Feeling Like The Little Red Hen Tonight
Holy Macaroni I did a lot of hard, manual labor today! And it feels good … particularly because I did it to help people who are down on their luck all over the world. I went to the cannery. It is a great feeling knowing I did a little bit to help. What I really love is that the food can be, and is, sent all over the world to … and not just to church members (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints … or the Mormons).
I was there from 9:00 to 3:00, with about 30 other volunteers (most of them senior citizens), and we canned beef chunks, pork chunks, and hamburger. It was really fun to see how so many helping hands can get the job done quickly and efficiently. It was also fun to laugh and chat with people I’ve never met before. I learned some good tips for baking bread, too.
On the way home from the cannery I remembered I was supposed to have gone to a friend’s house whose husband grew some white wheat this year that he decided to sell to those of us locally who wanted it. We were canning the wheat in gallon cans … and I had ordered 400 pounds of it! Yipes! So I stopped off there and canned mine and helped him can another 52 gallons for others.
Some of you may think it sounds really weird to have 400 pounds of wheat stored in your basement but we Mormons believe in storing a year’s supply of food for emergency purposes, and wheat in these cans can be stored a long time. Lynn and I grind our wheat and use it for baking instead of buying flour. What I canned today was white wheat, which we both like a lot better than the red wheat we have used in the (I had to mix that with flour to make it easier on the stomach.) I also stood next to a lady today who gave me some really good pointers on bread making that I can’t wait to try out.
In the past Lynn and I have been very grateful for our food storage when we have had family budget emergencies … like when he was between jobs or we had unexpected medical or other expenses. Normally we just use our supply and restock as we go so things don’t get too old.
It is surprising how quickly the shelves of grocery stores have emptied out in places of disaster … or even during truck strikes. People get a little panicky when they can’t feed their families! Anyway … I’m tired and sore tonight but grateful I get the opportunity to help. I feel like the Little Red Hen when I work on food storage! When I retired I set a goal of doing volunteer work and this is what I’ve decided on as my project …this and teaching piano lessons to six of my grand children.
