Making vanilla extract

All vanilla extract has alcohol in it. I use the extract in such small quantities that the alcohol dissipates or is cooked out prior to ingestion. No way around it (to my knowledge). I have herd some states require you to have a license to sell alcohol if you intend to sell vanilla extract- so research that if you intend to sell it. I make this for my own personal use.

One of our new things to do is make vanilla extract. When you make your own extract you can make tons and it tastes infinitely better than store bought stuff! Many brands use fake vanilla as opposed to real beans in order to save money.
Vanilla beans are difficult to grow, as they require either a special type of bee that is small enough to fit in the bean for cross pollination, or are artificially pollinated by man. This makes them expensive if you are purchasing individually from a store.

Note: You must thoroughly sanitize all the items! I accomplish this by running it through the dishwasher.

Items needed:
-Vodka (I bought the big bottle of Vodka from Costco). Supposedly the brand or quality doesn't matter, however we always buy the expensive high quality stuff.
-8oz Vanilla beans (I order from Amazon: S&W Premium Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla Beans - 1/2 lb. JR Mushrooms Brand (around $30))
-Knife
-Cutting board
-2 Quart wide mouth mason jars (optional to spray paint black)
-A super dark cupboard
-At least 6 months of time!!!

Divide you pile of vanilla beans in half (4 ounces each). Take one vanilla bean and slice it length wise on the cutting board. Peel in half. Take one of the lengths and scrape out all of the miniscule vanilla beans. Place bean pod and beans inside mason jar. Repeat until all your vanilla beans have be cut and scraped and placed in the jars.

Open your vodka bottle and pour it into the mason jars until they are full. Screw on the mason jar lids tight enough so they don't leak.

Now, take your mason jar and ... SHAKE!!!

Shake, shake shake you booty!

Now, place the jars in your dark cupboard. Every 2-3 days take your mason jars and shake them up for 6 months. IF you get lazy and forget, that's fine,  but the more you shake them, the more the alcohol gets to absorb the agitated beans.

The longer your vanilla extract gets to be in the sit agitate process, the more flavor it gets, so if you pass your 6 month process, that's wonderful too.

I will say that after about 2 months, Hubby couldn't wait to use the extract in cooking so he would agitate and use a little at a time, but then seal it up and return it to it's dark cupboard. Your extract reaches its "Wow this is amazing!" limit after 6 months though.

Now, flash forward 6 months.

Straining Process:

Note: You must thoroughly sanitize all the items! I accomplish this by running it through the dishwasher.

Items needed:
-Vanilla extract in mason jars
-Tongs
-Funnel (make sure it is small enough to fit in your small bottles)
-Handheld small strainer (I got mine at Dollar Tree)
-Coffee filters
-Small bottles; the darker the better! (I ordered from Amazon: from MHB Boston Round bottles,2 Oz Pack of 12 (about $10))
-More patience and a helper
-Optional: If you will reuse your beans, a new clean mason jar and more vodka.

Take out your vanilla extract and remove lid

Now smell!! MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!

Using your tongs, remove the bean pods so that they wont get in your way.

You are given a choice at this point.
1: Discard the vanilla bean pods and small beans or
2: Place bean pods and beans into another empty mason jar along with new vodka to immediately repeat the vanilla extract process. The only thing is that reusing the beans means that your next batch of extract will not be as potent and may take longer.

Take your small, dark, bottle and remove the lid. Fit the funnel in the bottle. Place the strainer on top of the funnel. Place the coffee filter on top of the strainer. Hold the strainer/ funnel and small bottle steady while your helper VERY SLOWLY pours the vanilla extract in the strainer/ funnel. You may have to help the process along by  carefully grabbing the coffee filter and ringing it out.

If you aren't making another batch, discard the bean pods and beans, or if you are making another batch, toss the beans into your new jar for the second batch.

