The "No Grocery Shopping Challenge"

Drilling for emergencies is an ongoing reality for my fireman husband since the city of Seattle (like most metropolitan areas) prepares for catastrophic events. It makes just as much sense for families to do the same.

So starting Saturday, August 8th, we began the "No Grocery Shopping Challenge" through the end of the month. It will be doubling challenging (more like a 6-week event), since we are a family of 12 right now and things fly off the shelf at a rather alarming rate! But it's also a great opportunity to see how prepared we really are in case of a real emergency.

To kick things off - I took a picture of my pantry for a before and after shot and will be regularly posting our experiences.

This much I have figured out already:
I may have to hide the cheese and ration it out for special occasions since the first 2 lb. block has already disappeared. And the 30 half gallons of apple juice that I got for a killer deal ($1 a piece!) won't make it through the end of the month unless we ration those as well. When you know you can't run to the grocery store, you start thinking differently about food options!

Our menus thus far:
Saturday morning I made a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup and took some to a sick friend. The rest fed the whole clan through lunch and dinner (with a little help from Campbell's chicken and dumplings to make it go the distance).
Sunday we cooked kidney beans in the crockpot and made chili and cornbread for dinner. Tonight it will be chili dogs and fritos. The kids are excited!

Solar Flares and Preparing for Electrical Outages

I've been trying to think of scenarios in our area that would require emergency preparedness. All the experts say being prepared for specific emergencies is much more effective, but I never even considered an anticipated cycle of extreme solar flares that can potentially negatively affect our electronic way of life. Here's some food for thought from Totally Ready.com


Yes, there was a massive solar storm yesterday. It has been classified a solar tsunami. Scientists are expecting really magnificent auras in the night sky beginning tomorrow night. The sighting could be as far south as the southern states but probably not. In any case they will be much further south than Canada which usually gets all the fun. This could just be the beginning. We have been talking about this now for months and I would guess many of you thought I was nutty. The flares in this cycle will not take down power grids but remember we are just beginning this active sun cycle, and yes it is a cycle. Scientists are still expecting these to continue until the end of 2013 and they fear as the eruptions get worse many of the thousands of satellites in space will be disabled. That’s right, TV, cell phone, Internet…all will be affected even if the grids are not taken down on earth. Check out www.wired.com for some really spectacular videos.

Today the power went out. We knew it would. the power company was replacing the transformer. We took this as a good time to check out just how ready we are for a power outage. I made sure the freezers were full of bottles of water so things would stay frozen. I froze all of our blue ice packs and had them ready for use. I filled everything that would hold water and place jugs in the bathroom and next to the kitchen sink for hand washing. I took the foods for snacks and lunch out of the fridge and placed them in a cooler with some of the blue ice packs so we wouldn’t need to open the door. Didn’t place a sign on the door with a threat if the door were to be opened but during an outage when we don’t know exactly how long it will be out I will place that sign on the door to remind us not to open without a very specific plan of what you will grab before shutting the door quickly.

What I hadn’t done, because I hadn’t thought about it, which I will now do, was to place an object or bottle in the toilet tank so it wouldn’t take as much water to refill the tank. I realized this as I refilled the tank from a gallon of stored water and it took the whole gallon! and that didn’t even completely fill the tank. I knew it took lots of water but I just hadn’t thought to reduce the amount of water it would actually take. We dedicated one bathroom as the only on in use so monitoring supplies of water and hand sanitizer would be easier and would also save the water in the other tanks, just in case.

I got out the solar/crank radio and flashlight in my 72 hour kit so I could see how long a crank would actually last as we listened. To my chagrin the radio didn’t work on crank power. I flipped the switch to solar and it worked! I was angry that the crank didn’t give me the power needed but thrilled that the solar worked since it hadn’t been charged for months.

We dragged out the new generator and were thrilled that it was fairly quiet. It is an inexpensive model so this was great news. We powered a computer and a few other things and everything went well. Now we have a gauge to calculate the amount of gas it uses per hour so we can be better prepared for a long outage and know exactly how to ration our resources.

