- Will It Make A Difference?

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WILL IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?!

Ho, Ho, Huh?!

Christmas is right around the corner. I realize some have already completed their gift buying but for those with shopping still to do, instead of buying frivolous goo-gaws, consider giving something that MAKES A DIFFERENCE this year.

You're aware of the shift that has taken place in our economy, our country, and our world, right? Then why not give accordingly?

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What is the LIFESAVER® bottle?

The award winning LIFESAVER® bottle is the world’s first all-in-one ultra filtration water bottle. Now anyone, anywhere can be confident they are consuming only clean, pathogen free water.

The LIFESAVER® bottle — Filters all microbiological contaminates including H1N1 (Swine Flu) without chemical additives.

Q. Can the bottle filter salt water?
A. No, the LIFESAVER® bottle will not filter out salts from the water.

Q. How often do the filters need to be changed?
A. LIFESAVER® UF cartridges generally only need to be changed upon expiration. The 4000UF cartridge is rated to last for up to 4000 liters (1056 US gallons) of water and the 6000UF is rated to last up to 6000 liters (1585 US gallons). The Activated Carbon Block (secondary) filter, recommended for use in situations where chemical residues, heavy metals, or other endocrine system disruptive compounds are present, should be changed after 250 liters of use (66 US gallons).

Q. Will it protect against Cholera?
A. Yes.

Q. Will it protect against cryptosporidium?
A. Yes.

Q. Is there a chance the bottle could break down or produce less clean drinking water through repeated use?
A. FAILSAFE technology ensures that when the cartridge has expired, the system shuts off, preventing contaminated water from being consumed.

Learn more at the following link:

http://www.lifesaverusaonline.com/

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Give Peace of Mind -
Give Water Storage

Learn more at the following link:

http://www.surewatertanks.com/index.html

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Canned Bacon
Yes, fully-cooked bacon in a can!

Looking for something for your favorite camper? Or maybe a way to spice up all those dried beans many of us have in storage? With a ten year (minimum) shelf life, canned bacon is an out-of-the-ordinary gift that can be there when it's really needed. Whether for a taste boost or a psychological lift during difficult times, canned bacon is worth your consideration.

Canned Bacon - Single Can

Canned Bacon - By the Case

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Preparedness Gifts Resource Links

Here are just a few of the online possibilities for preparedness gift buying. Look at these sites and see if there aren't items available that are prudent choices for the times in which we live.

Cabela's
Sportsman's Guide
Wiggy's
Sierra Trading Post
Harbor Freight
MREdepot
Walton Feed
Honeyville Grain
Blue Chip Group
Bulk Home
Mountain House Freeze Dried Foods
Freeze Dry Guy

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Unto the Least of These

Perhaps as you look around you realize the ones you love have all they need - and more. Rather than give more 'stuff' you may want to give (and receive) the experience of making a difference. Below are a couple ideas/opportunities for just that.

Heifer International - Help a family begin the journey out of hunger and poverty to self-reliance. In time your gift of a flock of chickens or geese (for $20), goat ($120), or a multitude of other animals, will not only bless one family but a whole community. The program is designed for the original recipient to 'Pass on the Gift' by giving to someone in their community the first female offspring from the original Heifer Gift; that person then does the same and the process is repeated over and over until many families benefit from your generosity.

You can give your gift in the name of anyone on your list - and encourage them to do the same instead of giving you more of what you don't need.

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LIFESAVER® Bottle Disaster Relief Assistance - You can donate the means of fresh water for people struggling in disaster areas. At the website in the upper right corner are links to the most recent emergency needs (currently the Philippines and Sumatra) ; follow the links to send the way for acquiring life-sustaining water to those who desperately need it.

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Henry B. Eyring

One of the sure signs of a person who has accepted the gift of the Savior’s atonement is gift giving. The process of cleansing seems to make us more sensitive, more generous, more pleased to share what means so much to us. . . .

“. . .Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

“Gifts of Love,” New Era, Dec 1983

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- Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

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Chia Pet Redemption

Now that you have that annoying Chia Pet jingle stuck in your head let me make it worth your while!

