http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/canned-goods/

This quote is from the Utah State University Extension Center.

"Commercially canned foods should retain their best quality until the expiration code date on the can. This date is usually 2-5 years from the manufacture date. High acid foods usually have a shorter shelf life than low acid foods. For emergency storage, commercially canned foods in metal or jars will remain safe to consume as long as the seal has not been broken."

The Canned Food Alliance also shares this view that canned foods are safe to eat as long as the can is not damaged in any way. They will lose nutritional value but are safe to eat. With this information, and the knowledge that most of the foods from the cannery will last 20 and 30 years, food storage and it's rotation have become much easier for everyone.

I've just finished the latest revision of the food booklet and it includes information on the shelf life of common foods and canned foods. I'll be glad to send you one if you email me at wdewitt22@gmail.com (There's no charge for the booklet) Thanks for all your kind comments. Wendy

Rocket Stove

Rocket Stoves

These are just a few of the many versions of a rocket stove and on the top left is a rocket oven. Rocket stoves, because of their design, allow you to use 75% less fuel (wood) than a normal fire and will be invaluable in your food storage. I was able to boil 2 cups of water for 20 minutes using just a handful of small sticks and a match. Rocket stoves come in all sizes but the idea is the same. You can buy them or make your own. Making your own will cost under $20. A version of the one pictured on the right can be made for almost nothing. (Notice the large flame being created with just a few sticks.)

You will need:

A number 10 can (#10 can)

4 (10 ounce) soup cans...like chicken noodle or tomato soup

Ashes or vermiculite for insulation A small grate or rack Tin snips and gloves

Using a can opener, open the #10 can and empty the contents, keeping the lid you cut off. Cut a hole the exact size of the soup can into the side of your #10 can near the bottom. (This is where the elbow will come out.) Make all of these holes as exact as you can.

To make the elbow, take a soup can and cut off the top. Take a 2nd soup can and cut off the top and bottom. Carefully cut a hole in the side of the 1st can (at the bottom) and slip the 2nd can into the hole. Put your elbow inside the #10 can and bring the end of the elbow (2nd can) out of the hole you have cut into the side.

To extend the elbow upwards, take a 3rd soup can, remove the top and bottom, cut it completely up the side and squeeze it together to fit it into the top of the 1st can. Adjust it so it comes to an inch from the top of the #10 can.

Fill the can around the elbow with your insulation to about 2 inches from the top.

Take the lid that you cut from the #10 can and cut a hole in the center just large enough for your soup can to come through. Push this lid over the soup can and onto the insulation.

To make the “shelf” for your wood, take your 4th soup can and cut off the top and the bottom. Cut it up the side, flatten it out and cut it into a 3” x 3 3/4” piece. Shape this piece into a small "T", making the top of the T 3” wide and the bottom 2 ¼” inch wide so it can just fit inside your 2nd soup can. Making it into a “T” keeps the shelf from going all the way into the soup can.

The small grate or rack goes on top of your #10 can to hold your pots or pans as you cook.

To start your fire, push a small amount of paper under the shelf and place twigs on top of the shelf. Light the paper with a match. When the twigs start to burn, put your larger sticks on top of the twigs. Push them through as they burn and add more wood as necessary. You may want to make a larger rocket stove or more than one so you can cook several things at once. Unlimited ideas can be found online if you Google rocket stove.

If you google rocket stove and go to the site that is 20 minutes in length, you'll see how to make the somewhat larger version.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=797446823830833401&hl=en

By having a rocket stove I've been able to add many more foods (like pancakes and fry bread!) to my food storage and I'm better prepared for rainy days without having to add a large amount of fuel to my storage.

3/10 I've had a lot of comments on this subject. Of course, you can buy a rocket stove, but it's going to cost you over $50 with s/h. I've made 3 of them and it takes about 1/2 an hour and is actually pretty fun!

4/7 The first picture is a rocket oven (NOT a solar oven) It's made by Grover and runs about $95. It can bake bread or other foods and is used on top of a rocket stove. This would be great for those of you who don't have a lot of sun for the solar ovens.

