Tis' the Season

So I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me with my garden this year?!

I would like to plant the following:
tomatoes
squash
zucchini squash
lettuce
spinach
broccoli

I would love any advise, tips, ideas on my garden. I know that at least one of Mel's thumbs are green...possibly both of them! (hee, hee)
I grew tomatoes last year, but only half of the plants I planted survived. (bought some at Costco, those were the ones that died) I had only two squash plants last year...but they didn't produce much at all.
I'm wondering when to plant in this crazy Utah spring? I'm afraid to plant my tomatoes...but I do have wall-o-waters) Has anyone started lettuce, spinach, zucchini, or squash with seeds? Do I start my seeds inside? Is it too late for broccoli? Should I buy my seeds/plants from a Nursery vs. Home Depot? Any tips on what to do with my soil? (besides completely change it!) Can I add the sq. foot gardening mixture (vermiculite/peet moss/compost) to my soil...or does it have to stand alone? I'd rather not build the actual gardening boxes...because I'm not sure of a permanent spot for them. Any advise???
Really...I'll take any help I can get!

SALE! (revised)

(I got a revised email today with prices. I'm not sure about the deals...nothing initially looked fantastic, but I
haven't had time to look anything up...there you go!)

I got this email from the Community Food Co-op today...didn't know if anyone would be interested.
Considering how affordable their food is, I would image that a 'sale' would be incredible!

If you do go...please comment or post, I would love to hear about it!

Inventory sale!
---------------

We'll be holding an inventory sale on Wednesday, April 29th,
between 2PM and 4PM. The sale will be at the warehouse,
at 1469 S 700 W, in Salt Lake City. Come on down!

What's for sale
---------------

* 260 whole chickens (4 lbs.) $5.75
* 516 lbs. ground beef (1 lb.) $2.25
* 140 top sirloin steaks (two 8oz. steaks per package) $4.55
* 52 chicken legs (2 lbs. per package $2.15
* 100 loaves of bread (wheat, rye, sourdough) $2.00
* 150 lbs. various Nutty Guys stuff (varies)

Other items available in more limited quantities.
First come, first served. Absolutely nothing will
be sold before 2PM on Wednesday.

The power of a community!

So I went and picked up my food from the co-op this morning. I was such an awesome bunch of food. (Thanks so much Sally for enlightening me)
This is what I got...

1 pkg. Salisbury Steaks
1 pkg. Lean Pork cubes
1 5lb. bag of potatoes
4 oranges
1 head of broccoli
1 head Red Leaf Lettuce
6 Bananas
4 Tomatoes
1 1lb. box of strawberries
1 loaf Stone Ground's Artisian Wheat Bread
16 oz. rice

As you can see, the quality of the produce is fantastic! Everything is really, really good...and was $14! That's right $14!
Keep in mind this is only a 1/2 share. I have a friend who says a full share is great for her family of four. I'm so very impressed...and I will be ordering a full share for next month. I also found out that you can order multiple shares.

Just to give you an idea...for my service this week, I logged the hours I read and did math with Cori's and Lexi's class. I was also able to attend a field trip this month with my preschoolers, and help them tour the Alpine School District Transportation facility.

I know that everyone does not have the time during the day to put in some service hours. Anyone who is involved in scouting, or youth groups can log service hours. Anything you do for people outside of your family!


So here's my idea...
If we get enough of our community involved, we can have our own location here in Harvest Hills. I think it would be an amazing opportunity to serve our community, get our children and neighbors involved, while helping families in this time of financial hardship. Helping provide healthy, good quality food, while saving 30%-50% of the price.

They do ask that you volunteer at least once a year with the co-op, and if we are able to set up our own distribution site... we can serve our friends and neighbors every month on the pick-up day. I know that if we can get enough people involved, we can work together to find ways to better our area and community.

I am going to be printing and sending out info this week to some of our neighbors. If anyone would like to help me, just comment or let me know. The more people, the greater the savings. The co-op is encouraging a simple exchange...giving and receiving. Share a part of yourself!

