On Being Provident and Teaching our Children

To be provident means to plan with the future in mind.

It is not just about food storage. Living these principles prepares us to be of better service to our Father in Heaven. If the choices we make today relieve stress tomorrow or in the future, then we are much more capable of reaching out and serving those around us. 

Learning skills and getting good at doing things builds confidence which also makes us more able to serve. These principles are so important for us as adults to learn, but also for us to teach to our children. Here is a list to get you thinking about what you could do with your children to teach them some of these priniciples.

Think: Basic Skills

Perfect for Activity Days and Cub Scouts  or Young Men and Young Women

But also great for summer fun or FHE at your own home with kids or grandkids!

1. Bread making or pizza dough from scratch.

2. Make pancakes, cupcakes, cookies, or no-bake items from scratch, instead of a mix.

3. Make lasagna, manicotti, or baked ziti. Make a couple of extra batches to share with new moms in your ward that they can freeze and use when needed. Choose a different freezer meal, if desired

4.  Have a baking talent show complete with judges. Youth bring items they have baked as entries.

5. Create a recipe collection of simple, easy to make recipes that youth can take with them on missions or to college. These recipes should be from scratch using basic ingredients available in all countries. This could be something done over a few months. Each month, one or two youth could teach how to make a certain item and the class could include it in their books. These need to be main dish items, not just desserts.

6. Teach basic laundry techniques. Create a game out of seeing how quickly they can sort the clothes into loads. Teach how to do laundry at a laundry mat or in a bin full of water knowing that many will serve missions where washing machines are not available.

7. Basic sewing skills can be taught. How to sew on a button, repair a seam, hem some pants, etc. This could be done in stations at an MTC night. Include some basic cooking, cleaning, ironing, and laundry stations in the rotation.

8. Sew quilt squares together to make a humanitarian quilt or tie a quilt already put together.

9. Sew aprons out of dishtowels or scripture totes out of placemats.

10. Sew simple skirts with elastic waistbands or PJ shorts.

11. Learn basic car, bike, or home repairs.

12. Create a sample budget for meals for 1 week for 1 person. See if you can come up with nutritious meals for $30 or less. This is a good limit to set  when serving a mission or in college. It is possible!

13. Have a financial discussion showing what happens when you take out a loan or use a credit card. Perhaps invite a special speaker. Discuss creative ways to get through college without any debt and why that would be such a blessing.

14. Have a career night. Talk about what a minimum wage job will allow you to have in life. Talk about what the minimum salary is to be able to pay tithing and have a basic home, proper insurances, a reliable car, buy groceries, etc. Then invite members of your ward to talk about what they do and what the expected salaries are in their fields.

15. Build basic 72-hour kits for youth to take with them to college.

16. Put together backpacking food for high adventure. Young men can help dehydrate snacks or price check pre-made meals compared to inexpensive alternatives from the regular grocery store.

17. Repair or clean camping supplies after the big event, including seasoning the Dutch ovens.

18. Have the youth plan meals and rotate through cooking and cleaning assignments at camp. Some of them can be paired with leaders to help purchase items and stay within the budget.

Remember that it takes a little more time and planning to teach the youth these skills instead of just doing it for them, but they will be better off their whole life through because of the lessons learned!

FREEZING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Photo source: http://eat2live4life.com

Information taken from a Pacific Northwest Extension Publication, PNW 214

Freezing is one of the simplest and least time consuming methods of food preservation.

Freezing Fruits

Select fully ripe fruit that is not soft or mushy.  Carefully wash and sort fruit.  Trim and discard parts that are green or bruised.  Peel, trim, pit and slice fruit as desired.  Prepare fruit by packing with or without sugar or syrup.  Pack in containers and store in freezer.  To serve, thaw fruit at room temperature or in the refrigerator.  Serve while a few ice crystals remain.

Any fruit can be frozen without sugar.  However, the texture may be softer than that of fruit frozen with sugar.

Some fruit such as berries, cherries, and grapes may be frozen in a single layer on cookie sheets before packing in containers.  This prevents them from sticking together.  Serve them frozen as snacks or thaw and use as a topping for salads or desserts.

A water pack (without sugar) can be used for fruit such as peaches.  Fruit juice can be used.  Orange and berry juices are suitable.

Fruits can be packed in syrup made from sugar, corn syrup or honey.  Light syrup is made from 4 cups water to 1 cup of sugar.  Medium syrup is 4 cups water to 1&3/4 cup of sugar.  Allow about 2/3 cup of syrup for each pint of fruit.  Dissolve sugar in hot or cold water.  If hot, cool before using.

Juicy fruit and those that will be used for pies or other cooked products are often packed in sugar.  Use about 1 cup of sugar for each 2 to 3 lbs. of fruit.  Sugar and fruit should be gently but thoroughly mixed until the sugar has dissolved in the juice.

Ascorbic acid can be added to light-color fruit to inhibit browning.  For syrup or liquid packs, add ½ tsp. powdered or crushed ascorbic acid to each quart (4 cups) of cold syrup.  For sugar or sugarless packs, dissolve ½ tsp. ascorbic acid in 3 Tbs. cold water and sprinkle over 4 cups of fruit just before adding sugar.

Freezing Vegetables

Select top-quality vegetables.  Prepare them as soon as possible to avoid loss of quality.  Wash and sort vegetables in cold running water.  Peel trim, and cut into desired pieces.  Prepare vegetables for freezing by blanching.  This stops enzymes that cause changes in flavor, texture, color, and nutritive value.

