new posts and handouts - Food Storage Made Easy

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new posts and

handouts Please Note: These handouts can be added to your Food Storage Made Easy Binder or you may simply use them as a resource on your computer. They are additional information and not necessary as part of the checklists or babysteps.

CONTENTS INCLUDE:

• 7 Day Challenge 2011 o Add to Emergency Preparedness section

• Pressure Canners vs Pressure Cookers o Add to “More Info” section

• How Many Pounds Can a #10 Can or Bucket Hold? o Add to Step 4 section

• Reader Tips for 72 Hour Kits o Add to Emergency Preparedness section

• 72 Hour Kit Food Options o Add to Emergency Preparedness section

• Natural Medicine Cabinet o Add to Step 10 section

• Emergency Sanitation Kits o Add to Step 8 section or “More Info” section

• 15 Creative Wasy to Use Sprouts o Add to Step 6 or 8 section or “More Info” section

ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS INCLUDE:

• Shelf Stable Recipe Book (http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2011/04/25/surprise-‐3-‐shelf-‐stable-‐cookbook/)

o Add to Recipe Appendix section • Powerless Cooking Class Handouts

(http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/powerless-‐cooking-‐class-‐handouts.pdf) o Add to Emergency Preparedness section

• Food Storage Lesson Plans (http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/group-‐lesson-‐plans) o Print out if you plan to teach any classes on preparedness


A natural disaster occurred a number of days ago. Power has been restored, but you still don’t have access to your sewage systems. You don’t know how long you will be without water so you do not want to waste your supply by flushing it down the toilet … AND it’s about time you shower. You can’t put it off

any longer. Today’s Goal: Learn about and use proper sanitation practices in a crisis

Today’s Tasks:

• Go and practice shutting off the main water supply to your house (view tutorial) – If you are doing the

advanced tasks, leave it off for the day to help you avoid “cheating” • “Go to the bathroom” without the use of toilets today. Did you make the sanitation kits we HINTED about

a few weeks ago? • Take a shower today without using your house’s running water, yes you have to do this! • Inventory the first aid items in your home to determine if you have: clean bandages, something to

disinfect wounds, something to sterilize needles, knives, bandages, etc.

Today’s Limitations:

• For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants. • Since we really want you focusing on sanitation, you can turn your water back on and use it for cooking

and drinking. • Remember that you have gone several days without water and account for that when you consider how

much you have stored. Advanced Tasks:

• Use your stored water for cooking and all other needs as well • Go to the nearest source of fresh water and fill up several water containers. • Purify that water with either a water purifier or an alternate purification method.

Make sure your fill out today’s Report Card to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy. Use the data to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be. Download report card at: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/2011day1rc.pdf


Your power has been out for days. You’ve been getting by just fine making quick and easy meals from your Food Storage. Today is a very special event (either a birthday, wedding anniversary, whatever you want to call it). You need to pull off cooking one of your family’s favorite meals without power. Spirits

are low, and you need to try and lift them up with a good meal. Today’s Goal: Practice your powerless cooking skills and living without power.

Today’s Tasks:

• Cook a “fancy” meal for your family for dinner tonight • Cook that meal without using any power • Make a dessert to go with your meal • All other meals can be easy or “no cook” meals • Do not use electricity AT ALL today (except to report your progress either here on the blog or on Facebook • Entertain your family and/or yourself after dark with NO LIGHTS


• For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants • Don’t forget, yesterday’s limitations don’t apply, YOU HAVE WATER TODAY • You have no power for the whole day • The food from your freezer and fridge have all gone bad by now • Remember furnaces and air conditioners/swamp coolers will not work without power

Advanced Tasks:

• Make the dessert a personalized cake • Use water from storage to cook and clean up after the meal • Cook three HOT meals today without using electricity (no cereal and PB&J) • REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT. •

Make sure your fill out today’s Report Card to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can

improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy. Use the data to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.

Download report card at: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/2011day2rc.pdf


A fire, flood, or hurricane is QUICKLY approaching your home. You have just been issued a mandatory evacuation alert. You have 30 minutes from THIS moment to leave your home and your home will NOT be there when you get back. Everything will be destroyed.

Today’s Goal: Practice your evacuation plan and refine your grab list.

