food prepping options

[barfife]

To my prepping friends new and old:

If your house is starting to look like a small grocery store and you have run out of room to store your containers. I have a suggestion. Canned dehydrated food storage.

I know that it is a bit costly. But add up what your family spends on food for a year and there are some cost effective options out there.

So many of the companies making/marketing canned dehydrated foods have had all of their inventories purchased and sent to Japan recently. It will take some work to find available supplies.

The good news:
I found that Sam's Club is still offering the Arguson's surival food kit for 4 (1400 cal/day) for a whole year for $3k... delivered? That's right...free shipping! And was is still in stock as of yesterday. It is delivered to your house in about 10-14 days and it is all on one 1500 lb pallet and it has a 25-35 yr shelf life. (If you don't use it, you can always "will it" to your kids and their families.) They have smaller 2 week, 1 month, 3 month and 6 month kits also so you can start smaller if you are on a budget.

You have to order it on line but doing so you save on sales tax , picking it up and, using the right credit card, you can get either miles, points or cash back. (Remember to pay the card off...cause debt is bad.)

Just a point to ponder. No affiliation with Sam's Club, etc. YMMV.

 

[Outlander]

I have some Augason products in my food supply. Not bad stuff...it is a mix of dehydrated and freeze dried (there is a difference). I am skeptical that the dehydrated products will keep for 25+ years. 5 to 10 more realistic in my book. The strawberries are pretty good and the egg mix is comparable to the Honeyville Grain egg mix.

 

[foodsurvival]

Outlander is right. Some of the dehydrated products on the market today will not last 25 years unless they are kept at really cold temperatures. But if the label does not say that, then it is misleading. Although dehydrated, if they contained certain traces of oil, I would say 10 years, not 25. Those dehydrated products can be misleading unless you know the exact ingredients in the package, to verify the validity of it lasting 25 years. For that reason, my company doesn't sell dehydrated food.
www.foodsurvivalstore.com

 

[Outlander]

I make my own dehyadrated food for intermediate storage....primarily jerky and dried fruits. I would eat these and my wet food supply (canned goods) before I start using my long term foods. I do use a portion of my intermediate and long term foods each year. I buy the replacement/restock items before I use the that designated portion of my existing stock (FIFO). This is part of my rotation process.

 

[jsquared]

Anyone tried the Thrive food selections by chance? They have a pretty good deal on the 3 month/2 person kit at Costco, $999 shipped +tax. Looks to be standard #10 cans but the ingredients are separated out and not combined (ie, one can of all black beans, another can of all beef substitute, another can of all broccoli, etc). I like that option better than Mountain House where most of the #10 are meals ready to go. Since the shelf life goes to about 1/20th once they are opened, I would rather be able to mix it up and make my own meals than eat the same recipe for a month or two straight.

 

[foodsurvival]

Hey Jsquared,
How does their food taste? Before laying out that $1,000 bucks, I suggest trying a small quantity of their stuff to see if you like the taste. Let your family members taste it too. The last thing you want is to spend that kind of money and realize the company wasn't to big on taste. Survival Food is my business and I can tell you, not all dehydrated foods taste the same. You can do what Outlander is doing as well. That's a more economical route. Most of my clients do it the same way as him.

 

[jsquared]

Good advice, that was the plan. They have a sampler pack for $85 shipped that includes six #10 cans of various stuff (beef sub, dried fruit, wheat grain, egg, potato, dried corn). Was going to give that a try and see how I like it, I figure if nothing else I can use it for backpacking trips and shop some more if it isnt exactly up to my standards.

Thanks again for the insight. As far as different brands go, are there any out there that youve noticed have higher or lower quality or shelf-life standards? Looking at taste as well as longevity, value, nutrition, and selection. I am pretty new to the preparing world so any help would be appreciated. Of course this is your business, if youre not into free consultation i totally understand

 

[Outlander]

I have tried the Thrive products and they are hit and miss...so you are on the right track with trying the sampler. The freezed dried fruits and vegetables are pretty good. I use less then recommended amount of water when reconstituting the fruits and vegetables. so it is not so mushy (its an appearance/texture thing with me). I prefer to eat the freze dried fruit as it is right out of the can (does not matter the brand)....it seems to reatin the tase and sweetness better.

The longevity and nutritional value of the Thrive freeze dried food is comparable to that of Mountainhouse and Alpine Aire. Augason Farms also makes some decent freeze dried products as well. I have a mix of MH, AA, TSR, and AF products....as like everything else some things are good and some things are bad.

Word of caution some of the Thrive and Augason Farm products are dehydrated not freeze dried....shelf life is not as long as freeze dried. If the can does not say freeze dried it is not.

Don't forget to add grains (red or white wheat berries, rice, barley, etc) and dry legumes to your long term storage. Relatively inexpensive and can keep for 15+ years if properly stored.

 

[Outlander]

Hey Jsquared,
How does their food taste? Before laying out that $1,000 bucks, I suggest trying a small quantity of their stuff to see if you like the taste. Let your family members taste it too. The last thing you want is to spend that kind of money and realize the company wasn't to big on taste. Survival Food is my business and I can tell you, not all dehydrated foods taste the same. You can do what Outlander is doing as well. That's a more economical route. Most of my clients do it the same way as him.

If enough of us get together and buy bulk can you give us a price break?

 

[jsquared]

I have tried the Thrive products and they are hit and miss...so you are on the right track with trying the sampler. The freezed dried fruits and vegetables are pretty good. I use less then recommended amount of water when reconstituting the fruits and vegetables. so it is not so mushy (its an appearance/texture thing with me). I prefer to eat the freze dried fruit as it is right out of the can (does not matter the brand)....it seems to reatin the tase and sweetness better.

The longevity and nutritional value of the Thrive freeze dried food is comparable to that of Mountainhouse and Alpine Aire. Augason Farms also makes some decent freeze dried products as well. I have a mix of MH, AA, TSR, and AF products....as like everything else some things are good and some things are bad.

Word of caution some of the Thrive and Augason Farm products are dehydrated not freeze dried....shelf life is not as long as freeze dried. If the can does not say freeze dried it is not.

Don't forget to add grains (red or white wheat berries, rice, barley, etc) and dry legumes to your long term storage. Relatively inexpensive and can keep for 15+ years if properly stored.

Thanks for the info man, I am starting to get a plan together and stuff like this really helps me out