Last fall I tried some Tattler reusable canning lids. I canned jam, tomatoes, and salsa with them. The Tattler company has been making these lids since 1976. They are two pieces–a plastic lid and a rubber gasket. You’ll need the metal rings that came with your jars or you can buy some extras on the Tattler site if you’re short on rings. The lids are BPA free and made in the USA. Tattler has them available for wide mouth and regular jars. The upfront cost of $7.00-$8.00 per dozen is, of course, more than the metal lids, but with regular re-use they pay for themselves pretty quickly.

Canning with the reusable lids is similar to using regular metal lids with the exception of having to loosen the ring just a bit before canning to allow the jar to vent and then tighten it after your jars are done processing. (For a full tutorial on using them, you can check my review of the lids on my blog.)

By the time this fall had rolled around, I had a number of lids from jars we had opened, and more canning to do, so all the reusable lids got used again without any problems with seal fails. Also, all the jars from last fall that used the reusable lids that we hadn’t opened are still sealed up fine. Sweet. Needless to say, I’ve stocked up on a bunch of these lids.

Last year's tomatoes canned with Tattler Reusable Canning Lids

Now, if you’re canning something to go into your county or state fair, or if you are planning on giving your canned goods away as gifts, use regular lids. When I did the salsa this year, I used some regular lids and some reusable lids thinking I would be sharing some for Christmas. However, sweet husband has since informed me he’s not parting with his salsa, so I guess I could have used all reusable lids!

Salsa--the white lids are the reusable ones

If you do a lot of canning and want to continue in a grid down situation without stocking a crazy amount of metal lids, the Tattler reusable lids are the lids for you. If you don’t do a lot of canning, these lids could also make a great barter item or even a great Christmas gift for that canner or preparedness nut on your list. After my year of testing, I’d say these are definitely a product worth checking out.

Anyway, this year, I thought I’d have a little stocking stuffer fun, so I am hosting a preparedness stocking stuffer swap over at my blog.  If you are interested in giving and receiving some fun preparedness/self reliance related stocking stuffers this year, please join in the fun.  Here’s the basics: I will assign each participant a new friend for whom they will prepare and ship a stocking full of prep related goodies. And another new friend will be shipping goodies to you.  How fun is that?  And if your Santa is really on the ball and already stuffs your stocking, you can just call it a preparedness gift exchange. :)

1. Sign up to participate by sending me an email. Please include your ship-to adress and your blog address if you have one. I know this is kind of short notice, but I set the deadline to sign up as Monday, Dec. 7th.  Please only sign up if you are for sure going to participate, we don’t want anybody left out.
2. I will e-mail you the info for the person to whom you will be sending stocking stuffers. I should be able to get all this information out by Dec. 10th at the latest, probably before.  Get to know them, read their blog if they have one, and get some ideas.  Think preparedness and self reliance . . . things like cooking or canning supplies, items for an emergency kit, flashlights, candles, you get the idea.
3. Choose gifts. Be sure to include preparedness type items–that’s the point here–have fun and get better prepared. I would encourage you to use your imagination rather than your wallet.  Be creative.  There are quite a few preparedness items that are cheap or free or you can make yourself.  You probably already have a few extra items around your place you could use in the swap.  I don’t want to have a dollar limit, but I also don’t want anyone to feel they got shorted, so I am recommending about $20 total. And they should all fit into a standard size stocking, which you will NOT need to provide.  You all do have your own stocking, right?
4. Ship your stuffers by Thursday, Dec. 17th so everyone will have them by Christmas.
5. When you receive the package, you can let someone else stuff it in your stocking so you’re actually surprised on Christmas morning, or not. :)

Need some more stuffer ideas? Check this post at The Survivalist Blog or this post at Survive the Worst or this one at The Survival Mom.  Some of these ideas from Preparedness Pro could fit in a stocking also. Need more ideas?  Kentucky Prepper Network is running a 12 days of prepper Christmas series with some great gift ideas.  Of course we want our TOTAL to be around $20 so don’t get too carried away :)

I really hope a bunch of you join in on the fun here, but even if only a few want to participate it will still be fun. Please feel free to invite a friend, or post about this stocking swap on your own blog, or use my button as seen above.  Just copy the text in the box below and paste it on your blog.  Men, you’re invited too of course!  If you don’t have a blog and want your stuffer to know any particulars about you, just include it in your email to me.  Thanks!

So here’s the details.  The prices listed below are the retail prices for the mill and accessories.  Purchase during the group buy time and take 10% off those prices.  All orders that include a mill will ship free, orders of accessories only will incur a nominal shipping charge.  You do NOT have to live in Utah to take advantage of these prices.  The mill will ship directly to you.  Contact me by email with the items you would like to order and I’ll get your total to you and the address you can mail the payment to.  Orders are due by December 1st to ensure plenty of time for delivery before Christmas.

