Water - Part 2

Today is the second in a series about water. You can find the first part here.

As I mentioned last week, the first part of my water storage is cases of bottled water. Because these bottles are typically made of thinner plastic, we rotate them frequently.

The second part of my master water plan is 3-gallon heavy duty bottles. These are the types of bottles that you would expect to use in a water cooler (however, we don't). They are thick, sturdy plastic with a white cap. I have purchased them from both a Water & Ice type store, and I have found them at Basha's. I originally chose 3-gallon bottles as opposed to 5-gallon bottles because I can heft and handle one of these bottles. The 5-gallon bottles, however, are too unwieldy for me to handle comfortably.

We currently have 12 of these bottles that we rotate through. Whenever we get down to only having about half of them fully, Johnny will go to a water place and fill the empty ones up. You could easily use tap water to fill them up, too. To facilitate rotation, we keep a container in our refrigerator that has a spigot, and fill it up as needed using these 3-gallon bottles. Right now, because it is so hot outside, we are filling up the container nearly each evening, which equates to rotating our entire supply approximately every two weeks.

The two biggest challenges I have encountered with this part of our water storage is first, where to store the bottles, and second, keeping track of when they were filled. Both were easily solved. We store our bottles in the laundry room. When Johnny built me a wonderful set of shelves last year, I specifically designed them to be tall enough that two cases of bottle water will stack on top of each other underneath the bottom shelf. This is also the perfect height for the bottles. That solved our "where to put them" problem. As far as dating them, you can use a crayon to write the date on the white plastic cap. When you use that bottle, wipe the date off using a Magic Eraser sponge.

Next week, I'll write about the two parts of my water storage that deal with storing water for 6-months at a time. If you have any ideas or suggestions on what has worked for your families, please share them!

Home Made Spagetti Sauce

I am a little picky on my spaghetti sauce. It has been difficult for me to find a spaghetti sauce I like that is a reasonable price to purchase for food storage. I recently came across this recipe and have used it several times. I love it. It is simple, healthy, and home made with items that could be in your food storage.

The recipe has two parts to it. The first is a dry mix that you could have premeasured and in individual bags for added convenience.

Spaghetti Seasoning Mix:
1 T minced onion (I have used chopped and it worked fine.)
1 T parsley flakes
1 T cornstarch (I leave this out it keeps it a little more saucy and not as thick)
1 T salt
¼ t instant minced garlic
1 t sugar
1 T dried green pepper (I don’t have this in my food storage so haven’t made the recipe with it yet. I am sure it tastes great though)
¼ t basil
¼ t thyme
¼ t sage
¼ t marjoram
¼ t oregano

Spaghetti Sauce:
2 lb of ground beef
2 16 oz cans tomatoes
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
2 4 oz cans mushrooms (never put this in I don’t like mushrooms)
3 T of seasoning mix (I just put all the

Brown ground beef and add all ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes.

I have made it with a few variations. For example; I have not used meat yet. I have added 1 pint jar of pinto beans, which was pretty good. I don’t have thyme or marjoram in my spice cabinet yet so I haven’t made it using those two spices yet, however the flavor is great.

Also I use diced tomatoes and my cans are 14.5 oz. If you are worried about your family not enjoying the tomato bites, just throw the tomatoes in the blender or food processor first. If I make the recipe as is, our family of 3 only uses half. I put the leftovers in a freezer container and keep it for days that I don’t want to be cooking. You could probably make a double batch to get the same effect.

Bottom line, TRY IT. It is a fast recipe, if it wasn’t it would not be in my collection of favorites.

Happy cooking!

Water - Introduction & Part 1

Just a reminder: The Food Storage 101 class is THIS SATURDAY!!!

