Hi—
Is there anyone here from the Salt Lake City area? I’m in Holladay, and I was wondering if there is anyone who can tell me a bit about the LDS “canning” program.
I know a little about the program - I have been a couple of times to the cannery in Sandy. What, specifically were you wondering about?
How does it work? I was baptized long ago (so I’m technically still a member), but I also stopped attending long ago. Do they let inactive members use the facilities? I called Welfare Services and they told me that “walk ins” were welcome for “dry packing”, but that I had to come as part of a ward group for the wet stuff. When I asked her if a walk in included inactive members, she wasn’t sure (apparently not a lot of inactive members volutarily show up there). I also understand that if you go, you buy the materials (foodstuff and canning materials) there.
Do you have any idea of what it is that they pack (the “dry stuff”)? I’ve shied away from doing thins like unground wheat and barley so far, since that’s pretty foreign to the way we live and I fell that coping wtih the general problems of the pandemice will be enough, rather than focusing on an entirely new way of cooking.
Weird that they didn’t know about inactives. Of course they are welcome. So are non-members. You just need to schedule either with them or call the local bishop and he will connect you up with all the info you need. Also, you either can what they have, or bring your own dry stuff to can, or both. You just let them know so they can have the number 10 cans available and also whatever on their list you want to can.
Unless the policy has changed recently, you don’t have to be active to use the facilities. I worked for the Church as a manager in the Welfare dept for close to 20 years in a different division, and we assisted many non-members, not to mention in-active members.
I would suggest that you call one of the storehouses directly (page 46 of the business section of the current DEX phone book under Bishop’s Storehouses in the right hand column) and ask for a manager ( or just go in to one and ask). My guess is that their answer would depend largely on the availablity of openings based on how busy they are. I think that it is probably true about the walk-in dry pack and wet pack. It may help to find out what ward you live in because they may ask you to sign in. Again, I don’t think you have to be active, or even a member. If you don’t know what ward you live in, you can ask a neighbor who you know is LDS, or call the general Church Office Building phone number ( it is the very first number on page 45 ending in 1000), and ask to find out what ward you are in based on your address, or you can look it up on the Church website.
You do pay for the materials and supplies, but they are usually at cost. There is some variety to the dry pack supplies, but they are fairly basic if I remember right. They have a list with prices there which I think they will just let you take. You can just walk in and get the list and talk to whoever is supervising the drypack area at the time.
In order to do the wet pack, I think you do need to fit in with your ward’s schedule. Each ward should have a ward member (canning specialist) who coordinates the scheduling and communication in their ward. Again, neighbors who are LDS or the Bishop ( obtain contact info by calling same number above) in your ward can direct you to that person.
Most of the dry pack is bulk supplies which can form a core supply of emergency food stock, but after we have that emergency core, I prefer to focus on non-perishable items from weekly sales at the area grocery stores. I know that our family will always eat them, where I feel like we may never eat some of the bulk supplies unless there is a true emergency and we are forced to resort to them.
Thank you for the information. I’ll call today.
Don’t forget to mention that there are also canneries throughout the US. I live in WA, and there is a cannery in Kent. I have been told, though, that they do not allow you to bring your own food to can because they have had problems with infestation from outside foods, so you might have to ask the individual canneries to see if they allow you to can your own foods.
Hi, I am in Utah too, West Jordan to be exact. Thanks all for the info on LDS cannerys, I didnt know non-members were welcome. I will call today about it. Im fairly new to large scale prepping and have almost 6 months ready for my family of 5. Im sure I have missed some things but I think about it everyday almost to the point of obsessing to try to cover everything. I have always felt more comfortable with a large and well stocked pantry that rotates regularly but I now have food everywhere! I have most of the basics covered; beans, rice, flour, yeast, sugar, canned fruits and vegetables and am now trying to focus on the stuff my family will actually like. Has anyone else in Utah checked out Moos Farms? Its a bulk food storage and supplies store. They seem reasonably priced and Ive bought quite a bit from them, enough that I had to have my son bring his truck in addition to mine. Can anyone comment on whether the Mormon church is pushing the food storage in preparation for bird flu? I am planning a huge veg garden this year and will even stick as many veg in flower beds as possible instead of annuals. Im lucky that I have a yard to do it in although I wish it was acres bigger, as it is (1/4 acre) I have to consider at all times basketball room, bike room, soccer room and just general room for 3 teen and pre-teen boys. Otherwise my garden gets basketballed, biked and soccered. I also consider myself lucky to live in Utah not just as the most beautiful state in the country but as a place where food storage and prepping for any disaster is the norm. Noone looks at me funny when I have 2 flat carts at Sams completely loaded or when I buy 24 cans of manderin oranges on sale at Reams and then stop by 2 other times that day to get the limit of 24 again. Well, maybe they did look at me funny that time. Mostly I think people see the boys I have pushing carts and so they dont wonder about the amount of food I purchase. Im hoping to connect with other Utah preppers to share information on best deals, water storage etc. Rosie
While having a high percentage of residents prepping on a constant basis, the downside, here in Utah, is the powers to be think everyone does it and that extraneous planning and stockpiling by local agencies is not as necessary.
