The Downstairs Pantry

2013-09-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

Hank and I drove to Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend to get out of the DC area. I was born in Charlottesville so it's always nice to go back. We first drove up to the apple orchard on top of Carter Mountain (on the same road to Monticello). The view is spectacular, and the apples aren't bad either. We brought home some Galas and a bag of early Fujis. Yum. I also picked up a bottle of honey from the Golden Angels Apiary. It's Thistle Honey and has such a wonderful distinct flavor. I've been trying to reach someone at their home to see if I might buy a bucket full for a better price than the $18.00 I paid for the 16 oz. jar. But I had to try it. Bulk honey runs a lot cheaper at anywhere from $3.50 up per pound. I guess the price also depends on how long you've been dealing with your honey man, as I call him :)

I just wanted to remind you all that it's apple time and there are many lovely places to go for pick-your-own. Whatever state you live in, you can Google Pick Your Own Virginia, or West Virginia, or whatever state. You should find a good selection of dedicated farmers and growers happy to sell you fresh apples, cider, and whatever else is available from their farm.

I have a delicious recipe for a caramel chocolate dip that goes well with nice crisp tart apples. Can't wait to break it out again. You can use whatever amounts you like, but I start with the caramel chews - a bag full. Unwrap the plastic and melt them in a double boiler with some milk or cream, enough to make it smooth and creamy. You can also microwave but cover it with cellophane and only go a couple minutes at a time. Add chocolate chips and more cream as needed until you get the consistency you like. Try dipping a piece of apple. If it doesn't cover quickly and smoothly, add more milk or cream. Last of all you add chopped pecans and, oh my goodness, you will think you are in hog heaven, because once you taste it, you will go hog wild!!! The dip can be put in a jar or plastic container and refrigerated for a very long time. Each time you heat it up, you will want to add a little more milk to make it smooth.

I also put up 21 jars of zucchini relish which I have longed to do for the last year. I ran out last summer and my chicken salad is not the same without it. If you are interested, let me know and I will post the recipe. There are also some good recipes online.

Have a great week! It's good to be back after not writing for some time. Check out your local farmers market for some lovely produce.

More to come.

Unsafe Medicines

2011-11-12T12:01:00.001-05:00

I attended a conference in Washington, D.C., the end of October presented by Partnership for Safe Medicines which was an informative session on the risks of purchasing medicines online. In my blog, I've talked a lot about the beauty of online buying for preparedness, but I would never advise buying your medicines online without consulting the proper authorities to let you know if your medicines are coming from a reliable source.

I have a family member who, because of the extremely high cost of one particular

drug, chose what they thought was a reliable source for purchasing medicines online. It landed my relative in the hospital for two weeks. However, when my mother lived with me, I remember that we were able to get a 3-month supply of one of her medicines simply by explaining to her doctor our desire to be prepared. The doctor gave us a prescription that allowed us to have my Mom's medicine in the cabinet, and we just needed to be careful to rotate it so that we used up the medicines with the closest expiration dates first.

A great resource for updated information on safe medicines can be found at http://www.safemedicines.org/. You can sign up to receive their emails which will include information such as the following (which I cut and pasted from the newsletter just to show you a sample of the information you can find):

RECENT NEWS

Medicare Part D Protecting Seniors from Online Drug Scams
November 4, 2011

Lower costs for prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare Part D has lowered online victims of counterfeit medicine as well. National Association of Boards of Pharmacy executive director, Carmen Catizone, told Fox News, “Thankfully, we haven’t seen as many seniors... MORE>>>

Google Exec Invests in Counterfeit Drug Fighting Technology November 3, 2011

Bargain Hunters Can't Outsmart the Fake Medicine Criminals November 2, 2011

Brave Scientists Risk Own Lives to Find a Cure for Malaria November 1, 2011

Keynote Address; Deputy Director Kumar Kibble October 27, 2011

Under Secretary of State Hormats at Interchange: Global Collaboration Key to Curb the Spread of Counterfeit Medicines October 27, 2011

Panel 3: Jeremiah Mwangi, International Alliance of Patients' Organizations October 27, 2011

------------
I've received at leasts five phone calls in the last year soliciting me to purchase medicines over the phone. The conversation starts out with the person on the other end asking for someone - usually a name you do not recognize - and they give your number. When you tell them they have the wrong number, they will then ask if someone from your address ordered medicine. You have to stop and think for a moment because it may be your pharmacist. But you finally say "no" and they continue to ask if there are medicines that you use on a regular basis. They continue to try to sell you on purchasing your medicines from them.

