Emergency Preparedness / 2024 / March
March 2024 Message
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Winter is almost over and the days will soon be sunny and warm. What does this have to do with emergency preparedness? One way to practice preparedness and self-reliance is to grow a garden. We are blessed to have food readily available to us in stores and restaurants, but what would we do if we lost access to those things because of natural disaster, war, or some other calamity? Even learning how to grow one plant is a valuable skill that can better prepare you for an emergency.
In a 1980 conference talk, Ezra Taft Benson talked of his experiences in Europe immediately following World War II, counselling that we cannot always take food for granted. If we learn to grow food, the skill will bless us and can even bless the lives of other people. He said, "I cannot forget the French Saints who, unable to obtain bread, used potato peelings for the emblems of the sacrament. Nor will I ever forget the faith of the Dutch Saints who accepted our suggestion to grow potatoes to alleviate their own starving conditions, and then sent a portion of their first harvest to the German people who had been their bitter enemies. The following year they sent them the entire harvest. The annals of Church history have seldom recorded a more Christlike act of love and compassion."
If possible, an excellent way to practice emergency preparedness is to grow a vegetable garden, and we encourage all church members to give it a try, as circumstances permit.
No yard? Here are a few ways to practice gardening without a proper garden:
If you have just a patch of sun on a balcony or patio, plant a single vegetable (try a tomato) in a large planter pot or 5-gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. Just focus on that one plant, and you will learn a lot!
House-plants count! If you have a sunny window, try growing herbs such as basil and chives in pots on your windowsill. Harvest the leaves for use in your own cooking. Grow an aloe plant to have on hand in case of a burn.
Try seed-sprouting. You can buy a seed sprouting kit or make one out of a mason jar (do a google search for seed sprouting diy to find a tutorial) and sprout your own seeds to eat on salads and sandwiches.
Teach kids to plant seeds in yogurt cups or egg cartons filled with soil, and help them water the seeds every day until they sprout. Even if the plants don't reach maturity, teaching children the excitement of growing will plant a virtual seed in them that could encourage them to try growing a garden someday on their own, as well as help instill principles of responsibility as they remember to water the seeds each day.
Read about the plants that grow well in this part of the country and learn to cook with them.
Support local farmers by visiting a farmer's market. You may even be able to visit a farm with your kids to help them understand where vegetables come from. Strawberry picking counts!
If you already grow a garden, challenge yourself to do a little more this year. At our home the challenge for the past couple of years has been to add a new vegetable that we haven't grown before. Some other ideas:
Save your own seeds and see if they will grow next year.
Set a goal to grow and eat as much of your own food (or of just your favorite homegrown vegetable) this summer as you can. How much will you save on groceries?
How can you share your garden with others?
Visit the NC State Extension site to learn more about the plants you may already be trying to grow, as well as how to prevent pests and diseases.
Aside from producing food and developing a skill that could aid in survival, growing a garden can lead to healthier eating habits, good exercise, and a chance to enjoy the beauty and wonder of God's creations. Whether you end up eating the fruit of your labors or not, we promise that spending time learning to grow something will bring value into your life, and now is the perfect time of year to get started!
Sincerely,
Holly & Chris Earls
Stake Emergency Preparedness Coordinators