Noah's Ark Program

Okay, I know I've talked to people off and on about the "Noah's Ark" program, which is related to Provident Living. After much Googling I finally found a copy of the program.

Noah's Ark Program

You can print it out for your handy binder, and keep track of your progress.

Each month has a small set of goals related to the differet areas of Provident Living.

Food Storage Guide

Here is another great resource for information on shelf lives for food storage items, in the long term.

Food Storage Guide

Prudent Food Storage

Here is a great link for Prudent Food Storage that discusses different items and answers some questions about storing those items.

Prudent Food Storage

Organized Pantry: Beginner Guide to Pantry Pride

Here is a great article on getting started on your food storage that was posted on Organized Home.com (the title below is also a link to the article on their site).

Organized Pantry: Beginner Guide to Pantry Pride

Posted September 9th, 2007 by Cynthia Townley Ewer

in

• in the kitchen

It's the secret weapon of a well-organized kitchen: a working pantry. A planned reserve of foodstuffs and sundries used in the. home, a pantry saves time, money and stress in the kitchen.

Tap the pantry for unexpected meals and reduce trips to the supermarket. Stock it with frugal finds to lower grocery costs. Set aside a supply of food and sundries for a rainy day and protect your family against weather emergencies or financial dislocation.

Properly managed, the pantry is an integral part of an. organized home. Polish your pantry pride with our best hints and tips:

A pantry's not a place, it's an attitude

"Oh, I'd love to have a pantry," writes a reader, "but my house doesn't have one!" Sure it does! If there's so much as a spare roll of toilet paper tucked underneath a sink, the household. boasts a pantry.

Don't confuse storage space with the reality of the pantry principle. Certainly, it's helpful to have designated cabinet space for. pantry goods--but that's not the pantry. Think of the pantry as a reservoir of consumable goods which may be stored in any area of the home.

Tiny urban apartment or spacious rural farmhouse, all homes can include a pantry. That some houses may or may not feature a specific storage area labeled "pantry" is beside the point. A pantry's not a place, it's an attitude!

Eyes on the goal

What's the goal of establishing and maintaining a pantry? It's two-fold: household convenience and protection against unexpected events. A well-planned pantry means that the household will never run out of commonly used products such as toilet paper.

More important, a pantry is a reserve against hard times. Whether it's job loss, illness, or natural disaster, a pantry ensures that the family will continue to be fed, clean, and comfortable in the face of adversity.

A beginner's pantry focuses on convenience and contains back-up products for each storable item used in the home. The standard is simple: for each open bag, box or carton in the household, the pantry contains a second, back-up product, toothbrushes to tortellini. A good first goal: a three-day supply of food and hygiene supplies adequate to support your family plus one additional person.

More robust pantries serve additional goals. A mid-range pantry can feed a family for a period of two weeks to a month in case of emergency. This pantry includes substitutes for fresh foods, such as powdered milk, dried fruits and vegetables, and protein products.This pantry offers convenience and basic protection.

The most comprehensive home pantries are designed to meet long-term food storage needs. For instance, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) are taught to maintain a one-year supply of food and clothing for their families. To do so, these premier pantry managers stock versatile foodstuffs with long shelf life, such as whole wheat berries, together with a variety of preserved and dried foods. LDS home managers learn pantry-specific cooking techniques to enhance nutrition and appeal of long-keeping foods.

Inside the well-stocked pantry

Traditional home organization advice often specifies long lists of "recommended pantry items", idea being that you buy them and voila! you've got pantry. Eighteen months later, you're hauling dusty cans of apricot halves to the Food Bank and wondering what ever possessed you to purchase them in the first place.

Reality check! Each family's pantry will vary according to their own tastes, needs and standard of living. Storage space and financial constraints also affect pantry contents.

For instance, single-income households with young children will build pantries replete with cold cereal, formula, disposable diapers and child-friendly snack foods--all purchased on sale with coupons. Empty-nesters with an active social life and his-and-hers diets will lean toward pickled asparagus, cocktail crackers and tiny jars of caviar for pick-up appetizers and hostess gifts.

