Happy Independence Day!!

I know, it has been forever....but no time like the present for a new post, right? :)

I found this link, and thought I would share. Just found it today, so I haven't tried any of the recipes, but with 25 recipes to choose from, the chances are good that there is something for everyone to like. I am looking at the potato packets myself, since it looks like you could use a little dried onion/onion powder in place of fresh onions for flavor if you found yourself without your regular cooking tools, and had to use a campfire, etc. And potatoes are great because you don't need refrigeration in a camping or emergency situation...

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

More information on Mittleider seminar...

Just got an e-mail a little bit ago asking who to contact for the seminars in Idaho. Sorry I was not more clear in the previous post, but the contact information is the same as listed on the flyer from Utah:

To Sign Up Call or Text:
David Gillmore
281-898-8989
or e-mail
LDSPrepper@gmail.com

If you register  (the seminar is free) then they will know how many handouts they need, and you won't have to run off your own....

And at this point, I'm thinking your only option would be to text for today's seminar, which the e-mailer asked about, because the Thursday seminar has already begun, but here again are the times, places, etc. for today's, tomorrow's, and Saturday's Idaho seminars:

Idaho Falls, Idaho
Thursday, April 10 1pm-6pm
LDS Church: "Rose Park Building"
351 West 14th Street, Idaho Falls, ID

Ammon, Idaho
Friday, April 11th,  9am-2pm
LDS Church: Ammon Stake Center Building
2055 S. Ammon Road, Ammon, ID 83406

Idaho Falls, Idaho
Saturday, April 12th, 2 sessions 8am-1pm or 1:30pm-6:30pm
LDS Church: "Cottages Building"
2200 Stafford Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401


Thank you to J., for asking the question....and sorry again for the lack of clear communication. If anyone goes, would love to hear how it went...

Grow 5-10x More food from your garden...

with
Less Space, Less Work, Less Cost & Less Water

Yeah, kind of attention-getting idea, huh? That's on the flyer for a seminar I attended recently on gardening (and if you would like to skip my commentary and get right to the good stuff, feel free to skip down to the other words in blue at the end of this post, because they are the rest of the flyer... :) 

I have decided that I just need to increase my knowledge concerning all things preparedness, so I am trying to learn new things. Skills, methods, you name it. So, this year (last year's posting numbers were pretty sparse, no?) hopefully I will be posting things I'm learning that will make it easier to be prepared for any type of emergency that may come my way. In light of that goal, I share the following, because I want to have ways to have my own food supply in my backyard as much as possible:

While in Utah I attended a seminar on the Mittleider method of gardening. It was a half-day seminar, and it was well-attended--I think I heard someone say that there were 250 people in attendance. I did arrive a little late, but the first part of the seminar was mostly more of an explanation of the method, and how effective it is, while the second part took place in a garden (two gardens, actually) nearby where there was an actual demonstration of how to prepare a garden for this method, a demonstration of how to mix the nutrients that are a crucial factor in growing the food, and explanations on the best methods for planting. It takes quite a bit of effort to set up for the method, but the yields on produce that have come from it make me want to try it--so I bought the book, and am going to see what I can do with it. The book has complete instructions from what I understand, (those presenting actually cited page numbers as they were doing certain tasks, so that we would know where to find the information) and since the plants seem to thrive once they have the nutrients they need, I would like to do what I can to improve our garden yield this year. Last year's yield was not where we would have liked it to have been, unfortunately...

Anyway, I write about this because, come to find out, the Mittleider gardening team is heading up to Idaho in April, and I wanted to give everyone a head's up on what their schedule is, in case they are interested in attending. You may first want to check out more information here, and then if you are interested, there will be seminars in the future in the following locations, according to their flyer:

Idaho Falls, Idaho
Thursday, April 10 1pm-6pm
LDS Church: "Rose Park Building"
351 West 14th Street, Idaho Falls, ID

Ammon, Idaho
Friday, April 11th,  9am-2pm
LDS Church: Ammon Stake Center Building
2055 S. Ammon Road, Ammon, ID 83406

Idaho Falls, Idaho
Saturday, April 12th, 2 sessions 8am-1pm or 1:30pm-6:30pm
LDS Church: "Cottages Building"
2200 Stafford Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401


You can also find more information on the Mittleider method here. I need to check out that website, which has videos on the Mittleider method...

I haven't tried this method, but it sure looks promising. Who doesn't want more gardening yield in less space? If you have tried this method,  I would love to hear about it, and whatever method you use with your garden this year, I hope your efforts are successful...





Grow 5-10x More Food from Your Garden with
Less Space, Less Work, Less Cost & Less Water
Rows are straight with wide aisles. Grow in
soil or in containers.
Vertical growing to increase yields and
reduce losses from pests and disease.
Gardens are clean & weed free. Increase
yields of healthy produce 5-10 times.
To Sign Up Call or Text:
David Gillmore
281-898-8989
or e-mail
LDSPrepper@gmail.com
Free Vegetable Gardening
Hands-on & In Class Seminar
With Master Mittleider Gardening Instructor Jim Kennard*
Learn a Better, Simpler, Money Saving Way to Garden.
• Grow Enough Food to Feed a Family of 4 on 1/20th of an Acre.
• Increase Yields From 5-10 Times and Get Higher Nutrition.
• Save Water. Water for Only 30-60 Seconds a Day.
• Garden in Any Soil Without Manure, Compost or Mulch.
• “Super Organic” Method using Natural Mineral Fertilizer.
• Grow Healthier, Pest Resistant Plants 365 Days a Year.
5 hours of unique training to give you a great garden in any soil.
2 ½ hours in the classroom & 2 ½ hours in the garden.
Dates & Locations:
Friday, March 28th, 1pm-6pm
LDS Church: Canyon Heights Building
3785 W Box Elder Dr 4000 N, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
Tell and Bring Your Friends, Neighbors and Family
There is No Cost To Register or Attend The Seminar
Space is limited – Register now to reserve your seat.
Special Guest Presenter
Jim Kennard*
About Jim Kennard: Master Mittleider Gardening Instructor
Jim has served LDS service missions around the world teaching and establishing
gardening projects. He sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for twenty years.
He currently lives five miles from Adam-ondi-Ahman where is creating an
agronomy school to teach people how to grow high nutritious food quickly,
inexpensively and successfully. Jim is retired. He does this at his own expense.

If you're in SE Idaho....

...you might be interested to know that there may be issues with power starting tomorrow. If it's anything like what happened on Dec. 4, according to the article, it might get pretty cold for quite awhile. Glad this didn't happen around here last week, when it was brutally cold with the windchill factor. Anyway, at least this time there is a warning. Hope everyone has an alternate heat source or plan B if they are in the (potentially) affected area. I'm just glad there is a warning this time around.

Sorry this is the first post in awhile, and it is about (potentially) bad news. Wishing the best to everyone!

September is National Preparedness Month, oh, and an update on the lemon tree...

Basically the blog went on (a very generous) summer vacation, but it looks like a good time to come back, since, as the post title mentioned, September is National Preparedness Month! I got an e-mail from an emergency preparedness expert in Utah, who has graciously agreed to let me post a portion of that e-mail, and here it is:

"September is national preparedness month.  Please let your neighbors know of this and other great offers you hear of.  We have a large number of new people in the area who may not be aware of the unique sales we have at this time of year.  The case lot sales have started with Smith’s and will continue with all of the grocery stores through the first week in October.  

All of the stores carrying long term storage items will have special pricing.  You will also be able to find storage containers and supplies at the lowest prices of the year right where you shop now.  Please check the web sites of the local businesses if you don’t get the papers.  The flyer with ads that comes to your mail box on Tuesdays will have some of the grocery stores’ ads, but not all of them.

The dry pack cannery always has good bulk prices.  Check the times open and those prices at providentliving.org.

 Other items to watch for include “needful things”.  Check the fabric stores for things like the $1 spools of thread on special this week.  Other items are “over the counter” everyday meds that are essential in emergencies.  Think of antibiotic ointments and antiseptic cleaners.  They can save you from nasty infections when there are no doctors immediately available or if the stores are closed because of power outages or delivery problems.

 Watch the hardware stores for good prices on canning supplies.  Even if you aren’t canning right now it would be a good idea to be able to if you have to.  Last week you could get a dozen wide mouth pint jars for only $6.99.  I am going to guess this type of sale will be frequent this month.  By October even  canners will be on clearance.  Half price is good!!"

Please bear in mind that this is from Utah, and I have not checked if the sales at Smith's are taking place in Idaho, so if you are interested, you might want to call your local Smith's before going there to verify that the same information applies. Since it is National Preparedness Month, I will now be looking around locally for any sales associated with it! Have you seen any good buys in your neighborhood? 

And, drumroll, please... I do have one, single, solitary lemon on my lemon tree, and I have to say that I am very happy about it...

It's there, about as green as the leaves, and right on top of the tree...yay!

Hope that everyone has had a fantastic summer! As usual for us, our pumpkins are set to be the biggest producers in our garden, but we did get some green beans, and our raspberries went crazy (though they are not technically in our garden). Also as usual, we have a wildly productive rhubarb plant, so life is good... :)

Thanks for coming back to read, and I hope your gardens/any other preparedness activities are going well!

Not making lemonade...

...yet.

Introducing our lemon tree! I am really excited because I would love, love, love to find a way to grow citrus, and when I saw this little Meyer Lemon tree advertised in a catalog, which claimed that you, too, can grow lemons without living in a tropical climate, I had to give it a try. Let's be honest, my expectations are not all that high, but apparently, even though Idaho is what is known as a 4 or 5 zone (and citrus is usually expected in a 9-10  zone) if you don't let it stay outside in the cold, it can grow in its little pot and produce lemons! Oh, the possibilities! Since it is only hot, say, oh about 2-3 weeks a year in Idaho, I hope that it loves being inside our house right next to our window with the best lighting, and we will let it sit outside in the sun whenever possible. I am very excited about this little tree, and hope that we have success growing it.

From the same company we ordered some blueberry plants, which we have not yet planted because I am a little worried about late frost around here. The weather has been nice around here for the past couple of days, so it is likely that we will get them in today or tomorrow. How sad it would be if they froze on the first night that they were out in our yard...

Hope all is well where you are--and that any planting/growing you do this year will prosper!

Our thoughts and prayers are with Boston...

...and all those affected by the events at the Boston Marathon. 

That will be $11.00, please...

...oh, unless you can find a Flying J.

Let me explain.

Recently we were on our way to Utah when we saw a car stopped on the side of the road, with a license plate that indicated that it belonged to someone that was not only from Idaho, but from a county near ours. Not far away from said vehicle was someone walking in the direction of the nearest town. My husband backed up our vehicle and got out and talked to the gentleman. Turns out that he had run out of gas, so my husband offered to give him a ride into the nearest town/city/metropolitan area, which was, I'm guessing, about 3 miles ahead. We stopped at the nearest gas station off the nearest exit. My husband figured the gentleman would go in, put a deposit on a gas can, fill it, we would run him back to his car, and voila, done.

Nope.

The gentleman came back out and said he would have to buy a gas can for $11.00. This happened at more than one station. (You know how sometimes gas stations seem to all be in a cluster, right? :) So all the adults in the vehicle thought that $11.00 was way too much, and figured that it would be cheaper to just go buy a gas can somewhere, like the local national chainstore, or the local national hardware chainstore. So we headed for the nearest national chainstore, and guess what? A one gallon gasoline container costs...drumroll, please... $11.00.

Aaaaaaaugh.

So, the gentleman decided to try one more gas station, and ding, ding, ding, we had a winner--the Flying J had the gentleman put down a $10.00 deposit on a one-gallon gas container. He filled up said container. We took him back to his vehicle. We drove away....

Yeah, a couple of things to be taken away from this experience, in my opinion. The gentleman didn't have a gas container in his vehicle for emergencies, and neither did we. Of course, you won't need one if you keep your vehicle at a set amount, (say, 1/4 or 1/2 tank) and fill it back up every time you go below your chosen mark. But, you might if you tried to help someone like we did.

It helps to know what the "going rate" is for something you may need to purchase in an emergency. As stated above, all the adults in the vehicle thought that $11 was way too high a price for a gas container, and that the first few gas stations were taking advantage of someone's unfortunate situation, when all they were doing was asking for an honest replacement price. It would have saved us at least a trip to the local national chainstore to know the correct price.

And now, for the disclaimers---I wouldn't have stopped to help the gentleman if I had been by myself. Don't create an emergency for yourself by putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, even if your intentions are good. Also, for us, the Flying J in that metropolitan area was willing to lend out a gasoline can, but I have no idea if that would happen nationwide. But notice, when a store does something helpful, I don't mind giving them a little free positive publicity...

Here's hoping that you never find yourself walking to a metropolitan area, having run out of gas.And here's hoping that if you ever do find yourself on the side of the road, it can be fixed with a gallon of gas, or something easier--it was good in this case that running out of gas was the problem, and not something mechanical.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

My, how time flies....

Yup, it's been another month--thanks to any and all who have come back to read!

--One thing that I neglected to blog on so far this month is the fact that they have been clearing out winter clothing at some of the stores that I shop at. I haven't found much that I could use this year, but in years past I have been able to stock up clothing ahead that has really been an economic benefit for me. If you go looking at the clearance racks, I hope you find something that you can use--at a way discounted price!

If you are interested in more food storage recipes, you may want to check out the link on the latest post over at my other blog. As mentioned there, I haven't checked all of the recipes on the linked blog out, but so far I have seen some I would like to try...

My apologies about all the ads (mostly in the form of oddly highlighted words) showing up on my blog now--they are not of my doing, and made it impossible to even post a comment left on this blog. They were covering the comment up and I couldn't publish it at the point that I was looking at it. I will try again to publish and respond to it and hope that there is no banner and/or double banner in my way...

Hope everyone is doing well!

Sometimes in an emergency, what you need is...

...other people. Yup, sometimes there is just no other substitute.

Take, for instance, a recent experience in our home. I actually wasn't here, I was elsewhere in the neighborhood, but my husband and children were home. My husband injured himself (knee injury) and had one of the children call 911. Then he sent the children to find me.

Fortunately, my children did know where to find me, and I was informed that I was needed at home immediately. I made it home, watched my husband loaded into the ambulance, and made arrangements to meet him in the ER. Three hours or so, later, thankfully, we were home.

In this particular instance, I needed a number of people:

--The ambulance personnel who did so well in their job.
--The neighbors who so kindly were willing to watch our children at literally a moment's notice.
--The people who were able to take care of the knee situation so that my husband could come home.
--The relatives who were willing to come and get my husband home--that night was dreadful in the weather department, and I was afraid if he slipped on the driveway, steps, or elsewhere, that we would just end up back in the ER....They came and got him out of the hospital and into the house, so no worries.

Just something to think about:

Who would you turn to in a situation like this?

We're grateful for the neighbors who so graciously helped us (they know who they are), and the relatives who were able to provide some transportation while I picked up the children. And it's always good to have access to medical professionals when the situation warrants it. We feel blessed that we had so many people to help us that day.

And, changing the subject....

After blogging steadily for so long, I sure did give myself quite the blogging break. :) Thanks for coming back to read, and I hope everyone has had a great January!



 

The final ABY: Here comes 2013!

My 53rd ABY: An emergency car kit

If I could add anything to this, it would be: An entire kit is pretty inclusive, so I would just say have a bag in your car that has what you need if find that you are away from home when an emergency strikes, and/or if you have to abandon your car and walk a while to get to your destination. Preferably, in this case, it would be a bag that you would be able to reasonably carry, and would at least have water in it... If it is a scenario where you would need to walk, and your normal footwear is not the best for walking, you might want to have a pair of walking shoes in your trunk just in case as well.

Well, my 53 ABYs were nowhere near inclusive, but they were a start. As always, feel free to leave comments with your ideas--what may seem obvious to you may not be obvious to others...

Happy New Year, and all the best wishes to you and yours for 2013!

Blogging ahead: ABY #52 for Dec. 30

My 52nd ABY: Small bills and change

If I could add anything to this, it would be: All my other preparation resources so I wouldn't need the small bills and change...

