EarthBox & Self-Watering Container Gardening

Looks like it might be a good way to garden in a small area.  :-)

Shelf Reliance: THRIVE Live 3/28/2012

Check out this great demonstration!  :-)

Off-Grid Self-Watering Container Gardening System: Growing Organic

Most of this went right over my head, but that's probably because it's 2 am and I really need to be in bed anyway... that and I'm battling the headache that seems to go away, but then comes back.  Ah well... such is life.  Anyway, enjoy and I hope you can get some great tips from this.  :-)

The Garden Stick: Vertical Gardening Made Easy

I thought this was a great video because quite a few of us are operating with very limited space, so we have to be extra creative in attempting to provide for our families in the event that the need arises and we can't get to the grocery store.

New deals on packages! :-)

These packages might seem expensive at first, but when you consider how long it's meant to last for and just how much food you're getting per person, well I think it's actually pretty reasonable. :-)

1 Year 4 Person Package:

Catalog ID: 25348
Regular Price: $3308.29
Sale Price: 2792.99

Contents:

6 Six Grain Pancake Mix
6 Germade
6 Quick Oats
6 Nine Grain Cracked Cereal
36 Hard White Winter Wheat
6 White Flour
9 Whole Wheat Flour
6 Cornmeal
6 Elbow Macaroni
18 Instant Rice
8 White Rice
6 Pearled Barley
16 Potato Chunks
6 Sweet Corn (FD)
2 Broccoli (FD)
2 Carrot Dices
6 Green Peas (FD)
3 Split Green Peas
2 Chopped Onions (FD)
2 Chopped Onions
4 Sweet Potatoes
6 Red & Green Bell Peppers
2 Pineapple Chunks (FD)
4 Raspberries (FD)
1 Blackberries (FD)
1 Blueberries (FD)
4 Apple Slices
6 Strawberries (FD)
4 Apple Chips
2 Banana Chips
6 Chocolate Drink Mix
24 Powdered Milk
6 Cheese Blend
3 Taco TVP
6 Bacon TVP
6 Beef TVP
3 Sausage TVP
3 Sloppy Joe TVP
6 Chicken TVP
3 Ham TVP
6 Lentils
12 Black Beans
6 Kidney Beans
14 Pinto Beans
6 Whole Egg Powder
6 Orange Bliss
4 Simply Peach
6 Orchard Apple
2 Beef Bouillon
2 Chicken Bouillon
1 Baking Powder
1 Iodized Salt
2 Brown Sugar
4 White Sugar
6 Fudge Brownies
Cookbook


Gluten Free Package:

Catalog ID: 25432
Regular Price: $1684.34
Sale Price: $1396.49

Contents:

12 White Rice
6 Millet
6 Cornmeal
6 Rice Flour
4 Quinoa
6 Amaranth
1 Sweet Corn (FD)
1 Broccoli (FD)
4 Carrot Dices
2 Chopped Onions
2 Split Green Peas
1 Potato Dices (FD)
3 Green Peas (FD)
6 Potato Chunks
6 Tomato Powder
2 Bananas (FD)
2 Strawberries (FD)
2 Raspberries (FD)
6 Apple Slices
1 Pineapple Chunks (FD)
1 Blueberries (FD)
1 Blackberries (FD)
6 Powdered Milk
4 Cheese Blend
4 Chocolate Drink Mix
6 Whole Egg Powder
1 Black Beans
6 Pinto Beans
3 Lentils
2 Lima Beans
3 Chicken TVP
3 Bacon TVP
5 Taco TVP
2 White Sugar

REAL fruit snacks!

Just got an email form the company about this and I thought that if I do actually have any blog followers (aside from Becky....you're so awesome by the way! I want to be just like you when I grow up........ LOL!), they might want to know about this.....

There's no better snack than fruit—it's delicious, tangy, and good for you too. Thanks to the innovative freeze drying process of THRIVE that seals in the flavor of fruits picked at the peak of freshness, you can enjoy your favorite fruits any time of year. THRIVE fruits have a shelf life of decades, so you don't have to worry about spoilage and waste, and they taste great right out of the can or tossed into yogurt, cereal, or baked goods. Try the real "fruit snack" this week with delicious, convenient, and long-lasting THRIVE fruits.

Banana Chips: $27.39 (#10 can ... trust me, these are sooo yummy, you're going to want to go with the #10 can)

Blueberries: $43.59 (#10 can)

Mangoes: $ 24.69 (I haven't tried these yet myself, but I love Mangoes, so I'm looking forward to trying them soon! ;-) ....)