The last phone call I received sounded just like one of those calls when you are trying to get the "fix" for your computer and you end up talking to someone in India.

This is a huge money-making market - the sale of illegal prescription drugs. Get informed and talk to your family members about the potential dangers of purchasing medicines from unreliable sources. It could mean the difference between life and death.

Ordering In Bulk

2011-10-02T20:17:00.000-04:00

If you find an item that you know others may want/need, it pays to research online and find a distributor or manufacturer who will sell to you in bulk at a better price. One example is when I needed a wheat grinder. I did my research and ended up with a distributor in Australia (love the internet!) He said he would cut my price by at least $60.00 for each grinder with an order of 10. I think we actually ended up with even a better cut when we ordered 13 grinders in the first order and then placed a second order for the same price for 4 more grinders. The distributor listed me as a distributor and gave me a huge discount on orders for the rest of the year. I do this for fun, not for profit, so any discount passed on to me was passed on to my friends.

When we did an order for milk powder many years ago, we placed an order through Maple-Island. The price was so good that we had church members from Charlottesville, Virginia, willing to drive to Springfield (2 hours away) with a trailer to pick up their order. I don't know how they found out about us, but I told them if they were willing to be there when the truck pulled in, they were welcome. I had money in hand before I placed the order.

When Y2K was the scare that pulled the world into a frenzy, everyone wanted to be prepared. I wanted 15-gallon water barrels which were running about $25 each including delivery. I found a manufacturer who would ship 100 barrels for $19 each. When we gave an order for over 200 barrels, they dropped the price to $15.00 - a $10 savings per barrel. It was pretty scary when the driver opened the back of the truck. I climbed up and all I could see from top to bottom, front to back, were white drums. What if no one showed up to pick them up??? I was glad to have my phone tree to alert everyone when the truck was due to pull into our parking lot. Within 15 minutes the cars and vans began to pull in and within 40 minutes everything was gone! Fastest delivery we've ever taken care of!

When you make the call to the company, let them know you are a group of individuals (somewhat of a co-op or you can even form your co-op and give yourself a name) and tell them it is important that you know in advance when the truck will deliver. When the driver is on his way, ask that he call you so you have direct contact. Make sure you have a large parking lot where the truck will have room to maneuver. Ask the driver to call you personally when he knows the hour he will be there. You can then notify all of your buyers that they need to come and pick up at that time and that they are needed to help unload (in most cases).

Keep good written information. Make sheets with everyone's name and columns to list how much they owe, how much they have paid (cash or check) and who picked up their goods (in case they don't show up and someone offers to take their items to them). Phone numbers and emails are also good to have on the list so you can call them from the parking lot.

Being in charge of a bulk order can be challenging but it's also a good feeling to know that you have served your friends and neighbors and helped them get a step closer to taking care of themselves and their families in times of hardship.

Tomatoes!

2011-09-30T01:55:00.000-04:00

I had just about given up on canning tomatoes this year until my good friend, Donna, mentioned we should try to find some. So we went online and found a great farm out toward Winchester, Virginia, (about an hour West of where we live) that had a few bushels left. I love farm markets that are right on the farm - the ones that have a small store where you can buy fresh ice cream with the fruit of the season, milk and vegetables, and other specialties! Also, it may be a good place to look for small quantities of honey - like the little squeeze bears!

We picked up a bushel each of tomatoes. Can I just say "That's a LOT of tomatoes!" And when you have a LOT of tomatoes, it calls for some special canning tools that help get the job done better and faster. I was very pleased with myself because Donna had never seen my very special kitchen gadget, and I love it when I have something to share that others have not seen or possibly heard of.

My gadget is called a "Squeezo." I know, funny name for a kitchen tool! But it is the dream tool for a canner! Let's see if I can bring up a picture. Yep, there she is to the left! Not a cheap kitchen gadget but worth every penny you spend on 'er.

