7 Reasons Why Stocking Food is Popular

48 Comments

1. Hi Linda! If anyone cans their produce from their garden, if you have left over space in the canner, can a jar of water. It will last a long time. If it tastes flat, shake it up to get some oxygen in it. It does work. I need to get my canner out and can some water. Several years ago, I got a small still for canning distilled water. I haven used it, but have it if needed.

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   1. HI Deborah, great tip on the jar of water! Good one, my friend! I’m glad you have the distilled water deal! I looked at them with a friend, she needs one, boy everything is so expensive right now. Glad you have yours! Linda

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   2. Hi Deborah. Never thought of canning water. Do you pressure can it or water bath can it? Great idea and a good way to save money on buying water. Pam

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      1. Hi Pam, I would water bath can them. It’s similar to water bath canning peaches or pears without the fruit. Linda

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         1. Hi Linda. Thanks. I only have a water bath canner, so that’s perfect. This will give me some practice on how long it takes to water bath can at 8,000 ft., lol. Pam

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2. Linda,

   Another good investment is a water purification/filtration device like my AquaRain 400, or a Big Berkey (that you can use the AquaRain filters in.

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   1. Hi Ray, It’s so funny that you mentioned this AquaRain 400, I was going to email you and ask what brand you use. I’m going to add it to the post, thank you, my friend, Linda

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3. Linda, it’s great you kinda went back to the basics in this article. I think there’s a lot of people who feel a bit overwhelmed especially if they are just starting. Lordy, they read about canning, dehydrating, mylar bags, 02 pkgs, and buying survival goods…plus GHBs, BOBs, etc…no wonder they get into a tizzy. And, sadly, some then do nothing? It’s not so hard to just set aside the things in your list, easily used but definitely worthwhile.
   One thing I wish was more noted when talking canned foods is that they are in Water. That water can be saved for soups or gravies, even to cook pasta,beans and rice in, lol.

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   1. Hi Wendy, oh yes, a great reminder about the water in the cans!!! It has to be frustrating to people who are just starting out. The prices on everything I bought 10-15 years ago or so are 5-6 times more expensive now than when I bought my equipment. I worry when I see that a few people do not believe we need to stock up. It’s sad now but just wait for a few more months. Linda

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      1. What most people do is Complain, especially about prices, rather than change their eating habits: their brands, their recipes, let alone cook from scratch.

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         1. HI Wendy, I totally agree. None of us like prices rising, but we must adjust. Grow our own food, and cook from scratch. Life is good! Linda

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   2. The water used to cook vegetables, pasta, and beans in can be saved to use for watering houseplants, and recycled produce gardens,

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4. Then again — you could be like me with 7 jars of 40oz Jif Peanut Butter whose lot numbers all fall within the recalled lot numbers!

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   1. Hi Mt Grammy, dang, that’s a lot of peanut butter gone bad via recalled!! We took some of them back to Costco, that’s where we bought them. Linda

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   2. That peanut butter can be used in COOKED recipes.Boiling it with chocolate to make cookies or baking in a cake will destroy bacterial contaminants. …IF’N it were me- i would mark for cooking only with note to reason.(+ begin making recipes that call for cooking the peanut butter…and buy replacement…in other brands…diversifying as much as possible so i would not be caught with 4 jars of one lot…THat is JUST ME! I saw one lady who does videos she was over halfway into a big jar of recalled product.. she had no ill effects.
      I wonder how much of that was to just pull foods from our homes that we have purchased in good faith?…. after all, over 2- years almost 100 food distribution, factorys, packaging or whse have been destroyed or partially so…. 35 or so in 6-8 months… Nothing to see here move along… don’t worry be happy, nothing is going to impede your ability to do the normal things you do daily…Hasn’t ever happened before…. right?
      I do not buy JIF when i buy.i buy one of 2 brands that contain only peanuts and salt., Yes i have to mix it one time, then refrigerate when open and it does not separate again.

