILD A RESERVE

Gradually build a financial reserve, and use it for

emergencies only. If you save a little money regularly,

you will be surprised how much accumulates over

time.

TEACH FAMILY MEMBERS

Teach family members the principles of financial

management. Involve them in creating a budget and

setting family financial goals. Teach the principles of

hard work, frugality, and saving. Stress the importance

of obtaining as much education as possible.

Provident Living Club

Today was the Provident Living Club.  I made some bread and honey butter which was fabulous (if I do say so myself).  I have decided to throw out all of the wheat bread recipes that I have and use my scone dough to make almost everything now.  Like I said before, putting the wheat grinder on the pastry setting did wonders for the wheatyness (if thats a word) of the bread.  In this particular loaf I used powdered eggs, milk and butter and I couldn't tell a difference.  I am really trying to only use recipes that taste good using fresher ingredients AND longer term storage stuff....this one is definately a keeper!  I was slightly....well....REALLY disappointed in the powdered butter as "just butter" but in baking it is perfect.  So of course I will be looking for a substitute for the substitute :)  The honey butter had real butter but it also had some sweetened condensed milk that I made from powdered milk and it was great!  Also on our trip down substitute lane, I made a slice of cheese toast with my homemade bread and freeze dried monterrey jack cheese. YUM! I think I already posted about the pizzas we did the other night but if I didn't then they were also made using this scone dough recipe (whole wheat) and freeze dried cheese.  It REALLY does make a difference in the bread when you set the grinder to pastry.....when I think of wheat bread it makes me gag a little...seriously!!! TRY IT!!  Anyone who knows me know that wheat is not my forte!  So anyways.....we only had one person show up for the meeting so we basically just went over everything from last month and it was pretty informal (like I like).  Obviously we taste tested a few things.  I had some dough left over since I only made one loaf of bread so tonight we will be having navajo tacos for dinner.....YUM!  So here is the recipe (I may have posted it earlier) for the bread, honey butter and sweetened condensed milk... I was so surprised at how versatile this dough is....i fry it into scones, made navajo tacos, wheat bread, pizza dough and more!  Still trying it out in various forms but it is good!!!  Have I already said that????

Homemade Wheat Bread (done with scone dough)

2 cups Milk                                                                                                    

4 T Butter or Margarine                                                        

2 T Yeast                                                                                                       

2 Eggs

About 6 cups Wheat Flour                           

1 T Salt

½ cup Sugar

Scald Milk (or use powdered milk and hot water). Add butter and let it melt. Beat Eggs and sugar. Add yeast and salt, then milk. Add enough flour to make a very soft dough. Mix well and let rise until double. Form into 2 loaves and place in greased bread pans. Let rise again a few minutes to desired height before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes then cover with foil.  Place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

Honey Butter

½ cup butter

2 Tablespoons Sweetened Condensed Milk (recipe below)

¼ cup honey

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Whip until fluffy and light. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup boiling water

¼ cup margarine

2 cups white sugar

4 cups nonfat dry milk powder

Get a blender and pour the water into it. Add the stick of margarine and the sugar. Turn the blender on and combine the ingredients well.  Take one cup of the dry milk powder and slowly add it to the blender. Combine and blend. Repeat for the other 3 cups, so that you’re blending after you add each time.  Store in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator.

Provident Living Club Today!!!

Hey Everyone! Don't forget about the Provident Living Club today at 10 am.  It will be at my house.  Remember to bring some recipes with you...breakfast, lunch, dinner, breads and desserts!  If you don't have any or don't have time to get them together then come anyway....I have plenty I can share with you! See you here!

French Toast

I tried this recipe with fresh ingredients and with powdered eggs and milk and both tasted great!

