I went to an Emergency Preparedness Fair over the weekend. It has really had me thinking about what I need to do to get my family more prepared. Disasters can happen anytime. Just look at Japan and the crisis the people are in because of the earthquake and tsunami and now the nuclear disaster threat that is keeping people shut in their homes(sheltering in place) until the radiation scare is gone.
I'm really excited to share the things I learned with you all over the next few weeks, especially ideas for alternate cooking methods. But first things first. If a disaster happens, you need a disaster supplies kit.
For years we've been told to have a 72 hr kit but after Hurricane Katrina happened, some people didn't see relief in over a week. So now FEMA recommends having a disaster supply kit that can provide for your family's needs and not really get hung up on just the 3 days part. They say it would be wise to plan for at least 3 days but more likely 5-7 days.
I think the best idea would be to make 2 types of kits. 1)Disaster Supplies Kit- that has everything you need if you can stay in your home with your family after a disaster and 2)a Grab Bag- a smaller, lightweight version for each family member that they can grab quickly if you are required to evacuate.
Here is a list of some things that would be good to include in your Disaster Supplies Kit. I will cover the grab bag in a later post.
Water-
Store one gallon of water per person, per day. 2 qts for drinking and 2 qts for food preparation and sanitation.
Food-
Non-perishable food that requires no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little to no water since you may be without utilities.
Some ideas include- ready to eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables, canned juices, milk, soup.
High energy foods- peanut butter, jelly crackers, granola bars, trail mix
Vitamins
Food for infants/ elderly persons or those with special diets
Comfort/stress foods (especially good for kids)- cookies, sweetened cereals
Disposable utensils and plates and a hand can opener.
Note-If we are staying at home, I plan on being able to tap into our 3 month supply of food but a lot of that still needs to be cooked so it is still wise to have ready to eat food available too.
Tools and Supplies
Emergency Preparedness manual- like a boy scout manual
Battery-operated radio and extra batteries (or solar powered/hand crank radio)
Flashlight and extra batteries
Cash- in small denominations
Fire Extinguisher
Tent
Pliers
Tape/Duct Tape
Matches in a waterproof container
Paper, pencil
Needles, thread
Shut-off wrench (to turn off household water and gas-only if you can smell or hear a leak or see a broken pipe)
Whistle
Plastic Sheeting
Extra set of car and house keys
Alternative cooking methods and fuel
Sanitation
Toilet paper
Soap, liguid detergent
Feminine supplies
Personal hygiene items
Plastic garbage bags and ties (for personal sanitation uses)
Plastic bucket with tight lid (make-shift port-a-potty)
Disinfectant and household chlorine bleach
Clothing and Bedding
Sturdy shoes or work boots
Blankets or sleeping bags
Hat, gloves and thermal underwear
Special Items
Remember family members with special requirements:
- Baby- Formula (even if you breastfeed, what if you were separated or something happened to you? I just keep the free samples the formula companies send in the mail in our disaster supplies kit). Diapers and wipes, bottles, powdered milk, medications
- Adults-Heart and high blood pressure medication, insulin, prescription drugs, denture need, contacts and supplies, extra eye glasses, batteries for hearing aids
- Pets-Medications, letter and littler pan, food and drinkable water for 3+ days,
Entertainment-
Chances are good that you and especially your children will have a lot of down time if you are staying at home after/during a disaster. Games and books along with other toys will really help to pass the time and ease tension.
Important Family Documents
Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container just in case you need to take them with you if you evacuate
Will, insurance policies, contracts deeds, stocks and bonds, passports, social security cards, immunization records, bank account information, credit card account numbers, companies and phone numbers. Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers, family records(birth, marriage, death certificates), recent family photos for identification.
First Aid Kit- One for your home and a smaller one in each car. I will cover those in more depth in a later post as well.
Remember to change your stored water at least every year and replace your stored food every six months. I do mine in April and October. That seems to be a good time to change out seasonal clothing. Make sure to test/ replace your batteries too.
If there are any other things you have included in your Disaster Supplies Kit I would love to hear it.
The best way to start on your disaster preparedness plan is to identify the disasters that are most likely to happen in your area.
It would do me absolutely no good to prepare for a hurricane when I am landlocked in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. The disasters that are predicted to happen in my area are severe winter storms and earthquakes.