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   3. Can the Jif peanut butter be returned to the store for cash, or better yet, replacements? That is what I would do.

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   4. Thanks for idea to cook with it, but I can’t really think of something except for sweets which we don’t need.

      We can’t take it back, I don’t have receipts.

      My husband usually eats peanut butter for breakfast with apples, graham crackers, oatmeal cookies, etc. So those 7 jars were just a 6 month supply for us.

      We don’t like other brands. Who would have thought this would happen to Jif.

      Yes, I may try to eat some to see what happens, but hubby has had stomach problems for a week and says that he won’t chance it. My son says he can nail jar to a tree to feed deer. Who knows!

      It wouldn’t take much of a leap to think this is part of an orchestrated attack. Time will tell.

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      1. Hi Mt Grammy, I didn’t have any receipts and Costco took them back (they look up on your card). Smith’s let me exchange for other brands. It’s worth trying. I would not consume it. No way. It’s just me. Linda

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5. Storing the water that your family needs is especially important. As we have seen in the Yellowstone flooding there are places that have no power , drinking water and food. It is really necessary for us to store our food in containers that are not only water proof, but mouse and bug proof. No reason to store food if it goes to waste. Making sure that you rotate your supplies in also important.

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   1. Hi Cheryl, you are spot on, my friend! I bought some popcorn that I cannot take to my storage unit (until our home is built) because the containers are not “hard” enough for me to store there. I take everything in cans (climate-controlled unit) to store until we can put them in the house. Containers are critical, buy right the first time. It is so sad to see what is going on in Yellowstone, crazy times! Linda

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6. AS your freezer gets full, almost every food you would put in it can be dehydrated, or canned…( or freeze dried- if you have one_ to make room for more).. or for putting n cola bottles of filtered water. I try to use my freezer fro freshest food only- taking older foods and processing for long term storage… oxygen absorbers, take every recycled jar and make it available for long term storage… Leaning to use dehydrated foods is definitely a learning curve., but eating is a good past time and i do not want to be without it…to use 2 liter for water/wash bottles well, rinse with vinegar. allow to dry, fill. as you lid with orig. cap compress the sides in about a 1/2 inch total.this will allow expansion of plastic.if you need the water they can be used- as they thaw, and will work to keep an ice chest or refrigerator cool.Many people throw them away. and will save or gift you with them.
   A layer of 2 liter bottles in the bottom of freezer is an ice bank and kept my friends meat w/o spoilage for 5 days while she was evacuated for wildfires- NO power to house.- last year. it did not save her veggies. Remember a full freezer uses less power.
   Paper milk cartons work for making ice blocks..and pack tightly..they are a one time use where cola bottles can be re- sued ..over and over.. if one had to evacuate , and had a few minutes throwing a dehydrator in vehicle…. and frozen veggies in an ice chest would give one time to process if going to a motel or friends/family house.

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7. Hi Linda I got my ideas for stocking up in early 2000. We were working at a Bible camp for kids and we would have anywhere up to 5-600 people a day. I would plan for 600 but there was the occasional couple hundred more. I would freeze the leftovers and use them in the winter for my family. This really came in handy when we had the big snowstorms. We didn’t call them leftovers we called them saved overs and after a couple months they were not leftovers they were mom’s way of making different meals without having to cook. Family never caught on.

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   1. Jackie, in our home they are called “planned-overs”. Many food taste better the second time around. Chili, soup and roasts come to mind.

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      1. Chris:

         I saved all summer and then used the saved meals for the winter. That way we always had something new to eat. I remember one winter we had some hunters that got stuck at the camp due to snow and I had enough for them for 2 weeks along with my family and other workers at the camp. We had about 15 hunters and about 15 people who worked all year round at the camp. Not one person realized they were eating what had been made in the summer. After the snow stopped and melted some and the hunters could go hunt again they brought me a deer and elk and other wild game that lasted a long time. We could not use the meat during camp so we ate like Kings the rest of the year.

