"Survival" foods

[S.A. Boggs]

Local store is starting to sell this type of food in large plastic pails. IMHO canned food is cheaper and more available.
Sam

[Roadkingtrax]

Feed your neighbors cookies, and keep them in range.

[sid]

Sam, I agree. For example, canned meats like Spam will last forever. Chunky Soups will last at least 10 years. The same for canned spaghetti.

[Art]

Canned food has a lot of advantages, it's ready to heat and eat, unlike freeze dried food it requires no water, and since its pre cooked you can eat it right out of the can cold if you really have to. I personally like cold Spam. The biggest disadvantage is it's heavy which is no problem if you aren't planning on going any where.

While canned food will last long after it's "best by date," our rule of thumb is take the remaining time before the date and double it. The life of canned food varies. We buy the high end stuff mostly. If we have to eat canned food why not the best? We have our canned survival food in boxes that we rotate Jan 1st each year oldest first obviously.

We do have some freeze dried food (that stuff uses a lot of water) and some MREs also but the food first up on the hard times list is the canned stuff.

[JB White]

Can I get a bucket of pizza?

[S.A. Boggs]

+1 on SPAM! In our 2nd kitchen we are putting in a lot of storage space. I am going to put in can shelves that will roll the cans forward with the newest being able to be placed in the rear. I store the various rice in quart Mason jars labeled accordingly and when I run low I open up a vac bag to refill. I fill up the jar for measuring and then transfer to a heat sealed vac. bag then into a large tote that is then placed onto the mental shelf.
When our son was last over he brought over several MRE's to also place in storage. Canned food is slowly going up and we catch the sales accordingly. A local chain has better buy's on some food then the big chain does. Couple of weeks ago the local store "dumped" Angus steaks due to getting too many and no room, so I bought. Wife said that she is "tired" of steak so I am backing off for awhile. My air fryer does a great job on thick steaks, not so well on thin one's. They also run 10/10 which is helpful and give away. Several weeks ago they had a deal on butter [quality butter] so I loaded up on it, vac. sealed and then into the deep freeze.
Sam

[lyman]

Can I get a bucket of pizza?

as long as you can home brew,

pizza with out beer or a good red wine is just not right

[blackhawknj]

Recall reading in one of the survival columns years ago that bulk "survival foods" were often just grains.

[Merc]

Some canned foods are often overloaded with sodium. Read labels and choose those with lower sodium content.

[Art]

Some canned foods are often overloaded with sodium. Read labels and choose those with lower sodium content.

It is true that the sodium content of a lot of canned food is high, this is mainly an issue for folks with high blood pressure. You are correct that there are a lot of reduced sodium canned goods, in fact where I am the "low sodium" and "light" canned goods often outnumber the traditional stuff.

Blackhawknj:

Correct on the freeze dried stuff. Animal fat doesn't lend itself to freeze drying so to get a lot of the freeze dried foods in packets to last 25 years, they often skip the meat substituting textured soy protein, among other veggie ingredients. They don't advertise that part. Wise is a prime example. A stroganoff meal, for example, may not say "beef stroganoff" for that reason

[dryheat]

Wise is awful. Have your bought their chips? Our local downhome grocer is selling them. Don't let saving 10 cents prevent you from buying stuff that tastes good. But you shouldn't be relying on Carbs anyway.

[Major Tom]

Feed your neighbors cookies, and keep them in range.

Or: Feed your local democrats cookies. ;-)

[sid]

Even more important than food is water. You will need 1 gallon per person per day. You can buy distilled water in plastic jugs for less than a dollar at many supermarkets. It is also a good idea to keep a bottle of Clorox Bleach to purify contaminated water. You can find the amount to use on Google.

[S.A. Boggs]

Even more important than food is water. You will need 1 gallon per person per day. You can buy distilled water in plastic jugs for less than a dollar at many supermarkets. It is also a good idea to keep a bottle of Clorox Bleach to purify contaminated water. You can find the amount to use on Google.

We have been using a British Berkenfield water purifier for about 5 years on our "city" water. One would be amazed what is in the "clean" tap water. I can collect rain water from our metal roof and then run this thru a coffee filter before hitting the Berky. I also have access to a small clear pond that has little pond scum to filter.
Sam

[Art]

Even more important than food is water. You will need 1 gallon per person per day. You can buy distilled water in plastic jugs for less than a dollar at many supermarkets. It is also a good idea to keep a bottle of Clorox Bleach to purify contaminated water. You can find the amount to use on Google.

