When it comes to freeze dried food/MREs, what should I buy?

[thepennyfund]

I would like to know what your opinions are on what I should buy for long term food storage, what companies I should buy from, and why? Which long lasting food tastes the best? Thanks Realcent Community.

[shinnosuke]

First, for low prices on basics, see this thread: http://realcent.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=15789&hilit=cannery

[Copper Catcher]

What to buy depends on what you have as a goal i.e. is this for a general emergency situation i.e. short term or a long term event?

May folks see a time where there might be civil unrest and a break down in the just in time deliver system and don't want to be caught having to be in the middle of a bad situation. Some also see where their might likely be some type of banking collapse and our money would be deemed more worthless than it is now, people would rush to buy goods of value.

In any case if we are talking food you ALWAYS need to look at buying what you already normally eat now versus going and getting lots of food for the sake of food. If you are in a stressed out situation you don't want to be stressed out more forcing yourself to eat things you normally don't already eat!

So it is good now to plan ahead.

The way some folks approach this is buying extra cans of food on ever trip to the store...rotating what food you have and keeping your stock fresh....You need to set a goal for yourself of what you want to have extra on hand....one week, one month or six months or even a year.

Again, when it comes to long term food storage you need to make sure you like it first...You also need to think about space and storage issues. You need a cool dry place and make sure if you have food in bags or boxes you think about placing these in a contianer that you can seal so you never have to worry about bugs.

If you are thinking about adding freeze dried foods to have extended storage life...Mountain House is a brand that is considered by most to be an industry leader...as far as MREs they are not really food that you want to eat long term. They were made for the military personal and while might sustain you they will likely clog you up as well and not be the best for your digestive system long term.

I have some articles I need to find that are pdf files I can provide links later that will give you lots of other information to read and absorb....Again I could go into lots more detail but I'll let others chime in as well.

[Rob72830]

I would like to know what your opinions are on what I should buy for long term food storage, what companies I should buy from, and why? Which long lasting food tastes the best? Thanks Realcent Community.

Wow, what a complex question. There is no simple answer. You need to look at your situation, where you live (urban or rural), how much space you have for storage, how long of an emergency are you planning for, how many people are you going to feed. If you are looking at short time (1 or 2 weeks) a few extra canned goods and 4 or 5 cases of bottled water would probably do you. In a case like that, MRE's would be okay. Just remember there are 12 meals to a case. If you are looking at long term then you should get dehydrated food. Dehydrated food in #10 cans will keep for 25 years if kept cool and dry. Also buy dry beans and grains and store them. Beans are inexpensive and good source of protein. Get a foodsaver and vacuum pack your beans and grains if you don;'t buy them already packed in cans or buckets. If you do vacuum pack, make sure to use a O2 absorber in each bag.

I hope this helps you get started. There is lots of information in these threads. Copper Catcher gave go information. I suggest reading the posts. I have and still read them. Good luck to you. I forgot to add, if you have a Sams Club you can order dehydrated food thru them. They have it already packed in buckets. You can get 30 days, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year prepacked. All you go to do is order it thru their website and it will be delivered to you. No real planning involved. Just buy it and store it.

[brian0918]

I've bought large bags of rice and beans, stored them along with oxygen absorbers inside mylar bags (which are then ironed shut), and sealed them inside food-grade plastic buckets. I then used silicone sealant around the rim of the bucket to help seal it up better.

[68Camaro]

I've bought large bags of rice and beans, stored them along with oxygen absorbers inside mylar bags (which are then ironed shut), and sealed them inside food-grade plastic buckets. I then used silicone sealant around the rim of the bucket to help seal it up better.

Probably overkill, but certainly safe.

I've got a ton (literally) of these same buckets, stored for a year or more without more than just the store bags sealed into heavy-duty food grade buckets with some food-grade DE added to kill any potential latent pests (edible by humans, a calcium source, but kills any bugs). Over this winter I'm going to open a couple and inspect. Presuming they are fine, I will then throw in some O2 absorber and re-seal, leave the rest of the buckets alone. I will re-inspect other buckets by sample on an annual basis. If I find a problem I will adjust, and increase sampling. Going forward I will be adding O2 absorber into most items as a preventative. (O2 absorber not recommended for storing live seed or anything that you want to sprout, as it will kill them.)

[tn-dave]

I would like to know what your opinions are on what I should buy for long term food storage, what companies I should buy from, and why? Which long lasting food tastes the best? Thanks Realcent Community.

I've bought a few things from this company: http://beprepared.com
If you get on their mailing list and keep an eye on the monthly sales you can get some pretty good deals

[shinnosuke]

I would like to know what your opinions are on what I should buy for long term food storage, what companies I should buy from, and why? Which long lasting food tastes the best? Thanks Realcent Community.

I've bought a few things from this company: http://beprepared.com
If you get on their mailing list and keep an eye on the monthly sales you can get some pretty good deals

I've also done business with this company. They do have good sales every month.

[Pachucko]

I get their e-mails and fliers too; good deals sometimes. I have bought very little from them, but the experience was excellent and I highly recommend them. I bought some hygeine stuff for camping/emergency use.

[68Camaro]

I've bought a few things from this company: http://beprepared.com
If you get on their mailing list and keep an eye on the monthly sales you can get some pretty good deals

Good to know, thanks! I bookmark these references. Just signed up for their newsletter.

[rickygee]

When stocking up on dehydrated food remember: Without water you really can't eat it. Without a heat source you can't fully reconstitute it. When you're cooking it all the zombies will smell it.

Everyday canned goods work for me. Yeah, got some long term #10 cans of dehydrated food, but won't buy anymore. Wet/oil pack food will last much longer than the expiration date. Anymore long term for me is 5 years. I've got canned tuna and salmon that have a best buy date that long. Eat canned goods without heating if you have to. Save all the liquids to make soup, yeah salty as all get out, but canned corn ain't gourmet to start with.

Now a can of Chef Boyardee Beefaroni on the other hand, served by candlelight, might be fit for a king or the neighborhood warlord.

[rickygee]

I've bought a few things from this company: http://beprepared.com
If you get on their mailing list and keep an eye on the monthly sales you can get some pretty good deals

Good to know, thanks! I bookmark these references. Just signed up for their newsletter.

I eat their refried beans as a staple. Darn good and the best value for money next to an LDS cannery.
You can also get canned Bega cheese and canned Red Feather butter from these folks. Both good if pricey. The only downside is the shipping box which is printed on all four sides "Emergency Essentials". Bye-bye opsec. Hope your delivery guy didn't make a note of your address.

[shinnosuke]

I've bought a few things from this company: http://beprepared.com
If you get on their mailing list and keep an eye on the monthly sales you can get some pretty good deals

Good to know, thanks! I bookmark these references. Just signed up for their newsletter.

I eat their refried beans as a staple. Darn good and the best value for money next to an LDS cannery.
You can also get canned Bega cheese and canned Red Feather butter from these folks. Both good if pricey. The only downside is the shipping box which is printed on all four sides "Emergency Essentials". Bye-bye opsec. Hope your delivery guy didn't make a note of your address.

On the address and payment method page, there is a place to click for unmarked boxes.

[rickygee]

I'm going to look for that next time I need some beaners!

Salsa, cheddar, cayenne pepper, and a big dollop of these beans on a flour tortilla are quick, easy and darn good. Take 'em to work for lunch. Nuke 'em a might and dig in'.

[68Camaro]

I eat their refried beans as a staple. Darn good and the best value for money next to an LDS cannery.
You can also get canned Bega cheese and canned Red Feather butter from these folks. Both good if pricey.

Also good to know, thanks! I reviewed the Red Feather in another thread and after everything I had read about other canned butter-like items (clarified butter, ghee, etc) I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but it's awesome butter! Preemo stuff, real butter. I can't afford to use it daily, and don't need to, but it's definitely a great shelf item. Even to have a can on hand to prevent having to make a special trip to the store for holiday baking, you can recoup the price on saved gas by not making that trip.