History Of Food Storage: The Root Cellar

Welcome! I love history! Through history, we are better able to understand ourselves, where we have been, and where we are going.

Each week, I am going to share a bit with you about the history of food storage!

Lucky for us, food storage is the easiest and healthiest it has ever been! Start your home store today and you will always have fresh yummy food on hand for you and your family!

The Root Cellar

Root  Cellars are an ancient form of long-term food storage of foods and veggies and fermented beverages.

Early records show Root Cellars in use 40,000 years ago.

Native Australians were among the first to take advantage of the insulated properties of burying food.

Walk in food storage cellars were invented in the 17th century in England. This was the first appearance of the root cellar as we know it.

According to Hobby Farm, "the most notable practitioners of root-cellar arts were the early colonists that arrived in North America from the United Kingdom. The eastern halves of America and Canada contain thousands of old root cellars, and the small Newfoundland town of Elliston actually claims the title of “Root Cellar Capital of the World,” and boasts of over 135 root cellars, some dating back 200 years."

How Does it Work:

Root Cellars were essentially the first refrigerators. The under ground storage provided a dark cool environment to store produce and slow or prevent spoilage. A good root cellar can often be 40F cooler than the outside temperature.

You can store just about anything in your root cellar! Some preparations and precautions are needed for some items and to prevent some produce from causing a bitter taste to others. One cellar may be used for items needing a high humidity, and a lower humidity cellar for other goods requiring a lower humidity such as canned foods, and grains.

According \ Wikipedia, "Vegetables stored in the root cellar primarily consist of potatoes, turnips, and carrots. Other food supplies placed in the root cellar over the winter months include beets, onions, preserves/jams, salt meat, salt turbot, salt herring, Winter squash, and cabbage.Separate cellars are occasionally used for storing fruits, such as apples. Water, bread, butter, milk, and cream are sometimes stored in the root cellar also. In addition, items such as salad greens, fresh meat, and jam pies are kept in the root cellar early in the day to keep cool until they are needed for supper."

Want to learn more or build your own root cellar?

Check out this great article or this one at Hobby Farm Magazine.

Start your own Chapter in Food Storage History today!

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Downloads

Welcome!!

You may have noticed a new section here at Tawny's Thriving Home, Downloads! Here I will be sharing free goodies for  you to print and use! Go check it out! And be sure to subscribe so you don't miss anything!

What's New:

Is your Magic Mix hiding in your fridge in a bare #10 can? Are you constantly having to dig out your recipe? With this Cute label, your recipe is always accessible & no more bare cans!! Also includes my 'Helper Mix'!

Go check it out!

I love feedback! Let me know what you think!

Recipe: Homemade 'Helper' Recipe

We love easy around here. And we have all been brain washed into believing those boxed 'helper' recipes are as easy as it gets.

With a whopping 110 Calories in the mix alone and a lengthy list of unhealthy ingredients and preservative, there must be a better way!

Making homemade hamburger helper could not be easier!! You make up a basic 'mix' and add noodles and meat as you see fit. You could easily layer noodles, mix and spice into mason jars to give as gifts or as a quick meal. With options such as freeze dried meats or TVP, quick 'helper' style meals have never been easier!!

Homemade 'Helper' Mix

• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper


• 1 Tbs. garlic powder


• 2 Tbs. dried parsley


• 1/3 cup Thrive Freeze Dried Onion


• 1 Tbs. salt


• 1 2/3 cup Thrive Powdered milk


• 3 1/2 Tbs. Thrive beef bouillon

Mix this all up and store in a glass jar or other sealed container.

Use 1/2 cup for each pound of ground meat.