Today’s Tasks: • As soon as you finish reading this email, your family has 30 minutes to evacuate • Use your grab list as a guide for things you will bring (it’s helpful to designate who is grabbing what, even

in actual separate lists) • Bring your 72 hour kits with you because you’ll need them • Print out today’s report card and bring it with you as you evacuate • Stay away from your house for 1 hour and during that time evaluate your 72 hour kits, your grab list

items, etc. using the report card “questions to ask yourself” as a guide Today’s Limitations: • For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants. • This task only lasts the 30 minutes you have to evacuate, and the hour you have to stay out of your home. Advanced Tasks: • Make your grab list after the fact if you didn’t already have it. • Evacuate on foot as an advanced alternative. • Once you have finished your evaluation, you have our permission to “cheat” and go and purchase any

missing items, or replenish anything you used during the “evacuation”. But you can ONLY buy emergency kit items, no donuts. You can always shop online for great deals too.

Make sure your fill out today’s Report Card to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy. Use the data to make a

game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.



This is something we don’t like talking about (or preparing for), however it’s VERY important. There’s no way to put this lightly – do you have your affairs in order should you die? A lot of people prepare for natural disasters in which people don’t survive. What would happen if you didn’t make it but the rest of

your family did?

Today’s Goal: Get your legal/financial things in order in case you die

Today’s Tasks:

• Prepare a draft for a will if you don’t have one already • Make a list of all your assets for those you leave behind • If you have children, develop a plan for who will take care of them if you and your spouse passed away • Make lists of all the other things you would need/want surviving family to know • BONUS: If one spouse normally handles the bills/finances in the family, have the OTHER spouse

fill out this little questionnaire (http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/2011-7dc-financials.pdf) to find out what he/she knows about your family’s financials and how to access important family account information.


• For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants. • Since this is a planning day, there are no other limitations

Advanced Tasks:

• Please note: These advanced tasks may take days or weeks of planning and consulting with your professional accountants and insurance agents.

• Put together your emergency binder if you don’t already have one (this is a great starting point). • Create an actual PLAN ON PAPER for whomever you choose to be your children’s guardian (include specific

care instructions, information to access life insurance policies, instructions where to find important documents for the kids, etc.)

• Whoever does the bills in the family, put together a master list of online account information, auto-‐pays that come out of your account, amounts in each account, investments and insurance policies and how to access them, etc. Anything your spouse would NEED to know if you weren’t around.

• Research life insurance options if you don’t have any yet.

Make sure your fill out today’s Report Card to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy. Use the data to make a

game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.



Something has happened with payroll at your job. For some reason all of the company's assets have been frozen. You won't be getting paid for at least the next 2 months. You are hesitant to leave and find another job since they are few and far between these days. You have to save money and conserve the

cash you have like crazy. If you have a reserve of money saved up, you are hesitant to use it. Today’s Goal: Practice frugal living for tough economic times.

Today’s Tasks:

• Cook breakfast from scratch – you can’t afford store bought pre-‐made items • Cook lunch from scratch – you can’t afford store bought pre-‐made items • Cook dinner from scratch – and you’ve already used up all your freezer foods! • Do a fun -‐FREE-‐ family activity tonight Today’s Limitations:

• For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants. • You can’t make any foods from pre-‐packaged items. Everything must be from scratch using food storage

items. • You have had to cut back on your expenses so you don’t have Internet access any more (no searching online

for recipes) • We give you permission to break the “no spending rule” and buy food storage cookbooks online today if you

find you have NONE in your house

Advanced Tasks:

• It’s one of your dearest friend’s birthday – do something nice for them without spending money • If things get any worse, you’re going to have to sell some of your things-‐ make a list of items you could/would

sell





The stomach aches you have been having have gotten worse. Your doctor just confirmed you can not

have gluten. Any gluten makes you very ill and you’re finding out gluten is in EVERYTHING! What are you

going to do with your daily cooking, and your Food Storage? This is a very common thing for many of our

readers, and we hope that today is a day of sharing ideas and encouragement for those who face this in

real life. You never know when you may need to help someone who has specific dietary needs.

