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Toasted Oat Crumbles (Granola)
2 Cups Oats
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Dry Milk
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1/4 cup Water
Mix dry ingredients. Stir water and oil together. Drizzle over the dry ingredients. Toss to mix. Spread on greased cookie sheet in small crumbles. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until oats are lightly browned.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Peach Granola Cobbler
Peach Granola Cobbler
4 Cup FD Peach Slices*‡
1/3 Cup White Flour‡
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar‡
1/2 Cup Margarine (Melted)
2 Cup Cinnamon Almond Granola‡
*Reconstitute before using.
FD: Freeze Dried
Deh: Dehydrated
1. Place peaches in a square baking dish.
2. Combine other ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle mixture over fruit and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.
3. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or Provident Pantry Dehydrated Fat-Free Milk
4 Cup FD Peach Slices*‡
1/3 Cup White Flour‡
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar‡
1/2 Cup Margarine (Melted)
2 Cup Cinnamon Almond Granola‡
*Reconstitute before using.
FD: Freeze Dried
Deh: Dehydrated
1. Place peaches in a square baking dish.
2. Combine other ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle mixture over fruit and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.
3. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or Provident Pantry Dehydrated Fat-Free Milk
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How to store your food
There are several ways to store your food. First, however, you need to decide where to store it. The cooler the place, the longer your food will stay fresh. The ideal place will stay between 32 and 70 degrees and will stay dry. Also, keep it off the floor! The area should have less than 15% humidity, and should be well ventilated to prevent condensation of moisture. A 9' X 12' room should provide enough space for a family of six to store an 18 month supply of food. Remember to check your area regularly to watch for insect or rodent infestation and water damage. Dispose of any food that has gone bad.
Okay, now for what to store your food in. There are several different options. For dry food here is what you can do:
4 1/4 gallon bucket will hold approx. 30 lbs
5 gallon bucket will hold approx. 40 lbs
6 gallon bucket will hold approx. 50 lbs
Dry Pack #10 cans
1 gallon Mylar bags (need a sealer)
The approximate weight depends on the food density!
There are several ways to control infestation and keep your food fresh.
Dry Ice - Place a few inches of grain in the bottom of your bucket. Then place 3-4 oz of dry ice on top of the grain. Fill the remainder of your bucket with grain leaving approximately 1/2 inch for head space. Place the lid on top of the bucket (without sealing) for approximately 20-30 minutes. (This process can take up to 1 hour. Feel the bottom of your container. If it is still cold, the ice is not yet evaporated.) When the dry ice has completely evaporated, seal your lid on tightly. If container bulges after sealing, slightly loosen the lid to release the pressure. Then re-seal. Items that can be used with the dry ice: Grains, flours, beans, lentils, split peas, oats, oatmeal, pasta, dry milk, dry soup, mixes, cornmeal, and popcorn.
Oxygen Absorption Packet- Place inside container and seal.
Freeze - Keep food at 0 degrees F for four days. Then place in container and seal.
Okay, now for what to store your food in. There are several different options. For dry food here is what you can do:
4 1/4 gallon bucket will hold approx. 30 lbs
5 gallon bucket will hold approx. 40 lbs
6 gallon bucket will hold approx. 50 lbs
Dry Pack #10 cans
1 gallon Mylar bags (need a sealer)
The approximate weight depends on the food density!
There are several ways to control infestation and keep your food fresh.
Dry Ice - Place a few inches of grain in the bottom of your bucket. Then place 3-4 oz of dry ice on top of the grain. Fill the remainder of your bucket with grain leaving approximately 1/2 inch for head space. Place the lid on top of the bucket (without sealing) for approximately 20-30 minutes. (This process can take up to 1 hour. Feel the bottom of your container. If it is still cold, the ice is not yet evaporated.) When the dry ice has completely evaporated, seal your lid on tightly. If container bulges after sealing, slightly loosen the lid to release the pressure. Then re-seal. Items that can be used with the dry ice: Grains, flours, beans, lentils, split peas, oats, oatmeal, pasta, dry milk, dry soup, mixes, cornmeal, and popcorn.
