by PREPARE | Apr 5, 2025 | Blog, Food Storage
The prospect of stockpiling food can sound a bit overwhelming — however, it’s one of the primary steps in emergency and disaster preparedness planning that is often overlooked. We often take for granted that we can rush out to the grocery store and purchase anything we need. During the recent pandemic, we experienced the reality that shelves were empty and in many cases the store was closed due to quarantines.
So, it’s important to have supplies on hand for emergencies and unknown disasters. Being prepared for an emergency means being able to provide food for your family when other resources are not available. While many people have food storage to get them through a few says, it’s important to rotate older supplies and do regular inventory checks to make sure you have what you need on hand.
Here are five compelling reasons to re-stock your preparedness food supplies.
Reason 1: Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is an increasing problem for many people in both developed and developing countries. In the US, of the 40 million people who rely on food stamps, the majority are families with children and elderly members living alone. In 2019, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that 1 in 7 people are food insecure, which means they don’t have reliable access to adequate amounts of affordable, nutritious food. When an emergency or disaster strikes, these individuals are at an even greater risk of food insecurity.
Reason 2: Natural Disasters
Natural disasters can create devastating circumstances for families and communities. Often these events result in power and communication outages, store closures, and limited access to food, making it more difficult for families to receive necessary supplies including food. Additionally, unless you live in an area that experiences frequent natural disasters, it is likely you won’t have established emergency plans in place, making it more difficult to cope with the impacts of the event.
Reason 3: Emergencies and Disruptions of Services
The disruption of services due to a pandemic, a hurricane, or an ice storm can be made even worse when grocery stores are closed or running limited services. Furthermore, supply chains can be disrupted making it difficult to receive food or other supplies as quickly as expected. With your food stockpiles in place, you can help to minimize disruptions to your family’s daily routine.
Reason 4: Financial Disruptions
Financial disruptions can severely affect your ability to purchase food and other necessities on a recurring basis. A job loss, reduced hours, or other economic hardships can be especially devastating if you don’t have supplies stored away to help you get through the tough times. Preparing ahead of time can be the difference between running out of food and having enough to get through the difficult period.
Reason 5: Increased Prices
In some areas, the cost of food is already rising as a result of supply chain disruptions. In other areas, local producers and farmers have seen their production abilities decrease, making the cost of locally grown food more expensive. Additionally, food prices can greatly vary from region to region, so it’s important to stock up while prices are low in case they increase later.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the reasons why having a stockpile of preparedness food is important. Planning ahead and taking the necessary steps to ensure your family is prepared can be a huge relief during an emergency or disaster. With the right supplies and preparations in place, you can help to ensure your family’s safety and wellbeing during such events.
by Prepare Magazine | Apr 5, 2025 | Blog, Preparedness planning
Summer and early fall are a great time to prepare for eating local, seasonal food. What do you do when the gardens and farms around you stop producing as much food? Old Fashioned Food Preservation is a key to prolonging the harvest into other seasons year round!
You prepare for it by preserving the summer and fall harvest to use throughout the winter months. If you go blueberry picking or are finding a great deal at the local farmers market, freeze some to use in your smoothies and oatmeal throughout the year.
Think about what foods and veggies you use throughout the year that you buy canned. What frozen fruits and vegetables to you end up using when you don’t have good fresh options at the grocery store? These are the things you want to start with.
Summer and early fall are a great time to prepare for eating local, seasonal food. What do you do when the gardens and farms around you stop producing as much food? Think about what foods and veggies you use throughout the year that you buy canned. Grandma cooked mainly from local, seasonal food back in the day and can give you quite a few tips to help you get back to this way of cooking and preserving food.
Talk to farmers and other shoppers at your local farmers market and farms. Do a little research online, or pick up a food preservation book at your local library. Grandma cooked mainly from local, seasonal food back in the day and can give you quite a few tips to help you get back to this way of cooking and preserving food.
From there, start expanding each year. Keep adding a few more things each year and it won’t take you long to eat mainly local seasonal food throughout the year. Keep adding a few more things each year and it won’t take you long to eat mainly local seasonal food throughout the year.
Popular Questions
What is the fastest way to improve Use Old Fashioned Food Preservation to Eat Local, Seasonal Foods without making beginner mistakes?
The fastest way to improve Use Old Fashioned Food Preservation to Eat Local, Seasonal Foods is to simplify the process and control one variable at a time. Start with the most important baseline: define the goal, identify the main failure point, and test one change before making another. Keep short notes so you can connect the outcome to the adjustment you made. This prevents guesswork and helps you build a repeatable method instead of chasing random fixes.
What should you check first when Use Old Fashioned Food Preservation to Eat Local, Seasonal Foods is not working well?
Check the most immediate bottlenecks first: setup errors, missing inputs, bad timing, or inconsistent follow-through. Before buying anything new or changing the whole system, confirm that the basics are being done correctly and consistently. A small diagnostic checklist usually reveals the real problem faster than broad trial and error. Once the weak point is clear, make one correction and watch the result before adjusting anything else.