I've heard my whole life that we're due for a massive earthquake but it just never really seemed realistic. We've never had a big earthquake here. It's not like California where earthquakes are a common occurrence and the distruction earthquakes cause is a visible reminder to the public to get ready for the next one.
Imagine my surprise when the week we moved into our new house we also experienced 3 earthquakes in 3 days!
Luckily, they were just small and no one reported any damage. It got me thinking though. "What can I do to protect my family and house from a bigger earthquake?"
Before an Earthquake
Prepare Your Home-
- Repair defective electrical wiring, leaky gas lines, and inflexible utility connections. Get appropriate professional help. Do not work with gas or electrical lines yourself.
- Bolt down and secure to the wall studs your water heater, refrigerator, furnace, and gas appliances. (most new houses in my area come with the water heater already secured. Your water heater can be a part of your emergency water supply if you find yourself without any during a disaster.)
- Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves. Anchor bookcases, shelves, mirrors, and large picture frames to walls. Brace high and top-heavy objects. Just like baby-proofing!
- Store bottled foods, glass, china, and other breakables on low shelves or in cabinets that fasten shut.
- Anchor overhead lighting fixtures.
Prepare Your Family-
- Hold earthquake drills with your family members. Teach your children that just like Stop, Drop and Roll for a fire, you should Duck, Cover and Hold On during an earthquake.
- Locate safe spots in each room under a sturdy table or against an inside wall. Reinforce this information by moving to these places during each drill.
- Teach all adults and teenagers where the gas, electric and water main shutoff controls are and how to turn them off. Make sure you only shut them off if you are sure there is a leak. Otherwise you will be without those utilities until the power and water companies can come turn them back on. This sometimes can take 2 weeks or more.
- Identify escape routes from your home and neighborhood. Most likely not everyone is going to be at home when a disaster strikes so you need to have a preplanned meeting place for everyone to reunite. We decided to have one right outside our house and also outside our neighborhood in case we aren't allowed to go back in. (These can be the same ones used for your fire drills too.)
- Have an evacuation kit for each member of the family that is easily transportable by that member.
- Designate an out of state contact. Something interesting I have learned is that during an emergency it is easier to make long-distance phone calls than local ones because the local lines are all jammed with everyone around trying to call everyone they know. You should set up one out-of-state contact that everyone in your immediate and extended family knows about because that way everyone can just check in with one person who can then relay any information needed and concerned relatives from other places can get updates without stressing out the people who are actually in the disaster.
During an Earthquake
If you are indoors-
- Take cover under a sturdy desk, table, or bench or against an inside wall, and hold on. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
- Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
- Stay in bed - if you are there when the earthquake strikes - hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
- Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
- Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Most injuries during earthquakes occur when people are hit by falling objects when entering into or exiting from buildings.
- Do NOT use the elevators.
If you are Outdoors
- Move into the open, away from electrical lines, trees and buildings. Drop to the ground and wait for the shaking to stop.
If you are in a Moving Vehicle
- Pull over slowly and away from traffic but as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, utility wires and near roadway signs that might fall.
- Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped, watching for road and bridge damage.
If you are Trapped Under Debris
- Do not light a match.· Do not move about or kick up dust.
- Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
- Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort - shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.
After an Earthquake
- Check for gas or water leaks and electrical shorts and turn off damaged utilities. If they do need to be turned off don't try to turn them back on yourself. Have the fire department or gas and electric companies turn them back on when it is safe.
- Be prepared for aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures.
- Open cabinets cautiously. Beware of objects that can fall off shelves.
- Stay away from damaged areas unless your assistance has been specifically requested by police, fire, or relief organizations.
- Obey evacuation orders- I get so sick of hearing about people who refuse to evacuate and thereby place themselves and others in danger needlessly. Do what you are told. It is for your own safety.
Resources
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/- you can find your earthquake risk, ideas and support for preparing for earthquakes and additional information to print off and share with your friends and family.
My favorite food in the world is breakfast food. I would choose a good plate of hash browns and french toast over a rib-eye steak and mashed potatoes any day.
The thing that makes good breakfast food great is all in the syrup.
I know it's weird but I hate store bought syrup. I don't know what it is about it but it just doesn't taste good to me. Luckily, when I was a kid my dad always made homemade maple syrup to go with his homemade waffles so I didn't have to worry about it.
