Foods that last

[ol' trucker]

I don't know a whole bunch about survival tactics. but I am learning alot from the good people on this board. just thought that I would try to give a little help that some may not know about. was watching on the history channel about "life after humans" and just thought that something that would be a good food to store just in case shft. is hostess twinkies and ding dongs and such. they said that they put enough preservatives in them. that a sealed cup cake would be edible up to 25 years. and anything freeze dried could be eaten almost indefinately. they did a study on freeze dried products from 30 years ago,compared to fresh,week old products. and they didn't taste any different. they said that they don't have an exact number on how long the freeze dried products would last,because there hasn't been enough time gone by since freeze drying has started. but they said that if in 30 years the product tasted the same as fresh. they could only speculate that although it might not be the greatest tasting. that freeze dried foods could probably be eaten long after we are already dead and gone. just my

 

[MarkR]

Good thoughts! But another thing to keep in mind in addition to "shelf life" is nutritional value. I'm not going to store something that can last 50 years if it doesn't have any nutritional value to begin with. Also - most foods nutritional value declines over time as the food degrades. Even with a 20 year shelf life, some foods may only have 50% or less of their original vitamin content at the half way point.
Just something else to consider...or "more food for thought".

 

[redneckmedic]

Good thoughts! But another thing to keep in mind in addition to "shelf life" is nutritional value. I'm not going to store something that can last 50 years if it doesn't have any nutritional value to begin with.

Also remember that in the worst possible or I guess second to worst possible case you will have to supplement your stored food with wild game. So don't worry too much about protein or fat (wild game). Those are both great supplements to add to complex carbs, which is what I am mostly storing. Rice, noodles, beans. I also have a ton of seeds.

 

[smokingman]

I agree with both of you.I have added mens and womens multi vitamins to my long term storage awhile back.Mountian House and Honeyville harvest are both great sources.Honeyville has some of the best products.We use there powder egg in breads even now(once we open a can we put the remainder in zip lock bags in the freezer).
Powdered Dried Whole Eggs - Freeze Dried Fruit - Blanched Almond Flour - Steel C - Home
Honeyville also has GREAT prices.

 

[Woodsman]

Freeze drying has been around for a long time.

As you might have noticed most of the manufacturers of these food stuffs use nitrogen as a purge to further displace oxygen and also use desiccants. Nitrogen is an inert gas so it does not react with the food. And the cans are coated inside.

 

[DBAMBAM]

vacuum packers

Getting a good vacuum packer will help in your long term storage program,will save money and be able to buy in bulk and break it down into smaller portions,also you can make smaller pouches for your BOB.

 

[woodsie57]

I'm reluctant to admit it ,but I have some 1986 vintage MRE's in the garage. Ate a few last fall, didn't die. [or even feel sick]

 

[ol' trucker]

I understand about the nutritional value

I was just thinking if things were so bad that you were starving to death. would probably beat eating a stick or something

 

[DBAMBAM]

I like sticks,oak is really good with smashed grubbs

 

[Eddie]

I agree with both of you.I have added mens and womens multi vitamins to my long term storage awhile back.Mountian House and Honeyville harvest are both great sources.Honeyville has some of the best products.We use there powder egg in breads even now(once we open a can we put the remainder in zip lock bags in the freezer).
Powdered Dried Whole Eggs - Freeze Dried Fruit - Blanched Almond Flour - Steel C - Home
Honeyville also has GREAT prices.

+1 for Mountain House. Provident Pantry is also pretty good, but you need to buy a lot. Mountain House has more meals, like beef stew or bacon and eggs. Provident Pantry is more ingredients like ground beef or powdered eggs.

Provident Pantry® Freeze Dried Food in Cans - Emergency Essentials

 

[ratboy32]

I have just recently added Freeze dried products from Saratoga Farms to my preps. They have have some items that Mountain House does not carry.

 

[darinb]

Good thread. I have thought about this a bit lately. I added vitamins but have not added anything else yet.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Hard tack will last longer than you and your kids if you make it right.

 

[standeford]

For backpacking foods I prefer Enertia Trail over Mountain House. Their packaging is far superior, their dishes usually have less sodium, and they taste better.

 

[ol' trucker]

Thanks for the website.

+1 for Mountain House. Provident Pantry is also pretty good, but you need to buy a lot. Mountain House has more meals, like beef stew or bacon and eggs. Provident Pantry is more ingredients like ground beef or powdered eggs.

Provident Pantry® Freeze Dried Food in Cans - Emergency Essentials

Looks like they have quite a bit of stuff that would be sustaining. thanks

 

[E5RANGER375]

Ill chew your arm off before i starve! :P

 

[kolob10]

I have some wheat that was 25 years old that was well preserved in vacuum packed cans. It tasted fine. Beans like preserved will last about a year or two before they go bad. Oat seem to last over 4 years and still edible. I have had Spam & Vienna sausages that were 2 years old and still edible. Canned soups seem to last at least two years.

 

[Lex Concord]

Also remember that in the worst possible or I guess second to worst possible case you will have to supplement your stored food with wild game. So don't worry too much about protein or fat (wild game). Those are both great supplements to add to complex carbs, which is what I am mostly storing. Rice, noodles, beans. I also have a ton of seeds.

What if all you can kill is rabbit?

I'm storing fat...plus, butter makes everything better

 

[E5RANGER375]

What if all you can kill is rabbit?

I'm storing fat...plus, butter makes everything better

me too!!! yum yum. im on a SEE food diet!!!!

 

[StrayDog]

Freeze drying has been around for a long time.

As you might have noticed most of the manufacturers of these food stuffs use nitrogen as a purge to further displace oxygen and also use desiccants. Nitrogen is an inert gas so it does not react with the food. And the cans are coated inside.

I was just reading about Easy Cheese. Apparently, because it's not real cheese, it will last indefinitely. It's also compressed with nitrogen gas. It is made to remain hermetically sealed even after several uses. It may not have much nutritional value but it tastes gooo-ood. Would make a nice snack to have around. It sure would make those sticks go down a lot easier..