French Toast (serves 5)

No stick cooking spray                                              1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup of milk                                                           ¾ cup sugar

4 Eggs                                                                         10 slices of bread

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon                                 1 ¼ Cups Assorted berries (optional)

2-3 cups Maple Syrup

Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat.  Combine milk, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg in shallow dish; whisk to combine. Set aside. Place sugar in another shallow dish in an even layer. Dip a slice of bread on both sides in Egg mixture. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Lightly press each side of cooked French toast into sugar; return to skillet. Cook 1 minute on each side or until sugar has browned and is crisp. Repeat with remaining bread. Serve hot with assorted berries and or syrup, if desired.

SA Conference

This morning I taught 2 classes at the Single Adult Conference.  I wanted to post something about what I taught even though I have covered most of this before.  I think it was a success and I had a good time doing it!  Hope you enjoy this!  These are just my notes that I followed (to some degree) so hopefully they are easy to follow.

The name of this class is Practical Food Storage for the single but I believe that no matter what stage in life you are in the plan should be somewhat the same.  This class isn’t going to be on 100 ways to use wheat.  I think we are lacking a little in how to get our 3 month supply so that is what I am going to focus on today. 

I have a plan that is easy to follow and gives you a very easy and practical way to get your food storage in place.  I know that everyone is at a different stage of food storage. Some of you may not have even thought of food storage yet, some of you might have a little bit of wheat and powdered milk and wonder what in the world am I going to do with this!  I started out going onto websites looking for the food storage calculators and they always came back with the basics.  Its great to have the basics but if you were in an emergency situation where you had to eat your food storage you would be very unhappy with what you had if all you had was wheat and powdered milk.  It would keep you alive but you would be frowning. 

I think that preparation is the key to making your food storage work for you. Knowing where you are going to put it when you do get it and what you are going to get is vital.  How many of you actually have food storage?

How many of you know how long it will last?

How many of you have a set schedule of recipes that you will actually eat?

Whether it be for our 3 month supply or year supply, it is important to have a plan!

I went on a search for something to make my food storage work for me.  I need chocolate and I don’t eat a lot of wheat in my diet. So over the past 4 years I have taken bits and pieces of what others have come up with and added a few of my own things to create this system I am going to show you today. I am not saying that this is the only way to successfully have your food storage, this is just my way of doing it.   

Before we talk about the actual plan that I have I want to talk about things that may get in the way of you having food storage.  Here are Wendy Dewitt’s top ten reasons why we don’t have our food storage:

10. My neighbors have a TWO year supply! It's more likely they have no food storage at all. Most people have made no effort whatsoever to be prepared for an emergency. So, if your plan is to eat your neighbor's food, not only is it not very nice, it's probably not a very good plan.
9. I'm moving in with my children / parents! Really....that’s just a bad plan all by itself. Many people believe when times get bad we'll all just band together to survive. (Of course, since no one has any food, we won't survive for very long.) But consider that if there were any kind of epidemic or pandemic, we couldn't band together and we couldn't share. You may have to survive on just what's in your home.

8. Isn't that what my taxes are for? If there was a national emergency of any kind, how long do you really think it would take a government agency to reach you? Just remember, the government has been counseling citizens to have a three month's supply of food, water and medicines.  Hurricane Katrina
7. I donate to my church...if anything happens, they'll take care of me. How many of you are planning on miracles when times get bad? The miracle of Elijah's never ending barrel or another Joseph in Egypt storing for everyone. The responsibility to prepare your family for an emergency isn't your neighbor's, the government's or the church's...it's yours.
6. I have a year's supply...and the bullets to go with it! I've heard time and again, "Why should I go to all the time and expense of getting food...just to have some guy with a gun come and shoot my family to take it away?" Are you afraid of the guy with the gun? Or are you more afraid of BECOMING the guy with the gun? What would you be willing to do if you were watching your children starve to death? I guarantee, you would lie, cheat, steal and you would become the guy with the gun to save your child's life. Food storage isn't just about your temporal welfare...it's about your spiritual salvation as well.
5. The boat and the 4 wheelers are taking up all my storage space. (priorities!)
4. I've got 1,000 pounds of wheat...what else do I need? Unless you're eating that wheat on a daily basis and your body is accustomed to it, that wheat could kill you faster than a famine would!
3. I've decided to store non-perishables and then I'll just trade for food. Good luck eating those gold coins because when people are starving, they're not going to be trading away their food. Either that, or you're going to be buying the most expensive bowl of soup you ever ate.
2. I can't afford scrap booking AND food storage. The average food storage can cost as little as a dollar a day. We live in the richest society in the history of the world, and while there are cases where money may be a problem, most of the time it is a matter of priorities. We have chosen bigger homes, nicer cars, more tv's, computers, vacations ...everything is more important than our food storage. If I asked, "Who has a cell phone?" most of you would say yes. You pay at least a dollar a day for that service. Is your cell phone really more important than your survival? You have to make food storage a priority.
1. I'm waiting for them to sell Papa John's dehydrated pizza! Food storage has always had a stigma attached to it. If it's not wheat, beans and powdered milk, it's not food storage. With the system I use, food storage can be sweet and sour chicken, tamale pie, chile and cornbread, beef stew, shepherd's pie, minestrone...even chocolate chip cookies! Your imagination (and your pocketbook) are the only limitations you have.

