Stew pouches

[ptmmatssc]

Just thought I'd pass on a little "survival" trick that I use .

Every year I grow my own veggies and do several things for long term storage . I will just discuss one though .
I pick out carrots , onions, peas , potatoes , and assorted herbs and put them aside . I place each in a dehydrator and remove as much moisture as possible (till they are crisp and could actually be powdered) . Then I take amounts from each to combine for a 3 person "meal" .
Then I mix the ingredients and using my vac sealer , I make up individual meal pouches .
Black sharpie for date made , and off to a cool dark place for storage .

I have used these "meal packs" for camping , hunting , etc . and they work great . They are basically used in stews . Just add them to some water to rehydrate , add whatever meat you could capture/kill ,and instant stew ! I also keep some bullion cubes aside to add for a "broth" .

Some recommend doing a pre cook of the veggies prior to dehydrating . I have yet to have any problems doing this straight from the garden , but I can see why it might be done .

Not sure of shelf life of these , but for me , I use up the last of my pouches just as harvest time comes around . So , essentially mine are used up within a year . They may last longer .

People that have camped/hunted with me and have tried my stews using this process have commented on how good they were. It takes a little time to tweak the portions of each veggie/herb , but once you get the right combo , you'll surprise yourself and probably look at canned stews as inferior .

 

[MassMark]

Man, that sounds great - thanks for posting that. I wonder if there's a natural food preservative to add shelf life? Never used one, so i don't know. I know what the chemical ones are, but am unsure if there's anything else....

 

[doobie]

Remember you can rehydrate them with veggie/chicken stock for more flavor.

The more water that was removed the longer it will last. However with a dehydrator usually you end up with somewhere between 5-10% of the water left. Some items work better than others, especially some that turn to mush. You would need a freeze-dryer to get all the water.

 

[Adam_MA]

This is a great idea! And seeing how I dry and can from my own garden anyway, I think I might try to make some of these up... I wonder how it would come out if you dried some small pieces of beef or chicken and just added that into the pouch as well!

As for shelf life, if it's just veggies and herbs/spices, you should be able to easily get 2 years out of it.

How about sharing your recipes with us?

 

[ptmmatssc]

Remember you can rehydrate them with veggie/chicken stock for more flavor.

The more water that was removed the longer it will last. However with a dehydrator usually you end up with somewhere between 5-10% of the water left. Some items work better than others, especially some that turn to mush. You would need a freeze-dryer to get all the water.

Yup , doing a broth (bullion cubes) , then adding the veggies to rehydrate works well .

Yes , freeze drying is better since it brings moisture content down to 1-4% . Because I use up my stash throughout the year , I worry less about it . If I were to store for several years , freeze drying would be my choice.

 

[ptmmatssc]

This is a great idea! And seeing how I dry and can from my own garden anyway, I think I might try to make some of these up... I wonder how it would come out if you dried some small pieces of beef or chicken and just added that into the pouch as well!

As for shelf life, if it's just veggies and herbs/spices, you should be able to easily get 2 years out of it.

How about sharing your recipes with us?

I've tried adding homemade jerky to the mix and it turned out ok . Not nearly as good as fresh game though . Plus , it seemed to take quite a bit longer to rehydrate the jerky to where it was soft . Had to start the jerky well before the veggies .

I'll dig out a few of my recipes and post them for you . But , it comes down to a matter of taste . I happen to like onions and potatoes , so I portion them out at a higher rate than the other veggies .

Easiest way to figure out a recipe for your self is to make a stew from fresh ingredients. Measure each (cups,tbsp, etc) and if you tweak it while cooking , simply add to your measurements .

 

[ptmmatssc]

Man, that sounds great - thanks for posting that. I wonder if there's a natural food preservative to add shelf life? Never used one, so i don't know. I know what the chemical ones are, but am unsure if there's anything else....

I know there are a few things out there that are "natural" such as this idea

http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?id=54254-grape-pomace-extract

Many herbs and spices have a natural tendency to help in protection from molds , parasites, and bug infestations . Things like garlic have shown to be beneficial to keeping out certain problem pests . I usually put garlic , thyme , salt , pepper , bay leaf , etc in my mix . Haven't had any problems yet .

 

[Twigg]

Hmmm

Yet another use for the vacuum sealer !

We've been thinking of getting one of those dehydrator thingies.

Great tip, thanks for sharing +1 rep point fer you.

 

[ptmmatssc]

Just wanted to add that the reason I like and use these stew pouches is because of the weight (for packing etc) , ease of use (just put it in water to rehydrate) , and it's a simple one pot meal (easy cleanup, less to pack and carry) . I've also tried "stews" that were prepackaged ( freeze dried etc) , but they weren't suited to my taste . So for me , making my own was the best option .

Also forgot to mention that when rehydrating these pouches , I tend to start the process at least an hour before meal prep . Usually set it up and do a little fishing or hunting etc while it does it's job .