Buckets Of Food

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  • Sgt. Psycho

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 1, 2009
    1,917
    One thing a lot of people seem to ignore is stockpiling fats (though some of us have a self-contained reserve). Fat contains 9 calories per gram and protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram. You can easily keep gallons of olive oil or the oil of your choice and add it to your packaged food to supplement calories.

    Coconut oil. Stores long term without going rancid if subjected to prolonged heat. Coconut oil and olive oil are the best oils for getting Omega 3s short of fish oil.
     

    mac1_131

    MSI Executive Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 31, 2009
    3,280
    I go with cases of mountain house freeze dried #10 cans. Although I do have some Wise buckets. They are ok but no meat as noted. MREs will make you fat and constipated and don't last all that long, but I have some of those too.

    Also as noted spices for all this stuff is important, to make it interesting.

    And water, and the ability to clean/treat water beyond what you can store.

    I thought I was going to have to start using this stuff with the 'rona, but managed to pull through without doing so.
     

    airsporter

    Active Member
    Apr 28, 2011
    386
    Western MD
    Most "buckets" are junk. Loaded with carbs and sugars to reach calorie counts. Way too low in protein! Average adult male needs about 75-100 grams/day. Mountain House is good stuff (but high salt).
     

    Silverlode

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 16, 2010
    4,797
    Frederick
    The most expensive thing to put on your shelf is protein. Most buckets are largely cheap carbs. Here is a cost efficient alternative for stocking protein. It has been a few years since I did this, so prices and times may have changed.

    There is a bakery supply place in Hanover. They have quite an assortment of stuff so check them out online. Here we will focus on dehydrated eggs. They aren't really in the retail business but on certain days and times you can walk in with cash (only, $250 minimum) and purchase things. I think it was Monday and Friday only between 11:00am and 2:00pm.

    George Ruhl & Sons: 7477 Race Road, Hanover MD

    When I was doing this I was buying 50lbs boxes of dehydrated eggs and it was about $200 each. You still need to break it down into smaller amounts and vacuum pack preferably with oxygen absorbers, but still that is far cheaper than buying the same product from one of the survival bucket stores. At the time the equivalent money got you 18lbs from Auguson. I haven't found any protein sources that even come close to that cost.
     

    willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,337
    Well, the 17 year cicadas are emerging soon...

    Yes, yes!!! Wait for them to molt and then you can pick their vacated epidermis off of the tree's and fences, and eat them. :)

     

    ras_oscar

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 23, 2014
    1,666
    And for heavens sake, try them out before you need them. Be sure you understand ALL that is need to prepare the meals for consumption. Do they rehydrate in the pouch or do you need a sauce pan? Can you eat them dry or do you need water? Can you rehydrate with cold water or do you need a heat source? Do you need a can opener? Do you need a spoon?

    IMHO, the best exercise is to toss what you think you'll need into the trunk, go somewhere without services and make yourself a meal.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    And before you buy a 10 year supply, EAT SOME to see if you like it.
     

    Crazytrain

    Certified Grump
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 8, 2007
    1,641
    Sparks, MD
    I bought a one month supply of stuff from My Patriot Supply. Figure two weeks for the wife and I. Actually, we both carry significant internal supplies so we can probably go on a 1000 calorie/day half ration and be better off for it.

    We haven't tried it, yet, because I don't think they are single servings and I don't want to crack them open. I'm hoping that I like them enough to eat, but not so much that I want to eat a lot. If I decide to buy more (I'm thinking on it) I think we will have to try it, maybe live on it for a week or so, just to make sure it's ok.

    It seems that unless you are starting a whole homesteading operation for a long term crisis or defending against the natives, or actively bugging out somewhere, then most survival is probably pretty passive. Hunker down and wait for the crisis to pass. In a situation like that, boredom could be a real threat. Boredom equals eating for many of us. Perhaps it is better if the food doesn't taste TOO good.
     

    ras_oscar

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 23, 2014
    1,666
    Last Christmas I bought a family member 3 cases of MREs. They were recent dates. After they were gone he indicated he did not want any more. I suspect the real issue was menu monotony.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Last Christmas I bought a family member 3 cases of MREs. They were recent dates. After they were gone he indicated he did not want any more. I suspect the real issue was menu monotony.

    Wait, he ate three cases in a year? Does he do a ton of backpacking or something? I’ll admit I’ve only ever eaten maybe half a dozen MREs in my life. But not something I’d chomp at the bit to eat. Backpacker dehydrated meals, IMHO, are often somewhat better if you are getting the right ones. I mean, I didn’t hate any of the MREs I ate, but it would be for eating “because I needed to eat something like that”. Not because I was excited about it. And I like to be excited about my food whenever I can.

    But I like to keep a case or two on hand. Also about the equivalent in mountain house and other brands of backpacker food. Both for any impromptu backpacking trips, but also in real dire survival or bug out situations to have at least 3 days of food for the whole family that could be thrown in the car and require basically zero prep and the same again that doesn’t require anything more than water (if you don’t mind it crunchy) or boiled water for a decent meal. I’ve got a lot more than that in other foods, but it is literally “grab the plastic tote container and throw it in the car”. Rather than “quick throw stuff from the pantry or from the under porch storage room in to whatever bags or containers you can find”.

    Also that rubber maid plastic tote has like 144 Ramen packages in it. Just the stuff that’ll last a few years :-)

    My MRE consumption rate is “just enough to need to replace a case before it goes bad”. So like 3-4 a year with 2 full cases in hand. Though I am bad about that right now as I’ve got just under 2 cases.

    Vast majority of my “food preps” are just long term durable foods like rice, oats, beans, canned soup.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Hmm, did you get him 3 cases of the same A or B? If you get one A and one B, there is not duplication. Some of the side things are the same in different packages.

    And eating 3 cases over a year is about 3 per month, or less than 1 per week. So hard to get menu monotony.

    I have purchased individual MREs to try. They are not too bad. I would not want to have to eat only them for weeks on end. Eating 3 a day (which you BETTER BE VERY ACTIVE), you would repeat meals after 8 days. 2 a day, which is about 2500 calories would get you 12 days before repeat.

    I have also done the same with Mountain House and Alpine Aire freeze dried meals. Most of them are pretty good. Some better than others. Same with the MCW (Meal Cold Weather), which is like an MRE, but the entree is a Mountain House freeze dried, vacuum packed entree.

    I have 2 cases of First Strike Rations. These are the low bulk and weight, no heating required meals for the first 3 days of battle. Each package is 1 days ration. And weighs less than half the weight of 3 MREs.

    I carry them when traveling internationally. Most times breakfast is included at the hotel. I normally have lunch with the people I am working with. So I don't need a big dinner. I find one FSR covers me for evenings for about a week. This assumes I go out to dinner a couple of times. The other nights, I eat pieces of the FSR. And some other snack things I carry.
     

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