This is a multiple-use gadget (tomatoes, squash, apples, whatever). Once a fruit or vegetable has been properly prepared (usually dropping it in boiling water to loosen the skin), you drop it in the hopper, turn the handle and the rest it magic. If you want chunky fruit, well then you do't want to put it all through the Squeezo, but for sauces, it's the dream! There's an auger inside that moves the product down from the hopper through to the strainer part on the left. The hopper is the top part that looks like a giant funnel. The strainer (that's what I call it) has holes in it - it's to the left. And you can buy them with different size holes for different produce. The tomato is forced through the holes but the peel, seeds, stems and anything else undesirable is pushed on out and ends up in the pan (that's the silver pan to the left). There's not one speck of waste - well except for the peel and seeds. If you try to do the same job by hand, it takes longer, it's messier and you end up tossing out a lot more than you need to lose. If you want chunky tomatoes, it's important that you skin them after the dunk in the boiling water. Then you take out as much of the seeds by hand as possible and cut up the chunks so you will have chunky tomatoes. The good news is that you can then take what you have left - the skins and other pieces left from deseeding and toss that into the Squeezo. It will remove any remaining usable pulp that you can add to your sauce.

I also discovered another handy way to do my canning this year. I purchased a portable propane grill that has 3 large burners on the top - perfect for a couple of large pans of boiling water. And I put it on my deck right outside my kitchen. We had a wonderful time! We also made a mess! But I brought out my hose when we were finished and got things cleaned up very quickly. It's been my best year yet for canning.

It's always important to follow proper guidelines when canning! Whether it's produce or meat, it is very important to do it right so you know that your product will be safe when you take it off the shelf. These days I'm sure you can find just about anything on the internet, but I like the Ball Canning Book. And it's important that you check once in awhile to make sure there is not an updated issue. Our farms have changed over the years and so does our produce. You want to make sure you have the right amounts of whatever is needed to make your canned product tasty and safe. We decided to freeze our tomatoes this year. They are wonderful! I need to get Donna to give us her recipe. Stay tuned.

There's More To My Pantry Than Food: What's In Your First Aid Kit?

2011-09-16T16:52:00.000-04:00

On several occasions over the last year I have been prompted to refresh my first aid kit and to add a few items that I know would make a difference in taking care of injuries and wounds. I took care of my Mom for 8 years and I learned a lot about wound care and about some remarkable products for healing. I also learned that I don't have to go to the ER every time I cut myself. Some of my dear friends will laugh as they remember when I just about cut my thumb off at Girls Camp while using my machete and trying to show off in front of the girls with my culinary skills!

I put off the first aid kit despite the earthquake, despite the hurricane, despite . . . well, we seem to lull ourselves back into that state of "normal" and feel so comfortable that we forget what it was we said we should have gotten before the storm. What I really wanted to have in my first aid kit was a product called "Silverlon." It has different names and it is quite expensive, but it is one of those miracle products that would make a difference if you can't get help right away or decide like I did today that you don't want to go to the ER.

It all came back to me this morning when I went out to cut the lawn at 9:30 a.m. But the ground was so wet, I could not cut it. I decided I would make good use of my outdoor time and do some weeding and pruning and got out my handy limb cutters to whack out some thick brush that had taken over. When I just about finished, I put the long handle of the cutter up under my arm to hold it, not realizing that the pressure from my arm pushing on it would also close the cutter end . . . which at the time had my thumb right there in the blade. Argh . . . it was the same feeling when I ran the blade of the machete across my thumb as I pulled it out of the sheath. Can you feel it? I cringe. Enough detail, you get the picture.

As I moaned disgust at myself for being again so stupid (but I was not showing off this time), the thought came to me "What do you have in your first aid kit." I went to the kitchen sink and ran the cold water over my thumb to see the damage. Stitches??? Hmmm. . . Stitches . . . four (4) hours in the Emergency Room for them to ask me if I've had a tetanus shot within the last 10 years . . . is it worth it? No, I decided. I could handle this myself IF I had what I needed. No Silverlon. Argh again (or Ugh if you prefer). But I had steri-strips and prep-wipes. I had to go looking for the scissors to cut things to size. I also had alcohol swabs (that burned) and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. I cleaned it out really well, ran cold water for awhile, cleaned it again with soap and water, examined, cleaned some more. . . you get the idea. And finally I used the alcohol swab, the wound prep swab to make the adhesive strips stick really well, and then a variety of bandages to hold my thumb straight so not to open everything back up. Okay, no more detail. . . Suffice it to say I felt good about what I had done. I might have used a bit of salve, but I decided against it for now.