The Nutrition Info for this basic mix comes to about the following: 41 Calories, less than 1g of fat
Basic Preparation:

• 1 pound meat (Thrive Freeze Dried Beef, Thrive Beef TVP, or seasoned browned ground beef)


• 1/2 cup of  'helper' mix (above)


• 1 to 2 cups noodles (elbow macaroni for example)


• 1 1/2 to 3 cups water

Stir in meat, dry mix, then add 2 cups hot water and 2 cups noodles. You can add more or less water and noodles, proportionately, depending on much you need to stretch that pound of beef. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.

This Recipe is easily adaptable to what you have on hand and what you are hungry for. Looking for a cheese burger? Add Thrive Cheese Blend or Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Throw in some Bacon TVP for a bacon Cheese burger! With Thrive Freeze Dried vegetables, its easy to add corn, green beans, or other yummy veggies to your helper meal. Just dd them when you add the noodles. Looking for a comfort food: Instead of macaroni, add 2-3 cups very thinly sliced potatoes. Simmer 20-30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Uncover and simmer until liquid has evaporated.

This recipe is easily adapted to your families dietary needs. Use whole grain pasta. Or gluten Free Pasta. Season and adjust the recipe to your needs and taste.

When you do the math this recipe is an incredible money saver!! You could easily take the $2 or so it takes to buy one preboxed 'helper' meal and buy enough pasta to make this recipe 2-3 times! The 'Helper' Mix cost about $2 to make & makes about 6 servings, so this mix is going to cost you about $.30 per serving!

With this mix you are going to save time. You can easily customize it to what you have. You are going to save shelf space, all those 'helper' boxes take quite a bit of room. You are going to save money, preboxed foods are expensive, and you are going to save your family's health.

Ready to start making your mix? Go to my online store to get the very best in freeze dried and shelf stable foods. Contact me about making the most of your 'home store', or book a 'make a mix' party and share this and other great mixes with your friends while earning free products!

 

~ Go to TawnysThrivingHome.com to shop products and get the best deals on food storage and emergency preparation products.~

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30 Days of Faves: Cansolidator

Welcome back! Each day in June I am going to be sharing with you one of my favorite Shelf Reliance Products as part of the 30 days of faves blog party!

Today I am excited to share with you one line of Shelf Reliance Food Rotation Systems: The Consolidator.

 Do you have a disorganized pantry? Maybe a messy pantry?

Do you have expired fruits and veggies sitting on your cabinets? Do you rotate your canned goods? Is you pantry so disorganized that cereal falls on you while you search for Peanut Butter?

We have all been there! Keeping your food rotated and organized can be lots of work!

Not Any More!

Introducing The Consolidator Series!

These awesome devices store, organize, and rotate your canned goods for you!

The consolidator is adjustable and stackable!

The Consolidator series comes in 3 different sizes! The cupboard (20 cans), Pantry (40 cans), and Pantry Plus (60 cans).

With The Consolidator your pantry will be neat and organized.

You will save time and money by easily being able to find your canned goods.

Not Sure which Consolidator or Food Rotation System is right for you? Use our Shelving Planner, or contact me!

Watch Shelf Reliance Food Rotation Systems in Action:

~ Go to TawnysThrivingHome.com to shop products and get the best deals on food storage and emergency preparation products.~

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Adding to your home store for FREE

Who doesn't like free? There is a certain high from knowing, you got something for nothing!

Today I am going to tell you about how to add great foods and products to your home store for FREE!

Your home store is your 'food insurance' but it is also your 'basic necessities insurance'. No one like realizing your out of shampoo or other necessities when you need them most! Why not add these items to your store for FREE?

1.Host a Party by Tawny's Thriving Home

Shelf Reliance is unlike any other Party Plan out there! We have products that can be used by anyone who eats! We have some amazing hostess incentives! My favorite incentive: FREE PRODUCT! You can use your credit toward food, shelving and food rotation systems, outdoor gear or more! Shelf Reliance offers more than just food! As a hostess, you earn 10% of your parties total sales in FREE product!! You can also earn additional half off credit on products! And we have our exclusive double dip incentive! (For example: If you book a party while at Sue's Party and place an order of $100, Sue gets $100 credit for her party & you will also get to count your purchase toward your party! So you are starting with $100 in sales!!) Hosting a Shelf Reliance Party with me is easy! I do all the hard work for you! I offer exclusive benefits to my hostess, so contact me today for more information! I offer all kinds of parties, online parties, blog parties, book parties, theme parties and more! For more information, Contact Me today!