"Working together with friends and neighbors for a common good!"

check it out...www.foodco-op.net

-Sherian

Grocery Guru

I attended a class at the expo center last Saturday. The grocery guru was there, explaining his system, and how to implement weekly ads and specials to save time and money. His system claims that you can feed a family of 4 on $35 to 40$ a week. He also say that you will be in and out of the grocery store in thirty minutes or less. It all sounded good to me!
I had been using coupons, and shopping the ads... but there was a ton of information I thought I would share. In my opinion, there are things I have to tailor to my own family...starting with the fact that I feed four girls who eat more like teenage boys, and a husband much larger than the average man...in fact, I am the size of an average man... so there you go! Quantity is a concern of mine.
I also want to incorporate different foods into my diet, and my kids can be a bit picky. But regardless... the system is a great way to find cheap food, and build up a food storage.
Here are some tips he suggests:

1. Don't clip the coupons...keep them in a binder, only clipping the ones you need right before you shop.
2. Only go to one store. Pick the one you like, according to their ad that week. Going to multiple stores isn't worth your time, or money on gas.
3. Receive two newspapers for coupons. No more, no less.
4. Plan your weekly menu around the ad from the store of your choice.

If people are interested, you can call to actually go shopping with him. It does cost $10...but that includes your prepared meal list, your corresponding shopping list and ALL the coupons you need! Considering you won't spend more than $40 and walk away with a week's worth of groceries...it's not too shabby!
I think I will give it a fair shot. I want to go shopping with him, and try the system for at least one month. I will keep everyone updated on how it goes. (If you want to check it out...his link is on the right, under grocery deals)

(ps- If you signed up for the food co-op...pick up is this Saturday! I'll take pics of what I get and post them.)

Sherian

Double Coupons

Albertson's Double Coupon Event: Double up to $1.00, Limit 3 per family per shopping trip - (Coupons found in the Sunday Daily Herald). Expires tomorrow.

Awesome Deals!

I'm a coupon girl - rookie, but in training. I've decided to combine all the info I've gathered from all the "coupon girls" I know to help me on our families food storage - if you're gunna buy, buy big when it's on sale & has coupons. (I use www.savvyshopperdeals.com & pinchingyourpennies.com)

A couple of good deals at Smith's right now - expiring next week.

McCormick's Montreal Steak/Chicken/Hamburger seasonings are on sale for $1. (They are normally $2.99) There are $1 off & .75 cent off coupons right now (I got my from the Sunday paper, not sure if you can print on line or not). Buy now, going quick.

Also, some Kellogg's cereals are on sale for $2.18 right now (down from $3.50+)...coupons for $1.50 off, making each box .68 cents. Not bad.

My Smiths Load/Bill
1 box Pops
1 box Fruit Loops
2 boxs Special K Vanilla w/ Almonds
1 box Raisin Bran
3 Montreal Steak Seasonings
3 Montreal Chicken Seasonings
2 Lemon Pepper

Total: $5.32

Every little bit helps & when the price is low, makes me feel better - especially nowadays.

Hope you guys can share your good deals toooooooo!

-Mel

Coupons

Does anyone know if Thursday newspapers have coupons too? On www.savvyshopperdeals.com she has a special newspaper subscription through the Daily Herald that includes Thursday and Sunday papers. Just curious if I was missing anything. Thanks, Maelynn

Flour

I just bought flour at Smith's case lot sale. I believe it was a 6 or 8 pack. Ben gave me a funny face but I just reminded him that it was a long term thing. Anyways, I was wondering should I open them all and put in a bucket or just put the packs in a plastic bin? I am leaning on the plastic bin but thought I'd ask.
Thanks, Marianne

Another 72-hour kit idea

So, here is another 72-hour kit idea. Pretty much like Sherian's. This is just the food part. Don't forget the other stuff. And put some childrens and adult motrin in there (if you are like us, you go through that stuff too often). My mother-in-law made some for my older children a few years ago and put in some crayons and coloring books . . . I thought this was a great idea too.