Dedicated home bakers include specialty flours, gluten, and dried buttermilk powder in their pantries, while non-cooks rely heavily on microwave entrees and freezer pizza. And just about every family can stockpile basics for kitchen and bath: toilet paper, toothpaste, laundry and dishwasher detergent, disposable diapers and feminine hygiene products, paper napkins and food storage bags.

Where's the best place to discover your family's pantry preferences? A grocery list! If you buy it, use it, and it can be stored, it's a pantry candidate. Building a pantry from the grocery list is also a powerful antidote to Pantry Mania: the indiscriminate purchase of case lots of canned turkey chili or house-brand soups that no one in the household will eat. Hello, Food Bank!

An expansive view of the pantry principle encompasses more than the traditional dry storage of canned foods and baking staples. Manage your pantry to include freezer storage and a limited amount of refrigerator real estate. Carrots, potatoes, oranges and apples enter the pantry zone when bought on sale and tucked into corners of the vegetable bin, while freezer convenience entrees qualify, too.

Bottom line: build a pantry to suit your family. Whether it's Chef Boy-ar-dee brand ravioli or Wolfgang Puck's upscale condensed soups, feature your family's favorites on the pantry shelves.

Organization and inventory tips

To work the pantry principle, you've gotta get organized! Maximum pantry power requires that you know what you have, how long it will keep, and how to store it safely. Good organization and inventory techniques will keep your pantry cycling smoothly.

Beginning pantries are relatively simple, and don't require complex organization systems. Create them by buying twice as many of each item as required for weekly use, then storing the extras. Use the last smidge of mayo making today's tuna salad? Retrieve the back-up jar from the pantry, and add "mayo" to the week's shopping list to replace the pantry jar.

Often, the beginner's pantry can be stored side-by-side with opened or in-use items. For example, stack the open box of detergent on top of the pantry box or line up cans of chicken noodle soup front to back on the canned goods shelf. Remember to rotate! Add newly-purchased items to the back of the stack or row; use the front items first.

Even for beginners, a dedicated pantry area can be a big help. Set aside a cabinet or shelf to hold pantry items. Organize them by category, stacking cans and boxes. Flat-bottomed plastic baskets support and contain bags of dried beans, rice, or pasta.

One exception to the "store by category" rule: complete pantry meals. On a section of pantry shelf, assemble all the makings for three to five pantry meals: a family-sized can of clam chowder, extra can of chopped clams, and the box of oyster crackers shelved together make it easy to replace these items after use.Check your "pantry meals" area before shopping day. Empty spaces will remind you to stock up on the clam chowder as needed.

More comprehensive pantries call for a more organized approach. Larger pantries require more storage space, often sited away from the kitchen.In this situation, a written pantry inventory can remind forgetful cooks of the existence and location of pantry items.

Pantry Inventory

To inventory the pantry, use a clipboard, steno pad, laptop computer or a free printable pantry inventory form from our Household Notebook Forms Library. Record pantry contents, amount and location for easy reference. Before grocery shopping, check the pantry; will you need to replace any items that have been used? Include them on the weekly shopping list.

Larger pantries may be stored in multiple locations around the house, so pay attention to food storage guidelines as you store. A cool, dry basement room is a good storage environment for root vegetables, apples, or baking staples; canned goods and dried beans can be safely stored in areas with greater temperature variation.

Long-term storage pantries require a thorough approach to selection, storage, maintenance and use of stored foods. Families storing a year's supply of food and water must pay close attention to storage guidelines, safe packaging, and integration of pantry supplies into the daily diet.

Building a pantry on a budget

Investing in the pantry principle pays off in savings of time and money, but it does involve an up-front cost. Even a beginner's pantry--a back-up product for each item used in the home, plus ingredients for three to five pantry meals--represents a significant financial outlay. Try these tips to spread the load:

"Tithe" for the pantry: set aside a regular percentage of each week's grocery budget for pantry-building. Even a few dollars a week will start the process of stocking and maintaining pantry reserves.

Buy on sale: take advantage of supermarket loss leaders to stock up. Supermarkets routinely offer tuna, tomato sauce, canned soup and canned beans at drop-dead prices to get shoppers in the door. If it's a pantry candidate and it's on sale, buy multiples!

Buy in bulk: bulk-buying for the pantry really pays off. Using the pantry "tithe", buy the 25-pound sack of bread flour for $3.89 at the warehouse store, rather than spend $1.39 for the supermarket's five-pound bag. You'll save and stock up at the same time!