So for me, I always make homemade maple syrup because I like it better. But you may decide to make it because it costs about 1/3 the price of store bought syrup and it is super easy to make. And, not that sugary syrup is good for you, but you might be comforted to know that the main ingredient isn't high fructose corn syrup like store bought syrup is..
Homemade maple syrup only has 3 ingredients.
2 cups sugar (yes, I know this is a lot but what do you think syrup is made out of?)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp maple extract or mapleine (I use closer to 1 tsp)
Directions
Heat water in a saucepan to a boil. Stir/whisk in sugar until it dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in maple extract. Done!
Didn't I tell you it was easy? I can whip up a batch of this while my french toast is cooking and everything is done at the same time.
My favorite way to eat it is over homemade wheat waffles covered in peanut butter. The heat from the syrup melts the peanut butter and makes it perfectly creamy. Sometimes I like to put banana slices on there too.
Mmm... I know what I'm making tomorrow for breakfast.
Just store the leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge and reheat in microwave or stove when needed. Syrup lasts forever. The great thing about this syrup is that you can use it as a base for other flavors too. Sometimes I'll throw some blackberries or raspberries in for a different flavor and it always turns out delicious.
Homemade syrup is runnier than store bought. It doesn't bug me since I'm used to it. If you want to make it thicker, just substitute 1 cup of the sugar for brown sugar or karo syrup. The brown sugar will even give it a richer flavor.
You can plant anything in your garden, but it doesn't mean just anything will grow there.
So before you start running away with ideas of what kind of vegetables and fruits you would like in your garden, you need to find out which plant hardiness zone you live in. The USDA divided North America into 11 hardiness zones.
These zones provide a guide in figuring out which plants will grow and survive in your location and minimum annual temperatures. The National Gardening Association has a great zone finder tool. Just type in your zipcode and it will tell you what zone you live in and also gives you a lot of helpful resources like a regional report with helpful hints suited to your area and a tool to help you find plants that grow in your zone.
Tips:
- Just because the map says you live in one zone doesn't necessarily mean that you only can have plants rated in that zone. If you have a lot of snow cover in the winter the ground stays warmer so you can probably grow plants that are rated for a high zone since their roots will be well insulated. Also keep in mind your summer temperatures, length of days, soil moisture and drainage and elevation as these can affect plant choices too.
- Your hardiness zone number does not tell you when you can plant your garden. You need to go by your first and last freeze/frost dates. This gardening website has a really user friendly frost date finder tool with more in-depth information.
Based on these tools I found out that
- I live in hardiness zone 6B and that each winter, on average, my risk of frost is from October 26 through April 22. Almost certainly, however, I will receive frost from November 14 through March 25. I am almost guaranteed that I will not get frost from May 20 through October 7. My frost-free growing season is around 187 days.
This information is going to be what I use to plan my garden. More on that next week. Until then, check through some lists of which plants will grow in your area.
Last week I found a 20lb bag of pinto beans for 13.00 dollars. That's pretty good. Normally they're around 23.00 dollars. When you buy food in bulk like that it usually comes packaged in a large plastic bag. That's fine if you are going to go through it quickly but not if you want to store it long-term. In plastic bags the food becomes susceptible to moisture, insects and rodents.
If you are just starting to make or built up a long-term food storage supply, the first thing you will need is something to store your food in. A great option is to use food-grade plastic buckets. Most buckets are food grade but there are times when they are not.
Sometimes dye has been added to the plastic that is not food-grade This will prevent the FDA from approving it as food-grade. Sometimes the bucket manufacturer uses recycled plastic. These buckets also are not food-grade. But most importantly, when something is put in the bucket that is a non-food product such as paint or chemicals, it makes them no longer food-grade.
Most plastic containers will have a number inside a small triangle, usually a 2. Some people think this signifies that the bucket is food grade but all it tells you is that it is made from High Density PolyEthylene (HDPE) plastic. HDPE plastic is slightly porous and will absorb chemicals or other non-food materials into the plastic and those chemicals would gradually leach back into any food you place in the bucket later. Not good.
So, how do you find buckets that are safe to use for your food storage? If you are going to buy them, ask the store. The grocery stores where I live sell food-grade buckets every few months when they do a canned goods case lot sale.
The buckets they sell are 5 gallon buckets made to store food safely and cost around 4-5 dollars. Sometimes they come with a lid and sometimes you have to buy them separately for $1.99.
