Emergency Fuel

Sooooo, once you have your short term food supply, your water and your long term supply, then the question is, how will you cook your food if your kitchen stove/oven didn't work for whatever reason? Hopefully that day will never come. Also, how would you stay warm if your furnace didn't work because of a power outage for an extended period of time?

It's a great idea to have these items in your home and to know how to use them ahead of time. They are all items that can be used for family camping trips and could be used for family fun as well as for an emergency back up plan.

Here are some ideas for cooking:

1. Large propane camp stoves or BBQ grills - have one of each on hand that you could use in an emergency. Store 3-4 tanks of propane fuel for the stoves. You could grill frozen meat (that would be thawing in a long power outage to prevent it from spoiling) and make pancakes and all sorts of cooked items on your propane camp stove. These stoves would need to be operated outside or in a garage for proper ventilation.
   
2. Small propane camp stove that uses a fuel canister - can be used for smaller cooking jobs that don't require a lot of heat and doesn't use as much fuel, such as heating water in a tea pot. Have a dozen or more fuel canisters in storage in a safe location.
   
3. Dutch ovens with briquettes. Dutch ovens could be used to cook food in a fireplace in a home or they could be used outside using briquettes. Have a couple Dutch ovens, a cast iron griddle and a large cast iron frying pan. These items could be used over an open flame such as a camp fire or in a fireplace. Briquettes can even be used on a cement surface with a Dutch oven placed over them to cook. Store several bags.
   
4. Canned heat and/or butane heat that will heat a small one unit hot plate. This can be used indoors to heat a small item, such as water or a can of soup. Canned heat is often used at catering events to keep food warm.. Store as many boxes of canned heat as space allows.
   
5. Fire wood - store as much fire wood as space allows, especially if you have a wood burning fire place. Not only can the fire wood be used to heat an area, but it can be used to cook food either in the fireplace using a Dutch oven, or outside in a fire pit or on a concrete surface.

Check out this great web site at Emergency Essentials store to get an idea of all that is available in the line of fuel (and view all their other great products for preparedness.) You can sign up to receive their newsletter to watch for their special sales.

Staying warm ideas:

1. Fire wood - can be used for cooking fuel and heating.
   
2. Extra warm sleeping bags and blankets, commercial warming packets to heat up an area of the body for a specific period of time. Special heating blankets that retain body heat.
   
3. Heating units that can be used in a garage or in a tent.
   
4. Think through some way to conserve the heat that is produced and block off an area in your home that will be heated where family members can sleep and stay warm. Maybe you will need some plastic sheeting or many blankets to close off walk ways and retain heat in one specific area so that the heat you do produce, can be preserved and maximized.
   
5. Buy a commercial heater like Mr. Heater that is safe to use indoors. See this information

Depending on where you live, you may have other concerns to address in an emergency situation such as - how to stay cool in extreme heat and how to stay out of the sun. Think through and discuss a few worst case scenarios to address issues that may arise in an emergency in your area.

Long term food storage

Here is a picture of the family dry farm where the wheat is grown that many of us recently received. Many thanks to Scott and Dean for sharing the fruits of their hard work.

Next step: Once you have your three month supply and your water supply, you're ready to work on your long term storage. Again, I'll refer to the LDS church web site.

Longer-Term Supply
For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans.
These items can last 30 years or more when properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.

Longer-Term Storage—30 Years or More
Properly packaged, low-moisture foods stored at room temperature or cooler (75°F/24°C or lower) remain nutritious and edible much longer than previously thought according to findings of recent scientific studies. Estimated shelf life for many products has increased to 30 years or more (see chart for new estimates of shelf life). Previous estimates of longevity were based on "best-if-used-by" recommendations and experience. Though not studied, sugar, salt, baking soda (essential for soaking beans), and vitamin C in tablet form also store well long-term. Some basic foods do need more frequent rotation, such as vegetable oil every 1 to 2 years.
While there is a decline in nutritional quality and taste over time, depending on the original quality of food and how it was processed, packaged, and stored, the studies show that even after being stored long-term, the food will help sustain life in an emergency.
For tips on how to best preserve longer-term food storage products, see Longer-Term Supply.
Food
New "Life Sustaining" Shelf-LifeEstimates (In Years)
Wheat 30+
White rice 30+