Today’s Goal: Learn about gluten free cooking and food storage

Today’s Tasks:

• Find out what it means to eat a gluten free diet (hint, it probably won’t say “gluten” on your labels) • You can’t eat ANY gluten today – READ YOUR LABELS (look it up if you have to) • You look at your current food storage and realize it is full of gluten. Brainstorm ideas about how to build a

gluten-‐free food storage • Share in comments and on facebook how to make this new life work. If you are currently living this way,

PLEASE share for others who are new and haven’t figured out how to make this new diet work for them. • Think about other possible food allergies and how you could add to your food storage for those too Today’s Limitations:

• For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants. • You can’t have any gluten today-‐ ask on our Facebook page if you are unsure about a specific item. Advanced Tasks:

• Make a list of replacement foods if you have to eliminate gluten from your food storage • Print out some gluten free recipes • Develop a gluten-‐free 72 hour kit, just in case





A natural disaster occurred quite some time ago. You have been without power for a very long time. You’ve eaten all the easy-‐to-‐make meals, canned foods and all that. Today your task is to make bread, from scratch, without power. Once you are done making your bread you are officially done the

challenge, and we encourage you to compile all your report cards from the week and put them on the master list of things to do and to buy.

Today’s Goal: To practice making bread (the hard way) and a game plan.

Today’s Tasks:

• Make bread-‐ from start to finish with no power • Compile all your report cards from the week into a master list of things to do, learn, and buy (use

our master plan outline -‐ http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/fsme/docs/2011-‐mrc.pdf to help guide you) Today’s Limitations: • For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants.

Advanced Tasks: • You have to HAND GRIND WHEAT for the bread, no all-‐purpose flour • Do a full inventory of your current food storage and make a list of things that are missing





Pressure Canners vs Pressure Cookers

What is a pressure cooker?

A pressure cooker is a tightly sealed pot that uses steam under pressure to cook foods very quickly. It is extremely useful if you are trying to rotate through your long term food storage as it makes cooking beans, rice, and wheat very quick and easy. Once you start using it you will find that many of your slow-‐cooker meals and regular meals can be made in the pressure cooker and turn out even more delicious and cook so fast! Meat is very tender when pressure cooked, and vegetables can be steamed and retain more nutrients. It’s a fantastic kitchen

appliance.

What is a pressure canner?

A pressure canner is used to can low-‐acid foods such as most vegetables, meats, and beans. Traditional water-‐bath canning only gets the foods as hot as boiled water, which is not hot enough to properly preserve these types of foods. By pressure canning you can increase the temperature it is processed at high enough to kill bacteria, etc. Learning to use canned meats can open up a whole new world of shelf stable recipes you can make using only your stored foods. And canning them yourself brings the price down dramatically. You will also find the convenience of having cooked meat straight out of a can is great for days you need a “quick

dinner”. And home-‐canned meats are delicious!

Can a pot act as both a pressure cooker AND canner?

This info is from one of our facebook friends: According to USDA, a canner must be able to hold at least 4 quart jars, and have a gauge or weight to allow you to measure 5, 10, and 15 lbs. pressure. The size is important because a bigger canner takes longer to come to pressure and cool down again, and that time is factored into the processing time they give you. Complete USDA canning times and recipes are available at the National Center for Home Food

Preservation, at www.uga.edu/nchfp. However, I believe that any pressure CANNER can also be


used as a pressure COOKER, it is just a matter of whether or not you want to use such a huge pot to pressure cook something. My Presto Pressure Canner says right on the box “Pressure

Cooker / Canner”.

What is the difference between an electric and a traditional pressure cooker?

An electric pressure cooker plugs into the wall, only has two pressure settings, and does not need to be attended to. You simply select high or low pressure, and the amount of time you want to process it for. Once the time is up, you either let the pressure come down naturally or do a quick pressure release. The method you use depends on your recipe. For day to day use an electric pressure cooker is AWESOME. A traditional pressure cooker sits on your stovetop like a regular pot. You must bring it up to pressure and keep it at the right pressure so it is not safe to leave your kitchen while it processes. One benefit of a traditional pressure cooker is that it can

be used in a powerless emergency if you have a gas stove.

What Pressure Cooker and Pressure Canner Do We Recommend?

We love the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker and the Presto Pressure Canners. You can read more about them both on our Pressure Cookers/Pressure Canners page. We have found the best prices to be atAmazon.com so definitely check them out if you are going to get one. (sometimes Costco has the electric pressure cooker on sale for cheaper, so if you see it there,

grab it!)

Want to see our Pressure Cookers and Canners in action?

Check out the following helpful posts: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2010/12/12/how-‐to-‐pressure-‐can-‐ground-‐beef/ http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2010/11/30/homemade-‐chicken-‐noodle-‐soup/ http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2010/11/17/saving-‐money-‐on-‐food-‐making-‐your-‐own-‐baby-‐food/ http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2010/08/05/the-‐food-‐storage-‐diet/ http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2011/01/24/how-‐to-‐pressure-‐can-‐chicken/ http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2011/01/27/how-‐to-‐cook-‐dry-‐beans/


How Many Pounds Can a #10 Can or Bucket Hold?