But, I wil check out the local supplyhouses. When you say the ‘basics’ are we talking grains or?
Thats a good point 3L120 about TPTB thinking everyone stockpiles, I hadnt thought of it that way. I thought we would be better prepared because they would all listen more closely to Mike Leavitt as would citizens of Utah. My basics consist of beans, rice, flour, yeast, sugar, oatmeal in big food grade buckets that I will decant into smaller units for kitchen use, canned tuna and chicken, spam and a ton of canned veg and fruit. As much water as I have room for and I want to pick up a few 50 gallon water storage drums. I have also recently added “just add water” biscuit and cookie mixes also in those big buckets, freeze dried potato slices, dried cheese sauce, canned brown sugar, flax seed. I have lots of tp and paper towels but it never seems like enough and I worry about what I have read about mice getting into the stacks so I have to do something about that. I am worried about forgetting something basic and check my lists against everyone elses and the master lists on Wiki to help with that. The best prices I have foudn are at Sams or Moos farm which is at about 5th east and 3440 south just west of I15. The other bulk food supply store (which will remain nameless because I cant remember the name) seems a bit more on the items I have compared but they definately carry more gear, Moos is just food.
Rosie—Glad to hear there are other Utahns (Utites?) around. I’m from Holladay. I’ve mostly been prepping at Costco, but I’ll check out Moos. We’re a family of three (12 year old son, Mom and Dad), but we’ve also made preps for my wife’s parents, who are in their 80s and not in great health. My wife and son put up with my prepping, but consider the possibility of anything serious happening as pretty slim (“It may happen somewhere, but it won’t ever happen in the US and, if it does, it won’t be any different that when polio was around in the 50s, so STOP buying stuff!”).
I’m at work now, but when I get some time I’ll give you my thoughts on the local prepping/political scene. I was baptized LDS long ago, and haven’t stepped into a ward house for about 20 years, so I’m not as knowledgeable about the current OFFICIAL church policy on prepping as I could be.
src8111, Id like to hear your thoughts. Utah can be a frustrating place to live given the political climate, especially for a very liberal minded person like myself. My family puts up with my prepping the same as yours, they mostly think Im crazy. Oh well, its kind of like insurance, we might never need it but if we do it would really suck to not have it. I cant, as a single mom, not prep. I would not be able to live with myself if this does happen and I didnt prepare for children.
Rosie—I talked my wife (during one of her rare cooperative periods) into going with me to the LDS dry packing facility at Welfare Square one day. We showed up unannounced in the middle of the afternoon, told them that we’d heard a bit about the program and that we’d like to know more. They asked if we wanted to do some canning that afternoon. They showed us how to do it (it’s very simple, really), and we spent the next hour or so filling number 10 cans with powdered milk, pudding, potato buds (amazing things, in case you haven’t tried them), rice and other stuff. We left with about 25 cans, and (based on my shopping experience at Costco) spent about 1/3 of what the stuff would have cost at a local volumn purchase store. We’re not really the “flour, salt and sugar” storage types (I’ve been sticking mostly to tuna, soups, and packaged stuff that we normally use), but it’s nice to have a small stash of the basics that we can fall back on if we run out of the other stuff (or if I get bored during isolation and start experimenting with real cooking). We’re trying to figure out if we know any LDS members well enough to accompany them to a “wet packing” session (that’s where the real goldmine is—canned chicken and turkey, applesauce and jams, etc.). If you’re looking for the basics, you might want to try the dry pack cannery. The other nice thing is that, becasue you put it up in cans and use oxygen depletion packets, it’s good for several years.
If you mention that you’re not LDS but that you’re interested in the canning program, they tend to be very forgiving about dropping by unannounced. It’s really a great program, and I can see why LDS families make it a regular part of their lives.
Wow, thanks for the info. I have neighbors that are LDS (dont we all in Utah?) that I will ask about the wet pack. Is it scheduled by ward or can they go anytime? Do you know if I can go to a bishops storehouse and buy stuff? I have wondered about that for a long time but have never tried. I like to cook and use basics regularly so I know my stuff will be used. Bread is easy, biscuits are even easier, dry milk is new to me but I have read that you can flavor it. Im excited now to try the canning. You could buy all different stuff not just what you canned? Jam I do myself but the meats Im afraid to home can so Ive been buying them and they are soooo expensive!