What common mistakes make Use Old Fashioned Food Preservation to Eat Local, Seasonal Foods harder than it needs to be?
The most common mistakes are changing too many variables at once, skipping the basics, and judging results too quickly. Many people also copy generic advice without adapting it to their exact situation, which leads to weak results and confusion. A better approach is to work from a simple baseline, make measured changes, and give each change enough time to show whether it helped. That makes progress easier to track and repeat.
by Prepare Magazine | Apr 5, 2025 | Blog, Preparedness planning
When you start gathering different essential oils to use for natural health and other purposes, lemon essential oil should be one of the first ones you get. Instead of coming from the plant itself, lemon essential oil is unique in that it is pressed from the peels of the lemon. Here are a few of the many different ways you can use this particular type of essential oil:
Use it For a Disinfectant
Are you tired of using chemical cleaners and those containing alcohol? If you just want to disinfect areas of your home, like kitchen counter tops or doorknobs, you can do so by making a natural spray with lemon essential oil. Not only does the lemon disinfect areas naturally, but the scent makes it smell much better in your home every time you use it. Fill a spray water with water and add about 20 drops of lemon oil. You can also add some tea tree oil, which provides even more disinfectant power. Spray the areas where you need disinfecting and wipe away.
Improve Your Oral Health
Lemon is also very good for your teeth and gums. While lemon juice directly on your teeth can be too harsh and strip the enamel, there are ways to use the lemon essential oil. For one thing, you can add a few drops to a small cup of water and gargle with it after you have brushed your teeth or between meals. This is going to give you fresh breath and help with halitosis. Another option is to whiten your teeth by mixing baking soda with lemon oil and brushing your teeth with it after your regular tooth brushing routine.
It Improves Your Mood and Gives You Energy
If you aren’t a morning person, but have obligations forcing you to get up early every day, lemon essential oil can be your new best friend. It will improve your mood and make you feel refreshed, which gives you a nice boost of energy in the morning. Try using a diffuser with some essential oil in an area of your home where you spend the most time in the morning, whether it is your kitchen while preparing breakfast for the kids, or your baCategoriesthroom when you are getting ready.
These are just some really simple ways to use lemon essential oil that helps get you ready for the day, improve your oral hygiene, and give yourself a clean house without all the harsh dangerous chemicals.
As you can see, lemon essential oil is a great one to add to your collection. In fact, it’s one of the best ones to start with because these three ideas are only the beginning!
Popular Questions
What are some effective ways to use lemon essential oil for cleaning?
Lemon essential oil can be a powerful natural disinfectant for your home. To create a cleaning spray, mix about 20 drops of lemon oil with water in a spray bottle. This solution can effectively clean surfaces like kitchen countertops and doorknobs, leaving a fresh scent behind. For added disinfectant properties, consider combining it with tea tree oil.
How can lemon essential oil improve oral health?
Using lemon essential oil can enhance your oral hygiene routine. You can add a few drops to a cup of water and use it as a mouthwash after brushing your teeth to help combat bad breath. Additionally, mixing lemon oil with baking soda creates a natural teeth-whitening paste that can be used after your regular brushing. Just be cautious with the concentration to protect your enamel.
Can lemon essential oil help boost my mood in the morning?
Yes, lemon essential oil is known for its uplifting properties that can enhance your mood. Using a diffuser with lemon oil in the morning can create a refreshing atmosphere in your home, helping you feel more energized. Whether it's in the kitchen while preparing breakfast or in the bathroom during your morning routine, the scent can provide a pleasant start to your day.
What are the benefits of using lemon essential oil in a diffuser?
Using lemon essential oil in a diffuser can significantly improve the ambiance of your space. The invigorating scent not only uplifts your mood but also helps to create a clean and refreshing environment. This can be particularly beneficial in the morning, as it prepares you for the day ahead. Additionally, the aroma can help mask unpleasant odors in your home.
by Prepare Magazine | Apr 5, 2025 | Guest Bloggers, Preparedness planning
It may seem odd that on a preparedness blog we are talking about the Winter Weather Treat of Snow Cream. To be sure, preparedness is our main goal, but making good use of time and resources also applies to living with what life hands you and making the best out of a potentially uncomfortable situation.
When live gives you lemons, make lemonade – when winter gives you an abundance of snow, make snow cream!
As winter weather continues to keep spring at bay, it may seem as if there is nothing to do, especially on those days when new snow drifts keep you inside the house. Here is a fun, old-fashioned and delicious way to beat boredom as well as a unique way to prepare candy.
Making maple snow candy is perhaps most famous from it’s description in the Little House on the Prairie series. Here’s what you’ll need for your own maple snow candy:
- A large cooking container. I used a soup pot but you can use any bowl or pot large enough to pour your syrup into.
- A medium saucepan for melting the syrup in
- Mixing spoon
- Maple syrup, the darker the syrup the more maple flavor the candy will have.
- Of course, the most important ingredient of all, snow!
First, go outside and find a clean patch of snow. The further away from a city you live the easier this will be. Fill your pot up to the very top and leave it just outside your door. This allows you to work quickly once the syrup is heated but also keeps it from getting too frozen as it would if you put it in the freezer.
