I'm feeling a little under prepared now.
It's a lifestyle......a little something everyday and it adds up quickly.
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I'm feeling a little under prepared now.
I posted this in the vacuum sealer thread, but relevant here. Just came in...
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I'm sampling emergency rations for bug in or out. This one tastes like a dry sugar cookie, $12.64 for 3600 calories ($3.51 per 1000cal) in 9 bars, 5-yr shelf life, 1.66lbs. Not balanced nutrition for every day but it's going in my rotation to buy two and eat one monthly. Really good with coffee.
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Amazon product ASIN B01H5SF8AGView: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H5SF8AG
The wife was inquiring about making soup with some of the lentils, I’ve been stashing away, so.... why not? I I also used a few other preps from the pantry, along with some fresh ingredients. 5 hours in the crockpot
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It came out great. The lentils were the consistency of mushy cooked peas or baked beans.Looks delicious!!!!! Did the lentils cook up tender?
Sometimes when lentils or beans get too old they can be a little tough.......something I'd never complain about in hard times.
I'm sampling emergency rations for bug in or out. This one tastes like a dry sugar cookie, $12.64 for 3600 calories ($3.51 per 1000cal) in 9 bars, 5-yr shelf life, 1.66lbs. Not balanced nutrition for every day but it's going in my rotation to buy two and eat one monthly. Really good with coffee.
View attachment 333743
Amazon product ASIN B01H5SF8AGView: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H5SF8AG
This looks real good, I'm thinking French Onion if I come up with a recipe.The wife was inquiring about making soup with some of the lentils, I’ve been stashing away, so.... why not? I I also used a few other preps from the pantry, along with some fresh ingredients. 5 hours in the crockpot
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How do these emergency rations store in a vehicle longer term? Does the heat and cold effect them much? How about MRE's stored in a vehicle? Thinking itd be not a bad idea to have a little something stashed away in the truck.
How would a jug of water with a few drops of bleach last in a truck?
Does the water freeze and split open in the winter? I was thinking a juice bottle filled with water and a few drops of bleach but maybe easier to just throw a couple of bottles of bottled water under the seat and rotate.Heat is always an enemy of long term storage. A case of Poland Spring will last a year....with no bleach. I leave peanut butter in my vehicle, and rotate it out. A jar of peanut butter will feed you for a while, and it's always cheaper than any 'emergency rations'.
Water bottles have not split open on me. I rotate them out every week or so as I drink them. I also carry a quart of water with lemon every day for general hydration.Does the water freeze and split open in the winter? I was thinking a juice bottle filled with water and a few drops of bleach but maybe easier to just throw a couple of bottles of bottled water under the seat and rotate.
Does the water freeze and split open in the winter? I was thinking a juice bottle filled with water and a few drops of bleach but maybe easier to just throw a couple of bottles of bottled water under the seat and rotate.
Lifeboat rations (typically 5-yr usable life) will do fine in a car, year round, even up here. Those SOS biscuits Fritz posted above are an example. The big brands are Datrex and Mainstay.How do these emergency rations store in a vehicle longer term? Does the heat and cold effect them much? How about MRE's stored in a vehicle? Thinking itd be not a bad idea to have a little something stashed away in the truck.
How would a jug of water with a few drops of bleach last in a truck?
you can "store" fats long term - olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, nut oils, butter, etc. We always have "extra" and just keep rotating through.That is pretty much any of the long term storage food. They lack any fats and have little protein.
It also helps to conserve energy when your freezer isn't full of food. A full freezer runs better. I love my chest freezer. I organize it with tupper ware type buckets with locking lids and handles on top. I stack 2 tall ones and over the compressor I can fit a tall one and a half sized one. I will put all steaks in one bucket and ground beef usually. Another for italian sausage, 1 for chicken thighs, 1 for breasts, etc. I usually have 1 or more for foods I already cooked and froze in individual servings as well. It varies as my supplies shift but this way I can grab a bucket out to get to the meat container below it instead of trying to dig through a bunch of packages. I also keep an inventory sheet on the outside that gets updated as things go in and out.Scour craigslist for the freezer. I bought one 3 years ago for $25.
