Ideas for a Three Month's Supply

Provident Principles and Practices

© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLE: President Gordon B. Hinckley, in this talk, “To Men of the Priesthood”, encourages Church members to begin our food storage programs by getting first a week's supply, and then building that gradually until we obtain a three months supply (Ensign, Nov 2002, p. 58).

PRACTICES: Here are some ideas about possible foods. Modify to meet your family's wants and needs.

THREE MONTH'S SUPPLY

BAKING
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cornmeal
Corn starch
Muffin mix
Pancake mix
Vanilla
Vinegar
Wheat flour
Yeast

BEANS
Canned beans (black, pinto, chili, etc.)
Dry beans
Refried beans

CONDIMENTS
Ketchup, mayo, mustard, pickles, salad dressing, sauces, etc.

DESSERTS
Cake mix, jello, puddings, etc.

FRUITS
Canned fruit
Dried fruit (raisins, dates, apples, etc.)
Frozen fruit
Fruit juice

GRAINS
Cold/hot cereals
Pastas
Rice
Wheat (cracked, sprouted, crackers, etc.)

SEASONINGS
Cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, pepper, salt, etc.

VEGETABLES
Canned veggies
Frozen veggies
Potatoes
MEAT
Canned meat and fish
Frozen meat and fish

DAIRY
Evaporated milk
Powdered milk
Waxed hard cheese

OILS/FATS
Butter
Nuts and seeds
Oil (extra virgin olive, canola, etc.)
Peanut butter

SOUPS AND STEWS
Various

SWEETENERS
Brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, molasses, sugar, etc.

OTHER

Graphics are from http://fitness.ksc.nasa.gov/images/fitness/health/recipes/dutchapplepancakes.jpg,
www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/images/dryfruit_h.jpg,
www.nps.gov/petr/historyculture/images/Ristras.jpg, http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/IMAGES/I-70f.gif, www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/February05/Findings/images/finding_cheese.jpg and
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/images/oliveoil.jpg.

A Three Months’ Supply of Everyday Foods

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLE: The providentliving.org Web site reiterates counsel from recent prophets asking us to gather a small supply of foods that we normally eat on a daily basis. One possible approach to doing this is to buy some extra food items every week. We can build our collection little by little until we have a full three months' supply. We need to make sure that we keep rotating that supply, using up old items before using new ones. – See www.providentliving.org/content/list/0,11664,7445-1,00.html

PRACTICES: For over 150 years, Church leaders have asked us to store food as part of a program of living providently. Where possible, they currently suggest that we begin our program by building and maintaining a three-month supply of foods that we normally eat and routinely replenish.

Under appropriate storage conditions, conventional long-term storage foods, e.g., grains, legumes, powdered milk, sugar or honey, and salt, can be stored for decades. However, many of us currently do not know how to effectively prepare and use them. Using long-term storage foods may involve learning how to use grinders, rollers, sprouters, mixers, solar ovens or camp stoves and other tools; finding, developing and sharing recipes; experimenting with soaking and sprouting; trying out different cooking methods, etc. In the aftermath of a large-scale emergency or disaster, having a three-month supply of everyday foods will give us a window of time to learn how to use our long-term storage foods while still subsisting on familiar foods that we already know how to prepare.

Also, many people are not used to eating much grain or legumes. An attempt to suddenly switch from a normal diet to a diet rich in grains and legumes, intended primarily for basic survival, could be difficult physically for many people (e.g., digestion or food-sensitivity issues). It may take time to transition to long-term storage foods, and having a three-month supply of ordinary foods on hand may make a transition to a diet rich in grains and legumes much more comfortable.

Finally, a three-month supply of ordinary foods may help people get through a pandemic wave. The Church recently published eight fact sheets on preparing for pandemic influenza. During a pandemic, the Church recommends social distancing, e.g., staying at least six feet apart from others outside of family, and washing hands carefully, as viruses can be picked up from contaminated environmental surfaces. Of people who get influenza from H5N1 virus, about 60% die. Currently, H5N1 is not easily transmitted from person to person in a sustained manner. However, most experts believe that this virus, or some other virus, will ultimately mutate, allowing easy transmission, and causing illness worldwide. In an H5N1 pandemic, the fatality rate from the virus will likely decrease, but it may still be high. Many people will get sick or die; many will be quarantined. Experts say profound social disruption and food shortages are likely. If feasible, staying at home is advised. Having a three month supply of food may help your family survive. It is said that Dr. Robert G. Webster, a renowned H5N1-influenza expert, is prepared with a three-month supply of food and water at home.