Correct.

To me the biggest problem with freeze dried emergency food is the large amount of water required to rehydrate and cook it.

[JB White]

Even more important than food is water. You will need 1 gallon per person per day. You can buy distilled water in plastic jugs for less than a dollar at many supermarkets. It is also a good idea to keep a bottle of Clorox Bleach to purify contaminated water. You can find the amount to use on Google.

I'm of the impression distilled water isn't very good in the long haul. Most of the the things water carries which are good for you have been removed, such as all the minerals we require. If relying on distilled then you'll need to supplement your diet.

[Art]

While it is true that the minerals in distilled water have been removed it's also true that distilled water is sterile. Since it is sterile it doesn't have to be treated down the road to kill bacteria so can be stored almost indefinitely if the container it comes in isn't compromised. Other forms of water sterilization are not as permanent which is why folks keep bleach on hand to keep it safe.

A large majority of our mineral intake comes from diet so mineral deficiency from water should be made up without too much trouble.

[blackhawknj]

Recall from my Boy Scout days that boiling is THE way to sterilize water, makes it a little blah, beats getting germs in one's system.

[Merc]

I did a tour of duty the NavCommSta in Morocco in the early 1960s and the base had its own water purification plant, but those sailors who chose to live off base were told to treat their drinking water by adding a few drops of bleach to 5 gallons. Bottled water didn’t exist like it does today. Didn’t matter much. IIRC, most existed on beer (not kidding).

[JOHN COOK]

Wise is awful. Have your bought their chips? Our local downhome grocer is selling them. Don't let saving 10 cents prevent you from buying stuff that tastes good. But you shouldn't be relying on Carbs anyway.

Is Wise potato chip company the same as Wise Survival Foods ??

John in SC

[lyman]

Is Wise potato chip company the same as Wise Survival Foods ??

John in SC

ready wise makes the survival stuff,

not wise chips is now mexican owned,

[JOHN COOK]

ready wise makes the survival stuff,

not wise chips is now mexican owned,

Thanks,

John in SC

[RED]

Just my $.02 worth. Canned goods are good for years longer than the "best if used before xx/xx/2022" dates. Dried foods like Rice, beans, and pasta are still a source of carbs for many years. Protein powders are good forever as are multi vitamin pills.

Food is easy... water, shelter, and heat are the factors you need to pay attention to>

Again JMHO

[S.A. Boggs]

Red has many good points on this, food is around us if one is willing to recognize and eat it. EVERY TIME we go to the store we bring home something we can use. Since my wife and daughter work where groceries are sold, this is easy to do. Also when the store first opens many food items have just been discounted so I am there to get what we need.
Considering food, I pity those who have just beans and rice as they are cheap and easy to store. They will be surprised if no water is available and how beans and rice are bulk food for one's system. We eat these on a regular basis so our system is attuned to them.
Since ammo/components are hard to come by I am turning to CO2 for my continuing practice and recreation. Also these are great for quiet potting of animals for food/pest control without attracting too much attention. If need be many can also be used for anti-personal in an emergency.
Sam

[lyman]

one thing to consider, re the expiration dates,


the Sell By dates are a relatively modern thing,

when I started work in the grocery biz back in 1980,, no can foods had a date,
at least not a date in the traditional since, (Month\day\year)

everything had a code on the can, to tell you , if you knew the code, when it was made and the plant or line,


even lunchmeats were code dated, and some were marked 'good 7 days beyond this date if opened' or similar

[BlitzKrieg]

I think civilians spend a ton of money and wasted effort on "survival foods". All of a sudden we are not going to have a year of North Korean food shortages. There is wisdom to have some food stuff in case of storms and natural disasters and on that track I'd recommend:

a. Spam. I hate the stuff but it lasts a long time, doesn't spoil quickly ( how could it, with all the formaldehyde in it ) and has a ton of energy if you really need it. Eat it out of can or fry it, its an easy solution for an emergency. I used to have a can of it , wrapped in 100 MPH tape always on my battle harness inside an ammo pouch. That was my iron ration if I ever had to escape and evade. The lid when taken off can be a signal mirror, the edges of lid and can are knife sharp if you got cutting to do. The one can of spam can keep you moving for a week if rationed properly and as said it don't spoil.

B. Rice: buy 25# of rice and keep in air tight container. You can eat rice for a long time and its good trading material if times get tough.