Food Item #10 Can 5 Gallon Bucket

Wheat 5 pounds 37 pounds White Flour 4.5 pounds 33 pounds Cornmeal 4.3 pounds 33 pounds Popcorn 5 pounds 37 pounds

Rolled Oats 2.5 pounds 20 pounds White Rice 5.3 pounds 36 pounds Spaghetti N/A 30 pounds Macaroni 3.1 pounds 21 pounds

Dried Beans 5.6 pounds 35 pounds Lima Beans 5.4 pounds 35 pounds Soy Beans 5 pounds 33 pounds Split Peas 5 pounds 33 pounds Lentils 5.5 pounds 35 pounds

White Sugar 5.7 pounds 35 pounds Brown Sugar 4.42 pounds 33 pounds Powdered Milk 3 pounds 29 pounds Powdered Eggs 2.6 pounds 20 pounds

#10 can data comes from ShelfReliance.com and is what THEIR #10 cans contain. Numbers

could be slightly more or less elsewhere.


Reader Tips for 72 Hour Kits PURCHASING: After you’ve come up with everything you still need to buy for your kit, break it up into a purchasing schedule. Purchase just 1 or 2 things each week for however many weeks it takes you. The point is you’ll be making progress, even if you can’t buy it all at once. GRAB LIST(S): Instead of having just one grab list (things you would grab if you have to evacuate) have multiple lists-‐ one for each family member. Tape those lists up on the inside of your front closet door. When it comes time to evacuate, anyone who is old enough can get their list and hurry. This will save time deciding who is going to grab what. INDIVIDUAL KITS: For anyone old enough, make them their own kit. Have food, water, and clothes in each kit so in case of separation everyone will have their own stuff. Divvy up the remaining supplies among all the kits. Put the heavier stuff in the stronger member’s kits. Use backpacks, or rolling bags that are easy to transport. Lugging around big rubbermaid bins is HARD. TRIAL SIZE TOILETRIES: There are sample sizes of shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants etc you can purchase for the kits. They are in the regular personal hygiene aisles at the store. No need to lug around big containers of those things. Another idea is to save the samples you get at hotels and put those in your kits. They always get thrown away anyways if you only use a small portion! THRIFT STORE CLOTHING: It can be inconvenient and kind of wasteful to store regular usable clothes in your kits that stay stored in a closet while children outgrow them. Consider purchasing outfits at a thrift store for you kits. That way you wont have to feel bad about not using whole outfits while they still fit. COLD WEATHER BAG: There are a lot of items you might want in your 72 hour kit if it were cold-‐ but you wouldn’t want if it were warmer weather. Store all the stuff you would need in colder weather in a separate bag or container that you would grab and go in case of emergency during the winter. If it happened to be warmer, you could just leave it behind. PUT FRESH FOOD ON GRAB LIST: If time, circumstance, and space allow – grab any fresh food you may have and throw it in a cooler on your way out (if you are leaving in a car). You may really appreciate fresh produce in the first 24-‐72 hours of a crisis.


DIAPER BAGS PACKED: This goes for evacuations or everyday emergencies. Do your best to ALWAYS have your diaper bags packed with extra food, clothes, and diapers. If you’re in the habit of doing this all the time it could really save you in a REAL emergency (like those don’t happen daily with babies on the go). IDEAS FOR ROTATION: Depending on how often your kit needs rotating (the foods you chose will dictate this), make it a habit to change them out at the same time each year. Whether it be Halloween (where you use some of the extra candy as comfort food), Spring cleaning week, April Fools Day (we did that last year so we wouldn’t be fools-‐ we know it was corny) or any other time of year, get in the habit of rotating them. COMMUNICATION: If in case you are evacuating and you expect your house to be in tact when you return, it’s wise to maybe leave a note about your where-‐abouts on a door. That way when people come looking to see if you are safe – they will know you are elsewhere.