While searching for nutrient dense food storage items that are healthful for a broad spectrum of people I discovered the mighty chia seed; truly a powerhouse. Here are just some of its notable attributes:

• more protein than any other seed, bean or grain
• more calcium than milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones
• more potassium than bananas
• more antioxidants than blueberries
• more iron than spinach
• rich in omega-3 and omega-6, which are essential fatty acids
• a complete source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids in an easily digestible form
• chia is low in sodium: salmon has 78 times as much, tuna 237 times as much
• a great source of soluble fiber
• easily digested and absorbed
• celiac-friendly, it's gluten free
• diabetic-friendly, doesn't spike blood sugar
• chia exhibits no evidence of allergic response, even in individuals with peanut and tree-nut allergies
• contains no cholesterol or trans-fat
• may be eaten raw
• seeds store well for years

Chia was one of the four main Aztec crops at the time of Columbus’s arrival in the New World. History tells of Aztec warriors and messengers who would travel with nothing more than a pouch of chia seeds and a gourd of water. Using the equivalent of just a tablespoon of seeds they could sustain themselves for a day.

Chia is hydrophilic and can absorb 9 - 12 times its weight in water. This makes it helpful in maintaining body hydration, something that is especially beneficial for athletes who need to remain hydrated during races and endurance activities.

The seeds, which can be black or white, are oval and measure about 1 mm across. Nutritionally there is no difference between them.

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Chia seeds - So valued they were once used as currency

Add Chia Seeds To:

• Cereal - hot or cold
  
• Yogurt
• Salad
• Dressings
• Fresh Fruit
  
• Muffin, Cookie, & Pancake Recipes
• Rice
  
• Cottage Cheese
• Ground Meats
• Eggs
  
• Sauces
  
• Soup
• Sandwiches
• Salsa & Dips
• Smoothies
• Whatever your little heart desires!

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Recipes

Here are a few ideas just to get you started, the following recipes, plus many more, can be found at http://www.eatchia.com/FreebieRecipes.pdf -

Agua Fresca de chía
(Chia water)

Best prepared just before serving. The longer the chia seeds are in the water, the thicker and more gel-like the beverage becomes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lime juice
1 cup sugar OR 1/4 to 1/3 cup Agave Nectar
10 cups water
1/3 – 1/2 cup chia seeds
several sprigs fresh sage for garnish

Directions:

Pour lime juice and sugar into the water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the chia seeds to the above ingredients. Shake or stir vigorously. Garnish with the sage sprigs. Serve in tall glasses over ice.

Chia Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 T chia seed
1 cup natural apple juice
2 t lemon juice Ice

Directions:

Combine chia seeds and apple juice and let soak 30 minutes until it thickens like jelly. Add lemon and ice for a refreshing slushy drink.

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If you want to learn more you can read about chia seeds at the following links:

Self-Health Systems
Ask Dr. Weil
Chia for Health
Chia Seeds by David Mendosa

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Genesis 1:29

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

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- How Firm A Foundation

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Peace on Earth by Greg Olsen

How Firm A Foundation

Increasingly my personal preparedness focus has shifted from physical to spiritual. It has simply become the 'window' through which I see everything related to being prepared. So when I learn that a General Authority has recently counseled a region to study and understand the hymn How Firm A Foundation because it is relevant to our time - that sends me off to prayerfully read and ponder the hymn, too . . .and I do so as part of my preparedness effort.

Here for your consideration are the words to hymn number 85,

How Firm a Foundation

1.
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

2.
In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

3.
Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

4.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow,
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee, and sanctify to thee,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

5.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

6.
E’en down to old age, all my people shall prove
My sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then, when gray hair shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs shall they still, like lambs shall they still,
Like lambs shall they still in my bosom be borne.

7.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!

Text: Attr. to Robert Keen, ca. 1787. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835.
Music: Attr. to J. Ellis, ca. 1889

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For those of us also actively working on our physical preparedness, here's an important site to bookmark:

Kellene Bishop's
Preparedness Pro

Kellene brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her website and classes. As illustrated by her following entry from May 28, 2009, you'll greatly benefit from regularly visiting her blog.

