I found this method of securing jars, by accident, just trying to maximize my shelf space. The metal shelves we bought have a wide lip, which normally means there is a 2" space between the top of your food and the bottom of the shelf up. It turns out that the lip can be used to keep jars on the shelf.
I have to tip the jar to get it in, and then it stays put! About 3/4" of the top of the jar is hidden- and trapped- by the upper lip of the shelf.
Another option is to run rope, thick string, or bungee cords in front of the jars. Usually I just wrap the rope around the endposts of the shelf to secure each one, but do whatever works.
Another thing to consider is keeping your shelves from tipping over. You can buy an L-shaped metal bracket at Home Depot or Lowe's for a couple dollars, use a couple screws to secure one side of the L to the top of your shelf, the other side to the wall. MAKE SURE IT'S SCREWED INTO A STUD! This works well for bookshelves, too, which is a good thing for people like me whose children often climb when I'm not looking....
Another thing to consider is keeping your shelves from tipping over. You can buy an L-shaped metal bracket at Home Depot or Lowe's for a couple dollars, use a couple screws to secure one side of the L to the top of your shelf, the other side to the wall. MAKE SURE IT'S SCREWED INTO A STUD! This works well for bookshelves, too, which is a good thing for people like me whose children often climb when I'm not looking....
This week's information is on earthquake preparedness. Have you read up on the local earthquake hazards? I read a rather lengthy report on hazards in Utah, and just laughed at the section on earthquakes- pretty much any scenario that might happen somewhere in the world, can happen here on the Wasatch fault. Some of these things sounded wild- like the whole valley floor tipping and allowing Utah Lake to fill up most of the Salt Lake Valley, or liquefaction of soils (basically, the ground turns to quicksand during shaking, and tall buildings fall over on their sides). There are 2 main types of "events", as they're called, and we're due for both of them. For instance, one type (non-surface-faulting, if you want the name) happens every 300-400 years, and it's been 350 years since the last one. If the LDS Church decided it was important enough to spend the money to retrofit the Tabernacle, and to build the Conference Center to far exceed earthquake building standards, don't you think it's worth doing the simple things at home you can?
Most injuries are from things falling, not from building collapse. Plus, I don't know about you, but I'd sure hate to lose a summer's worth of canning because they rattled off their shelves. Or to have my storage area full of broken glass, nevermind the food that had been in them. There are some very simple, cheap things you can do to secure your food storage. I don't know how they'd do in the worst-case-scenario earthquake, but it'd be better than nothing. The pictures above show a couple options.
The State of Utah recently published a booklet about planning for earthquakes, "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country". It's full of good info. Pages 22-23 have more information about keeping your belongings from crashing all over during an earthquake. Here's the link:
http://ussc.utah.gov/publications/roots_earthquake_low.pdf
And for those of you in my neighborhood who ever wondered if there was anything good about our dirt here, there is a silver lining to all that nasty rock in our yards- our soil here in Glenmoor (South Jordan), combined with the location, has the lowest chance of turning to quicksand (liquefaction). We're also as far from a faultline as you can be in this valley. (Which really isn't saying much, but every little bit helps!)
P.S. Do you know what our schools' emergency plans are? Where and when do you get your children if they're at school? I called our elementary and middle schools to find out, and the short answer is- stay home until THEY (the schools) contact YOU. They'll go in lockdown if they need to, or stay outside in good weather, or in case of bad weather or a severely damaged school, the Glenmoor church building is the fallback for Welby; the Dunsinane building and/or Walmart (really!) is the one for Elk Ridge. When things are safe, they'll allow the students to call home, or you'll get a message via the radio, TV, Internet, etc.
Now for the recipe....
Quick Soft Breadsticks
Ready in 20-30 min. Yield: 12 breadsticks
1 1/4 cups flour (measure this one by scooping, NOT by spooning it into the cup)
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter melted
2 tsp. sesame seeds
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Gradually add milk and stir to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 3-4 times. Roll in a rectangle, 10"x5" and 1/2" thick. Cut into 12 breadsticks. (A pizza cutter works best for this.) Place butter in a 9x13 pan. Place breadsticks in butter and turn to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 450 14-18 minutes or til golden. Serve warm. We double this for my family, and bake on a 12x18" cookie sheet.
This dough is very soft. If it's too sticky for you, use lots of flour on the counter when rolling, and be sure to cut with a pizza cutter!
Most injuries are from things falling, not from building collapse. Plus, I don't know about you, but I'd sure hate to lose a summer's worth of canning because they rattled off their shelves. Or to have my storage area full of broken glass, nevermind the food that had been in them. There are some very simple, cheap things you can do to secure your food storage. I don't know how they'd do in the worst-case-scenario earthquake, but it'd be better than nothing. The pictures above show a couple options.
The State of Utah recently published a booklet about planning for earthquakes, "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country". It's full of good info. Pages 22-23 have more information about keeping your belongings from crashing all over during an earthquake. Here's the link:
http://ussc.utah.gov/publications/roots_earthquake_low.pdf
And for those of you in my neighborhood who ever wondered if there was anything good about our dirt here, there is a silver lining to all that nasty rock in our yards- our soil here in Glenmoor (South Jordan), combined with the location, has the lowest chance of turning to quicksand (liquefaction). We're also as far from a faultline as you can be in this valley. (Which really isn't saying much, but every little bit helps!)
P.S. Do you know what our schools' emergency plans are? Where and when do you get your children if they're at school? I called our elementary and middle schools to find out, and the short answer is- stay home until THEY (the schools) contact YOU. They'll go in lockdown if they need to, or stay outside in good weather, or in case of bad weather or a severely damaged school, the Glenmoor church building is the fallback for Welby; the Dunsinane building and/or Walmart (really!) is the one for Elk Ridge. When things are safe, they'll allow the students to call home, or you'll get a message via the radio, TV, Internet, etc.
Now for the recipe....
Quick Soft Breadsticks
Ready in 20-30 min. Yield: 12 breadsticks
1 1/4 cups flour (measure this one by scooping, NOT by spooning it into the cup)
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter melted
2 tsp. sesame seeds
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Gradually add milk and stir to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 3-4 times. Roll in a rectangle, 10"x5" and 1/2" thick. Cut into 12 breadsticks. (A pizza cutter works best for this.) Place butter in a 9x13 pan. Place breadsticks in butter and turn to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 450 14-18 minutes or til golden. Serve warm. We double this for my family, and bake on a 12x18" cookie sheet.
This dough is very soft. If it's too sticky for you, use lots of flour on the counter when rolling, and be sure to cut with a pizza cutter!
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