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   2. Jackie, oh this story is the best! Cooking for so many would be so fun! Hard work but so worth it! I love leftovers!! Linda

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      1. Linda:

         You don’t know the half of it. There was one week we had 800 people. I got up at 5am to make breakfast which was at 8 am. When breakfast was done I worked on Lunch and when lunch was done I started on Supper. I was never so happy when a week of camp was over because I started at 5 and did not finish till almost Midnight with dishes and all. It was backbreaking and I worked on cement floors.

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         1. I am impressed!! My back hurts just THINKING about all you do. Relax…..you deserve it!! Stay safe and healthy..

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            1. Hi Chris, my back hurts reading it as well!! Linda

         2. Hi Jackie, wow, wow, wow! You are the woman!! Working on cement floors is not fun! I can;t imagine cooking for 800 people, but what a blessing you were to the kids at that camp! Love this story! Linda

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            1. That was the year we retired. Jack developed diabetes and my health went down and I started to have problems with my bones because of working on the cement floor. I really got bad arthritis and neither of us could do the work we were doing. We felt God telling us it was time to leave or we would not be their for our own children. The thing is these kids were like our own children and it was really hard to leave.
               I remember one girl who was there that last camp of that summer and she had really bad vision and she got the last New Testament the camp had that year. Her little sister was crying about not getting a Bible and and as they were getting on the bus I asked them to get off for a minute. They got off the bus and I told the older girl to give her sister the New Testament and she started to cry and said she would not have a Bible. Well I asked her if she believed God could give her another Bible. She started crying and said yes and she finally gave her sister the New Testament and with tears in her eyes she started to go up to the Bus and I told her she was forgetting something. Jack had bought be a really good study Bible that year for our Anniversary and I handed her the Bible and I told her God had told me to give it to her. Then the tears really started to fall. She put her arms around me and said it was the best present anyone could give her because it had really big print and she could read it. My husband said that she read it all the way from camp to El Paso on the bus.

            2. Hi Jackie, oh my gosh, this story brought tears to my eyes, literally. What a blessing for all of you! God works in mysterious ways. WOW! I’m sad you had to leave the camp because of health reasons. I totally get it, you blessed those kids and they will never forget what you did for them. Love this, Linda

8. Hi Linda, I learned stocking ahead, from childhood on a farm, at subsistence level, where my Father was paid once a month, and a blizzard could stall a shopping for 6-10 days or more. We had a cash crop of potatoes not really large, but a welcome extra income, plus we sold excess crops at a table on the street. My Mother canned vegetables, pickles, fruits, berries, and her jams and jellies. We froze or salted meats and chickens. Raised a flock of chickens, ducks, and geese for eggs to sell and eat. My Mother was afraid of pressure canners so she water bath canned only. On the monthly runs to the grocery store, she bought what we needed and extras that were on sale for storage. We had a big shelved space for the canned goods storage in our cellar. A large root cellar where our share of the potato crop went into bins ( the Misfits we couldn’t sell). Larger straw lined bins for Winter squashes and pumpkins we couldn’t sell, a 50 gallon crock of salted pork, A cupboard for the canned jams, jellies and fruit. Shelving for the home canned goods, and pickles. And hanging space for the Hams, and bacon. By Winter we had the basement loaded with food supplies, paper goods , and apples picked just before Thanksgiving for storage. Our cold pantry was filled with more canned and boxed goods and condiments, stuffed with baking supplies. The back kitchen held an extra fridge and a chest freezer filled with meat and some frozen vegetables. The extra fridge held extra milk, eggs, and other items, like cider, and things that had to be refrigerated. That has carried over into adult life. Since we are currently on tightened belts my stocking up on foods has been a Godsend. We eat very well and on a balanced diet. Without spending much. I’m keeping track of what gets used so it can be replaced on a future shopping trip. A few items at a time. To keep bills down. One final thing I joined Misfits Market for free just before problems hit. I’m buying 95% of my Produce there ( and it’s all organic or responsibly raised and seasonal). My total on Produce alone is less than half what I got at the grocery store. Recently they have begun to carry Beef, Chicken , Fish, Eggs, and just a bit of pork, and lamb. Again, for far less than the grocery store. This past week they had cheeses, almond milk, and tofu. I’ve saved big time on my grocery bill. <www.misfits market.com. Not in all 50 states yet. Produce produced in the US and Mexico, to US standards.