I've been experimenting with a dutch oven placed on a rocket stove and it works pretty well as an oven. I've baked cakes and breads and have a few suggestions: Don't place your bread pans/cake pans directly on the bottom of the dutch oven. Put a rack or some canning rings on the bottom and place your bread pan on those. Get a small oven thermometer to place inside the dutch oven and be sure to preheat for best results. Keep the heat/flame of the rocket stove as even as you can. You can lift the lid occasionally to check the temperature and the heavy metal of the dutch oven will hold the heat pretty well. If the dutch oven becomes too hot, the bottom of the bread will (of course) burn. But if it's not hot enough, the loaf will collapse. Our ancestors used wood burning stoves to bake and it really was an art. You'll need to practice quite a bit to get the hang of it. Good luck!

Here are pictures of some great water barrel holders which my amazing son-in-law built for my beautiful daughter and her 4 wonderful children! (And my other children are just as amazing, beautiful and wonderful!)

We always appreciate hearing from those interested in our station and its programs.To rewatch the episode with Wendy DeWitt, go to www.byu.tv and click on "February 23" and on 7:00 PM. It will come up with the Living Essentials episode and you can just watch it right there.
I hope this is helpful to you!
Sincerely,Catherine
Viewer ServicesBYU Television1-866-662-9888

YouTube Video

You can view my Food Storage presentation on YouTube by clicking here. The other parts of the presentation are linked on the sidebar. If you need the booklet for this class, it's on this blog or you can email me at wdewitt22@msn.com and I'll send you a PDF file of the booklet. Wendy

I've had a request for my
Top 10 Reasons Why I Don't Have My Food Storage.

10. My neighbors have a TWO year supply! It's more likely they have no food storage at all. Most people have made no effort whatsoever to be prepared for an emergency. So, if your plan is to eat your neighbor's food, not only is it not very nice, it's probably not a very good plan.
9. I'm moving in with my children / parents! Really....that’s just a bad plan all by itself. Many people believe when times get bad we'll all just band together to survive. (Of course, since no one has any food, we won't survive for very long.) But consider that if there were any kind of epidemic or pandemic, we couldn't band together and we couldn't share. You may have to survive on just what's in your home.

8. Isn't that what my taxes are for? If there was a national emergency of any kind, how long do you really think it would take a government agency to reach you? Just remember, the government has been counseling citizens to have a three month's supply of food, water and medicines.
7. I donate to my church...if anything happens, they'll take care of me. How many of you are planning on miracles when times get bad? The miracle of Elijah's never ending barrel or another Joseph in Egypt storing for everyone. The responsibility to prepare your family for an emergency isn't your neighbor's, the government's or the church's...it's yours.
6. I have a year's supply...and the bullets to go with it! I've heard time and again, "Why should I go to all the time and expense of getting food...just to have some guy with a gun come and shoot my family to take it away?" Are you afraid of the guy with the gun? Or are you more afraid of BECOMING the guy with the gun? What would you be willing to do if you were watching your children starve to death? I guarantee, you would lie, cheat, steal and you would become the guy with the gun to save your child's life. Food storage isn't just about your temporal welfare...it's about your spiritual salvation as well.
5. The boat and the 4 wheelers are taking up all my storage space. (priorities!)
4. I've got 1,000 pounds of wheat...what else do I need? Unless you're eating that wheat on a daily basis and your body is accustomed to it, that wheat could kill you faster than a famine would!
3. I've decided to store non-perishables and then I'll just trade for food. Good luck eating those gold coins because when people are starving, they're not going to be trading away their food. Either that, or you're going to be buying the most expensive bowl of soup you ever ate.
2. I can't afford scrap booking AND food storage. The average food storage can cost as little as a dollar a day. We live in the richest society in the history of the world, and while there are cases where money may be a problem, most of the time it is a matter of priorities. We have chosen bigger homes, nicer cars, more tv's, computers, vacations ...everything is more important than our food storage. If I asked, "Who has a cell phone?" most of you would say yes. You pay at least a dollar a day for that service. Is your cell phone really more important than your survival? You have to make food storage a priority.
1. I'm waiting for them to sell Papa John's dehydrated pizza! Food storage has always had a stigma attached to it. If it's not wheat, beans and powdered milk, it's not food storage. With the system I use, food storage can be sweet and sour chicken, tamale pie, chile and cornbread, beef stew, shepherd's pie, minestrone...even chocolate chip cookies! Your imagination (and your pocketbook) are the only limitations you have.

You KNOW you should have your food storage. You WANT to have it, but it can be so overwhelming! How much do I buy? Where do I store it? How do I cook it? It seems like an impossible task.... but it's not. It doesn't matter if you use my system or just start buying extra food, the important thing is to do something. Good luck in your efforts! Wendy DeWitt