Look what my husband did for our family this last weekend. He bought a nice big sturdy shelf so we can do a better job on our food storage. There are actually two shelves in our little storage room, the other one is a little bit smaller than this one. He also filled our big blue barrels with fresh water. We have about 4 of them. We usually use them for camping. We take extra water when we go.
We really think it is important to do as much as you can on a food storage. I know our prophets have told us to have a food storage for as long as I can remember. It's easy to get complacent and start thinking that we have plenty of time to prepare. But I really don't believe we have a lot more time. Please do your food storage now. And don't forget to get water stored. And while you are at it, make an emergency family plan. Plan how you will get with your family members in the event of an emergency. Plan for the cell phones not working too, and cars not working. Plan where you will meet, and the route you will go to get there. Hopefully you may not need this information, but it's better to be over prepared than under prepared.
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
"Acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. . . . As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year's supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness" ("If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 36).
I want to point out what how Elder Perry mentions the times of plenty, which we are in now. And that with the way the world is now, to not set aside the counsel to prepare any longer. My husband works a job where he has seen some of how the world is. He came home from work one day a little while ago freaked out. He said we should start working earnestly on building our food storage. He had seen some things that scared him, but he couldn't tell me about them. He just told me to warn my family to get food and water and do it now. My husband isn't easily scared. So I take what he says on this subject very seriously.
We had a small food storage that would last a few months. But we have been trying to put extra effort into doing what we can. We want to get enough for all my kids and grandkids too.
I know not everyone is able to have fancy shelves, big blue barrels, or even storage rooms to put stuff in. But do what you can with any space you can find. And don't get too overwhelmed thinking there is too much to do. A years supply is hard to do. I am a long way away from that. But I am starting now with what I can do and I am going to keep growing it as the year progresses. The church says to start with a 3 month supply of food you normally use. Rotate it as you use it and get new stuff. You don't have to buy it all at once, buy a little extra every time you go shopping.
Here is a link to the church's website on Food Storage
I love you all. Please start now. I'll get off my soapbox now.
Thanks for the reminder. We all need to hear it. Our ward is jumping on the bandwagon and are giving out a weekly list of things to get each day for the week, so by the end of the year you are suppose to have a year supply. I am really excited about it and hope to make it work!
ReplyDeleteYou go girl! You are my good example and you keep us on our toes. Tiff and I have been working on ours. We diminished it quite a bit when Wally was laid off, so we're trying to get it built up. xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteKatrina, so glad to find you! And what a beautiful family and blog page you have. It is very well done, and gives me a better idea of how to do one! Also, thanks for the great advice on food storage and your sweet testimony bearing on this and your other posts. I am strengthened! Maybe now I can fall back to sleep! val
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome Aunt Katrina! We're working on ours too. I like the shelves.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I, too, have been feeling very anxious about getting our food storage, and we are slowly building ours up. It's good for me to see posts like this because it re-energizes me to keep going with it! Getting a years supply is slow going, but I know I'll be glad to have it! Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteWe have a nice supply of wheat... now if I'd just figure out how to use it before I'm really in a bind, huh? :) This post was a great reminder to all of us ~
ReplyDeleteKoriann, I can't tell you what to do with wheat. I do remember my mom made a very good cracked wheat cereal when I was a kid. I loved it. It was my favorite hot cereal. Sometimes she would make it with whole wheat too. I think she soaked the wheat in water overnight and then cooked it in the morning. I loved it either way.
ReplyDeleteI guess if we want to use wheat in breads, we have to grind it. I don't have a grinder.
I'm going to buy a grinder. Flour gets stale so quickly, but wheat stays fresh a lot longer. I opened a can of flour that I'd gotten from the cannery in Lindon. It was so stale that the things I made from it didn't taste good. And that was flour that had been sealed in a can with the little packets inside to keep it fresh. I don't really have much wheat stored but I'm going to get some soon. I'm going to buy a manual grinder. If I had the money I'd buy an electric grinder as well, but I'll have to be happy with a manual. Love you Kat.
ReplyDeleteMy friend told me that if you make bread with flour right after you've ground the wheat, it rises faster, because the flour is warm from being ground.
ReplyDeleteI need to do better on mine.
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