Holiday Gift Combos Video

Check out our new video, all about our Holiday Gift Combos!

Community

If you're like me, then all this talk of getting prepared can get pretty overwhelming. And it seems like there is so much to know, that I can never get a handle on it all. This is where the power of community comes in.

Community means you're not alone. It means there are other people who can relate to your situation, and offer advice and help. From telling you where you can get the best price on wheat to helping you build a barn, your community can be an invaluable resource. Its more than just your city or town: Community can be your family, a network of friends scattered across the country, your co workers, or fellow members of a church of club.

At Emergency Essentials, we have a couple of programs and services to help support you and your community.

Group Program

The Group Program is a simple, convenient and affordable way for family, friends and neighbors to work together to obtain discounts on items relation to home storage and emergency preparedness. Each month we provide four of five items available at a quantity discounted price. Group Members are invited to combine their orders through their Group Leader to meet the minimum purchase requirements. There is no shipping cost for the entire order (regardless of the size of the order, if shipped within the contiguous 48 states) when one of more minimums are met. Anyone can become a Group Leader and there is no cost involved in joining the Group Program. We do ask that the Group Leader be someone who has an excitement for preparedness and is willing to share the monthly specials with each member of the Group. Working together really works!

Online Forum

Our forum was created with the express purpose of making an online community made solely for people who want to get prepared. It is place where you can go and ask questions, and get answers from real everyday people just like you. It is moderated daily to ensure that all comments are constructive and everyone feels welcome.

What other places do you look for that "Community Support"? How has your community helped you become better prepared?

Granola

I was reading through some customer reviews, and found this great one on Granola:

"This granola is amazing! I opened a can so that me and my family could try it and was blown away! It's great as a trail mix/snack, as well as cereal when you add milk. Then, to try something random, I boiled some water and added it to a bowl of this stuff. It was delicious like that too! Then, as it sat in the water, it became some of the best oatmeal I have ever eaten!!! This stuff is so incredibly versatile! I will be ordering much, much more! for emergency storage. Absolutely awesome!"


Have you tried our Granola? What are some of your favorite ways to use it?

Vario: The Details

Katadyn Vario: Water, water everywhere...

... And not a drop to drink. Ever thought about what you would do in a disaster where you can't gain access to clean running water? And your personal store is gone or likewise inaccessible. The Katadyn Vario may be the solution.

Now I know that picture looks complicated, but the Vario is designed to be incredibly easy to use. just put the hose in the water, grab a bottle to put underneath, and pump.

The Vario uses a multi-stage filtration system to help clean almost any water. The ceramic disc removes dirt and heavy particulates; the pleated glass fiber micro filter removes organisms like Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. Coli, Salmonella and other harmful bacteria; and the granulated carbon core removes chemicals like pesticides and chlorine, improving the taste of your water.

The Vario was tested in turbid, murky water, and has an estimated filter life of 500 gallons of water. But in clearer water, you can expect a lot more. The ceramic disc can help extend your filter life, but is only necessary in very dirty water.

I've used my Vario several times in the past year, backing packing and hiking. It is light-weight, compact and best of all, incredibly fast! Almost 2 liters per minute. And with its current sale price, you really should check it out.

Stop by later this week for an in-depth look at the Vario's many technical aspects, as well as a step-by-step guide for using it in the field.

Add Our Button to Your Blog or Website and Win!

Add Our Button to Your Blog or Website and Win!

Do you have your own blog or website? Have you been thinking about starting one? Simply put one of our Preparedness Pantry blog buttons (found on the right column of the blog) on your blog or website and we will send you a $10.00 Emergency Essentials® gift card for free!

How to claim your free $10.00 gift card:

1. Put one of our blog buttons (2 to choose from) on your blog or website.
2. Fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
3. That's it. Don't forget to let your friends and family know so that they can win a free gift card too.

Instructions for adding a button to your blog:

1. Copy the code in the white box under the button (on the right column) you want to add
2. Go to your blog Layout
3. Select Add a Gadget
4. Select HTML/JavaScript
5. Paste the button code into the Content window
6. Click Save

Please note: One entry per household. Free gift cards will be mailed after placement of Preparedness Pantry blog button has been verified. Please allow a few weeks for your card to arrive. We welcome entries from everyone; however, gift cards can only be mailed to an address within the 50 United States.

Kelly Kettle: How it Works, Part 2

We are giving away one of our new Kelly Kettle Base Camp Combos this week. But what is the Kelly Kettle? How does it work? We set out this week to answer those questions in our series "The Kelly Kettle: How it Works". To enter the giveaway, Click Here.

To learn how to set up and light the kettle, see Kelly Kettle: How it Works.

Below is a tutorial on how to both cook and boil water at the same time with the Kelly Kettle.

Assemble the Pot Support, as shown.

Insert the Pot Support into the Chimney opening. If you have already lit the stove, be sure to use the supplied gripper-handle to avoid burns.

Light the stove, if you haven't already.

Place your Cook Set pot, with the food you wish to prepare in it, on the Pot Support.

While your water is boiling, your food will cook. Here we are reconstituting and cooking some 

Mountain House Creamed Beef.