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   1. Hi MaryAnn, oh my gosh, you lived a wonderful childhood!! The storage, the skills, I love this! I almost signed up for Misfits, thank you for the shout-out. I will sign up right now. Thank you for sharing your experience of using it!! Best comment ever! Thank you, Linda

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      1. Hi.Linda, You seem to have some great markets in your area where you can get some amazing stock up deals. I don’t know what you market prices are like their, but I did want to share this idea with you. Here in Boston we are in a high priced, white collar, area and on the very end of the supply lines to boot. No one market has the cheapest overall prices. We don’t drive, and if we did, gas is over $6.00 here, so going store to store for the best deals is not worth it. Misfits Produce is largely organic, or responsibly raised. They give you the retail price in the warehouse area, (in our case NJ) and it is actually about 15-20% lower than what we’re paying here in the Boston, MA metro area. They do restrict the amount on items to spread the wealth as far as possible. The quality has been great so far, (over 3 shoppings) and the produce comes in thick sturdy boxes, with recyclable foam lining and inside reflective bags ( like those Emergency blankets., plus a cold pack. My 2nd box had been dropped (Fed EX, not Misfits fault) I notified Misfits at their customer service email, and had a full refund for the squashed Box of Almond Milk. No photo or receipts required. It’s always interesting to see what else is available week to week. They buy end lot’s, overstock, the funny looking fruits and vegetables that farmers can sell or the rejects from regional produce collectors for markets. They network with farmers who have too small an acreage to pay for mechanical harvesters so they pick manually, while smaller crops are harder to sell at market. They call it saving food that would otherwise be wasted. The decrease of price is not a set 40%, but different for each item. I’ve seen prices at 10% and once at 97%. They average out to 40% overall. They carry meats, the program started just as joined, the beef for now is mostly steaks, but they carry a quality hamburger so far. I’m waiting to see what they have come Fall and Winter. The last time I reluctantly bought 4 chicken breasts at the market , they were over $14. Last week at Misfits I got 4 for $7 and change. A lot of people on blue collar salaries or social security can’t pay those prices. Those with young growing families, are going to have to work tons of overtime, or get 2nd jobs to feed the family and gas up the car.. The food banks are holding fundraisers and food drives and are still strained beyond capacity. We have more people below the poverty level, and elderly dependent on Social Security I can’t fathom how they will survive. If gasoline is so high right now, what will fuel oil and gas be like next Winter.. I know you have a huge readership and I thought you might want to check it out for a future blog. Stocking ahead is always a great move, but this is a chance to save on perishables like produce, meat, fish, milk butter and eggs among other things. Every penny counts these days. There is a discount off your 1st order , an extra discount for being referred by a member (use my name), a new points reward system started this week where you receive points, for each item you buy. The points can be put toward items in later orders for free items. Membership is free, you can skip a delivery any week you don’t need to buy anything, shipping is free, the packaging of the order is impressive. A minimum produce and temp stable order is $33., a minimum cold pack order is $29. (extraordinary packaging for these) you can order as much over the minimums as you like. They start an order for you each week, but you can switch out those items for what you really want. As you order they tailor the set up to your preferences. They add new selections weekly. Last week it was some cheeses to choose from. and all of it is repurposed from somewhere. I haven’t found a negative about them yet. Items tend to be enough for 2 people for a week, for most staples, you can order at least 2 or 3 multiples. To meet your needs. Meats you can order tailored to how much you use. Or if you want to store a couple more proteins for meals in a fridge freezer.. So see how it works for you. I think it has potential to help a lot of people.. Free delivery to your door is a really special perk these days. BTW My 1st name is normally spelled Mary Ann ,I use it this way for legal purposes. I use the single form on social media. To watch for identity thieves. So Misfits knows me as Mary Ann Coy.