Correction, Morning Moos is on 5th WEST not east and 3440 south. I dont knwo how to edit my earlier post at 11:20
I think the wet packing is scheduled by stakes, and they only do one item at a time when they go (they apparently did chicken in April, and they did some kind of jam in February). When you go to the dry pack place, you can only get the dry materials. They have about 20 different things (tow or three kinds of wheat, flour, rice, potattoes, carrots, onions, puddings, beans, etc.), and you choose what you want to pack, pack it yourself and then pay for it like you were at the grocery store. You wear gowns and shower caps, and you have to clean up after yourself when you’re done (they have the brooms, dustpans, etc there). I suspect that people only can what they want to buy when they do the dry pack stuff, but that when they do the wet pack stuff they work as part of an assembly line and the group might end up with more product than the packers want to buy. When we did the dry pack they let us buy a case of jam that they had wet packed a day or two before but that no one else had bought. I don’t know if they were just being nice or if that’s the official policy.
I think the other stuff at the bishop’s store house (diapers, commercilly canned corn, soups, Corn Flakes, etc.) are reserved for people who can show an economic need to get them from the storhouse. I don’t know the procedure or the means or income test that they use, but I do know that they have several warehouses of products all over the valley that they hold for those knds of purchases.
Does this mean the missionaries stopped by your house the next week? :-)
I gotta see what we have down here in Dixie…
They didn’t ask for any personal info when we were there and I paid in cash, so unless they wrote down my license plate I think I made a clean getaway. Actually, they come by the house a couple times a year now. They are generally nice young guys. I usually politely let them know I’m not interested and then invite them in for a home cooked meal or a soda. Sometimes they accept, and they generally don’t get upset if a game is on the TV.
I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and live in Canada. We aren’t being pushed towards being prepared because of a bird flu,. The president of the church, in 1998, said, that he wasn’t predicting years of famine in the future, after talking about pharoah’s dream, but it was time to get our houses in order. Not to be living on the edge of our incomes, and consuming debt. He did say, “There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed” and “No one knows when emergencies will strike”. It could be as simple, as having an accident that would not allow you to work. We have been taught to be self reliant, and to store food, for over 70 years. I checked out the tour at the headquarters in Utah -Humanitarian centre, where they ship clothing, products, literacy, leprosy kits, etc abroad, it’s amazing to see what goes on behind the scenes…you locals should check it out!
The dry pack cannery (I happen to be there this morning!) Has certain certain items that you can pack in a #10 can or a mylar bag that won’t go rancid. Flour, beans (black, pinto, pink), wheat, oats (quick or regular), rice, sugar, apples slices, refried beans, choc or vanilla pudding, dry milk, fruit drink mix, hot cocoa mix, potato pearls, onions, carrots, spaghetti. You might even be able to buy a 1 month kit that includes the basics for 1 person with salt and shortening. Certain things you can take in such as other types of wheat. Other things you can’t can like cornmeal it’s got too much moisure and would go rancid. Some canneries may have an canner that you can take out, and then just buy the cans/lids from them and do it yourself. I’ve got some extra suckers/chocolate hidden this way! A friend of mind uses the fruit drink mix to make popsicles, has added vitamins in it, and much less costly! I’ve always have enjoyed the topic of preparedness, and right now, my responsibility is trying to get people better prepared in this area, so that’s why I at this site.
Thank you Preparedness101, I appreciate the info. Ive been prepping for a few months now formally but Im realising that I have mini-prepped for a long time so I had a big advantage in that I have always kept a well stocked pantry, an extensive first aid kit and have grown vegetables. I get overwhelmed with the long term storage stuff. I have been buying 4 gallon square plastic buckets and liners for flour, beans, rice, sugar and oatmeal. Im trying to keep organised so I can rotate efficiently. I also am storing mac and cheese boxes, ramen noodles, crackers and other dry stuff in the buckets to avoid mice. I am thinking I need to find some oxygen absorbers. I like to think most of my neighbors have food storage, I know for sure 2 that do. I hope IM on the right track with what Im storing and how Im doing it.
