PrePackaged Long Term Emergency Food Suply

[gishooter]

We invested in good quality shelving and lighting for the pantry. Totally worth it. Keeping stuff organized makes it a breeze to see what you have on hand and what you are using more of compared to other items.
We keep a handful of permanent markers right there. Taught the kids to do it as well. We unload, date, and put on the shelves. Same thing with frozen foods for the freezers.

[dverna]

We invested in good quality shelving and lighting for the pantry. Totally worth it. Keeping stuff organized makes it a breeze to see what you have on hand and what you are using more of compared to other items.
We keep a handful of permanent markers right there. Taught the kids to do it as well. We unload, date, and put on the shelves. Same thing with frozen foods for the freezers.

Smart.

[armoredman]

Good idea!

[Markopolo]

Two years ago we got a Harvestright freeze dryer. You can make your own long term meals with excellent results. We have extensive gardens and can, dehydrate, freeze dry, freeze, salt, ferment etc. Freeze drying retains vastly more nutrition of your food than most of the other processes. Some data says 95% while canning is at 50%. We make large batches of chili, stew, spaghetti etc and freeze dry it. Pour in some hot water and in 5 minutes it tastes like it just came off the stove. One real amazing thing is fresh tomatos or fresh salsa. It rehydrates and tastes amazingly fresh. Cooked low fat meat works well, just about any dairy product works amazingly well. Sometimes the neighbors have excess eggs. They freeze dry great too. It is a serious game changer for long term food storage using mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Plus you are not spending large amounts of money for textured vegetable protein and oatmeal.

This pays for itself over and over again. I also have one and it is a critical part of our food security in our remote subsistence lifestyle. Startup cost is high, but when you factor in the high cost of foods that are “professionally” packaged, it is soooo much cheaper and more cost effective… don’t need to have Mylar and such for most things, but I do use Mylar bags for stuff I am gunna cook in. Mostly I use Jars for canning, and freeze dried foods.

There is something else to consider. You do NOT know where the foods that are in these prepackaged rations come from. If you get your own freeze dryer, you get to choose the quality of the foods you put into it… no questionable, sourced foods purchased by Low bid…

Some things to consider.

[gishooter]

Remember the big picture!

1. Buy and stock what you normally eat! But also practice preparing and eating the long term storage (dehydrated and bulk grains/beans). Replace as you use. We told the kids it was our camping food. They still get a kick of occasionally opening up and cooking with it.

2. In a long enough emergency (grid down/pandemic/financial collapse, natural disaster, etc) your back-up food will eventually run out. Growing food reliably is a skill you need to practice now.
3. Water! Be able to produce clean potable water is even more important.
4. How do you cook all that stuff without public utilities/fuel resupply?
5. Hygiene and health! More humans have died from disease and poor hygiene than bullets/spears, swords, etc.
It is more than just toilet paper and feminine products. Soaps, medications, ways to dispose of waste, first aid supplies, and more.