November 2016

Click here for a complete copy of the November Back to Basics Newsletter.

The Harvest Season provides a great opportunity to take stock of all we have to be grateful for. We can also focus on how we are showing the Lord our gratitude.  We are blessed with an abundance of food and commodities in this day and age.  Do we follow the prophet and store some up against the storms that lie ahead?  As stewards over all the lord has blessed us with, the way we keep our stewardship shows the Lord our gratitude. President Spencer W. Kimball said :“We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, ’Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?’  How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says”. The way we use what we have also shows our gratitude. The First Presidency in 1942 counseled: “The utmost care should be taken to see that foodstuffs so produced and preserved by the householder, do not spoil, for that would be waste, and the Lord looks with disfavor upon waste.  He has blessed His people with abundant crops...The Lord is doing His part; He expects us to do ours.”  Let us follow the adage “Waste Not, Want Not” and “Store what you eat, and eat what you store”. At this “thankful season” – let us show an “Attitude of Gratitude” with our preparedness.

In this months newsletter:

Disaster Prep - EARTHQUAKE! - What to do before, during and after an earthquake.

In the Southern Utah Garden - the garden has slowed down but there is a list of things to still take care of.

Fall Fruit: The Perfect Pomegranate - how to remove the fruit, store them and use them (2 recipes included).

Thanksgiving Recipes - No fail Pie Crust; leftover Turkey Roll-ups, and Dixie Salad.

Provident Living - A Penny saved is a penny earned - tips to save your pennies!

Thanksgiving Dinner Preparedness Style - a list of things to take from/ stock up with on your storage shelves and garden.

Spiritual Preparedness: President Thomas S Monson gives great words of wisdom about our our preparedness to help us withstand the winds of adversity.

Click here for a complete copy of the November Back to Basics Newsletter.

October 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of October 2016 Back to Basics newsletter.

“It’s autumn time! It’s autumn time! The leaves are falling down.” That well-loved children’s song keeps echoing as the beautiful season of fall has finally arrived! It is a season loved by so many as the harvest is over, the days are cooler, and the colors begin to glow. Even the air seems to have a golden glow – so different from the other seasons. It is sweatshirt weather, and time for Friday night lights (the football game!) and weekend wood gathering trips. It is also the time to check our storage and be sure we are ready for the winter! Grandmother used to set aside the summer harvest for the upcoming winter. Jars were filled, squashes lined the shelves, and the freezer was full. Today we must be ready for those “winter” storms no matter when they arrive. The winter was always a time when food was not so readily available and if you had not stored for those storms, you went hungry. So it is with the storms that may rage today. We do not want to be caught without the preparation necessary to weather whatever storms may come our way! Let us be sure to set aside for that rainy winter day that will certainly appear. Let us Be Prepared!

In this month's newsletter: 
Get to the Meat! Ideas for storing protein - canned meats, peanut butter, beans, home bottled, jerky, live storage, and having a plan if the freezer goes out.
Fall Preparedness: be prepared for the changing seasons - yard care, gutter care, outdoor plumbing, roof repair, furnace, energy leaks, ceiling fans, house exterior, drainage, fireplace/woodstove.
Spiritual Preparedness: Quotes from Dallin H Oaks and Bruce R McKonkie about being prepared for what lies ahead.
In the Southern Utah Garden: Finish harvest, mulching with leaves on garden, warning about pecan leaves, getting rid of weeds.
Cooking with Food Storage:  Recipes for beef or venison jerky, ground beef jerky, and two hot chocolate from scratch recipes.
Protecting Food Storage Investment: Take steps to protect food and emergency storage - if in doubt throw it out, rotate, mice and moths, temperature, natural disasters, floods, moisture content.
Nine Preparedness Myths: Do you use these excuses for not having a food storage? Nine myths laid to rest!

Click here for a complete copy of October 2016 Back to Basics newsletter.