Rosie- You sound like you’re well on your way! Do you have water storage? Ideally, you should have a mininum of 14 gallons a person, for 2 weeks. I prefer canning my dry items, as then I know mice can’t chew their way in. One of the most important rules, is to store what you eat, eat what you store. Do you know, you can check out www.providentliving.org and check out under what to store, there is a interactive food calculator, that can help you determine how much you need for your family. There are recipes there, and ways to track what you have. We are encouraged to store the basics that would keep us alive, and then add the other good stuff! You can also get oxygen absorbers at the cannery, or probably somewhere online. Don’t be surprized, not all church members will be up to speed in food storage, just because they live in Utah. -Christina
Thanks Christina, I have seen the ProvidentLiving website. Its a great start. I didnt want to get wheat because I dont know what to do with it and Im not sure my kids would eat it. I cook with basics most of the time and bake bread frequently so I know what I have will be eaten. I have 2 weeks of water for all humans and pets. I want to purchase a 55 gallon water storage drum. A few places in Salt Lake sell them so I dont have to worry about shipping. My goal is one year but it will take me a few months to get there. Im at about 5 months now. Whats hardest is canned meats, theyre so expensive! I have lots of rice and beans. We could survvie longer than the 5 months but my teenagers wouldnt be happy about the fare. I love your idea of canned candy! I could label it asparagus to make sure noone is too interested.
Wheat can be stored indefinitely. You can get a wheat grinder, that can ground wheat, corn, etc. You can have flour then to make your bread. It’s a good idea to try it out, so you know you’re body can handle it, and not become gluten intolerant. You can make a meat substitue out of it..with wheat gluten. Some might sprout it, or make boiled wheat cereal…and perhaps even chew it like gum. That interactive calculator, is helpful, as if you choose not to include wheat, then add the suggested amount of wheat into other grains, like oats, rice, barley etc. At least, it will give you an idea of where to go from there. Someone I know, wherever she bakes and puts the goodies in the freezer, in an old broccoli bag, or brussel sprouts, then it doesn’t get touch! You need those comfort foods!
My kids love poptarts and they never last in my house so I dry-packed them and after a year on the shelf we tested them out—they were the same as when we first bought them. That would be a real comfort food to my kids because they won’t drink powdered milk and dry cereal doesn’t sound as appealing as a poptart (not much difference to me) but I also packed their favorite cereal too.
Mother of Five- When you say dry-pack do you mean you canned them? If so how? Christina, I didnt realise the wheat could be stored indefinately! I see now why its so recommended.
Rosie, The LDS storehouses have a dry-packing system. It is mentioned earlier in this thread and has been mentioned in other threads. If you are able to contact an LDS (Mormon) church in your area, then you can use their set-up. Dry-packing is storing dry foods (sorry for the duh!) such as flour, sugar, grains, etc. into #10 cans. It maintains its nutritional value longer (except poptarts, of course, there’s absolutely NO nutritional value in them) and it keeps moisture and critters out. I prefer using the #10 cans because I can purchase supplies in the smaller quantities for the cans than purchasing 50 gallon sealed buckets of supplies. For every #10 can (it holds about 5 lbs of flour) that I have, which is quite a few, my sister has a 50 gallon bucket…. But, I am making progress!
I see, sorry to be so dense about it, I didnt realise that dry-pack is the same as canning. Im new to all this. I have my flour, sugar, biscuit mix, oats in 4 gallon buckets which hold 25 pounds of all but oats, thats fluffy and has just about 12 −13 pounds per bucket. Im not sure of the shelf life when I just put it in the buckets (with food storage liners), do you have any idea? I dont want to go over what we will use in that time frame. Im guessing about 6 months. I definately see the advantage of dry-canning over my bucket system though.
Mother of Five -love the idea of poptarts…Did you keep them in the foil wrappers?
Rosie- You’re doing so great, that you can educate all the rest of your neighbours! I’m not exactally sure what the shelf life is with buckets/liners, as it can’t totally be guarantee to be air tight. For Example here is the shelf life, if the items were dry (dry items) packed (or put in a can) …I know you know this now! Are you ready?
Wheat Indefinitely, Flour 2 year/ 5 yrs dry packed, oats 4 yrs dry pkd, spaghetti/macaroni dry pkd- 8 years, Beans, 8 yrs dry pkd, dehydrated potato pearls 3 yrs dry pkd, dehydrated carrots 8 yrs dry pkd, dehydrated carrots 8 yrs dry pkd, canned tomatoes 2 years, canned corn 2 years, nuts 1 year in freezer, Sugar indefinitely(Sugar you don’t put oxygen absorbers in, or you have a solid rock!) Brown Sugar indefinitely (you don’t dry pack) Honey, Indefinitely (if no water is added)…actually honey is more valuable than sugar…back in one of the wars, honey sold for 3x the price of sugar. Actually, here is the article, where the fellow writes about it, and other valuable items. http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm Jams 4 years, Fruit Drink Powdered 4 yrs Dry pkd, Hot Cocoa 4 yr Dry Pkd, Corn Syrup indefinetly, Pudding Mix 5 yr Dry pkd, Vegetable Oil 1–3 years, Shortening −5 years, Mayonnaise 10 months, Salad Dressing 8 month, Peanut Butter 2–5 years, Salt- indefinitely, Dry yeast −6 months check package, Baking Soda -Indefinite, Baking Powder −2 years, Spices - 2 years plus Non Fat Milk (dehydrated- - 2 years plus, if dry pkd, Evaporated Milk 1–3 years, Cheese (Hard) - 2 years, if frozen. Dehydrated Apples- 8 years, Raisins 1 yr in container or frozen, Can fruit −2 years, Tomato Sauce −2 years
I just learned today…Powdered milk if you open it up past those years, you take the oxygen absorber out, and then let it sit for a day, and the taste will be freshened to be in the air, ! …although, I really couldn’t tolerate it. I really should be using it now, with any recipe that calls for milk.
