Any 'net bought emergency food worth it?

[Blacksmith101]

Problem with dry beans is they require soaking and lots of fuel/time. That is unless you have a pressure cooker....

That is why you throw them in the pot first thing in the morning and let them simmer while you do other things.

 

[King Chicken]

That is why you throw them in the pot first thing in the morning and let them simmer while you do other things.

Yes ..if it's a shtf scenario an open campfire, lots of water or infinite gas/fuel may not be available/wise.

But beans n rice is excellent in almost every other respect. Complete protein, lasts forever, lightweight, fiber, etc

I've not seen blazing saddles....I'm a millennial, dont stone me. I'll have to watch it soon ty! Fart jokes... I took am a man of culture.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Yes ..if it's a shtf scenario an open campfire, lots of water or infinite gas/fuel may not be available/wise.

But beans n rice is excellent in almost every other respect. Complete protein, lasts forever, lightweight, fiber, etc

I've not seen blazing saddles....I'm a millennial, dont stone me. I'll have to watch it soon ty! Fart jokes... I took am a man of culture.

It is definitely a must see movie it could not be made in today's woke Hollywood. You might have to watch it several times just to get all the innuendoes.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

…could always visit DocT for all the innuendo you can handle

 

[Growler215]

I've stored a lot of bulk food for SHTF in sealed mylar bags in food grade 5 gal buckets with O2 absorbers. I don't bother to bake or freeze the food first, as the lack of oxygen should kill any critters pretty quickly. After putting in O2 absorbers, squeezing out as much air as possible, and sealing with a flat iron hair straightener, I wait a few hours to put the lid on. As the O2 absorbers remove the oxygen from the air in the mylar bag, they will get very hard IF the bag is well sealed. If not, try again. Each bucket holds about 30 lbs of most things (25 lbs for white flour, 15 lbs for rolled oats.) No mylar, O2 absorbers, etc required to store white sugar, but a "gamma seal" type lid is pretty much a necessity for this.

Now, here's what many folks don't realize: most of your bulk food items have about the same calories on a weight basis. For example, a pound of dry rice, a pound of flour, a pound of spaghetti, a pound of dry beans, a pound of barley, a pound of dried corn, a pound of rolled oats, a pound of dried potato flakes, and a pound of white sugar all have about 1600 calories. This is a bit less than the 2000 (women)/2500 (men) calories recommended per day for normally active adults. But if you figure that it will be supplemented, e.g. with some fresh eggs, garden produce, the occasional squirrel/old hen/rabbit/etc, a pound a day per person should keep you alive. So if a bucket holds 30 pounds, that's 1 bucket per person per month. That's my "rule of thumb."

Right now, for a family of 3, I have 61 five gal buckets. That takes up a fair amount of space, but it's not 20 months worth, because some of them have rolled oats (only 15 lbs/bucket), and a few of them have stuff like large containers of spices (inside smaller mylar bags with O2 absorbers), baking soda, vinegar in glass bottles, ionized and non-iodized salt, etc. In reality, it's about 15 months worth of calories.

In addition to the bulk food stores, we keep about 3 months worth of food in our pantry and freezers. And then there's the cow. . .

 

[Sirex]

I've got a couple of buckets of ReadyWise that I bought at Costco on the cheap, a 10lb bag of dried black beans, 32 oz of dried skim milk, and that's about it.

I realize that this is inadequate. But when I look at the prices of the internet store emergency food, my inner Scot starts yelling at me.

Is there any of these emergency food sellers that offer reasonably priced for what you get?

(I'm hearing the snickering even now)

I read where you can go to our good friends the Mormons to look for reasonably priced foods, but it seems like it's always eggs or milk and the like. Not prepared meals.

What's a cheap prepper-wanna-be to do?

I bought 2 buckets of Ready Wise, but did some scouring on YouTube and the web, and of all the buckets, it's probably the worst. Worst tasting, smallest portions, etc. I did get some Mountain House and other stuff, something Farms. Started with an A. I'll look.

 

[hobiecat590]

I bought 2 buckets of Ready Wise, but did some scouring on YouTube and the web, and of all the buckets, it's probably the worst. Worst tasting, smallest portions, etc. I did get some Mountain House and other stuff, something Farms. Started with an A. I'll look.