72 Hour Kit Food Options REGULAR FOOD OPTIONS: -‐Granola bars (vacuum sealing them makes them last longer) -‐Chocolate candy/chips -‐Dried fruits/dehydrated fruits -‐Tuna pouches (already packaged from store) -‐Wheat crackers for the tuna -‐Raw almonds -‐Hot cocoa -‐Fruit drink mix -‐Raman noodles/cup a noodles -‐Jerky (though salty will make you more thirsty) -‐Pouches of soup mixes (potatoe, brocoli, chicken noodle) just add water -‐Canned: spaghettios, raviolis, tuna, sardines (can be eaten cold) (figure I can put 1 can in each bag to supplement food rations, so nobody has to carry a -‐bunch of heavy cans (the cans have the pull tops so no need for can-‐opener – we’ve been told these can explode when you open them, so be careful) -‐Peanut butter -‐Small jar jelly or honey -‐Banana chips (the potassium in them can help with muscle soreness if your are using muscles helping people in a disaster type situation) -‐Protein powder -‐Gatorade (you’ll need electrolytes)

MINIMAL ROTATION OPTIONS (MRE’S): Emergency Food Bars (i.e 3600 calorie bars) MRE Meals (check out the options at Emergency Essentials and Shelf Reliance) -‐Beef stroganoff -‐Spaghetti -‐Lasagne -‐Chili mac -‐Breakfast skillet -‐Chicken and rice

-‐Chicken ala king


“HEALTH’IER” OPTIONS: -‐Instant oatmeal (none of those colored frankenmeal ones – just maple, cinnamon, or organic varieties) -‐Foodsaver bag of 3 days’ worth of dehydrated apple chips (with an oxygen absorber to extend shelf life) -‐Bush’s baked beans, 8 oz. pop top (This is used as a cooking vessel to heat other foods – wash and save this can after use.) -‐Pouches of “squeezy fruit” baby food (Plum Organics, Ella’s Kitchen, or Happy Baby – found online, Target, or Babies/Toys R Us) -‐Pouches of big kid squeezable applesauce -‐Chunk light tuna in water (This fish contains much less mercury than the white or albacore.) -‐2-‐3 foil packets of mayonnaise and relish (to make an impromptu tuna salad) -‐Shelton’s Chili (Delicious and additive-‐free! Two kids can share a can.) -‐Cascadian Farms kid size peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars -‐Resealable bags of dried fruit or large raisin boxes -‐Yummy Earth lollipops and/or a small bag of Surf Sweets gummies -‐Lunchbox size packs of crackers such as Late July -‐Laughing Cow cheese wedges (They do not require refrigeration.) -‐Reverse osmosis filtered water, each with a small rock of Himalayan pink salt added in order to re-‐mineralize the water. -‐Crystal Light Pure (sweetened with stevia and sugar, all natural flavors and colors)

-‐Packet of Emergen-‐C

GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS: -‐Larabars -‐Lundberg Rice Cakes -‐GF Granola (like Bakery on Main) -‐Beef Jerky -‐Can of Chicken or Tuna -‐Mary’s Gone Crackers -‐Dinty Moore Beef Stew -‐Hormel Chili -‐Applesauce -‐Canned Fruit -‐Fruit Leather, Fruit Roll-‐up, or Fruit Snacks -‐Raisins -‐Boxes of Pacific Almond Milk -‐Peanut or other Nut Butter

-‐Honey


VEGAN OPTIONS: -‐Prepackaged precooked meals (like the indian dishes that can be found in mylar bags in the ethnic foods aisle at the grocery) -‐Cliff bars -‐Lara bars -‐Nut bars -‐Vitamin B12 tablet -‐Bar of vegan dark chocolate -‐Peanut butter -‐Nuts packaged in food saver bags -‐Seeds packaged in food saver bags

NO COOK OPTIONS: -‐Cereal bars -‐Crackers -‐Peanut butter -‐Pudding cups -‐Fruit cups -‐Fruit roll-‐ups -‐Cans of vegetables -‐Pork and beans (can eat cold) -‐Granola bars (vacuum sealing them makes them last longer) -‐Chocolate candy/chips -‐Dried fruits/dehydrated fruits

-‐Almonds

KID FRIENDLY FOODS: -‐Tuna pouch -‐Chicken pouch -‐Canned peas, carrots -‐Crackers -‐Crasins, & other dried fruit -‐Fruit snacks or other candy treat type things -‐Cheerios in vac sealed bag -‐Canned fruit (mixed, pears, peaches, apple sauce) -‐Bottle & Single serving milk packets -‐Granola bars

-‐Hormel complete meals – chicken & rice or turkey & mashed potatoes


Natural Medicine Cabinet Guest article by Amy Cox Jones

There are a few really cool things about stockpiling natural medicines:

1. Long shelf life – some remedies have up to a 7 year shelf life or longer if stored properly! 2. Safe and easy – while they need to be used with a little knowledge, side effects are not a

huge concern with natural medicine. 3. Versatile – with natural medicines, most of the time you can use the same remedy to

prevent and treat a problem. Additionally, the same natural remedies that an adult takes, a child can take, too. Plus all herbs have multiple applications i.e. you can use the same herb to treat the flu and a cold!