Return the coffee filter and pour more extract into the bottle, wring out, repeat. When one of your tiny dark jars is full, repeat for the next, and the next, and the next.

Label jars and give them away as gifts or keep for yourself!

How to make a matchbook sewing or fishing kit

 How to make a matchbook sewing kit:
You will need:
-Matchbook
-Thread (I use heavy duty exterior thread)
-Scisors
-4 Needles

Note: this can also be done with fishing wire and fishing hooks. You may also use a small matchbox instead of a match book, however it takes more time to wrap thread, but you can store more items in it and/ or use waterproof matches. {when I figure out what is wrong with my camera to computer cable I will post a photo.}

Take your matchbook and open it. Wrap a generous amount of thread around the fold (about 30-60 times.

Secure the thread ends to the matchbook by cutting a small slit in the side of the matchbook. Cut thread. (figure 2)

Insert needles through matchbook top. When inserting, face the pointy ends inside matchbook so when matchbook is closed, it will not poke anything. If your matchbook is thick, use one needle to pre poke holes for the other needles.

Note: Use caution when using and ripping off matches as to not cut yourself on needles!

Then place in a small snack sized Ziploc along with buttons, safety pins, and other small items.

Finished matchbook sewing kit

Clothing Suggestions

It is vital that you have more than one change of clothes. You need to choose the correct type of clothing for your evacuation. On top of changing your food and checking to see if your gear isn't expired, you need to make sure your clothes still fit and that they are the right clothing for your condition. For children, update this every 3-6 months and shoes every time they change size- it is better to be on the larger size than smaller.

Clothing Suggestions:
Colder Climates:
Weather gloves (snow gloves)
Winter hat
Ear Muffs
Scarf
Jacket
Sweater
Snow Pants
Snow Boots
Jeans
Shorts
Sandals. You can leave these in your BOB. Make sure they are sandals that wont break easily.
Tennis shoes. Break these in!!
Socks- Several pair. Always choose comfortable socks that are thick and go mid ankle. For example, I went hiking once with those heel socks- huge mistake. First, I kept getting weed stickers cutting my ankles up, not to mention that the socks held the weed stickers inside of my sock, then, when I got home, my socks- that were the thinner material- had holes in the heels. Granted, I had owned them a while, but in my option they were relatively new as socks go. If you have to walk a long while, wear 2 pairs of socks to make it easier on your feet.
Sun hat. A hat that can keep your neck covered is important.
Visor
Bandana. This is a must. You can use it to remove large particles while purifying water, as a pot holder, dishrag, wet and put on your head to cool while walking, to wrap stuff in, to make slings in injury, if a bright color, signal someone or tie to your tent, etc. Pack several in other colors.
Vest
Swim Suit. Not needed, but if you have to go through water...
Belt. This can be a life saving item. You want to have a real sturdy leather belt that can carry a lot of strapped on wheight or be connected at the buckle to another belt to make a rope if caught in a trench. Hubby bought already cut belt "blanks" at a leather working store and attached a buckle that would hold weight for each member of the family. Each belt is long with a lot of slack or "room to grow" on each person on purpose.
Work gloves. You want something heavy duty. If you have to build a shelter, clean up a disaster, or collect fire wood, your going to want to avoid as many cuts and scrapes as possible.
Undergarmets

How to Start an Extended Food Supply 7 Day- 1 Year

Here is a packet that was sent to me from our last yearly Sake Emergency Preparedness day. The information here is how to create and plan a food supply from 7 days to 1 year. I was going to write a post on it, but the way it is written here is just perfect and easy to understand. I apologise for not being able to have the charts in a printable version; I am still not a master of the world wide web. Just highlight the area, copy, and paste to a word file and print out (that is how I do it).  I take no credit for the following information.

Food Supply

“We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.”

"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1

Longer-Term Food Supply (One Year)

For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans.

These items can last 30 years or more when properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply. 

From www.lds.org

Short-Term Food Supply (Three Month)

Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage. 