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10 Things I Wish I Had Known
About Food Storage 10 Years Ago

http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/10-things-i-wish-i-had-known-about-food-storage-10-years-ago/

By Kellene Bishop

I hate having to learn dumb lessons. Don’t you? As I’ve looked back and realized all the simple tricks and strategies I’ve learned over the last 10 years, I cringe at the thought of all of the money, time, anxiety, and energy I’ve wasted. So I decided to share them with you. You’re sure to learn something in this list! I hope you’ll learn from my mistakes NOW!

1. Yeast will last indefinitely if stored in your freezer! Outside the freezer it only lasts a year, but inside that freezing climate it lasts over 5 years—so far. When I use it in my bread, I just use it directly from the freezer into my bread dough with no problem. I cringe at the though of all of the yeast I’ve wasted over several years.
2. I can obtain food storage for FREE or better, and certainly inexpensively, if I just use coupons and an organized system! Now that’s really something to cringe about! I acquired a great deal of my food storage over the years from Costco, but now that I can get name brands for free or dirt cheap elsewhere, I figure I can’t afford to shop at Costco, thanks to coupons! It really IS worth using coupons. I can’t believe I was so pious to think that coupons were “beneath me.”
3. Cooking with a pressure cooker is a sanity saver. They are fast, nutritious, fuel friendly and SO easy to use! I wish I hadn’t been afraid of them way back when. I’m so grateful that a patient teacher showed me their merits!
4. Yes, you can CAN MEATS! And it’s the easiest thing in the world to can. Simply stuff the RAW meat into a mason jar with a bit of salt, put the clean lids on it, put the jars in your pressure canner for the recommended period of time, and VOILA! You have BETTER THAN CANNED meat. (The canned stuff you buy has been processed twice.) This meat will be SO tender, so juicy, and will save you a BUNDLE over the canned stuff! (Let’s see. Tastes better. 25% cheaper. Easy to do. Dang! I wish I could relive the last 10 years!)
5. Cheese wax is a God-send! I can have all of the REAL cheese I want if I simply use cheese wax to preserve it! The cheese will keep for 25 years using this method. Now I’ve got Swiss, Monterey Jack, Colby, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, Gouda, Blue Cheese, and even a delicious smoked cheese literally sitting pretty in my food storage! If I had known about cheese wax 10 years ago, I would have made much better use of the cheese sales over the years and never tried that nasty processed stuff.
6. Preserving eggs that I buy from the store is a snap! After I wrote a lengthy article on egg preservation, I discovered that a quarter cup of warmed mineral oil, coated on my eggs that I buy from the grocery store works great. I then can store them pointed side down in a Styrofoam carton, in a cool, dry place. I don’t have to get the eggs FRESH from a farm. And I don’t have to stack them carefully in anything. How’s that for easy?! I have WHOLE, REAL eggs for up to 9 months! Forget the bran flakes, the paraffin wax, the salt storage. Just some mineral oil is PERFECT. WOW!
7. I never have to live without yummy chocolate again! I can buy all of the candy bars, Hershey kisses, chocolate chips, peanut M&Ms, Dove chocolates, Lindt chocolates, stuff them in a Mason jar, and with my trusty Food Saver jar attachment, seal their goodness for YEARS! (I like getting them on sale after a holiday) This also works for ANYTHING that doesn’t require refrigeration. When I open the jar years later, they still taste as fresh and yummy as they would have on the day I bought it!
8. ONLY store what you eat. If I don’t eat it, I won’t eat it, and thus it’s a waste of money. If you can’t eat wheat, DON’T store it. If you can’t stand the taste of powdered milk, store canned milk or soy milk instead. Fortunately I’ve learned to prepare all my oddball foods that weren’t previously in my regular diet, but it sure would have saved me some headaches if I had done things differently. If I store what I eat, the rotation is a cinch!
9. You can have meals already made, cooked, and stored in a Mason jar! You can bake bread, cake, cookies, casseroles, pudding, and more, in a Mason jar, seal it, and they will last for SEVERAL years! That way you don’t have to figure out how to cook up something every day while you’re enduring a crisis. Do it in comfort now, so you can live in comfort even in the worst of disasters!
10. Solar ovens are the bomb–not just in an emergency, but every single day the sun shines! I LOVE cooking in mine. I haven’t found anything that I can’t cook in it that doesn’t turn out wonderful! I’ve essentially tripled the life of the fuel that I have stored, since I won’t need to use any of it on cooking anymore except on cloudy or rainy days! Not having to worry or pay for a years supply of fuels such as propane, kerosene, fire wood or isopropyl alcohol, makes the price I would pay for a solar oven well worthwhile. So… like any woman, I bought two!