4. You can make them yourself – With the exception of essential oils, you can make all your remedies yourself and it’s pretty easy, too!

5. Super cheap – even if you don’t make them yourself, most of the time they are the same price, if not cheaper, than their conventional counterparts. If you do make them yourself, you can save 90% or more!

The question is, what do you store? Because there are a lot of remedies to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide, especially if you a novice to natural medicines.

I’ve been exposed to natural remedies my entire life, and relying on them 100% for all my healthcare needs since 1996. Here’s what my ‘must have’ remedies are, and what I would never

be without:

Antiviral/Antibacterial Remedy

I make my own, consisting of echinacea angustofolia root, goldenseal root, ginger root, and licorice root. But you can purchase a comparable one at Herbalogie.com under the name Infection Fighter. You can do this in either capsule (pill) form or tincture (liquid) form. You could also go to your local health food store, buy tincture bottles of each herb and combine them together or encapsulate the powdered herbs yourself. If using a tincture, the taste may take a few days to acclimate to, but I do prefer this in liquid form rather than pill form so that I can give it to small children, use it to disinfect wounds externally, the shelf life is really long, plus it

works about 75% faster than taking a pill because your body doesn’t have to take the time and


energy to break it down and extract the properties like it does when digesting powdered herbs in capsules. I have found that this formula will knock out even the most stubborn illnesses. To prevent illness, you’d take 3 full dropperfuls once a day, but in a crisis mode, you could take a 3 dropperful dose every 30 minutes. I’ve gotten rid of many flu’s in 4 hours dosing every 30 minutes. This is also great for tooth abscesses and can be dropped directly in the ear for ear infections. Uses: Colds, Flu, Strep, coughs, sore throat, ear infections, abscess, itching, congestions, pink eye, fever Application: Internally, or as an external wash for wounds Tincture Shelf life: 3 years if stored at room temperature out of sunlight, 7 years if refrigerated. Capsule shelf life: 1 year

Substitute for: antibiotics, OTC cold medications, antibiotic ointments, Neosporin

Nervine/Antispasmodic Remedy

Unable to sleep well at night? Have a cough that just won’t go away? Tear a muscle? Then you need a nervine herb. The one I make has hops, valerian, and wild lettuce, but you can purchase it from herbalogie.com under the name Chill, or again combine the three separate herbs into one remedy either in liquid or pill form. I do like to get this in tincture (liquid) form for the same reason I get the antiviral in tincture form. When we are having insomnia, or anxiety, Chill is our go to remedy. Or when my daughter was in a major car accident, heavy doses of Chill helped her nerve endings heal and muscles work properly quickly (not to mention relax and calm down quickly). And when my babies would get that croupy cough that kept them up at night? Chill, every 30 minutes, was the key. Uses: Coughs, hyperactivity/irritability, nervousness, itching, congestion, headaches Application: Internally, as an external poultice for injuries Tincture Shelf life: 3 years if stored at room temperature out of sunlight, 7 years if refrigerated. Capsule shelf life: 1 year

Substitute for: Benadryl, Robitussin, antihistamines, steroids, Tylenol

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender certainly is the mother of all essential oils! Not only does it have a relaxing, pleasant scent, but its therapeutic properties really are unmatched. Lavender will heal skin burns and bruises faster than I have seen anything else heal them. I first tried lavender oil when my oldest grabbed a very hot curling iron by the heated end as a toddler right before bedtime. I applied liberal amounts of lavender oil every 30 minutes for 2 hours and the next morning we woke up with no signs of any injury whatsoever. I have since used it on chemical burns, sunburns,

rashes, bruises, sprains, broken bones, itching – anything skin, muscle, joint, or bone related.