From www.lds.org

The Meal Planning System

This system was first developed by Wendy Dewitt, a food storage specialist.  It has since been modified to work for the three-month supply.
1.  Plan a menu for a week’s worth of food for your family.  Choose 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 7 dinners.  If you want a little more variety you can choose 10 days worth of meals, or 14 days worth of meals. 
2.  List out the ingredients for each of those meals. 
3.  Now multiply each ingredient by 12 to get 3 months worth of meals.  (If you are doing 10 days you can multiply by 9 or 10, if you are doing 14 days you can multiply by 6). 
For example, if you picked spaghetti for one of your dinner meals, you list out the ingredients for that dinner.  It may include one jar of spaghetti sauce, one box of spaghetti pasta, and two cans of green beans.  Now multiply that by 12.  So now you need 12 jars of spaghetti sauce, 12 boxes of spaghetti pasta, and 24 cans of green beans. 
1 jar of spaghetti sauce x 12 weeks = 12 jars of spaghetti
1 box of spaghetti pasta x 12 weeks = 12 boxes of spaghetti
2 can of green beans x 12 weeks = 24 cans of green beans
Continue this process for the rest of your planned meals and you will know EXACTLY what you need to buy to have a three month supply of food.    
Tips for the Meal Planning System
1.  Plan meals that your family likes to eat.  That way it’s easy to rotate it into your daily eating schedule. 
2.  Pick meals that use store-able ingredients.  They can be pantry items that can be kept in closets, cupboards, or shelves.  Or they can be freezer items that can be stored in a kitchen or storage freezer. 
3.  Use meals that have a relatively low amount of ingredients.  Remember you have to calculate and store everything so simple recipes are better. 
4.  Choose meals that have relatively low cost ingredients.  You will be quicker at accumulating all the ingredients if it doesn’t strain your monthly budget. 
5.  Each time you go to the grocery store just pick up a few extra items from your list for your three-month supply.  You can add 1-2 extra meals to your list, or maybe just a couple items.  Even one extra item gets you closer to your goal.  
6.  Notice sales at your grocery stores.  If an item on your list goes on sale it’s a good time to stock up on it.

Meal Planner 7-Day

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

Meal Planner 14-day

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Break-fast
Lunch
Dinner

	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13	Day 14
Break-fast
Lunch
Dinner

Meal Planner 10-day

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Break-fast
Lunch
Dinner

	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10
Break-fast
Lunch
Dinner

Ingredient Calculations

Recipe:

Ingredient	Amount	Multiple	Total Needed

Recipe:

Ingredient	Amount	Multiple	Total Needed

Recipe:

Ingredient	Amount	Multiple	Total Needed

Ingredient List for 3 Months

Ingredient	Amount Needed	Purchased

Kitchen Measurements

Use the following measurement equivalents to help you when you are multiplying out your ingredients for the three-month supply. 

Cup	Tbsp	Fluid Ounces
1	16	8
1/2	8	4
1/3	5 + 1 tsp	2.67
1/4	4	2

1 Tablespoon (Tbls) = 3 teaspoons (tsp)

Gallon	Quart	Pint	Cup	Fl. Oz.	Liter
1	4	8	16	128	3.8
¾	3	6	12	96	2.8
½	2	4	8	64	1.9
.26	1.06	2.11	4.22	33.6	1
¼	1	2	4	32	.95

Storage Times

Remember: Cool, dark, and dry

Shelf Life:

FOOD	APPROXIMATE STORAGE TIMES:
Wheat	25 years
Oats, Cornmeal, White Flour, Dried Fruits, Freeze-dried meats	5 years
Legumes/Grains: White Rice, Pasta, Barley, Dried Veggies, Freeze-dried fruits/veggies	8 years
Dry Milk	3-5 years
Oil/Garden Seeds	1 year
Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda	Indefinitely
Canned fruits, veggies, Legumes, & meats, Instant potatoes, dried eggs, powdered butter & shortening	3 - 3 ½ years (2 years for optimum color and texture)
Water	6 mo
Canned Tuna	2 years

