Anyone interested in freeze dried food?

I don't know much about freeze dried food, but I do know something about hacking. The Sony hack was almost certainly an inside job. Obama choosing to pretend that it was NK fits with his modus operandum of being under handed.
 
JayMcB said:
They don't like the cold. Ours went on strike as well, after an average of 8-10/day from the flock.
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Are you running a light on a timer for they have 14 hours of light? They will lay better if you do it. Just a CFL low wattage bulb in the coop and it makes a difference.

As far as keeping them over winter on really cold days I would keep them in the coop, otherwise just keep them clean (change out the bedding so it is not wet) ) and make sure they have a draft free area.
 
JayMcB said:
They don't like the cold. Ours went on strike as well, after an average of 8-10/day from the flock.
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its not the cold. It's the lack of light which tells their pituitary gland it's time to make eggs. if you want eggs in winter you need to put a light on a timer and give them a few more hours per day.

Our stop laying by the end of December and start up again by the end of January when the days start getting longer.
 
Christian said:
Just out of curiosity what do to keep the chickens from freezing in this weather we're having?
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They puff out their feathers and huddle together at night.
Our coop is insulated and I put foam blocks in the soffit vents in the winter. I added extra straw inside and also under the coop in the run. The run is covered and we put plastic panels on the walls to keep the drafts out. When I went out yesterday they were all sitting in the straw keeping warm.


Last year we didn't heat the coop at all even when the actual temps were in the negatives. One got a little frost bite on her comb and she is the only non cold hardy bird we have.


This year we are down one hen and another was attached by a hawk in May and her feathers never grew in. Her back is completely bald. I have a hen saddle on her that I added a fleece lining to. So when I get home from work later tonight I will turn on the heat lamp in the coop. It's not near where they sleep. The coop is much bigger than we need for this number of birds. So it should keep the temps slightly warmer without over heating them and messing up their tolerance for cold weather.
 
Christian said:
Okay so back on topic.

My package of MH came in and I tried the Beef Stroganoff yesterday which was much better than I had anticipated, now my decision is what to try today. I think I'm leaning towards the Chicken Teriyaki w/Rice. [smile]
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Bring on the reviews. I'm one that is guilty of not trying much of the long term storage food we have due to the cost of it. I keep some around for the sake of variety and convenience in addition to the rice and beans etc. Plus most of the items are basics and I just don't think you can screw up spaghetti or chicken and noodles to the point that it's inedible. I like the way the new Emergency Essentials catalog is laid out. it looks like all of the Mountain house #10 cans also have a 1 or 2 serving pouch option so I may order some of the newer more interesting meals in a pouch version to make sure it's not horrible.
 
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forget expiration dates printed on a can What is actual usable life for say something like a can of chef boy a Dee canned ravioli in sauce
 
Cowgirlup said:
Bring on the reviews. I'm one that is guilty of not trying much of the long term storage food we have due to the cost of it. I keep some around for the sake of variety and convenience in addition to the rice and beans etc. Plus most of the items are basics and I just don't think you can screw up spaghetti or chicken and noodles to the point that it's inedible. I like the way the new Emergency Essentials catalog is laid out. it looks like all of the Mountain house #10 cans also have a 1 or 2 serving pouch option so I may order some of the newer more interesting meals in a pouch version to make sure it's not horrible.
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The Chicken Teriyaki w/Rice was pretty good also(again, surprised), maybe just a touch too sweet but that's going to be a personal preference choice and bordering on nitpicking. Also both have said 8-9 minutes for soaking, going forward I'll be letting it go another minute or two as I've come across the occasional small crunchy bit in both items.

As for a camping item I would definitely carry these items in than others, the quality is so much better than pretty much anything I've carried in before. Carrying out the trash would be much easier as all that needs to be done is a quick rinse of the bag, smash it flat and stick it in a zip lock and your good. Plus after spending a day humping in having to only boil water for a nice hot meal would be a luxury compared to having to clean pots and pans after dinner.

Tomorrow will be Chili Mac w/Beef day, I haven't had chili in awhile so I'm looking forward to see how it turns out.
 
Christian said:
Okay so back on topic.

My package of MH came in and I tried the Beef Stroganoff yesterday which was much better than I had anticipated, now my decision is what to try today. I think I'm leaning towards the Chicken Teriyaki w/Rice. [smile]
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That one's pretty good.

I also like the spaghetti, although it is similar to that canned Chef Boyardee stuff I used to eat as a child.

For breakfast while camping in the woods, I also like the eggs and bacon.
 
Prepper said:
That one's pretty good.

I also like the spaghetti, although it is similar to that canned Chef Boyardee stuff I used to eat as a child.

