Eating 25 Year Shelf-Life Survival Food For Fun

[gamer_jim]

We just started putting away rice in mylar bags and we will probably rotate through them but some kind of basis.

Do you par-boil and then dehydrate your rice before bagging it?

 

[pitpawten]

Do you par-boil and then dehydrate your rice before bagging it?

Nope just straight out of the bulk bags we bought it in.

And to be honest our rationale is probably a bit different than most in the prep game, truth be told I'm about 99.9% certain that we'll wind up eating this slowly over the years so it doesn't go to waste or our kids will inherit it and throw it out when we pass away.

So we sort of just go for the low-hanging fruit of preps.

 

[gamer_jim]

Nope just straight out of the bulk bags we bought it in.

And to be honest our rationale is probably a bit different than most in the prep game, truth be told I'm about 99.9% certain that we'll wind up eating this slowly over the years so it doesn't go to waste or our kids will inherit it and throw it out when we pass away.

So we sort of just go for the low-hanging fruit of preps.

I like this and want to do more food prep stuff not just for SHTF but also incorporate into normal routine.

A prepping family I follow in Canada does the par boil for both rice and beans. Then they can them. She said it's mainly for convenience because they have a huge family and it's easier to prepare large meals this way. You will need a pressure canner to make this happen though.

I need to experiment with this. I'd love to have some dehydrated rice that's pre-cooked ready to go with seasonings already in it. I'm trying to make making week-night dinners easier so we don't just say "screw it" and get take out.

 

[teratos]

My only gripe against this stuff is the amount of water needed to prepare it.
If you're eating "survival food" you're probably also short on water.

Looks like you need to do more thinking on water purification. Unless you are in a desert, anything from a puddle to a river can serve as a water source.

 

[lazarus]

I bought a 3 month supply of 25 year shelf-life survival food and gave 1/2 of it to my in-laws as a gift. They are avid outdoors-people including hunting and fishing for much of their protein. They appreciate being self-reliant. To my surprise they were talking about bringing this with them when they go on fishing outings. I was a bit surprised and told them this really was designed as survival food they store in a cool dry place and forget about until/if they need it. Not really a grab and go meal while camping.

It really isn't a big deal to me certainly the gift wasn't given with any strings. But does anyone here treat survival food like this? I can understand maybe 20 years into the 25 to start eating it and replacing it but the clock for this batch just started.

I have sampled it as a quality check and it is quite good but the rest of mine will not be eaten unless needed for (actual) survival.

Yes and no. I plan, at some point, to eat through the dehydrated food I have well before it goes bad. Since that is decades from now, I am not in a hurry. But it isn't a bad idea to just eat through it on the regular. half of a 3 month supply is 6 weeks. So long as you are backfilling it occasionally, you keep it relatively fresh. Not like you'd need to worry about consuming and restocking every few years.

I also have a few dozen backpackers meals which is my quality survival food that is more grab and go if I NEEDED to grab and go. But I also take it on any hunting trip where I am camping. I know it'll last years, or a few decades, but so what? Easier to eat through it every few years and just buy a few new ones every year to replenish the ones I ate. I've take them on road trips too where I didn't think I really wanted to stop at a restaurant to eat. Just stop at a rest stop, heat some water, rehydrate and while I am waiting for it to rehydrate and cool, heat some water for some instant coffee and stretch my legs for 10 or 15 minutes. Especially if going camping anyway.

It's probably healthier and no higher in sodium than getting McDonalds or Taco Bell on the road.

 

[lazarus]

You didn't mention the brand and have seen new companies pop up.

This one has been mentioned and decent for camping. Not as cost effective as making your own unless convenience is more valuable.

Freeze Dried Food - Mountain House

Mountain House specializes in freeze-dried foods for all climates & adventures. From Biscuits & Gravy to Chicken Fajitas, we've got you covered! Free ground shipping on all orders!

mountainhouse.com

These are nasty and taste like plastic. They also have a lot shorter lifespan...just a couple years if I remember.

Mountain house in general? Or just those freeze dried ice cream sandwiches? I've had both. I don't care for the freeze dried ice cream sandwiches. Mountain house depends. Some stuff tastes like crap. Plenty tastes okay.

I tried Peak Refuel awhile back. They stuff is FANTASTIC. Especially the chicken alfredo. I switched to buying them for individual meals. Mountain house I do the 10# cans sometimes as well as Augson Farms. The former is better for meals in bulk that last a long time. The later is better for soups and individual ingredients like "mashed potato" flakes, dehydrated butter, pancake mix, etc.

But peak refuel, if you look at the nutritional content, is a bit healthier than most of the backpacker/dehydrated food companies similar offerings, and IMHO tastes better. A lot better. So to me, worth it to spend 25-50% more on it. I wouldn't want to buy 3 months of peak refuel meals. Especially because it is only a claimed 5 year shelf life (I'd imagine 10-15 would be fine if stored cool).

