Prayer of Thanksiving, Hymn 93

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: Principles related to preparedness are alluded to in LDS Hymn 93, the Prayer of Thanksgiving.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing
In the last days, although tribulations will come, latter-day saints will gather together in places of safety and will ask for and receive the blessings of the Lord. One of the First Presidency, Elder Henry B. Eyring, gave a talk at BYU Idaho called "Raise the Bar", on this subject on January 25, 2005. He reminded us that the Lord has said that, in the last days, everyone will be afraid. But, he added, the Lord is very willing to lead us to places of safety that he has prepared. Elder Harold B. Lee, in General Conference in April 1948, said that before frightening tribulations come, Latter-day Saints would do well to prepare and receive their guidance from the First Presidency as to where they should gather.

He chastens, and hastens his will to make known
We do not want chastening but sometimes need it. “Thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with by death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.” – Helaman 12:3

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing
This will not take place until the Millennium. Until then, persecutions of the faithful are a prelude to glory. “And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake, yet shall they partake of all this glory.” – D&C 101:35

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant, and pray that thou still our defender wilt be
In an article called “Safety in Counsel" in the Ensign, Jun 2008, p. 4-9, Elder Henry B. Eyring affirmed that the Savior will defend us if we seek for and receive His protection. The Savior wants to guide us along the path of safety. He will guide us to safety through the Prophet, the Quorum of the Twelve and other appointed Church leaders. These men, who are His servants, the Lord always tasks with warning us, letting us know the way to safety.

Let thy congregation escape tribulation
“They shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.” – D&C 29:8

O Lord, make us free!
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” – 2 Cor 3:17 “I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country.” – Alma 60:36 “That law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind. . . .” – D&C 98:5

PRACTICES: Gather as families, ask the Lord’s blessings, endure chastening, learn His will, accept the Lord as your defender, escape tribulation by being prepared in all things, and pray for freedom.

See Raise the Bar by President Eyring: www.byui.edu/speeches/eyring_jan2005.htm

Photo Credits:

Serene Location: http://home.nps.gov/applications/nature/photos/ACF21F1.jpg
Earthquake Damage: http://ed.fnal.gov/lincon/w01/projects/earthquakes/earthquake%20photo4.jpg

House of Glory: Photo shot by D. or S. Edwards

Christus Statue at SLC Visitor's Center: Photo shot by D. Edwards

Burning Heat: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/prep/heat.jpg
Liberty Bell: http://photos.state.gov/galleries/guadalajara/38021/hawkesa/LibertyBellStamp%20v3.jpg (with crossed out words removed)

Milling Grains and Beans for Cooking in Disasters

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: In Essentials of Home Production & Storage, 1978, Church members are encouraged to include grinders as part of their expanded home storage.

PRACTICES: Grinding or milling can prepare wheat, other grain, or older beans for use in disaster cooking. After grain is cracked, crushed or ground, it can be used in hot cereal or baked goods. Baked goods made with fresh flour can be delicious. For bread making, finely ground flour is desirable. Ground soaked beans can be used to thicken soups or stews, mix in with flour, or make bean cakes or dips, adding protein. Whole beans may cook in hours; ground beans cook in minutes.

Electric milling. Specialized electric grinders can mill wheat, other grains and beans if AC power is available. While electric mills are much more convenient to use than manual mills under normal conditions, electric mills are useless if the power goes out. Long-term outages can happen.

Manual milling. For milling when AC power is out, a manual mill is essential. A manual grain mill of high quality is one of the most important emergency tools to own. Milling grain on any kind of manual mill requires hard labor, but milling grain on a low-quality manual mill is a real grind! Also, low-quality mills may not last long, and they may not be able to mill grain finely enough for baking.

Best manual grain mills. Good manual grain mills are not cheap. You can use Google to identify a good one. Many experts recommend one particular mill. If you get a mill with stones, get burrs, too.

Stones and burrs. Manual grain mills use stone plates or metal burrs for grinding. Dry grains, such as wheat, can be ground with stone. Stone grinding is needed to obtain fine flour. Stone cannot be used, however, for grinding grains or beans having more than 10-12% oil or moisture. These smear on stone plates, reducing grinding power and/or plugging a mill. For oily or wet grains or beans, metal burrs are required. Use high-quality burrs from which no metal tends to flake off during use.