Also, as I mentioned, it will calm a panicked or hyper person down quite effectively, as well as work on headaches. For essential oils, you do want to make sure you are buying them from a reputable source. Unsound manufacturing, improper harvest timing, added solvents and gases , destroy the therapeutic, volatile plant oils rendering them completely ineffective. Uses: Burns/Sunburns, cuts broken bones, sprains, fractures, hyperactivity/irritability, itching Application: Externally you can put on neat (without a carrier oil) on open or closed wounds, and it is safe to take internally Shelf life: 5+ years if stored at room temperature out of sunlight Substitute for: Benadryl, Neosporin, A&D ointment, antihistamines, steroids, Tylenol, Vaseline,

OTC headache medicine

Peppermint Essential Oil

Who doesn’t like peppermint, right? This oil I have specifically for fevers and headaches, although the benefits of peppermint oil reach into treating indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, and nausea/vomiting, not to mention it’s fantastic to use one or two drops in your brownie batter or hot cocoa. For fevers, you don’t really need much. Just a drop or two on the spine will bring a fever down within 1 minute if the origin is viral or bacterial. Don’t use much more than that, though. While there is no harm in using a lot, a larger dosage can bring you from being too hot to too cold and will leave you chilled for about 5 minutes until your body modulates the dosage – found that one out the hard way. If you feel more comfortable and want to avoid overdoing it altogether, you can always put the peppermint drops in a tablespoon of olive oil and then apply it. For headaches and migraines, you would apply one drop to the temples and/or inhale the scent. Peppermint combined with lavender oil would also be ideal for breathing difficulty. Make sure to be by a bathroom when using peppermint, though! It’s a diuretic and you will be urinating shortly after using it. Uses: Fever, digestion, liver, respiratory, concentration, appetite control, energy Application: Externally on skin closed wounds very sparingly if neat or used in a carrier oil and also safe internally when used sparingly (a little goes a long way) Shelf life: 5+ years if stored at room temperature out of sunlight Substitute for: Motrin/Tylenol and other fever reducers, OTC headache medicine, steroids for

breathing, coffee, Tums or Mylanta

BF&C Salve aka Complete Tissue Salve

What a powerhouse formula this is! The B stands for Bone, the F stands for flesh, and the C stands for cartilage. In our house we call it ‘THE cream’ – as in when I say, ‘Go get the cream,’ my kids know exactly what I mean because we use it for everything, even chapped lips and the

crusty skin on my heels. Again, I make this myself very easily and cheaply (and give it as


Christmas presents every year!), but this can be purchased online or at most health food stores. The first time I used it, I second guessed it because it was too good to be true. My husband fractured his foot jumping off the back of truck, and we applied BF&C cream (as well as took the BF&C pills) 3 times a day. 3 Days later it was completely healed. Then a few months later, I broke my big toe. I used the cream, with lavender oil, 3 times a day and wah la! 3 days later it was completely healed. Then my 5 year old broke her tailbone flying down a slide. What do you know? With BF&C, three days later she was completely healed, too. Yes, healing bones is one of its specialties, but certainly not the only thing it can do. Burns, rashes, cuts, you name it. When you look at the online testimonials with this handy salve, you will be amazed. Uses: Bruises, cuts, rashes, dry skin, broken bones, arthritis, fractures, sprains, burns/sunburn Application: Externally on skin, closed or cleaned open wounds Shelf life: 1-‐2 years if stored at room temperature out of sunlight

Substitute for: Benadryl for itching, hydrocortisones, Neosporin, A&D ointment, Vaseline

There are some more remedies that I really wouldn’t want to be without, but these four – by far – are the remedies I rely on a consistent basis, much less if I were in a situation where no medical care were available. You will notice that there is a lot of overlap with these remedies – many of them can be used for the same ailments. Yes, you can use them together or independently, but as you start using them you will quickly learn which one might be better in particular situations, but that they will work well even if it isn’t their “specialty”. For instance, if I were to get a burn and I had to choose only one remedy, I would definitely go for lavender oil over BF&C. But if I do have both, I would use the lavender oil and cover that with the BF&C to

speed the healing. The reverse would be true for broken bones.

If you only get one of these remedies in your long term storage, you will still be far ahead of the game than if you had nothing at all. But once you start using one remedy, you will be amazed at its effectiveness and get hooked so quickly that you will jump at the chance to add the next

remedy. I promise!


