Wednesday Why: Today I’d like to share what I think is a great question that comes from “The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Home Production and Storage,” Ensign, August 1977. There are many questions in this article that are worth asking and answering, but today I want to focus on just this one:
“What are the basic food storage items, and how much of each of them is needed to last the average person a year?
In the October 1976 welfare session of general conference, Barbara B. Smith, general president of the Relief Society, outlined the basic food storage items that should be included with supplies of clothing and, where possible, fuel in a good home storage program:
“Included in the year’s supply of basic foods should be life-sustaining foods that store well for a long time: grains (wheat, rice, corn, or other of the cereal grains); dried milk, dried fish or protein vegetables such as beans and peas and other fresh, canned, dried, or pickled fruit or vegetables; sugar or a sugar substitute such as honey; some form of fats; salt; and water. Fresh taro or sweet potato, and live pigs, chickens, or fish might be considered as a supply in some area of the world where it is difficult to store food. Remember that regular use of whole grains is important in building a digestive tolerance for roughage.” (Ensign, November 1976, p. 121.)
It’s obvious, of course, that exactly what to store, how much to store, and how to store it all depend on a number of factors: where we live, what customs we have, what kind of climate we live in, personal requirements or tastes, etc. Many variations and combinations of the basic items might be appropriate.
One suggested combination of these basic items would be: 300 pounds dry cereal grains, 75 pounds dry milk, 60 pounds sugar or honey, 60 pounds legumes (such as beans and peas), 20 pounds fats, and 5 pounds salt. This would supply approximately 2,150 calories a day for a year—enough for an adult female. Men need 500–700 more calories a day; small children need less; and growing teenagers need approximately as much as an adult man. All individuals and families will want to think very carefully about their particular circumstances and storage needs and plan accordingly.” (Ensign, Aug 1977)
I think that sums it up pretty good, but I want to add my own ideas, too as far as storing items people may not like or be familiar with as I know some people aren’t familiar with certain long-term food storage items like wheat or beans and how to use them. I personally suggest storing them and learning how to use them during times when there isn’t an emergency. This way you have the items and know how to make them tasty.
But what about items you’ve tried but don’t like or still haven’t learned to use? I still suggest storing at least a little of them. Why? Because in emergencies, especially in extended emergencies, certain items (like food) become the currency both in obtaining items and in satisfying our own hunger (even if we don’t like the food, people tend to eat rather than starve). Certain items can be bartered for other items. So beyond the fact that the food would be useful to a person, it can be used to barter for other items or services that are necessary.
Throughout history items were the currency at times of plenty as well as times of scarcity. During the Great Depression, as one family member who lived during that time has told me, things like a sack of potatoes or a chicken were used to pay for necessary medical or dental services. I’ve also read that during and after the great world wars, things like oil and sugar were scarce so these items could be bartered for a lot of other items.
“When we think in terms of our own year’s supply of those foods and materials we use on a regular basis, we may feel that every family will have to store everything. This, of course, is not easy and seems to make storage difficult...We need to take into consideration that in difficult times, so long as there survives more than one family, there will be trading of valuable items. A free market will begin immediately to satisfy the needs of people, and items in greatest demand will set the price, bypassing the use of money.” (“How Beautiful to Live in these Times and Be Prepared!”, Elder F. Enzio Busche, Ensign, June 1982)
I am not saying that this gives us permission to store less, but rather I’m encouraging us to look beyond storing only food that we like and know how to prepare. I suggest still storing those long-term food storage items that we may not be as familiar with but are items others may be. But as always, I first suggest storing foods that we are familiar with (so we can rotate through them) and then learning to prepare what we store during non-emergency situations. And hopefully, there won’t be a need to barter for items we don’t or didn’t store.
Here is the current home storage guidelines: Ensign Mar 2009. I highly recommend reading this article as it not only explains our personal responsibility to have a home storage, but it is encouraging too:
“Perhaps in the past accumulating a year’s supply of food may have been a little intimidating and even illegal in some places,” says Dennis Lifferth, a managing director of Church Welfare Services. “But this new approach asks us to set aside a can or two each week. If the prophet asks us to do something, we can find a way to fulfill the commandment and receive blessings.”
“This new program is within everyone’s grasp,” explains Bishop Burton. “The first step is to begin. The second is to continue. It doesn’t matter how fast we get there so much as that we begin and continue according to our abilities.” (Family Home Storage A New Message, Ensign, Mar 2009).
Isn’t that just so encouraging? The fact that we can begin wherever we are, and work on it at our ability to move us forward.
In Mandarine Chinese there is a saying, “Jiayou!” (pronounced j-yah yo). Which literally means add oil, but in its idiomatic expression it expresses encouragement. Encouragement to keep working hard & put in the necessary effort to accomplish the task at hand or just general encouragement that you can have the strength to do what you need to.
I think this is a good time to say “Jiayou” to families to get there home storage: follow the prophets counsel and do it knowing the Lord is on your side, it is possible!
加油 (Jiayou)
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