Hosting a Shelf Reliance Party is a great, fun way to add to your home store for FREE!!

2.Couponing

Couponing is a great way to make sure your home store is stocked with all those important items Shelf Reliance doesn't carry (yet). Have you ever been *in* the shower and realised you were out of shampoo? Your home store should contain these necessary items. This is where couponing comes in! You can stock up on these items for FREE! 

Couponing is easier now than ever before! Everything I know about couponing I learned from The Bargain Hunting Mom! 

I also love CouponMom.com! It's free and helps you know when & how to use your coupons to get the very best price!

I am also very excited about The Bargain Hunting Mom's Price Match Report! With this handy report, I do not have to run all over town matching my coupons to the stores with the best prices to get my free and almost free goodies! I use my report and have Wal-Mart match the prices! Their new price match guarantee policy means I just need to know the sale price and what store it is at. This saves me tons of time and money! And, helps me get lots of free goodies for my home store!!

Couponing is easier now than ever!! 

 

Your home store is your security net. It is your food insurance. It is convenience. It is healthy food waiting for you. It is quick meals. And it is what you want when you need it.

We all love free. So why not take these great opportunities to stock your home store for free!!

Contact me today to learn how easy it is to get your free goodies at your own Shelf Reliance Party!

 

~ Go to TawnysThrivingHome.com to shop products and get the best deals on food storage and emergency preparation products.~~Always be in the know… Sign Up for my Newsletter~

Have a Plan

What if you and your family are not together when an emergency or a disaster strikes?

Much of children's time is spent at school, at a friends, or at other activities away from the home. Most adults spend the majority of the day away from the family and the home. Families are often separated when disaster or emergency hits.

We need a plan. How will we contact one another? Where will we meet? How will we get back together? Who do we call? Each member of the family needs to know how to handle different situations.

This may sound silly, but, I remember watching 'The Land Before Time.' It always devastated me how poor Cera was separated from her parents. She was lost and alone and didn't know what to do. When we watched that movie, my mommy would say 'what do we do if we ever get separated?' and we would discuss different situations, like being 'lost' at Wal-Mart. My mom did a great job at making sure we knew from a young age what to do in all sorts of emergency situations.

Preparing Children:

• Talking about emergencies can be stressful and scary. Start small & keep it age appropriate.


• Small children can learn their parents names and phone numbers.


• Children should know how & when to call 911, and their home address.


• Children need to know who 'trusted' adults and neighbors are.


• If you are separated in an emergency, Where should the child go? Where will you meet?


• Talk to your children about strangers and intruders.


• Create a 72 Hour Kit for your child.


• Discuss how to handle Bug Bites, sprains, cuts, and minor emergencies


• Children can keep a small emergency kit in their back pack at school with basics like a flash light, contact information, water, a blanket , ect


• Discuss major emergencies: flood, tornado, earthquake, ect


• Discuss and prearranged a care-provider for your child incase you are not available


• Inquire about your daycare or schools emergency plans.

Family Emergency Plan:

• Who are your out-of-town contacts? Many times in an emergency, it is easier to make a long distance call than a local. This out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate between family members


• Learn to use text messaging. Many times text messaging services work in areas where phone signal may be too weak to make a call.


• List emergency contact as 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency), many times emergency personnel will look for your ICE as a contact if you are in an emergency.


• Understand the emergency alert services for your area. Does your area have a tornado siren? Are emergencies broadcasted by local TV stations or local radio? Does you community have an automated telephone system to alert of emergencies? Is there an alert service for your area you can subscribe to?


