Augason Farms is a good one, too; I get a lot of their freeze-dried fruits, veggies, and eggs.
Food shortage- solutions !
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Augason Farms is a good one, too; I get a lot of their freeze-dried fruits, veggies, and eggs.
JDub
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Seems to be some pretty good sales on A.F's on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/augason-farms-emergency-food/s?k=augason+farms+emergency+food
Hint: DON'T buy the 5 Gallon bucket O' Eggs... It's A LOT... Ask me how I know...
I figure I'll just bring it with me if I ever make it to Quartzite and host a giant omelet party!
Cheers!
LargeMarge
Well-known member
re -- five-gallon bucket of eggs
.
With this crew around here, I never measured it but I bet I can go through most of a gallon of eggs a day:
* quiche
* scramble
* frosting
... and my all-time favorite
* flan!
.
Quiche:
Crack two dozen eggs into a Crock-Pot or Dutch oven, and give them a good thrashing with the submersible blender (aka stick-blender).
Some cashew cheese, some browned ground meat, a lot of greens, seasoning depending on Eye-talian or Mezcun, toss, top with more cashew cheese, and into the oven.
.
Scramble:
As with the quiche, except stove-top, and stir until coagulated.
Top with cashew cheese, and under the broiler for a nice crisp.
.
Frosting:
In the Dutch, melt a half-pound of salted butter.
Add two dozen cracked, stir on very low.
Drizzle in coconut sugar, or Maple syrple for a theme cake.
Serve chilled.
.
Flan:
Crack two dozen eggs -- or more -- in a pair of 9x12 Pyrex.
Add puree pumpkin from the big blender, blend slow with your stick.
Add seasoning depending on theme:
* nutmegish for Autumn,
* minty-chocolate for spring,
* chocolatey-mint for xmez,
* rum for pirate flicks.
Bake until cracked.
.
With this crew around here, I never measured it but I bet I can go through most of a gallon of eggs a day:
* quiche
* scramble
* frosting
... and my all-time favorite
* flan!
.
Quiche:
Crack two dozen eggs into a Crock-Pot or Dutch oven, and give them a good thrashing with the submersible blender (aka stick-blender).
Some cashew cheese, some browned ground meat, a lot of greens, seasoning depending on Eye-talian or Mezcun, toss, top with more cashew cheese, and into the oven.
.
Scramble:
As with the quiche, except stove-top, and stir until coagulated.
Top with cashew cheese, and under the broiler for a nice crisp.
.
Frosting:
In the Dutch, melt a half-pound of salted butter.
Add two dozen cracked, stir on very low.
Drizzle in coconut sugar, or Maple syrple for a theme cake.
Serve chilled.
.
Flan:
Crack two dozen eggs -- or more -- in a pair of 9x12 Pyrex.
Add puree pumpkin from the big blender, blend slow with your stick.
Add seasoning depending on theme:
* nutmegish for Autumn,
* minty-chocolate for spring,
* chocolatey-mint for xmez,
* rum for pirate flicks.
Bake until cracked.
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LargeMarge
Well-known member
re -- investing in stuff
.
With your concerns about catastrophic disasters -- and I believe they are quite valid -- I think I would invest in learning foraging from an experienced eater of wild foods.
.
I think I would also significantly adjust my cuisine standards:
* does rattlesnake taste like chicken?
* does nutria need more salt than, say, a three-legged poodle?
* should I poach roe until chewy?
.
And speaking of poaching, some folks are building lists of imagined slights, and figuring on evening some scores.
Are you making lists?
And you on a list?
.
At some point, probably early in the catastrophic disasters, I would think about going invisible.
Tough to be invisible in the thousand square miles of Los Diego/San Angeles.
That would be worsely truer if you are the one different person:
* taller
* fatter
* unorthodox pigmentation
* go to work using a predictable route and routine.
.
When would be a good time to evacuate?
Two days into the catastrophic disasters?
Last year?
.
.
On an non-related note:
I just read Seattle prosecutors are declining to pursue vehicle thefts.
Could thrill-seeking youths or professionals with offshore connections be interested in expanding that declination to some booming metropolis near you?
What are your plans if somebody -- or several somebodies -- takes advantage of this opportunity?
Are you equipped for a casual stroll to Nebraska or Montana?
My first thought is skills over stuff.
.
Be the person everybody needs.
Be valuable.
.
With your concerns about catastrophic disasters -- and I believe they are quite valid -- I think I would invest in learning foraging from an experienced eater of wild foods.
.
I think I would also significantly adjust my cuisine standards:
* does rattlesnake taste like chicken?
* does nutria need more salt than, say, a three-legged poodle?
* should I poach roe until chewy?
.
And speaking of poaching, some folks are building lists of imagined slights, and figuring on evening some scores.
Are you making lists?
And you on a list?
.
At some point, probably early in the catastrophic disasters, I would think about going invisible.
Tough to be invisible in the thousand square miles of Los Diego/San Angeles.
That would be worsely truer if you are the one different person:
* taller
* fatter
* unorthodox pigmentation
* go to work using a predictable route and routine.
.
