Smoke Detectors

When's the last time you checked your smoke detectors?

The majority of tragic fires involve homes without smoke detectors or homes where no smoke detectors were working.

Usually, the smoke detectors weren't working because the batteries were either missing, disconnected, or dead.

I've read one source that says to change the batteries every six months, and another source says to change them once a year. Maybe check to make sure your smoke detectors are working every spring during general conference and change the battery every October conference or something like that.

Anyway...I think it's an important question to ask from time to time.

When's the last time you checked your smoke detectors?

Thinking about Hurricanes

Hurricane season isn't for another couple months, but I think it's important to keep it in the back of your mind.



It's interesting to note that the Church itself doesn't stress having 72 hour kits anymore, but it does encourage members to prepare a simple emergency plan. Telling us to consider having ...


Three-month supply of food that is part of your normal daily diet.
Drinking water.
Financial reserves.
Longer-term supply of basic food items.
Medication and first aid supplies.
Clothing and bedding.
Important documents.
Ways to communicate with family following a disaster.



Knowing that hurricanes strike where we live, we should make sure we add what's needed to be prepared for hurricanes to the above list.



I was looking at a website run by the National Weather Service, and it gives a lot of good information about hurricanes and how to prepare for them.



A quote on the website says "preventing the loss of life and minimizing the damage to property from hurricanes are responsibilities that are shared by all." In other words, do your part in preparing for the hurricane.



The website suggests to...

• Develop a Family Plan


• Create a Disaster Supply kit


• Have a Place to Go


• Secure your Home


• Have a Pet Plan

Before I mention anything else, I should say that if you are asked to evacuate, you should do so without delay. But unless you live in an extremely high risk area, it's unlikely you'll be asked to evacuate. So, it's important for you to have a plan of what you're going to do.

To develop a Family Plan, the website says to...

• Discuss the type of hazards that could affect your family. Know your home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind. If you live in an apartment, the leasing office should know.


• Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your home for each hurricane hazard. In certain circumstances the safest areas may not be your home but within your community.


• Determine escape routes from your home and places to meet.


• Have an out-of-state friend as a family contact, so all your family members have a single point of contact.


• Make a plan now for what to do with your pets if you need to evacuate.


• Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones and make sure your children know how and when to call 911.


• Check your insurance coverage - flood damage is not usually covered by homeowners insurance. National Flood Insurance Program


• Stock non-perishable emergency supplies and a Disaster Supply Kit.


• Use a NOAA weather radio. Remember to replace its battery every 6 months, as you do with your smoke detectors.


• Take First Aid, CPR and disaster preparedness classes.

Their suggested Disaster Supply Kit includes...

• Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days


• Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days (non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices, foods for infants or the elderly, snack foods, non-electric can opener, cooking tools /fuel, paper plates / plastic utensils)


• Blankets / Pillows, etc.


• Clothing - seasonal / rain gear/ sturdy shoes


• First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs


• Special Items - for babies and the elderly


• Toiletries / Hygiene items / Moisture wipes


• Flashlight / Batteries


• Radio - Battery operated and NOAA weather radio


• Telephones - Fully charged cell phone with extra battery and a traditional (not cordless) telephone set


• Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods


• Keys


• Toys, Books and Games


• Important documents - in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag— insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.


• Tools - keep a set with you during the storm


• Vehicle fuel tanks filled


• Pet care items— proper identification / immunization records / medications, ample supply of food and water, a carrier or cage, muzzle and leash

Interestingly, if you're keeping up with a three month supply and having enough water to last 14 days for your family, you just need to set a little bit aside to use for your Hurricane disaster kit for the season.

A day or two before Hurricane Ike a year and a half ago, the grocery store selves for canned items and dry goods were almost completely barren. I'd never seen anything like it. I was grateful to already have water and food stored at home. The funny thing, however, was that I was at the grocery store to get quarters to do the laundry before the storm hit because I didn't know the next time I could do it and the laundry needed to be done. To my annoyance, the service desk at the grocery store was closed during normal hours, and I didn't want to waste gas driving to the bank (they probably were closed anyway). Luckily, I was able to borrow quarters from a friend. Otherwise, our family wouldn't have had enough clothes and bedding for the next week. From that experience I learned that any suggested list for a disaster kit isn't all inclusive. If I would have put some thought into what my family needed to be prepared for the hurricane, I would have seen that we would've been out of clean clothes the day before the hurricane strikes and seen that shoot...I don't have any quarters.

Not wanting to over stuff this post, I'll talk about having a Place to Go, securing your Home, and having a Pet Plan in another post.

Best wishes.

Cannery Date in April

Our next scheduled date at the Cannery is Friday, Apr 16, 9 am - 2 pm, so Sister Peacock would like all orders emailed to her by Mar 16.

For more information about ordering from the Cannery, see the "How do you get your food storage?" post.

For Cannery guidelines, see the Cannery Schedule post.

Also, you're more than welcome to email me with questions or give me a call. My email's in the weekly Relief Society emails, and my phone number is correct in the ward directory and the ward website.