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         1. Hi MaryAnn, I will sign up right now, my friend and I will use your name. I totally agree I do not know how people feed their families right now. Especially if they can’t cook from scratch. I will email you after I get my first box!! Thank you, my friend, Linda

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            1. What a horrifying thing on the news last night. All those steers lying dead or dying in field with no shade from trees or decent water to drink or get wet in. Meat useless after a very short time because of the heat. It would be nice to think the hides were salvageable, but they aren’t. The worst is knowing that their deaths were so slow and agonizing! Next it will be the pigs, chickens and turkeys in the MidWest.! How horrible for them all. Global warming is a nightmare! But politicians don’t see it! Blind and stubborn creatures! BTW are you still moving to the Carolinas? Misfits might be even more useful there. Please locate on high land away from the coast. Check to be certain you aren’t on the flood plain of a river’s 50 or 100 year floods. If there is any chance you might be flooded get flood insurance. Your enemy there will not be drought, but water! Also get a basement for tornado shelter, the risk is significantly higher there. You will need severe weather apps on your phones. If the area is wet check for a sump pump with documented servicing. They recommend that you have your outlet sewage confirmed free of potential for backups in case someone over the years dumped diapers or baby wipes down there or tree roots have invaded the lines. It’s also recommended that a health inspection be done on all trees on your property. Anything unhealthy tree needs removal. Some insurance companies put clauses in coverage, for damage to you or one of your neighbors caused by an unsafe trees, that they won’t cover. Check for earthquake damage and radon gases, there are several active faults in that region. You won’t be out of reach of a major quake on the Reelfoot Fault System in TN and KY. It’s overdue for something the size of the San Andreas or worse.. Of course Hurricane Prep, Tornado Prep, and Bugout bags in case of need for evacuations. Don’t forget Wildfire either, The fires are smaller because there aren’t vast areas of woodlands`and grass. But they can cause devastation over some significant areas here. The land dries out quickly from unceasing dry winds at times. Bring winter clothes and outdoor gear. It may be more winter rain than snow. But it usually comes with wind and is miserably damp cold. Something set me thinking this morning. You may not find many large markets unless you settle near a Walmart. They are good stores, almost like old time General Stores on steroids. But they don’t set up shop near cities or in the suburbs, they serve the more rural areas. So Misfits maybe a big help there. If you’re still going to mission there, you must be starting to plan and make lists. These are specific to East Coast living that are different from where you are now. I don’t know what your health care option is currently , but you will need to look into that too. Your well enough informed in the financial world. Nothing I can help with there. Hope that your car is set for quite a while. Even used cars cost the price of a small house! Things are really ridiculous these days. When inflation finally bursts , the recession will be even worse. As you say, May God help this world! MA

            2. Hi MaryAnn, boy do I wish we were neighbors we think so much alike, my sweet friend! We moved from Southern Utah to Northern Utah. We are hoping to build, we have the house plans, and engineered plans and waiting for the city or country to approve. It’s taken forever but there are so many shortages we don’t have much of a choice. We were going to buy a new car since our only car is a 2009 Honda CRV (running great) that just had the A/C fixed. Parts are hard to find. But we will not pay the price of a new or newer car. BTW, I placed my first order with Misfits!! Yay! Linda

9. How blessed you were to have learned so wonderful lessons from your parents. The lessons are serving you well. Just thinking of your full cupboards must have made you feel so safe and cared for.

