Each store has a vibe, and the Orem Costco is…a ray of sunshine. Even when I’m shoving a dorky bookmark into their hands (a promotional piece advertising my book and the website) the people are friendly, OPEN, and cheerfully willing to hear me out. I love Orem! It really is a happy place.

Then, besides all of that goodness, there was this PRINCE of a young man that stopped to ask me a few questions. He very politley let me explain the process I suggest in the book for building a functioning food storage and said, “I’m going to buy your book because I really appreciate that you went to all this work to help others”.  (excuse me?)

Okay, I want to adopt him…as a son-in-law. He said he was a student (!), single (!!), and wanting to get his food storage in order!!!! (Dang it. Where are those girls when I need them???) 

A few good men. That’s all I’m looking for! The girls loooove me to help. A smart, thoughtful, handsome young man that understands the value of food storage, early. It’s this mother-in-law’s dream come true.

Helping and hindering, all along the way.

I don’t think we’re anywhere near the bottom on this global economic slide-down-the-hill. I constantly feel a great urgency that we’re in fact nearing the bottom of our opportunity  to have followed inspired guidance. Back in November of 1998, an advance warning came to us from the Prophet of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley.  In his message, To the Boys and to the Men, he talked about how “the economy is a fragile thing” and then shared his personal feelings of being ”troubled by the huge consumer installment debt which hangs over the people of the nation, including our own people”. (Mormons)

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to hear Sister Sheri Dew speak on this very same topic, which was of course amazing, wonderful, and completely inspiring. On the drive home the thought came to me that the church’s dry-pack canneries will not always have food. As much as I don’t want to believe that serious food shortages could ever be a reality, they simply are and, like President Hinckley said, ”we had better give heed”.

So yesterday, I drove down to the cannery that’s nearest to my home and had a little impromptu chat with both the managers of the wet-pack (applesauce, salsa, jams, peaches, etc.) and dry-pack (wheat, rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, etc.) operations. What I learned was that food orders at the Bishop’s Storehouse have already doubled and continue to grow. That’s the bad news. The good news is that members of the L.D.S. church are still welcome to bring their neighbors and friends to the Home Canning Centers in order to share what is a flat-out remarkable system for preparing the most economical and durable long-term food storage.

Sometimes I worry that members of the church are waiting for some kind of alarm to be sounded from Temple Square with a booming voice over a loud speaker that says, “Stop what you’re doing and go buy your food storage right now!” But I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. Instead, the Prophet will give advance warnings, through General Conference messages, as he did over ten years ago.

“This is part of the temporal gospel in which we believe. May the Lord bless you, my beloved brethren, to set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That’s all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable.”

Anything we do today, that moves us towards the goal of a year supply of basic dry goods, a three month supply of foods we normally eat, some water, and a little savings of cash set aside, is better than doing nothing.

President Spencer W. Kimball emphasized the practical concepts when he taught, “Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivation a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.”

However! Tonight, when the evening news reported more freezing rain, temperatures continuing to drop below freezing, and snow throughout the weekend with another arctic blast expected on Sunday, I felt a lot of peace knowing that my daughter’s little rental cottage is well stocked with food that could be shared with our neighbors.

Storms happen. Building and maintaining a viable food storage simply means we are better able to deal with those storms and help others in times of need. I’m so glad that more and more people are beginning to see that logic, and opportunity. I’m thankful for the inspired leadership which has been actively teaching the principles of provident living for decades!

From the All Is Safely Gathered In pamphlet:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. (A warm hello to new readers visiting this site from China, Finland, Bolgaria and South Africa!)

We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings, Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to extablish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.

We realize that some of you may not have financial resources or space for such storage. some of you may be prohibited by law from storing large amounts of food. We encourage you to store as much as circumstances allow.

May the Lord bless you in your home storage efforts. The First Presidency

What’s not to love?

A wheat grinder is a great ‘mommy tool’ but there are countless creative ways to use wheat besides just grinding it into flour. My very best strategy for using the wheat from our food storage is to simply cook it and then add it to normal recipes. (Click on the recipe section for a few examples.) If you Google major cooking sites like the Food Network and search ‘wheat berries’ you’ll find at least fifty tasty suggestions that incorporate whole wheat into soups, salads, sides, and main dish casseroles.

As I’ve mentioned before, I set a goal for my family where I serve something prepared with whole wheat berries at least once a week. Besides the obvious health and nutritional benefits, I want my family to be very comfortable and even enjoy eating the wheat we have stored. I want wheat to be a significant part of our regular diet.

So, don’t be discouraged if you haven’t purchased a wheat grinder. I believe that when it comes to our food storage budget, the most important investment has got to be the FOOD. And even in an emergency, a wheat grinder is something that could easily be shared.