Best wishes!!

Bay leaves vs. Bugs

According to several sources, bay leaves work as a good bug deterrent, especially for Flour Weevils. One person online says that she buys bay leaves in bulk and places them in and around her canisters that hold flour, pasta or rice. She's also read that people scatter the leaves in the back of the pantry as well.

Buckets

I started out this post wanting to recommend buckets as another option for long-term food storage, but now I'm not so sure if it is a good way to store food for the long term. Let me tell you what I found out, and by the end maybe well see if it's still a good way to store food for longer than a year or so.

First of all, if you are planning on using buckets for food, you need to make sure the buckets and lids you're using are food grade and made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). To make sure the bucket is HDPE, you'll either see HDPE on the bottom of the bucket or a small triangle with a #2 inside. To make sure the bucket's food grade you'll have to ask the seller, especially if you're buying it used. Even though a bucket is technically food grade, it might have been used for paint, oil, or other things that shouldn't be digested. If you can't find out for sure how the bucket was used previously, you shouldn't store food in it or put the food in something else before putting it in the bucket (i.e. mylar bag/pouch).

How do you get buckets?

When you google "plastic buckets" or "plastic drums," quite a few websites of sellers pop up. One good seller that I've found is Baytec. They're about 40-50 miles southeast from here. Comparing their prizes to others, they seem to be relatively inexpensive.

The website is http://www.bayteccontainers.com/

There's also a list of sellers in the phone book under Barrels, Drums & Kegs-New.

You can also ask local bakeries, ice cream manufacturers and parlors, large restaurants or kitchens, or food processing plants for their used ones. I've personally talked to the Three Brothers Bakery (on S Braeswood and Stella Link, 713-666-2551) and the bakery at Target on Main St. When I called the people at Three Brother's, they were hesitant at first, but ultimately gave me five buckets that they were going to through away. The main baker at Target didn't have any empty ones on hand when I ask her on a Friday or Saturday. She knew, however, that she'd have some empty ones by Monday, so she said that she'd hold some for me to pick up that day. I've also randomly asked for buckets at Kroger and Sam's. They've never had any on hand, but both have seemed happy to give me some if they had them and told me to ask again.

Not all Lids are created equal

No matter how you get a bucket is seems you must purchase a lid separately. Even if you pick up used buckets, the lids are usually useless, and when you purchase buckets online or from a company in the phone book, you usually need to buy the bucket and the lids separately.

From looking online, I've seen that the cheapest lids should definitely only be used for the long term. Once you take it off, there's no guarantee that the lid will seal tightly again when you put it back on.

There's another lid with a spout on the top, but I hear it's not always easy to use (some foods being easier to pour out than others).

The most expensive, yet more practical option (in my opinion) is the Gamma Seal lid, which is basically a screw on lid for the bucket. Here's a video that the baytec people made explaining the Gamma Seal lid... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqIa21b4VLc

How to best use a bucket for food storage?

The main thing is to make sure the lid is on air tight. To do this, they need to be hammered on with a rubber mallet or a regular hammer with the assistance of a 2x4 acting as a buffer.



Here's the point where using buckets for long term buckets gets hazy. For food to get their longest self life, they need to be in an oxygen free environment. To make the food stored oxygen free, you use oxygen absorbers or vacuum out the air. I personally don't know how to vacuum out air, so one would assume that using oxygen absorbers is the best option. However, on the church catalog website for oxygen absorbers, it says "absorber packets do not work well in containers such as plastic buckets or zip-seal plastic bags." Why do they say absorber packets do not work in plastic buckets? I don't know. The website doesn't say, but then, again, it doesn't say not to use them, either. So...then what does that mean "absorber packets do not work well in containers?" Does it mean that you shouldn't use buckets to store food for the long term? Are plastic buckets fine without oxygen absorbers? Unfortunately, I don't know. The questions need more research.

Here's what I do know, though.

From what I've heard, read and watched on youtube, I think the best way to use buckets for long-term storage is to use them in conjunction with Mylar bags (aka pouches). You seal the food and oxygen absorbers in pouches first (filling the a single pouch while it's in the bucket), and then seal the pouches in buckets. Pouches on their own are not rodent proof, and buckets on their own aren't exactly bug proof, only bug resistant. Together, they would be protected from both and stored oxygen free.

Also, buckets would not be a bad way to store food that you use regularly. For example, your family eats a ton of oats, but you have problems with bugs getting in the huge bag you buy once it's open. Try using a bucket with a Gamma Seal lid.

I'll look into more information about buckets, but if you know anything about storing food in buckets, please comment or email. I'd love to know.

How do you get your food storage?

Obviously, there are many ways to get food, but I believe the best way is through the Church. The Church's regional canneries provide foods storage items of good quality and economical cost.

To order from the cannery...

1. Save the Family Home Storage Food Products order form on your computer


2. Type in what you want in the "Number of cans," "Number of pouches," and "Number of packages," and/or "quantity" columns.


