LDS Cannery Powdered Milk....Now Online!

Every month I try to order one or two items for my food storage from the LDS Church online. (lds.org) When I got online to order my oats guess what is now available..... non-instant powdered milk!!!  It wasn't previously available online.  I am sooooo excited!  I make yogurt with this milk and many other things, but I am so happy that it can be delivered right to my door, instead of driving all the way to the cannery in Salt Lake....it comes in a case of 12 28-oz pouches for $67.00.

Click HERE to see the milk.  Some don't care for this powdered milk as a drink, but there are so many other ways it can be used.  I use if for...

Homemade Yogurt

Homemade Cottage Cheese

Bulk Mixes

Broccoli Soup

Homemade Wheat Bread

Chocolate Mug Cake

And any recipe that calls for milk. For 1 cup of milk= 1 cup of water + 3 T of powdered milk.  There have been so many nights of making dinner and I am out of milk.  Powdered milk to the rescue.  It's a great, affordable, powdered milk!!!
 

Field Trip-- A Visit To The LDS Cannery

One of the best places to buy your food storage is at the LDS Cannery.  It is clean, organized, and inexpensive compared with other food storage retailers. The Cannery is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the use and benefit of its members, but if you aren't a member of the Church find a friend who is and they will gladly take you to purchase food from the cannery. The volunteers that work in the cannery are happy and always willing to help you.  There are two ways to purchase your food storage from the cannery.  One is to take a few hours and can your bulk purchase in #10 cans, or you may purchase the food in bulk and can it at home.  I didn't have time in my day to stay and can my food so I purchased a few things and used my foodsaver to can them at home. 

The above stock photo is from the Church website and gives you a glimpse of how to put food into #10 cans using the canning facility. It is actually fun to do and even more so when you have a group of friends to go with you. 

The day I visited the cannery no one was canning, but I wanted to let you know what the downtown Welfare Square cannery in Salt Lake City looks like.

 I loved the quote on the wall from Harold B. Lee..." Why should the grain elevator be built?  To me there is only one answer.  The elevator stands as a prophecy of a time when we will need wheat; of a time when, perhaps, money cannot buy food."  That's a very sobering thought!

 The food storage basics for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were also displayed on the wall.  They are plain and simple to follow.  Get the basics....store what you eat...eat what you store...store water....get your finances in order....then work on longer-term storage.  

I bought a 15lb box of dehydrated apples for $69.  These are my favorite dehydrated apples from any food storage retailer.  They are crispy and taste like dessert.  It's really hard to keep them stocked at my house.  

 I "canned" them using my foodsaver and I don't want to admit it, but it may have taken a long time to finish this project. (click HERE to see how I use my foodsaver to dry can) But I shouldn't have complained because I had no idea how long a 35lb box of dehydrated onions would take. 

If you ever want adults to look at you like you are crazy buy a 35lb box of dehydrated onions like you do it everyday.  I got the funniest comments from the volunteers at the cannery when I said I wanted the whole box.  I assured them that I had a plan for them and I knew what I was doing.  The 35lb box cost $72.00 and I think I'm set for onions in my long-term storage :)  

 It took FOREVER it seemed to get them all canned, but it was so worth it to see the final product.  Being prepared gives me peace of mind.

If you don't live near a cannery you can order a few staples, like wheat, sugar, oats, dehydrated apples, a few pastas, and pinto beans, online HERE and also download an order form there as well.  I am truly blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and some of those blessings come from continually working on my food storage.  And I love a Church that will help me accomplish this goal by providing a Cannery for my use.     

Self-Reliant Saturdays-- Clearance Sales

There are two words that make me really happy....clearance & sale.  Becoming totally prepared in every way can be a pricey endeavor and I couldn't do it all if it weren't for sales and clearance aisles at the store.  While at my local Wal-Mart today I passed by the clearance aisle in the camping/outdoor section of the store.  I was on the lookout for flashlights and I hit the jackpot.  They had all sorts of flashlights, headlamps, smaller lanterns on clearance from $2-$7 each.  I was ecstatic!  As I perused the aisle a little longer I noticed a camping shower tent on the bottom shelf for $25!!  I have been on the lookout for one of these enclosures to use with my portable potty and also for my solar shower.  I couldn't believe the price, and there were several on the shelf.  I bought the shower tent, multiple flashlights, several headlamps, and two boxes of fire starters.

My preparedness tip for this Self-Reliant Saturday is to always walk by the clearance section of every store you visit.  

The selection is always varied and you'll never know what is there, but it will save you money! This is also an example of why I keep a running list of things that I need to purchase for my family.  You can run across those items on your list at the most random places and times.

Valley Food Storage-- A Review

When someone offers me free food I will most likely take them up on the offer.  Valley Food Storage contacted me and asked if I would try out one of their products and then review it.  This will be an honest review of what my family and I thought of this product.  I was only compensated in receiving the free product, I do not sell this product.  

Valley Food Storage prides themselves on having quality food storage, where you can pronounce every ingredient, and it lasts up to 25 years on the shelf.  From their website:

• You can pronounce all of the ingredients
• No hydrogenated oils or distasteful preservatives
• Up to 25 year shelf life
• Small, local company
• Inexpensive! Yep, take a look at the price per serving and compare!
• Durable, resealable packages
• Nitrogen flushed
• Seriously good taste!

I couldn't wait to try out the White Bean and Lime Chili that they sent me to sample.  The first thing that I noticed was that the mylar bag of soup was resealable.  The bag contains 5 servings and if you were single, or had a smaller family, you could easily make half of the soup and reseal it for another time.  Loved this!!  The bag was also a heavy duty mylar and felt like it would stand up to being tossed around in a backpack.  

The instructions for the White Bean and Lime Chili could not be easier to follow.  Boil 5 1/2 cups of water and add the contents of the bag.

Whisk the chili and let simmer for 15-20  minutes and then enjoy!  The directions say to let it sit 5-7 minutes to thicken, but our chili was thick when it was done cooking and we just dug in!

This chili smelled delicious right out of the bag, but it tasted even better!  I haven't had a freeze-dried soup ever taste this good!  I have five children four of them ate their whole bowl, and my picky eater refused to try it.  All four of my kids that ate it, LOVED it!  Even my son, who is pretty picky, ate his whole bowl! My husband is pretty picky too when it comes to Mexican food, but he really liked the flavor of this chili.  I have to say that if all of Valley Food Storage food tastes this good, I am rethinking the food in my 72-hour kits!  

I love that it is real food, with real flavor, and that my family really enjoyed it!  The 5-serving bag that I tried retails for $11.95 on the valleyfoodstorage.com website.  You can purchase their pre-made food storage programs, or customize your food storage order to your family's taste. They have breakfasts, sides, and entrees available.  They also sell 72-hour kits, Berkey water filters, and longer-term food in buckets. With the option to buy the food preselected or you can customize the food for your taste. 

Valley Food Storage's motto is "Store food you'll love to eat", I was very impressed with the quality of this food and I loved the flavor of the White Bean and Lime Chili.  I want to mention that it is a vegetarian chili and you could easily add meat, freeze-dried or canned, to bulk up the chili, and maybe add some freeze-dried cheese too.  But I am a vegetarian and it satisfied me, my husband, and four of my kids. My picky eater will either starve or learn to love new foods ;) This is definitely food storage that I will love to eat!