Sunday, February 21, 2010

This week's item

This week we'll be working on fat!  Namely Shortening and butter.


Shortening--a can or two per family.  

Butter--one pound per person.  You'll be keeping it in your freezer to make it last longer, so buy as much as freezer space allows.


The bad thing about fat is that it goes rancid quickly.  So check the expiration dates on your shortening.  You have about a year to a  year and a half to use it, so try to cycle through it as best as you can.


It's good advice as you consider adding things to your food storage that things with fat won't last as long.  Which means nut products (peanut butter, candy with nuts, etc.) and chocolate don't last well.  By all means store things like peanut butter and chocolate chips, just be aware that you can't buy it and never think about it again like you would with wheat or dried beans.  You'll have to remember to cycle through your storage.  The good news is that fatty things usually taste the best, so it shouldn't be too hard!


If you have shortening that's about to expire, use it for deep frying.  Make a batch of french fries or try making donuts.


If your fat products have kind of a weird smell, then they have probably begun to go rancid.  Throw it out!  I once made a pie crust without realizing the shortening had gone bad.  I could have kicked myself!  All the work of a homemade berry pie and nobody wanted any after the first bite.


The moral of the story is to use what you have!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

This week's item--Medicine

This week we will be buying medicine. You be the judge of what your family needs.

I'd recommend pain killers (don't forget kid's pain killers if needed), cold medicine, any stomach medication such as Tums or Pepto-bismol, bandaids and anything else your family uses.

It would be nice to get some extra prescription meds if possible but I know that insurance can be difficult about that.  

Just imagine what you would need if your family couldn't get to the store for a few weeks.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

This week's item

This week we'll be buying canned fruit. Think about it;  If you can't get to a grocery store because of bad weather or there are food shortages or money is very tight, where will you get the five fruits and veg that you're supposed to eat every day?  If you have a garden, that's ideal.  But not everyone has that option.  Your choices become dried and canned goods.  So I can't emphasize how important canned fruit can be (we'll do veggies another week).  Not to mention there's the factor that most kids love it.

Pineapple, peaches, pears, mandarin oranges; my kids can't get enough of this stuff.  I'd recommend a minimum of five cans per person, but get as much as you can. We can easily polish off three cans at one meal!

Friday, February 5, 2010

How does your garden grow?

It's February in Texas which means it's time to start thinking about your garden.  Gardening in Central Texas can be very tricky, but there is lots of advice out there to help make it a success.


Travis County has put out a list of the varieties of vegetables that do best here in Austin.  You can read it here

There is also a free gardening class put on by Travis county called Spring Into Action: Staring Your Vegetable Garden right
Friday, March 12, 9-11am
Demo Garden at Texas AgriLife Extension Office of Travis County
1600-B Smith Rd
A free, hands-on demonstration, this seminar will discuss soil amendments, correct way to prepare and handle transplants and how to prepare and plant seeds. It's one of the most popular demos that the county does, so be sure to arrive early to get a seat!