Apricots (FD): $28.09 (#10 can)

Pineapples: $35.89 (sooo yummy! Way better than the dried pineapple chunks that you can find in the grocery stores and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm selling these. They're so yummy that I've got a #10 can of them coming for my semi-picky 4.5 year old who loves them.)





There are lots more yummy deals at http://www.shelfreliance.com/foodstorage (just copy & paste that url into your browser's address bar & it should take you right to the appropriate page) . There is even a handy food storage calculator to help you determine exactly how much food storage your family is probably going to need. A pretty great tool to have, especially if you're just starting on this food storage thing and are feeling a bit overwhelmed. Trust me, I've been there... in many ways, I still am there. :-)

Garden Seeds!

These are soooo awesome! I'm totally recommending these to anyone who is wanting to get a garden going as another way to supplement their food storage. Then all you have to do is harvest, can & you're done! :-) All seeds are non-hybrid, so you know that your veggies are safe from garden to table. One can of THRIVE Garden Vegetable Seeds can give you a huge amount of wholesome veggies for your family that are delicious both when canned or fresh. :-)

Also included is a Planting, Harvesting, and Seed Collecting Guide that will help you to develop your awesome garden.

Can Contents:

Contender Bush Bean seeds (2 envelopes - 226.8 g each)
Detroit Dark Red Beet seeds (7.087 g)
Golden Acre Cabbage seeds (1.984 g)
Scarlet Nantes Carrot seeds (7.087 g)
Golden Bantum 8 Corn seeds (113.4 g)
Straight Eight Cucumber seeds (1.984 g)
Salad Bowl Green Leaf Lettuce seeds (3.685 g)
Utah Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion seeds (1.984 g)
Green Arrow Pea seeds (2 envelopes - 226.8 g each)
Sweet Yolo Wonder L Pepper seeds (0.2 g)
Champion Radish seeds (9.355 g)
Boomsdale Long Standing Spinach seeds (7.087 g)
Zucchini Black Beauty Summer Squash seeds (1.984 g)
Sweet Meat Winter Squash (3.685 g)
Rutgers Tomato seeds (0.1 g)

Price:

#10 can: $38.69
Case (6 cans): $220.49

The Aqua Pail 1000

Thanks to Becky M. Powell for this great information! :-) I get a lot of great info from her and her awesome blog! Check her out........ the link to her blog is listed on the bottom of mine. :-)

Aqua Pail - The BEST Way to Filter your Stored Water WITHOUT Chemicals
Aqua Pail 1000 - $126.99

1 gal. drinking water in about 5 minutes
Does more than filter out microbes and viruses - it KILLS them!
Removes heavy metals, radiation, oils, and toxins from water
Indefinite shelf life!
Aqual Pail 1000 filters enough water for 1 person for 1 year!
Use it to filter your stored water instead of adding chemicals!!!
Link to Information Packet


The Aqua Pail 1000 ($126.99) will help you filter larger quantities of water (up to 1000 gallons). Fill the pail with water from any river, reservoir, stream, or lake and it will immediately begin to kill harmful toxins, bacteria and viruses that pollute water. With its indefinite shelf life you can always have clean water whenever you need it.

Step 1: Peel the sticker away from top of bucket lid
Step 2: Peel away small sticker away from bottom of bucket
Step 3: Start filling bucket with contaminated water. (must completely fill bucket with water before it will distribute clean drinking water.
Step 4: Capture clean water as it flows from the bottom of the bucket.
Step 5: Enjoy your clean drinking water.

Shelf Reliance also sells the Aqua Pail 400, 1000, 3000, and 5000

A return to the basics. :-)

Sometimes I think we could all use a little bit of a refresher course. Back to basics. :-)

Source: All is Safely Gathered In. Intellectual Reserve inc. 2007

Water Filtration and Storage

Wow! 2 posts in one day! *gasp!* Lol! I saw this information on another blog and thought that it was really important to share because water & the storage of it is probably the single most over-looked part of a family's preparedness efforts.

Water storage is one of the most IMPORTANT components of any food storage plan. There also seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding this topic. Here are the essentials of what you need to know:

Water Storage:

For disasters lasting up to two weeks you will want to have a good supply of water in your home. You can store water in all different kinds of containers depending on what your space constraints and budget are. View Water Storage Containers - Pros & Cons for a great overview of options.

Alternate Water Sources:

For longer-term emergency situations, it is a good idea to know where and how you will collect additional water for your family. View Alternate Water Sources for some ideas. Depending on where you get your water you will also need to have a Filtration/Purification plan in place.

Water Filtration:

Water from a natural source may have dangerous foreign elements in it. Filtering with a carbon or micro filtration filter can remove quite a lot of the worrisome (and yucky) items from the water including Crytosporidium and Giardia. Filters will NOT remove viruses from the water though.

