Backyard Hunting–By Guest Contributor Sharon Cundiff My husband and I enjoyed the festivities for opening day of the Cincinnati Reds, walking through the park that parallels the river with my sister-in-law and her niece. The path wanders through and around trees, bushes and flowers, when suddenly a darting object Read more…
Food Storage Mistakes 11: Paying Too Much for Food The number one reason why people pay too much for their food is because they impulse buy. That impulse may be triggered by some slick mail campaign from one of those companies that prides itself on instilling fear, or it may Read more…
Food Storage Mistakes 1: The Food Storage Mentality: If you care anything at all about being prepared for whatever life throws at you then the best thing you can do is completely eliminate the term “food storage” from your vocabulary. We’re humans; not squirrels. Mentally we recognize that there’s Read more…
For the record, I absolutely loathe the term “food storage.” It’s no longer used in our household because I’m not a squirrel. As such I don’t purchase items which serve no other purpose than to be stuffed away into a corner, only to promise unpleasant eating later. If I don’t eat it or know how to use it, it doesn’t come into our home. And if it comes into our home, we use it and are very familiar with it.
Now, have said that, the question posed above is a common question in my line of work because others don’t necessarily share my point of view. That’s okey dokey. Regarding having “enough” there are certainly plenty of numbers 
thrown out there. I do have an opinion to add to that list of suggested amounts, of course, though I confess that my answers aren’t always well received—I have this nasty habit of sharing facts that may contradict what a person has relied upon for a long time. *wink* So, how much food do you really need in order to have a year’s supply for your family at any given time?
Holy cow! What a mess!!! Here’s a breakdown of the latest “drama” in the world of preparedness. I will forewarn you though; I have gone into great detail on the matter of whether or not the whole 
“Federal Agents, Raid, Demand Customer List, LDS Cannery, Mormon Food Storage Facility” is true. Not only did I do some major “gum shoeing” on this story but I also share some baseline facts here that really should be considered before you make an opinion on this matter. Hopefully you’ll find this information helpful and by the end of it you can base your opinion and act in your best interests and that of your family’s preparedness efforts.
There’s a whole lot of shaking going on throughout the U.S. lately with all of the earthquakes. (Oklahoma having the largest one at 5.9 just this past Saturday and a swarm of over 700 earthquakes in the Sierra County, CA since August). And I have to say, it feels like there’s LOTS going on with Preparedness Pro nowadays too.
Let’s talk about this whole “gourmet food storage” phrase that I keep seeing all over the place. I’m really having a hard time accepting that anyone is falling for the concept of “gourmet food storage.” Doesn’t anyone else see the oxymoron in calling something “gourmet food storage?” Has someone figured out a way to freeze-dry roasted asparagus with a rum pear spinach salad served alongside roasted pork in a pear butter barbeque sauce? What exactly is it that qualifies a freeze-dried or dehydrated entrée as “gourmet food”? [caption id="attachment_9154" align="alignleft" width="160" caption="Chef Robert Irvine--Chef to the Queen--Knows Gourmet"]
[/caption] If you look up the meaning of gourmet in any dictionary you’ll see that the term is referring to a person who’s a connoisseur of food and drink. I suspect that chefs such as Robert Irvine, Scott Conant, Judy Joo, and Simon Majumdar could arguably be referred to as gourmet chefs. Clearly they are connoisseurs, and as such I really have a hard time picturing any of them lauding the taste, textures, and balance of any food made by Wise Foods or Daily Bread—or anyone else who claims to have “gourmet food storage.” I looked and looked but didn’t find a single episode in which the “secret ingredient” of Kitchen Stadium was freeze-dried food storage let alone “freeze-dried peach flavored apple pieces.” I just can’t even imagine the Chairman dramatically whipping back the red silk cover as the dramatic music plays only to see that the Secret Ingredient is freeze-dried whole eggs.
Last summer I had an encounter with one of the many freeze-dried food companies here in Utah. As you can imagine, there are lots and lots of them. Unfortunately the encounter did not go well. I found them to be dishonest, deceitful, and far too pushy. The deal is that they offer a “free sample” of their product–which frankly I think is a wise move that any freeze-dried or dehydrated 
manufacturer should do–and I think that they should provide samples for this purpose for any of their distributors. The thing is, though
This week: More freeze-dried reviews, a new Cheese Waxing Kit, this months’ giveaway item announced, and a valuable resource for FREE medical preparedness books.
Today I posted a question for our Facebook readers. “What is one aspect of preparedness that you feel comfortable with right now?” Unfortunately, for the most part the answers were riddled with regrets and superimposed labels of failure. I was a bit saddened to read some of the responses because the “cure” is so incredibly easy and yet there were many who were beating themselves up for not having “arrived” at the perfect state of preparedness.