Storage tips for small spaces

Even beginner's pantries may have a hard time finding a home in small houses or apartments. Try these storage ideas to tuck away a pantry in the tiniest home:

Break the mold: look beyond the kitchen to store pantry items in a small home. Provided that temperature and moisture are not issues, any room in the house is a candidate for pantry storage. Who says cans can't live in the coat closet?

Disguise it: integrate pantry goods into the home. For example, stack two large bulk-food storage containers and top with a plywood circle and round tablecloth. Who can tell this attractive end table is really storage space for 50 pounds of flour?

Look high and low: make use of storage space under or over furniture. Fill shallow under-bed storage boxes with canned food, labels up, and push them beneath the bed. Similarly, cover cardboard records boxes with gift wrap or fabric, fill them with bags of pasta, beans and rice, and stash them away on top of tall bookcases.

A Consumer's Guide to Long Term Food Storage

Several individuals have asked me regarding the "shelf life" of long term food storage staples. While I am sure some of these time limits may be hotly debated, I have found some information on this area to share with you all.

Judy Harrison and Elizabeth Andress, both of the University of Georgia, have produced a Consumer Guide on Long Term Food Storage. The document is reproduced below.


Reprinted with permission from the University of Georgia.
Harrison, J, Andress, E. (1998). Consumer's Guide: Preparing an Emergency Food Supply. Athens, GA: University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension Service.

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UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Service

Consumer's Guide:
Preparing an Emergency Food Supply
Long Term Food Storage

Judy Harrison, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist,
Department of Food and Nutrition

and Elizabeth L. Andress, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist,
Department of Food and Nutrition

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Flash floods, tropical storms, blizzards...whatever the disaster, it pays to be prepared. Emergency items should be stored in a disaster supply kit.

Putting Together a Disaster Supply Kit

• Items to include in a disaster supply kit:
• Medical supplies and first aid manual*
• Hygiene supplies
• Portable radio and extra batteries**
• Flashlights and lanterns with extra batteries**
• Camping cookstove and fuel
• Sterno cans
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Fire Extinguisher**
• Blankets and extra clothing
• Shovel and other useful tools
• Money in a waterproof container
• Infant and small children's needs (if appropriate)*
• Can opener, utensils, cookware

* Check expiration dates and rotate stock for long-term storage.
** Check periodically.

Nutrition Information for Emergency Food Storage

In a crisis, it will be most important that you maintain your strength. Eating nutritiously can help you do this. Here are some important nutrition tips.

• Plan menus to include as much variety as possible.
• Eat at least one well-balanced meal each day.
• Drink enough liquid to enable your body to function properly (two quarts a day).
• Take in enough calories to enable you to do any necessary work.
• Include vitamin, mineral and protein supplements in your stockpile to assure adequate nutrition.

When deciding what foods to stock, use common sense. Consider what you could use and how you could prepare it. Storing foods that are difficult to prepare and are unlikely to be eaten could be a costly mistake.

Stocking a Long-term Emergency Food Supply

One approach to long term food storage is to store bulk staples along with a variety of canned and dried foods.

Bulk Staples

Wheat, corn, beans and salt can be purchased in bulk quantities fairly inexpensively and have nearly unlimited shelf life. If necessary, you could survive for years on small daily amounts of these staples. The following amounts are suggested per adult, per year:

Item	Amount*
Wheat	240 pounds
Powdered Milk	75 pounds
Corn	240 pounds
Iodized Salt	5 pounds
Soybeans	120 pounds
Fats and Oil	20 pounds**
Vitamin C***	180 grams
* Best to buy in nitrogen-packed cans ** 1 gallon equals 7 pounds *** Rotate every two years

Stocking Foods for Infants

Special attention would need to be paid to stocking supplies of foods for infants. Powdered formula would be the least expensive form of infant formula to stock. Commercially canned liquid formula concentrate and ready-to-feed formula may also be stored. Amounts needed would vary, depending on the age of the infant. Infant formula has expiration dates on the packages and should not be used past the expiration date. Parents should also plan to have a variety of infant cereals and baby foods on hand. Amounts needed will vary depending on the age of the infant.