Also save a few milk jugs (4-8). Fill with water and freeze in bottom of the chest. This will help keep stuff colder longet if you lose power.
you're going to love it. Mine is on a rolling cart. looks like yours is as well. It stays in a corner until I need it. I can roll it into the kitchen or if I don't have much to do I will just take my food over to it after I have it all in bags ready to seal.I posted this in the vacuum sealer thread, but relevant here. Just came in...
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dehydrated veggies will last a long time so long as you keep them from "regaining" moisture. So, mylar bags with O2 absorbers or jars with absorbers and vacuum sealed. Just remember that dehydrated food will need water when water may not be plentiful but I would still store some as you can also simply rehydrate them in your mouth.I do not come close to what you guys are doing, but do many of you can your own food? I have been trying to build our inventory, but we keep eating it during the week. I have some stuff now that is two years old but most of our stuff is consumed within a year because it is just so convenient. I started canning potatoes and carrots in bulk, not just for convenience but because fresh vegetables suck and they go bad too fast. Potatoes on the ready are great to have around. Mashed, french fried, baked; just takes minutes to make now. Carrots are something special. All I can say is they become more carroty. I stew a lot of meet using the canning method. I have venison that is over a year old. Great for stir fries, burritos and other quick meals. I even have a couple jars of barbecued ribs on the shelf somewhere. I have lots of meatballs, chili, and homemade sauce.
Other things I have learned is to make my own bread and pasta. I have started dehydrating some vegetables as well. Trying to figure out how long they will last. I will try some meals as well but I think pressure canning is just better.
I also infuse vodka with pineapple and orange, make my own limoncello, and I have three jars of vanilla extract on the upper shelf in the works. Gotta have some luxuries when the SHTF
Pete
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Thanks. It’s been sitting on that bench like that since I got it. No wheels. Haven’t had time to test it out yet. I need to get a rolling cart. I wish I had it up and running today, because I cut up about 50 pounds of meat and sealed it all with the food saver. What a PITA. I had to use gallon bags for steaks etc. because the quart bags were sucking blood into the machine, creating a problem. I know some people say to freeze the meat first and then seal it but I didn’t want to do that. This won’t be a problem with the Vacmaster.you're going to love it. Mine is on a rolling cart. looks like yours is as well. It stays in a corner until I need it. I can roll it into the kitchen or if I don't have much to do I will just take my food over to it after I have it all in bags ready to seal.
That’s good info. I have a bunch. I’ll rotate them out quicker than I had planned.I stopped storing any canned tomatoes products because of the corrosion issue. Even if the cans don't burst they rust internally in a year or two.
not sure about the garage. I would think a temp controlled space would be the best. We used to have ours in "the office." I would get all my bags filled, or a batch of them, and then bring them in on a tray to the office to seal them. You have to do what you you can.Thanks. It’s been sitting on that bench like that since I got it. No wheels. Haven’t had time to test it out yet. I need to get a rolling cart. I wish I had it up and running today, because I cut up about 50 pounds of meat and sealed it all with the food saver. What a PITA. I had to use gallon bags for steaks etc. because the quart bags were sucking blood into the machine, creating a problem. I know some people say to freeze the meat first and then seal it but I didn’t want to do that. This won’t be a problem with the Vacmaster.
Do you think I can store the Vacmaster in an attached unheated garage? Although, I do normally put a portable heater in there to keep
the pipes above from freezing. The only other place I could possibly store it is in the basement which is finished. It’s definitely Not going to stay in my kitchen. The layout and my wife simply won’t allow it. LOL
Weird, I've never noticed any corrosion issues with canned tomatoes. I made veg soup last week and used some from 2014. Aside from a slight metallic taste that went away after everything blended they were fine.I stopped storing any canned tomatoes products because of the corrosion issue. Even if the cans don't burst they rust internally in a year or two.