Part of being prepared is being resourceful and using items for more than one purpose. It’s important to be able to know how to use items like Baking Soda again and again to help you in different regards.

Baking soda is a great tool in your multi-use arsenal! You can use it for cleaning, cooking, refreshing, maintaining and more! Here are a few ideas!

1. Make toothpaste
You can combine baking soda with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution to create a non-fluoride toothpaste.

2. Facial scrub
Instead of going to an expensive spa, make your own facial scrub! Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub in a gentle circular motion to exfoliate the skin. Rinse clean. This is gentle enough for daily use.

3. Deodorant
Pat baking soda under your arms to neutralize body odor. It’s a great alternative to harsher deodorants.

4. Use as an Antacid
Baking soda is a safe and effective antacid to relieve heartburn, sour stomach and/or acid indigestion. Refer to baking soda package for instructions.

5. Treat Insect Bites & Itchy Skin
For insect bites, make a paste out of baking soda and water, and apply as a salve onto affected skin. To ease the itch, shake some baking soda into your hand and rub it into damp skin after bath or shower.

6. Make a Bath Soak
Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath to neutralize acids on the skin and help wash away oil and perspiration, it also makes your skin feel very soft. Epsom salts are pretty miraculous for the bath too.

7. Soothe Your Feet
Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a tub of warm water and soak feet. Gently scrub.

8. Make a Hand Cleanser and Softener
Skip harsh soaps and gently scrub away ground-in dirt and neutralize odors on hands with a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water, or 3 parts baking soda to gentle liquid hand soap. Then rinse clean.

9. Freshen Sponges
Soak stale-smelling sponges in a strong baking soda solution to get rid of the mess (4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water).

10. Polish Silver Flatware
Use a baking soda paste made with 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub onto the silver with a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse thoroughly and dry for shining sterling and silver-plated serving pieces.

11. Clean Shower Curtains
Clean and deodorize your vinyl shower curtain by sprinkling baking soda directly on a clean damp sponge or brush. Scrub the shower curtain and rinse clean. Hang it up to dry.

12. Boost Your Liquid Laundry Detergent
Give your laundry a boost by adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your laundry to make liquid detergent work harder. A better balance of pH in the wash gets clothes cleaner, fresher and brighter.

13. Gently Clean Baby Clothes
Baby skin requires the most gentle of cleansers, which are increasingly available, but odor and stain fighters are often harsh. For tough stains add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your liquid laundry detergent, or a 1/2 cup in the rinse cycle for deodorization.

14. Remove Oil and Grease Stains
Use baking soda to clean up light-duty oil and grease spills on your garage floor or in your driveway. Sprinkle baking soda on the spot and scrub with a wet brush.

15. Clean Batteries
Baking soda can be used to neutralize battery acid corrosion on cars, mowers, etc. because its a mild alkali. Be sure to disconnect the battery terminals before cleaning. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water, apply with a damp cloth to scrub corrosion from the battery terminal. After cleaning and re-connecting the terminals, wipe them with petroleum jelly to prevent future corrosion. Please be careful when working around a battery–they contain a strong acid.

16. Deodorize Your Refrigerator
Place an open box in the back of the fridge to neutralize odors.

17. Deodorize the Cutting Board
Sprinkle the cutting board with baking soda, scrub, rinse.

18. Remove Odor From Carpets
Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let set overnight, or as long as possible (the longer it sets the better it works). Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda, and vacuum up the rest. (Note that your vacuum cleaner bag will get full and heavy.)

19. Remove Odor From Vacuum Cleaners
By using the method above for carpets, you will also deodorize your vacuum cleaner.

20. Camping Cure-all
Baking soda is a must-have for your next camping trip. It’s a dish washer, pot scrubber, hand cleanser, deodorant, toothpaste, fire extinguisher and many other uses.

21. Extinguish Fires
Baking soda can help in the initial handling of minor grease or electrical kitchen fires, because when baking soda is heated, it gives off carbon dioxide, which helps to smother the flames. For small cooking fires (frying pans, broilers, ovens, grills), turn off the gas or electricity if you can safely do so. Stand back and throw handfuls of baking soda at the base of the flame to help put out the fire–and call the Fire Department just to be safe.

22. Septic Care
Regular use of baking soda in your drains can help keep your septic system flowing freely. One cup of baking soda per week will help maintain a favorable pH in your septic tank.

23.  Fruit and Vegetable Scrub
Baking soda is the food safe way to clean dirt and residue off fresh fruit and vegetables. Just sprinkle a little on a clean damp sponge, scrub and rinse.

