The month of May is upon us so I made a provident living (aka food storage) newsletter with ideas of items to gather for my amazing LDS Relief Society sisters. This month we’re focusing on condiments, spices and emergency cooking. You are welcome to print our ward newsletter for your personal or church use.
Typically you think of stocking up on spices in the fall, and there are some good sales then, but you can generally get good prices on larger cinnamon, oregano, basil etc. year-round at big box stores like Costco or Sam’s Club.
I usually buy a can of dehydrated onions from the LDS Home Storage Center too since it’s so inexpensive there. I open it up and transfer some into a smaller jar in my kitchen. I use those onions all the time in my recipes.
SPICES We are accustomed to having our spices at our fingertips and we could never imagine life without them. Centuries ago it wasn’t so easy to get them, and famines do still occur. Since poor weather conditions affect the growth of plants and herbs, it’s a good idea to keep spices on hand. And did you know that most of them come from outside the United States?
MAY 2018 Food Storage Newsletter.pdf
MAY 2018 Food Storage Newsletter.xlsx
CONDIMENTS Usually during May there are some great stock up deals at grocery stores for condiments such as ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, salad dressings and sauces. Some even have at least a 1-year shelf life. I stock up on enough for the year. But you could just gather a few if cabinet space is limited. Just don’t go overboard. You don’t need 12 bottles of ketchup!
OUTDOOR EMERGENCY COOKING This is also the time of year when you can practice some outdoor cooking skills. And if you keep propaned tanks for your barbecue, make sure you have and extra on hand. These skills will come in handy if you ever had a long-term power outage.
Gathering year-round is easy if you do it along with your regular grocery shopping, and then periodically gather long-term foods like dried onions. I try to shop at the LDS Home Storage Center once a month for a few things.
Best wishes on your preparedness goals!
Valerie Albrechtsen, The Food Storage Organizer