If the water in the Kettle boils before you are finished cooking, simply remove the Kettle, and insert the

  2 Piece Grill. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Finish cooking your meal. Enjoy a nice hot beverage from the Kettle while you wait. Then use the Gripper-handle to remove your food from the fire, and enjoy.

So there you have it, folks. Boil water, cook food, everything you need to do in an emergency or while out camping. Do you have a Kelly Kettle yet? What kinds of things have you made with yours?

Guest Blog Post Giveaway

Do you have some great food storage recipes? How about a preparedness or food storage tip? Maybe you have a great preparedness experience or product review to share with everyone. If so, this is the Giveaway for you. You can "win" a $20 Emergency Essentials® gift card by becoming a guest blogger on our blog!

Here's how the Giveaway works:

1. Submit your guest blog post relating to food storage, emergency preparedness, product review, etc. (See below for submission details.)
2. We will periodically select a guest post and publish it on the blog.
3. If your post is selected and published, we will send you a $20 Emergency Essentials® gift card!

Rules:

1. Guest posts must be submitted by email to social@beprepared.com with "Guest Blog Post Submission" in the subject line. Please include your first name and state.
2. Once submitted, the post content becomes the property of Emergency Essentials®. We reserve the right to edit the submitted post for content, typographical errors, grammar, etc.
3. Submitted photos, graphics, text, etc. must not be copyright protected material.
4. No advertising or links.
5. There is no limit to how many posts you can submit. You can "win" more than one gift card if we post more than one of your submissions.

So get going on those posts! Keep in mind that in some cases we may publish your post weeks or months after you have submitted it. You will receive a gift card after your post has been selected and published. We look forward to receiving and reading your submissions.

Please note: If your guest post is selected and published, please allow a few weeks for your gift card to arrive. We welcome entries from everyone; however, gift cards can only be mailed to an address within the 50 United States.

Group Specials for November

This month we have some great Group Specials going on. Check them out below, and learn more about our Group Program by clicking here.

Venture 6 Tool

A shovel, hammer, hatchet and saw, all in one.

LED Blue Glow Stick 200

200 hour battery life, this glow stick also has a flashlight, whistle and water-tight compartment.

Dehydrated Apple Chips

A delicious, healthy and easy-to-use food. Great for recipes, emergencies, or even just as a snack.

Victorio Hand Grain Mill

Grinds wheat, rice, oats, barley, non-oily seeds and spices, all without any electricity. 

FD Seasoned White Chicken

Real cooked white chicken. Just add water, and you can use it in virtually any recipe that calls for chicken chunks.


Which Group items are you most excited for?

Guest Blog Post: MyChoice

Why I buy MY CHOICE products:


"I'm excited that we will have more MY CHOICE items available in November! You may ask WHY I'd want to buy smaller containers of food storage products. For me, it's an easy question to answer for many reasons, including that there are only two of us left at home.  I am relatively new to long-term food storage. We've opened several of the #10 cans and it's taken us more than a year to use up the products -- like onions, peanut butter, dry milk and carrots. Based on that, I haven't opened or experimented with butter powder, dried eggs or egg whites or tomato powder.  I figured we'd end up with half the stuff being unusable a few months after opening because we couldn't use it fast enough.


"I just bought a can of MY CHOICE butter powder for the sole purpose of opening and experimenting with it. Though smaller than a #10, these cans are a generous size, and the butter powder is fabulous!  I first diluted it too much so it was soupy, but I was adding it to rice during cooking, so that was no problem.  It made the rice taste so much better! Truly buttery.  My next experiment was on hot biscuits.  For these, I actually followed the directions on the can.  My re-hydrated butter was delicious and melted inside the hot biscuits just like regular butter-- something I was very sceptical about before. Good bye to butter in my freezer!


"This experience has me excited to try other products. I'll also change some of my food storage decisions, for example now that I understand butter powder, I'll increase the number of both MY CHOICE butter cans and the #10 cans.  The second decison is to buy some of the new November MY CHOICE items including the tomato powder, egg whites, egg powder and chopped onions next.  The tomato powder and egg products are for me to practice using in daily recipes.


 "I'll buy the onions because it took me 18 months to go through a #10 can.  I'm now hooked on the canned product but don't want to open the big can.   I prefer these 'expensive' canned onions. Turns out that when I buy fresh onions, I end up with about 20% waste because we don't use them fast enough. About 80 percent of my onion use is for chopped onion, so now I have the item available and only buy fresh onions when a recipe requires whole onions or onion slices. For me, it's less expensive and more convenient to buy and use the canned chopped onions.   The rehydrated onions cook exactly like fresh -- I saute, brown, sweat them and they are wonderful. A side benefit is that they don't make you cry!!


"I'm looking forward to additional MY CHOICE products soon (I hope), like cheeses, other vegetables and even meat products so that I can increase my capabilites and skill at using my long-term food storage without having to needlessly open a whole # 10. MY CHOICE will also help me build my skills to use the product in the #10 cans more quickly and effectively as we rotate them or need them during emergency situations."


--
Gretchen
Arizona