Emergency Sanitation Kit SANITATION KIT CONTENTS -‐-‐ In a plastic tote with a lid, store the following items:

• Two 5-‐ or 6-‐gallon plastic buckets with tight-‐fitting lids • Two toilet seats that attach to the buckets • Toilet paper • Pre-‐washed and dried flannel, cut into squares, to use if toilet paper is not available—wash

in hot water and bleach and re-‐use • Paper towels • Hand wipes, hand sanitizer and hand soap • 13-‐gallon trash bags (to line toilets) • 33-‐gallon trash bags (to dispose of smaller, used bags and other trash) • Two (or three) spray bottles (for hydrogen peroxide & white vinegar, with the third for

bleach) • Hydrogen peroxide • White vinegar (in a plastic bottle, if possible, to avoid broken glass) • Borax and/or Bleach • Essential oils and/or sprays for odor control • Small funnel to fill bottles • Super Sorb (found at Amazon.com) • Shovel • Heavy gloves (for digging) • Disposable gloves (for cleaning) • Face masks • Copy of this sheet of instructions, stored in a plastic sheet protector in your emergency

binder • Empty plastic jug (the kind you keep in the fridge) to hold water for hand washing

EMERGENCY TOILETS: (in case the plumbing is not working)

• Have 2 toilets—one for liquid waste and one for solid waste • Place plastic liners in each toilet. You should double-‐line the toilet for solid waste. • When the toilet is not in use, be sure to place a tight lid on top of the toilet to control odor

and disease. • In the toilet for urine, sprinkle one tablespoon of Super Sorb. It will decrease odors and

absorb two gallons of fluid, turning it into a gel for easy clean-‐up and disposal. Also use

Super Sorb for blood or vomit clean-‐up.


• In the toilet for solid waste, sprinkle Borax, or use one part bleach to four parts water. These solutions will decrease odors, disinfect, and stop the spread of disease.

• Wash your hands after each use by using soap and water. Use disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer in a pinch.

• Use ¼ cup of bleach in a quart of water to disinfect surfaces; or for less toxic chemicals, use undiluted hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and undiluted white vinegar in a separate spray bottle. Spray one after the other on surfaces that need to be disinfected, then wipe off with a paper towel. Make sure you do not mix bleach and vinegar (only use them

separately).

WASTE DISPOSAL:

Check with your local health department for their plans regarding waste disposal BEFORE a disaster. The following instructions are given by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department but your area may require something different: “Bury garbage and human waste to avoid the spread of disease by rats and insects. Dig a pit two to three feet deep and at least fifty feet downhill or away from any well, spring, or water supply.” (Family Emergency Preparedness Guide, p. 11.) After dumping waste in the hole, sprinkle lime and then soil over the top to protect from animals, hasten decomposition, and decrease odors. We recommend using biodegradable waste bags to reduce the amount of garbage you are burying. Protect yourself

by wearing gloves and a face mask.


15 Ways to Use Sprouts 1. Stir fry mung bean sprouts in sesame oil with mushrooms, scallions, ginger, and soy sauce

2. Blend garbanzo bean sprouts lemon juice minced garlic olive oil salt and pepper into a thick

paste chill and serve on crackers for a healthy snack

3. Combine soy bean sprouts fresh corn kernels and sliced red onions with an oil and vinegar dressing for a lively salad

4. Save the water the sprouts initially soaked in for a nutritious soup base to mix with fruit

juices or for watering house plants

5. Make a wonderful sandwich with peanut butter and alfalfa sprouts

6. Replace wild rice with rye sprouts in soups and rice combinations

7. Chopped raw lentil sprouts give a peppery taste to cream cheese for a cocktail spread

8. Combine raw mung bean sprouts with raisins apple and tomato slices avocado and cucumber chunks toss with a salad dressing

9. Wheat sprouts, bananas, wheat germ, honey, and milk blended make a high energy drink

10. Add alfalfa sprouts to scrambled eggs just before serving

11. Chopped meats stretch further if you add fresh soybean sprouts and it really tastes even

better with them added!

12. Stir fresh pea sprouts into a canned tomato soup for extra vitamins and flavor. The kids will never know they had their veggies.

13. Mix tuna-‐fish with fresh sprouts sliced apples chopped mushrooms lemon juice salt and pepper for an exciting low cal lunch

14. Keep sprouts on hand and add them when ever you add herbs and spices to soups, main dishes and sauces

15. You can always add sprouts to sandwiches instead of lettuce, and on a salad to pick it up

with spicy flavors such as mustard, radish, or a spicy sprout mix. Have fun and experiment. The flavor in a sprout is concentrated so use a small amount first, then add more.

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