Credits: Picture of cereal and label retrieved 22 Aug 2008 from http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/050512.ironcereal.gif; picture of cans is Microsoft clip art; drawing of someone not feeling well retrieved 22 Aug 2008 from http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepb_ez/images/sick.gif; photo of people afflicted by a wave of the 1918 pandemic influenza retrieved 22 Aug 2008 from http://www.lanl.gov/science/1663/images/flu_hospital_lg.jpg.
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To learn more about the relationship between pandemics and food, see www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/individual/index.html#social, http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8041-1-4414-1,00.html (Church Web pages), and http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/AvianFlu/story?id=1724801&page=1 (Interview with Dr. Webster).

LDS Home Storage Center in Mesa, Arizona

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLE: “Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide for our wants to be supplied.” – Hymn 94.

Full words and music to this hymn can be found at http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=1&searchseqstart=94&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=94&searchsubseqend=ZZZ

PRACTICES: Thankfully, God, our Maker, does provide a way for us to obtain supplies to fulfill our wants and needs before the winter storms begin. We can safely gather harvested food and other edibles for our homes, either in bulk form (in commercial bags or boxes) or in dry-pack (canned) form, at an LDS Cannery or Home Storage Center (HSC). In Mesa, Arizona, the HSC is in the back part of the complex located at 235 S. El Dorado, off Broadway Road, near Loop 101.

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At the HSC, you can gather and dry pack food as part of your three-month supply of foods that you routinely eat or as part of your long-term storage. Products are rotated on a three-month cycle.

In January, April, July, and October you can dry pack Dry Milk, Regular Oats, Macaroni, Carrots, Apples, and Pinto Beans.

In February, May, August, and November you can dry pack Potato Flakes, Fruit Drink Mix, Sugar, Black Beans, and Rice.

In March, June, September, and December you can dry pack White Beans, Refried Beans, Hot Cocoa Mix, Flour, Onions, and Red Wheat.

Members of the Queen Creek North Stake have an opportunity to order food and then go to the HSC and dry pack it at 1 p.m. on Stake Home Storage Day, the second Tuesday of every month.

To order, phone your ward cannery specialist five to six weeks before Stake Home Storage Day. Let this person know what you’ll need. This person will submit your order to the Stake, which will then submit it to the HSC, and the HSC will prepare the right amount of food.


Each family that orders must send at least one family member to the HSC on Stake Home Storage Day to can food, clean up, pay for the food (checks or money orders only), and take the food home. ...

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If you can’t go on Home Storage Day, the HSC also sets aside the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month so that members, by appointment, can go and dry pack products available that month. To make an appointment, call Brother and Sister Carter at the HSC at (480) 214-9114. You can also arrange to borrow one of their canning machines and/or buy cans, lids, boxes, plastic covers, etc.

Nonoriginal graphics retrieved 10 August 2008 from

www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/images/beans_pinto.jpg
www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/images/carrots.jpg
www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/aug01/k9566-1i.jpg www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/images/apple_3.jpg
www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/rice_watercolor_h23.jpg
www.nidcd.nih.gov/staticresources/health/inside/spr08/onions.jpg
http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/wEST/nsf/wheat.jpg www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/041223.bean.jpg
www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/check.gif.

The drawing of the rice is by Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science Foundation.

To learn about food product costs, how much of a given product is found in a #10 can, or for how long you can store a given product, take a look at the home storage center order form, found at
http://providentliving.org/pfw/multimedia/files/pfw/pdf/113827_HSOrderForm_US_JUL_08_pdf.pdf

Wheat and Other Grains: Long-Term Storage

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLES: “The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, volume 1, p. 250) .

“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)

LDS leaders have not specified everything that each family should store for long-term storage. They have provided us with some guidelines. They suggest that we focus on foods that will allow us to stay alive if no other food is available. Among these foods are wheat and other grains (First Presidency Letter, June 24, 1988; Elder Keith B. McMullin, General Conference, April 2007).

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PRACTICES: Grain is a nutritious long-term food storage item for most people. Wheat, in particular, stores well. At the cannery, you may can wheat in #10 cans once every three months on Stake Canning Day. Order one month ahead. For example, if you request it from the ward canning specialist before Aug 10th, 2008, you may can wheat on the Stake Canning Day at 1:00 p.m. on Sept 9th, 2008 at the LDS cannery in Mesa. You can also purchase good wheat at a reasonable price from some local stores. Usually, each adult needs 300-400 lbs of grain per year for long-term storage.