24. Clean the Microwave
Baking soda on a clean damp sponge cleans gently inside and outside the microwave and never leaves a harsh chemical smell. Rinse well with water.

25.  Relieve Diaper Rash
Put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.

26. Fresh Flowers
Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase.

27. Repel Rain
Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain.

28. Music Fruit Relief
Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.

29. Spot-Treat Acne
You can make a paste with baking soda and water. Apply the paste to surface zits. It probably won’t work as well for deep blemishes.

30.  Obviously, Cooking
Use it as a substitute for baking powder by mixing with it with cream of tartar or vinegar.

Thanks to care2.com for contributing to this article.

What ideas do you have? Comment below to tell us what you’ve used baking soda for!

I don’t know about you, but I’m pumped for the Olympics! Tonight marks the opening ceremonies of the London Summer Olympic Games.

I’m excited for the swimming, track & field events, diving, gymnastics, soccer … even water polo! I love watching the Olympic Games!

To celebrate the Olympics, we thought we’d pass along a recipe that you might be able to use in your parties over the next couple weeks of the games. Use your food storage items to make this delicious recipe for your family and friends.

Olympic Rings Pizza

Ingredients: - 2 ½ – 3 cups of Saratoga Farms All-Purpose Flour - 1/4 ounce active dry yeast - 1/2 teaspoon Saratoga Farms Salt - 1 cup warm water - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil - 15 ounces pizza sauce - 4 cups Saratoga Farms Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - 1 package sliced pepperoni

Directions:
1. Combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt in a bowl.
2. Add water and oil, beat until the mixture is smooth
3. Stir enough enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
4. Knead on a floured surface for 6 minutes – or until smooth and elastic
5. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes
6. Roll the dough into a 16×11 in. rectangle and place in a greased pan. Press dough ½ inch up the sides of the pan.
7. Spread pizza sauce and sprinkle with cheese
8. Arrange pepperoni on top in 5 interlocking rings
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crust is lightly browned
10. Let sit 10-12 minutes and serve.

Don’t forget! You can earn 200 ReadyRewards points by submitting a recipe using our products (must include image)! Just send your submissions to recipes@readystore.com

While many of us are interested in buying food storage for our families, money in order to purchase it is a different issue.

We’ve listed a few suggestions on how you can save money when buying food storage. We’d love to hear your recommendations on how to save money when buying food storage. Comment below and share your tips!

Price matching
Few companies in the industry offer price matching gaurantees. This is a great way to get the best product at the lowest price. You’ll be able to save money while still getting what you want.

Individual components
Many times the easy-to-make meals cost a little bit more than regular foods. However, don’t fret. You can create many of these meals and still store them for the future.

Many times, companies will combine individual cans of food into mixes in order to create a meal. So for example, a company will combine freeze-dried noodles, freeze-dried cottage cheese, freeze-dried sauce, etc in order to create a can of freeze-dried lasagna.

If you have a few of these components already, you might be able to save a few dollars by combining them and creating dishes.

Couponing
Couponing doesn’t have to be like the TV shows. You don’t have to buy 200 cans of food storage in order to save $1. There are always some great deals and discounts! Many companies also have weekly or monthly sales that can provide major discounts.

Purchase in bulk
If you have the means, purchasing in bulk is a great way to save on food storage and make your preparation goals! Take our CLASSICprep 2000 12-month kit for an example. If you purchased all of the products listed inside of the kit individually, you’d pay about $2,200. However, when you purchase the kit together, it costs about $1,900 – a savings of about $300!

Split with a friend
Still saving up for a purchase? Maybe if you split the purchase with a friend, you’d be able to get more. Since you can save so much by purchasing in bulk, it’s a perfect fit.

Take the CLASSICprep 2000 12-month as an example again. If you split the cost you’d probably be only paying about $950 for about 70 cans. That’s a pretty awesome deal!

Your recommendations
So, what do you do to save money on food storage? Share the wealth and let others know how they can save and prepare!

Metalized bags, or Mylar bags, offer a great solution to sealing your own food. Mylar bags help keep moisture, sunlight and oxygen out of your food – extending your food’s shelf-life!

Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to seal your own Mylar bags.