72-Hour Emergency Food Kit

This 72-hour pack is designed to sustain life and energy for up to 3 days, when used as listed:

• 4 granola bars
• 2 fruit snacks
• 1 breadsticks & cheese
• 1 can vienna sausages
• 2 hot chocolate packs
• 2 pkg. saltine crackers
• 2 soup mixes
• 2 apple cider packs
• 9 pieces hard candy
• 2 oatmeal packs
• 1 apple juice
• 10 pieces of gum
• 2 beef jerky sticks

What to eat:

Day 1:
Breakfast: 2 granola bars, 1 hot chocolate drink
Lunch: 1 beef jerky stick, 1 apple cider
Dinner: 1 can vienna sausages, 1 pkg crackers
Snack: 3 pieces of candy, 3 sticks of gum

Day 2:
Breakfast: 1 oatmeal packet, 1 hot chocolate drink
Lunch: 1 beef jerky stick, 1 fruit snack, 1 apple cider
Dinner: 1 pkg instant soup, 1 pkg breadsticks and cheese
Snack: 3 pieces of candy, 3 sticks of gum

Day 3:
Breakfast: 1 can apple juice, 1 oatmeal packet
Lunch: 1 pkg. instant soup, 1 pkg crackers
Dinner: 2 granola bars, 1 pkg fruit snack
Snack: 3 pieces of candy, 4 sticks of gum

**You must also have 2 liters of water to prepare the dry mix items
***Don't forget to document when you put it together so you can rotate at least every two years.

Food co-op

Here is another idea . . . join the food co-op of Utah. Here is the website. All the info can be found here http://foodco-op.net/index.html I've been buying a Standard Share each month since last Sept. and I love it.

Each month I pay $23.00 and have to record 2 service hours. This is what I got last month.

1 pkg 2/8 oz Top Sirloin Steaks

1 pkg 4/5 oz Pork Chops

1 pkg 2-lbs chicken legs/thighs

1 pkg lean ground beef

1 3-lb bag yellow onions

6 lemons

8 apples

1 cantaloupe

3 red bell peppers

1 head romaine lettuce

2 avocados

6 tomatoes

1 loaf stone ground's artisan wheat bread

16 oz rice

You usually have to call or fax and pay by the first Friday of the month. And then you pick up your food on the last Saturday of the month. Simple, easy, and I love the bread. I actually love everything. The chicken usually comes bone-in, but I'm learning to get creative (i.e. chicken wings, fried chicken, or boil it and make chicken noodle soup or anything).

-Sally

**************************************************
(I posted this for Sally, then signed up about 20 minutes later)

This is awesome! Everyone has to check it out! I had no idea it existed...
You only have to record 2 hours of community service time each month. (I found out that if your LDS, the time you spend serving in your calling is considered attributing to serving the community. But probably better the time you serve during the week)
I think this is fantastic!
The more people that join, the cheaper the food gets. I'm starting with a 'half share' which is...

4 Lean Salisbury Steaks (4 oz)
1 lb. Lean Pork Cubes (90/10)
Fresh Fruits (3 varieties)
Fresh Vegetables (4 varieties)
Stone Ground Artisan Wheat Bread
16oz. rice

It is $14...that's right $14.00! The food comes from the same distributor as our local grocery store. There are other options...a Harvest Share (mostly fruits and veggies).
There are also add-on's to your order:
a Nutty Guys sampler, Extra meat, tamales, sourdough bread, Colossimo brawts, and all-natural peanut butter.

If you are interested, the last day to place your order for April is this Friday. I just phoned it in this morning. Pick-up is April 25th, in Eagle Mountain or Lehi.

I would love to spread the word in this area...if enough people are interested...we could even start our own pick-up site right here in Harvest Hills. What a great opportunity to serve each other in our community and help put good food on the table in these tough economic times!

-Sherian

(for those outside of Utah...I read that most States have a food co-op! Check it out!)

Tips on Starting Food Storage

People have expressed the "where to start?" questions. These are some tips from a good source, and I think #2 is a great place to start. However, I can admit that I started with #2 then jumped into my food storage with #3 then #6, I'm just getting to #1, and I need help with #5. But I guess that's why I'm so glad I now have more help :) Thanks everyone!

1. Obtain at least a two week supply of water for each member of your family. There are many different theories on safe water storage containers. An inexpensive idea is to put water in emptied, clear, plastic 2 liter pop bottles. Small water bottles are convenient in case you need to take them and go. Fifty gallon drums are good for drinking water and/or cleaning water. It is essential to have enough water—a person can only survive a few days without water. Look on the LDS website for information and safety tips for storing water. You need at least one gallon of water per person per day.