Other than food, you mention how you have a good first aid kit, and garden…what other ways are you manging to get yourself prepared…for example…what would your teenagers be doing if they were confined to your home….have lots of good books on hand?
~Christina
Christina, Great point about cooped up teenagers! I have lots of board games, cards, we have a big back yard with basketball hoop (if we can go outside safely), lawn games ets. Also like you mentioned, lots of books. I thought possibly home improvement projects providing I have the supplies on hand. My 11 year old has been out of school since late Jan because of surgery and wont go back this year so I am home schooling him currently with assistance from our school district. I love doing it and it has been a great bonding experience. The older ones will be a little harder to keep occupied. Especially the 16 year old who has a taste of freedom driving. What have you planned? Rosie
rosie—Are the big sqaure containers that you put your supplies in airtight? If so (and in case you haven’t already done it), you may want to see if you can make the supplies last longer by putting some dry ice in when you pack them. The idea is to get the oxygen out of the container (oxygen is what spoils most foods that are held long term without canning), and if you put a couple of small chunks of dry ice in the bottoom of the container, as the ice evaporates it pushes the air out (CO2 is heavier than air) and you end up with a container full of supplies and CO2. If you put the lid on lightly when you pack the container, let the ice evaporate and then “burp” the container, there’s a good chance that you’ve gotten a lot of the oxygen out of the container. You only need a little dry ice in each container (I use a couple of chucks about the size of those litle soaps they give you in motels for a 5 gallon container). You can get the dry ice at a lot of grocery stores, and it’s only about $3 for a 2 pound chunk. That does about 6 or 8 5-gallon containers.
I would appreciate an opinion regarding the use of the Food Saver vacuum system and using 1/2 gallon canning jars. I get an excellent seal and while they’re not #10 cans I hope what I’m doing will offer some protection for a longer term storage on dry foods. Slug away at me if I’m wasting my time.
SRC84111, Thanks for that tip, I have never heard that before. I read about putting a small amount of liquor on top of jams and lighting it on fire then extinguishing by placing the ring on top. It uses the oxygen and forms a vacuum. Im a little scared to try that one but it seems like a great premise. My containers are air tight, I purchased them at a food storage store and they are the ones they sell stuff in, I just packed them myself. The liners seem to be worth the 10 bucks I spent for 100 liners. They are a food grade (or maybe that means nothing except higher cost) clear plastic bag that fits inside the bucket, I put the product in and then squeeze as much air out of the liner as possible and baggie tie it so the product is not even exposed to the air inside the bucket.
One of my sons and I are allergic to wheat but we have found that we can tolerate it a few times a week if we grind the wheat ourselves and bake it immediately. I think it have something to do with the oils not going rancid. When my husband and I were in school, our kids were little. When things were tight, we would grind wheat and bake bread for a meal sometimes. We learned that when little tummies are hungry, nothing satisfies as well as hot, homemade wheat bread. It helps ease cravings and is very nutritional and filling. Since greens would be scarce during a shortage, we have alfalfa seeds on hand that we sprout along with wheat sprouts and can make a salad out of that. We have oil, vinager and spices for dressing. Sprouts have far more protein than unsprouted food and the enzymes help the body maintain good health.
I should also add that flour is an acid food and there is some speculation that maintaining a body in a more alkaline state helps fight off influenza. When wheat is sprouted before using, it becomes an almost perfect PH balance.
mmmelody47 at 12:05, I use my Foodsaver to pack powdered milk in 1/2 gallon canning jars. I buy the milk at Sam’s Club in 4.4 lb containers, then put it in the 1/2 gallon jars (one box will require 3 jars). I use my canning funnel to pour the powder in, then jiggle each jar repeatedly to settle and pack the powder down, leaving about a 1″ headspace in each jar. Then I drop an oxygen absorber pack in each jar, make sure there is no trace of powder on the jar rim, apply a canning lid, then use the Foodsaver attachment to vacuum out the air. Once I have a seal, I screw on the canning ring to the jar, because I’ve found that sometimes the seal from the Foodsaver will fail within days or weeks. With the ring screwed tightly on, there’s no chance of that happening. So far I’ve got 39 half-gallon jars filled (enough for 286 quarts, or just over 71 gallons, of reconstituted milk). Oh, and if I have any powder left over from a box after filling the 3 jars, I dump it into a quart canning jar I keep in my kitchen cupboard, and use that for adding to any recipe that calls for milk.