You KNOW you should have your food storage. You WANT to have it, but it can be so overwhelming! How much do I buy? Where do I store it? How do I cook it? It seems like an impossible task.... but it's not. It doesn't matter if you use my system or just start buying extra food, the important thing is to do something.

One of the reasons not mentioned on her list was I don’t have enough space in my house or room.  I know some people rent rooms from others or live in tiny houses or apartments that barely has room for anything else.  I will give you some ideas of where you can put your food storage.

If you own your home you have a little more freedom with what you can do.  For example there is a product from www.pharaohsstorehouse.com where you can have an in wall system.  Here is a picture of what it looks like.  They also sell on the wall systems that go on sheetrock, lazy susans and a few other options.

There is another place that sells cardboard rotation shelves. It’s www.thecanorganizer.com.  I have plans to make a free cardboard rotation shelf that I will give to you.  I also wrote the name of the website that has a video tutorial on how to do it. You can customize it to your cabinet space or shelf space.

There are other places that sell similar things for different spaces.  I had been eyeballing the shelf reliance shelves for a long time but I couldn’t wrap my brain around spending $300 on a shelf.  If you have the space and you are slightly handy you can build one of these. I went to Lowes and spent about $100 to build this shelf.  You can build it for less if you have wood laying around or can get scraps from other places.

If you have no space for shelving then you can find other places like behind furniture, under furniture or you can make it your furniture.

Now onto the plan!

The first thing to do is figure out what you need to buy.  You do this by gathering up your recipes.  Most people stick to a few basic recipes in their everyday cooking. When I started this plan I borrowed recipes from other people to try so I wouldn’t have to eat the same 7 meals over and over again. The recipes also need to have ingredients that are shelf stable….mostly. You don’t want to have grilled chicken salad because you can’t have a 3 month supply of lettuce.  You can find substitutes for things you would normally eat fresh, like freeze dried fruits, vegetables, cheese, powdered butter, sour cream, eggs, milk and others. 

You need a minimum of 7 breakfasts and 7 dinners for minimal survival eating. I have 14 breakfasts, lunches and dinners plus breads and desserts….like I said….I really don’t want to skip a beat with the way we currently eat and I would die without chocolate.

One way to get all of this organized is to write down the recipes onto 3x5 cards and then on the back write down how much of each ingredient you will need for 3 months.  You need to include all of your spices and water for cooking.  For example if you have 14 recipes for dinner you will eat one of those dinners 6 times in a 3 month time period.

Next you want to organize all of your recipes in a notebook.  I chose to make a book because this 3 ring binder was my attempt at becoming organized.  Basically you want all of your recipes in order and you want a list in the back of everything you need. I call this our master shopping list. You make this by flipping your 3x5 cards over and recording them into a list.  I did mine on an excel spreadsheet in alphabetical order.  So now you have all of the recipes that you actually eat (make sure they are tried and tested recipes) and a master list of everything that you need to buy to have a complete 3 month supply.  This list can eventually be expanded into a year supply if you are good at rotation.

