Ideas For Building a 3-Month Supply

IDEAS FOR BUILDING A 3-MONTH SUPPLY


Leann Cordon, Gilbert AZ Stake Canning Specialist

A 3-month supply of food that is part of your normal daily diet is THE FIRST STEP in getting food storage for you and your family (refer to pamphlet, “All is Safely Gathered In, Family Home Storage”). Emergency drinking water (14 gallons per person) should also be stored. In addition, financial reserves should be built over time. Food storage is a step-by-step process and is not meant to be a one-time purchase. Build your storage weekly. SOME IDEAS ARE:

1) Purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months.

2) Use a BLANK CALENDAR to plan meals and turn those menus into a shopping list. (A great source for a calendar and forms to plan meals and create a shopping list which computes all food amounts needed on Excel spreadsheets is Lynne Tolman’s Yahoo.com Group, “3monthsupply” -- see paragraph #6 below). Have a family meeting and decide what foods are your favorites. Store what your family will eat. What are your favorite meals? Here are examples of ways to fill your calendar:

a) Write down a month of meals and times it by three.

b) Write down two weeks of meals and times it by six.

c) Assign types of foods to each day of the week: for example, Mexican, Italian, soups and sandwiches, Chinese, salads, chicken, beef, etc. List four or five meals you can make in each category. Spread these throughout the month and times by three.

d) Think of meals that can be made up around carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and tortillas. Examples: beef stroganoff, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, chicken and potatoes, casseroles, stir fry, soups, stews, baked potatoes with fixings, ham and scalloped potatoes, enchiladas, tacos, sandwiches, haystacks.

3) SHOPPING: Once you have your meals listed on the calendar, you can make a shopping list for the EXTRA foods you will need for one week of menus. During your usual shopping trips, use that list to add these extra foods to your cart. Continue building a week or two at a time until you have your 3-month supply. You may choose to purchase foods in bulk. NOTE: Remember that you will need to purchase some items in cans or as dried foods which you usually buy fresh, such as meats, cheese, vegetables and fruits. Some items can be frozen, but if power is lost, they would be spoiled. USE these foods regularly and ROTATE ALL FOODS, replenishing from the back.

4) TO SAVE MONEY: Clip coupons for the foods you need, and/or go to the website, www.sistersavings.net. This website is updated weekly and lists discounts and bargains on groceries in many of the major stores in our area. Coupons add to savings.

5) USE YOUR OTHER STORAGE ITEMS IN YOUR 3-MONTH SUPPLY and rotate those products as well. Wet pack items such as meats, stews, soups, vegetables, fruits, jam, salsa and spaghetti sauce can be used. Dry pack items can also be used: Pasta, dry onions, potato flakes, potato pearls, and pancake mix are easy to incorporate into your daily menus. Oatmeal can be eaten as cereal or in pancakes, waffles, or cookies. Dried carrots can be used in soups and casseroles, in salads, or in baking carrot cakes, cookies and muffins. Beans are great in soups and salads, casseroles, in chili, or as a side dish. Rice, wheat, sugar, and flour can be used in many meals and in baking as well. Apple slices can be eaten out of the can as a snack or they can be soaked, cooked and baked in pies or in other desserts. Powdered milk works well in baking and cooking or as a drink. Hot cocoa mix and fruit drink mix also make great drinks.

6) TAKE THE COOKING CLASSES AT THE MESA CANNERY from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on most Mondays. Lynne Tolman is a great teacher and has wonderful ideas and useful handouts. She demonstrates recipes which you can taste during class. You will learn lots of new ideas for meals and ways to use your food storage creatively and regularly. Lynne also has a website on Yahoo groups called “3month supply.” On her site she has the cannery class schedule, handouts from classes, recipes (including a copy of the big yellow home storage cookbook the cannery used to sell), Wendy Dewitt’s book, the Utah State University Extension web site, Excel forms for planning menus, shopping lists, and inventory, and other cooking, canning, and storage ideas. You can also communicate with other members by posting/answering questions or adding information to the group. You must be a member of Yahoo.com to have access to their groups. This just involves going to Yahoo.com and joining their membership, which is free. They ask for your name, some personal information, and your e-mail address. Once you have chosen an ID name and password, you can use Yahoo groups. On the group page, look in the column with group categories and click on the “food and drink” category to find “3monthsupply” (or do a search). In Lynne’s “3monthsupply” group you will see a box to the left with headings in it. Much of the information you will want is under “files” or “links” but you will want to explore the entire site. (Try “files”; then “building a three month supply” to find the Excel forms mentioned in paragraph #2).