But worth it for my usual camping and hunting trips where I am eating through 3-8 of them a year and have x3 on hand (I think I have around 20 or so dinners and 10 or so breakfasts. The granola is a little oversweet. But everyone's backpacker granola is oversweet. The raspberry stuff is less sweet than the blueberry stuff BTW).

 

[lazarus]

The light bit is the most important part. With backpacking there is a saying "ounces make pounds, and pounds equal pain". There is only so much weight that can be carried without making the walk unpleasant, and increasing risk of injury. Any weight that is saved eases the walk, or can be put towards luxuries (camp pillow, pack of cards or book, M&Ms, etc.) Freeze dried food is really light, you just need to make sure your campsite has water access for rehydrating the dinner. Even as there are locations where you can walk off the trail into a town to resupply, it might cost you half a day going to and back from town.



Commercial freeze dried meals cost $10-$15 each, so I also prepare my own. I use my dehydrator on cooked meat strips or beans, and diced vegetables as well. Rice or quinoa makes up the carbohydrate component. I store it in a repurposed water bottle container, and pour out a appropriate measure for dinner.

A question, how the heck do you make beans that cook up easily? Pre-cook them and then dehydrate them? I haven't honestly looked or tried. I cook with dried beans all the time, but no way they rehydrate never been cooked quickly or easily. And no way I'd waste the fuel simmering dried beans for hours.

I make camping meals all the time. Backpacking meals a few times, but I go backpacking rarely enough it isn't a big deal to spend more. Camping I do a lot.

 

[Ponder_MD]

Looks like you need to do more thinking on water purification. Unless you are in a desert, anything from a puddle to a river can serve as a water source.

I have a cache of Lifestraws and those Sawyer filters. They work well but take a long time to filter large quantities of water for cooking. A river, yes. A puddle to cook a meal of that 25-year stuff? I'm skeptical.

You can use filthy, unpurified water to activate the flameless heater of an MRE or just eat it cold.

 

[teratos]

I have a cache of Lifestraws and those Sawyer filters. They work well but take a long time to filter large quantities of water for cooking. A river, yes. A puddle to cook a meal of that 25-year stuff? I'm skeptical.

You can use filthy, unpurified water to activate the flameless heater of an MRE or just eat it cold.

Amazon product ASIN B07D2L6LPQ
This is a fairly cheap option good for 100,000 liters, with some filter changes.

 

[Ponder_MD]

Amazon product ASIN B07D2L6LPQ
This is a fairly cheap option good for 100,000 liters.

Thank you!

 

[teratos]

Thank you!

There are for more expensive options. I use something similar when I hike. I go primitive camping with a buddy. I can fill my camelback with it in a few minutes.

 

[Trekker]

A question, how the heck do you make beans that cook up easily? Pre-cook them and then dehydrate them?

This is exactly what I do. I can add them to my camping meal (quinoa & veggie mix, rice-a-roni / etc) and they are re-hydrated and soft by the time the quinoa or rice is done cooking.

 

[lazarus]

This is exactly what I do. I can add them to my camping meal (quinoa & veggie mix, rice-a-roni / etc) and they are re-hydrated and soft by the time the quinoa or rice is done cooking.

How do you dehydrate? Drain the water and then right in the dehydrator? Or do you use hand towels or paper towels to try to get more water out of them first?

 

[outrider58]

Many avid outdoor people eat freeze-dried and dehydrated foods for camping/hiking, etc. It isn't and shouldn't be an issue

Yup. It's basically backpacking food. When you're burning massive calories, it's the best stuff in the woods.

 

[FN509Fan]

Commercially freeze-dried will keep longer than home dehydrating. "Freeze-drying removes 98% of the water in foods while dehydration removes about 80% giving freeze-dried products a much longer shelf-life." I buy stuff at auctions and once found a couple of #10 cans of freeze-dried foods from the 1950s. One can was mashed potatoes which I don't like but the other was scrambled eggs which I cook every weekend. We ate them for months before I told my wife about them.

 

[Trekker]

How do you dehydrate? Drain the water and then right in the dehydrator? Or do you use hand towels or paper towels to try to get more water out of them first?

Certainly drain off the water. I cannot remember if I tried additional drying with hand towels or paper towels or not. I also get that frozen vegetable mix from the grocery store (carrots, green beans, corn, etc.) and run that in the dehydrator as well.

 

[lazarus]

Certainly drain off the water. I cannot remember if I tried additional drying with hand towels or paper towels or not. I also get that frozen vegetable mix from the grocery store (carrots, green beans, corn, etc.) and run that in the dehydrator as well.

Thanks!

 

[AssMan]

Anyone have a promo code for "My Patriot Supply?"

 

[gamer_jim]

This guy on YT eats old rations. He claims to have eaten hard tack from the US Civil War. One of his most popular videos is him eating a British Emergency Ration from 1902.