SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mormon author Crystal Godfrey likens gathering, using and enjoying food storage to living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If one waits until the last minute to develop the necessary skills for survival, it will be too late.
"You need to use it daily, magnify it," Godfrey said. "It's like the gospel in that you can't just put it on the shelf and forget about it."
Those who are prepared and follow wise counsel will eat cheaper and better and be able to weather economic storms as well as those created by Mother Nature.
Godfrey has written a book outlining simple steps to using food storage. "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage" is a guide to creating "an emergency fund we can eat."
It begins with three family home evening lesson plans that bring the family on board: "Come and Dine," "Recipe for Eternal Life" and "Word of Wisdom."
By the time the family discusses what they like to eat, what they should be eating and why, they're pretty integrated.
Godfrey then moves on to building a three-month supply of food, drawing on concepts the family has talked over during the three home evening lessons, such as purchasing ingredients for their favorite meals.
From there, it's another simple step to building a money-saving, nutritious, completely edible one-year supply.
Along the way, Godfrey includes basic tips that don't require a large cash investment or a major change in lifestyle.
Have a leftover buffet every so often to get rid of the one or two-person portions of food that are still edible.
Start dinner the night before so items are chopped, thawed and softened in advance.
Always buy two and avoid last-minute costly trips to the store.
Don't tell the family they're eating food storage before they try a recipe. (Tell them after they've wolfed it down.)
The book is actually somewhat of a miracle given Godfrey's upbringing.
"My mom was big into food storage," she said. "I actually promised myself my own family wouldn't eat food storage. My mom hates it when I say that because it makes her sound like she wasn't a good cook. She was and she couldn't make it taste good."
Then one day in church, Godfrey sat watching her unborn baby move inside her stomach. She realized she would be responsible to feed and care for her child, no matter what.
"I needed to do my part," she said. "I made some cookies with whole wheat and my husband ate like five and didn't notice. I started using wheat and powdered milk. I put food storage into my own recipes. That's the key!"
Today, Godfrey has a blog and a book that sold out at Deseret Book and is getting five-star reviews on Amazon.com. She speaks on food storage every chance she gets.
"I'm kinda surprised, thoroughly amazed," she said. "For me, it's more like a mission than a money-making venture."
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