The meeting notes are being broken down into several separate posts, so as not to overwhelm you with reading and allow you time to digest a bit of the information too. :)
Year goal for the self-reliant group:
Getting our 3 month supply of everyday foods! The challenge was placed that each major grocery shopping trip (at least once or twice a month), to spend an extra $10-$15 on whatever is the best deal of the week at the store. You'll be surprised at how quickly it will add up!
Our monthly goal with the ward:
Gather a mini-first aid kit this month! Things you might like in your kits include: Band-Aids, Tylenol (small travel size bottle), Children’s Tylenol, Benadryl, Anti-diarrheal, Sunscreen, Chapstick, Anti-septic wipes, Hand sanitizer (travel sized too), Large soap w/ a travel container.
Suggested Amounts to Store:
You should have 300 lbs. of grains per adult in your home. 150 lbs. of the grains should be wheat.
Types of Wheat:
- Hard red winter wheat: Slightly less expensive to buy, this is the main type the church has (they plant this one themselves)
- Hard White Winter Wheat: Better Texture & Dough Color, Slightly Higher Protein, Less Bitter**
Where to find the Wheat:
The church keeps saying that they have enough wheat and NOT to panic about it not being available at the cannery when you go. When we have gone up to Salt Lake, we have been able to get as much as we want from the main center with no problem. If you are finding wheat is difficult to find, there are so many other needs for food storage, try focusing on other areas and slowly building up as you can on your wheat, rather than worrying about just the wheat and neglecting other areas.
- Another good $$$ source: Costco’s in Utah. They are currently carrying 45 lb. buckets of white wheat for $21.95. This is a few dollars more than if you did it yourself, but it is bucketed and finished. It is also a significant decrease from last summer’s price of over $30.
- We are currently trying to talk to the manager at the Costco here in town to see if he will ship down some of the wheat for us, if we make a large enough order & pre-pay.
How to store the wheat:
- 5 gallon buckets (make sure they are professional food grade & have not been used for non-food storage): You can use the dry ice method (instructions found on the church website). Or the freezer method.*
- Canning: At the cannery or on-line you can get oxygen absorbers and can your wheat in #10 cans.**
* If you freeze your wheat at zero degrees Fahrenheit for at least 48 hours, this kills any & all bugs or bug eggs that could have hatched in the wheat.
** Using oxygen absorbers will remove all oxygen from the wheat itself & makes the wheat un-sprout able.