C. Instant mash potatoes can't be beat. Easy prep and a pack will feed 4 for a meal.

D. Those Chunky soups as stated above. Get two cases (mixed menu of cans). Add rice and one can can feed two people for a day, maybe two.

What else more do you really need that the above. Really nothing much more at all. Canned fruit or dried fruit would be a bonus.

I see no reason to stock up on Mountain House or MRE prepared food supplies.

The only thing I do recommend to stock deep and not ever chance running out of is coffee. Rack it and stack it deep.

[S.A. Boggs]

Right now we are taste testing instant mashed potatoes and powdered milk to see which we like. As to Spam, our favorites are the hickory/bacon ones. Something else neglected are various spices besides salt and pepper. We prefer to use hand grinders for our salt and pepper to get the texture and flavor.
Wine/whiskey can be used for many other purposes then sheer enjoyment. Also, raw honey is a necessity in our pantry and medical supplies. Honey is one of natures perfect foods in my opinion.
Sam

[blackhawknj]

Powdered milk is skim milk,if that's a consideration.

[JB White]

Sampling survival foods? I'd rather wait until I was desperate so they taste good!

[blackhawknj]

Powdered/skim milk tastes best when it's icy cold and been allowed to cure, say, overnight.
When I was at Fort Bragg in 1969 we ate Korean War vintage C-rations. Tasted fine, the standard complaint was even if you got your 3 meals a day they provided no where near enough calories. In Boy Scouts we found the portions of the dehydrated trail foods to small.

[Fred Pillot]

It can be hard to find/see the expiration date on cans and jars, so I write the date on the lid with a felt pen.
I had a package of paper towels in the pantry that I thought a mouse was relieving itself on the package. Dried yellow looking. If finally investigated and it turned out to be a can french cut green beans leaking on it. The bottom failed and it was maybe 4 years out of date.

[JB White]

Tomatoes/tomato sauce goes bad in the can. A couple of times it sprayed everywhere as soon as the opener made a puncture.
Botulism all over me and the kitchen. One of them was only a month out of date. The other one was a forgotten lost soul in the back of the pantry.

[Art]

Tomatoes/tomato sauce goes bad in the can. A couple of times it sprayed everywhere as soon as the opener made a puncture.
Botulism all over me and the kitchen. One of them was only a month out of date. The other one was a forgotten lost soul in the back of the pantry.

Yup. Acidy foods like Tomato and Tomato sauce can go south in a hurry, especially if it starts to react with the metal in the can.

[JB White]

My first real life experience with that I was in my late 20's. As soon as it happened I knew what was wrong. I must listen to people more than I realize.

[dryheat]

Had a Costco sized bottle of Heinz ketchup go bad. It turned brown. Had a can of tomato paste swell up. Tossed it before it blew. When my cast iron kitchen drain pipe corroded the plumber told me that it's the food that goes down the drain that eats it away.

[lyman]

funny thing is up until the 80's, most foods did not have a sell by date,

cans were code dated (usually Julian calendar date, and often that date was the canned on date)

lunchmeat had either a code date, or a 'freshest by' date, and a disclaimer after that that it was good at least 7 days past,


when I was in the meat business back then, we did what we called Reworks every day,

Reworks were packages dated that day, we opened, inspected, converted (turn a roast into steaks, stew etc) and repackaged, with a new date,

if it looked a bit off, or was turning , it got reduced,


dates were not a big concern, presentation was,

[Art]

You know guys, it all comes down to whether you're a "grasshopper" or an "ant." Most on this site are "ants." Most people, though, are "grasshoppers," either because they are always in the crew that doesn't want to think about what could go wrong, don't have the resources to prepare, or, more often, are just flat lazy.

The great thing about "ants" is they encourage others to be "ants" and share their knowledge of how to be a more efficient and effective "ant" with other "ants."

[S.A. Boggs]

Art has a point and "we" are moving faster to improve our place. Who knows how much "time" is left to do what one wants to do.
Sam

[Sunray]

"...overloaded with sodium..." So are most processed foods. You should absolutely read labels.
The biggest advantage of canned stuff is that it's easy to tell if it's gone bad. The can will literally expand with the gasses created. So if your can is swollen, don't eat it. snicker.
Regular SPAM has 32% of your daily required sodium. 81.8% is Fat. The Low Sodium variety has 25%. Isn't that low.