Hello newbies, I’m back again! BTW, yes, I did keep the double poptarts in their silver lining. I lay several flat (horizontal) and then slipped in a package or two upright (vertically.) Also, I have drypacked my brown sugar to keep out unwanted things…. I put a gallon ziploc bag in first, flip the zippered edge over the edge of the can, fill it full with brown sugar and zip it closed while trying to get every last bit of air out of the bag—and then I seal it. I have opened it at six months and then at a year and it has always been soft and fresh.
So many of the above questions have been discussed to the very very specific details on previous food storage threads. I am unsure of the best method to research the topics for some of your specific questions—perhaps one of the mods could explain that??? :)
Kim – at 21:03 - you use an oxygen absorber and vacuum the jar with the Food Saver as well? I asked for feedback, but let me clarify….when using the canning jars, I wash in hot soapy water along with the lids - and immediately fill with food after drying. There seems to be an emphasis (that I’ve read) on using the lids when still warm from washing since the lid then provides a stronger and more reliable seal. If your method will give me more shelf life, I’ll get some absorbers on the Net.
Thank you for your input.
mmmelody47, yes I use an oxygen absorber plus vacuuming with the Foodsaver. I, too, had been under the mistaken impression that an oxygen absorber would create a vacuum by itself, but it does not. All the oxygen absorber packet does is absorb any remaining oxygen in the jar (the Foodsaver can’t pull a PERFECT vacuum), and I figure that the less oxygen is in that jar then the longer my food will last. It might be overkill, but the packets are cheap and I figure they do no harm. The Foodsaver SHOULD, in theory, give an adequate seal to the jar, but I found that the seal would occasionally fail, so that is why I also use the screw-on bands on the jars after they’re sealed. Having both the jar and lid warm when packaging will help with a seal, but it’s just as easy to add the screw-on band for a little extra insurance, since I don’t want to be having to check the seals constantly. And powdered milk, since it’s a powder, seems to be especially prone to vacuum failure, I suppose because some microscopic amount of powder gets pulled onto the sealing surfaces when vacuuming. The band will keep the rubber seal in firm contact with the jar rim, so the seal shouldn’t break. I dehydrate alot of my own stuff too, and now use this method with everything I dehydrate.
Kim - you got me thinking now about using the screw-on bands. The dangerous part of this is…..I’m thinking! Now, if you hold the jar up in front of you, you’ll see the threads on the jar slanting downwards which causes the “screwing” action. (I really don’t mean that the way it sounds. ;-)) As you turn the lid to secure it - the ring will initially come in contact with a very small area on the lid likely causing loss of the vacuum seal. I read somewhere – and cannot remember where I saw it, that you shouldn’t use the rings when vacuum sealing a canning jar. So what may be happening is – you lose vacuum when adding the ring and then regain the seal with the action caused by the absorber.
Does this make any sense?
Furthermore….I’m not from the great state of Utah, but respect the postings of those in LDS - you truly know what you’re doing with canning and food storage, etc.
mmmelody47, ummmm, I’m not in Utah nor LDS either, just like to cruise the other state’s sites and see if I can pick up any good info or maybe offer help. I’m also pretty dangerous myself when the ol’ gears start turning ;-) I really don’t know the answer, I guess, on all this. All i can tell you from my experience is this… If I don’t put the rings on right after I vacuum-seal a powdered milk jar (with O2 absorber), the lid may have popped down and seem to be sealed, but when I check it a few days or weeks later, it may be loose and popped up. If I DO put a ring on right after sealing, then the seal appears to remain good and ‘sucked down” for many many months later. I figure that as long as the lid is “sucked down”, I still have a good seal. The oxygen absorbers will NOT cause a vacuum in the jar… I thought that until Prof Eccles set me straight in another thread, so I don’t think the O2 absorbers are having any effect on the seal. I do know that you’re not supposed to leave the bands on pressure-canned or wet-packed foods… I suppose the reason for that is that you’d want the lid to easily pop up if there was any loss of a good seal. Any canners out there that can help with this?
From time to time I pick up comments on the forum postings that suggest there are lots of posters in Utah. Other days I get the feeiling there are only one or two of us. I’d like to get a better feel for who else resides in the state.