Oxygen Absorption Packet- Place inside container and seal.
Freeze - Keep food at 0 degrees F for four days. Then place in container and seal.
Clean Water!
I got this information on having clean water during an emergency from The Ready Store website. They have lots of great information! I have a link to this article in the title of this post. Enjoy!
Clean water is something that I have addressed in different ways on this blog. The reason I keep going back to it, is because having access to clean water in an emergency is so critical and almost always overlooked until it is too late. Here are a few obvious points to understand about water, but that I want to make very clear:
Without water you die very quickly – Depending on your health and age, you will live for 5-7 days without clean water. You can live much longer without food.
Water is heavy and takes up a lot of space – A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds. Water is not easy to transport because it is so heavy. That means your emergency water plan should account for that.
Keep these items in mind when you are doing your planning. For example, you may want to put a gallon of water per day in your 72 hour kit. But, that will weigh about 25 lbs. Are you strong enough to carry that water around? Are your children strong enough? Will it even fit? So make sure you plan.
The recommended amount of water from a variety of sources like the American Red Cross is 1 gallon of water per person per day. That is water for drinking, cleaning, cooking and sanitation. It is not for just drinking. You and I don’t drink a gallon of water on a normal day. But to be safe and to take of other needs, 1 gallon of water is the recommendation. If you start doing the math on how much storage space that would require for you and your family for 1 year, you will start to understand my recommendations below.
Here is my approach to water and what I recommend. In an emergency, you need to have a 3 ways of getting to clean water:
1. Store water – Every Shelter in Place supply should have water storage. A small word of caution: don’t try to go cheap on your water storage. Buy a food grade water storage container like a 55, 30 or 5 gallon container and use that. Don’t fill up your old juice bottles or worse your old milk jugs. The barrels and water containers are not to terribly expensive and when the time comes that you need the water, you will be glad you stored water you can actually use. Also, have a variety of sizes of storage containers. Don’t just have a 55 gallon barrel that you never move and never clean out or worse fill up. Use smaller, easier to transport containers like a 5 gallon stackable. Remember, water is heavy!
Also, you won’t rotate your water as much as you think you will, so make sure you use some sort of water stabilizer that allows the water to be stored safely for 5 years without rotating. We have a Water Preserver that works well. But, if you do have the water stored but you are not sure if it is safe or you come across water in an emergency and you don’t know if it is safe, that leads me to my 2nd point.
2. Have a portable water filter – These portable water filters are extremely handy and will allow you to clean suspect water that you come into contact with and make it drinkable. These portable micro filters are will remove bacteria and protozoa from the water, but won’t kill viruses. If you have a stream, lake, pond, river or well by your house, you will be able to clean the water from those sources uses these filters. Each filter will clean up to 500 gallons of water. That is nearly ten 55 gallon drums worth of water. An impossible amount of water for most people to store. I really like or MSR MiniWorks water filter and the Katadyn Combi. They are also great for backpacking and camping can have that dual purpose.
3. Have water purification tablets – These are very handy to have around and a small bottle will chemically treat up to 25 quarts of water. They work fairly quickly (typically in less than a half an hour) and will kill bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
Remember that if you don’t have any of these three things, you can still clean water by boiling it. As a matter of fact, boiling is most effective way to clean water except it won’t take out the floaties like a filter will. The problem with boiling water to drink is it uses a lot of fuel that you may not want to use for that purpose. Also, don’t forget to have portable water pouches in your emergency supplies. They have a 5 year shelf life and are very handy to have around.
Clean water is something that I have addressed in different ways on this blog. The reason I keep going back to it, is because having access to clean water in an emergency is so critical and almost always overlooked until it is too late. Here are a few obvious points to understand about water, but that I want to make very clear:
Without water you die very quickly – Depending on your health and age, you will live for 5-7 days without clean water. You can live much longer without food.