I have a few of these. I store flour in one in my pantry but all the rest are filled with rice or wheat for my long-term storage. In my mom's pantry she has like 6. She stores her sugar, flour, rice, beans and a few other things in them.
To get an idea, one 5 gallon bucket holds around 30 lbs of sugar or 25 lbs of rice or beans. Using this size of buckets works for my mom because with 5 kids she was always rotating through her food fast enough. Once your stored food had been opened you should eat it within a year. With just me, my husband and a toddler there is no way we can cycle through that much food.
I started thinking that it would be great to have smaller buckets to help keep my food fresh but I've never seen a smaller size offered at my grocery stores.
The other day I was reading a few comments on being frugal and one of them mentioned that you can get used food-grade buckets from places like bakeries, ice cream manufacturers, large restaurants, or food processing plants. I guess Burger King's pickles come in 5 gallon buckets and someone knew a manager who would save them for him.
This was an awesome idea so I decided to try it out. You know they are food grade since they've only had food packaged in them by a professional company and best of all you can get them for free or really low cost.
The next time I went grocery shopping, I stopped by the bakery and asked if they had any food-grade buckets they were getting rid of. The woman said they didn't right then but they would at the end of the week and she'd save some for me if I wanted to come back. I said sure.
Sure enough, when I went back she had some for me and guess what? They even had 2 and 3.5 gallon buckets! Just what I was hoping for. All the icing they use for their cakes comes in the smaller size buckets but they did have 5 gallon buckets too.
This made my day. I was kind of skeptical that it would actually work but my motto for life has been "It never hurts to ask" so I did and I ended up getting exactly what I wanted for free! If I would've had to buy them (if I could even find the right size) I'd have had to spend at least 15 dollars which is more than my bag of beans cost. And best of all, the bakery didn't have to throw them away so I'm helping the environment too.
There are ways to be provident all around us. It just takes initiative.
I'd love to hear any ideas you might have.
Remember the black beans I made in my pressure cooker last week?
Well today is your lucky day because you're going to find out what I made them for. It is one of my favorite secrets to making my food more nutritious.
Have you ever heard of substituting the oil in your recipes with applesauce? My mom does that and it's really good. A lot of people use this method for baked goods like cakes, brownies and quickbreads.
I've found that you can do the same thing with pureed beans too except that it adds even more nutrients than applesauce.
Beans are amazing
In 1 cup of black beans, there are 227 calories, .93 grams of fat, 15.24 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fiber.
Compare that to vegetable oil.
1 cup of vegetable oil has 1,927 calories! 218 grams of fat, 0 protein and 0 fiber.
Isn't it incredible what exchanging one little ingredient can do? The first time I used beans instead of oil I was sold.
I used great northern beans (white) because I was making white cupcakes for my family's 4th of July party. Every single cupcake was devoured! My whole extended family was there and I think I had every single one of them come up and tell me how good my cupcakes were. I never told them that I put beans in them. Ignorance is bliss especially for little kids.
Substituting beans for oil is really easy because you can trade out the ingredients 1 for 1. The measurements are the same. You want to match the color of the beans to what you are cooking. I'm making brownies today so I'm using black beans.
Directions
1.
Puree your beans in a blender. I measure out a little less than double the amount of what the recipe calls for because the beans condense down quite a bit when pureed.
I have this handy mini blender that I use to makes single portion shakes or smoothies. Works great for this too. Put your beans in and add water until it almost covers the top of the beans to help them puree.
2.
Your beans should form a paste and look like this.
3. Add bean puree to your recipe and cook as usual. You cannot taste the beans. Promise.
No one will ever know the difference. But you will feel good knowing your family is getting a little extra protein and fiber with a ton less fat. Go ahead and let them have that second brownie.
Good luck! Let me know what you think when you try it.
Tip: If you don't have the time or inclination to cook up your own dried beans first, you can use canned beans. Drain and rinse first then add back in new water to control the gas factor.
How many times have we been counseled to have a "rainy day fund'? How many of us have done it? An emergency fund is just that. For emergencies. Unplanned expenses come up all the time. It doesn't have to be a huge event like losing your job but it can be. Most likely it's something smaller but big enough to not fit into your planned budget.
I think this is one thing that is so easy to put off but also one of the easiest things to complete once you get started. It's not overwhelming and time intensive like saving and planning for retirement or paying off your house.
