What are your thoughts about premade long term food kits?

[Maverick]

Freeze dried/MREs should be the fallback to the fallback or short notice evac but not the primary source of food and nutrition , get a year worth of shelf stable can goods before investing in big buckets of freeze dried goods, also prefer bulk flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, honey, oats etc... I ate campbell's bean and bacon condensed dated NOV 25 2006 yesterday, no color change and tasted the same as the one dated 2014, I ate canned corn and peas 10yrs past the date and it was fine. Lot cheaper investing in canned goods.

 

[Brent S]

Freeze dried/MREs should be the fallback to the fallback or short notice evac but not the primary source of food and nutrition , get a year worth of shelf stable can goods before investing in big buckets of freeze dried goods, also bulk flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, honey, oats etc... I ate campbell's bean and bacon condensed dated NOV 25 2006 yesterday, no color change and tasted the same as the one dated 2014, I ate canned corn and peas 10yrs past the date and it was fine. Lot cheaper investing in canned goods.

10 yrs is pretty brave! No doubt you can go a lot further than what's on the label. I had some beans just a little out of date that were safe to eat, but we're kind of mushy, so I guess just make sure you look, smell and taste before digging in.

 

[Maverick]

10 yrs is pretty brave! No doubt you can go a lot further than what's on the label. I had some beans just a little out of date that were safe to eat, but we're kind of mushy, so I guess just make sure you look, smell and taste before digging in.

there was a report a couple of years ago that 25yr old can of corn was tested and eatin it was found to be safe and still had over 70% nutritional value, the university stated 30yrs wouldn't be out of the question as being editable of course can condition and storage temp plays 100% role in longevity

 

[Brent S]

there was a report a couple of years ago that 25yr old can of corn was tested and eatin it was found to be safe and still had over 70% nutritional value, the university stated 30yrs wouldn't be out of the question as being editable of course can condition and storage temp plays 100% role in longevity

I have read that the conditions it is stored in makes a huge difference. Hence why I dug a 1000 dollar hole in the ground!

 

[Gazrok]

We keep at least 3 yrs of freeze dried per person

That's a hell of a stockpile! Must have cost a small fortune! Good job!

So far, I've only been able to focus mainly on freeze dried dairy and meats, as well as other stuff that would be hard to come by if the SHTF. Though we may add goats to solve the dairy issue. Still....

 

[jontte]

with my limited budget right now,it's canned goods for me,still have to buy that meat substitute; soy granules,that's dry so it will last a long time

 

[Gazrok]

Canned foods are still a good buy, especially if you buy things you'll eat, and rotate them through. Most will keep well for up to 3 years, even if saying only 1 year on the can. After 3 though, will still be edible, just will taste off. More or less depending on the food.

 

[Texas Patriot]

The way I look at it is if your buying what you can and learning to sustain every chance you can, you are miles ahead of everyone else.

 

[Maverick]

Here is a can of peaches 'best by' date of Aug-2-2010 I open the can up and the peaches look good and are still very tasty, no difference in taste of the syrup, I can easily go another two to three years with this. If the cans are in good condition Don't Waste the Food! The reason I pulled this, this can was setting on the floor under the racks (must have fallen) it had a little rust fixin to start, you can see on the left edge of the first picture (didn't affect the can yet), so decided to hurry and eat it up, any kind of rust is a major no no on the cans.

 

[Gazrok]

I'm surprised, usually after about 3 years, you'll taste a difference with most canned fruit (at least in my experience). Still edible, of course. 5 is about the max I'd go.

 

[TheShadowKnows]

I'm surprised, usually after about 3 years, you'll taste a difference with most canned fruit (at least in my experience). Still edible, of course. 5 is about the max I'd go.

How are you storing your cans? I'm sure as with most things that temperature has a major impact. I worry about my cans because they're basically just in a closet; in my part of Texas the bedrock makes it so practically no one has cellars or basements so that "cool, dry place" that they always recommend for food storage doesn't exist for me. I'm not sure about your part of Florida but it's a pretty temperate state, no? Generally warm and humid?

 

[Brent S]

I'm surprised, usually after about 3 years, you'll taste a difference with most canned fruit (at least in my experience). Still edible, of course. 5 is about the max I'd go.

I guess that all depends on how hungry you are, especially post shtf. I rotate pretty well, but am not too worried about the date anyways. If it tastes off, chunk it, if not, enjoy. I'm more concerned with my own canning at home. I don't think I would keep anything over three years. I have several jars of apples that are two yrs old now. They are kind of mushy to eat straight, but still make great pies. When this years apples come ripe I'll switch them out though. Most things I've read say only one year on home canned goods.

 

[BlackBart]

I'm amazed nobody mentioned the fact you need clean potable water to rehydrate your dried food supplies. Without rehydration, you risk serious dehydration.
When SHTF, one of the first utilities to go will be electricity which is used to pump municipal /well water. Most open source water is contaminated by wildlife and/or pollution. Everyone must secure ample fresh water supplies and have the equipment to filter alternate sources. You may have 20 years worth of freeze-dried food but you will surely die of dehydration without fresh water within days.

 

[jimLE]

thats why some if not most here,go with diff sources for water.some are stocked up on water.some have rain catchment systems.then there's life straws and some other sort of filtration system.and i think a few has a still for purifying water..

 

[Maverick]

I'm amazed nobody mentioned the fact you need clean potable water to rehydrate your dried food supplies. Without rehydration, you risk serious dehydration.
When SHTF, one of the first utilities to go will be electricity which is used to pump municipal /well water. Most open source water is contaminated by wildlife and/or pollution. Everyone must secure ample fresh water supplies and have the equipment to filter alternate sources. You may have 20 years worth of freeze-dried food but you will surely die of dehydration without fresh water within days.

Water for dehydrated food has been mention in several threads across this forum but good point water should be first and foremost the number one priority.

 

[Myrrph]

thats why i have a sawyer mini in my bug out kit. on top of additional multi purpose items like socks, cotton balls to use with discarded pet bottles to use as adhoc water filters.

The ability to boil water also helps to kill the bacteria before using it to hydrate the food

 

[jimLE]

There are a lot of people who buy into those pre-made meals and love them. It is probably wise to get a few to have on hand for a real emergency case. For me, I do not plan on bugging out so I tend to can most of my overages from the garden and also dehydrate my own. When you dry them at home, you can always throw 'meals' together and vacuum seal it. These will last for a couple years. From what I have seen, it is cheaper in the long run to do your own, but they will not last 25 years. Beside, you know exactly what is in it. Some things will hold better for years than others though. Corn, celery, onions, potatos, green peppers, chili peppers, mushrooms & spinach does just fine, carrots and tomatoes not so well after 5 plus years in storage. This is a good link for homemade meals http://www.backpackingchef.com/

im gonna have to look into the backpacking site when i get back home

 

[Gazrok]

Well, without water, there's no point to any of it, so kind of an unspoken rule....