Blanching in boiling water

Put water in a large kettle with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a rolling boil.  Put a small amount of vegetables in a wire basket, strainer, or cheesecloth bag, and immerse in water.  Cover and boil at top heat for required time.  Time varies from 2 to 5 minutes depending on type and size of vegetables.  Don’t over cook.  Vegetables should be heated through and slightly tender.  Check a manual or on line for specific times.

Cool immediately in cold running water or ice water for about the same length of time used for blanching.  When thoroughly cool, drain and pack.

Blanching in steam

Put 1 inch of water in a kettle and bring to a rolling boil.  Put a small quantity of vegetables in a steamer basket or in a colander with legs.  Suspend over boiling water.  Cover kettle and heat vegetables for required time.  Steam blanching takes longer than water blanching.  Cool immediately in cold running water or ice water, drain and pack.

Packing in containers

Food should be packed in suitable containers for freezing.  Plastic freezer bags, vacuum packaging designed for freezing, rigid plastic containers or even glass canning jars with wide mouths can be used.

Pack foods tightly into containers.  Allow ample headspace between the food and the lid to allow room for expansion during freezing.  To keep fruit covered with liquid, put a crumpled piece of waxed paper between the fruit and the lid.  This will keep the surface from darkening and drying out.

When food is packed in freezer bags, squeeze out as much air as possible.

Label containers with name of product, type of pack (sugar, syrup  or ascorbic acid) for fruit, and date.

Load food in the freezer soon after packaged.  Put no more unfrozen food into a home freezer than will freeze within 24 hours.  After freezing, packages may be stored close together.

Most fruits and vegetables maintain high quality for 8 to 12 months.  Unsweetened fruits lose quality faster than those packed in sugar or syrup.  Storage for longer periods will affect the quality of the frozen foods, but they will be safe to eat.

Dating packages will help to rotate the supply.

DRYING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Source of information for this newsletter came from:  “Drying Fruits and Vegetables,”  A Pacific Northwest Extension Publication, PNW397.

Drying is a wonderful way to preserve excess garden produce.  It is a low cost method to preserve and requires less storage space than other methods.

Electric dehydrators produce the best quality dried products.  They don’t depend on dry, sunny days or take over your oven.  Drying in the sun requires proper screens, and insects can cause problems.  Oven drying uses a lot of energy and can cook food instead of drying.  Food dried in an oven takes longer and usually ends up more brittle, darker and less flavorful than food dried in a dehydrator.

Electric dehydrators should have a heat source, a thermostat with dial setting between 130 to 150 degrees F., and some method of air circulation.  Shelves should be made of stainless steel (galvanized screening is not food safe) or food-grade plastic.  A manual with directions for your specific dehydrator is also very helpful.

Select high quality fruits that are firm and fully ripe.  Use overripe or bruised fruits in leathers.  Vegetables should be fresh, tender, and just mature.

Prepare fruits and vegetables by gently washing in cold water just before drying to remove dirt, bacteria and insects.  Don’t soak for an extended time because it can cause nutrient loss and waterlog the fruit.  Core or pit the fruit and cut it into uniform halves, quarters or slices.  Trim away diseased or soft spots.

Many foods can be dried without pretreatment; however, pretreatment generally improves quality and can make food safer to eat.  Treating fruits and vegetables with an acidic solution (citric or ascorbic acid) or with sodium metabisulfite solution helps destroy harmful bacteria.  Reasons for treating food before drying are: 

1.      preserve color and flavor

2.      Minimize nutrient loss

3.      Stop decomposition (enzyme action)

4.      Ensure more even drying

5.      Extend storage life

6.      Enhance destruction of harmful bacteria during drying

Pretreat with ascorbic acid/citric acid dip, salt solution, syrup blanching, honey dip, or sulfating procedure.  Soaking fruits in water solution will increase drying time.

Blanching is the best pretreatment for vegetables.  It destroys the enzymes that make vegetables deteriorate.  Blanching keeps vegetables from browning, becoming bitter or developing off-flavors.  For water blanching, fill a kettle with enough water to cover the food.  Bring water to a rolling boil and gradually stir in the food.  Cover the kettle and boil.  The water can be reused when blanching more of the same food.  Vegetables should feel and taste firm yet tender, not fully cooked, but heated all the way through.  Drain vegetables and put into dehydrator immediately so drying can begin while vegetables are still warm.

Distribute food on trays in single layer, not over-lapping.  Dry similar sized pieces together.  Different food can be dried at the same time.  Strong foods like onion or peppers should be dried separately.  Follow directions for your dehydrator for specific times.  Generally, start with setting of 140-150 degrees F.   After 2-3 hours lower temp. to 130-140 degrees F.

Monitor drying process and rotate trays.  Drying times vary.  Vegetables are dry when brittle or leathery.  Fruits are dry when pliable and leather-like and have no pockets of moisture. Herbs are dry when brittle.  When you think food is sufficiently dry, remove a piece and allow it to cool completely.  Then check for dryness.

Conditioning fruits is a process of distributing moisture evenly in the dried fruit.  It reduces the chance of spoilage.  To condition, loosely pack cooled, dried fruit in plastic or glass containers to about 2/3 full.  Cover container tightly.  Shake daily for 2-4 days.  Excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the drier pieces.  If you notice water forming on the container lid, place food back in the dehydrator.  Conditioning vegetables is not necessary.

Containers for dried food should be clean, nontoxic, moisture resistant, airtight, and protective against light.  One good method of storing dried food is to place sealed plastic bags inside a larger glass or metal container with a tight-fitting lid.

Labeling each package with the type of food, pretreatment method, and date is a good idea.

Storage area for dried food should be cool, dark and dry.