Family Preparedness Project

Some of our projects are just {little projects}.  But I feel like a lot of our projects are more like, " little-by-little" projects.  That's how I feel about our Family Preparedness Project.  

I've shared some thoughts before about {this little project} since it's the ongoing kind.  Since September is National Preparedness Month here in the USA and with hurricane Irene we have a fresh reminder of how life can change very quickly.  Being prepared is a {little project} that helps us all weather life's storms better.  

For instance, I was recently reading about Brandy's experience of feeding her family for two years while her husband was out of a job and how important her pantry became to her.  Talk about pulling on your heart strings.  Wondering how you will be able to feed your children from day to day is a totally different kind of stress than wondering what you might make for dinner.

We moved into our home just over a year ago and I've been so excited to graduate from our DIY pantry to a real pantry!  For Christmas I wanted storage containers for all our dried fruits, nuts, flour, sugar, etc.  Not only does it feel great to have an organized pantry, but it is a rewarding experience to have some extra on hand so we aren't so completely tied to the grocery store.  

If you are new to the idea of having extra on hand, a pantry is a great way to start.  I love having a "mini grocery store" in my home so that if I change my mind on what to make for dinner I don't have to run to the store.  To begin I just bought a few extras of the things our family eats regularly.  With some dedicated shelf space it's not too hard to work your way up to having one month and then two or three months of food on hand in your pantry.  It's a {little project} that will give you peace of mind.  

The world is an unpredictable place but you can make your home feel more secure.  Whenever I wonder about if {this little project} is worth the effort I think of stories like Brandy's.  I want to be able to feed my family if our circumstances were to suddenly change.  And little by little, {this little project} is coming together.

If you are thinking that your family could use a little family preparedness project too, I also want to share with you an article with 1 preparedness idea for each day of September.  Following one or many of the ideas will get you a little closer to your goal.  And with it being National Preparedness Month, now is a great time to begin!

Canning Tomatoes

It's that time of year:

We've had more tomatoes than we know what to do with growing in our garden. So I turned them into about a dozen quarts of tomato sauce. It was my first time doing {This Little Project} and I'm sure they'll be gone in no time.

Every time I try to do canning I feel like a bit of a canning fraud. Meaning, it's not really natural to me. I have to think through every step and each year I feel like I start from scratch again. So, if I can do this you can too!

This is my go-to book for canning info and recipes:

It's got pretty much everything in there. My other resource is multiple calls to my Mother ;)

I used the recipe for a chunky sauce. And I hope to do applesauce soon. I love using what's in our garden. There is something about knowing where your food comes from I guess!

{This Little Project} takes up a good portion of the afternoon, but it sure is tasty!

p.s. I chanced on another blog I have loved reading and wanted to share with you. This link will take you to more tomato canning goodness. But explore a little and you'll find lots of goodies.

DIY Pantry

Why is it needful to have a pantry? For me, it comes down to a few things.
1-I'm lazy and don't want to go to the store all the time. I would rather just go to my pantry.
2-I can save money on groceries by purchasing a couple extra of the things we use most when they go on sale.
3- The biggest reason is this quote: President Ezra Taft Benson: "I ask you earnestly, have you provided for your family a year's supply of food, clothing, and where possible, fuel? The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah." General Conference October 1987.

And if that doesn't convince you, how about this from the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) last week about how our nation's Electricity Grid has been penetrated by spies. Yup. Without electricity your credit cards don't work, your internet bank transfer doesn't work, your ATM card doesn't work. And neither do those scanning machines at the grocery store. It's going to be a pain to buy food or get something to eat if you don't have any on hand for a natural disaster or manmade disaster.

Now, that scare theory is not what I navigate my life by. But, it's a thought to consider. Things happen. It's good to be prepared.

So, now back to how to get a pantry if you don't have one so that you can store some of your favorite yummies.
Here's what ours looks like:

The house we are renting doesn't have a pantry.

So our pantry is a "wardrobe" cabinet from Home Depot. It's a beast to move. The thing is so heavy. But we moved it anyway and it's been such a great thing for our kitchen. It has a key that locks it closed (so my kiddos can't play with cans of food) and it has a few shelves on one side and across the top. The "wardrobe" part where you would hang clothes is open.
On that side I use this "shoe shelf" (from Target-I think?) to keep things organized. I also use some vertically stacked cardboard boxes next to it (not in the photo) to created separated space.


My favorite shelves are these:
My sister bought them at the Smith's Marketplace in SLC when we lived there. I'm sure you can find them other places too. I love them because you can stack things above and use the space below for different things. They are especially great in a deep space like this wardrobe is.

This soup rack is a recent addition.  I've always just stacked cans before.  I'm still deciding how much I like it.  It isn't a big one that rotates old to new cans.

This past week I realized that we've been in our "new" (rental) house for about 9 months and it is time to rotate everything.  Regardless of how you set up your pantry, be sure that you take the time every so often to make sure the older things are the ones you are eating so your food doesn't spoil waiting for you to use it.  Otherwise, that idea about saving money buying a few extra doesn't work so well.

Have fun creating your own DIY pantry. Talking about This Little Food Project is making me hungry!