Posted on 02/14/2020 2:10:31 PM PST by Falcon4.0
I would like to hear some opinions on survival food suppliers from the crew here on Free Republic, including
"Do not buy from".
I don't need the best, but I don't want too be disappointed.
Freeze dried, or smoked with bbq sauce will make cat or dog yummy. :)
I have a basic 45 day food supply for emergencies. A mix of Mountain House and Augason Farms, all freeze dried, plus canned soups and veggies. I keep a stock of tea and coffee beans, plus hot drink mixes.
I live in Western Oregon so of course there is a river near by, and I have the means to purify the water. I have a propane camp stove plus 15 gallons of propane. kerosene lamps and candles.
I don’t think I have enough to make me a prepper....just enough to get me and my family through a short-term societal disruption.
One thing I’m noticing about food prep kits is that they are basically a bunch of carbs (rice, potato) and flavorings.
Survival food and real food will be really different! The survival stuff is cheaper.
I am starting to think that Walmart has stuff that is the same as what the prep places sell, and maybe cheaper.
Search Augason at Walmart food.
‘Mountain House’ is pretty good..
the big #10 cans are huge...but they are made for long term storage. freeze dried is expensive but worth every penny.
that said regular cans are good for storage as well. canning technology has improved, you can count on 14 years at least as long as the can is not dented or bloated.
~~one trick with canned veggies is to drink the water they are packed in. Over the years nutrients can leach out of the plant and into the water.
~~Hormel chili can last forever...seriously. The company says so.
Rice packed into an airtight container will last longer than you will. good way to get your carbs. You can cook rice without the “Come-and-get-it smell” that baking bread gives off.
Thank you.
Our animals say, “no way!” ; )
Freeze dried lasts the longest in my experience. Anything with buttermilk powder in it had bulged cans after 2-3 years, so stay away, IMHO. I tried some dried red kidney beans 10 years after manufacture. They were edible, but never softened up completely, even after boiling along time. freeze dried mint chocolate chip ice cream was pretty darn good.
If you don’t have enough water to re hydrate meals, you are in serious trouble.
The actual MREs, like the ones they handed out after Hurricane Katrina, are frickin’ delicious! They come in all sorts of different flavors, spaghetti and meatsauce was my favorite, and usually a shake and some desert.
Those come with their own chemical heating element inside, and are different from the freeze dried stuff at sold at walmart.
You’re thinking right...as opposed to taking the ‘soothing words’ of the Chicom government at face value.
Figure, at a minimum, a HUGE DISRUPTION of everything that comes from China, and then stuff made with Chinese components, and then stuff made with Chinese raw materials, and, finally, stuff reliant on Chinese tooling for manufacture. And then, add to that, this crap spilling over to the rest of Asia.
As to your question, for this, as I see it. For this scenario, we ‘should’ be able to keep power plants running through the worst of it. Same with water. Sure, there will be interruptions and scares, but overall, these utilities require only a handful of key people to keep operating...so those people will be treated like gods and given the best bio-suits and the best medical care, should they get infected. Again, what I believe - if it gets worse than that, then we’re looking at a total social meltdown, and I’m not sure if I even want to be around for that.
So, having said that, and if you agree, then there really isn’t a need to go to the point of MREs, but rather look at Sams/Costco and stock up there (before the masses clean them out). If you need to, buy another refrigerator/freezer. I’d say go in that direction, and if you buy stuff that you’ll consume or use anyway, then no big loss.
I like honeyville.com for grains and seeds.
“And pasta and rice.”
And beans. Don’t forget the beans.
Costco has a number of good packages. Both Mountain House and other brands.
https://www.costco.com/mountain-house-1-year-food-storage-2%2c814-servings.product.100167991.html
https://www.costco.com/easyprep-freeze-dried-fruits-bucket%2c-168-servings.product.100128985.html
Most of the stuff I’ve had from them is pretty good.
“And beans. Don’t forget the beans.”
I have that covered under “canned goods.” But, yeah, dried beans are good, as well.
As an old, retired GI, I can attest to MRE’s. “Meals Rejected by Ethiopia”
I second Mountain House.
Heck, my wife eats them when we have good food available.
Seriously, don't forget fuel and equipment to cook with. Buy food that will cook fast...say, freeze-dried that can be made quickly with boiling water. Running a kerosene, propane or white gas stove for an hour to cook dried beans is wasteful. If you have plenty of wood, cooking beans would be fine. Cooking regular rice for 20 minutes vs bringing water to a boil for 5-minute rice is kind of wasteful too. Precooked, canned meat warms fast...and goes great with 5-minute rice. Kerosene is a good SHTF fuel. It can be used to fire stoves, ovens and heaters. Buy the non-colored kind.
Personally, I've stocked up on Mountain House...purchased while on sale. I have canned meat from Werling & Sons...good stuff. I do rotate it out and use around the house, and have never had a problem. Unfortunately, the price appears to have gone up quite a bit since the last time I bought. https://www.werlingandsons.com/
Thanks for your input. I have 15K Gallons of water in the pool at home and with filters I can get by. If we have to move, we’ll take the filters, food and ammo.
We also bought from Wise. I asked them for a sample first and they graciously sent it. It was real tasty. I have Mormon friends who buy from Wise. Food is not Keto friendly, but in an emergency that won’t be important. Like you said it has a 25 year shelf life.
I saw a 48 hour packs for 4 on the shelf of the small local Walmart grocery store.
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