• Keep important documents and information in a safe place where you may access them in the event of an emergency.


• Create Wallet Cards with emergency information for family members


• Use the Ready.gov family plan creator to easily create a plan for your family


• Inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one.


• Talk to family and neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency


• Know what to do if you are in an emergency in a moving vehicle or in a high-rise building


• Become as informed on emergency and safety information as possible


• know CPR


• Know how to handle minor emergencies, such as sprains, burns, cuts, ect


• Know how to handle broken bones, severe injury, snake bites, allergic reactions, ect


• Have a 72 Hour kit ready for family members


• Have a 72 hour kit in your vehicle and office


• Have an Evacuation Plan


• Be informed


• BE PREPARED

In an emergency situation, knowledge is power. We must be prepared. We must have a plan of action.

Important links:

• FEMA Plan & Prepare


• Ready.gov


• Ready Kids


• Be Informed at Ready.gov


• CPR Training information


• American Red Cross


• Emergency Education

~ Go to TawnysThrivingHome.com to shop products and get the best deals on food storage and emergency preparation products.~~Always be in the know… Sign Up for my Newsletter~

30 Days of Faves: 72 hr Kits

How Prepared are you? If you and your family had to evacuate, what would you take? If you faced a power outage, how would you eat? What would you do in a disaster situation?

Most of us are not prepared. It is just not something you think about. Unless you live in an area with hurricanes, you have probably never had to think about evacuation. You can read about my recent 'Wake up Call' to the importance of being prepared here. In the middle of Texas, we were facing a situation in which we may need to evacuate with 5 minutes notice! We were completely and totally unprepared!!

Both Fema and the Red Cross recommend you have a 72 Hour Kit.

So What is a 72 Hour Kit?

A 72 hour kits is your basic supplies and necessities for 72 hours. You need one kit or bag for every member of your family. This kit is something you can grab and go. It can be very simple,containing the bare essentials, or it can be very detailed containing all sorts of survival tools and essentials.

Here are the FEMA recommendations for the your kit:

An emergency can happen at anytime & any place!

Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work, and vehicles.

Home	Work	Car
Your disaster supplies kit should contain essential food, water, and supplies for at least three days.Keep this kit in a desig­nated place and have it ready in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.Additionally, you may want to consider having supplies for sheltering for up to two weeks.	This kit should be in one container, and ready to “grab and go” in case you are evacuated from your workplace.Make sure you have food and water in the kit. Also, be sure to have com­fortable walking shoes at your workplace in case an evacuation requires walking long distances.	In case you are strand­ed, keep a kit of emer­gency supplies in your car.This kit should contain food, water, first aid supplies, flares, jumper cables, and seasonal supplies.

 

Shelf Reliance makes being prepared easy!

Many emergencies don't allow time for people to assemble even the most basic items, which makes it all the more necessary to own the supplies your family requires. Shelf Reliance offers first aid kits and outdoor gear that you can add to your own emergency kit with our Emergency Planner. Simply enter your family's information and select a few personal settings, and the planner will provide you with a list of all the materials you need. Customize your emergency kit today using the Shelf Reliance Emergency Kit Planner.

Shelf Reliance also offers several pre-assembled emergency kits. Here are just a few of the great kits offered. You can see all the pre-assembled kits here.

 

[caption id="attachment_265" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Providence Extreme 2 Person Kit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_264" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Vigilance Basic 72hr Kit"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_266" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Expedition Starter Kit for 4"][/caption]

 

With Shelf Reliance you are always prepared! 

Important links:

*Emergency Kit Essentials

*Fema recommended “evacuation ready” supplies

* Emergency Planner

*Purchase “pre-assembles” 72-Hour Kit

* Ready.gov – More info on being prepared

 

~ Go to TawnysThrivingHome.com to shop products and get the best deals on food storage and emergency preparation products.~

~Always be in the know… Sign Up for my Newsletter~