Preparedness: “Gardening, Food Preservation & Storage”

Sept 13, 2015 Self-reliance Lesson 

OBJECTIVE:  Learning and applying home production skills to become self-reliant by producing what we need at home.

Principle 1: Preparedness for times of distress will help us be more independent and self-reliant.

DISCUSSION A: What counsel have we been given to become prepared and self-reliant? President Spencer W. Kimball said, “We encourage all Latter-day Saint families to become self-reliant and independent” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976, 170; or Ensign, May 1976, 124). There is good reason for this counsel. President Marion G. Romney explained: “We’re living in the latter days. … We are living in the era just preceding the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to so prepare and live that we can be … independent of every other creature beneath the celestial kingdom” President Kimball counseled us to become self-reliant because the prophecies of old are coming to pass. He said: “Now I think the time is coming when there will be more distresses, when there may be more tornadoes and more floods, … more earthquakes. … I think they will be increasing probably as we come nearer to the end, and so we must be prepared for this” 

DISCUSSION B: What are ways that we can become independent and self-reliant?  “Now regarding home production: Raise animals where means and local laws permit. Plant fruit trees, grapevines, berry bushes, and vegetables. You will provide food for your family, much of which can be eaten fresh. Other food you grow can be preserved and included as part of your home storage. Wherever possible, produce your nonfood necessities of life. Sew and mend your own clothing. Make or build needed items. I might also add, beautify, repair, and maintain all of your property” (“Food Storage,” Ensign, May 1976, 117).

 Principle 2: Planting a garden, even a small one, allows for a greater degree of self-reliance.

DISCUSSION A: What is the best way to start a garden? With the right information and a little practice, individuals and entire families can enjoy the many benefits of planting and tending a garden.  The best way to begin a garden is starting with a plan:

1. First we must decide where to plant the garden. Choose a sunny location with water nearby and close to where you are. Decide if you will be planting in the ground or using containers.

             2. The second decision we will have to make is what to plant. Plant foods you will eat and can store or preserve.

3. Another decision we must make is when to plant. There are cold weather plants, such as greens, cabbages, peas, and warm weather plants, such as tomatoes, squash, and beans. Some seeds can be started indoors, then transplanted after the last frost. Some plants can be planted in the spring and the fall.

After making the plan, then start it!

1.       Prepare the garden spot. Clear the spot of weeds, stones, etc and loosen the soil with a shovel, hoe, or tiller.

2.       Plant the seeds and/or plants. Learn when to plant seeds for each crop, and plant on those dates. Plant one row of the same crop such as corn every week for several weeks. Then you will have a longer period of maturing crops.

3.  Tend the garden regularly by watering, weeding, mulching, fertilizing, insect control.

             4.   Harvest and enjoy! If you pick fruits and vegetables just before cooking, eating, or preserving them, they will give the best flavor and nutrition. Some crops, such as cucumbers, produce much better if they are harvested often. Do not allow them to become overripe, wilted, or dried out. Harvest leafy vegetables when they are young and tender.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–19. 16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; 17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; 18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; 19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

Principle 3: Planting Fruit Trees, Vines, and Bushes is a way to provide more nutrients.

Discussion A: In what ways are fruit trees different than a vegetable garden? Fruit trees, vines, and bushes bear fruit every year or every other year. They do not need to be planted each year like vegetables. However, they may not bear fruit for several years after they are planted. We should plant them as soon as possible so that we will have the fruit when we most need it.

Discussion B: What are some fruit trees, vines, and berry bushes and that grow in our area?  The following fruit trees flourish in Kentucky: Apple, pear, some peach trees, sour or tart cherry trees; Grapevines, strawberries; gooseberry bushes, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry bushes.

Principle 4: Keeping livestock can add variety to our diet.

Discussion A: What kinds of livestock can be raised in our area and what products can we use from them? Poultry, beef cows, dairy cows, goats, pigs, bees. From these we can get eggs, meat, milk, honey, hides and feathers.

Principle 5: Preserving and storing food from our gardens and from other sources will help us when no other food is available.

Discussion A: What are ways of preserving and storing our food? For many years our prophets have asked us to preserve and store our own food where we legally can do so. We need to store food in case a time comes when no other food is available. When a hurricane hit Honduras in the fall of 1974, Church members were grateful they had dried and stored their own food. Only a few months before the hurricane, the mission president had warned them of impending disaster. He had challenged them to begin a food storage program. The beans, flour, rice, and other staples they had put away saved the Saints from hunger. (See Bruce Chapman, “Hurricane in Honduras,”New Era, Jan. 1975, 30–31.)

To preserve and store our own food, we can:

1.  Store it under the ground. This method is good for some root vegetables and certain green, leafy vegetables if there is good drainage and not too much rain.

2. Dry it. Use a food dehydrator or, during warm, sunny weather, dry fruits and vegetables in the sun. Food being dried in the sun must be protected from flies and other insects, and it must be covered or brought inside when it rains.

3. Can it. This method is simple—but dangerous if done improperly. If done properly, canning is a good way to store food and maintain its flavor. Proper canning requires at least a cold-pack canner. (The equipment involved could be shared among several families.) This method also requires that the jars be protected from breakage.

4. Salt or brine it (to brine means to preserve in clean, salty water). This is an inexpensive method of preserving fruits, vegetables, and meat. It requires little or no equipment.

Discussion B: What ways have you preserved food?

Principle 6: Learning skills for preparedness helps us be more independent and self-reliant.

 Discussion A: How will learning to sew and mend help us in time of need? We should learn to sew and mend our own clothing. To be prepared for a time of need, we should also learn how to remake old clothing. It is a good idea to store materials for making clothing in case none are available. We can learn to make many items in addition to clothing: bedding, window and floor coverings, towels, tablecloths, and furniture upholstery or coverings. We can also learn other skills such as weaving, quilting, knitting, crocheting, and other needlecrafts. All of these can beautify our clothing and homes.

Discussion B: How does knowing building skills help us in times of need? In an emergency, we might also face the need to rebuild our homes, barns, or corrals. It is important that family members learn to work with wood and other materials and to use tools. Then they can make and repair possessions.

Discussion C: What are some other ways we can be more self-reliant? If we were to face a natural disaster, we should be prepared to cook; heat our food and homes; and clean our clothing, bodies, and surroundings. We can learn to make soap from household materials. And, when allowed by law, we should store fuel, making sure that the fuel is stored in a safe, protected area.

The above information was taken from   https://www.lds.org/manual/the-latter-day-saint-woman-basic-manual-for-women-part-a/homemaking/lesson-25-home-gardening?lang=eng and https://www.lds.org/manual/the-latter-day-saint-woman-basic-manual-for-women-part-a/homemaking/lesson-26-home-production?lang=eng