7) OTHER WEBSITES OF INTEREST:

Look at http://annban10.blogspot.com/2008/03/food-storage-organized.html to see some great pantry and storage ideas. Other good sites are Safelygatheredin.blogspot.com, Everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com, and www.StoreMeals.com. Explore the internet to find even more.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS NOT TO STRESS ABOUT YOUR

3-MONTH SUPPLY. START OUT DOING A LITTLE AT A TIME, STEP BY STEP. You don’t have to do everything at once. You will accomplish your goals by working at your own pace in the areas where you are most comfortable and which are within your budget. Take the time to gradually build up your 3-month supply, using foods you already eat and some of your storage items from the cannery. ENJOY!

Creamy Oatmeal

CREAMY OATMEAL


41⁄4 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 cups uncooked oats

1 tablespoon powdered milk

1 tablespoon sugar

Bring water and salt to a boil.

Stir in oats and reduce heat. Cook

about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase or decrease water for

thinner or thicker oatmeal. Add

powdered milk and sugar and stir

well. Makes 4 cups cereal.
*All Is Safely Gathered In -Food Stoage Recipe

Sweet Cooked Rice

SWEET COOKED RICE


1 cup uncooked rice

4 cups water

6 tablespoons powdered milk

1⁄2–3⁄4 cup sugar

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

Combine rice and 2 cups of

water. Bring to boil; lower heat;

simmer 15 minutes, covered. Turn

off heat; let stand 30 minutes to

steam. Add remaining water and

other ingredients. Bring to boil

and cook until it starts to thicken,

stirring constantly. Rice will thicken

more as it cools. Makes 3 cups.
* All Is Safely Gatherd In- Food Storage Recipe

Cream Of Bean Soup

CREAM OF BEAN SOUP


11⁄4 cups dried pinto beans

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

61⁄4 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

3⁄4 cup powdered milk

Sort through beans and discard

rocks and any beans that are discolored

or damaged. Add 3 3⁄4 cups

of water to the beans and soak

overnight (about 10 hours). To

cook the beans, drain them, rinse

them thoroughly, and cover them

with water. Bring the water to a

boil; then reduce heat and simmer

for one or two hours or until the

beans are tender. Adding one

tablespoon of oil to the water will

reduce foaming during cooking.

Do not add salt or other ingredients

until the beans have softened

adequately. Drain the cooked
 
beans. Add the flour to the oil and


blend. Stir all remaining ingredients

into the beans and cook on

low heat until thickened. Makes 6

cups. Note: The longer dry beans are


stored the longer they take to

cook. When beans don’t soften

with normal soaking and cooking,

add three cups of water and 3⁄8 teaspoon

of baking soda (sodium

bicarbonate) for each cup of dry

beans. Let them soak overnight.

More baking soda may be required

for older beans or hard water.
 
*All Is Safely Gathered In- Food Storage Recipe

Thermos Wheat

THERMOS WHEAT


1 cup wheat

2 cups boiling water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Preheat a thermos by filling it

with hot tap water. Bring 2 cups of

water to a boil and add salt. Empty

the tap water from the thermos.

Place the wheat in the thermos

and add the boiling water. Screw

the lid tightly onto the thermos

and allow the wheat to cook for

about 8 hours or overnight. Drain

off any water that has not been

absorbed. Serve with milk and

sugar or raisins.
*All Is Safely Gathered In-Food Storage Recipe

Rolled Wheat Flakes

ROLLED WHEAT FLAKES


1 cup wheat

2 cups hot tap water

Soak the wheat in the water for

3 hours (or cook for 3 to 5 minutes

in a microwave oven). Drain

and blot the wheat to remove

excess water. Flake the wheat using

a hand roller mill. Rolled wheat

flakes can be used in many ways.