What you’ll need

First, be sure to round up all of your supplies. It’s recommended that you seal more than one Mylar bag in a sitting because the oxygen absorbers that you place in the bags can only stay out in the open for a few hours. So, you can’t really open the O2 absorber bag and then use the absorbers later.
Be sure to gather:

• Your food
• A bucket (doesn’t need to be food-grade)
• A lid
• Mylar bags for each bucket
• An oxygen absorber for each bucket
• A heat source like a clothes iron or a hair straightener

Step 1 – Put the Mylar bags in the buckets

Be sure to spread the bag out along the bottom of the bucket as much as possible. This will help you food settle to the bottom as much as possible.

Step 2 – Pour the food into the Mylar bag

Step 3 – Lift the Mylar bag to settle

Take the Mylar bag and lift it up inside the bucket. Don’t take it out. Shake the bag to make sure that all the contents are settled to the bottom. This will help the food fill into the pockets of air in the bag so you can get more food into the bag.

Step 4 – Throw in an oxygen absorber

You don’t have to bury it or anything. You can just throw it on the top.
You’ll want to press the sides of the bag so the part you’ll be sealing stands straight. This is a good time to push out the remaining air.

Step 5 – Seal the bag

Use a clothes iron or hair straightener to seal the top of the bag. If you use a clothes iron, make sure that it’s not on a steam setting. The heat source should be at a high setting to seal the bag correctly.

When using a clothes iron, it is sometimes helpful to use a piece of wood to iron against. You can wrap the top of the bag around the wood and push against it to iron.

Start heating from the middle of the bag and move your way to the outside. This will help the seal lay more evenly.

We’ve seen a lot of videos where people leave a slot at the top of the seal, quickly vacuum out the remaining air and then seal the rest of the bag. This isn’t necessary. If you have a good oxygen absorber, it will take out the remaining oxygen from the bag. You might notice there is still some space in the bag due to nitrogen in the air, which doesn’t harm the food.

A 2000cc oxygen absorber is potent enough that if you were to inflate the entire Mylar bag with air and seal it with the absorber, it would take all the oxygen out, leaving only nitrogen and traces of other gases (less than 1 percent) that are not going to harm your food.

Step 6 – Place a lid on top

Fold over the Mylar bag and then place a lid on top. You’re done!

What other tips do you have? What have you found to be effective? Comment below and let us know.

Dehydrating can be a very fun activity and save you space and money! While dehydrating isn’t an exact science, there are a few tips and tricks that you can use to dehydrate your food in the best way possible.

Take a look at our list and add your tips too! Comment below to tell us your tips and tricks!

General

1. Dehydrating foods can result in a loss of some nutrients, although the foods will still be nutritious. Vitamin C is most commonly destroyed by heat.
2. The fiber content of fruits usually remains the same after dehydration. Take this into consideration when choosing what to preserve.
3. Humid air can slow down the dehydration process.
4. Dehydrated fruits and vegetables are lower in fat than regular produce. However, their calories are higher per serving because of their density. For example, you would receive the same amount of calories from 1 cup of fresh apples and ½ cup of dehydrated apples.

Preparation

1. When dehydrating food, you should always start with fresh, good quality food. Bruised and old foods don’t tend to yield good results.
2. You can dip your apples in a bath of lemon juice and cold water. This will keep the apples from discoloring when dehydrating. You can also dip fruits in orange or pineapple juice.
3. Although it’s not necessary every time, blanching or dipping your food before dehydration can prevent against bacteria.
4. Try and slice all of your foods to the same size. This will help all the food dehydrate at the same rate.
5. Cook potatoes before dehydrating. If not, they will turn black in the dehydrator. You can also put potatoes in the fridge the night before dehydration to make it easier to peel, cut or shred them.
6. Steam low-acid foods before you dehydrate them. These include things like beets, corn, peas, beans, broccoli, pumpkins, etc.
7. You can ask your butcher to slice your beef for dehydration. They will usually cut it to ¼-inch thick.

Dehydrating

1. Try to dehydrate the food as quickly as possible. The higher the temperature the better. However, if you make the temperature too high, the food will become hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Be aware of the temperature at which you are dehydrating and be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
2. Many fruits and can be pureed or blended beforehand to be made into fruit strips or rolls. Instead of adding sugar to the mix, add honey or corn syrup.

After

1. Be sure to cool all the food before you store it.
2. Store the dehydrated food in airtight containers or plastic bags to keep out moisture.
3. It’s recommended that you freeze your dehydrated meat. Many times, dehydrated meats can still go rancid.

Just for fun

1. You can dehydrate tomato sauce from a jar! It will look similiar to a fruit roll-up. They can then be easily rehydrated with water! It’s a great way to bring sauces on camping trips without having to pack in heavy, bulky jars!

