News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vaunelle Temple, center, organized the preparedness fair to show the quality dishes that can be made from emergency food.
Living on emergency food supplies doesn't have to mean you hunker in your bunker scarfing up a monotonous diet of MRE (Meals Ready to Eat in military parlance).
The folks at the Sisters Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints put on quite a spread last Wednesday, using emergency food stores from dehydrated refried beans to make a dip to creating salad fixings from homegrown sprouts - all to demonstrate that preparedness doesn't have to be dreary.
The preparedness fair offered information on a broad range of emergency preparedness, from food storage to sanitation to first aid.
Preparedness is part of the ethic and culture of the LDS church.
"The Church is always emphasizing being prepared," said Ren Broomhead, who was displaying his personal emergency preparedness kit.
Contrary to popular media images, people who are focused on preparedness usually aren't "survivalists" lurking in the woods waiting for the apocalypse. They're regular folks who want to be ready for emergencies so they can help out their friends and neighbors.
"It just lessens stress on people," Broomhead said. "And perhaps with this we can help somebody else if need be."
A "bug out" kit isn't anything particularly mysterious, as Broomhead pointed out.
"A lot of this is what I use for backpacking, too," he said.
Retired veterinarian Dr. Philip Brittain has put together an extensive medical kit - "more than just the basics" - based on his experience as an avid river rafter and camper.
"I've been on river trips 200 miles long; 13 days long, and there's maybe one way out in the middle of the canyon," he said. "You HAVE to be able to take care of yourself."
The supplies and knowledge that benefit the outdoorsman, of course, translate well into preparedness for an emergency.
The kind of emergency these well-prepared folks might face include severe weather events that could knock out power in the freezing cold; a major earthquake or other natural disaster that could disrupt communications and food supplies; civil unrest.
Or, as event organizer Vaunelle Temple points out, it could be something more mundane but equally significant.
"We've had friends who have had trouble, who have lost their job and they lived on their own food storage until they got back on their feet," she said. "You have to be ready for anything; it doesn't have to be an emergency."
Food preparation and storage was a significant part of the fair. Sharon Thorkildson demonstrated using a Food Saver to vacuum-pack foodstuffs like rice, beans, lentils and quinoa in mason jars. Cases of mason jars store easily and preserve food much longer than leaving them in their bags.
Quality freeze-dried foods are much more readily available now than they used to be and a little green thumb can help cultivate greens with vital nutrients in the home. Canning makes preserving meats viable.
And the folks at the church demonstrated quite clearly that it can all taste good - from breakfast to dessert.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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