For all the planning we have done and all the times the power has been out, we always learn something new or are reminded of things we have forgotten. I would suggest you choose a 24 hour period to live without electric power. You can leave the freezer and the refrigerator plugged in but treat them as though they are not. See what you learn and share it with us and others.

This week I noticed some of the big pharmacy stores have their paper towels on sale. I guess because of my own power outage and the solar flare reminding us just how real a threat of gird collapse is, a sale on paper products caught my eye. We already have plates and cups in our storage. This week add paper towels and napkins. Again, consider the number of people in your home and how many others will likely show up to be fed, and multiply by three meals a day when purchasing napkins. For paper towels consider how many times a day you pick up a sponge or wash cloth to clean up.

Friday morning I will be speaking with Halli again. We will cover our latest General Store purchases and I’m sure more about the solar flare. The great thing about her show is that we can change direction the morning of the show if a disaster should become evident even five minuted before broadcast time. Visit with us on Friday morning 7:00AM Pacific time. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/idahotalk

Benjamin Franklin said: “Diligence is the mother of good luck”

Let us be diligent

Red or White Wheat?

Once again I am so grateful for all the amazing information that people have compiled about food storage and emergency preparedness. This week's favorite blog is Prepared LDS Family which posted the following guide on wheat.



Red or White Hard Wheat? Which should I put in my food storage?
Letter from reader: "My wife and I recently went to our local LDS Bishop's storehouse and bought/canned hard red and hard white wheat. I want to learn to cook with wheat, and have several LDS related books on "Cooking with Food Storage." The recipes for breads, muffins and cakes say to use "ground wheat", but it does not tell which kind (hard red or white). So my "question" is this. What type of these (two) wheats do you use for the different breads, muffins, cookie recipes when it only says in the recipe "ground wheat?" When you make "wheat bread" is it from Hard red or Hard white? What is the difference?" Bill, New York

Dear Bill:

Though I am not an expert on wheat, Chef Brad is. I've attended one of his cooking demonstration classes at BYU Education Week in Provo, Utah a few years ago, and he is wonderful! He lives in Arizona. He will be doing cooking classes again this year and they fill up quickly. However, if you can't attend a class, then check out his website below.

Chef Brad says "There are four major types of wheat available today: hard red, hard white, soft, and durum.

Hard red wheat is high in protein (10 to 14 percent) and can be sprouted. Although it is great for breadmaking, it is heavy and, as an acid-based grain, causes many people digestion problems.

Hard white wheat is also high in protein. A cross between hard red wheat and soft white wheat, it reatins the good qualities of both. Since it is an alkaline based grain hard white wheat is easier for most people to digest. It makes a very light loaf of bread.

Soft wheat is low in protein and low in gluten (6 to 10 percent). Soft wheat is used in makeing biscuits, cakes, pastries, cookies, and pancakes.

Durum wheat, the hardest wheat, is high in gluten and protein. Its hard starch granules hold pasta together in boiling water. Durum wheat is used for pastas and noodles.

Cracked wheat is whole wheat berries that have been cracked into small pieces between steel rollers, which reduces cooking time. Cracked wheat contains all the nutrients of the whole grain."

Personally I have hard red and white wheat in storage, though I have many friends who prefer hard white wheat for bread. I already had hard red wheat in storage before hard white wheat became popular. I use both for pancakes, waffles and bread and have had no digestion problems. Best wishes!

Check out ChefBrad.com for grain education, recipes, and cookbooks to purchase.

Chef Brad - Various types of wheat

Chef Brad - Grain Usage Chart

Menus to get you through an emergency or disaster

Prepared LDS family has compiled a 7-day menu plan to get you through an emergency or disaster. We've been emphasizing building up a three-month food storage of the foods your family regularly eats, but this 7-day plan is built around meal preparation without using electricity.

They bring up a good point. If all your menus require a stove and refrigeration, your family could get a little hungry if for some reason you loose power for several days. Her menus are just suggestions, but a good place to get started.


Emergency or Disaster Menus for 7 Days

Creating your own emergency menus for disasters will help you prepare for various emergencies like power outages, earthquakes, floods, etc. Keeping easy to prepare foods on hand is the key. Remember to also have ready made foods for infants. Include some of the items below in your emergency food storage. These simple menus do not require electricity. Most foods can be eaten cold, or heated on an outdoor camp stove or butane burner. Many of these items can easily be replenished as they are foods you regularly purchase. Start with a 7 day supply and then increase to 30 days if possible. Adapt the attached spreadsheet for your use.


