Farmington West Provident Living

    Having a way to cook when the power goes out is important.    Here   is a list of different kinds of cooking apparatus'.  Decide which one(s) will work best for your family and then learn how to use them.  Figuring them out during an emergency is not the best idea.  Why add stress to an already uncomfortable situation. See the Resources Menu to find RECIPES to try.

  We have long been encouraged to build an emergency food and survival supply.  This has been taught to  not only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but has been suggested strongly to all residents by the city emergency planning teams throughout the nation.   This may seem like a daunting task to some, but if broken down to reasonable steps, it can be quite easily done.  Some things to consider are to not just stash a bunch of food in your basement or storage area, but to bulk up your pantry with foods you are use to eating.  Kids especially tend to have a hard time adjusting to change during an emergency and suddenly being forced to eat new and sometimes weird foods can just make problems worse.  So, consider having a 3 month supply that includes foods that your family regularly eats, then rotate those foods more often than the items in long term storage in your basement/food storage closet. Visit the  'Resources' ...

  Have you ever wanted to plant potatoes in your garden but A . didn't have enough room, B . figured your soil was too hard and compact to allow for proper growth of potatoes or C. just weren't sure how to even go about doing it.  Well if any of these or other reasons apply then this post is for you.     Potatoes are a great thing to know how to grow in your garden.  We can and probably do use them quite often in most of our everyday cooking whether it be in soups, breakfast casseroles or skillets, fries, or just good old baked potatoes. So, why not try your hand at growing your own!     This post will teach you how to grow potatoes in a bucket.  One of the great advantages to growing them in a bucket is that you can bring them in your garage or other cold storage space over the winter and keep them "fresh" for use during the winter months.  What types of potatoes can you grow in a bucket? Any kind you want including sweet potatoes...

 We all spend a lot of time in our cars, we need to make sure we are prepared for whatever may come our way or even someone else's way. It is a good idea to  have a car 72 hr. kit in your vehicle.  You will likely be surprised how often you end up using it, not just for yourself, but other motorists in need.  Some things most often used are gloves, shovel, axe and portable jump starter. It's amazing how many people get stuck in the winter or have dead batteries. If you choose to carry a portable jump starter, be sure to take it out occasionally and charge it up.  Just because you have it, it does no good if you don't maintain it and make sure it is good to go when you need it. You can find several pre-assembled car kits out there that will work in a pinch and are a great starting point, but putting your own together, so that you know for sure you have the things you will need. You can find checklists that can get you started  here ,  here ,  ...

  What am I supposed to have in my food storage? There are three main components of food storage: Food supply (three-month and long-term) Water supply Financial reserve Store foods that are a part of your normal diet in your three-month supply. As you develop a longer-term storage, focus on food staples such as wheat, rice, pasta, oats, beans, and potatoes that can last 30 years or more. Click HERE to read the entire article, complete with MORE links and great information!  (after clicking the link, scroll to the top of the page... I don't know why the link sends you to the bottom of the page.)

                            Don't make the mistake of ruining your food storage. Check out  this post from Simple Family Preparedness  about the four ways you could be ruining yours. 

  Do you know what you are preparing for? We often think of natural disasters when we're thinking preparedness, but there are so many other reasons to be spiritually and temporally prepared. We never know when there will be a crisis in our lives, so now is the best time to  sit down and walk yourself through a potential emergency, then figure out what you need to do to get yourself through it.   Check out  this woman's story of what she learned from her personal crisis   and how she is using that knowledge to help her better prepare for the future. 

  Long Term and Short Term Storage...  both are IMPORTANT. Here are 8 key points to remember when building your food storage. 1)  VARIETY -- Not having enough variety in your food storage is a big mistake! Add variety by including comfort foods and dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and veggies. 2)  STAPLES -- Longer-term staples are important! Don't forget to store recipe staples like grains, beans, rice, cooking oil, yeast/leavening agents like baking soda, and spices. These items are the basics for most recipes and often have a longer shelf life than other foods. 3)  READY TO EAT FOODS --Don't forget to store a MINIMUM of 3 days of ready-to-eat foods! In an emergency situation, meal planning and cooking will be challenging. Store foods that are easy to prepare by opening a can or just adding water. This will make the first few days or weeks after a disaster much easier to handle. 4)  NUTRIENTS --Difficult times can diminish the body's ability to store nut...