When would be a good time to evacuate?
Two days into the catastrophic disasters?
Last year?
.
.
On an non-related note:
I just read Seattle prosecutors are declining to pursue vehicle thefts.
Could thrill-seeking youths or professionals with offshore connections be interested in expanding that declination to some booming metropolis near you?
What are your plans if somebody -- or several somebodies -- takes advantage of this opportunity?
Are you equipped for a casual stroll to Nebraska or Montana?
My first thought is skills over stuff.
.
Be the person everybody needs.
Be valuable.
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Don't buy it can it! Canned venison if boned is great. You have to think pre 1900. We have a 1880s 8 or 10 BR, 5 bath great mission style 4 square, 52x84 hanger with a 40' door several other big buildings, 2 runways, cabin in the back we're looking for someone to live in for helping us out a small amt. It's rolling ground with a large stocked pond. Can't see a house or road from the cabin. It's 22x24 with an 8x12 attached sauna/ bathroom. All wood int, cath ceiling, full kitchen, Bedroom with bunk beds, a really nice place with big windows to view all the wildlife. The main house has 3" floors, oak trim, doors, built-ins, 1920s wood cook stove we use, 2 stairways, 2 enclosed porches & only 1 house we can see all on 40 acres & no drought, all the water you want. EAT ROAD KILL! Many deer are hit in the head so let the Sherrifs dept & State Police know to call you, go pick it up & if still warm the fur will peel off like a rabbit, very easy. Hang it in the barn/garage, don't gut it just bone it & in 1/2 hour or so you'll have a skeleton with the guts still in it you can drag off for coyote bait & clean boned veni with no wild gamy flavor ready to can or cook after a good rinse & soak in water with a bit of salt.
Spaceman Spiff
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Single serving freeze dried meats are available, although they are hard to find and expensive. Backpackers Pantry used to have 1 oz packages of beef (~$7) and chicken (~$6). Don't see them on their website now.
If one has a functioning solar/refrigerator system keeping an opened #10 can's contents refrigerated won't be a problem; you will have emptied your refrigerator of its normal contents.
If one has a functioning solar/refrigerator system keeping an opened #10 can's contents refrigerated won't be a problem; you will have emptied your refrigerator of its normal contents.
If the last three years have taught me anything it is that my just-in-time buying patterns are not very stable. Any one of pandemic, natural disaster, political unrest can disrupt the supply chain. My practice is to keep 2 to 3 weeks of emergency food consisting of canned, dried, and freeze dried meals. With the frazzled state of our populace now any rumor of disruption could trigger a store stripping frenzy.
If you read the comments on Amazon for Nutristore's #10 diced beef, many people wrote that it stayed good for months after opening.
In my USDA post/link last night in this thread it said drying meat is our oldest method of preserving. Canning and refrigeration are relatively new technologies/methods. Compared to 1000+ years of drying. As long as it is kept away from moisture, the meat should stay safe for months.
Anyway, I finally found a source that recommends refrigeration after opening. From a U.S. gov source:
In my USDA post/link last night in this thread it said drying meat is our oldest method of preserving. Canning and refrigeration are relatively new technologies/methods. Compared to 1000+ years of drying. As long as it is kept away from moisture, the meat should stay safe for months.
Anyway, I finally found a source that recommends refrigeration after opening. From a U.S. gov source:
Attachments
LargeMarge
Well-known member
.
re -- freeze dried aka FD
.
At church, we have several freeze-dryers going 24/7/360°.
But!
At least one of them is usually toes-up, waiting on parts.
.
As you might expect, we constantly experiment with recipes.
Based on my experience, I think any FD package is only a foundation for fresh greens and wild animal protein.
During a catastrophic disaster, those additions will probably be foraged instead of gardened or traded at farmer markets.
.
.
re -- Mountain House vs Wisenheimer
.
Without access to a FD so you can control your ingredients, those are barely adequate as your foundation.
.
I see a yuge problem with a package containing "Two Servings!":
* we operate a small organic teaching farm near the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon.
On an average day, I burn a minimum of 6,000 (six thousand) calories.
One Wise package with 600 calories is barely a snack for me.
.
In one day, I could probably consume most of the bucket of "Twenty-four Servings!".
.
I hope I am explaining this clearly.
Factory FD is merely a fraction of a balanced diet.
.
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An aside:
I mention foraging.
I believe skills outweigh stuff.
With enough skills, people need you... and are probably willing to feed you.
.
In other words, trying to buy-n-hoard my way out of catastrophic disasters would be my *NEVER* choice.
user 16179
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For individual ingredients I use Harmony House Foods: https://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/shop.html
They have a wide variety of dehydrated beans, berries, veggies that you can use in your own recipes. They also have premixed soups and backpacking food ready to add boiling water and go. The soups have too much sodium for me, I add no salt to anything. The prices are good. These are dehydrated, not freeze dried so they last only years....not decades. Walmart sells a brand "Augason" in the stores. I checked these out and the sodium content is VERY high, reaching well into the dangerous range. If you will have access to a cardiologist after "the big one" you might do well with these. If you aren't eating healthy now you might as well look into them.