Once I finished, I got in my car and drove to a very good pharmacy over in Vienna where I picked up those items I've delayed getting for over a year now. Hooray! I'm making my list now of what else I can't go without in case of an emergency accident. What would you add to your list?

White Food Storage Pails (or buckets)

2011-09-12T23:46:00.001-04:00

There was a time when I put all of my long-term storage in No. 10 cans, and I still use them when I have time to go to the cannery. I also like the metal bags because the sealer machine is portable and I can set it up on my kitchen table. But if I'm actively using a product that I have stored, like wheat or flour or whatever it is that you have on your shelf and use a lot, I go for the big white plastic pails that will take the "Gamma Seal" lid. You can look up Gamma Seal online and you'll see what they look like. Not all pails will take the Gamma Seal so make sure you check out what you purchase first. It gets expensive purchasing cans and bags that you will just turn around and open up within a month or two, so if you have a product you like and use a lot, think about the pails or buckets. The reason I like the Gamma Seal is that it gives you a twist-off lid that opens and closes very easily. I hate having to pry off a sealed lid with my fingers. I have a tool I now use for lid removal, but that's even hard sometimes. You can get a lid remover from a hardware store, a paint store, or online.

You can purchase 4.5, 5 and 6-gallon buckets from most preparedness stores or companies. I think Wheat Montana, Emergency Essentials (Utah), Montana Wheat (not the same as Wheat Montana), maybe Dutch Valley in Pennsylvania, and other stores. (Let me know if you have a favorite store I can add to my list.) The older I get, the more I select the smaller buckets. You can also look online these days and purchase buckets on Ebay or direct from the factory. If you need a bucket in a hurry, go to your local pastry shop or your grocery store where they have a bakery. If you chose this route, you'll most likely have to clean your bucket out. I would not get buckets that were used for icing or oily products. Go for the ones with jellies or fruits and give them a good cleaning - even set them out in the sunshine for a bit. I sometimes wash it down with a little baking soda to help remove odor. Remember that whatever scent is in the bucket when you store your goods will permeate through the food item over time. Trust me, you won't like it.

If you are not sure if your bucket is food safe, look on the bottom and get the company name and the number on the bucket. Call the company or check online. I had some small buckets that I checked out today online. I simply wrote the question, "Is the ______ bucket food safe. Right away, I found three sites that told me they were not food safe containers and quoted their reliable sources. You never want to store your food in containers that are not designated food safe. It's not about the seal or bugs getting in, it's about what the plastic contains that might be harmful if it leaches into your stored food. It is possible to purchase plastic liners made especially for putting inside buckets for dry goods. That is an alternative or even an added protection to help keep rodents and bugs out of your stored foods.

This is why I buy my honey straight from the beekeeper!

2011-09-09T09:48:00.000-04:00

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-09-07/honey-laundering

You should listen to the link above on honey-laundering.

10 years ago I went in search for bulk honey for a group order. I found a business that carried my state brand and thought it would be a great source for local honey. I had a whole group of my friends with me and we swarmed in to see what we could buy. We found several items to take home to sample before
investing $1,000's for our group purchase and I'm so glad we did! It was terrible! The honey tasted like sulphured molasses. I threw it out. The label, that I neglected to read in the first place, showed that the honey was a conglomerate mixture of honey from a bunch of foreign countries - countries from which I would not buy honey because I don't know their food regulations.

After listening to NPR today, I'm glad that I chose way back then to be selective! I now read all labels, and I found a wonderful beekeeper an hour away.