Water Purification:

In order to ensure your collected water is completely safe, it is important to purify it. You can use a small amount of bleach or simply BOIL the water for inexpensive purification options. Certain products such as the Berkey Water Purifier and the Aqua Pail will both purify AND filter large amounts of collected water in a longer-term emergency.

New Kit!

New Kit! 10 Person Corporate Kit
NEW! 10 Person Corporate Kit
You'll need to call me to purchase this kit.


Food & Water:
20 - 3600 Calorie Bars (5 year shelf life)
60 - 4oz. Water Pouches (5 year shelf life)
4 - 24 oz. Shelf Reliance Water Filtration Bottles (100 gallon filter capacity per bottle)
First Aid & Sanitation:
10 person First Aid Kit
10 - Tissue Packs
10 - Toothbrushes
5 - 1oz. Fluoride Toothpaste
10 - .5oz Hand Sanitizer
30 - Tampons
10 - Pre-moistened cloth towels
Light & Warmth:
2 - 3 in 1 Crank Flashlight/Radio/Alarm
10 - Squeeze 3LED Flashlight
10 - Bright Sticks
10 - Emergency Blankets
10 - Heat Packs
Essential Tools:
2 pair - Heavy Duty Work Gloves
10 - Dusk Mask
5 – 30 gallon Heavy Duty Garbage Bag
5 – 10 gallon Garbage Bag
1 – Multi Tool (Gas Shut-off/Water Wrench)
1 – Plastic Drop Cloth
1 – Poly Rope (50 ft)
1 – Duct Tape (60 yds)
5 – Playing Card decks
2 – 8 gallon Square Plastic Pails

Even more March specials! :-)

As if the great weather here in Iowa wasn't good enough to make me insanely happy, they've come out with some additional great deals at Shelf Reliance! Check this out! :-)

More March specials! Pretty lucky! :-)

More great specials this month. How lucky can you get? :-) That peach smoothie sure looks good! Then there's the cheese...

Rehydrating Freeze Dried Cheese To Perfection


Spread cheese thinly on a dinner plate or shallow pie plate.
Add COLD water and let rehydrate for about 10 minutes
Give it a little toss and spread it thinly again
Leave it to rehydrate another 5-7 minutes.
Strain by tipping plate slightly into the sink
Avoid using a strainer so your cheese won't clump together.

Wala - perfect rehydrated cheese!
I'm sure at this point you could let it dry out a little more then put it in a ziplock and refrigerate. Adding a little cornstarch to the dry cheese might help it not to stick, too :) You might ask why I use COLD water... well, have you ever left shredded cheese out on the counter on a warm day - gooey, clumps, right! Limit the clumping by using COLD rather than HOT water to rehydrate cheese. It works PERFECTLY!
At Shelf Reliance we sell FD Mozarella, FD Cheddar, FD Colby, and FD Monterry Jack!

March Specials

I found this on a friend & fellow consultant's blog and thought I'd share it. :-) Thanks Becky Powell!

March Specials

Quinoa $18.39
Melon Berry Burst Drink $17.59
Potato Beads $13.99
FD Green Peas $16.49
Split Green Peas $8.79
Bacon TVP $10.09
FD Turkey Dices $52.19
Apple Sauce $27.49
FD Whole Strawberries $19.59
Cheese Blend $24.19
FD Passion fruit yogurt $32.39
FD Vanilla Yogurt $35.69
FD Blueberry Yogurt $37.49
FD Pomegranate Yogurt $33.29
FD Cherry Yogurt $39.59
FD Strawberry Yogurt $32.39

Here we go! :-)

Well, here I go! My first attempt at a blog about my new job as a consultant for Shelf Reliance. What's Shelf Reliance? Well they're a company based in Utah that started in 2004 when two guys, Jason Budge & Steve Palmer, felt a growing desire to help the world become more self reliant (source: http://www.shelfreiance.com/about-us). In 2005, after months of intense preparation,testing and growing excitement, the Food Rotation System (FRS) was born. In 2007, after a year of very extensive testing and development, Shelf Reliance launched it's premium and in my opinion (not just because I sell the stuff either), awesome food line... THRIVE foods. Thanks to an innovative freeze drying & packaging process, people can now enjoy a surprising amount of their favorite foods (you name it & I bet it's on that product list somewhere.. LOL!) for decades beyond it's purchase date (About 20 years on average, unopened, about a year & a half opened). Pretty awesome stuff people! And it's not just food either! Shelf Reliance also offers pretty much anything you could need for general family preparedness too. From hatchets & multi tools to tents & water filtration to suit pretty much every need. We even do home parties! So what do you say? Let's get started and get prepared, together! :-)

shelfreliance.com