Freezer Foods:

FOOD	FREEZER STORAGE TIMES:
Ground beef	3-4 mo
Bacon, Hot dogs	1-2 mo
Lamb/Pork Roasts, Pork Chops	4-6 mo
Whole Turkey/Chicken	1 year
Chicken/Turkey pieces	9 mo
Raw fish	Fatty: 3 mo,  Lean: 6 mo
Steaks, Beef Roasts	6-12 mo
Butter, margarine	Butter: 6-9 mo,  Margarine: 12 mo
Egg whites or egg yolks	1 year

Food Storage Location Ideas

1. Closets (floor & on shelves, create extra shelves)

2. Under beds/cribs

3. On shelves (book shelves, storage racks, etc)

4. Under stairs

5. Under furniture

6. Hard to reach corner cupboards

7. Shelves on back of doors

8. Use trunk for decoration & store food inside

9. Can make furniture out of boxes of storage (i.e.

lamp/bedside table)

10. Laundry room 

11. Move items out into garage that won’t be hurt by heat

to free up space in the house for food and water

                                     

Notes on particular foods:

1. Wheat: hard red & white wheat store best. Once ground, it is good for up to 3 months.  If stored at high temperatures, the flour made from it will not

rise well.

2. Rice: white stores best. Brown has fatty acids that cause it to go bad fast & stores only 6 mo.

3. Beans: old beans take longer to tenderize. Very old beans will not tenderize.

4. Oils: Store in cool, dark place. Olive oil stores longer than veggie oil.

5. Sugar: stores indefinitely if kept away from moisture.

6. Dry milk: sometimes adding vanilla can improve the flavor.

7. Cheese:

a - Old English processed sharp cheese spread - use only to add flavor, but decrease salt in recipe. Stored indefinitely.

b - Freeze dried sharp cheddar cheese - good flavor, & good when hydrated to put on top of baked recipes.

c - cheese sauce mix (cheese powder + white sauce ingredients)

            d - cheese blend - has blue cheese in it

8. Yeast: good for 7 yrs in deep freezer, 5 years in refrigerator, and 1 yr in fridge after opening.

9. Dried eggs: #10 can = 100 eggs. 1 T. dried whole egg + 2 T. water = 1 egg. Once opened, it lasts a year if stored in a cool, dry place. Substitution: gelatin.

10. Powdered shortening: 1 #10 can = 11 c. powdered shortening = 2.25 can

regular shortening. Good for quick mix, not good for cake & cookie recipe.

11. Powdered butter: 1 #10 can roughly = 11 c. powdered butter = 8.25 lbs real butter. Makes good white sauce/soup base. Not good in cakes & cookies.

12. Canned foods: safe to eat almost indefinitely as long as the can is not bulging or dented, and stored in cool place. Tomato products will not last as long because of their acidity content.

13. Dried foods: freeze dried is really good, but expensive. Must use twice as much as dried in recipes. If make own, make sure to freeze at 0 degree temp for 2 days to kill any insect eggs.

14. Seeds: Store in opaque container with lid in a cool dark place. Lasts fo 1 yr.
Rotation Tips

1.  Only store what you eat. 

2.  Make at least 1 meal a week from your three month supply and you should have no problem using the food before it goes bad.  (This is a good way if you don’t want to keep a written inventory).

You will also save money as you stock your food storage from items on sale and avoid last minute trips to the grocery store. 

3.  ALWAYS place the newest food items in the back and use the older items first.  (Yes, it takes more work but its much easier in the long run).

4.  Writing the expiration date on items with a sharpie marker can help you rotate things.  It’s easier to see the dates and know which items to use first.  It also makes it easy to see upcoming expiration dates so you can use that food quickly. 