"Come On Baby Light My Fire"

2011-09-05T20:32:00.002-04:00

About 10 years ago (or so) there was an ice storm that hit south of Richmond, Virginia, where I grew up, that paralyzed the area. The power went out. People were freezing in their homes with no hope for the power coming back any time soon. My sister and her boys lived on our old street as well as Dick and Odie (in their 70's) two doors down from her. Dick was a stroke victim with no use of his left side. Odie called the rescue squad but even they were unable to get out on the ice. No hope. They would have to stay in place. Three days
later, when the roads were sanded, people were able to get to the stores, but the shelves were empty. Home Depot and other hardware stores had no heaters, no generators, there was nothing. The temperature was below freezing.

In Springfield where I live, 2 hours north, there was no problem securing Kerosun Heaters and fuel, so I filled my trunk with 3 heaters and 6 containers of kerosene and drove them down to three families in the neighborhood. I learned a very important lesson at that time. When I arrived and saw my family and friends freezing in their own homes, I decided that would never happen to me. I came home and purchased 2 more Kerosun heaters and additional fuel containers. As with food, the time to buy is not in the middle of a storm. Now is the time to get everything you need, when there's plenty on the shelf. The stores will refill their supply and have plenty for the next guy. The only gas station I could find that supplies kerosene in my area is on Backlick Road. It's important to know where your supply is located.

Hank and I have had to use our heaters on several occasions. They are wonderful! When used properly, there is no odor and you will stay toasty warm. It's important to read and follow the directions before use.

With winter just around the corner, now is a great time to prepare!

Three-Month Storage

2011-09-01T18:54:00.009-04:00

My daughter, Jessi, told me I should keep my blogs short and sweet so I don't lose you. I'll try but . . . It's hard. The lds.org website is a great place to go for information on preparedness. The 3-month plan means you have on your shelf 3 months of easy-to-fix food. I cleaned out my kitchen pantry and put my 3-month storage right there where I would use it, rotate it, and know what was needed. Some of my favorites
come straight from COSTCO - boxes of lentil soup that come in pouches, baked beans, Stag Chili, cereals, canned chicken, cases of individual chocolate milk servings, fruit and nut bars, canned milk, and I'm still figuring out what I want to add. You don't want to learn during a crisis what your family does not like. So far, I can say that we love everything I've put there and we rotate it nicely! I pull out a chocolate milk more than I should :) but hey that's rotation, right?! Let me know what you've found for your 3-month storage, I'd love to share.

Just as a heads up, it's honey season. If you want fresh honey, now is the time to locate your local beekeeper. Ask if they sell bulk honey, when will it be ready, and can you bring your bucket. The prices this year will probably be about $3.50 to $3.75 per pound. Honey stores indefinitely if you keep it clean and dry. If it crystalizes, it's still good. I use a bucket with a spout on the bottom (especially for honey) and pour my honey into jars.

Have a great day!

The Earthquake of 2011 - WOW!

2011-08-30T12:31:00.001-04:00

I was sitting in my living room with the TV going and working on my computer. At first, I did not know what to think because over the last year we've felt some trembles coming our way. But I thought it was from all the blasting they are doing with the new buildings being built within 5 to 10 miles from here. My house began to shake and
I thought it would slide down the hill we live on. I needed to get out. I didn't want to be in a crumbling house, so I went out quickly and stood in my front yard watching my house rattle. I thought it was going to explode! Was there a gas line broken? Or was it an earthquake? An earthquake in Virginia??? Never. Tremors maybe, but not a full-blown earthquake!

As I'm standing there in my yard, I realized I left inside my computer, my Ipad, my phone, my everything. Isn't it sad that I list those three things as my "everything." That's funny. But so important to me are the devices I use for communication. The next thing I realized was that all (ALL) of my preparedness items were downstairs in the basement. I'm the "queen" of preparedness as my friends have called me on occasions, but there it was. I learned a new lesson. It really is important to keep your most immediate needs close to your exit point. I have backpacks ready to go with food, water, batteries, flashlight, change of clothes, etc. But how could I get to it?

When the quake died down, I knew I needed to think quickly in case there was an aftershock (we hear all about this from the news). I went back inside, got on my knees, said a prayer of thanks and asked for protection over my home. Then I went downstairs and brought all of my gear upstairs to the front door. It will stay there as a reminder until I clean out my front closet and put my preparedness packs there.

