Long shelf life foods

I'm late to the party/thread, but I wanted to chime in that I had the opportunity to try a few of the Mountain House meals this weekend. And while it might be said my taste buds are broken, it is in all honesty I was pleasantly surprised with what I had; Chicken and Dumplings, Chili Mac and Beef, Chicken Fajita Bowl and Breakfast Skillet.
 
One of my customers is doing a job in Andover. A complete rehab of newly divorced, older gentleman's house. This guy had 1-800-GOT-JUNK cleaning out all of his ex-wife's crap so my customer could go to work on his house. He texted my last week and wanted to know if I wanted some canned water. The guy's ex-wife was a prepper. I said if it's free, it's for me. He showed up about 4:30 today with his truck loaded with 700 24 ounce cans of World Grocer 30 year plus Emergency Drinking Water. Had some Bullion Cubes of Chicken Broth, Vitamins and Maxi Pads etc,etc.

upload_2019-7-18_19-7-3.png

upload_2019-7-18_19-7-26.png
 
I just topped off my food supplies with some more MPS products. I like the protein pack. I’ve been buying from them for a while.
1B223F5D-7B34-4572-BA2A-D6D7F6999AD1.png

Also Augustine Farms. I just bought 20lbs of dried milk alternative.
4F87DE7B-524B-4B54-9B82-83197853A9FA.png
 
Wondering the same thing but I didn't want to start a new thread. I ordered the 4 week package. They are behind on their shipping guarantee but I was warned beforehand. We shall see.

I have quite a bit of their stuff that the wife and I use for camping trips. I personally find their food outstanding. I could give a crap less about nutrition as long as it tastes good it keeps me warm and fills my belly. Their products do that. I think there high-end compared to Mountain House. Carbohydrates give you energy. Which is exactly what you need in a SHTF situation.
 
Late to the party. But I like there with a good steak.

What do you all think of these?

Guessing that would be good for a year or two after the expiration date? It’s all dried
 
Freeze dried foods like mountain house are fine & dandy, even tasty. But, they are highly processed and need a fiber supplement. I’d suggest keeping a good supply of Metamucil on hand if that’s all you have. Either that or lots of toilet paper. Store what you eat, eat what you store. Never underestimate the benefits of home canning.
YMMV.
 
Freeze dried foods like mountain house are fine & dandy, even tasty. But, they are highly processed and need a fiber supplement. I’d suggest keeping a good supply of Metamucil on hand if that’s all you have. Either that or lots of toilet paper. Store what you eat, eat what you store. Never underestimate the benefits of home canning.
YMMV.
And a deep pantry
 
pic was taken a couple of years ago, supply is appx double this nowView attachment 329384

Excellent!!!! I'm guessing that those buckets are dry goods?

I think I bought Honeyville Grain's very last 50lb. bag of pearled barley last week. I have another on order but there's been no shipping confirmation yet.
Barley is a great soup filler.
 
These are available anywhere and have 5 year shelf life. Walmart is a good place to get them for less than 4 bucks per can. I have also gotten good deals at BJ's in the past. Amazon has them for $4.70 per can in bulk if you are lazy.

Nice thing about canned ham is that you can eat it hot or cold.

51kE69D3yVL._PIbundle-10,TopRight,0,0_SX342SY500SH20_.jpg
 
I was watching "How's that Made" and saw the episode where they showed Keystone Meats. It's canned meats. Think, beef chunks, poultry, etc. I consider myself a bit of f food snob for quality. Even bought my own freeze dryer so I could control the quality of my stored foods. Of course this means I need clean water for rehydrating. There are pros and cons to freeze dried foods. The brand I saw is Keystone. But I have to say, they impressed. They can meat with only adding salt. Pretty darn simple.
Included a link just so you can see which brand exactly I am talking about.

Amazon product ASIN B00B59QBE4View: https://www.amazon.com/Keystone-Meats-Natural-Canned-Ounce/dp/B00B59QBE4/ref=pd_ybh_a_13?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C1QNNE3Z420168A92X8N
 
yes. if you zoom in you can read the labels, elbow pasta, rice, oatmeal, beans all in 2lb mylar bags, with O2 eaters, vacuum sealed

How are your rotation/consumption habits?
Once you open a bucket and put it into use, how long to consume it, and when do you replace that 'in-use' bucket with a fresh replacement?
Instantly, or do you wait until you have a few empty buckets?

For me it would be difficult to use 5 gallons of elbow mac after opening a sealed bucket, so when possible I separately bag 'mixed' items into single buckets for a more varied consumption.
3#s red kidney beans, 3#s mini pasta shells, 5#s rice, 3#s oats, 2# sugar, asst bullion cubes S&P. I'd rather have 10 buckets of 'mixed' items than 10 individual-item buckets.
I guess with family size YMMV...
~Enbloc
 
How are your rotation/consumption habits?
Once you open a bucket and put it into use, how long to consume it, and when do you replace that 'in-use' bucket with a fresh replacement?
Instantly, or do you wait until you have a few empty buckets?

For me it would be difficult to use 5 gallons of elbow mac after opening a sealed bucket, so when possible I separately bag 'mixed' items into single buckets for a more varied consumption.
3#s red kidney beans, 3#s mini pasta shells, 5#s rice, 3#s oats, 2# sugar, asst bullion cubes S&P. I'd rather have 10 buckets of 'mixed' items than 10 individual-item buckets.
I guess with family size YMMV...
~Enbloc

Yes, mixed buckets are a good thing, excellent if you had to grab and go.....at least you'd have some variety if you couldn't take them all.