Pipe method for cracking grain. A pipe that fits closely within another, shorter pipe can be used to crush and crack small quantities of grain or bean at a time. Slide the inner pipe up and bring it down hard repeatedly, cracking the grain or bean against a hard bottom surface, such as a hard metal plate. Remove the cracked grain or bean from the pipes and use it in cooking. Even a child can crack grain or bean this way. A similar method utilizes a can and several pipes taped together.

Mortar and pestle and other systems for cracking grain. Mortars and pestles made of stone or porcelain can crack and grind small quantities of grain at a time . . . very slowly! You can use a pestle to pound grain and crack it, crush it, and grind it on the bottom and sides of a mortar. In a pinch, you can grind a little grain in a coffee/spice grinder or between two smooth paving stones.

For more, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4kP9EgmBjQ&feature=related; www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWc_k3lXXpA; http://www.countrylivinggrainmills.com/index.php?action=articles&which=Bike.txt; http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2005/sharing_stations/pdf/49c.pdf (also 49d.pdf – change c to d); www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvLNOBTyxHw; www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/?page=172


Photo Credits:

Cracked wheat: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Sa-cracked-wheat.jpg

Mortar and Pestle: www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/breath/breath_exhibit/Asthma/asthma_images/stock/IIICa71.gif

Using Beans from Your Long-Term Storage

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: Elder Keith B. McMullin, in General Conference, April 2007, suggested that Church members first obtain a reserve of food that may last several months, and, second, acquire basic long-term food storage items that can keep individuals or a family alive. Legumes is a category of food storage that he mentioned specifically. – Elder Keith B. McMullin, General Conference, April 2007

PRACTICES: Effective use of stored legumes, and, in particular, beans depends on your mastery of several important skills.

Sorting. Beans need to be sorted before being cooked. When sorting, remove rocks, dirt, organic debris, and any beans that are strangely shaped, shriveled, too small, with holes, or discolored.

Rinse- and soak-water. Rinse beans prior to soaking or cooking to remove any dirt or soluble foreign matter. Water used to soak beans needs to be discarded prior to cooking beans.

Soaking and cooking. Most dry beans require soaking before cooking. Soaking greatly reduces cooking time. Soak beans six to 12 hours (e.g., overnight) using three cups of water to one cup of beans. Beans should then be cooked until tender. This usually takes one to four hours. Lengthy soaking and/or pressure cooking may be needed for older beans. A few types of beans, such as lentils, can cook relatively fast, even without a pre-cook soaking. Cooking can be achieved without continuous lengthy boiling by putting rinsed, unsoaked beans in a pot, bringing the beans to a boil, boiling for two minutes, and then simmering at just below a boil for several hours until beans become tender. Season beans to taste. Be sure also to acquire and store an alternative-fuel stove and enough fuel and/or a sun oven for cooking beans under emergency conditions (no utilities).

Old beans. Old beans are difficult to rehydrate. They get hard. Cooking in a pressure-cooker may render them tender. You can also soften or mushify once-hard beans by soaking them in water with added baking soda. Hard old beans can also be ground in a grinder, using grinding stones/burrs sufficiently strong to grind beans. The protein-rich flour produced can be used as a soup thickener.

Adding flavorings. To avoid toughening beans, add salt, sugar, vinegar, tomatoes, and/or lemon juice after having cooked beans and they have become soft. Garlic and onion are some other flavorings.

Digestion. Flatulence caused by bacterial breakdown in our guts of poorly digestible sugars from beans can be lessened by (i) discarding rinse water, (ii) changing cooking water several times, (iii) cooking beans until soft, (iv) rinsing beans just before eating them, and (v) eating small, 3-oz helpings. Sprouting beans first also helps break down the sugars. Research shows that after most people have been regularly eating modest amounts of beans for 3 to 4 weeks, flatulence problems are no greater than flatulence problems present prior to including beans in the diet.