Fresh Ingredients

1 c. slivered fresh snow peas

1/4 c. chopped green onions

Storage Ingredients

3 c. cooked whole wheat berries

1 can garbanzo beans (15 oz.)

1/2 c. dried apricots, sliced

1/2 c. dried cranberries

3 Tbsp. toasted walnut oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour over all the other combined ingredients. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Makes 8 side-dish servings.

I found this recipe in the February 2008 Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It was listed under the Healthy Category. I guess it won some sort of contest.

“My wife is always searching out new grains,” said winner Jamaine Batson of Salt Lake City. “This recipe gives wheat berries a nice light touch” said the judges.

Sounds good to me!

THREE-MONTH SUPPLY

Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage. (Please see www.providentliving.org for more information.)                  

In any type of design project there is always a starting point. There is a concept or a goal and then everything builds out from that point. In designing a three-month supply food storage you can start with one recipe that you know your family enjoys.

Quick example. When I was at the cannery last Saturday, my friend, Dee, mentioned that she has food storage but doesn’t always know how to use it. This is exactly where the three-month supply comes in.  

I asked Dee what she cooks for dinner and more specifically, “what’s something you cook that your family really loves?” She immediately began to explain a favorite curry dish. With chopped vegetables simmering in water, she adds a package of curry gravy mix, and serves it over hot rice.

So that’s it. It’s that easy. Dee’s family loves the curry dish and it’s a perfect food storage dinner. The rice is from her long-term supply, the curry mix is from her three-month supply, and the fresh vegetables are from her refrigerator, or immediate supply. All Dee needs to do is buy three packages of the curry gravy mix the next time she’s at the store and she’s got…food storage game.

If you want to design a food storage that makes sense for your own family just take a closer look at what you’re already doing and build out from that point. We already eat every day and spend a portion of our time planning and preparing meals. Using our food storage can make the process easier! Check out what the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball taught:

“Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.”

My food storage philosophy is to just do exactly what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recommended. I am one voice who believes 100% in the information published on www.providentliving.org. I think that information comes from the research efforts of a major university, B.Y.U., and at least 70 years of inspired prophetic leadership.

All I have to add is a visual. Well, and the testimony of a slacker. (I’m not kidding when I say that I don’t like to cook.) In my work as a designer, a major part of my job is to help people see new possibilities for their home. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to share with this website. I can simply give one illustration, possible solutions, of how a food storage, per the exact recommendations of the Church, might look. I can show you mine. And I can put a price on it and tell you how big it’s going to be. (just like what I do with furniture) Oh yea, and I know how to make, I mean, help my family eat it. No gimmicks, allowed. I don’t think we need them. The program is inspired!

If anyone asks you what’s my food storage philosophy please tell them that I believe we should all just follow the direction that comes from the First Presidency. Nothing more, nothing less. If they want to have more details, or further explanation, I hope this website will be useful.

This is what we do. Lay two long sticks of wood on the floor. I think we use 2 x 4’s. Then we stack our food storage boxes on top of the boards so that air can circulate. Done. That’s our shelving system. We stack the boxes. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

If only 14 guests would each give 2 cases of food storage, the happy couple would have a year supply completed in one night. But we need www.lds.org to create a wedding registry so that no one ends up with 28 cases of macaroni. That would be bad.

Better yet, we could have bridal showers, or bachelor parties, at the cannery. I haven’t tried this yet but I can totally see myself going there. Tons of theme potential. Besides that, this gift can’t be returned so it becomes sort of a food storage hostage situation. Sounds harsh but may be a good thing. The newlyweds would have to learn how to boil water and use the cases of dry goods for night stands, his and her computer desks, or a custom made dining table.

Wow.

1 c. milk or buttermilk

2 eggs

Storage Ingredients

3/4 c. whole wheat kernels

2 Tbsp. honey or sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

4 Tbsp. oil

Pour milk into blender. Add wheat kernels and blend on high for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and continue to blend for an additional 10 minutes. If the batter is too thin allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to thicken. Cook pancakes as usual and serve with 100% pure maple syrup from your food storage, of course.

Last year, in November of 2007, the Young Single Adults of the Salt Lake Bonneville Stake, participated in a terrific service project. Early one Saturday morning, they met at the dry pack cannery and quickly canned white wheat. Our Stake Relief Society President, Laurie Little, printed this pancake recipe, with permission from President Clark and Kathleen Hinckley, on adhesive labels and had the Y.S.A.s place the recipe right on the side of each individual can. Then, following the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference, a can of wheat with the blender pancake recipe was given to each family in attendance.

This proved to be a great activity and gift. The young people in our Stake learned how easy it is to use the dry pack cannery and they contributed a much needed service. The families in our Stake received a fresh can of wheat with an easy recipe for using it. If you’re looking for something to share at Christmas time that encourages the principles of provident living, you might consider giving this activity a try. It would also make an excellent neighborhood present.