I’m part of a family of 3 (husband, wife and 13 year old son). We live in Holladay, which is one of Salt Lake City’s satellite communities. If things go bad, we’ll probably end up hosting (kidnapping?) my wife’s 80-something parents for the duration. I’m an attorney, and my wife works for the State. My wife is, at best, tolerant of my prepping.
Anyone else want to fess up?
bump
Hi,HiddeninHolladay:
We live in the neighborhood of the University of Utah. I teach as an adjunct (maybe not next year?) and my husband is a civil engineer who works for the state. We have a 16 year old son and an 8 year old daughter, but we also have other relatives and numerous friends — I doubt either of us could refuse to help any friend or relative who showed up on the porch hungry. I really hope the LDS church has a huge amount of food stored somewhere for people who lack the means to prepare for themselves. (We aren’t members).
Anyone in the LDS church have any idea on hand-out policy by the church as regards non prepared LDS or non-members? Are there storage areas in the wards? I have not been able to get any of the members I know to confirm or deny.
Hi, I live in West Jordan. Im a single mom with 3 kids at home. I would take in my grown daughter and probably her boyfriend. I would take in my former husband too. I have prepped with these extras in mind and have told each one of them that. I agree Rhetor, I hope the LDS church (Im also not a member) has food stored for members and anyone who needs it. I knwo they have warehouses scattered around the area. Ive always known we live in the most beautiful state and now appreciate the long standing attitude of preparation as much as the beauty. I know I have learned much from my LDS friends and neighbors about food storage. We also have access to food starage type stores that arent located in other states so we dont have the shipping costs to add on. Thats a huge plus, sometimes the shippind is as much as the item on bulky6 things like water barrels. The two best Ive found are Moos Farms located just east of 300 west and just south of 3500 south west of the freeway and also Survival Essentials on 3500 south and about 200 west on the north side of the road. Has anyone found any others?
3L120: my husband claims that each stake in the LDS church is required to contribute food storage to “the Bishop’s Storehouse.” He learned this from LDS friends while still a child. I have also heard of food donations to the needy regularly coming out of surplus food storage.
I have recently seen LDS food storage sites (links on Fluwickie) that state the Church policy is to share what they have, even with non-members.
Rosie: I do like Emergency Essentials and think the prices are generally good. Orson Gigi is a restaurant supply store on about 3500 south 300 west (I’d have to check it) where I was able to find a really nice selection of bulk spices that Costco doesn’t carry — tumeric, coriander, etc.
Boy, am I glad to see that I’m not the only one in the State who’s taking this seriously!
I’m at work right now, so I can’t do a long message, but I’ll try to put together some questions and comments about your messages today later this evening.
Thanks Rhetor, Ill check out Orson Gigi. Youre right about the name of Emergency Essentials, I had a little brain cramp and called it Survival Essentials. The last time I was in there they still had MRE’s. I have debated whether to add them to my preps but havent as of yet. Orson Ggi must be very close by from he address. Some LDS friends have told me that the church is again emphasizing to members to have their food storage in order. Avian flu has not been mentioned but food storage has. I have read and heard that the LDS church will share with non members also.
I am LDS, have been since I was fourteen, along with my siblings and parents. We didn’t grow up in UT but my two sisters and two brothers and their respective families, plus my parents, all live in Utah now. One of my brothers has a propane tank buried and wired to the house to run the house…he has a water tank buried that is wired to the house…and he has a gas tank buried and has a pump in his garage to fill up his cars. All of these things are set up so that they could live in their home with all the comforts for approximately a year or longer. His storage room in his basement is also built to seal and filter out radiation fallout from a nuclear bomb, if they were to survive something like that. One of my sister’s has the largest storage supply of anyone I have ever met (and I am now in my early 40′s.) They know quite a few other people that are following their lead and making similar preparations. It makes me wish I did live in Utah. And, no, I can’t divulge where they live!
This is what was said about the Hurricane Katrina relief effort from our church president concerning the question about helping non-LDS: “Their (referring to the LDS people who helped) assistance has gone not only to members of the church in trouble, but to great numbers of those concerning whom no religious affiliation has been made.” In respect to Katrina, the total labor donated was 42,138 days, or more than 115 donated years. The church gives 100% of donations to those in need, like the Tsunami-hit areas, no administrative costs are deducted from donations to church humanitarian services. The WHO has dubbed the year 2005 as “the year of natural disasters.” In 2005, the LDS church responded to disasters in 67 countries; distributing 1.7m hygiene, school, newborn and cleaning kits, 7.6m pounds of food, 260,000 blankets, 1.3m pounds of medical supplies and 2m pounds of clothing.
