Posted on 10/15/2016 3:14:20 PM PDT by Paved Paradise
Forever, as long as you can add the chemical dihydrogen monoxide to the canned ingredients.
Acidic foods are the worst offenders.I don’t buy canned tomatoes much ahead. OTOH, canned salmon is pretty stable. Green beans, corn, spinach, white potatoes, chicken all have proven to be quite stable.
I read an article by a major European canning association. They are pretty clear on the safety of most canned foods for many years. Storage is key.
Also note that the cans usually say “best by” not “sell by”.
I think the real point is that for a 6 month supply of stored food, one doesn’t need to get too exotic or spend too much. I buy canned beef from a company in Ohio. Nothing in the can but beef,water and salt. Keystone. Wal Mart also carries it in stores in our region. Very good product.
for later
We have home canned fresh caught N. Pacific tuna. I wait a year before I even open it because the flavor is so much better.
If you open it and then wait a year to eat it I can see where there would be a flavor problem.
I thought that was an emergency toilet
Doulton, Aquacera or Berkey filter elements and you're good to go.
As for longer term stuff I suggest getting sample packs and eating them. Some of the stuff is great, some is plain awful. And while calories are calories in certain situations why get something you will not like from the get go.
Cooking with true dehydrated foods as opposed to MREs takes has a learning curve. Once again, suggest that you buy a sample pack and learn how to use it. I like Harmony House for dried foods.
Walmarts canned chicken is good and they now have canned ground beef and pork which doesn't cost much more than fresh.
Ah C-rations - I bought a couple of boxes on e-bay recently to show my kids what we ate every day in Vietnam 50 years ago and I was disappointed to find that the main meal in each had burst. Unfortunately, most of the existing supply of C- rations have outlived their useful span.
At least I could let the kids see what John Wayne crackers and “s**t discs” (Tropical chocolate) taste like.. Yeesh!
I have a lot of experience eating Mountain House, and too much experience eating MREs.
The Mtn House is great, but you need water. I can see water at some point being in short supply.
MREs are good enough. For sure though, if I have to get from point A to point B and things are really bad, I’ll be eating MREs. Starting a fire to heat and/or purify water seems the surest way to attract trouble.
MREs can be purchased at a military Commissary by military folks.
Ping
A lot of their mixes like chicken and rice, beef stroganoff, that kind of stuff, I agree, not that palatable but can be improved with extra rice or noodles... but for BASICS, pasta, rice, wheat, sugar, legumes - you’ll need a grinder and some sourdough starter - their prices and products are pretty good.
I recall as a kid in the late 50s (my dad was active duty USMC) eating K rations. We thought they were great / cool.
Beats the heck out of starving. I’m betting the poor bastards in Venezuela right now would kill for some K or C rations.
Bullets, beans, rice, coffee, and bourbon. Tobacco too. You can barter.
Easy to store but takes a bit energy to cook: dried beans, peas, nuts and rice. And learn how to MN are fire without a modern device. A bunch of fish hooks and line might be a good idea.
You have to be sure to keep it from getting wet.
Another very simple and cheap staple is white rice. I store it in 1/2 gallon Ball glass canning jars with a desiccant and an oxygen absorber. Store the jars away from light. It will keep for 20 years at least that way. I date the jars and we opened one this week from 2011 and the rice is perfect. I buy jasmine rice from Thailand in 25 pound bags at the Asian store. Remember a very large portion of the world’s population basically lives on rice.
FYI, because brown rice is fatty it will go rancid in a few months. For longer term storage I put it in the same jars and store in our upright freezer. So far it has lasted as long as needed.
That’s true. You need to keep it dry and somewhat cool. So what I do is put dehydrated water into Tupperware bowls with some rocks in there the keep the bowl from floating. Then I put the bowls into a bathtub full of room temperature water.
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Dehydrated Food recomendations
(includes seasonal sales, recommended varieties, equipment, etc.)
there are many options. commercial freeze dried foods are pretty pricy. My local Winco carries a 72 hour bucket for four people for about $50 from Augnesson Farm - a lot less than from the the catalogue/on line.
A cheaper method would be to stock up on canned/boxed goods. veggies, fruit, canned meats, etc. a cheaper price and long shelf life too (ignore the ‘best by’ date - thats for flavor and freshness).
The old staple of beans and rice is still good in a pinch.
The prepper axiom is by what you eat and eat what you store (cycle you storage).
...2 food grade plastic buckets (free at the bakery)and a spigot from ebay works well...
Ours is a stainless steel “Travel” Berkey and is on our kitchen counter and used every day. The wife frowns on two big food grade plastic buckets stacked on each other on the counter of her kitchen. That’s her girl cave. No matter how well they work.
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