Thoughts on Food Pantries

Well, I ran across a blog post the other day about putting food into your pantry (there are many posts on the Internet these days on the topic) but this particular post made mention of something 
Craig and I have talked about lately and that is the possibility of bartering or  Keeping things on hand that may be of use for trade in the event that we experience some kind of emergency, be it man-made or natural.  So we began to think about things that may be tradable and inexpensive to have on hand that we would actually use ourselves if we needed to.  A few things that come to mind are:  

Coffee, sugar, salt, vodka (good for medicinals), chocolate/cocoa, candy, cooking oils, aspirin/anti-pyretics such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, and perhaps grains or beans.  I’m sure there are many other things that would be a good idea…maybe duct tape, tarps, rope, old blankets, clothes, coats(purchased second hand or stuff you’re no longer using)…I could go on and on. 

Also, the topic of rotating your pantry was mentioned in the article and is also an issue because it's easy to put food in and forget about it... well, it doesn't last forever.  A long time yes, but not that long!  Paying attention to dates and rotation is a must and should be done on a regular basis.    Also, it is good to keep in mind that winter and spring is the time to eat your canned storage and replace it when it’s on sale or in season.  Summer and fall is the time to eat fresh produce from the garden as it is harvested.  Learn what “in season” in your area and stick to that.  This way, you can eat local and your diet becomes more rotational (you’re not eating the same foods all year).

Also,You have to keep a pantry that has foods you use!!  I have finally gotten my pantry down to items that we actually do eat.

Items I keep in my pantry:  
Salmon, tuna, Canned chicken, turkey pepperoni, beef sausage, peanut butter, jelly, syrup, crackers, beans, rice, pastas, dried potato buds, seasonings, oats, canned peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, pineapple,  raw walnuts, pecans, almonds, apples and potatoes and a few canned soups and broth for when we just don’t have time  to make them ourselves.  Oh, and don't forget, small amounts of flour because it doesn't last long nutritionally once ground, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch, a little yeast because you can catch it from the air too so I don't keep more than I might us before it's "use by" date is up. I also keep some potato chips, corn chips and pop corn for snacking (and a little candy for treats).  
***I want to note here that we are also becoming aware of the issue of genetically modified foods which are mainly processed foods with corn, soy and possibly beet sugar in their ingredients. We are trying to avoid them either by eating organic or whole foods which are homemade whenever possible (this has been a process in itself because it basically means learning how to cook from scratch…this has been time consuming because I didn’t come from a home that taught cooking as a life skill!!!)  
Another reason for keeping a working food pantry is, in an uncertain job market, it’s a good idea to have a “cushion”  in case you had a few weeks where you found yourself short on cash or have friends who you might want to help if they were having a shortage.

Okay, on to the links (Oh, but you know I have to say this...while I may not agree with all the food choices these sights mention, they give good info and ideas about what you might want to have in your pantry: 

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/food-storage-101-what-to-store/

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/food-storage-101-rotating-and-dating/

Here is another sight:

http://modernsurvivalonline.com/steps-to-preparedness-1-food-storage-2/

I hope there is something you can use here J

**One last note:  Remember bulk purchasing is your best choice for  better prices on items like grains and beans.  If 25# of something is too much for you, share it with a friend or neighbor. Also, purchase canned goods by the case and some stores will give you a bulk discount on your order.  Join a co-op, it helps keep you out of the store where you make your impulse purchases that can break the proverbial bank.  If you begin searching for a co-op be sure to find out if the one your considering allows you to buy 1 of any given item or if most of the items need to be purchased by the case.  It may make a difference if that co-op will work for you because if you have to buy a case of something that has a short shelf life (like milk or yogurt) and you only have 2-3 people in the house, you most likely won't be able to eat it all and it isn't going to be a savings to you to have to throw it away if you couldn't find someone to share it with.


Oh, one last note, those lovely pantry shelves in the pictures above...they aren't mine but they sure are pretty aren't they!

Just a few thoughts,      

Traci

Interesting Dates in 2011

This year we will experience 4 unusual dates....