For more, see http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/dry-beans; www.mayoclinic.com/health/legumes/NU00260; www.legumechef.com/English/consejos_en.htm (these two sites contain much good advice; please ignore the outdated advice about soaking beans in just warm water after cooking, which has been found to potentially lead to growth of disease-causing spores); www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/21/6/A1077-b; http://preparetodaynewsletter.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html (go about 1/2 way down).

Graphics credits:

Bean soup: http://fitness.ksc.nasa.gov/images/fitness/health/recipes/white_bean_butternut_sq.jpg

Other photos: used by permission from M.T. from her blog site

Use and Long-Term Storage of Legumes

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: “Lay up stores of corn, wheat, oats, peas, beans, buck wheat, and every thing else that can be preserved: for you will see a day when you will want it; and it will be when we shall feel the effects of famine, and when the United States have not any food. – Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, volume 4, p. 330.

In a Letter to Church Members dated June 24, 1988 the First Presidency at the time asked us in our storage activities to focus on vital basic foods that can help us survive. Among the basics mentioned were legumes.

PRACTICES: Legumes include peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts. Legumes are nutritious, offering those who eat them a rich source of amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. To get a complete protein, you need only eat legumes on the same day as other foods providing complementary amino acids, such as grains. Cooked legumes can be used in soups, stews, casseroles, and salads. Most uncooked legumes can be sprouted. Proper storage, preparation and consumption of legumes allows them to serve as a rewarding component of one’s diet. Legumes tend to be relatively inexpensive. This, the first part of a two-part series, focuses on kinds and uses of legumes, and on long-term legume storage. The second part will address sorting, rinsing, soaking, cooking, and digesting beans.

Kinds of legumes. Legumes that can be purchased locally and stored long-term include adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chick peas (or garbanzo beans), great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, peanuts, peas, pink/red beans, and pinto beans.

Uses of legumes. Adzuki beans can be used in chili in place of kidney or small red beans. Black beans, as well as pinto beans, are used in many Mexican and Latin-American dishes with rice. Black-eyed peas cook quickly; they are often used as a side dish. Chick peas are used in salads and in making hummus and falafel. Great northern beans are used for baked beans or in salads, casseroles, soups and stews. Though they must first be cooked to break down a toxin, kidney beans can be added to salads or chili. Lentils cook quickly without pre-soaking and are great for soups, stews and far-eastern dishes. Lima beans are used as a side dish or in succotash, soups or casseroles. Mung beans, like lentils, cook quickly without pre-soaking. Navy beans are favorites in soups and baked beans. Peanuts do not store well, but some homogenized peanut butters can store for up to two years in jars. Pink/red beans work well for chili. Peas, if split, are good for soup. Uncooked beans can be sprouted and eaten. Beans can be ground for refried (Pinto) beans or soup thickener.

Storage of legumes. Legumes canned in liquid can be stored for several years. Dry legumes can be stored in #10 cans for 10+ years. Dry legumes should be stored in an oxygen-free environment, one that is cool, dark and dry. Beans stored dry tend to get hard after several years but are still edible; they need softening before cooking and eating, or they can be ground. Softening can be achieved by pressure-cooking or by soaking with added baking soda. Freeze-dried legumes, including green peas and green beans, can be stored, if processed very dry, for one or more decades.

For more, see www.mayoclinic.com/health/legumes/NU00260; http://ift.confex.com/ift/2005/techprogram/paper_28584.htm; http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/dry-beans

Graphics credits:

Fresh green beans: www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/images/fresh_beans_01.jpg

Mixed dry beans: www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/images/beans_h.jpg

Great northern beans: www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/041223.bean.jpg

Pinto beans: www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/jul98/k8089-2i.jpg

Black-eyed peas: www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/images/blackeyed-peas-4.jpg

Chick peas (garbanzo beans): www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/051228.chickpeas-i.jpg

Red lentils: www.girlshealth.gov/nutrition/images/beans.jpg

Mung beans: http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/standard/vira4_001_shp.jpg

Red beans in chili: http://fitness.ksc.nasa.gov/images/fitness/health/recipes/layeredchipfinal.jpg