Uses for Wheat. Wheat can be ground for flour used in many dishes; cracked or rolled for hot cereal; sprouted for snacks, casseroles, etc.; or, grown as wheat grass, blended to make drinks.

Types of Wheat Desirable for Storage. Hard, red or white, winter wheat; high protein content (more than 13%); low-moisture content (less than 10%); triple cleaned; and free from weevils or other bugs.

Storage Containers. Sealed #10 cans with oxygen-removing packets kept in a cool place preserve wheat’s nutrition for up to 30 years and keep out pests. Mylar bags with oxygen-removing packets placed in closed HDPE buckets also preserve wheat well. Wheat stored in containers without oxygen-removing packets may sprout better in the long run but runs the risk of weevil infestation. .

Graphics retrieved 7 August 2008 from (top to bottom) http://minerals.usgs.gov/west/images/gold.GIF; www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/images/am-i-proud-s.jpg (with title deleted using Paint); www.nia.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/776CF822-4FC2-4AD7-8783-EAFF0F808051/5791/eating4grains1.JPG; and www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/sep07/d001-1i.jpg

More Info: http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7532-1-4063-1,00.html; http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7533-1-4064-1,00.html. Next: LDS Mesa Cannery.

Your Own Water Drum Storage Rack

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLES: LDS leaders have urged us to develop self-reliance and independence. They have encouraged us, to the extent that we are able, to produce our own goods needed to sustain life. (See, for example, Spencer W. Kimball, General Conference, April 1976).

PRACTICES: In this newsletter, we discuss building your own water drum storage rack.

A filled 55-gallon water drum is very heavy. Here are some ideas that a good brother gave me for constructing strong homemade storage rack for orienting two water drums horizontally for easy filling and drainage. The rack is 31.75 inches wide, 42 inches high, and 32 inches deep. When building and using any storage rack, do so at your own risk . . . get guidance from a pro, if needed.

Wood:

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(4 pieces) 2” x 4” x 42” 2x4s for upright posts
(2 pieces) 29.75” x 36” x 1.25” plywood for sides
(2 pieces) 31.75” x 12” x 1.25” plywood, front and back, lower drum
(2 pieces) 31.75” x 6” x 1.25” plywood, front and back, upper drum

Fasteners:

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(20 items) 4” x 3/8” lag (screw) bolts for front and back plywood
(20 items) 4” x 3/8” hex or carriage bolts for side plywood

Container/taps:

(2 items) new 55-gal food-grade HDPE closed-top drums with bungs
(2 items) threaded water faucets or taps to put in lower bungs

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Filling a Drum. Open the top bung in one 55-gal drum. Connect the threaded faucet or tap in the lower bung to a clean hose. Open the valve on the faucet. Turn water on. Shut off water when you see the water level rise near the top bung. Turn off the valve on the faucet. Close the top bung.

Coming Soon: Dry Pack Canning at the LDS Mesa Cannery

Creative Storage Spaces for Food, Water, Etc.

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLES: LDS leaders have acknowledged that we may face financial or space issues as we strive to obey the counsel to store food and non-food items. However, they have encouraged us to store as much as we can, given our circumstances (See, for example, the message of the First Presidency, 2007, in All is Safely Gathered in: Family Home Storage).

PRACTICES: Finding space for storing food, water, clothing, and fuel can be challenging. Where possible, store food in cool, dark and dry areas. A dry basement may be ideal. Avoid garages (unless air conditioned) and attics. Consider safety issues. Place heavy goods on concrete, on floors over a concrete slab, or on floors sufficiently supported to hold the weight. Storage near support walls is best. Some storage-space ideas are given here. You can find others as you ponder and pray.

Heavy-Duty Shelving. Strong metal shelving designed to hold objects of great weight is available through wholesale warehouses. Make sure that shelving is put together properly, close to or touching the wall (you may need shims under the front legs), sturdy after being assembled, and immovable after being loaded. Carpenters or others with skills and tools can make similar shelving using plywood or planks and 2” x 4”s (but be wary of termites). Shelving can be placed in pantries, rooms or basements; along hallways; or under stairways (an entrance to the space may need to be opened up first). Used pallet rack can be employed in a garage. Curtains on rods can cover shelves.
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Basements. On-floor options: heavy-duty shelving, buckets, stacked boxes of #10 cans or flats of canned goods on pallets, 55-gallon water drums on mats, mylar bags in lidded metal garbage cans.