The next step is to make a chart that alphabetically lists all the foods from your recipe cards. The first column lists the food item. The next, lists all the meals that food item is in. The third column lists how many cups, cans or jars are needed. The fourth lists how much of that item I have and the fifth, how much I need to buy.

I made an excel spreadsheet that does all of the math for me and keeps up with my inventory.  I know not everyone is tech savvy so just a written list will do too. If you would like a copy of the spreadsheet that I have put together then I can email it to you. Just send me an email or give me yours before you leave. All of the formulas are already in the spreadsheet and all you have to do is plug in your information.  Here is an example of what the spreadsheet should look like.

I mentioned before that there are substitutes for fresh ingredients that you can buy. I store a backup supply of what I would need for 3 months if I couldn’t get something fresh. For example if I am making ground beef stroganoff, I use fresh sour cream.  As long as I am able to go to the grocery store and buy sour cream I will use it fresh.  But I make sure I have a 3 month supply of powdered sour cream on hand in case I can’t go to the store. The same goes with anything else I can’t buy fresh.  I typically don’t freeze much just in case I am without power and my generator can’t support it for long periods of time. But that is just a personal preference.

There are 2 ways that I choose to buy the food on my master shopping list. The first way is to buy in bulk when things are on sale.  Sometimes Sam’s Club or Costco has fabulous deals that you can’t pass up or you fall into a large supply of money and you want to load up on food storage. The only downfall of this particular plan that I see is that if something were to happen and you needed to eat what you had on hand then you don’t want to be stuck with 60 cans of peaches because that’s what was on sale.  I am not knocking this way at all…this is the way I have accumulated most of my food storage but you don’t want to buy something that is not on your list because you need to stick to your plan.  Or you could always change a few of your recipes to match what you buy on sale.

I have seen where some people will plan out what to buy in any given week.  Like the first week of January you need to buy all of your green beans, the second week of January you but 4 cans of spaghetti sauce and 4 boxes of spaghetti noodles and so on.

The second method that I use and that I find the most practical for anyone is the meal in a bag method.  I recently discovered this method from a book called “It’s in the bag” by Michelle and Trent Snow.  Basically this is where you take a plastic, square bottomed gift bag and you put one meal in that bag.  In the book, she suggests that you put everything for that meal, cooking water, all ingredients and side items for that meal.  That is completely up to you but I have chosen to do a combination of the two storage options.  I will get into that after explaining the rest of how this option works. 

So you take the bag and find the soonest expiration date on all the food you put in the bag.  You take a plastic CD sleeve and tape it to the front of the bag and put the recipe card in the CD sleeve. Take a sicker and stick it to the front of the CD sleeve and write the expiration date of that meal on it.

The way that I have done this system is to buy in bulk when things are on sale or when I fall into some extra money and create the meal in a bag when I only have the money to do one or two meals at a time.  Either way, you only buy what’s on your shopping list and you have what you need when you need it.  The bag meal system lets you have meals on hand that are ready to prepare and eat.  If you exclusively buy in bulk, you don’t want to be caught with 40 cans of peaches and 30 boxes of spaghetti noodles if you needed food to eat in an emergency situation. By doing both plans you have the flexibility to buy in bulk when it’s cost effective and to have meals already put together for immediate use.  This is a great way to be able to rotate your food storage. You just go downstairs and pull a bag of food that you always eat and you have everything right there. It cuts down on prep time and you KNOW you have everything on hand for that particular meal.  You can store the bags on the rotation shelves with the rest of your cans or you can have them on a regular shelf that you put in expiration date order.  I don’t put water and spices in my bags. Anything that I have to divide into much smaller portions I leave in its original container and store them separately.  I know what I need because of my master shopping list so I have it on hand but it isn’t cost effective to buy that many bags, jars or cans.  There are some tools that make some of this easier, learning how to can, getting a food saver to seal jars, etc.