Yesterday while I was driving, I pulled up to a stop light and my power steering went out. Just like that, no warning whatsoever. So today my car is in the shop getting fixed and you can bet that there is going to be a hefty bill to come back with it. Now, I don't like spending money or seeing my savings account go down but I can't tell you how nice it is to not have to worry about where this money is coming from. I can't imagine the stress that I would be feeling if my husband and I were living paycheck to paycheck and didn't have an emergency fund in place.
In the book
Financial Peace Revisited
, Dave Ramsey lists 7 baby-steps to follow in order to gain financial peace. The first baby-step is to build an emergency fund of 1000 dollars. That may sound stressful but you would be surprised at how quickly that will add up when you save a little here and a little there. And seeing your account balance go up will start to motivate you even further to be creative in finding ways to save more and more.
Let this be the year we control our finances! Good luck building or replenishing your emergency fund as you need it.
I've listed some financial resources below but what are some creative ways you've found to save when you needed to build up a cash reserve?
Resources:
This is an awesome and short read about family finances. If you haven't read it yet, you should. You can get a pamphlet or download it for free
here.
I love this
book and can't say enough good about
it. Dave Ramsey rocks!
He's lived through it all and walks you through everything you can think of on the road to financial peace. Whether it's piles of debt, dealing with creditors or bankruptcy or just getting a plan, he has solutions for them all. Check it out from your local library if you need to. His
website has some great tips and information too.
This year I have a goal to eat beans at least once a week. I have one recipe that my mom calls my Black Bean Concoction that I like a lot but I want to start rotating through my pinto beans in storage too. The first thing that came to mind was refried beans. I love making burritos at home and usually just use canned refried beans but anything homemade is definitely better than the canned version.
I think the reason most people use canned beans instead of cook dried beans is the time involved. If you want to cook dried beans from a bag, you need to soak them for 8-12 hours over-night. Then when you are actually ready to heat them up, they still need half the day to cook! Sorry, but for me, that does not sound worth it. I'm not going to slave over the stove for hours just for a side-dish. So imagine my delight when I found I could cook beans in my pressure cooker in 35 minutes! No presoaking required. And what makes it even better is that beans freeze really well. You can just cook up a big batch, divide and freeze into smaller portions. Then when you want some, pull out a bag in your freezer and voila! As easy as the canned version but much tastier.
Ingredients
1 lb dry pinto beans or 1/2 lb dry pinto beans and 1/2 lb black beans
8 cups water (or substitute a can of chicken broth for the same amount of water for extra flavor)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 1/2 tsp oil (2 tsp of oil per cup of beans)
Directions
1.
Rinse and sort through beans and pick out any broken, shriveled beans or rocks/ pieces of dirt. You can soak them overnight if you want. It will reduce the amount of cooking time to 25 min instead of 35. But this is the beauty of the pressure cooker. You don't have to soak the beans!
2.
Heat oil in your pressure cooker. If you have an electric one, put it to the Saute option. If not, just heat it on the stove top. You need 4 1/2 tsp of oil. Oil is a necessary ingredient in pressure cooking beans because it helps prevent them from foaming and blocking your vent.
If you want your beans really authentic you should use lard for your oil. That is what real refried beans are made with. I happened to have some lard from some tortillas I made so I used half lard and half...
Bacon grease.
Are you grossed out? You shouldn't be. Bacon grease is a little flavoring trick my mom taught me. She would save just a little grease from bacon she cooked and use it to flavor our eggs when she made them sunny-side up. It is so good. You can't even taste bacon really, just a hint of something yummy.
Sorry it's so easy to get sidetracked. Anyway, bacon grease just adds more depth of flavor to the beans and makes them taste that much better.
3.
Saute your onions and garlic in the pressure cooker until the onions are translucent.
4.
Add spices. Did you notice there is no salt? You do not want to add salt when you are pressure cooking, you add it after.
5.
Add beans- it's best to only cook 1 lb at a time or depending on the size of your pressure cooker to never fill it more than 1/3 full.
6.
Add water and chicken broth. I just dump my can of chicken broth into a 2 cup measurer and add water to fill since there isn't enough broth to make 2 cups.
7.
Now just twist on the lid and make sure your pressure release knob is in place.
8.