In Closets. Boxes of #10 cans can be stacked in closets up to an upper shelf or even to the ceiling, if sufficient floor support exists. A single layer of boxes of cans or cases of water topped by a mat can provide a surface on which to put shoes, located below a shirt or dress rack. 5- or 6-gallon buckets can be placed one or two levels high in a closet. Back-of-door storage may work in some closets.

Under Beds. Cans on flats or in boxes can be placed under beds or cribs. Bed mattresses can be placed on stacked boxes of #10 cans. You can place plywood with rounded corners and taped sides on top of a layer of two dozen or so 5-gallon buckets and place a mattress directly on that.

Rooms. Boxes of #10 cans can be stacked in corners near support walls, if there is sufficient floor support. Nightstands, end tables or coffee tables can be made of draped storage containers. A layer of #10 cans in boxes can support carpeted plywood panels that together comprise a raised floor.

Garages. 55-gal drums can be set on pads on the floor. Custom wooden racks can store water drums horizontally. Items that can withstand temperatures in a garage can be stored on used pallet rack or on heavy-duty shelving. Some use A/C in a garage to make storage of canned goods possible there.

Click on photos to magnify them and see details.

Credits: Heavy-duty metal shelving, wood shelving, garbage can, under-bed storage, and wall storage photos are used by permission from a .ppt presentation called "Why Should You Be Prepared" by avfoodstorage as found at
http://www.ldsavow.com/forum/downloads.php?do=file&id=436

Other photos are from homes of members of the DM Ward.

Additional info: www.byub.org/livingessentials/shows/15.asp;
http://extension.usu.edu/htm/faq/faq_q=465; Coming Soon: Dry Pack Canning at the LDS Mesa Cannery

Treating Suspect Water: Additional Methods

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLES: LDS leaders have asked us to obtain and lay up in store not only food but also other supplies that we may need in an emergency or a disaster so that we may live (See, for example, L. Tom Perry, General Conference, October 1995),

PRACTICES: Here, we briefly describe six additional water treatment methods and associated supplies that may help sustain life in an emergency. We do not endorse any particular product.

Solar Distillation (SD). Properly maintained swimming-pool water, if not otherwise treated, may be used for washing, cleaning, etc. However, most experts recommend against using it “as is” for drinking. But a homemade solar still ($300) purifies even swimming pool water. ~ 67% of the water is “wasted” but that can be used for bathing, etc. SD also works for brackish or turbid water.

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Reverse Osmosis (RO). Katadyn is the only company in the world that makes hand-operated RO units. RO can be used to treat many types of water. The Katadyn Survivor 35, often used by military forces and ocean adventurers, requires lots of arm power, but it can produce up to a gallon of clean fresh water per hour, even from seawater. One couple, the Butlers, survived at sea in a raft for 66 days, drinking only water treated by one of these units! Unfortunately, chlorinated water, as found in swimming pools, destroys membranes in the Survivor 35 and most other RO units; these cannot be used to treat pool water. 80-90% of water is “wasted”. These units are not cheap: ~ $1,900.00.

Condensation from Air. New machines running on electricity may condense up to several gallons of clean drinking water per day from humidity in the atmosphere, if relative humidity is sufficiently high. Relatively expensive, these machines treat air and water with filtration and/or UV light.
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MIOX. About 7” long, the MIOX Water Purifier by MSR uses 3V lithium-cell current, salt and water to electrolytically produce a solution of mixed oxidants, which is poured into water requiring treatment; it then kills viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. Unit cost is $120-140. Batteries and salt need replacement after treating 200 L water. Shelf life for batteries is 7-10 years. Salt lasts indefinitely.

Steripen Adventurer. Treating up to 1 L of water at a time, this handheld, UV-based, battery- or solar-powered device kills viruses, bacteria and protozoa in ~ 1-2 minutes. It works only with clear, non-turbid water. Unit cost: $100 (battery) or $150 (battery/solar). Battery shelf life: 7-10 years.

