Q and A: Plugging along and storing canned foods

Plugging along

Speaking about “We were a “little” upset to hear that Obama declared Peacetime Martial Law, but life on the homestead goes on. Wow, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you comment politically before. Glad to hear you give an opinion (with which I completely agree).

Dan Norgard
Prescott Valley, Arizona

I don’t often get into the political/religious sidelines, but that one shook us up. But like I said, there’s not much we can do about it and we’re old enough not to beat ourselves into a frenzy about “what if?” so we just keep plugging along our path to self-reliance, no matter what’s going on in the world. We may not (and often DO NOT) like it, but we’re smart enough to realize we can’t fix everything. — Jackie

Storing canned foods

I am a woman who lives in a rented trailer and it gets very hot here in Oklahoma. Can you suggest a place in my rented home to store my canned foods so they do not get overheated?

Hawk Lessard
Wagoner, Oklahoma

When we live in less than “ideal” conditions, we have to make do. If you have an extra room, even a bathroom, you can add extra rigid insulation board temporarily to the ceiling and walls, leaving the vents for your swamp cooler or air conditioner open to cool the room. Block off the window(s), too. You can either use movable shelving or even store your canned foods in boxes, stacked against the walls, if necessary. This usually works quite well. If this won’t work, you can also stack boxes of canned goods on top of rigid insulation board in a corner or on a wall of a room, with additional insulation board against the wall and on top of the top boxes. It helps a lot. Even in less than ideal conditions, home canned food is still good for years. — Jackie