Dry Pack Canning - Ants and Grasshoppers...

Friday, November 2, 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 Dad and I got up at 5 AM in order to make our 8 AM appointment at the Church Dry Pack Cannery in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. We left the house around 6 AM and actually arrived about 7:40 AM. Considering we had to battle the traffic on I-83 coming into Baltimore from Pennsylvania, the 495 Beltway, I-95, and the 695 Beltway, we thought we made good time!

It has been a year or so since we last visited the cannery. We wanted to replenish our supplies of sugar, white flour and also try some white wheat. We like the convenience of #10 cans for storing things like flour and sugar, although we might be able to get comparable prices from sales or the 25 lb bags at Costco. With the humidity here in Maryland, storage of such items can be a problem. We also have white buckets full of all kinds of items, but the #10 cans have become our preferred way of storage.

We had heard a rumor from home teachers that the canneries were closing down, or some were. After talking to the new head man at the Marlboro cannery, Dad was assured that was not correct. The Church had simply re-evaluated offering things that did not have a very long shelf life. However, a recent study has shown that some items have a longer than previously-thought shelf life. See http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7797-1-4222-1,00.html.

We were able to get white flour - which doesn't have a very long shelf life but not able to get re-fried beans. We are hoping that changes in the future, since we enjoy the convenience of the re-fried beans. I guess we are not bean connoisseurs like others in our family. Katie, Jeni and Missy have been using a softer wheat (yellow wheat) to make bread. One of the places they can get it is from the Bosch store in Sandy, not an option for us! So we thought we would experiment with what is available here. I will be making bread today - so I will let you know what happens.

One might think that we would be satisfied with all the food and other supplies that we have in our basement storage room. However, Dad and I have a compulsive need to feel safe and secure. In our minds, it is similar to the parable of the Ant and Grasshopper, which we discussed as we were driving our "loot" home. I suppose it is just one of our life's missions. And actually, it is better than hanging out at the bar, gambling or other foibles. HA! If you need any encouraging as to Why Do Food Storage, check out this site: http://www.providentliving.org/

Our age is really starting to show. By the time we had done 400 lbs of wheat, 300 lbs sugar, 300 lbs of white wheat, and 9 cans of hot cocoa mix, I was totally exhausted. And I did not do the lifting of the bags from the warehouse to the cart and then into the cans, and loading the Durango, like Dad did. When we arrived home about 1:45 PM, we were very stiff and sore. We could barely get into the house....

Then after a short rest, muscle-man Dad unloaded everything into the basement! He has more strength than 2 men!

One would think that walking 4 miles every other day and working out at Curves 3 times a week would keep me somewhat physically fit! However, after this 4 hour shift at the cannery, I realize that maybe all this is barely keeping my head out of the water. We do this exercise hoping to stay as active as possible as we age. I can't imagine what we would be like without the exercise?!

So the food/other storage has leaked over from the main storage room to the downstairs guest bedroom closet... Dad has upgraded his inventory list... We feel more content...