Corn 30+
Sugar 30+
Pinto beans 30
Apple slices 30
Macaroni 30
Rolled oats 30
Potato flakes 30
Powdered milk 20
Carrots 20

There are various methods and ways to store food for long term storage. Many sites on the internet tell how this is best done. I have most of mine in plastic buckets that contain oxygen absorber packets. I think the best way is to buy in bulk when the dry goods are on sale and then put them in buckets or cans through the dry pack method of preserving food. We sure to label each box and put the date it was preserved. There is also this handy food storage calculator that helps you compute how much long term food storage you need to buy according to the number of people in your family. You may also want to add other items such as sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, baking soda, and cooking oil. To meet nutritional needs, also store foods containing Vitamin C and other essential nutrients.

Did you know that you can now buy these long term storage items through the LDS church distributiuon system? See this link.

Safely Gathered In

Wow. Check out this web site that a reader of my blog just shared with me. Thanks so much Hannah for the link and for all the work you have gone to in sharing your ideas on preparedness. Really, you have such wonderful, helpful, practical information to share. Take a look at the shopping list of things to buy for a 3 month supply. They have already done all the work to make a menu list and shopping list of items to buy. Here is a quote from Safely Gathered In:

"You CAN afford it, and you CAN accomplish it! This blog is here to help you. We will be your step-by-step guide, and we can all do this together! We're all on some sort of budget, and we're all busy. Many of us just don't know where to start, but that's about to change. Start here! Let's do this together!

We are designing this blog so that hopefully one year from now, you will have: 72-hour kits, a car emergency box, a three-month supply of everyday food, and a year's supply of basic essentials (rice, wheat, flour, sugar, oats, beans, etc). We will also teach skills, such as how to cook in a dutch oven, how to make (and use!) a solar oven, how to "can" food, and how to actually use the food that you store!"

I added their link to the side bar of my blog. I think their information is that good. I plan to use many of their helpful hints and highly recommend their information to everyone. Thanks again Hannah and Abs.

Water

In any emergency, none of us would last very long without water. It's obvious that water is needed for just about everything we do. We need it to drink, clean up, prepare food, bath, etc. Can you imagine going even a day or two without enough water?

Here is some good information on water filters if you needed to use water in lakes, streams and rivers to drink.

This is from the LDS church website:
Water Storage Guidelines

Commercially bottled water in PETE (or PET) plastic containers may be purchased. Follow the container’s “best if used by” dates as a rotation guideline. Avoid plastic containers that are not PETE plastic.

If you choose to package water yourself, consider the following guidelines:

Containers

• Use only food-grade containers. Smaller containers made of PETE plastic or heavier plastic buckets or drums work well.
• Clean, sanitize, and thoroughly rinse all containers prior to use. A sanitizing solution can be prepared by adding 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to one quart (1 liter) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.
• Do not use plastic milk jugs, because they do not seal well and tend to become brittle over time.
• Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.

Water Pretreatment

• Water from a chlorinated municipal water supply does not need further treatment when stored in clean, food-grade containers.
• Non-chlorinated water should be treated with bleach. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon (8 drops) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every gallon (4 liters) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.

Storage

• Containers should be emptied and refilled regularly.
• Store water only where potential leakage would not damage your home or apartment.
• Protect stored water from light and heat. Some containers may also require protection from freezing.
• The taste of stored water can be improved by pouring it back and forth between two containers before use.

As far as quantity of water stored - I only have this one thought......can you have too much water??? I think the limit will come when you have no more space to store it. We have large water barrells in our garage and small drinking water bottles here and there. Note to self: buy more individual water bottles when they are on sale and change the water in our large water containers this fall.