They can be eaten as a soaked
cereal, toasted for muesli, or used


in cooking and baking as a substitute

for some of the flour or rolled

oats in a recipe.
*All Is Safely Gathered In- Food Storage Recipe

Creamy Cracked Wheat Cereal

CREAMY CRACKED


WHEAT CEREAL

1 cup uncooked cracked wheat

3 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup powdered milk

4 tablespoons sugar

Prepare cracked wheat by using

a wheat grinder or a blender. Add

dry milk to water, whisk, and

bring to a boil at medium high

temperature. Add wheat, sugar,

and salt; cover and reduce heat to

simmer for 20 minutes, stirring

occasionally, until water is

absorbed. Makes 3 cups cereal.
 
*All is Safely Gatherd In- Food Storage Recipe

Roasted Wheat Kernels

ROASTED WHEAT


KERNELS

1⁄4 cup wheat berries (whole kernels

of wheat)

1⁄2 tablespoon oil

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

Heat a small amount of oil in a

skillet. Add wheat berries and pop

like popcorn. They don’t expand

as much as popcorn, but they will

pop. Swirl around in the pan to

prevent burning. Sprinkle with salt

while hot. Makes 1⁄3 cup.
All Is Safely Gatherd In- Food Storage Recipe

Hard Tack- Uneavened Bread or Crackers

HARDTACK


(UNLEAVENED BREAD)

1 cup water

4 tablespoons oil

22⁄3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

21⁄3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix together water, oil, sugar,

and salt. Add flour. Stir well and

roll out dough to 1⁄4-inch thickness.

Cut into 2-inch squares and poke

several holes in each square with a

fork. Bake 35 minutes at 350o F.

Makes approximately 20 crackers.
 
*All Is Safely Gathered In- Food Storage Recipe

Whole Wheat Bread

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD


1 tablespoon yeast

1⁄4 cup warm water

21⁄2 cups hot tap water

7 cups whole wheat flour (or any

combination of whole wheat

and white flour)

1⁄2 tablespoon salt

1⁄3 cup oil

1⁄3 cup sugar

In a small bowl, mix the yeast

into the warm water (adding a half

teaspoon of sugar will help it

grow). In a mixing bowl, blend the

hot tap water with about half of

the flour. Add salt, oil, and sugar

to mixture. Mix until well blended.

Add prepared yeast mixture. Add

the rest of the flour to make the

dough just stiff enough to clean

the sides of the bowl. Knead on

low mixer setting for 10 minutes.

On a slightly oiled counter, divide

the dough into two equal portions,

cover with a damp towel,

and let rise until double in size.

Shape loaves and place in greased

loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a

warm place until dough has doubled

in size again. Bake at 350o F

for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes two

loaves.
 
*All Is Safely Gathered In_ Food Storage recipes

White Sauce

WHITE SAUCE


1⁄4 cup flour (whole wheat or allpurpose)

10 tablespoons powdered milk

3⁄4 tablespoon salt

2 cups water

Combine all dry ingredients and

mix or shake well. Combine dry

mix with enough of the liquid to

make a smooth paste. Stir in

remaining liquid and cook over

moderate heat, continuing to stir

frequently until sauce thickens

and comes to a boil. Remove from

heat. Makes 11⁄2 cups sauce.
 
Add: 2 c shredded cheese (Cheddar, Monery Jack or Paremesean to make a cheese sauce. Serve over pasta or rice. Can add salsa.
 *All is Safely Gathered in -Food Storage Recipe

Basic Granola

BASIC GRANOLA


2 1⁄2 cups sugar

11⁄2 cups water

6 tablespoons oil

11⁄2 teaspoons salt

10 cups rolled oats (uncooked)

In a pan combine the sugar,

water, oil, and salt. Heat until

sugar is dissolved, but do not boil.

Pour syrup over the oats and stir

until well coated. Add a little more

rolled oats if the texture seems too

moist. Place in pans or sheets

about 1⁄2-inch deep. Bake at 425o F,

20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bake 15 minutes longer if you

want it crunchier. Makes 11 cups.

Store in an airtight container.

All is Safely Gathered in-Food Storage recipe

Why Do We need a Food Storage?

Why do we need food storage?
The number one reason to get our food storage is because the Prophets have been telling us for years to get our food storage. However, if you feel that you personally are excluded from this council (because nothing will ever happen). Maybe it is time to think again. In a time of extreme wide spread hardships, catastrophic illnesses or natural disasters, the church and now even the government may not be able to help you. Please seriously consider what this may mean to you and your family.