5.  Often food is still good well past its expiration date.  (Canned Food Alliance said canned food is good almost indefinitely). 

Rotation Systems

1.  Every time you take something from your food storage closet write that item down on a special grocery list so you know what to buy and replace next time you go to the store. 

2.  Pocket System:

For years I struggled with keeping track of my year’s supply of basic foods. I tried keeping lists of what I had, but the lists changed weekly. I was taking inventory much too often.
 

Then, while a friend was visiting a bicycle shop, she noticed their system for inventory control. Inspiration struck! We each adapted the idea to our own food storage system with wonderful results. Here’s what we did:
 

1. On a poster board, tape or glue pockets made of index cards cut in half, one for each kind of food in your basic year’s supply. Each pocket is labeled by the type of food, number of packages or units, amount in each package, and the total amount needed for a year’s supply of that item. For example, one pocket might be labeled “spaghetti—48 boxes x 2 lbs. = 96 lbs.”
 

2. We make an inventory card for each package or unit. Spaghetti, for example, would need forty-eight cards, each with “spaghetti—2 lbs.” written on it. Those forty-eight cards are placed in the labeled pocket. Do the same with each food item.
 

3. Whenever someone takes an item from storage, that person also pulls a card from the pocket and brings both items to the kitchen. We place the card in an envelope taped behind a cupboard door in the kitchen.
 

We color-coded the cards to represent the source for obtaining each food item. Foods obtained from the cannery are kept on red cards, grocery store items on green ones, warehouse items on blue, and home-canned items are on pink cards.  It’s a simple matter before shopping to pull all the green cards from the envelope when planning a trip to the store, or all the red cards when I plan for a trip to the cannery. I know exactly what needs to be replaced. As items are restocked, I replace the cards in the poster board pockets.

We hang our poster board in our storage area. Now we are able to keep our year’s supply of food fully stocked.—Leslie O. Andersen, Kansas City, MO
3.  If you need to keep food storage in several different places in your house then write down a system and store it according to which items need to be used first. 

For example:  Store the first two weeks worth of meals in one location such as under a bed in bedroom #1.  Then as you buy the next two weeks worth of meals store that in another location such as a closet in bedroom #2.  If you store your food chronologically you know that you need to use the food under the bed in bedroom #1 first and then after that you use the food in the closet of bedroom #2.  And after you have emptied one area fill it back up with new food and continue the rotation. 

It is easier to rotate food items if they are stored in groups by what needs to be eaten first, rather than similar food items. 

4.  Sometimes it hard to use your food storage if it’s not in your kitchen where you see it regularly.  You can avoid this problem by setting up a schedule to regularly bring items from you storage place to your kitchen.  For example, on the first of the month you can bring out a new bag of rice, several canned goods, new bags of sugar, flour, etc and put them in your kitchen pantry or cupboards.  You can even write those items on your grocery list so you can replenish them on your next trip. 

5.  Place food for a needed month (or two weeks) in a single box.  Date and number the boxes for easy rotation into your daily meals. 

6.  Use rotation racks to keep canned food in order with the oldest cans being used first and the newest ones in the back.  You can find different racks on the Internet; however, they are a little pricey.  There is also a website to buy plans to make your own racks.  They suggest that the price for a 4-celled rotation rack comes to around $10.  www.canracks.com

Resources

www.providentliving.org

Guidelines for storing food. 

www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net

Excel worksheet to automatically calculate ingredient amounts for three-month supply of food.  Video Tutorial included. 

www.everydayfoodstorage.net

Recipes for three-month food storage.  Instructions to make your own rotation racks for canned food. 

http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm

Calculator to figure out how much food you need for long-term food storage each member of your family according to age. 

www.preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com

Good printable documents and ideas for three-month food supply. 

www.mythreemonthsupply.blogspot.com

Recipes for three-month food supply. 

www.simplylivingsmart.com

Healthy food storage recipes, including instructional videos.