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   1. Yes. We never had to worry about being hungry, ever. I wrote that out for a couple reasons. There are many people desirous of moving out well away from others. Too many haven’t any ideas what goes into surviving and flourishing out there. What the facts are the kinds of skills you need to Put food by against future need. A 4 wheel drive on the fly is not going to get to the market and back in a blizzard. Milk can be stretched with a big stash of instant dry milk. There are shelf stable milks in various brands and types. Canned milks of all kinds are available. A backup generator system is vital for freezers, refrigeration, cooking, laundry, computers, possibly light, water, heat, and hot water since power lines are most likely not buried underground. Or alternative measures for these. The house needs all the storage options I described for maximum storage of food and vital supplies. Storage for fuel outside the home. A structures to shelter any livestock and food for them, shelter for vehicles. A strong vehicle rated for snow plowing with the snow blade. and it’s mounting frame, also rated and rigged for towing. A sturdy multi use tractor, for plowing fields, clearing areas, clearing brush, lugging heavy items where the truck cannot go . Goats and chickens as we had can provide fresh milk and eggs for much of the year, with less budgetary bite, than cows, pigs are good meat that doesn’t require a lot of land. The big thing is learning the skills and making lists of what you need to have to get started. Land, a sturdy well insulated house, sturdy outbuildings for storage of fuel, wood, garden and yard equipment and a well equipped work room. An alternative power system (off grid). Using a solar array and/or wind turbines. A backup wood stove for heat and cooking, a gas stove is good for normal cooking.. Insulated storage for things that should not freeze. The skills to grow, harvest, preserve, and use every scrap of. A solid insulated barn to shelter all livestock and their feed. I like to suggest an attached greenhouse, using triple paned insulated construction, preferably with shatter resistant glass. On the South side of the house. Supplemental greens and vegetables that tolerate cooler conditions can be grown. An extra stove can be added to add extra warmth with a cement floor to absorb heat. It lets light into the home, provides a safe, warm place for everyone to get some sunlight, or move around more, space for the children to play when it’s to cold, windy or the snow is too deep. Sounds like an extra hunh. You try being hunkered down in a small dark house for months on end. Computers to allow children homeschooling. Knowing how to cook and plan nutritious meals is an essential skill, so is baking, so are canning, pickling, preserving, dehydrating. Proper wrapping for the freezer. Rotating the fridge to prevent waste. If you run out of bread, you need to know how to bake your own.. Run out of butter? If the goats are still lactating you can make butter. Or you have a dozen pounds or so in the freezer, ready for use. Bread doesn’t mold once it’s frozen solid.or afterward either. Freezing kills the mold. So if it’s sealed airtight, it won’t mold. There are so many things to plan ahead, for a move like this. It may take a couple years to prepare the buildings an land for year round occupancy and subsistence farming and livestock management. It’s also important to learn how to live with the wildlife already there, respectfully, harmoniously, and safely. And to be prepared to stand your ground and protect family members from people with ill or dangerous intent. Unfortunately they are around and most police, sheriff, wardens are far away. It’s important to ensure you have contact for Emergency Services. For sickness, injuries, crime, or other needs. It may require petitioning for a useable cell phone repeater, or learning to operate and maintain a ham radio set. (CB won’t likely have the range). You need a method for reliable news, local and outside, to keep informed of local emergencies (wild fire, or storms) , news and politics, National and International information. Hiding in the forest doesn’t mean you don’t participate in the electoral process, or hope nuclear attack misses you, or no longer paying taxes. Finding a way to receive mail and packages is still important, even if you have to go get them when you’re able. I’ve been at this life for close to 70 years and I’m still learning things of value. Too many people decide to take off and live off grid without any idea what it involves, where to start, what skills to have, what equipment they really need, enough savings to get properly setup, or even a financial plan in place to care for emergency health care, retirement savings, an everyday income from something, a credit rating, savings to cover special needs, and so on. It’s a big goal, that requires an enormous amount of thought, planning, financing, getting educated for necessary skills, getting everything into place, phasing out of your prior life, and finally getting underway. Those that don’t do all of this and more, are doomed to fail, or even die, from being impetuous.

