August Checkup: Paper Products and Cooking

Hi everyone!! If you have school-age kids in your house, you're probably out buying school supplies and paper. I want to encourage you to take stock this month of the paper items that you have in your preps and see if they need replenishment. Things that should be on hand for emergencies are: paper plates, paper bowls, paper cups, paper napkins, kleenex, paper towels, and toilet paper (last, but certainly NOT least). Also take stock of your plastic spoons, forks, and knives. These items should be kept separate from any everyday paper items that you may use.

During an emergency you won't want to waste water washing your everyday plates, etc. or washing cloth napkins. Plus, all of these items made of paper can be used for fire-starting. Consider how many weeks/months you're prepping for and buy the amount of paper products that can supply that many meals for your chosen number of days.

I also want to encourage you to 'practice' with your alternate forms of cooking while the weather is nice. I confess that I haven't spent as much time cooking over the fire with my cast iron dutch oven as I did last year. (This year's heat has kept me from spending too much time around fire!!) But, I plan on making a few meals outdoors before the weather turns cold. Cooking that way really requires practice to get the feel of the cookware and the heat/coals needed, so it's best to practice it instead of waiting until an emergency and then trying to make something edible!!

Just because things seem okay right now, we need to stay vigilant because we never know the day or hour when an emergency can be upon us and take us by surprise! And we know that our economy is in quicksand, nationally and here in Illinois.

Prep On!
Gen-IL Homesteader

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