We recently posted about some info that one of our great readers (Nola) shared with us in a document she put together that had TONS of common substitutions, measurements and yields. We were going to break it up into multiple posts, but then realized it would be hard for you all to use it that way – so we made it into a pdf you can all download!

Print it out and put it in your Food Storage Made Easy Ebook Binder (we’ll be including this handout in our next free binder email updates – just in case you were wondering).

Filed under: Baking Ingredients, General, Helpful Tools | Comments
 

Keeping warm is essential for survival. Loss of body heat, Hypothermia, is very dangerous and can lead to loss of body parts and even death. Wet conditions quickly increase the loss of body heat. When traditional heat sources are not available, below are a few ideas to help you keep warm:

If you get wet from rain, snow or sweat, change into clothing that is dry. Wet clothing loses its insulation value and extracts body heat 240 times faster than dry clothing. Wool clothing and blankets are preferred. Cotton clothing, particularly denim, retains water. Woll clothing is insulating, water resistant, and keeps your body warm even if it is wet.

Covering your head is vital as you can lose up to 80% of your body heat through your head. A knitted wool stocking hat is good.

Feet can be kept warm by wearing wool socks and wearing two pair if your shoes are large enough. A towel could also be wrapped over shoes and duct-taped on.

Several thin layers of loose-fitting clothing retain body heat and can be removed easily if body starts to perspire and/or you are chilling. Water & wind resistant outer clothing with a hood. Also, scarf or towel to cover your mouth to keep cold air from your lungs.

Two or more people huddled together inside two sleeping bags zipped together will be warmer than each in separate sleeping bags. A smaller bag can also be placed inside a larger-sized one.

If trapped in your car during a snowstorm, run heater 10 minutes every hour. Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow and open one window a crack to allow ventilation.

Good in wind or rain. Put a wool blanket between you and the Mylar blanket, if possible.

You can also use socks filled with rice/beans and tied shut. Heat the packs/socks in a fire or coals. They will maintain heat for a period of time. Rocks or bricks can also be heated thoroughly, then carefully wrapped in towels or newspapers.

Leaves, newspaper, straw, etc. (stuffed between two layers of clothing). Tie your shoe laces around the cuffs of your pants to hold material in. If you were trapped in a car during a snowstorm, use the stuffing from the seat cushions.

This can be worn as a rain jacket or can insulate the body if stuffed with dry leaves or grass

***Modified from a church handout, no sources credited***

p.s. Do you have any more ideas for alternate heat sources? Share them in the comments below!

Filed under: Emergency Preparedness | Comments
 

Awhile back we tackled the big question Why Do People Build Food Storages in a 5 part series. One of the main reasons, was obviously Natural Disasters. With the turmoil and devastation that is going on in Haiti right now, we are sobered to remind ourselves and our readers that being prepared for disaster is ever so important.

This year we will be striving to learn new things about specific kinds of disasters and more about emergency preparedness skills (like the whole cooking without power, and a new and improved 72-hour kit)

We thought the best place to start was to know what could likely occur where we live. Some states are more prone to certain types of disasters then others. We remembered this AWESOME chart we wanted to share with you guys to help you get started also. Found in Making the Best of Basics (an incredible resource everyone should have) is a chart that outlines potential disasters by state. DOWNLOAD the chart by clicking on it, look up your state, and start along this journey with us of learning about different kinds of natural disasters and what you need to do in them. Thank you to James Talmage Stevens for letting us share the chart from his book with you!

When we first started our Food Storage programs thinking about all this literally freaked us out, but since we have become more and more prepared, we are now feeling ready to learn more about and tackle some of the sticky stuff this year. If you’re just starting out, don’t get too overwhelmed, start with our checklists that help you start your program little by little!

Filed under: Emergency Preparedness | Comments
 

It seems like organization and rotation seems to be at the top of many people’s lists of things they want to work on with their food storage this year. On our BabyStep One page we have a diagram and instructions for how to make your own can rotating rack.

While the do-it-yourself solution has worked great for some people, there are others (*ahem* Julie *ahem*) who don’t have the patience (or willing husbands) to make the shelves on their own.

One of our readers referred us to a new product called the CanOrganizer which is basically an easy and cheap way to make these shelves on your own. We immediately contacted the company and got some of their products to try. We were so impressed with them that we decided to become affiliates and offer them on our website for those of you who like to do things the EASY way.

To learn more about these awesome shelf units click here. They have great prices, especially if you order in bulk and they ship all over the United States.

We know you will love these shelves as much as we do. The CanOrganizers are going to be playing a large role in our Food Storage Makeover project so stay tuned for more excitement and pictures of the shelves in action!

Filed under: Preparing Your Space, Shelves | Comments
 

If you’ve been following us for awhile, you know at the beginning of  last year we had some New Years Resolutions. Well it’s a new year, and it’s time for new resolutions. We both have a big goal to help Jodi’s mom get her food storage in order, as well as some of our own resolutions.

My sweet mom (Grandma Lori) donated her food dehydrator to me when we first started to learn about food storage. However, I haven’t been ambitious enough to use it yet. We have had some great tips and resources sent in by readers and I am determined to put some of it into action.

When first getting started in food storage, all of the disaster/emergency prep stuff really overwhelmed me. Now that I have food more under control, I feel ready to step up and start to become better prepared for specific types of natural disasters. Our Seven Day Challenge really made me think and my goal is to get more prepared this year.

I love our three month supply worksheet. I have long wished I had something that specific for my long term food storage. I want to be able to plan meals for my year supply and know I have the right ingredients to make the meals I will be cooking. This is a huge goal for me this year which will take a lot of work but I know it will be worth it!

I want to start sprouting regularly and really use it in more in my regular cooking.  I must confess, it still totally scares me.  The good news is, there’s a chapter dedicated solely to sprouting in James Talmage Stevens book – Making the Best of Basics … and he sent us both a copy for being on his radio show last month.  With his help, I plan to MASTER sprouting once and for all!

I have never been one for following recipes – HOWEVER since I have started using my food storage, I’ll go ahead and admit, I need and use recipes. My current management system of those recipes is pretty pathetic, so I’m gonna beat Jodi on this one and figure out a way to put them all in the same place (and not bring my laptop into the kitchen as I cook anymore!)

I want to learn more about cooking without power. This is a topic I have never ventured into really because …. of fear …. but I’m gonna figure that one out this year too (well at least partially).

Filed under: General | Comments