For breakfast while camping in the woods, I also like the eggs and bacon.
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Thanks for the tip on the eggs and bacon, I'll make sure to give it a go on my next order.

Now for the Chili Mac w/Beef. Initially it was a bit soupy when I opened the bag but it did seem to set up a bit better by the time I started eating it, although maybe next time I'll go with a little less water(I'm used to a chunkier chili). Flavor was good as well as the spiciness that was felt at the back of the throat which is just tame enough to where those not used to it may enjoy, while those who enjoy spicier foods may find it a bit lackluster. Overall it could have used a bit more on the bean and pasta front, but it has found a spot on my short list of items I'll be stocking up on.

Tomorrow I'll be trying the Chicken a la King w/Noodles.
 
Christian said:
Thanks for the tip on the eggs and bacon, I'll make sure to give it a go on my next order.

Now for the Chili Mac w/Beef. Initially it was a bit soupy when I opened the bag but it did seem to set up a bit better by the time I started eating it, although maybe next time I'll go with a little less water(I'm used to a chunkier chili). Flavor was good as well as the spiciness that was felt at the back of the throat which is just tame enough to where those not used to it may enjoy, while those who enjoy spicier foods may find it a bit lackluster. Overall it could have used a bit more on the bean and pasta front, but it has found a spot on my short list of items I'll be stocking up on.

Tomorrow I'll be trying the Chicken a la King w/Noodles.
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About 10 years ago I did a taste test with my family. I served them the Mountain house Beef Stew and the Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Everyone thought the M.H. Beef Stew was far superior.
 
clampett said:
About 10 years ago I did a taste test with my family. I served them the Mountain house Beef Stew and the Dinty Moore Beef Stew. Everyone thought the M.H. Beef Stew was far superior.
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Thanks, I've got that one lined up to try this week.

As for the Chicken a la King w/Noodles eh, if I had to I'd eat it again I would but I'd rather purchase something else instead. Just something about the flavor seemed off compared to any other Chicken a la I've ever had. It's wasn't terrible(I did finish it as I don't like to waste food), it just wasn't for me but I did share it with someone that enjoyed it.

I'm thinking of going with the Mac and Cheese today.
 
Oops, forgot about this.

Okay so since my last posting I've had the Lasagna, Spag w/Meat Sauce, and /beef Stew.

Lasagna, kind of disappointing lacking flavor and soupy(need to remember less water).
Spag w/Meat Sauce, decent flavor and consistency(¼ cup less water).
Beef Stew was really good.
 
Rancho said:
Have you tried efoods.com ?
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Nope, but it appears Derek isn't alone. This is what I got when I went to check it out.

16346163882_249107ec9a_b.jpg
 
Stick to mountain house. Sometimes they run really good sales on cans that are a year or two old (30 year shelf life) for like 50% off.

I am also working on a can of the beef stroganoff which is really good. I've tried a bunch of different meals and they were all surprisingly tasty.

My only small complaint is the texture is a little funky. Not terrible, but you know it's freeze dried. Still well worth the money.
 
derek said:
IMO crap. Try before you buy in bulk
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Derek, uou and I have had this conversation lol.
I am a def mountain house fan always have been.
Efoods are quite salty on some but some others are very good.
I like backpackers pantry too the food is good to better quality..
 
A quick look at the "1 month" food supply on efoodsdirect had me wondering - how many total calories are in that "family pack". It doesn't look like it is even close to a month's worth of calories to me... rough estimate maybe 1000 calories a day?
 
joshk1025 said:
A quick look at the "1 month" food supply on efoodsdirect had me wondering - how many total calories are in that "family pack". It doesn't look like it is even close to a month's worth of calories to me... rough estimate maybe 1000 calories a day?
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Try a couple of meal packs before ordering anything over $20 worth. Trust me
 
Christian said:
Curious, how would the both of you compare them to MH? Some of the offerings look interesting so far.
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I typically only order from Augason when they have a 40% off sale. As far as freeze dried food is concerned MH is hard to beat, however MH is about 94 cals per $ on average when you have a good assortment of #10 cans and Augason is three times the cals for the same price. I just made some Augason blueberry muffins for my boys this evening they were gone in seconds. Very good.

Everybody has different tastes, 2 of my 3 boys like the honey dried bananas the oldest didn't care for them.
 
I was curious about finding some dehydrated sample size packs. I like to mix and match my own meals. I dehydrate meat and veggies at home but that can get time consuming and limited on variety at times. It also doesn't quite seem to rehydrate as well as some of the pre made meals I have tried. Does anyone know which companies might sell sample sizes (1-2 portions) of individual ingredients?
 

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