A friend sent me this article. I goggled it and it is true!

Good-Bye Wheat Supply!
IDAHO FALLS, ID - Quietly, the last of the U.S. government's wheat reserves, held in the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, were sold in late May onto the domestic market for cash. The cash was put in a trust for food aid. With no other government wheat holdings, U.S. government wheat stocks are now totally exhausted.
The U.S. Has No Remaining Grain Reserves

http://kdvr.biz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2180&p=19974

http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2008/06/10/the-us-has-no-remaining-grain-reserves/

"Our concern is that the U.S. has nothing else in our emergency food pantry. There is no cheese, no butter, no dry milk powder, no grains or anything else left in reserve."

"The only thing left in the entire CCC inventory will be 2.7 million bushels of wheat which is about enough wheat to make 1⁄2 of a loaf of bread for each of the 300 million people in America.”

Government Holdings of Wheat are at Zero
http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/07/us-govt-completely-out-of-wheat.html

"Quietly, the last of the U.S. government's wheat reserves, held in the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, were sold in late May onto the domestic market for cash. The cash was put in a trust for food aid. With no other government wheat holdings, U.S. government wheat stocks are now totally exhausted."

http://www.barternews.com/us_government_wheat_stocks_collapse.htm
http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/food-shortage-update/

3 Month Food Storage

Do you have your 3 month food storage?

I know you plan on eating rice, beans or wheat and will make it by, if you have to stay in your home for three months. Well, lets take a look at this way of thinking.

1# Do you have the water to cook your food?

If you are quarantined to your home...so will the water treatment plants employees and more importantly so will the electrical workers. No electricity=no water. (read more about this in my water blog...this information came from a city of Mesa water employee...Do not think I am making this up!) http://rureadyoasisverdeward.blogspot.com/2009/08/water-storage-and-purification.html

#2 How do you plan on cooking your food?

Do you have propane? Solar Oven? Dutch oven with charcoal? Do you have enough for 3 months? Do you have enough to heat water to clean you cooking pots and utensils? Sanitary conditions will be extremely important...you do not want to make everyone sick.

#3 Are you eating these foods daily now?

If you are not eating these types of foods now in your daily diet you will be in distress if you have to start eating them 3 times a day for months. I have nothing against beans, rice or whole wheat...we eat them everyday. In fact we ate beans in everyone of our meals last week. Beans are a cheap and great way to stretch your food budget.

#4 Do you have other ingredients to add to these items?

Have you heard of appetite fatigue? This is real! When a person is required to eat the something over and over they can become tried of eating it. So much so in fact, that they may stop eating all together. In the stress of a situation where you do not have access to your normal meals, activities, and basic electricity and water-do not set yourself up to make matters even more difficult for your family by choosing to eat one or two foods. A simple 7 day food rotation plan is better. Keep it simple, but do plan to eat more than one type of food.

#5 You will need protein to keep your body functioning.

Eating straight rice will not provide the protein you need. Rice and Beans or rice and corn make up a whole protein.

#6 How old is your food storage?

If you never check on your food storage it may be too old to use or it will taste funny. Please evaluate and inventory your long term food storage. Even canned foods need to be rotated. Canned tomatoes are usually only good for 1 year before the cans bulge. Throw away any cans that are bulging- they can make you very, very sick! I have opened two year old white rice only to find it rusted. If the oxygen packets that you originally canned with are not good then your canned items may not be any good. Please check your items at least every year and rotate!

#7 If you think you do not need to do anything to be prepared because you feel nothing is ever going to happen. Please evaluate your thinking! Prophets have told us for years to get our food storage. It started out as a 7-year, then 2 year, then 1 year and more recently they have urged us to get a 3 month supply of food and water. Just because we do not live on tornado ally or have other environmental factors knocking at our door does not mean we are excluded from being prepared. We have just as much to lose if we face storms of loss of income, severe illness, truckers strikes-stores only have 2 days of food on their shelves, at the most, -if something happens you will not be able to feed your children if you are not already prepared!

Please think about it! E-mail me or call me if you need help! sage1211@msn.com 380-9732