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      1. Hi MaryAnn, thank you so much for spelling all of this out. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your thoughts and ideas!! Thank you! Linda

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10. Canning water!!!!!!! Who knew? Water bath for how long? How long will it be good? Great post!

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    1. Old canning directions from my day, said that water baths and pressure canners operated most efficiently when full. So to fill any unused space with jars of water. Then process for the time needed by the food item you’re processing. The water was already potable ( ours wasn’t chlorinated nor containing Fluoride) so once the seals took hold the water was safe to drink for at least a year, longer then before restrictions were tightened. You did have to use clean sterilized jars and caps. (Water has to be clean and fresh to use it..)Store in a clean, cool, dark place with other canned products. One recommended use for it, back then was for baby formula and drinking water. I would ask Linda who has a Current Master Canner Certificate, what you could use that water for. I recycled the jars myself, The modern ball jars were a new thing then and expensive. I couldn’t afford to store water in them. My Mother canned in the old Ball and Atlas jars with the bails and rubber rings. I still have a dozen or so of them, I found standard rubber rings on Amazon some years back. I wouldn’t use them for canning these days, but they are great for dry good storage for things like Agar agar, and Vanilla beans, herbal teabags ( much better than cardboard boxes) and large amounts of leaf herbs, and whole spices, cough drops, anything small that needs airtight storage. I use some with out bails or covers to start plant cuttings, and store elastic bands, twist ties, bread tabs, and all the useful stuff that lands by the kitchen sink. But yes that water is safe for consumption. Pressure canned I think it’s as close to sterile as you can get. Useful for flushing and cleaning all kinds of wounds. Dehydrated foods are another thing I store in those old jars. No clumping ever without adding those little packets.

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       1. Hi MaryAnn, another great comment! I agree on the one-year storage for water. The reason is that’s what I learned about canning fresh fruits. The jars and lids with rings are pricey these days. I use mine for the same things you do, my friend! I never add packets to my dehydrated food either. I love dehydrating food. Linda

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    2. Hi Suzanne, the point of water bath canning is canning a few when you are water bath canning fruits and the canner is not quite full. The processing time would be the same time as the food item you are processing. As far as how long the water will be good, I do not know. Possibly a year would be my guess and it’s a guess. When I took my Master Canner Preserving classes the (USDA) USU state extension stated home processed food is good for a year. Yes, I have eaten peaches that were four years old. I prefer plastic WaterBricks or 5-gallon water jugs and other ways to store my water. I live on the Wasatch Earthquake fault, glass is not my first choice. Linda

