Archive for the 'nutrition' Category

A Gardening Guide by Leon Liechty

John Havener January 9th, 2009

During trips to Romania and Kenya, I noticed how some (most?) of the homes with yards utilized the space to plant veggies or to house livestock. Where we might have flower borders or beds, these would have planted vegetables or cages for livestock. one Romanian friend who visited our home commented on how much wasted space we have in the US…in some parts of the world, most free space is used to produce food. Gardening of all sorts can be an useful supplement to your food supplies, especially adding variety, fresh produce and nutrition. I believe that most folks can learn to garden well, but there are skills and disciplines involved, and your garden will flop if you don’t exercise these skills. Finally, to supplement your diet in a major way requires a large garden (1/2 to two acres?), significant work and skills with canning and freezing…you can learn to do all these things, but start now if you are interested or see the need as a part of your preparations.

The following guide was prepared by Leon Liechty, a very accomplished gardener. He and his family largely live out of the garden (not totally). The Liechtys live on the Gulf Coast, a difficult area to garden well because of poor soil, early heat, bugs and blights! Thank you, Leon…

A Gardening Guide

SITE PREPERATION: If possible, get a soil test, especially to check on the PH of the soil. If it is needed, spread lime at recommended rate. Start working the ground ahead of time if possible. Disk or till it in dry weather to kill out weeds and grass. It will make maintenance easier later. Once planted, keep weeded when weeds are small!

SPRING GARDEN

POTATOES: Buy seed potatoes the first year, at least. Cut up potatoes making sure there is at least one “eye” in each piece. An average size potato may be cut into 4 to 8 pieces.

PLANTING: Use a round point shovel and take one shovel full out of the ground about 6” deep. Put half a shovel full of manure or compost in the hole; then put dirt on top up to 2” from the top of the hole. Put the potato in the hole and fill to top, or if you have large amount to plant, just make a row and plant about 2” deep and then hoe dirt toward plant to cover weeds and make a small mound. This will also help keep dirt over potatoes as they grow. Plant in February as soon as weather is suitable, usually middle to end of month. Plant in rows 2 to 3 feet apart and 18” between plants. It’s a good idea to sprinkle a little fertilizer in the hole on top of the manure or compost. Don’t use too much; one handful to maybe 4 or 5 holes. Use 10-10-10 or 13-13-13 would be especially good if you have poor soil. As the plants grow, hoe the dirt toward the plants to cover small weeds making a small mound around the plants. Don’t hoe deep right around the plant or you may hoe up the potatoes. As they grow, if bugs start eating the leaves, sprinkle a little seven dust on the leaves. In the morning when plants have dew on them is best, although any time is OK. Dig potatoes when plants begin to die or are dead. You can find some early potatoes by digging around the plant with your hands taking a few bigger ones without pulling up the plant.
TOMATOES: Either buy seed and start indoors in early February or buy plants and set them out in late March. Cover if there is danger of frost. Select plants bred for this area. Some varieties are more resistant to blight and other problems in tomatoes. Also, some varieties, especially some of the new ones, can stand heat better. Prepare the soil like you do for potatoes. Take a shovel of dirt out and put manure in bottom along with a little fertilizer. Put a little dirt on top, then put the tomato plant in and pack soil around the plant and water the plant. If weather is dry, water daily until plants get started good. Plant about 3 feet apart in rows with about 3 feet between rows. Once they get started and are about one foot high put wires around them, if possible, to keep tomatoes off the ground. For best results, rotate tomatoes to different places in the garden every year.
If you want to plant tomatoes in the fall, start the plants early enough so you can set them out in August for October or November tomatoes. You may be able to keep them longer if you cover them during the earlier frosts. Continue Reading »

David and Lindsay #1, on Food Storage

John Havener November 21st, 2008

The following information is from our journey in the world of preparation and food storage. We have a lot to learn and there are countless resources on the web to help someone who desires to prepare. Even elsewhere on this website, there is great information that may be more specific than where our current journey has taking us. I encourage you to read what we have learned, then dive in and let God lead you down the path He has for you.

First and foremost, get God out of your “box”. Start learning how to ask Him for exactly what you need for your life and especially how He would have you to prepare. This is the most important step in preparation. When hard times, by any definition, come upon us, everyone will be desperate for his REAL help and guidance for our lives and provision for our families. Learning how to stop and listen for His voice is a good start. God wants to be intimately involved in the small things as well as the big things. With God there is total peace because He really is the one in control. So let Him tell you what to do. He will specifically prompt you and open doors that will continually amaze you.

The following is an extremely simplistic way of approaching food storage:The four H’s of Food Storage:

Health: Health is the ultimate goal.

Heat: Heat is required for food preparation.

H20: Water is essential.

Hope: Have no fear. God is in control.