Water is heavy and takes up a lot of space – A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds. Water is not easy to transport because it is so heavy. That means your emergency water plan should account for that.
Keep these items in mind when you are doing your planning. For example, you may want to put a gallon of water per day in your 72 hour kit. But, that will weigh about 25 lbs. Are you strong enough to carry that water around? Are your children strong enough? Will it even fit? So make sure you plan.
The recommended amount of water from a variety of sources like the American Red Cross is 1 gallon of water per person per day. That is water for drinking, cleaning, cooking and sanitation. It is not for just drinking. You and I don’t drink a gallon of water on a normal day. But to be safe and to take of other needs, 1 gallon of water is the recommendation. If you start doing the math on how much storage space that would require for you and your family for 1 year, you will start to understand my recommendations below.
Here is my approach to water and what I recommend. In an emergency, you need to have a 3 ways of getting to clean water:
1. Store water – Every Shelter in Place supply should have water storage. A small word of caution: don’t try to go cheap on your water storage. Buy a food grade water storage container like a 55, 30 or 5 gallon container and use that. Don’t fill up your old juice bottles or worse your old milk jugs. The barrels and water containers are not to terribly expensive and when the time comes that you need the water, you will be glad you stored water you can actually use. Also, have a variety of sizes of storage containers. Don’t just have a 55 gallon barrel that you never move and never clean out or worse fill up. Use smaller, easier to transport containers like a 5 gallon stackable. Remember, water is heavy!
Also, you won’t rotate your water as much as you think you will, so make sure you use some sort of water stabilizer that allows the water to be stored safely for 5 years without rotating. We have a Water Preserver that works well. But, if you do have the water stored but you are not sure if it is safe or you come across water in an emergency and you don’t know if it is safe, that leads me to my 2nd point.
2. Have a portable water filter – These portable water filters are extremely handy and will allow you to clean suspect water that you come into contact with and make it drinkable. These portable micro filters are will remove bacteria and protozoa from the water, but won’t kill viruses. If you have a stream, lake, pond, river or well by your house, you will be able to clean the water from those sources uses these filters. Each filter will clean up to 500 gallons of water. That is nearly ten 55 gallon drums worth of water. An impossible amount of water for most people to store. I really like or MSR MiniWorks water filter and the Katadyn Combi. They are also great for backpacking and camping can have that dual purpose.
3. Have water purification tablets – These are very handy to have around and a small bottle will chemically treat up to 25 quarts of water. They work fairly quickly (typically in less than a half an hour) and will kill bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
Remember that if you don’t have any of these three things, you can still clean water by boiling it. As a matter of fact, boiling is most effective way to clean water except it won’t take out the floaties like a filter will. The problem with boiling water to drink is it uses a lot of fuel that you may not want to use for that purpose. Also, don’t forget to have portable water pouches in your emergency supplies. They have a 5 year shelf life and are very handy to have around.
Monday, April 20, 2009
How to fill your water barrels
You will need a special wrench to open the white screw caps. It is called a bung wrench/opener. As for what to put them on, you can put them on anything as long as you don't leave them directly on a cement floor. We just have ours on a few pieces of leftover wood we had. I know of several other people who put them on pallets. Anything is fine. As for filling the barrel, you need to make sure your hose is very clean. A drinking water only hose is the safest, but you can clean your garden hose to make it work too. If you want those instructions, let me know! If you fill a clean barrel with clean water you shouldn't have to refill it for a very long time and it won't have to be treated unless it gets contaminated somehow. I hope this helps! If you want to borrow my hose, let me know!
Contest!
I have a can of Apple Slices from the Dry Pack that I want to give to someone! Just leave comment to this post telling me what information you would like to me put on my blog and I will put you in a drawing to win the apple slices! I will have the drawing on Saturday, April 25 at 5:00 pm. So get your comments to me before then!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
April Items!