Summary
We’ve also created this awesome cheat sheet that you can use. You can also print off the PDF and keep it with your dehydrator for reference.

You can also print this cheatsheet off to keep with your dehydrator. Click here. (PDF)

*Please note that these numbers do not apply to our American Harvest Snackmaster Express. With the Snackmaster, you can dehydrate food faster and easier.

So, what tips and tricks do you have? Comment below!

While rotating through your food storage, you’ll be able to make great dishes like Vegetable Risotto! Being prepared means you’ll be able to feed your family this creamy risotto with a colorful blend of vegetables, no matter what challenge you might have to face. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Saratoga Farms Asparagus
• 2 cups Saratoga Farms Carrot dices
• 6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup Saratoga Farms Green Bell Peppers
• 2 cups Saratoga Farms Zucchini Slices
• 1 cup Saratoga Farms Sliced Mushrooms
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 3 1/2 cups Saratoga Farms Chicken Bouillon made into a broth
• 1 TBL olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. First, preheat your oven to 425 °F.
2. Spray a 17 x 11 roasting pan with cooking spray.
3. Mix the vegetables (asparagus, carrots, onions, peppers, squash, mushrooms), rosemary and 1/4 cup broth in the pan.
4. Roast 20 minutes or until done, stirring once. You’ll want to prepare the risotto while the vegetables cook.
5. Heat the oil in a small pot. Add the rice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes Add 1/2 cup broth and cook until broth is absorbed. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all broth is absorbed before adding more. (Total cooking time: 25 minutes)
6. Add vegetables and cheese. Heat thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Hope you enjoy!

You might have noticed while shopping for food storage that you have come across cans of meat TVP and others without the TVP distinction. For example, Saratoga Farms offers a Freeze-dried Ground Beef but they also offer a Beef Crumble TVP. What’s the difference?

What is TVP?
TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Protein. Basically, TVP is high-fiber, high-protein meat substitute. It’s made from soy flour after the soybean oil has been extracted. It is cooked under pressure and dried. You might have also seen TVP being called Textured Soy Flour (TSF).

Another major difference is that TVP is dehydrated instead of freeze-dried. So, when you prepare the TVP you will need to cook it for a bit before it’s ready to eat.

Uses of TVP
You’re probably more familiar with TVP than you realize. TVP is used on a wide scale at restaurants and in public schools. The TVP is rehydrated and has a great shelf-life, so many companies use it for the benefit of storage and shipping.

You’ve probably seen TVP on pizza toppings, as bacon bits, in sloppy joes and more!

Benefits of TVP
TVP is more affordable. Since cuts of meat can be pretty expensive, this is a great substitute that doesn’t lack for taste. You get the similar taste for less price.

It’s easy to prepare. All you have to do is add water to the TVP, simmer it for a few minutes and it’s ready to use in your family’s favorite recipes. You can also substitute it in meals by just adding a bit more water and letting it simmer for a few minutes longer.

Substitute for diets. TVP is a great substitute for vegetarians or people on a Kosher diet.

Would you rather have meat?
Higher level of protein. While TVP is a great substitute for protein, if you compare a cup of TVP to a cup of meat, the regular freeze-dried meat will have more protein in it.

Less sodium. Since salt and other flavoring is added to the TVP to make it taste good, more often than not they have higher sodium levels.

Less soy. TVP will have higher soy levels than meat. If you are on a low-soy diet or want to avoid soy, meats will be a better choice.

Everyone knows that you just need to add water to a freeze-dried meal to prepare it! However, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that your freeze-dried meals turn out perfect every time!

I’ve had many opportunities to prepare freeze-dried foods and meals. And throughout the years, I’ve collected a few pointers on preparation. Here they are:

Shake the can
Yes, that’s right! Step No. 1 is to shake the can.

You’ll want to mix all the contents in the can to ensure that they are mixed evenly. Sometimes powders can settle on the bottom of the can while broader contents (like noodles) will stay at the top. To ensure that you have enough flavoring on your food, shake the can before you open it.

When you’re shaking, don’t go crazy, you don’t to open your can to find that you’ve smashed all the contents inside.

Add water little by little
On the side of the can, you’ll find preparation instructions. This will give you a ratio of water and mix. So, for example, the label in the picture explains that you’ll need 1 cup of water and ½ cup of dry mix.

If you’re preparing all of the can’s contents at the same time, you can just add the required water that you need. I’ve noticed that many times stirring and mixing the food is easier as you add water little by little.

Add a little water, stir that in and then add a little more water. This will allow you to fine-tune your meal to your desired consistency! It will also make mixing a lot easier!