Breakfasts:
1. Pancakes from mix, Pancake syrup, Canned peaches, Tang
2. Oatmeal w/pwd milk, Brown sugar, Raisins, Hot cocoa
3. Breakfast cereal, 2T powdered milk, Bread w/PB, Tang
4. 2 Breakfast bars, Canned pears, Boxed drink
5. Bagel, Jelly, Raisins, Apple juice
6. Oatmeal w/pwd milk, Brown sugar, Raisins, Hot cocoa
7. Breakfast cereal, 2T powdered milk, Bread w/PB, Tang

Lunch:
1. Cup o’noodle, Fruit snack, Beef jerky, V8 juice
2.Vegetable soup, Saltine crackers, Nuts, Pwd. Milk
3. Stew, canned, Ritz crackers, Pudding cup, Hot cocoa
4. Tomato soup, Saltine crackers, Fruit cocktail, Tang
5. Clam Chowder, can, Ritz crackers, M & M's, Boxed drink
6. Chicken Noodle, Saltine crackers, Almonds, Pwd. Milk
7. Ravioli's/Spaghettios, Banana chips, Fruit cup, Apple juice

Dinner:
1. Canned chili w/beans, Saltine crackers, Sunflower seeds, V8 juice
2. PB & J sandwich, Mandarin oranges, Cookies, Apple juice
3. Spaghetti w/jar sauce, Corn, canned, Dried apricots, Boxed drink
4. Chicken salad sand., Graham crackers, Applesauce cup, Hot cocoa
5. Macaroni & cheese, Carrots, canned, Fruit cocktail, Pwd. Milk
6. Tuna sandwich, Baked beans , Pretzels, Tang
7. PB & J sandwich, Mandarin oranges, Trail mix, Apple juice

Her down-loadable spead sheet is even easier to read.

Click here for her Food Storage and Disaster Calendar with helpful suggestions of what to buy each month to be well prepared.

What's Your Grab-and-Go Plan?

I was feeling pretty confident about our 72 hour kit with extra water stored right by the garage door and our car's 72 hour kit in the trunk. But as I scrolled through this post tonight, the picture of the empty gas gauge triggered an unpleasant memory. Seventeen years ago we lived in Western Washington and experienced a severe wind storm that left many without power for several days. We were luckier - only one day. The deal breaker was I had neglected to fill the gas tank the night before and was unable to go anywhere until the nearest gas station reopened. Good reminder from The Ready Store that all of us need to review our family emergency plan.

What’s Your Grab-N-Go Plan?

While each potential disaster that you face will present it’s own unique challenges that you should plan for; with every disaster you need to determine if it’s going to require that you “Shelter-in-Place” or “Grab-n-Go”. If you’re facing a situation where you determine that you need to Grab-n-Go. There are a few fundamental things that you should plan on.

My brother is a member of a national emergency response team, USAR (Urban Search & Rescue), from the devastation of the World Trade Centers to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he’s been sent in to deal with the after math.

In talking to him about Katrina he indicated that the items most people had wished they had above all else was Water, Food & Fuel. He indicated that a large majority were operating under the fallacy that in an emergency situation the government would be able to provide everyone with these necessities.

In a Grab-n-Go situation, take the following suggestions to get the most out of your plan:


1. Do Not Delay. If you decide you need to get out of town you need to have the mind set of getting out as quickly as possible. You don’t want to be stuck with the masses in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of the freeway consuming what fuel you have while your vehicle sits idle. The rule of thumb here is that you make the appropriate plans to mitigate this possibility understanding that in some disasters it may be inevitable. It makes good sense to always keep your fuel level above half a tank. You should also have a couple of Fuel Containers on hand.

2. Know your destination - How severe is the disaster? Did it impact just your house, your neighborhood, your city, your state? You should designate destinations that are safely out of the disaster area but minimize the amount of travel required. If only your neighborhood was impacted, don’t waste time and effort traveling across state if it can be avoided.


