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Unlike some here who likely are preparing for a SHTF scenario, I actually live in an area of the country where natural disasters do strike(hurricanes), and can leave us without power, fuel and water for a decent interval.
So I am fairly prepared to survive in the short run based on my own home preparedness storage with a heavy emphasis on water and canned food for about 5 days to a week.
Still I have been contemplating adding a longer term solution in the event of something more systemic that could render food supplies/sources scarce. I will obviously want something that has a good shelf life, is nutritious, but also with a decent taste. I hear the commercials for such products on radio shows like Michael Savage, but really have no idea what is my best bet.
Undoubtedly some of you have done research, compared choices, determined meat or no meat from a cost benefit standpoint, even done taste testing.
So I'd like to profit from your research/wisdom and ask what you recommend in the way of a bucket full of these meals?
I have only tried an MRE once...and once was enough. They taste horrible! Not exactly what I'd look forward to eating in an emergency. We do have food put by, of course, but not MREs. We like the Mountain House brand and other freeze dried foods in number 10 cans. For a 72 hour pack, the SOS food bars are pretty good, and we pack then with peanut butter and cheese crackers. I assume you are also providing bottled water and water filtration gear.
In our case, we do a lot of canning, and we have soups, stews, and tomato sauces that make quick meals. Applesauce, which we also can, is especially good for quick, no cooking use. We keep large quantities of rice, oatmeal, bisquick, pasta, and potato flakes in storage. Dried foods are cheap, store well, and give you better calorie bang for amount eaten, which may or may not be important to you.
If you have tried the MREs and find them palatable, go for it. If you have not tried them, definitely do so before investing big bucks. Even if you like them, there are far cheaper ways to store foods for intermediate and long term use. Good luck with your food storage plans, whatever you decide!
I do not have MREs in my stores. They're terrible. I do have some Mountain House packets for special uses, but my stores consist primarily of grain for long term use and canned for emergencies of up to two or three years. If you use cheese and butter be sure to sample the canned of each. You may wish to add powdered milk and eggs. I use freeze dried peaches because I like them. Try them before you buy large quantities. You'll generally need to buy them in #10 cans. Once opened, they'll keep for a year or more if refrigerated. Shop around for the best prices, but stick to established brands. Don't ever buy prepackaged supplies supposed to be good for some given time. Try each item ahead of the emergency.
A sudden diet change to unfamiliar and unpleasant foods can cause digestive problems of all sorts. Stick with what's familiar and palatable.
You're doing it the right way now. You just need to increase the amounts and perhaps add a few things.
Honeyville has eggs and milk as well. Their foods are excellent. Mountain House is available in the sporting goods department of Walmart in single packs. I have four chickens who take care of my egg needs.
If you don't have alternative cooking methods in your home buy a Sterno stove and fuel. It's fine for indoor use as the fuel is commonly used to keep chafing dishes hot. You'll find the fuel and possibly the stoves at Walmart near the Mountain House foods. Amazon carries them as well.
We have a lot of power outages. At least I think it is a lot. Every month we lose power at least once, but usually it is half a day. 2 or 3 times a year we lose power for 5-days to a week in duration. We were without power the week of Christmas and then again for 4 days in mid-January.
We have had MREs, though we do not have any on hand now. MREs pack a huge amount of calories, and they have no fiber. They are made for 18 to 24 year old men who are physically active, and units do not want the men to have bowel movements twice a day. Once or twice a week is all that is really wanted when you are on a battlefield.
I see MREs marketed on-base, and I have access to buy them whenever I go on-base. All servicemembers can get them.
If you want some just ask anyone you know who is a servicemember.
We buy cases of canned goods when they go on sale. Most canned goods will last for a decade [or longer]. They work fine for filling a pantry.
We also do a lot of home canning / preserving food that we produce.
Rice and beans stored in Mylar and oxygen absorbers will last 10 years at least ,caned food will last 20-30 years and more beyond best by dates.
The important thing is to store what you eat and eat what you store and keep rotating stock .
I am good for 2 years on the out side if right now there is an EMP and every thing goes down .
I also am learning aqua-ponics and hope that I can extend my survival with that as well.
It seems that a green house is now the necessity, not a luxury, so that's where I'm going.
MREs are emergency food ,not luxury food , the idea is to promote survival, not feasting.
I have purchased MRE's in the past, I must say i'm not very impressed with either the quality or quantity and wouldn't buy them again. I have several dehydrated camping meal pouches, purchased from camping shops about £5 each, in my GHB. I have used these in the past and they are an adequate substitute when weight is an issue, but nothing beats proper food in my estimation.
Most MRE's available for sale are close to expiration and are not very healthy to begin with. Eating a meal on occasion isn't bad, but I would hate to have to live on them for any length of time. We still had "C" rations when I was in the military and I think those were better tasting!
I use these guys, as their products have a 25 year shelf life, the more you buy (bulk) the cheaper it is, and free shipping, which living in Alaska means a lot. They also have water filter systems and heirloom vegetable seeds that are 100% Non-GMO!
We keep totes of their food items at our house and our cabin. I've eaten most of the items and they are pretty darn good in my opinion.
Um...maybe "you" can go to any base and buy them. But since I am no longer in the military I cannot. And when I was in the military...I never knew them to be for sale to the general public.
Um...maybe "you" can go to any base and buy them. But since I am no longer in the military I cannot. And when I was in the military...I never knew them to be for sale to the general public.
EBay or Craigslist. Can find fresh ones on there.
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