I’ll be writing more about each of these items later, if I haven’t done so already. The point is food storage can be GLORIOUSLY DELICIOUS. You don’t have to do without and it doesn’t have to be expensive and boring either. One dollar a day, per person, will provide you with absolutely comforting and delightful meals regardless of your challenging circumstances. Enjoy!

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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Alma 7:23

And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.

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- Post-Conference Musings

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Post-Conference Musings

General Conference continues to resonate through my heart and mind as I ponder the whisperings of the Spirit that accompanied the music, talks and testimonies.

But where were the warnings to prepare? some may ask. Let me share with you the comments and observations of a wonderful young man that some of you may know from his YouTube videos where he goes by the name of davidkat99. David shared some thoughts after last April's General Conference which came so forcefully to my mind this past week that I requested and received permission to post them here.

What follows next is David's message:

April 2009:

For the past couple of years, I have wondered why in General Conference, the Brethren have been relatively silent in warning, giving counsel in preparing for the last days etc. I have prayed and yearned for Samuel the Lamanite-like talks, or President Benson's or Bruce R. McConkie's talks... yet instead we have been getting talks on Faith, on Hope.. on Charity/Service etc.. Every conference that we have we seem to hear more on hope, on charity. President Monson’s talk on the mother that needed hope despite having to bury her children in frozen ground with a spoon was almost more than I could bare. Why these talks on the big 3 (Faith, Hope, and Charity) instead of one year’s supply of food, emergency preparedness, preparing for eminent catastrophes?

On my knees asking my Father… here the world is crumbling, disasters are eminent, people are not prepared and need to be. I was very frustrated and wondered WHY ARE WE NOT GETTING THE WARNINGS...

Well… ask and you shall receive.

I then had a wonderful phone conversation with my mother-in-law, and she felt impressed to tell me one thing in particular. She said things are so very close to all of the "prophesied" things to begin happening. We talked about the “cycle" (talked about in the Boyd K Packer's Priesthood Talk in given in conference in April 2009) . We noticed that just before things completely fall apart and collapse with utter destruction, the Lord's annointed stop warning, and start speaking about faith, hope and charity. IT IS THE LAST STAGE IN THE CYCLE.

Then it hit me... The Book of Mormon is a template for this as well. Case in point. We read in Ether... we get all the warnings about secret combinations etc and how the wickedness is abounding and that the people will be destroyed if they don't repent.. then just before the entire civilization gets destroyed we get the 12th chapter on FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY.. then the destructions in the following chapter to the complete destruction of that civilization.

Another example we find in Moroni chapter 8.. just before telling us that the people will perish and the prophecies will be fulfilled, Mormon teaches his son Moroni (and us), about Faith, Hope and Charity. (Note also, the Apostle Paul speaking to the Early Christian in I Corinthians 13 on Faith, Hope and Charity before the fall of Roman and the Christian persecution)

Okay... fast forward to [recent] conferences.. what messages are we hearing... FAITH, HOPE, and CHARITY!!!!!

WOW.. it hit me like a ton of bricks.. It was the answer that I needed to hear about why we aren't receiving the voice of warning like I wanted.

Here is how I see the cycle now: As a people we move from being Humble… to Obedient… to Blessed…. to Living Righteously…. to Ease… to Laziness… to Prideful…. to Selfishness… to Immorality/Sin…. to Having the prophets warn us to repent….. to Wickedness…. to Ripening to the Point of no return….. to No more on Warnings, but teaching the humble followers to have Faith, Hope, and Charity….. -THEN DESTRUCTION, CALAMITIES for the wicked, etc- and purifying the righteous and unfortunately compelling us back to being HUMBLE.....