The Game Plan
Start with a plan, even if it changes. Try to avoid just packing away meaningless stuff. Two ideas that should always prevail are variety and quantity. Without a variety of foods, you may be living on a meal plan that has only a few choices. Think about what it takes to prepare a simple meal, or what ingredients are in your best “food storage” bread recipe. (Try a book called Cooking with Home Storage by Viki Tate) Stock up on everything you will need. Then focus on quantity. Begin to proportionally increase your storage, based on the variety you have chosen. The Latter Day Saints have a website that calculates what they believe is necessary. It is useful, but is also an eye-opener: http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm.You may also want to pick a scenario you will prepare for. For example, begin with storage for a week, with intermittent electricity at your disposal. From that point you could potentially increase to living indefinitely on your own “off the grid”. For most, it would be physically and financially impossible to achieve complete sustainability, but then again, don’t place limits on God’s wisdom and His love for you.We have found that Sam’s is the easiest place to purchase items in bulk. You can also order wheat and beans in bulk from a local health food store.

Lastly, store some items that will make life easier. Sweets, spices, even Gatorade or instant sweet tea are inexpensive and could go a long way and prevent “food fatigue”, which is when you would rather not eat than eat the same bland meal over and over.

In the following sections, we will discuss, Dry/Bulk Foods, Canned Foods, Water, Heat, Domestic Supplies and Gardening and Canning.

Dry Bulk Foods
Hard and soft wheat whole grains: Any wheat is useable, but there is a big difference in types of bread wheat. Most breads are made with hard wheat as opposed to soft wheat. If unsure, err on the side of the hard wheat. Store according to the methods outlined below. Wheat may be ground in an electric mill, but it is a good idea to get a hand mill as well, just as a backup. A good brand hand mill is the Family Grain Mill. You can order the mill at: www.pleasanthillgrain.com/family_grain_mills.aspx. The hand mill also may come with a roller attachment to process Oat Groats as described below.

Oats: Oats provide good variety to any storage. Oats have good nutritional value and like rice, do not require a large amount of secondary ingredients to produce a meal. Oats will obviously provide a reliable source for breakfasts. If you plan to roll your own oats as described above, you should order “Oat Groats” or you can order regular oats, like you would normally purchase in the store. When you roll your own oats, the nutrutional value is far better. Rice: Rice is cheap and easy to cook. A large amount of rice will jump start a food storage program.Beans/Lentils: Pick varieties that are in your most common recipes. Store in same manner as grains and rice. Beans can be ordered in up to 50 lb bags. Store in smaller portions for convenience.

Sugar: Sugar does not need to be vacuum or nitrogen sealed, only stored in buckets that are pest-proof. For further protection, store in the same manner as grains and rice.

Noodles: Noodles may be stored like sugar mentioned above.

Salt: Salt may be stored like sugar mentioned above. Get a box for less than a dollar. And prepare in such a way to never run out.

Spices: Garlic Salt, Pepper, anything that you would normally use. Store like sugar mentioned above.

Dry Milk: Dry milk is good for up to one year. IMPORTANT: Dry milk must be stored in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers or order by the #10 can. But be sure to use it up, or put in on the list of items to renew. Look for a brand called “Morning Moo” it has been reported to be slightly sweeter than generic dry milk and supposedly easier to tolerate because it contains whey product.

Powdered Cheese: Best to store in a factory sealed can (typically comes in a #10 can).

Baking Powder/Soda: Store like sugar mentioned above.

Two ways to store dry foods:

  1. Order pre-sealed and packaged for food storage. Grains may come nitrogen packed in 6 gallon buckets. Other items may be purchased in sealed cans. Walton Foods is one of the most popular outlets for food storage items. But be warned, orders may take months to arrive. Order as early as possible and never underestimate the cost of shipping, which can be substantial. The link to Walton Foods is: www.waltonfeed.com Begin to research and ask around, often times there are bakeries, or groups that place orders in bulk and save on shipping. We have never actually ordered directly from Walton, it has always been through a bakery or community group.
  2. Order foods in bulk, by the bag from your local health food store or Walton Feed. Package and seal using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers and store in plastic buckets. The plastic buckets do not need to be completely sterile and can be used. I wouldn’t recommend any bucket that was used to store paint or anything toxic, but most bakeries will sell used buckets. Drywall mud buckets are useful and easy to clean. Plastic bins are also an option, but use a smaller size, as they can become very heavy.

    3. The best information for processing your own dry items and detailed instructions may be found on www.youtube.com. Search “food storage Mylar” or any similar search and you will have your choice of several videos. We found the person who posted video under the name “delta69alfa” to be the most informative source. The Oxygen and humidity absorbers can be ordered from www.sorbentsystems.com , which seems to be the most economical source we have found. There not many websites and virtually ZERO retailers that have the items you need to package your own food. We recommend doing as much research as possible before you undertake this. It is a very simple process, but without having the right information, it can be aggravating, especially if you cannot be confident that your work is done correctly and that your food is secure.