Other Foods to Supplement Your Bulk Staples

You can supplement bulk staples which offer a limited menu with commercially packed air-dried or freeze-dried foods, packaged mixes and other supermarket goods. Canned meats are a good selection. Rice and varieties of beans are nutritious and long-lasting. Ready-to-eat cereals, pasta mixes, rice mixes, dried fruits, etc. can also be included to add variety to your menus. Packaged convenience mixes that only need water and require short cooking times are good options because they are easy to prepare. The more of these products you include, the more expensive your stockpile will be.

The following is an easy approach to long-term food storage:

1.Buy a supply of the bulk staples listed previously.

2.Build up your everyday stock of canned goods until you have a two-week to one-month surplus. Rotate it periodically to maintain a supply of common foods that will not require special preparation, water or cooking.

3.From a sporting or camping equipment store, buy commercially packaged, freeze-dried or air-dried foods. Although costly, this is an excellent form of stored meat, so buy accordingly. (Canned meats are also options.) Another option is to purchase dry, packaged mixes from the supermarket.


Consider stocking some of the items listed as examples below. Amounts are suggested quantities for an adult for one year.

Flour, White Enriched	17 lbs
Corn Meal	42 lbs
Pasta (Spaghetti/Macaroni)	42 lbs
Beans (dry)	25 lbs
Beans, Lima (dry)	1 lb
Peas, Split (dry)	1 lb
Lentils (dry)	1 lb
Dry Soup Mix	5 lbs
Peanut Butter	4 lbs
Dry Yeast	1/2 lb
Sugar, White Granulated	40 lbs
Soda	1 lb
Baking Powder	1 lb
Vinegar	1/2 gal

Storage and Preparation of Food Supplies

All dry ingredients or supplies should be stored off the floor in clean, dry, dark places away from any source of moisture. Foods will maintain quality longer if extreme changes in temperature and exposure to light are avoided.

Grains

If you purchase bulk wheat, dark hard winter or dark hard spring wheat are good selections. Wheat should be #2 grade or better with a protein content from 12 - 15% and moisture content less than 10%. If wheat is not already in nitrogen-packed cans, it can be stored in sturdy 5 gallon food-grade plastic buckets or containers with tight fitting lids. If the wheat has not already been treated to prevent insects from hatching, wheat may be treated at the time of storage by placing one-fourth pound of dry ice per 5 gallon container in the bottom and then filling with wheat. Cover the wheat with the lid, but not tightly, for five or six hours before tightening the lid to be air tight. Other grains to consider storing include rye, rice, oats, triticale, barley and millet. Pasta products also satisfy the grain component of the diet. Milled rice will maintain its quality longer in storage than will brown rice. Many of the grains may require grinding before use. Some health food stores sell hand-cranked grain mills or can tell you where you can get one. Make sure you buy one that can grind corn. If you are caught without a mill, you can grind your grain by filling a large can with whole grain one inch deep, holding the can on the ground between your feet and pounding the grain with a hard metal object such as a pipe.

Non-fat Dry Milk/Dairy Products

Store dry milk in a tightly covered air-tight container. Dry milk may be stored at 70oF for 12 - 24 months. If purchased in nitrogen packed cans, storage time for best quality will be 24 months. Other dairy products for long term storage may include canned evaporated milk, pasteurized cheese spreads and powdered cheese.

Other Foods or Ingredients

Iodized salt should be selected and stored in its original package. Dried beans, peas, lentils, etc. provide an inexpensive alternative to meat and are easy to store in glass or plastic containers tightly covered. Those purchased from the grocery shelf are normally the highest quality. Open food boxes or cans carefully so that you can close them tightly after each use. Wrap cookies and crackers in plastic bags, and keep them in air-tight storage containers. Empty opened packages of sugar, dried fruits and nuts into screw-top jars or airtight food storage containers to protect them from pests. Inspect all food containers for signs of spoilage before use. Commercially canned foods are safe to eat after long periods of storage unless they are bulging, leaking or badly rusted. Quality, however, will diminish with long term storage. Changes in flavor, color and texture may be observed and nutritional value will decrease. For best quality, use within one year. If stored longer than one year, rotate canned goods at least every two to four years.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

To help compensate for possible deficiencies in the diet in emergency situations, families may wish to store 365 multi-vitamin/mineral tablets per person. Careful attention should be paid to expiration dates on packages.