Country Living Mill: $395.00
Spare Grinding Plates: 99.95
Stainless Steel Corn/Bean Auger: 34.95
Power Bar: 24.95
High Impact Polymer Flour Bin: 24.95
Just In Case Kit: 27.95
Motorization Kit: 419.00
Wall Mount Kit: 57.95
Hopper Lid: 14.95
Country Living Case (case only): 34.95
Complete Country Living Case: 195.00

I would highly recommend adding the corn/bean auger to your mill as that increases the usability of the mill by allowing you to easily grind larger grains like beans and corn.

Here’s the descriptions of the accessories in no particular order taken from Country Living’s site (my comments in parentheses).

1. The Power Bar. Reduce the effort of grinding grain by 40%! This steel extension attaches quickly and easily to the flywheel of your Country Living Grain Mill, creating more torque and making for an easier grind. (This is what makes it so easy for your kids to help!)2. Wall Mount Kit. (If you’re real crafty, you can probably just make this yourself.) If you don’t have any available counter space the Country Living Wall Mount Kit offers an easy and effective solution to your dilemma. Comes with pre-drilled holes and equipped with the necessary hardware to mount your mill and shelf to the wall. It is designed to be mounted to a single stud, or into two studs spaced at standard 16″ centers. natural wood.3. Corn and Bean Auger. Now your Country Living Grain Mill can be even more versatile! Use the large auger to mill corn, beans, and coffee. To use, simply replace the standard spring auger with this larger auger. The large auger is cast from stainless steel. (You’ll want this if you’re planning on grinding cornmeal or bean flour.)4. Grinding Plates. With normal, one-family use, your plates should last 3-4 years. Is it time for you to order a replacement set? Your Country Living Grain Mill will be an essential, life-sustaining product during times of emergency. Having a spare set of grinding plates on hand will give you peace of mind. Be prepared and order a set today!5. High Impact Polymer Bin with Lid. This beautiful, clear bin with etched wheat pattern is designed to fit snugly underneath your Country Living Grain Mill hopper. After grinding, simply place the protective lid on the Country Living Bin for perfect storage of your freshly ground flour. This attractive bin has an 8-cup capacity! (I use a bread pan to catch my flour, but it doesn’t hold as much as this bin does.)6. Motorization Kit. While there is still power, motorize! The motorization kit includes 1″ wooden baseboard, motor with pulley, belt and belt guard, and miscellaneous hardware (washers, screws, Allen wrench).7. Country Living Case. This handsome hand-stained hardwood case is perfect for storing your Country Living Mill accessories. It will hold an extra set of Grinding Plates, the Corn & Bean Auger, the Power Bar Extension Handle, and the Just-in-Case Repair Kit. This case comes empty, and does not include any accessory parts.

or Complete Country Living Case (with all the stuff). Get the Country Living Grinding Plates, Corn & Bean Auger, the Just-in-Case Repair Kit, and Power Bar Extension Handle together in a handsome, hand-stained hardwood case at no additional charge.8. Just In Case Repair Kit. Includes 2 replacement bearings, proper size bolt, nut, 2 custom-cut washers to match bearings while pressing, 12 standard washers, stainless steel spring auger, snap ring, 2 long keys, and 2 short keys. (and instructions).9. Hopper Lid. Keep the hopper of your Country Living grain mill clear of dust and hungry rodents with this handsome lid constructed from natural wood. Designed to fit snugly inside the lip of the hopper. (Again, if you’re crafty, you could probably make yourself one of these.)

We were able to get everything we wanted except wheat which they were out of until the first of the year. I will be going back in a few weeks to finish off that part of the order. I did learn exactly how much will fit in a 4Runner, although I had more than the traditional blind-spot to worry about on the drive home. For this round, I canned rice, sugar, pinto beans, black beans, white beans, potato flakes, dry milk, dried onions, apple slices, and both quick and regular oats.

The nice thing about the Home Storage Centers is that they have everything you need to complete the project including the cans, lids, oxygen absorbers, and boxes. They even had a temporary clip that you can use on the bag that holds the oxygen absorbers since they cannot be exposed to the air for longer then ten minutes or so or they will go bad.

Dry-pack canning is really very simple—you fill the can up, drop in an oxygen absorber (except for sugar), put the lid on, seal it, and then label the can so you know what’s inside—but I learned a few things that helped me get more efficient after the first day. Instead of repeating each of those steps for each can, it is much easier to do thirty cans or so in a batch. Set up a long table next to where you have the canner mounted and then set up thirty or so empty cans. You can then open one of the bulk bags and pour across the cans filling them all in turn, without bending over or having to pick the bags up and setting them down again and again.

You’ll then want to tap the cans on the table good and hard several times to get the food to settle, topping off as needed until the can contains is much as possible. I learned that with most items, if I fill the can until the contents are heaped above the rim and to the point of overflowing, they will usually settle down nearly perfect, leaving just enough room for the oxygen absorber and the lid. A few of the lighter items like flour and milk really compact though and you’ll need a cup of some sort to scoop extra and top off the cans. For the items such as apple slices, onions, and potatoes that come in a box, I found scooping the contents out with a plastic pitcher to be the most effect method.

