September 2011 Newsletter

September is here!  Time for back to school, apples, the last days of garden harvest, and many opportunities to add to your food storage!  The summer has provided us with a bounty of produce from our gardens and orchards.  Hopefully we have all found something to do to help us be more prepared.  September is a great month to finish up some bottling: apples, corn, tomatoes, beans, etc.  
Don’t miss the last of the harvest time!

Included in this month's newsletter:

     Legumes: beans, nuts, peanut butter

     Hot Tips: purchasing chili powder, beans and dried onions

     Provident Living: making your own baby wipes

     September Challenge: Taking inventory

     Disaster Prep: "What If" night

     Modern Root Cellar: window wells

     In The Garden

     Home Canning: Corn, Swiss Chard, Prickly Pears, Canner Tips       

Click here to download a complete September 2011 Back To Basics Newsletter

Click here to download an "Emergency Response to Disasters" booklet.

August 2011 Newsletter

The refreshing rains and warm sunny days of summer have prodded the plants in the garden to bloom and grow.  Let’s be sure to put up some of that produce for a winter day.  The best way to taste summer in the cold of winter is to open a bottle of home grown and canned produce!  We show gratitude to the Lord when we make the best possible use of what He gives to us, and that includes our gardens. If you have extra, you can always share with a neighbor or someone who did not get a garden in.  President Brigham Young suggested we should be grateful for wheat, corn, and vegetables rather than gold and silver. Summer canning and freezing is a great way to further our preparedness.

Included in this month's newsletter:

     Slick Facts about Fats and Oil

     Provident Living (brown sugar and cheese)

     Hot Tip: Everlasting Yeast

     Quotable Quote: James E Faust

     In the Garden: fall planting, misc garden care, storing seeds

     Home Canning: Tomato Soup, Easy Spaghetti Sauce

     Disaster Prep:winter heat

     Challenge: taking inventory

Click Here to download a complete August 2011 Back to Basics Newsletter


**NOTE: for a first hand experience and advice on using the Everlasting Yeast check out foodforahungrysoul.blogspot.com . Katy used it and made some great bread!

Laundry Soap

Someone was looking for the laundry soap recipe in the past newsletters....but it is not there yet!  So until I include it in a monthly newsletter - here is the recipe:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated

1/2 c. Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)

1/2 c. Borax

3 pints water

1 small bottle favorite liquid laundry detergent (optional)

Combine all of the above ingredients in a pan and heat until Fels Naptha is dissolved, or consistency is like melted honey.  In a 5 gallon bucket add a quart of hot water and then pour in the soap mixture.  Add 5 quarts and 1 pint of hot water.  This is where you can add your favorite liquid laundry detergent for a good smelling laundry detergent.  Mix and let sit for 24 hours.  Use 1/2 c per wash load. Yields 64 washer loads or more at a little over 1 cent a load for the recipe without the optional addition.  Note: This will boil over easily so keep heat low and stir often. You can also use a little less water for a stronger detergent. Store in an old laundry soap container, or purchase a container with an easy pour top.

Making Copies

I have had people inquire if they can make copies for their wards or group.  The answer is yes - for non-profit only. (It is Copyrighted.)  This way those who have been passing it out in their wards can continue.  If there are problems downloading and printing let me know.  Since this is new (or more likely since I am new at this) there may be things I have to work on.  Good luck to all of you as we help each other "Be Prepared".

July 2011 Newsletter

The summer “heat” it on! Is your preparedness also “on” schedule?  This month we celebrate our freedom, and one of the freedoms we have is the freedom to be prepared!  In some countries it is illegal to store food – it is called “hoarding”.  Part of our responsibility to our fellow members of the church is to “Be Prepared” so that we can care for ourselves, allowing church resources to go to those who are unable to do so. This IS a choice land, and we ARE a blessed people.  May we show the Lord our appreciation by doing as he has told us through his living prophets. Let us renew our efforts to “Be Prepared.” As we are obedient to the counsel given us, we will be blessed in numerous ways.

Included in this month's newsletter:

     Salt of the Earth

     In The Garden

     Quotable Quote

     July Challenge

     Provident Living Hints

     Disaster Prep: Outdoor Cooking

     Recipes to bottle: Pickled Beets, Zucchini Relish and Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles

Click Here to download a complete July 2011 Back to Basics Newsletter

Past Newsletters

These newsletters were started in January 2011.  Click on links below to download the past newsletters for a printable copy. (Note: For some reason I have not yet figured out - some may appear scrambled or incomplete when viewing on the web, but when they download to print it "fixes" it.)

Click here for January 2011 Back To Basics Newsletter
Click here for February 2011 Back To Basics Newsletter
Click Here for March 2011 Back To basics Newsletter

Click Here For April 2011 Back To Basics Newsletter

Click Here for May 2011 Back To Basics Newsletter

Click here for June 2011 Back To Basics Newsletter