3. Click on "Order Total" on the bottom right to have the total calculated for you.


4. Save your changes.


5. Email the form to Brother and Sister Peacock (our stake's canning coordinators) at rpeacock8123@yahoo.com.

The Peacocks would like to receive all orders one month before the next canning date, but if the next canning date is less than a month away, email them and ask if there's space for your order to be canned that day.

To get what you order...

1. Go to the cannery on the scheduled canning date (see Canning Schedule post)


2. If you ordered cans, you and everyone, who ordered cans, work together to can everyone's order. Also, everyone who ordered pouches will be sealing pouches together. Essentially, everyone will help out until everyone's order is filled. If you ordered in bulk, though, you can either simply pick up what you ordered and leave or help others out.


3. Drive home with your order. :)

For more info and guidelines, see the Canning Schedule post.

Ordering Online

I finally found where you can order your food storage online. It's at ldscatalog.com. It is more expensive (case of 6 No. 10 cans of quick oats $20.50 vs. $13.25) to cover shipping, but it might be worth it for you. To see the online catalog for food storage items, click here.

The rest of the information here was in the Longer-Term Supply post, but for clarity purposes, I moved it here.

So...how should I store the food? In No. 10 Cans, Pouches, or Bulk?

When we were first looking into buying our food storage, I didn't know whether to buy it in No. 10 cans, pouches, or bulk. Since then, I've talked to several people about what they've done, and I've found that it all depends on how you're planning on storing it and use it once you get home. For our family, we went ahead and got all boxes of No. 10 cans. They stack well. They're protected against bugs and rodents, and when I open a can, I don't have to worry about how to store the rest of the food I don't use. The No. 10 cans I bought came with plastic lids.

Some people are die hard pouch fans. One advantage is that pouches are cheaper to buy and hold a bit more food than the No. 10 cans. Also, you have more readily available opportunities to pouch than to can your food (if you pouch your own food). I believe every ward has a pouch sealer, and some members have even bought their own sealer. One disadvantage is that although pouches protect the food from bugs, they are not rodent proof. You'd have to store the pouches in another container (i.e. large plastic bins with covers or 5/3 gallon drums). Also, once you open a package, you're opening a bag as opposed to a can with a lid.

Buying in bulk is definitely the cheapest way to buy, but you run into the problem of how to store the food once you open the large bag. This is where having access to a pouch sealer comes in handy. After you buy 25 lb bag of _____ and a bunch of empty pouches from the cannery, you borrow the ward's or a friend's sealer, and then, bada bing bada boom, you'd have your food storage.

Canning on your own requires more planning. The stake has a canner you can borrow for five days (talk to Sister Peacock in Sugarland 3rd ward), and a sister in the Mablewood 2nd ward (Sister Margarita Trudo, I believe) has a canner. With canning you should remember, it's difficult to can more than one type of food item at a time because you have to meticulously clean between each food you'd like to can.

According to Sister Trudo, it's best to setup canning parties where only one food item is being canned. For example, you want to can wheat, so you invite all your friends with wheat to come join you and can wheat for a couple hours. During that time, your kids play together, everyone bring treats (hehehe), everyone helps clean up, and then everyone goes home happy with their canned wheat. Then you set up another date (the next day or the next time you borrow a canner) with all your friends who want to can oats.

Sound's good? Well, personally, I think it's easier to order canned food items from the cannery, go to the cannery on our stake's schedule day, help everyone fill everyone's order, and go home happy with all of what you ordered already canned, but don't necessarily take my word for it.

Well...Happy Food Storage Building!

Longer-term supply

The fourth and final topic of the Family Home Storage Pamphlet is the Longer-term supply. The pamphlet simply says that "for longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans."

The following chart shows what the Church recommends storing and at what quantities for a single adult.

So, if you want to build a year supply for two adults, the church recommends you getting 600 lbs of grains (25lbs * 2 people *12 months) and 120 lbs of dry beans (5lbs * 2 people *12 months). My husband, Nate, and I decided to just get 9 months worth of grains and dry beans since we already had a three month supply of food.

The Church also says on providentliving.org that "you may also want to add other items to your longer-term storage such as sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, baking soda, and cooking oil. To meet nutritional needs, also store foods containing Vitamin C and other essential nutrients."

Having grains and beans, I believe, is a good starting point for your foods storage. That is all Nate and I have right now. Soon, I do want to add the rest of the food mentioned above (sugar, nonfat dry milk, etc.)

Random thought: I'm finding that nonfat dry milk is a good item to have now that milk is getting more and more expensive. By itself, I'm not a big fan of dry milk's taste, but it's a good economical substitute for milk when cooking/baking.

Please note that the Food Storage Pamphlet says "to gradually build a food supply that will last a long time." It said to "gradually build" not to have a headache buying it all at once, and it said that you should get enough to last "a long time" not specifically "for a year." I think, however, building enough food for a year is a good goal.

How do you get your food storage?

Well, I actually made this information a post of it's own.