I didn’t bother with labels for the cans and boxes, even though you can get them for free with your purchase from the Home Storage Center; I simply wrote on the cans with a black Sharpie. I then loaded the cans into cardboard boxes that I also purchased there six at a time and labeled the box as well. Obviously the more hands you have the faster the work goes but it is something that can easily be done solo. The only real possible obstacle I can see for some would be lifting and transporting the twenty-five pound bags. If you can get your hands on a canner, I would definitely recommend this approach.

So much does this cost? Was it worth the effort to can it myself? Using the price sheet, let’s break it down.

Equipment
436 cans @ $0.40/each = $136.08
436 lids @ $0.11/each = $35.64
436 oxygen absorber @ $0.07/each = $22.68
72 cardboard boxes @ $0.56/each = $33.04

Food
3 bags oats, regular @ $10.40/each = $31.20
3 bags oats, quick @ $10.40/each = $31.20
25 bags wheat @ $6.05/each = $151.25
15 bags rice @ $15.90/each = $238.50
12 bags sugar @ $10.50/each = $126.00
4 bags pinto beans @ $12.65/each = $50.60
5 bags pinto beans @ $14.35/each = $71.75
3 bags white beans @ $14.35/each = $43.05
3 bags potato flakes @ $28.05/each = $84.15
5 bags dry milk @ $44.45/each = $222.25
1 box dried onions @ $69.15/each = $69.15
1 box apple slices @ $64.95/each = $64.95

That’s $293.2 for supplies and $1184.05 for food and a combined total of $1477.25. We roughly purchased for 3.5 adults for one year. Let’s compare that with off the shelf options. Emergency Essentials has three packages: Ultimate, Premium, and Traditional costing $2,399.95, $1,549.95, and $799.95 respectively for a single adult year supply. While the each of these contains significantly more variety (dehydrated fruits and vegatables, drink mixes, pancake mix, etc), you can see that there is significant savings in doing the packaging yourself. Even if we go with Emergency Essentials basic package, it works out to be $11.11 per can whereas mine was $3.30 per can. How much did you spend on Christmas this year? Sure, I’d rather be eating the gourmet meal found in Emergency Essential’s Ultimate package, but this does show that there is no excuse for not having a year’s supply.

For some of us though, we may just be starting out, or we may not have our family on board with what may be for some a significant lifestyle change. Fortunately, the LDS church which has always urged preparedness from its members has had the foresight to put together a series of family friendly preparedness activities which are perfect for those families just starting out.

You can access the activity list and lesson plans here.

Stocking Stuffers

We Americans have this bizarre tradition of filling a once a year used sock with candy, junk, and usually one valuable gift as if “Santa” left it all there. For this first installment of a Preparedness Christmas, we talk about filling those stockings with prep related items. I’m sure everyone could easily sit down and make a list of things, but it’s the kind of thing that it helps to have a brain jolt to get started. So, here’s a quick list of preparedness related things that you could use as stocking stuffers.

1. Backpack (If you don’t have 72 hour kits yet, you could fill the sock with tons of stuff needed for it, the backpack would be to hold it all)
2. Flashlight (those $12 16 LED Tactical lights they have at the gas station would be great for this)
3. Manual Can Opener – If you have a grocery store’s worth of cans in your storage room, manual can openers are critical!)
4. Multi-Purpose Tool – These can be picked up at Wal-Mart for as little as $14.00
5. Pocket Knife – a cheap one for kids can be as cheap as $5.00 – adults should always have a good $50.00 or so knife in their kit
6. Compass – a functional cheap one will run about $8.00 and up
7. Small First Aid Kit – can be found for $15 – $30 bucks
8. Small Sewing Kit – A simple one can be bought or put together for around $10.00
9. Toothbrush
10. Floss
11. Fishing Gear
12. Mylar Blanket
13. Toilet Paper – the small pack size ones
14. Small toys for small kids – got to keep them entertained for 72 hours!
15. pens/pencils/small notebook
16. Metal cup (I recommend a Sierra Cup)
17. Sturdy plastic ware – there is a great product that has a fork on one end and a spoon on the other that you can get for about $2.00
18. Rope
19. Extra light bulbs and batteries for the flashlight
20. Hiking Socks
21. Stocking Hat
22. Mittens or Gloves
23. Nail Clippers
24. Strike Anywhere matches with a waterproof holder
25. Light Sticks
26. Handwarmers
27. Hard Candy
28. Miniature set of scriptures
29. Water Filtration set
30. MREs

There are lots of other things you could put in there, hopefully this quick list will get you thinking! One of the great advantages of having a Preparedness Christmas is that you won’t be fighting all the lines at the “regular people” stores.