So, we probably won't see the prophets speaking to us to warn us.. we are past that time, we are in the final stage. This is the Lord's way, just as He has done with the 2 prior civilizations (Jaredites, and the Nephites).. It is my opinion, the more we hear about HOPE, don't DESPAIR, etc .. THE CLOSER WE ARE!

Just as a side note that just hit me, In one of my last videos, "Great Trials Lie Ahead".. Please watch if you haven’t already. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTVECvTYpN0&feature=channel_page

I started out with all of the warnings of McConkie, Benson, Eyring.... and felt very strongly to end the video with the statements of HOPE by Uchtdorf... This is a pattern, it is pattern seen in the Book of Mormon and we are following that same pattern today... NEXT STEP for ALL OF US: The Destruction of the Wicked and the Saints being Humbled.. Which especially here in Salt Lake is needed.

and by the way....the Book of Mormon is true.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUqNW_PTTp0

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- Food Storage and the Diabetic

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Food Storage and the Diabetic

Every now and then an email comes in with a specific request for information that sets me off searching for answers and it turns into a blog entry. That's how today's message came about.

Here's the core of the email I received:

Do you know any guidelines, website, that talks about storing food if you are a diabetic? ....

And excerpts from my response:

I've haven't found anything that specifically addresses diabetes and food storage. After reading a variety of sites, here's what I think: she could store a variety of beans and whole grains such as hulless barley, bulgur, whole & cracked wheat, kasha, oats (whole or steel-cut not 'rolled', 'quick', or 'instant'), popcorn, quinoa, sorghum, whole rye, triticale, basmati rice, brown rice, and wild rice.

Canned meats, dehydrated or freeze-dried eggs, dehydrated or freeze-dried cottage cheese, canned cheese, canned butter and canned fish. The foregoing protein/fat sources are all good for long-term storage and would make for a more diabetic-friendly menu.

Also, dehydrating and storing a broad cross section of veggies . . .veggies are so good for diabetics. Don't forget you can buy frozen foods that are on sale and dehydrate them - it can dramatically enlarge the variety available to be stored.

And let's not overlook the increased nutritional value of sprouted grains and beans.
There are a number of sites that have glycemic index charts. It would be prudent for her to become familiar with the chart if she isn't already and incorporate into her daily diet those foods which are good for diabetics and also store well.

• http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
• http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/1404/grain/
• http://www.carbs-information.com/gi-diet-whole-grains.htmhttp://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-Canned-Meats%2C-Cheese-%26-Butter/Categories
• http://www.homegrownharvest.com/

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In the search for long-term storage foods suitable for diabetics I came across a few tidbits that might prove useful to some of you. Even if you don't need this information perhaps you know someone who does, and let's remember, people with hyper- or hypoglycemia will also benefit from paying attention to the types of food that impact blood sugar levels.

A number of people with special needs are discouraged about food storage before they even begin; let's see if we can change that.

What follows is a cross section of promising odds and ends for people dealing with blood sugar issues.

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Glycemic Index (GI) Food
and Specialized Food Storage

Grains on a Healthy GI Diet

Most whole grains have a low GI value as their natural fiber and germ are still intact, thus making it difficult for digestive enzymes to break it down into glucose. Whole grains consist of the entire grain seed (the kernel) which is made of three components - the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. However, refining and food processing techniques applied to whole grain foods in order to make them "quick cook" or "instant" varieties can raise their GI value considerably, as it strips away much of their fiber and converts them into refined grains. So, as a rule of thumb, the best grains for a healthy GI diet plan are those that take longer to cook. This is the cost of achieving healthy blood glucose levels.

GI Diet Advice on Eating Grains

To maintain stable blood glucose levels and healthy diet nutrition, choose unrefined whole grains high in fiber. See below for specific GI diet advice about grain foods.

Best Grains To Eat on a Healthy GI Diet Program

Foods with a lower glycemic response in the grains/rice food group include:

Barley, buckwheat, bulgur, whole-grain corn, cracked wheat, kasha, whole oats/oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, sorghum, whole rye, triticale, basmati rice, brown rice, wild rice.

Types of Grain To Avoid on a GI Diet Program

Foods in the grains/rice food group which raise blood glucose levels more rapidly, include:

Couscous, grits, millet, semolina, any instant rice, short-grain rice, sticky rice, regular white rice.