Next, take your maple syrup and pour it into a medium saucepan. Make sure you cover the bottom of your saucepan with syrup. Place the saucepan onto the stove on medium. Stirring constantly, wait until the syrup bubbles and fluffs up to twice its original size, so that it looks more like honeycomb candy than syrup. It should also lighten to a pale brown taffy color.
Then, go grab your snow container. Working quickly, pour the syrup on top of the snow. You can make patterns and shapes or just simply drizzle it.
Let it set for about 45 seconds to a minute. At this point the boiling hot syrup will be barely warm to the touch and firm enough to pick up and eat.
Enjoy the delicious maple candy, which is as much fun to eat as it is to make.
Kathleen-June G. Horne is a survival enthusiast and amateur outdoors-woman. She graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2015 with a degree in business and has written two books, a historical young adult novel entitled “The Sparrow’s Call” and a Christmas devotional, “24 Days of Devotion“. She was homeschooled until college, and used her free time to learn all she could about all the things people used to know. She runs the blog Miniskirts & Margins which is about fashion, her Southern Baptist faith and the adventures she runs into.
Listen to this podcast to get to know Kathleen-June G. Horne a bit better!
Popular Questions
How can I make snow cream during winter?
To make snow cream, start by gathering fresh, clean snow in a large container. Then, mix in ingredients like milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to create a creamy texture. Stir until well combined and enjoy this delightful winter treat right away, as it’s best served fresh. This simple recipe is a fun way to make the most of snowy days!
What ingredients do I need for making maple snow candy?
For maple snow candy, you will need maple syrup and a clean patch of snow. Heat the syrup in a saucepan until it bubbles and thickens, then quickly pour it over the snow to create candy shapes. Let it set for a minute before enjoying this sweet treat. It's a nostalgic way to enjoy winter while being resourceful!
Is snow cream safe to eat?
Yes, snow cream can be safe to eat as long as you use clean, fresh snow and avoid areas that may be contaminated. Make sure to gather snow away from roads and other potential pollutants. By following these precautions, you can enjoy this winter weather treat without worry. Just remember to consume it shortly after making it for the best taste and texture!
What are some variations of snow cream I can try?
You can experiment with different flavors in your snow cream by adding ingredients like cocoa powder, fruit purees, or flavored extracts. For a richer taste, consider using sweetened condensed milk instead of regular milk. These variations can make your snow cream unique and cater to different taste preferences. Enjoy getting creative with this winter treat!
by Prepare Magazine | Apr 5, 2025 | Blog
At first glance, Canning sounds like one of the scariest ways to preserve food. With freezing, you toss food in freezer bags and store it in your deep freezer. With dehydrating, you stick it in a machine that slowly dries it out. With canning though, you need a canner, canning jars and there’s always the possibility that jars explode. Honestly though, canning isn’t as scary as it sounds. Buy quality glass jars, follow directions to a “T” and you’ll be just fine.
I’d suggest you begin your canning career with simple water-bath canning. Click the image to your left for more about those. Then wait to move to pressure canners after you’ve become more confident with this process.
A fun place to start is by making jelly or jam. Pick your favorite fruit, find a jam or jelly recipe and give it a try. You need some half pint glass jars and tongues that will allow you to grab hot jars out of boiling water. Follow the recipes and directions and you’ll do fine. Any jars that don’t seal properly should go in the fridge and be used right away.
Another great place to start is to with a simple vegetable canning project. Canning green beans is very simple and you can use the beans throughout the year in any dishes you’d use store-bought canned beans. Clean, cut, and blanch your green beans to get them ready for canning. Then follow canning instructions to make sure you cook them long enough and get them to a high enough temperature to kill any bacteria and create a good seal. As with any type of canned good you should store jars that didn’t completely seal in the fridge and use them within the next couple of day.
Another great option is pickles. If you have a bunch of cucumbers growing in the garden, or want to try your hand at some sort of other pickled vegetable (like cauliflower, peppers, or okra for example), give canned pickles a try. The vinegar solution already does a great job preserving the food. Canning ads even more time and allows you to store vegetable that would otherwise go back quickly even longer.
Stay away from canning meats or high acid produce like tomatoes in the beginning of your canning career. Those can be a little trickier to can successfully. Get a few batches of canning under your belt, and invest in some good canning gear (including thermometers and proper canning pots) before giving these types of canned goods a try.
Remember, you don’t have to wait until the summer harvest to can foods. You can can from your freezer in the winter! It warms the house and the heart! Plus, canned foods are preserved even when/if the power goes out.
Enjoy your canning journey!
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Donna Miller is a teacher, author, sought-after speaker and trainer. She has been both a guest and host on internet and broadcast radio talk-shows and in television interviews. She enjoys teaching online and local classes & ladies retreats. Donna is happily married and has three adult children, with one daughter-in-law and one son-in-law. She and her husband (Joseph) are the founders Millers Grain House and YourPreparation Station among other leading entities in the current Preparedness movement.