Shelf Life of Foods for Storage (Unopened)

Here are some general guidelines for rotating common emergency foods to ensure the best quality of the products.

Use within six months:

• Powdered milk (boxed)
• Dried fruit (in metal container)
• Dry, crisp crackers (in metal container)
• Potatoes

Use within one year:

• Canned condensed meat and vegetable soups
• Canned fruits, fruit juices and vegetables
• Ready-to-eat cereals and uncooked instant cereals (in metal containers)
• Peanut butter Jelly
• Hard candy, chocolate bars and canned nuts

May be stored indefinitely* (in proper containers and conditions):

• Wheat
• Vegetable oils
• Corn
• Baking powder
• Soybeans
• Instant coffee, tea
• Cocoa
• Salt
• Noncarbonated soft drinks
• White rice
• Bouillon products
• Dry pasta
• Vitamin C
• Powdered milk (in nitrogen-packed cans)

*Two to three years


If the Electricity Goes Off...

FIRST, use perishable food and foods from the refrigerator. THEN use the foods from the freezer. To minimize the number of times you open the freezer door, post a list of freezer contents on it. In a well-filled, well-insulated freezer, foods will usually still have ice crystals in their centers. Consume the foods only if they have ice crystals remaining or if the temperature of the freezer has remained at 40 degrees F or below. Covering the freezer with blankets will help to hold in cold. Be sure to pin blankets back so that the air vent is not covered. FINALLY, begin to use non-perishable foods and staples.

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References:

Federal Emergency Management Agency. June 16, 1998 Update. Emergency Food and Water Supplies (FEMA-215). Washington, DC.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 1998. Emergency Preparedness Manual.

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Document use:
Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and the University of Georgia receive acknowledgement and the notice is included:

Reprinted with permission from the University of Georgia.
Harrison, J, Andress, E. (1998). Consumer's Guide: Preparing an Emergency Food Supply. Athens, GA: University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension Service.

*************************************************************************************

Content Person Contact: Elizabeth L. Andress, Ph.D. eandress@uga.edu
Copyright Permission: (706) 542-4860
Document Review:
Document Size:
Publication Date: 1998-12-01
Entry Date: 1999-01-28
Pull Date:
Pub #: FDNS-E-34-1

September is National Preparedness Month!

We're not the only ones trying to be prepared. The Department of Homeland Security is spearheading a national campaign on preparedness.

September has been designated as National Preparedness Month. Check out their resource page, Ready.Gov, for great information, guides, and planning materials.

Emergency Preparedness

Members of the Church have been counseled for many years to be prepared for adversity. Preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. With the guidance of Church leaders, individual members and families should prepare to be self-reliant in times of personal or widespread emergency.

-Provident Living Website

Family Finances

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Latter-day Saints have been counseled for many years to prepare for adversity by having a little money set aside. Doing so adds immeasurably to security and well-being. Every family has a responsibility to provide for its own needs to the extent possible.

We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from this bondage. Save a little money regularly to gradually build a financial reserve.

If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts.

May the Lord bless you in your family financial efforts.

—The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances

Family Home Storage

"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 can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

"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 establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

--The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage

Posting Information

Please feel free to post ideas, information, successes, failures, and questions. Remember that this is a place for encouragement, not criticism or discouragement.

When posting, please remember to add a label (you'll see the space for that at the bottom of the post form on Blogger), that will tell us what topic of the Provident Living genre you're talking about. The three main areas are: Family Home Storage (which includes food supplies, water storage, etc), Family Finances, and Emergency Preparedness. In addition to including one of these labels, you are also invited to add other labels which can be more specific (such as a label that reads "budgeting" or "three month supply"). This way, people who visit here looking for specific information or wanting information on a specific topic can find it fast!

So get out, starting sharing your experiences with Provident Living, your ideas, your information, and help us all to get prepared!

Let's Get Ready!

Welcome to our new Provident Living blog!

Over the next year....and beyond...I'll be posting information on every aspect of Provident Living, and I hope that you all will comment, and post your own ideas and information.

There is no time like the present to get prepared, so join us and let's all encourage one another!