2. Put together a 72 hour kit of water, food, clothing and essentials for each person in your family. Make it portable in case you need to leave your home in a disaster. Tips: Buy 72 hr. backpacks at D.I. or Salvation Army really inexpensive. You can get backpacks with handles and wheels for the children to carry themselves, maybe put kids' 72 hr. backpacks under their beds for quick access, we like to hang the adult ones in the garage, where we can grab them on our way out. I have whistles attached to each pack, in case someone gets lost. I basically thought about what my kids (heaven forbid) would need to survive a night or two without me. I know for every child that is different. Mike and I also have some cash, small bills, set aside to grab and bring with us as well.

You should also put together a small car emergency kit. Put water and some basic essentials in a backpack in your car in case an emergency happens, and you (and your children) need to walk to somewhere safe. Items that might be important include water, snack food (granola bars, hard candy, dried fruit or jerky, etc.), a flashlight, poncho/umbrella, and a sweater or jacket in case of cold weather.

I think at some point I would love to get lists of what people have in their 72-hour packs, I love getting ideas from other families. I'm sure there are things I should add, and anyone who has actually had to USE a 72-hour pack will know what items are essential.

3. Make a list of the food items your family eats most often. (i.e.- macaroni & cheese, chili, tuna, peanut butter & jam, pasta & spaghetti sauce, etc.) Start building your food storage around those items. Start by getting a three month supply of these commonly eaten foods. One thing to remember is to buy all the components of each meal you eat on a regular basis. For example, oatmeal for breakfast wouldn’t be good without brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon & milk (powdered milk). Keep in mind that in a disaster, you won’t be able to run to the store to buy the “extras” for meals. You will need all items on hand to put together meals for your family. Once you have created a supply of these items, you can begin accumulating more long term food items. These items include grains, legumes, sugar, vegetables, fruit, salt, oil and powdered milk, etc.

4. How to store your food? The main concern is keeping insects and rodents out of your food. There are a few ways to store paper packaged food items. The first is to dry pack items at the cannery. Another is to put food items in plastic containers (Rubbermaid totes, empty plastic buckets, large plastic garbage cans, etc. ) Anything will work as long as it can be shut out from surrounding bugs and damp air. Keep food in a cool place—like a cold storage room under the porch.

5. Keep track and rotate your food items. Keep track of how much of each item you have to properly rotate your food. Tip: When you buy the food, put the month and date you purchased it on the container with a permanent marker. This way, you will know which items to use first. Put the newer food on the back of the shelf and move the older items forward. Keep a running total of each item so that at any moment you can look at your food storage sheet and see what you are running low on. (Creating a shelving system makes storing food easier to organize and rotate. This can be done inexpensively with metal shelves, commercial food storage racks, or homemade wood shelves. You will feel so good when you begin to see your own “store” growing in the basement.)

6. When items are on sale—STOCK UP! It may seem like you are spending a lot of money at once, but you will actually save money in the long run. If you buy a year supply of items, you will not need to run to the store and buy it when it’s not on sale. Think BIG—for example, a year supply of sugar for one adult is 100 lbs., times that by 3-4 people in your family & that’s 300/400 lbs. of sugar. Even if you don’t use it all in one year, don’t worry---sugar will last 30 + years. That’s why it is so important to buy items when they are at their cheapest price. Watch the ads and compare prices. Doing this will save time and money!

Lucky Me!

I bought a case of cake mixes at the Smith's caselot sale on Wednesday and as I was putting them away tonight, each box had a coupon for 50 cents off of icing! I may have had the luck of the draw, but if you are in the market for cake mixes, try your hand! So now I have 12 coupons for 50 cents off of icing and they don't expire until January 2010...so I will wait for a great sale and stock up on icing!

(I bought the yellow Betty Crocker cake mixes).

Tami

'kid friendly' food for 72 hour kits

I have a pack of food in our 72-hour kits that my kids love. Granted, it would sustain Mike for 72 hours, but he would still be a bit hungry! I thought it was rather tasty for a preparedness kit. Better than MRE's for my kids.