Solar Disinfection (SODIS). A cheap and proven technology for water treatment used worldwide, SODIS kills pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and protozoa using UV light and heat from the sun. Water is filtered through a cheesecloth or cloth and poured into clean, clear 1-L or 2-L PET bottles and set in sunlight from 6 hours (on a sunny summer day) up to 2 days (cloudy or wintry days). Bottles are placed on a reflective metal or foil surface, if possible.

Photo of sun retrieved 17 July 2008 from www.swpc.noaa.gov/primer/primer_graphics/Sun.png

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Picture of raft is clip art modified in Paint.

Photo of people using SODIS retrieved 21 June 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Solar_power and used under GNU license.

Additional info: See results from a Google search on Humidity Machine Water; http://solar.nmsu.edu/publications/1437ISESpaper05.pdf; www.solaqua.com/solstilbas.html#stillop; http://www.katadyn.com/; http://www.miox.com/; http://www.steripen.com/; http://www.sodis.ch/. Next: Creative Storage Spaces.

Treating Suspect Water: Common Methods

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLE: LDS leaders have taught us that we may need to treat suspect water in an emergency or a disaster situation to deal with potentially harmful microbes. They have suggested storing agents for water-purification (See, for example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Essentials of Home Production and Storage, p. 11).

PRACTICES: Harmful microbes may be found in water in natural water bodies as well as in some tanks, pipes, etc. If ingested live, these microbes can cause mild to severe or even life-threatening illnesses. You can minimize your risk of water-borne illness by properly treating suspect water. Water from rain, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and springs can be ingested after it is treated, so long as the water is not also impacted by metals, chemicals or radioactive particles. Here are some of the more common types of water treatment available to the average person.

Pre-Treatment. Pre-treat any water containing plant material, sediment, silt, insects, rust or other visible debris. Let coarse materials in the water settle, strain out debris from the remaining water through a coffee filter, cheesecloth or clean cloth, and collect the water, now ready for treatment.

Boiling. An effective method for killing harmful microbes is to boil water for at least a minute. Downsides to boiling are (1) a heat source and cooking pot are needed; (2) boiling uses a great deal of fuel; (3) use of a heat source requires supervision; (4) heating water to boiling takes much time and cooling it afterward prior to drinking also takes much time, and (5) boiling makes treated water taste “flat”. The flatness, however, can be remedied by pouring water back and forth between two containers to aerate it. In contrast to some chemical methods, boiling will kill illness-causing protozoa such as Cryptosporidia and Giardia, found in some natural waters, tanks, pipes, etc.

Filtering Via Gravity. Use a gravity-fed 0.2-micron filter unit with an upper reservoir for suspect water and a lower reservoir for treated water. Most units filter several gallons per day, removing bacteria and protozoa but not viruses (uncommon in U.S. waters). You may also treat chemically.

Filtering by Hand Pump. Use a 0.2-micron filter unit. Back up, if needed, with chemical treatment.

Treatment Using Regular Bleach. You can treat suspect water by mixing 1/8th teaspoon (or 1/4th tsp if the water is cloudy) unscented 5-6% sodium hypochlorite per gallon of water. Avoid any bleach in which ingredients include chemicals other than sodium hypochlorite and water. Avoid surfactants, perfumes, and other substances. Let the solution stand for 30 minutes or more. This method kills viruses and bacteria but not protozoan cysts.

Treatment Using Water-Purification Tablets. Only one type of water-purification tablet is EPA registered as a purifier, effective against protozoa, viruses and bacteria: Katadyn’s Micropur MP1. For cold, dirty water, treatment time is four hours. For warm, clear water, treatment may occur in 15 minutes (see www.equipped.org/watrfood.htm). (For info only: we do not endorse any product.)

Notes: Up to 8% of people respond adversely to iodine, once widely used to treat water. Hydrogen peroxide is hazardous, not recommended for home use, at high concentrations (>8%); at lower ones, it fails to treat water well.

Photo of protozoan Giardia lamblia retrieved 13 July 2008 from www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/october2007/images/parasite_l.gif

Photo of pot and boiling retrieved 13 July 2008 from http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures/wcsublimationpot.jpg

Picture of pouring water back and forth retrieved 13 July 2008 from www.epa.gov/OGWDW/faq/images/emerg_image3.jpg

Picture of bleach bottle retrieved 21 June 2008 from http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/pdf/flyer-keepfoodsafe.pdf

Additional info: www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06704.html and www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1494/build/g1494.pdf

Next week, more on treating suspect water.