There are so many important components to Food Storage. One that is often neglected is water. Speaking from my own experience, I put off having water as a part of my Food Storage for a while. I'm not sure why it was so hard for me, but it was. Maybe it was because I don't buy soda pop in 2-liter bottles, except at Christmas time, and then the bottles are already earmarked for our annual Day-After-Christmas Bottle Rocket contest. Maybe it was that the thought of actually having to drink the six-month-old water that has been sitting in the 55-gallon drum on my back porch suddenly made me feel not very thirsty. Maybe it was because the first time I tried storing water, one of the containers sprung a link, and I didn't know it until it had made a big mess. Whatever the reasons, water was my food storage hang-up. I just didn't understand how important water truly is. In the All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet that is published by the Church, water is listed as the second thing you need to focus on, right after your Three-Month Supply, and two steps ahead of building a Longer-Term Supply! Water is so important!

Now, my water storage system has four parts. I rotate each part on a regular basis. This accomplishes two things. First, it keeps the water tasting as good as possible. Second, if there is a problem, such as a leak, it is detected before a lot of damage can be done. A few years ago when I discovered my leaky water container, I called my mom to warn her, knowing that she had purchased the exact same product I had. Sure enough, hers had leaked, too. I was more fortunate than she was. Only one of my containers leaked, and though it made a mess, there was no damage to anything, as I caught it early. Evidently, two of her containers had been leaking, and for a longer time, causing damage to the drywall. This experience reiterated the importance of regularly rotating your water so that minor problems don't turn into larger ones.

The first part of my personal water storage system is very, very easy. It's simply plastic water bottles. Whenever the 24-pack cases of water go on sale (ideally for $1.99, but $2.50 is a decent price if I am running low), I buy them. I have a spot in my laundry room that is easily accessible, and that allows not only for easy rotation, but also lets me keep an eye on things so that I can spot a leak soon after it occurs. Because these bottles are thin, they are the most susceptible of the four methods I use for storing water to leaking. However, I have never had a single one leak, probably because I am careful about where and how I store them, and rotate them regularly. The individual bottles prove to be especially convenient in the summer for grabbing quickly on our way out the door. This helps a lot with rotation, too. My sister also uses this idea as a part of her water storage strategy, and has had a lot of success with it as well.

To make rotation easier, I use a permanent marker to mark each case of water with the expiration date that is stamped on the individual bottles. I write the month and year fairly largely on the outside plastic, and then I stack them so that the case with the nearest date gets used first. Whenever I buy new cases of water, I put them behind or underneath the older ones. This is the same method I use for all of my food storage. Taking the few extra seconds to do this as you putting things way really helps to make rotation easier.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing the other parts of my water storage system. If you have any ideas or suggestions on what has worked for your family, please share them!

Additional information from the Church on storing water: Water

Aunt Norma's Whole Wheat Waffle Mix

My great-aunt Norma was one of my most favorite people. She was amazing at so many things. She always said that these waffles should be served when "there is just a nip of Fall in the air". Though Fall is a long way off from our 110° Arizona Summer days, my dad is getting a fancy waffle iron for Father's Day (his request) from my sisters and I, and I'm also making up a batch of this mix to go with it.

Aunt Norma's Whole Wheat Waffle Mix

Combine the following, and store in an airtight container in the freezer:
10 C. Whole Wheat Flour
4 C. AP White Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Baking Powder
2 C. Powdered Milk
4 tsp. Salt

To make waffles for 6-8 people, mix:
4 C. Dry Waffle Mix
4 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 C. Oil
3 1/2 C. Water

Whisk together well, and bake in a ready waffle iron.

Counsel from President Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley, “To Men of the Priesthood,” Ensign, Nov 2002, 56

I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family.

None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment may affect any of us.

We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary.

I do not predict any impending disaster. I hope that there will not be one. But prudence should govern our lives. Everyone who owns a home recognizes the need for fire insurance. We hope and pray that there will never be a fire. Nevertheless, we pay for insurance to cover such a catastrophe, should it occur.

We ought to do the same with reference to family welfare.

We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week’s food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. As all of you recognize, this counsel is not new. But I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.

Begin in a small way, my brethren, and gradually build toward a reasonable objective. Save a little money regularly, and you will be surprised how it accumulates.

Get out of debt and rid yourself of the terrible bondage that debt brings.