There was a scout putting these together and selling them...his project to get his eagle. It helped most of the people in his area either have a 72 hour kit, or think about getting one. He didn't mention anything about rotating, but I would probably re-do these every year. (probably...because I'm going on 3 years with mine...ooops) Maybe if people are interested, we can do it as a group, some items are cheaper in bulk (costco) like fruit snacks, crackers, etc.

Remember that you need to add water to this kit. It is suggested that you have 1 gallon per person, per day. So my family would need 18 gallons! There is no way we could carry all that water in 16.9oz bottles. I don't want my kids backpacks to be too heavy, so I put4 bottles in their packs. (which is still heavy) This is where those 5 gallon jugs come in handy. Somehow I don't see everyone rolling their big blue drums into the wilderness, but it's something to think about.

Back to the food...All the food should fit in a gallon Ziploc. This is just the food part of a 72 hour kit, but it's a good place to start. I found my kids backpacks at VF factory outlet in September (after school started) They are nice packs, and they cost $5 each.

Day 1:
Breakfast-oatmeal, orange juice
Lunch- cheese crackers, meat stick, fruit snacks
Dinner- beef ravioli

Day 2:
Breakfast-protein bar, orange juice
Lunch- Vienna sausages, granola bar
Dinner- salmon, mayo, wheat crackers
Day 3:
Breakfast- Pop-tarts, orange Juice
Lunch- meat stick, fruit cup, raisins, lemonade
Dinner- Beans & Wieners, M&M's

I'm not sure if Sally's is the same as this one...but it's good to have options, so please share any of yours.

Update: I have Sally's and I'll post it Monday! She suggested maybe getting together for a FHE night and making them as a group...sound great to me.

any one have a good pizza crust recipe. for kitchen aid? ( of course using all that good food storage)
we do pizza every friday night. I realy want to start making it.

Yummy Whole Wheat Bread

For all of you that were like me and didn't know what to do with all the wheat in your storage, have I got a recipe for you. It is super easy and very yummy. I found it on one of the blogs on the Deals to meals website. I highly recommend you try it because it isn't one of those recipes that takes all day to make and let rise then punch down and let rise again. It is so not like that. Everything in the recipe can be stored in your food storage. I did half the recipe because I don't need 4 loaves of bread at once. Have fun! Click on link below for the recipe.

http://myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-new-favorite-whole-wheat-bread.html

Brown Sugar?

Do any of you store brown sugar in bulk? And how do you store it and keep it from getting hard? I really don't want to take a chisel to the thing.......

Question on Storage

So I have some questions for all you food storage pro's:

I have been working on getting my food storage really organized and useful the last year, but I am still reluctant to store certain items.

So how long does Flour (all purpose) really last and how do you store it? Do you use the 5-gallon bucket or what? I know sugar is good for life so that is an easy one (not that I have stored a lot of it yet). Do you just load up a big tote with 5 lb bags? What about Bread Flour - any difference?

So what about Pasta? Is it okay to leave it in the plastic packaging it comes in or do I need to store it special?

I think part of my reluctance is that I don't bake a lot and find myself not using these items as often as I should and they go bad....

I really don't have a lot of "long-term" storage items, more just stuff I eat everyday. One other thing I haven't stored much of is dry milk, cause even if I had a recipe I probably wouldn't use it just because I don't have tons of time or energy to try out tons of new things. I guess I need some motivation...

I have also NEVER been to the cannery, I would love someone to "mentor" me and take me on a trip there if they are ever going!

Tami

Just a little more on Smith's

I have compared some of the prices between the case lot sale that just past at Macey's and the current case lot sale at Smith's. Smith's actually has some really great deals. A lot of items are even cheaper than what Macey's had them for last month so take advantage of this sale, especially if you missed the sale at Macey's.

examples:
Smiths vs. Macey's
Top Ramen 7 for $1 vs. 6 for $1
Chili Hormel .75 vs. no brand for .88
canned veggies = .50 vs. .59

That is just a few. Sherian is right about the peanut butter, it is an awesome deal especially for Skippy. You may need jam if you get all that PB and they have their jam on sale too. We have tried it and it is pretty good. Have fun shopping!!

Maelynn