Put a lid on
When creating a hot dish, you’ll want to use boiling, or near boiling water. I’ve noticed that the food will reconstitute faster if there is a lid on the bowl or mixing cup. This will trap in the moisture and keep heat rotating inside your bowl.

When you put a lid on the food, it reconstitutes faster and more fully.

Your recommendations?
What have you found? What pointers would you give others on the best way to prepare freeze-dried foods?

Imagine having fresh, home-made pizza any time of the year, no matter the situation. That is why this recipe rocks! You can create pizza with food storage items that last for 20-30 years!

You can also use this recipe to create calzones, cinnamon rolls, bread sticks and more!

Crust

Ingredients
3 ½ cups Saratoga Farms Flour
1 cup warm water
1 packet dry active yeast
2 tbsp Saratoga Farms sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
+ olive oil for the bowl
1 tsp Saratoga Farms salt

Directions
Combine water, yeast and sugar and set aside in a warm place until it begins to foam (4-5 minutes). Meanwhile in a bowl, mixer w/paddle or a food processor, combine salt and flour.

Slowly stream in the yeast mixture and add the olive oil. If using a mixer or food processor, turn on and allow ingredients to combine until they form a ball of dough. If you’re using a mixer, now is the time to switch to the dough hook. Knead (either by turning on your machine or by hand) for 2-3 minutes.

Set aside in an oiled bowl, covered with a damp dish towel in a warm place (like an oven that has been turned on and then turned off and allowed to cool a bit but is still warm) for 30 minutes.

After dough has doubled in size, punch down and allow to rise for another 30 minutes (20 if you’re impatient).

Bake at 475 on a floured pizza pan or stone for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden-brown and the cheese is melted and browned in spots. (Recipe courtesy Broke A Gourmet.)

Toppings
After you’ve made the dough, feel free to add pizza sauce or Saratoga Farms Instant Marinara Sauce – which is just-add-water.

Once you place the sauce down, add Saratoga Farms Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese or
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

After you lay down the cheese layer, add White Onions, Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Diced Beef, Sausage, Diced Ham or Pineapple to create your personalized pizza!

Tortillas can bring a huge versatility to your food storage recipes and cooking. You could create burritos, casseroles, quesadillas, soups, wraps, tortilla chips and many other things.

In fact, Mountain House offers some breakfast and sandwich wrap fillings that can be put inside tortillas.

Here’s one way to make tortillas out of food storage items:

Food Storage Tortillas
Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups Saratoga Farms White Flour
• A little flour to rolling the tortillas
• 5 tablespoons vegetable shorting*
• ¾ teaspoon Saratoga Farm Salt
• ¾ cup very warm water

Directions
Combine the flour and shortening in a large mixing bowl and work the shortening into the flour with your fingers until completely incorporated. If this isn’t done thoroughly (until no particles of shortening remain visible), the tortillas will have an irregular texture.  Dissolve the salt in the water and pour about 2/3 cup over the dry ingredients and immediately work it in with a fork; the dough will be in large clumps.  If all the dry ingredients haven’t been dampened, add the rest of the liquid (plus a little more, if necessary).  Scoop the dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth.  It should be a medium-stiff consistency – not firm, but not quite as soft as most bread dough either.

Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball.  Set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes – this makes the dough easier to roll.

Heat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Flatten a ball of dough, flour it, then roll forward and back across it; rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rotating and rolling until you reach a 7-inch circle, lightly flouring the tortilla and work surface from time to time.

Lay the tortilla on the hot griddle (you should hear a faint sizzle and see an almost immediate bubbling across the surface).  After 30 to 45 seconds, when there are browned splotches underneath, flip it over.  Bake 30 to 45 seconds more, until the other side is browned; don’t overbake the tortilla or it will become crisp.  Remove and wrap in a cloth napkin placed in a tortilla warmer.  Roll and griddle-bake the remaining tortillas in the same manner – stack them one on top of the other in the warmer.

Recipe courtesy of The Urban Spork and Rick Bayless.

Tortilla Chips
If you want to make them into tortilla chips, allow them to cool, spray them on both sides with Crisco Spray*, use a pizza cutter to cut them into chips. Lay on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Take them out, add salt, flip and place in the oven again for 5-7 minutes.

You can also do this with regular tortillas if you don’t want to bake your own.

NOTE:
*While we don’t offer a shortening product, products from Crisco will last for 2 years on the shelf. According to Crisco’s site, this is the shelf-life of their product: