I’ve been reading this forum for a few years now, and I’ve always thought it odd that there is no enduring food discussion thread pinned at the top for consolidated all food planning questions and advice. We have pinned threads for communications, survival books, and other topics, but food - possibly the most essential item in a disaster preparation plan - isn’t included among them. If one of the moderators sees fit to add such a thread, I thought I’d compile some links to related threads from the past and sources for food that people have recommended along the way. If there’s enough interest, I can attempt to keep the first post updated with new additions to these subtopics as people add more to the discussion.
I’m sure there’s a lot more that could be added to this - these are just a few interesting discussions and sources I’ve gleaned from this forum. I hope others are interested in a consolidated location for this sort of information.
I found a thread on water purification that I added above, “Water purification and things other than biologic agents.” Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for, but it contained some interesting info.
I had the chance to try several Mountain House meals while I was at the National Training Center last month. I took some along in case I got tired of eating MREs and Army heat and serve meals (which I did). I tried the Breakfast Scramble, Chicken and Rice, and Beef Stroganoff, all of which were pretty tasty. I had a hot pot to boil water which I plugged into my Stryker. I’ll eventually get a Jet Boil for this type of thing, but when electricity is available, the hot pot is clean and easy. I’d definitely recommend these meals, although the high sodium content is geared towards people who have been doing physical activity (and sweating). This experience gave me more confidence in storing these MH meals for emergencies. I bought an extra 2-serving Breakfast Scramble so my wife can try it out this weekend.
On a related note, I saw that the MH Just In Case Essential Bucket has dropped from its usually price (~$60) down to $53.13 (with free shipping) on Amazon:
Just a quick update - can’t believe it’s been two years since the last activity in this thread. I purchased three blue WaterBricks from Amazon last September as a hurricane was rolling toward the East Coast (what better time to justify buying more gear?). I was reluctant to try them at first because they seemed expensive and just kind of bulky for the amount of water they hold (3.5 gallons), but I thought I’d give them a shot. They were also a little cheaper at the time - $18.99 - while they seem to be averaging $25+ nowadays. In brief, what I like about them is that they’re stackable (the obvious feature) but also lighter than something like a 5 gallon military water can. The lower weight and carrying handle make them easier for some family members to handle. The one complaint I have about them is that because of the way the cap is inset into the end of the brick (for better stacking and storage), the last remnants of water get trapped inside the brick when you pour it out, and you have to give it a good shake to get it all out. Obviously the same would apply to any loose, dry items like rice that you stored in these or the opaque tan WaterBrick version.
I recently purchased two FoodBrick Stackable Food Storage Containers from Amazon, which I’ve added to the original post under storage containers. They are $17 each as of 22 Mar 19, which is the same price I paid for them back in November. I like these a lot, with the big difference being the large, rectangular, airtight lid that makes it easier to fill and empty it when storing dry goods. I’ve been using one for extra cat food to test it out, and it will hold a good month’s worth or so (probably a lot less for a big dog). I like them and will probably order some more while they’re cheap.
If you plan on staying in one place, if at all possible, canned goods are a very long life solution—like much processed food, they will be high in salt and probably fat, but this might be a good thing in a survival event situation. I mark my cans with the year I bought them and try to rotate them thru, but sometimes, a can will be missed and you’ll find a very old can, like say, a can of soup or refried beans from 10 or more years ago (!). My experience has been, if stored properly, the contents will still be quite eatable—if it looks good and smells good, it’s probably OK—pressurized cans are definitely a NO GO! Of course, besides cans, dried stuff like rice, beans, pasta, etc should be part of your program—again, properly stored…
The expiration date on can goods is mostly BS, you can go on youtube and find videos of people eating food from the 40’s - 50’s. It’s not all edible but if can is in good shape and it’s doesn’t smell off it likely won’t kill you.
Expiration dates are a government mandated thing that isn’t really tied to when the food actually goes bad. I have been working in and around the food industry for the last 10 years and you would be surprised on the amount of good food that stores and manufacturers throw out because of that arbitrary date.
I was in the wholesale food business for many years—we packaged products for major supermarket chain stores—we had no products under our own name, only very large amounts packed for others. We were required by law to include a “Best by” date to be printed on every batch of product—this was done to “insure” freshness and also to identify each batch in case of recall for whatever reason. We just stamped a date one year out from date of packaging—nice and simple, everybody was happy—had absolutely NOTHING to do with when the food was no longer good…
See if you have a Mormon store in your area (you don’t have to be Mormon to shop there). Good selection of dry goods in #10 cans and better prices than Costco or Amazon. Cases or single cans with 20 year shelf life on a lot of their items. We got sugar, flour, rice, black beans, pinto beans, dehydrated milk, and other items to supplement our emergency food supplies.
Having a good supply of food is great, but don’t forget about cooking it.
I have a good supply of propane for cooking in the summer months, and a wood burner in the workshop that I can cook on in the winter. If I had no power in the winter for an extender period I would probably end up living in the workshop too.
Gas for the chainsaw is a must
Don’t forget that canned food would freeze solid if like me you live somewhere cold.
this would include having sufficient water. After what just happened here in TX, safe drinking water is critical.
going through that event was perhaps to say a good test of my own situation. Everyone talks about “grid down” situations, did it for real this past feb. Guns & ammo for ‘grid down’? thats far down on the list. Water, sanitation, are likely in the top 3 concerns. Ever taken a dump in a chem porta pottie when its minus 15 outside because the toilet is non-functional Try it sometime…
Same for cooking, bottled water doesn’t go very far when it comes to cooking.
this would include having sufficient water. After what just happened here in TX, safe drinking water is critical.
going through that event was perhaps to say a good test of my own situation. Everyone talks about “grid down” situations, did it for real this past feb. Guns & ammo for ‘grid down’? thats far down on the list. Water, sanitation, are likely in the top 3 concerns. Ever taken a dump in a chem porta pottie when its minus 15 outside because the toilet is non-functional Try it sometime…
Same for cooking, bottled water doesn’t go very far when it comes to cooking.