1/1/11,  1/11/11,  11/1/11,  11/11/11.

NOW figure this out.

Take the

last 2 digits of the year you were born in

plus the age you will be this year

and it WILL EQUAL .... 111!

The only one this didn’t work with is Caleb...his year of birth is 2000J  

but it did equal 11 because he’ll be 11 this year.

The same with Braelynne and Gracie...thier numbers also equal 11.

Crazy huh?

Prophecy in the heavens

The moon will hide the face of the sun again this month (Wednesday, July 22, 2009) in the longest solar eclipse in this 21st century. "It will be a monster, with a totality lasting more than 6.6 minutes at maximum," say Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson, writers for Sky & Telescope magazine.
You may recall that when we interviewed Mark Biltz for our May 2008 issue of Prophecy in the News magazine, we noted that he had discovered three solar eclipses that would occur on each of three annual calendar dates that introduce the Jewish month of Av for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010. The first eclipse occurred on August 1, 2008. The second solar eclipse is coming up this month — on July 22, 2009, and the third will happen on July 11, 2010. Though these dates vary in our Gregorian calendar, they occur on the same calendar date in the Jewish calendar — Av 1. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon travels across the face of the sun, thus blocking out its sunlight.
A "total" solar eclipse means that the moon is large enough (closer to Earth) to completely cover the surface of the sun, whereas, an "annular" solar eclipse means that the moon is farther away from Earth and appears smaller than the sun’s disk. A "partial" solar eclipse means that the moon only crosses part the sun’s surface, but does not completely block out its light. These three solar eclipses are "total" eclipses — last year in the far north, this year across the middle of Earth’s surface, and next year in the far south.
The solar eclipse last year (August 1, 2008) was seen in parts of the Arctic, Siberia, and central Asia. The second of these three solar eclipses will be coming up this month on July 22, 2009. Sky & Telescope magazine (December 2008) had a story about this solar eclipse, saying that it would be the longest eclipse of the century and would not be seen in this configuration again until 2132.
Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson, writers for Sky & Telescope said, "A total eclipse of the sun will cross China next summer. Unlike the eclipse last August, the one on July 22, 2009, will darken major cities, densely populated countryside, and a vast expanse of tropical ocean."
"The third total solar eclipse will happen on July 11, 2010, almost entirely over the South Pacific. Easter Island and southern Chile (at sunset) offer the only landfalls. The South Pacific is again the site of the next one, on November 13, 2012."
November 13, 2012 ... hmmm ... that’s in the fourth year of this Sabbatical cycle, near December 12, 2012, the final day in the Mayan calendar. Could these be heavenly signs?
The total solar eclipse this month will have a magnitude of 1.080 that will be visible from a narrow corridor through northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati. Totality will be visible in many cities such as Surat, Varanasi, Patna, Thimphu, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shanghai. A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon‘s penumbra, including most of South East Asia and north-eastern Oceania. The northern Iwo Jima island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum.
On Friday, August 1, 2008, a total eclipse of the Sun was visible from within a narrow corridor that traversed half the Earth. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow began in Canada and extended across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse was seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, which included northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia.
On Sunday, July 11, 2010, a third total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses Earth’s southern hemisphere. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow will cross the South Pacific Ocean where it will make no landfall except for Mangaia (Cook Islands) and Easter Island (Isla de Pascua). The path of totality will end just after reaching southern Chile and Argentina. The Moon’s penumbral shadow will produce a partial eclipse visible from a much larger region covering the South Pacific and southern South America.
What is remarkable about these solar eclipses is the unusual way they occur on the Jewish calendar. There are several Scriptures that predict signs in the Sun and Moon around the time of the Tribulation Period. Isaiah wrote:
"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, ... the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
"And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible" (Isa. 13:9-11).
John wrote: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" (Rev. 6:12).It is possible that solar and lunar eclipses over the next few years hold heavenly messages for mankind??

Courtesy of Prophecy in the News, J.R. Church