3. Identify Alternative Routes - Take the time to identify multiple routes and take the time to drive these routes before hand. Using Google Map is a great start to laying out your routes, but it’s just a start. Driving your routes will give you a better understanding of which routes are likely to be congested or present other challenges.


4. Have Your Supplies Ready - When the time to act has arrived, the time to prepare is over. Not only should already have your food, water and emergency supplies already purchased, but you should also have them packaged, secured and in a place that’s easily accessible. There’s a reason we use the term Grab-n-Go. It’s not, Run-To-The-Store-Really-Quick-Throw-Some-Things-Together-And-Then-Go.

Don’t put off getting your Grab-n-Go plan put into place. Create a plan, write it down, get supplies and do a dry run and put you in your family in the best position possible to weather the storm!

Food Storage Comfort foods

After seven months of living on their food storage following my son-in-law's layoff, I asked my daughter what she would do different if she had to do it again. "I'd stock up on chocolate chips," was her ready reply. "When you can't afford to go out, chocolate chip cookies makes a great in-house family outing."

Who can underestimate the value of comfort foods in a time of crisis? The below article from the Emergency Preparedness Blog emphasizes that very issue.


Emergency Preparedness Guide - Article 17
Soul Soothing Sweets
By Angie Sullivan

Want to keep your family calm and happy during times of distress? Store some soul soothing sweets!

On our journey to preparedness, we've discussed several different types of foods to store. We've learned about dehydrated, freeze-dried, and Meals Ready to Eat. All of these are wonderful options, and a good combination of all of them is ideal. But here is something you might not know. Each of these foods has something in common, something that I'm sure will tickle your fancy. Within each of these foods storage categories there are some items I would like you to consider desserts!

If you are like me, it won't take much to convince you that having a few desserts or comfort foods stored is a good idea. But, if you aren't sure that having cake or pudding for your family in an emergency is really necessary, think about these few facts: Did you know that studies show that foods high in sugar, or food associated with pleasant memories can cause the release of certain chemicals that affect how we feel? In short, desserts can act as a natural mood enhancer. During hard times, such as the aftermath of a natural disaster, extended unemployment, or food shortages, having desserts on hand for your family will help to comfort them. It can be a reminder, especially to children, that everything is alright and good times are ahead.

Now that we have established that having food storage desserts on hand are a good idea (twist my arm!), let's talk about the different varieties you can choose from. As I mentioned before, each of the types of food storage have delicious options available. MREs have a wonderful assortment of ready to eat cakes and cookies. Can't imagine something in a brown military pouch can taste good? Think again! Want to make your own delicious desserts? You can purchase just add water dehydrated muffin and brownie mixes in #10 cans, along with puddings and even make your own homemade favorite peanut butter cookies or oatmeal cookies using dehydrated items such as peanut butter powder and oats. With the amazing technology of freeze dried foods, not even ice cream is out of the question!

Whatever your sweet tooth craving, or whatever your family's comfort foods are, you are sure to find something delicious to fit the bill. So consider spending a few of your food storage dollars giving your family some soul soothing sweets!

Sugar free Apricot Nectar

Who can pass up 25 cent a pound apricots courtesy of the Shoenwald Family (via our great connection Gail Richmond in Ellensburg)? I brought home 100 lbs. (yikes!) and have my work cut out for me. Brother Shoenwald Sr. (sorry - don't know his first name), says their family favorite is apricot nectar and they make it with Splenda or half Splenda and half sugar. Good news for diabetics, he says Splenda actually preserves the beautiful orange-y color longer than the regular nectar.

In case you need an Apricot Nectar recipe:

Wash and pit 10 quarts of apricots and place in large stock pot
Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil
Strain fruit and water through a colander into a second pan
Add sugar or Splenda to taste (I added 5 cups of sugar for one batch and 5 cups of Splenda to the second. It was still a little tangy, so I added a couple more cups of sugar). Stir and pour into clean quart jars and process for 15 to 20 minutes.

As an added bonus - the left-over pulp can be pureed in a blender and after adding sugar or Splenda to taste, poured into a cookie sheet lined with Saran wrap and baked in an 200 degree oven for 8 hours. The best ever fruit leather.