Relevant Links

http://www.carbs-information.com/gi-diet-whole-grains.htm

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/1404/grain/

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The following excerpts come from MyDiabetesCentral.com

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/1404/grain/

by David Mendosa

Lately I have been eating a lot of beans. They are an almost perfect food for people with diabetes, because they have a lot of protein and so little effect on our blood glucose level.

But beans aren’t perfect because the protein they have is incomplete. They lack some essential amino acids.

Eating some grain with the beans gives that perfect balance. If you have diabetes, the only problem is to decide what is the best grain.

That best way to get that grain certainly has to be a certain form of barley. That’s partly because barley has by far the lowest glycemic index of any grain ever tested. Barley has half the glycemic index of the grain that we eat the most, wheat. Researchers have tested barley in five separate studies and came out with an average of 21 on the index where glucose is 100. That means we can eat twice as much barley as whole wheat kernels and five times as much barley as glucose for the same increase in our blood glucose.

Barley is also a great source of fiber, potassium, iron, and calcium. Like oats, it is an excellent source of soluble fiber, which probably helps to lower cholesterol levels.

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Stevia, the Glycemic-Friendly Sweetener

There are those who want something sweet every now and then but hesitate due to health concerns. There is a natural, zero calorie alternative to sugar or artificial sweeteners . . .Stevia.

Here are some extracts from what Azure Standard's* website has to say about Stevia http://www.azurestandard.com/product.php?id=SW076:

Steviosides are the sweet glycoside constituents of the stevia leaf. They are 250-300 times sweeter than sugar but contain no calories. Research indicates that Stevioside may be used by both diabetics and hypoglycemics. Stevioside has been approved for sale in the United States only as a dietary supplement. . . .

Stevia is a small green plant native to Paraguay, which bears leaves that have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. . . .

Because the human body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides from the leaf or any of its processed forms, the body obtains no calories, from Stevia. Processed forms of pure Stevia can be 70-400 times sweeter than sugar. Whether these products are called Stevia, Steviosides, Stevia Extract, or Stevia Concentrate, if they are in their pure form, they do not adversely affect blood glucose levels and may be used freely by both diabetics and hypoglycemics. For people with blood sugar, blood pressure, energy or weight problems, Stevia is the desirable sweetener.

In all of its current forms, Stevia has a taste unique to itself. Along with its sweetness there is also a bitter component. The poorer the quality of the leaf the more bitterness is evident in the taste. Unlike artificial sweeteners, the sweet glycosides do not break down in heat, so that makes Stevia an excellent sweetener for cooking and baking. Since 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon replaces a full cup of sugar, applesauce or [something] similar should be used as a bulking agent.

Here's a bottle of Stevia I bought from Trader Joe's along with the 1/16th teaspoon scoop that comes inside. I've placed it next to a dime for size comparison. One scoop of Stevia equals about two teaspoons of sugar. The bottle contains 1120 one-scoop servings and cost just under $10.

Our family has used Stevia for years and it's the primary sweetener in our home.

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*You do have an Azure Standard account, don't you?!

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Stevia - Let's Grow Our Own!

Now that's an intriguing idea! Just a little looking around turned several sources of heirloom seeds.
http://stevia.homestead.com/grow.html
http://www.cherrygal.com/herb-stevia-heirloom-seeds-2010-p-5137.html

According to the suppliers these subtropical plants can be grown year round indoors.

What a great preparedness project for the coming year.

Here's a site that tells how to grow and harvest the Stevia leaves. http://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm

Information on using the ground leaves as a sweetener is available here: http://stevia.homestead.com/recipes.html

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Elder Merrill J. Bateman

Of the Presidency of the Seventy

The physical body is one of the great gifts of mortality. The scriptures teach that the body is not only important for this life but also for eternity. During mortality the body can be a temple of God in that it may house the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit leads one to the celestial kingdom. The body is so important in the eternities that Christ gave His life to overcome physical as well as spiritual death. In so doing, He made possible a resurrection for everyone.

CES Fireside for Young Adults • March 5, 2006 • Brigham Young University

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