The next week, or was it the same week, we started hearing about Hurricane Irene. I had no feelings of needing to go out and join the maddening crowd for last-minute supplies because I was already there! I had everything I needed. I was even feeling a bit smug. And for a hurricane, my food storage was in the right place - downstairs in a cool dark room.

Usually I love to get out in the crowd just to get into the excitement of it all. Something different! So I decided I would refill one of my 4 propane canisters (I purchased it at the local gas station last year, so I returned there). When I walked in with my canister, the attendant saw me in line and in that "what is she even thinking" tone, he said, Ma'am, we're all out. Well, duh, I knew they would be out before I left my home, but maybe, just maybe they were one of those gas stations that no one thought to go to. So there I was, feeling stupid that the people standing around me were making note that I was one of those unprepared people that waited til the last minute to get propane for my gas grill so I would have some way of cooking food if my power went out. Duh. They didn't know I had 3 others filled. They didn't know I had two other means for cooking with plenty of fuel ready to go. I won't do that again! So, I put my canister back in the car and went to Giant to buy some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Tomatoes. Not a need, just a want.

Well, there's another hurricane out there lurking! Will it hit?

Honey . . . Sweet! OR Not All Honeys Are Equal!

2010-10-24T20:15:00.001-04:00

The first year we moved to Springfield, Virginia, I went on a hunt for good honey. My first venture with four other girlfriends was a very disappointing trip. The honey we sampled tasted like it had sulfured molasses in it. That's when I learned to read the labels to see where the honey comes from! After our first disappointing venture to a distributer, we decided to go straight to the beeswax
so to speak. We found a wonderful beekeeper in upper Maryland who gave us a great bulk order price. We could smell the sweet scent as our buckets filled up almost to the brim with about 50 to 60 pounds each. We purchased clover/wildflower and poplar honey our first year with a haul of about 800 pounds. Once home, we used pouring buckets with spouts on the bottom (made by our beekeeper) to empty each honey bucket into clean canning jars for long-term storage.

Honey can be stored indefinitely if stored properly in clean food-safe containers and in a cool, dry location. It's not unusual for honey to crystalize after it sits for awhile. If you want to turn it back into liquid, you can put your container in warm water. I would not recommend microwaving - I don't know why. I've been known to place a jar of crystalized honey in my car in the summer with the windows rolled up. It doesn't take long to melt it down.

A good time to start looking for a beekeeper if you want to buy in bulk is about mid-summer. By that time, they can tell you what kind of season the bees are having and if they think they will have enough to sell to you. Find out what is the latest date you can pick up your honey. Some beekeepers have to have their vats emptied and cleaned before the honey begins to sugar.

Hello to all who may eventually find my blog!

2010-10-24T18:10:00.001-04:00

I was in Emergency Essentials in Orem, Utah, yesterday helping my daughter, Jessi, get started with being prepared. Emergency Essentials is a great store for finding some very useful tools and supplies, so we drove over there from Provo to check out their wheat grinders. No, I don't know anyone there and this is not an add, but I am a fan of their store and have been ordering from them for many years. There are many wonderful companies out there to help people like me
put goods on my pantry shelf that will get me through the hard and not-so-hard times. I hope to share many of those businesses with you as we discuss the concept of having what you need to get you through hard times.

While I was meandering through the store, I met two nice gentlemen looking at food-safe buckets. They were trying to figure out which was the 5-gal. and which was the 6-gal. They were actually holding a 4.25-gal bucket, and I promptly showed them the number on the bottom. We began a dialogue on preparedness - what's good, what's not? Do you make your own bread? What kind of yeast do you use? How do you store your sugar? We talked about honey and wheat - white soft wheat vs. red hard wheat, spelt and anything else we could think of. It was a great visit. They said they wished I lived next door so I could share information with them all the time.

When we finished our conversation, Jessi suggested that I should start a blog. Hmm, I thought. . . that might be kind of fun. I've often thought of calling some of our wonderful civic organizations in my local area (and even outside of my area) to see if they were interested in having someone come and talk about "being prepared." So why not a blog! That's why I'm here. I hope you will have an opportunity to share information or learn information that will help all of us to be prepared in case of emergencies.

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." It's true. Thanks for visiting.