This information from the FEMA web site:

How Much Water Do I Need?

You should have at least a three-day supply of water and you should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person needs at least one-half gallon of water daily just for drinking.

Additionally, in determining adequate quantities, take the following into account:

• Individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet, and climate.
• Children, nursing mothers, and ill people need more water.
• Very hot temperatures can double the amount of water needed.
• A medical emergency might require additional water.

Three month supply

Imagine what it would be like if you couldn't go to the store for three months. What would you eat? What would you feed your family? Maybe the inability to go to the store is caused by something like unemployment, or maybe there is a food shortage caused by a trucking strike or a natural disaster, or a pandemic that keeps you inside your home for a period of time.
How would you get along? Are you prepared?
I think it is very interesting that without any fanfare or big announcement, the LDS church quietly updated the information contained on their web site. In addition to the long standing advice to get a year's supply of food, now there is a specific statement about getting a three month supply of food. It states:

Three-Month Supply

Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to 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. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage. So, what would you need to eat for three months? Last week when we were in AZ, I went with Jordan one morning to help at a ward activity where several people were dry packing food at the home of one of the members. We canned about 70 cans of long term food for Jord's storage program for her family. She is making excellent progress in building her year's supply, with three months of it being foods they eat all the time. We brought the dry pack cans back to her home and boxed them up in boxes that each held six cans. She labeled the boxes and taped them closed so they would slide easily. Then we put about 15-18 boxes under Lauren's bed and the rest she put in a food storage closet. The closet is just a place in her home that she designated as a food storage place where she keeps her three month supply and some of her extended supply. While we were talking about food storage, she had some excellent ideas. The food storage specialist in her ward encouraged her to write out her menus for a week and see what she needed of everything she cooks and uses on a regular basis. Then she told her to multiply it out for twelve weeks to get a calculation of how much to buy for three months. We talked about adapting recipes or coming up with recipes that use canned food or packaged food, cereal, etc. Canned meats could be used instead of fresh meat. Tuna, chicken and even freeze dried meats are available. So, that is my challenge today. Make out a week's worth of menus that your family eats all the time, then times it by 12. Come up with a list of what you would need to by for three months and make up a shopping list on an index card. Put the index card in your purse. The next time you go to the grocery store, buy something extra off your list. Decide on a place in your home where you can put your storage, and when you get home with your groceries, go put the extra items you bought into your three months storage area. Set aside $20 extra a week, then build gradually. If you have more, build quickly, but BUY WHAT YOU USE AND USE WHAT YOU BUY!!! Work on your three month plan first, before working on the longer term storage or other non-food storage items. Here are some items I have on my three month list: peanut butter, jelly, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, pinto beans, refried beans, kidney beans, corn, green beans, applesauce, chicken, tuna, pancake mix, cooked cream of wheat, cracked wheat, oatmeal, pancake syrup, chili, dry soap mix, oil, honey, cake mix, frosting, canned pumpkin, powdered sugar, brown sugar, regular sugar, flour, pasta, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, mayo, mustard, soy, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, yeast, pudding mixes, powdered milk, baking powder, soda, salt, wheat germ, shortening, tomato juice, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, condensed milk, peaches, pears, olives, mac and cheese mixes, rice, pasta noodles, potato pearls, hot cocoa, corn meal, drink mixes, stove top, spaghettios , egg noodles, coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, corn syrup, molasses, cold cereal, canned soup, salad dressing, salsa, chips, granola bars, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, Pam spray, instant flavored oatmeal, crackers.....on and on.... Get started this week. Get a notebook or a clip board or binder. Make it your three month food storage planning guide. Calculate out what you need for the number of people in your family. Make a list on your computer and save it so that you can update it periodically. Make a list of what you need to buy and the next time you go to the store, buy something to add to your storage!!! Record it in your binder. Watch the ads and buy things when they are on sale. I built my storage very quickly this way, by buying a whole case of whatever was on special that week. Happy shopping!