In fact, the church was put in charge of the Tsunami relief efforts because of our effective system. This is a direct quote “The church will stay in the mode of emergency response, offering longer-term aid only when appropriate on an individual basis. But one thing is sure, the church will absolutely continue to offer aid whenever possible, wherever people suffer.” Our storehouses around the country and world are at full capacity at all times now because of the emergency mode. The funds for this are taken from the church’s fast offerings. The first Sunday of each month is our Fast Sunday, where church members skip two or three meals. Then we donate a sum of money we feel would have been spent for our meals. Some give above and beyond and it varies from that to nothing. However, I believe all the welfare program funds are taken from fast offerings.
Sorry this is getting lengthy. I am trying to answer your questions and to explain as briefly as possible:) The church went to the centralized system as they grew so large and in order to keep a balance. Some areas may be more wealthy than others and may thrive when another area may struggle. Each church’s funding is based on how many attend their Sunday sacrament meetings. So, it may be different in each area. Another example, is the church’s missionary program. Each missionary serves for two years and it costs every single missionary $350 a month. Now, in Hawaii the cost per month for a missionary may be upwards of $600 but another missionary in the Dominican Republic (I chose that because my brother went there) may only need $150 a month. I mention this because in a pandemic-type emergency, you may find that your area is different. In Indiana, there is a central storehouse, but it is designated to meet the needs of a region, which I believe covers three states. It is not set up to support large groups of people for a lengthy time period. Even some church members don’t understand that. A lot of LDS believe “the church will provide.” But what it boils down to is what each individual area is doing, just like everyone else. It’s your community.
The president of our church has always encouraged emergency preparation. It hasn’t come and gone like a fashion statement kind of thing. I think the topic has drawn more attention of late, and there seems to be more emphasis placed on preparation, but the church leadership has always encouraged it. Just like every other church, it really depends on how fully the members live and follow its teachings. My personal feeling is that you probably shouldn’t count on the LDS church to be able to provide any long-term aid, and possibly not even short term aid if BF strikes everywhere. I know personally how many are prepping in my area and I am worried about all of them knocking on my door because they know I AM prepping. I have nightmares about it because I know we can’t take care of all of them. And that doesn’t include my non-LDS friends who say if it gets bad they know they’re heading to my house. I smile when they say that, but I don’t have a clue what I will do.
I am sorry this post is so long everyone. I hope it helps you gain a balanced perspective about these things :)
Hi, Mother of Five:
Thanks for all the great information. I totally understand your fears about everyone showing up at your house at the first sign of catastrophe. I’ve told everyone I know that I am getting prepared, and I estimate that 50 or more people will expect me to take care of them in the event of a pandemic. I, in fact, would not be able to deny help to any of these people who asked. I’ve prepared for six people for six months, and the time, energy, and money required to do it has been considerable. But unless other people are motivated to prepare for themselves, I’m really not prepared at all. My hope is not that the LDS Church will take of my family, but that they will offer assistance to those who need it. I am aware of just how organized the LDS church is, and of how large their role will likely be in the event of a pandemic. I read recently that they will use their ward houses to carry out any mass vaccination program here, just as an example.
I am interested in how the Church would handle a disruption of the global supply chain, and hope that the combination of all the families who have stored one year of food, with the experience and organization of the LDS church, will prevent civil unrest. Since I am planning on SIP in an urban area, and my husband and I are queasy about guns, I do understand that we will get through this as a society or not at all.
Maybe I should be considering bugging out to my dad’s secluded place in the redwoods of Northern California…
sorry, that was me.
When Hurricane Katrina hit our local LDS cannery was completely cleaned out in a matter of hours since they sent all that they had to the area. The LDS canneries won’t be able to help I feel sure. They are helping by giving us the opportunity to stock up NOW.
When I talked to the local Emergency Services Coordinator, here in S. Utah, he admitted that ‘many of the locals may be LDS but do not have the money or forethought to prepare for any kind of disaster. Yet they still have the $ for fast food.’ His statement not mine. Even if the Church has supplies, the non-prepping members will probably overwhelm the system in short order. With 4 grocery stores in town and a consumer intake that stretches 30 miles south and 100 miles north, east 50 miles and west well into NV, the supplies in stores will run out about as fast.
I think it’s almost impossible to imagine what living under such conditions will mean — or impossible to imagine except in terms of some low-budget horror movie. That is what makes the prospect so unbelievable or unreal, and why so many people don’t feel the need to prepare. Are any of you feeling more and more that the pandemic is right on top of us? At the same time, I can’t quite believe something so devastating could ever really happen. I am fortunate that my husband has supported me in getting prepared — lately he seems even more worried about it than I am. (He’s having his adjustment reaction). Still, it’s very unnerving to be living under a threat that most of the people I interact with on a daily basis don’t fully grasp.