I break down some of my 50lb bags of grains to 4-8 cup serving sizes, vacuum packed, then stored in some buckets. Others are just bulk like wheat, rice, oat groates, lentils, quinoa, beans, etc.

I searched all over town last week trying to find pearled barley and nobody had any....5 different stores....Wally World, two Kroger stores, two Save a Lot stores.
I came home and bought Honeyville Grain's last 50lb bag on line and broke it down into 4 cup vacuum sealed bags.

I had heard there might be grain shortages due to all the rain in previous months but when it hits you directly, you become a believer.
 
Last edited:
I was watching "How's that Made" and saw the episode where they showed Keystone Meats. It's canned meats. Think, beef chunks, poultry, etc. I consider myself a bit of f food snob for quality. Even bought my own freeze dryer so I could control the quality of my stored foods. Of course this means I need clean water for rehydrating. There are pros and cons to freeze dried foods. The brand I saw is Keystone. But I have to say, they impressed. They can meat with only adding salt. Pretty darn simple.
Included a link just so you can see which brand exactly I am talking about.

Amazon product ASIN B00B59QBE4View: https://www.amazon.com/Keystone-Meats-Natural-Canned-Ounce/dp/B00B59QBE4/ref=pd_ybh_a_13?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C1QNNE3Z420168A92X8N

I've had Keystone products before.....very good!
The meats I can are salt only also. No added liquid or other spices.
 
How are your rotation/consumption habits?
Once you open a bucket and put it into use, how long to consume it, and when do you replace that 'in-use' bucket with a fresh replacement?
Instantly, or do you wait until you have a few empty buckets?

For me it would be difficult to use 5 gallons of elbow mac after opening a sealed bucket, so when possible I separately bag 'mixed' items into single buckets for a more varied consumption.
3#s red kidney beans, 3#s mini pasta shells, 5#s rice, 3#s oats, 2# sugar, asst bullion cubes S&P. I'd rather have 10 buckets of 'mixed' items than 10 individual-item buckets.
I guess with family size YMMV...
~Enbloc

the buckets have mylar sealed bags in qtys of 1-2 lbs each. Rice is a 20lb bucket, with Ten 2lb bags. that way if you open the bucket, you don't damage the integrity or have to eat it all at once . this stuff is for the long haul, I'm not rotating anything in buckets, the canned stuff will last 10 yrs anyway, so I rotate that when i remember to do it
 

Attachments

  • 20151117_213137.jpg
    20151117_213137.jpg
    56.5 KB · Views: 23
  • 20151117_211057.jpg
    20151117_211057.jpg
    121.8 KB · Views: 21
Outstanding! Palladin and Uzi2! You clearly have things under wraps!

I prep for only one person...me. So, I don't need the volume (or, do I? [smile]) that you have.
The system I use, I have been using since 2003 and am more comfortable with it, than I am going to BJs/Sam's Club to pick it up. [rofl2]

I have no waste due to vermin/insects and everything tastes as fresh as when it went in the bucket. I open +/- one bucket per month (12~13 per year)
and add those stores into what I have on-hand fresh or frozen. Right from the bucket to the pantry. I have about 40#s of frozen veggies and have the ability to keep them frozen
until depleted. I also garden and add to the total stores using the surplus.

For me, this is an easy system to maintain, and while it may not last as long as your excellent 'stores',
I would most likely succumb to lack of medicines (which I have stores for too) than starvation.
I have eaten grubs, but can't produce insulin in a lab...

~Enbloc
 
This thread made me want to reorganize the pantry. I’ve always only bought pre-packaged food items but would like to get into doing it myself.
Look what I found. These were bought a few years ago. I think it’s just one that was bad. Do you think I should keep the rest of them? They look fine.
D5B5652E-AB49-40DF-85A7-FE9770DD5F01.jpeg
56728AA8-520F-4095-96B3-6CE9446B9150.jpeg
063B53B1-011E-4315-ABE1-8CDB83F731C4.jpeg
2AACCAB9-0264-42FD-ADB4-1B0C5EFB4E06.jpeg
 
Last edited:
This was a good reminder to stock up a bit more on the long term items - haven't used MPS, but put a reasonable order in today

Also will hit Market Basket to bulk up the short term canned items
 
the buckets have mylar sealed bags in qtys of 1-2 lbs each. Rice is a 20lb bucket, with Ten 2lb bags. that way if you open the bucket, you don't damage the integrity or have to eat it all at once . this stuff is for the long haul, I'm not rotating anything in buckets, the canned stuff will last 10 yrs anyway, so I rotate that when i remember to do it
What kind of vacuum sealing system and Mylar bag brand are you using? I have a food saver V2244 that’s been sitting in the box for year. It was a gift for some sous vide cooking. Prob will upgrade before even using. Lol
 
I have a frankensteined setup, where I have a mylar bag sealer that looks like a curling iron. I fill the bag, leaving an extra inch between the bag top and the sealing area, stick in one or 2 O2 absorbers, pull the vacuum on the bag with the foodsaver, then seal the bag with the curling iron thingy. I have some rice, etc that's 5+ years and they've held.

In a diversity attempt, some is in glass, some is in mylar, some is in 5 gallon buckets and some is Bishop's storehouse canned
 
Back
Top Bottom