Select High Pressure and 35 minutes and hit start. The machine will bring it to pressure then start the cooking time by itself. You don't need to do anything. Isn't technology amazing?
9.
When the time is up, the pressure cooker will beep at you. You have 2 options when you pressure cook. A quick release method- you release all the pressure manually or natural pressure release- you wait for the temperature to drop normally and thereby dropping the pressure too. The type of food dictates which method you use. Beans call for the natural pressure release. Just wait until the pressure indicator drops. That usually takes 20-30 minutes.
10.
Drain your beans and use a potato masher to mash your beans up. You may want to reserve some of the liquid to add back it if you want them a little runnier.
11.
This is when you add in your salt. You'll want to do it to taste and probably more than you think. I used almost 1/2 Tbls. Refried beans are supposed to be salty, it's one of the things that make them taste good.
Now scoop these delicious, creamy refried beans into a bowl. They are 1000 times better than store-bought beans and definitely good enough to eat plain or with cheese on top. But if you can wait, they taste great in burritos and anything else you can think of too.
I hope you like them. My family sure did!
TIP: Freeze the left-overs into meal sized portions to use later. Beans hold up to freezing really well.
Goal [gohl] –noun 1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.
I think I like the word goal better than resolution. It seems more like I can check the box when I'm done. Whereas a resolution seems like something that has no end in sight. Like a habit you'd like to develop forever.
This year I have many goals and resolutions. Writing down your goals makes you much more likely to actually follow through with them so I sat down and listed all my goals or resolutions for different categories: Physical/ Health, Financial, Spiritual, Family, and Self-Reliance. I figure if I list my self-reliance goals here, you will be able to hold me accountable and perhaps we could help each other if you have similar goals.
Self-Reliance Goals
- Plant and MAINTAIN a Garden- I've planted many gardens. My problem isn't in finding the time or deciding what I want in a garden. It is actually taking care of it and figuring out how to keep my plants watered while I'm on vacations during the summer. For the past 3 years I have actually planted gardens in my friend's yards since I didn't have enough garden space at my apartment aside from my potted tomatoes and herb garden. It is so hard to find the will to walk over to someone else's yard to water and weed. This year is going to be different. My husband and I are building a house and hopefully moving in at the end of this month. I will finally have my own garden!
- Preserve My Garden Produce- I know for sure that I want strawberries, corn, tomatoes, green beans and bell peppers in my garden. I want to can tomatoes, salsa and spaghetti sauce. I want to freeze my corn and can my green beans.
- Build Rack for 55 Gallon Drum of Water- Now that we will have storage space, my husband is willing to invest a little more in food storage. I went to a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) fair over the summer where I got a cool diagram of a way to store your 55 gallon water drums since they can't rest on the cement floor. I'm looking forward to doing this.
- Bake Bread Once a Month- I think this will be a good skill to have. Homemade bread is so much better tasting than store bought and it is so economical. I always loved visiting my great-grandma and smelling fresh baked bread when I walked through her door. Homemade bread has good memories for me.
- Eat Beans Once a Week- beans are so good for us and so cheap. I want to make them a more regular part of our diet. It is also a good thing to know how to use your food storage items so that if the time comes where you have to rely on it, you will know what to do with it.
Well, those are the big ones for me. With moving and having another baby this year, I didn't want to get too ambitious and bite off more than I could chew.
What are some of your self-reliance goals this year? Is there something in particular you would like me to post about to help you reach it?
that most people are accustomed to and the least expensive. Most table salt in the industrialized world has had iodine added to it. Iodine is an essential trace mineral our bodies need. Iodized salt can prevent goiter (swollen thyroid) which usually occurs when someone has a iodine deficiency. Most table salt has also had an anti-caking agent added to it to keep it free flowing even when it is humid. In fact, the slogan used by Morton's Salt is "when it rains, it pours" and shows a picture of a little girl out in the rain but her salt shaker still works. One thing about iodized salt is that it may yellow over time. It's just the iodine, it doesn't effect the flavor and is still completely safe to eat.
Pickling/Canning Salt- This 
is pure, which means that there is no iodine in it nor is the anti-caking agent present. The reason pickling salt is used is because the iodine in table salt can cause your canning jars to turn cloudy and can discolor your food. Make sure you factor the amount of salt needed if you plan to be able to can and preserve your harvest to supplement your 1 year supply of food storage.
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