Our New Family Member

A few weeks ago my daughter-in-law called and told me there was a wonderful woman I needed to “meet”. So I made a phone call…I have know for a while now, that I wanted to find someone who could educate both you and me when it came to using grains and beans. I have never believed in storing foods we don’t eat and I have never taken the time to become really proficient in the use of grains and legumes. As soon as I spoke with Karen I knew I had found my self reliance soul mate. She has taken the time to become an expert in areas I have not. Karen will be joining us on our journey to self reliance. She will be posting here and I will be posting on her web site. So, welcome Karen! Please visit her website and poke around. Click on her blog and make a comment welcoming her to the team!

I’ll let Karen introduce herself:

A short time ago I received a phone call from a dynamic woman who introduced herself as an emergency preparedness expert and a writer for Meridian Magazine; I was instantly hooked! We spent the next several minutes chatting away comparing mental notes and philosophies.  It was apparent that we had the same ideas, goals, and motivations. We had so much in common and so much to learn from each other, it was obvious to both of us that we would make a great team. So, Carolyn will be posting on my website regularly, and I will be posting on her blog!

Let me tell you a few tid-bits about myself.

My world revolves around five phenomenal children who insist on calling me Mom! I do not know what I have done in my life to be so blessed. I have three mild mannered daughters and two rambunctious sons that believe that every person exists to be tackled, every sofa needs a good jumping on, and that if it moves you should wrestle it! My life is full of joy and every day presents more fantastic adventures.

My greatest credential would be the hands on training that I received from my own mother and have had the opportunity to put into practice over the last twenty years with my family. My mother is a hard working, innovative, definite non–whiner who taught me the importance of cooking from scratch, using whole grains, growing a garden, and preserving food as a way of life. Because of her, I have been blessed with a love of kitchen dwelling, and that is where I am most often found.

Like Carolyn I have my own philosophies about self reliance and “food storage”.

#1 The term food storage is a pet peeve of mine. Every time I say it I wash my own mouth out with soap! Food storage is mislabeled and misunderstood. The term itself implies that there is special food that should be purchased separately from the family groceries and hidden away, the sacred stockpile never to be touched—just in case. That idea is a fallacy and piggy backed onto the food storage scene way back in the seventies. The idea is so deeply ingrained into our way of thinking that I have yet to hear a specialist dispel the myth in an effective way. Food storage should be relabeled as your family’s food supply to be used daily, never stockpiled. To do so is a waste of your time and money.

As I have the opportunity to write for Carolyn’s blog I will discuss a multitude of techniques and share recipes that you can use to acquire, rotate, and restock your family’s food supply. You will easily expand your three month food supply into a year in no time at all. You and your family will eat like royalty, and why shouldn’t you? You are the most important people in the world. You will live in peace knowing that when the time comes—and it will—that you have a years supply of food.

#2When long term food storage is discussed it is not a narrative on how long you can keep something around before it turns to dust. It is inevitable that in every food storage seminar I do the pyramids of Egypt come up. People love to ramble off a laundry list of all of the food that has been found in good condition in those darn pyramids. They use the list as evidence that we don’t actually have to use what we store because it will still be good thousands of years from now! Here’s a hint. Unless you plan on having your brains scrambled and sucked out your nose and all of your vital organs preserved in urns, you don’t need that food for the afterlife. You can use it now!

I always cringe when I hear someone brag that their powdered milk will last for 30 years! I can’t help but think, “Woo-hoo, one more person who either doesn’t understand the concept of self reliance through a personal food supply, or they simply don’t care about, or understand the importance of the concept”. The phrase long term food storage it is an expression introducing the idea of  having enough food on hand to sustain your family’s physical, mental, and spiritual health for a significant length of time, hence the saying long term. It is not a personal challenge to see how many generations you can pass those cursed number ten cans down to before they are actually used.

#3 Whole grains and legumes provide an excellent foundation to your food supply, but there is so much more that you need to consider. If you were to walk into a grocery store and they only had wheat and beans I am betting you wouldn’t shop there very often! If you were forced to shop there because it was the only store available, you wouldn’t be very happy. You would demand to speak with the manager! Well listen up, you are the manager of your own personal store.

Consider your family’s food supply as your personal mini mart. My food supply is appropriately named Wilkinson’s Mini-Mart, and I shop there every day. It is full of grains, legumes, sugars, fats, and cooking essentials. It is also home to brownie mixes, caramel corn, chocolate chips, nuts, and other tantalizing goodies. I determine what I want to feed my family and how much. I choose the variety and the quality of food in my family store.

#4 Your food supply is not just for nutrition; it is for nurturing the mind, body and spirit. I know that good nutrition is important and should be your first consideration, but you must also consider your families emotional needs when it comes to food.

#5 Anyone can acquire a significant and complete food supply, and that means you! You don’t have to be rich; you just have to be focused. It has been my experience that we all invest our money and our time where our heart is. When true nutritional security for yourselves and your families becomes the priority you will have the ability to achieve great things. Heavenly Father will sustain you as you strive to bless and nurture your families through personal preparedness.

I look forward to the time that we will share together through this blog. I hope you will also take the time to visit my website at www.kneadfulthingsnow.com.