If the power goes out, and there are stores that are still open for business, it will be easier to buy things with cash than with a credit card, etc., and more ideal for everyone involved if you don't need anyone to make large amounts of change for you. And if the person you are purchasing things from doesn't have any change, you will overpay by much less if you are using smaller bills and/or change.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

ABY #51: Digging it...

My 51st ABY: A shovel (Or two. Or three.)

If I could add anything to this, it would be: Gloves to protect your hands while you are digging: whatever. Not whatever, as in it doesn't matter-- whatever, as in, there are may situations where a shovel might come in handy. Building a latrine, (let's hope not) digging a well, removing the debris from around your living area after a natural disaster, come to mind among others. I might also add a snow shovel, having used one recently myself. Ah, Idaho...

Anyone care to share something I haven't mentioned in this series? It has never been meant to be all-encompassing, it has just been to help people think about what they could do to be additionally better prepared before the end of this year... only 2 more ABYs left! 

A day off--numbers wise

When I started the ABY series, I figured I could write about 53 things to do to additionally better prepare before the end of the year. Turns out, by the 31st, there would have been 54 ABYs. I say "would have been" because I'm not doing an ABY today. If you have done an ABY today, then you now have Saturday off for the ABY series...

Of course, you could have taken it off anyway, and may have already planned to, since there is nothing binding you to the ABY series. May I suggest, however, that you add something to your food storage instead? Perhaps check out the BY series on my other blog, and think about some cans that you might want to add before the end of the year, or add to your water storage? Maybe throw in some extra powdered/canned milk in light of what might happen come the New Year? My vote is for the water storage idea--yeah, definitely the water storage additions, if possible...

In any case, please enjoy your Saturday!

ABY #50: Keeping warm....

My 50th ABY:  Sleeping bags

If I could add anything to this, it would be: Pads to place under the sleeping bags, so you have insulation from the ground, if you end up using the sleeping bags in an outdoor situation. Yes, it matters...

I know I mentioned sleeping bags as an addition under ABY #33, (which was a tent) but if the power is out in winter in someplace as cold or colder than Idaho, a sleeping bag could be helpful inside as well....

ABY #49: Mint, fruity, whatever...

My 49th ABY: Toothpaste (flavors above, or other) and toothbrush(es)

If I could add anything to this, it would be: Clean water and some dental floss would be nice...We picked up some new toothbrushes and some small tubes of toothpaste for under $1.00 each at the store today--before tax.

Did you get anything that helps with emergency preparedness for Christmas? Did you give anything that helps with emergency preparedness for Christmas? Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

ABY #48: Blogging ahead for Christmas

My 48th ABY: List, in hand, on paper, of important addresses, phone numbers, important contact information that you would want to have in an emergency (Speed dial/electronics might not always be helpful in an emergency)

If I could add anything to this, it would be: A system agreed upon where there is one person outside your area that everyone can contact so that all the people in your group can find out information about anyone/everyone in your group by calling the contact person who would (hopefully) not be affected by your emergency.

Have a Merry Christmas, and all the best wishes to you and yours!

ABY #47: Liking the clean...

My 47th ABY: Cleaning supplies

If I could add anything to this, it would be: That's a hard question, since cleaning supplies are kind of all-encompassing. I didn't put particular supplies, since everyone has their personal preferences in this area. But cleaning supplies to clean whatever needs cleaning would be helpful. I'll leave it at that.

Snowing here, so it looks like it will be a white Christmas in our area!!! Be safe, everyone!

Blogging ahead: ABY #46 for Dec. 23

My 46th ABY: Powdered milk

If I could add anything to this, it would be: The proper equipment (cans or buckets) to keep it fresh for a long time, and the knowledge of how to use it for different purposes (buttermilk, etc.).

Yeah, not a long post, but it's a busy weekend, right? Hope it's a good one for everyone! :)

ABY #45: 72 hours, 3 days, it's all the same...

My 45th ABY: 72-hour kit for each member of the group for which you will be responsible

If I could add anything to this, it would be: This is a pretty big order, so I will leave it at that. Clothes, water, food, light, heat, etc. for 3 days is enough to keep anyone busy.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!