Be Prepared

One of our (many) goals this year is to establish a basic food storage and a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit. We started this project last year, actually, in a small way, when I began buying an extra food item every time I bought one at the store. Canned food, pasta, and dried beans/lentils being the most frequently purchased items.

We then began planning out all of the items we'll need for a 72-hour kit, following the guidelines we found here: http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm

Last week, we learned that my sister-in-law Chelsea would be renting a canning device this weekend, and we thought it quite fitting and fortuitous, given how well the timing fit with our recent focus on emergency preparedness. We went to Winco in Elk Grove (an employee-owned grocery store where they have a fantastic bulk food section) and proceeded to buy unbleached flour, brown basmati rice, honey, water, rolled and quick oats, salt, and sugar. There were a ton of other bulk I hope to buy later to can or even just as a low-cost alternative to buying from the regular grocery store. (Whole wheat pasta, all kinds of flours, rice, spices, cereals, and legumes... Not to mention candy and snacks!)

I canned and labeled most of these this weekend (22 can's worth!). The process was not as hard as I thought it might be and we have greater peace of mind now that we have a small store of essentials that will last for a varying number of years. Sometimes it takes a disaster like the earthquakes in Haiti to remind us all how fragile we are and the importance of being prepared. We are working towards that goal, and hopefully after this weekend, we're one step closer.