Augason Farms of Salt Lake, UT, is highly rated and good quality. DailyBread and Mountain House is also supposed to be OK and has some prepared entries. I'm starting to see Harvest Right Freeze Dryers everywhere but they are still a bit pricey if you want to try your hand at it and ultimately save money if you use it enough. An "Earth Straw" will provide fresh water from wells up to 300ft deep with some elbow grease in a prolonged grid down situation.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

I bought 2 buckets of Ready Wise, but did some scouring on YouTube and the web, and of all the buckets, it's probably the worst. Worst tasting, smallest portions, etc. I did get some Mountain House and other stuff, something Farms. Started with an A. I'll look.

Auguson

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

Augason Farms of Salt Lake, UT, is highly rated and good quality. DailyBread and Mountain House is also supposed to be OK and has some prepared entries. I'm starting to see Harvest Right Freeze Dryers everywhere but they are still a bit pricey if you want to try your hand at it and ultimately save money if you use it enough. An "Earth Straw" will provide fresh water from wells up to 300ft deep with some elbow grease in a prolonged grid down situation.

Rain barrels fed by your existing roof gutters

 

[Growler215]

Rain barrels fed by your existing roof gutters

This is my backup backup system. Currently only have 3 - 65 gal rain barrels, so should probably add a few 55 gal barrels and interconnect them all.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

This is my backup backup system. Currently only have 3 - 65 gal rain barrels, so should probably add a few 55 gal barrels and interconnect them all.

That’s a lot more than most. Mine supplement a pond fed by a good creek fed by a couple springs so my barrels are less critical.

 

[Growler215]

That’s a lot more than most. Mine supplement a pond fed by a good creek fed by a couple springs so my barrels are less critical.

My main backup is solar power for my well pump.

My backup backup backup is a year 'round stream 1/4 mile behind the house. But carrying water sucks bad. And the further you have to carry it, the worse it sucks.

 

[hobiecat590]

Rain barrels fed by your existing roof gutters

Good choice for folks w/o wells, but I use those primarily for garden irrigation but prefer well water that doesn't need to be treated for drinking. There is supposed to be downspout devices that will divert the first 10 minutes of rain to wash away and divert pollutants that are on your roof (and solar panels ;-)) away from your rain barrels if you go that route.

 

[hobiecat590]

My main backup is solar power for my well pump.

My backup backup backup is a year 'round stream 1/4 mile behind the house. But carrying water sucks bad. And the further you have to carry it, the worse it sucks.

Same here but in an EMP event, all that stuff may be fried. Plan B, Earth Straw, Plan C springs and creeks but what a PITA.

As an aside, there are a lot of shallow "surface" wells under 33' deep around here that could be used w/ standard lift pumps. It is not the best tasting water, cut would do in a pinch.

 

[hobiecat590]

Auguson

Augason Farms

Augason Farms provides high-quality, shelf-stable food options designed for long-term storage, emergency preparedness, and everyday meals. With a focus on taste, variety, and nutritional value, we're your reliable source for food security and peace of mind.

augasonfarms.com

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

My main backup is solar power for my well pump.

My backup backup backup is a year 'round stream 1/4 mile behind the house. But carrying water sucks bad. And the further you have to carry it, the worse it sucks.

Get yourself a deer cart. Pronto.

 

[Sirex]

Auguson

That's it, thanks

 

[Sirex]

Augason Farms of Salt Lake, UT, is highly rated and good quality. DailyBread and Mountain House is also supposed to be OK and has some prepared entries. I'm starting to see Harvest Right Freeze Dryers everywhere but they are still a bit pricey if you want to try your hand at it and ultimately save money if you use it enough. An "Earth Straw" will provide fresh water from wells up to 300ft deep with some elbow grease in a prolonged grid down situation.

Yes, Augason had some pretty good reviews. I think we have a breakfast/lunch bucket, and a Dinner bucket in the basement.

 

[Archeryrob]

How many of you all got a rocket stove or something other than the range to cook on? Electric will be off right when it happens and gas as soon as the pressure drops. Propane will only last so long. As stated, you got to hide that fire signature.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

The more ways you’re able to cook, the better.

Signature for cooking involves many things. Smoke and smell are near the top of the list. When you haven’t eaten for a while and somebody is cooking (almost anything) you can smell it a long way away.

Rocket stoves are wonderful. Stocking up on propane is never a bad idea. Use it. Trade it.

The freeze dried hiking chow is great initially… as boiling water is pretty quick, low signature and can easily be kept hidden.