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       1. So you have decided not to take the Mission to the Carolina’s you mentioned earlier in the Spring. Just as well. The housing market in the East is way overpriced and it’s dog eat dog for whatever comes onto the market at all. Some homes are being sold before they are even listed. Others are a bidding war from those who attended the 1st open houses. Sales are being closed during the Open Houses. People are even arriving with a contract in hand and fully approved financing. They even have an agreement for extra cash ready so they can top all other’s offers. Who can blame sellers for grabbing the highest bidder up front. It’s insane! Here in NE, you never see a realtor sign now. People sell their own homes and can’t lock a deal ona new one. They have rented every available home, condo, even apartments. Some have had to move in will families or friends while searching. The whole market is in grid lock. There is talk on news stations that the bubble is about to burst in Real Estate, at least here. Economists are predicting a major recession soon to come, if the fed has managed to break the inflation spiral. Guard your money for your new place! I think you are wise to remain in Utah. Things are probably going to be more stable there, Than the affluent coasts. You have your backup supplies for a pad. . Worst luck, my husband went to work today feeling crappy and thinking he had a cold. Supervisor noticed and administered a Covid test on the spot. Came back positive, so he’s symptomatic and got sent home immediately for 5 days. Apparently 3 patients that have been on his unit tested positive today. A $th in isolation. He worked a double on Wednesday working with all 4. Just got 8 new Covid tests in the mail today. Drat! We have been working so diligently to keep me from a repeat experience. My first nearly killed me, left me with heart and lung damage, and as a long hauler. Was supposed to go for my first Omicron Booster and 2nd Shinglex vaccine next week, Get bloodwork at the hospital this week and see my specialist on the 28th. Not going to happen now. Can’t enter the hospital with exposure in the last 10 days, can’t ge to the Doctors Appt at the hospital either. If I get Covid I’ll have to wait 2 months for my 1st booster and 2 more months for the 2nd. By then there will likely be a 3rd booster for high risk people, plus my Flu Shot.. Sorry I’ve dumped on you, he got home about 9PM feeling miserable and worried that he might have brought it home to me for a 2nd time. He’s had the 1st Omicron booster as a Healthcare worker. He’s still wearing his mask , and I’m trying to keep my stuff to myself and not dump on him. The same thing happened the first time. Patients were supposed to be tested and cleared for admission< but some slip past the requirement, and were on the unit for days, and testing was missed until they showed signs of illness. The 1st time it was the vicious, Biogen Conference variant. This time it’s probably an Omicron variant. Hopefully he’ll get off easily this time without being a long hauler at least. We’re probably not going for the antiviral treatment. He’s not going to be able to reach his PCP until Monday, which is too late, and I question if it’s even worth it with the rebound potential. If I get sick enough for the hospital, then they can make the decision. Forgive me and I’m really sorry I dumped on you. I really needed to talk it out to somebody.

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          1. Hi MaryAnn, you can dump on me anytime even though it didn’t seem like you were dumping on me, my friend. It’s all good. It wasn’t me going on a mission to the Carolina’s it must have been someone else. We sold our house last October and moved to South Jordan, Utah. The prices for homes here are crazy as well. A tiny home is over a million dollars. Young families and investors are buying them up within minutes. It’s that way all over Utah. We sold when we saw a pocket of time to sell. We should see a market correction very soon with interest rates rising. I’m sorry to hear about your hubby getting sick. Dang, this stuff is crazy. We have three family members working in hospitals so I get what you are saying. All we can do is hang in there, sending hugs from Utah! Linda

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             1. Thanks Linda, by this morning it was definite. We both have Covid now. I managed to get a perishables grocery order together last night that our shopper was able to leave on the porch for Steve to bring up this morning. She is the kindest most helpful person. I never have to worry about wrong or missing items. If the store is out of something, essential (like my non dairy milk) she has stopped at another market or CVS to pick it up on her way to us. I couldn’t ask for better. Now that I can’t see to drive any more it’s a big help. I miss that independence. After Steve put the groceries away, he crawled back in and we both slept through the day and evening. He was feeling a little better today. So he made some pasta, so we both had a small dinner between times. We ‘ve both had it before, it seems he’s having a mild case again, currently I’m at moderate, but since I’m very high risk we’re both watching for signs of trouble. I had a severe case in 2020, so I need to be cautious. Luckily we are well stocked up, (the only thing non perishable we needed was paper towels) so we should be fine for a while. Canned goods grains, beans, staples, frozen vegetables, meats, and fish plus my dry goods closet. First thing on the list was Mika’s cat food of course. She comes before us on the list of priorities.. Now we each call our respective Doctor’s today, so they are aware. Then we’ll just ride it out.. Thanks for getting back to me.

             2. Hi MaryAnn, oh what a blessing to have a good shopper! I’m so sorry you both have it now!!! Dang!! I keep thinking it will go away and someone else tests positive!! I will pray for you and your hubby!! Hugs from Utah, Linda