Prayer Breakfast: The Triune God
0700 at BJ’s Restaurant
Hamilton Montana
Oh Father,
you have made yourself known to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Make
yourself known to us in such a way that we may understand your will and purpose
for our lives today. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
1. Opening - Round the Table
Individual Prayers
2. Morning Psalm: 150
3. Breakfast Reading: 1 Corinthians
12:1-11
4. Breakfast is served
5. Breakfast Discussion Topics:
a.
News around the valley
b.
Week 18 of 52 weeks of preparation by Tess Pennington
6. Closing - Round the Table
Individual Prayers
7. Benediction
May
Christ be made known to you and through you today. Amen.
Upcoming Events:
0700,
23 May 2016 – Christian Veterans of the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
1000, 2 May 2016 – Corvallis Memorial
Day Parade, Corvallis, MT
0700, 6 June 2016 – Christian Veterans of
the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
0700, 13 June 2016 – Christian Veterans of
the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
0700, 20 June 2016 – Christian Veterans of
the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
0700, 27 June 2016 – Christian Veterans of
the Bitterroot Prayer Breakfast
Follow the Fellowship of Christian Veterans:
Week 18 of 52:
Emergency Food Preservation
There are times
when disasters will persist longer than intended, and time is of the
essence to preserve as much of your food source as you
can. Essentially, your short-term disaster is turning into a
longer-term situation and you need to be able to fall back on a certain set ofskills. These skills are
something we will be talking more about in future issues. But it is important
to emphasize that preparedness isn’t about how many items you have stored
away, it’s really about learning the skills necessary for survival. And the
best part of learning this particular skill of food preservation is that
it takes you one step closer to being self reliantduring a
disaster.
Acquiring items to preserve food is a good investment for your
short and long-term disaster supplies. However, to start this new skill
set out, it is best to begin with collecting various types of food
preservation resources. Some of the books that I have in my library are:
- The
Prepper’s Cookbook
- Little
House on the Prairie Cook Book
- The
Dehydrator Bible
- Canning
and Preserving Your Own Harvest
A great advantage about learning how to preserve food is
that you can use just about any type of food. You can even preserve
your own fruit juice. All you need is the right tools and your imagination.
Further, having knowledge on how long foods last will help you preserve foods
when they are at their best. This convenient food storage chart is a great tool to have in
your kitchen to ensure your foods are within expiration.
Food preservation can be done in multiple ways:
- Canning – This process destroys
microorganisms and inactivates enzymes that are naturally in food. The
heating and later cooling forms a vacuum seal to prevent other
microorganisms from decontaminating the food within the jar or can.
Acidic foods such as fruits and tomatoes can be processed or “canned” in
boiling water (also called the “water bath method”), while low acidic
vegetables and meats must be processed in a pressure canner at 240°F (10
pounds pressure at sea level). Because the food is canned at the
time of the fruits/vegetables prime nutrient content, they will retain
most of their nutritional content if not gain more nutrients from the
canning process. Canned food will keep 12 months, if not lot
longer, in some cases.
- Freeze – This is by far, the easiest way to
preserve your food. Many simply, boil their fruits or vegetables for a
minute or two and then throw them in the freezer. I have a vacuum sealer
and seal up ready-to-cook dinners have them sitting in my freezer
to use for nights when I’m really busy. It’s best to eat frozen
food within 6-12 months. This is a very time efficient way of preserving
food, however, if the electricity goes out for an extended time, the food
will spoil. So my advice is to not put all your “eggs in one basket”, if
you know what I mean.
- Drying or
Dehydrating – This
method is a very low cost approach to use for long term storage
is a great way of including needed nutrition into diets with minimal
investment. You can purchase a food dehydrator for as low as $40, or you
can dehydrate foods in the oven at a very low setting. Some people have
even used their cars as a dehydrator during the hot, summer months. This
type of preservation method keeps foods for 6 months-12 months.
Dehydrating foods is the only long-term storage method for meat (jerky)
which is a great food source to add to your 72-hour bag. Here are a few more recipes you may want to try out. To
learn more about dehydrating and storing tips, click here.
- Cure &
Smoke – This time
honored preservation method is very popular due to the intense flavor it
adds to meats. Many foods are cured before smoking, especially
cold-smoking, to draw out the moisture, which would otherwise promote
spoilage. Ensure that you use cure mixtures that contain nitrate.Caution: Nitrites are considered
carcinogens and are toxic if used in quantities higher than recommended;
therefore caution should be used in their storage and use. Curing is when a mixture of salt, sodium
nitrate, nitrites, sometimes sugar, spices, and other seasonings are
combined to kill off any bacterial growth and to flavor the meat at the
same time. To learn more about curing and smoking meats, click here.
- Fermenting and
pickling – This method of
food preservation is one of the most common ways to prolong food sources
because the acidity level makes it difficult for bacteria to grow. Ensure
that you select fresh, firm fruits or vegetables free of spoilage.
Distilled vinegar or cider vinegars of 5 percent acidity (50 grain)
are recommended. To learn more about this type of preservation, click here.
Like with all foods in our food storage pantry, ensure that food
is stored away properly in a cool, dark place away from natural elements
(sunlight, moisture and insects). Natural elements and insects are
your food’s worst enemies and
should be avoided at all costs.
Food preservation is one of the oldest technologies known to man.
Civilizations and even armies depended on preserved foods. And for centuries,
this skill has been seen as a survival necessity. It is time that we took
a second look at the skills from our ancestors and re-learn them to use
for our future suvival situations.
Preps To Buy:
- Kosher Salt (10
lbs.)
- Sugar (20 lbs.)
- Morton’s Sure
Curing Salt (10 lbs.)
- Pickling Salt
(5-10 lbs.)
- White Vinegar
and Apple Cider Vinegar (5-10 gallons)
- Molasses (5-10
lbs)
- Powdered Fruit
Pectin
- Canning
Jars (in an assortment of sizes), lids and rings
- Food Drying
Racks
- Pressure Canner
- Food strainer
- Canning rack
Action Items:
1. Begin researching and finding resources to have on hand for the
different food preservation methods discussed. There are some great resources
for preserving food on different homesteading websites and even homesteading
magazines.
2. Practice makes perfect! So, start practicing using these
methods in order for it to become a skill.
3. Start a garden to that you can grow food to preserve
for later use.