I was so excited to hear that the granola is now back on sale for April! For those of you who have not tried it yet, it is amazingly delicious! Here are the details on the granola and the other items we are doing:
Low-Fat Granola Cinnamon Almond - $8.00
Though still a morning favorite with freeze dried fruits, granola is used as a tasty late-night snack, topping on a cobbler, or tasty trail mix. Nothing beats the crunch of granola sprinkled on top of your favorite dessert or snack. For emergency preparedness granola is a useful storage food for a quick energy boost right out of the can.
Kids and adults love the taste
No preparation needed
Stress relief snack
24 1/2-cup servings per #10 can (Approximately .80 gallons)
Contains carbohydrated, fiber, and protein
Contains vitamin A and C, and calcium
Contains rolled oats, rolled wheat rice, and almonds
Great for everyday use
Yellow 6" Lightstick - 12 Hour - $.75
Stock up for holidays and emergencies. Also consider adding a lightstick to your vehicle breakdown kit in place of a road flare. Lightsticks are also valuable in your 72-hour kits and on your camping, boating and recreational activities. Simply bend, snap and shake for a light that lasts approximately 12 hours. Pefect for checking gas leaks.
Emergency Essentials' Tips for Preparedness Book - $10.00
Earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, fire or flood, severe weather, loss of employment, personal injury, sustained power outages: such disasters are usually unforeseen and can disrupt our lives as well as threaten our safety. In this helpful book, preparedness experts Rita Bingham, Barry Crockett, Peggy Layton, LeArta Moulton, J. Allen South, and Vicki Tate, along with the knowledgeable staff at Emergency Essentials teach principles and share information that will minimize suffering and help individuals and families to survive emergencies. Learn how to prepare your family on subjects covering: *water storage and replenishment, *food storage, *warmth, shelter, clothing, *light, tools, communication, *first aid and sanitation. Being prepared is the key to confidence and peace of mind. [132 pages.]
Let me know if you would like to order anything! I need to have everyone's order and money by April 20th. Let me know if you have any questions!
Low-Fat Granola Cinnamon Almond - $8.00
Though still a morning favorite with freeze dried fruits, granola is used as a tasty late-night snack, topping on a cobbler, or tasty trail mix. Nothing beats the crunch of granola sprinkled on top of your favorite dessert or snack. For emergency preparedness granola is a useful storage food for a quick energy boost right out of the can.
Kids and adults love the taste
No preparation needed
Stress relief snack
24 1/2-cup servings per #10 can (Approximately .80 gallons)
Contains carbohydrated, fiber, and protein
Contains vitamin A and C, and calcium
Contains rolled oats, rolled wheat rice, and almonds
Great for everyday use
Yellow 6" Lightstick - 12 Hour - $.75
Stock up for holidays and emergencies. Also consider adding a lightstick to your vehicle breakdown kit in place of a road flare. Lightsticks are also valuable in your 72-hour kits and on your camping, boating and recreational activities. Simply bend, snap and shake for a light that lasts approximately 12 hours. Pefect for checking gas leaks.
Emergency Essentials' Tips for Preparedness Book - $10.00
Earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, fire or flood, severe weather, loss of employment, personal injury, sustained power outages: such disasters are usually unforeseen and can disrupt our lives as well as threaten our safety. In this helpful book, preparedness experts Rita Bingham, Barry Crockett, Peggy Layton, LeArta Moulton, J. Allen South, and Vicki Tate, along with the knowledgeable staff at Emergency Essentials teach principles and share information that will minimize suffering and help individuals and families to survive emergencies. Learn how to prepare your family on subjects covering: *water storage and replenishment, *food storage, *warmth, shelter, clothing, *light, tools, communication, *first aid and sanitation. Being prepared is the key to confidence and peace of mind. [132 pages.]
Let me know if you would like to order anything! I need to have everyone's order and money by April 20th. Let me know if you have any questions!
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