They have a wide variety of dehydrated beans, berries, veggies that you can use in your own recipes. They also have premixed soups and backpacking food ready to add boiling water and go. The soups have too much sodium for me, I add no salt to anything. The prices are good. These are dehydrated, not freeze dried so they last only years....not decades. Walmart sells a brand "Augason" in the stores. I checked these out and the sodium content is VERY high, reaching well into the dangerous range. If you will have access to a cardiologist after "the big one" you might do well with these. If you aren't eating healthy now you might as well look into them.
Hey, I'm in a 27-foot Class C RV. Do you see the obvious problem? Just saying.
I'm old; I fix things, almost anything; it's what I do, and I know stuff!
I agree, and I keep it primarily freeze-dried because I can fit a lot of food in a small space. I carry 100 gallons of water, 120 gallons of gas, and a main 30# propane tank on my RV, and two extra 30s and a 20. I have a 4-burner propane stove and heater for winter. Both my RV and generator are duel fuel. I have a 400ah 25.6-volt battery bank (10Kw) and 2000 watts of panels on the roof. A country boy can survive.
user 16179
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How does this relate to people in a van living forum? I see NO relationship to their needs (and, most likely interests).
LargeMarge
Well-known member
re -- canning aboard
.
[As you might suspect from my shockingly verbose contribution to this thread, I like to eat... and I prefer to keep eating. The alternative is unimaginable.]
.
Canning is one method of food preservation, although requiring a substantial area to process.
I wish I knew enough to offer an opinion, but.
So, there you have that.
.
How about jerky!
We have a daily hankering for jerky -- salmon, beef, pork, goat, elk, lamb.
On the porch outside the rig door, the dehydrator is going strong.
And we constantly have a batch in the marinade.
And as soon as one batch is done, the next batch goes in.
.
Most of our product is FD, mylared, and chucked in with the mylars of stew.
Some of our jerky goes to chums at our farmer markets... during a four-hour stint, a farmer can work up a mighty appetite no carrots can satisfy.
We give it away, we have no way to certify it nor would anybody be willing to pay for it at the value we place upon it.
.
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re -- 'give it away'
.
Bribes?
Encouraging our cow-orkers to envision us as members of their extended Tribe! and worth looking out for and caring about?
Nah, perish the thought...
.
YeeHaw!
.
[As you might suspect from my shockingly verbose contribution to this thread, I like to eat... and I prefer to keep eating. The alternative is unimaginable.]
.
Canning is one method of food preservation, although requiring a substantial area to process.
I wish I knew enough to offer an opinion, but.
So, there you have that.
.
How about jerky!
We have a daily hankering for jerky -- salmon, beef, pork, goat, elk, lamb.
On the porch outside the rig door, the dehydrator is going strong.
And we constantly have a batch in the marinade.
And as soon as one batch is done, the next batch goes in.
.
Most of our product is FD, mylared, and chucked in with the mylars of stew.
Some of our jerky goes to chums at our farmer markets... during a four-hour stint, a farmer can work up a mighty appetite no carrots can satisfy.
We give it away, we have no way to certify it nor would anybody be willing to pay for it at the value we place upon it.
.
.
re -- 'give it away'
.
Bribes?
Encouraging our cow-orkers to envision us as members of their extended Tribe! and worth looking out for and caring about?
Nah, perish the thought...
.
YeeHaw!
Frood
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And if you are trying to stockpile any decent volume of freeze-dried food, you will save a BUNDLE by getting bulk buckets of single ingredients instead of buying instant meal pouches or the "3-day" or "30-day" pre-made kits they offer.
You can get 100 servings of freeze-dried ground beef alternative with 100 servings of freeze-dried veggies (assorted) for about the same price you would pay for 15-20 of the single-serving pouches (about $200 last time I did any shopping for either).
If you have a dehydrator and a garden you can dehydrate veggies and store them for a few years as well if you are willing to package them air-tight with some activated silica-gel packs in the container to keep any O2 or moisture out. Heck, as long as it's not overly humid you can even sun-dry things if you don't have a dehydrator... Of course you can also pickle, freeze, etc.
EDIT***
AND ugh. This was all already gone over but I don't see an option to delete my posts that no longer add anything to the discussion. LOL sorry all.
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Frood
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They last a decent amount of time once opened as long as you close them and make an effort to keep out O2 and H2O vapor (humidity). Admittedly we are talking weeks or months rather than years but still... If it's SHTF food then just open it and eat it till gone rather than having variety available all at once...
EDIT***
Same as previous post all. In the future I think I'll read ALL the posts in a thread before hitting reply...
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dawnann7
Well-known member
I don't think it hurts to hear some info presented in different ways. Helps some folks (like me) get it to "stick."
I like reading posts from folks with first hand knowledge. Thanks Frood.
Frood
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As an aside to all of this though, I do have a cache of long-term survival food that I made up myself. My local WalMart sells food-grade 5-gallon buckets. I bought a bunch of the mylar pouch based survival blankets on Amazon (like an 8-pack or 12-pack). I also have a rather large bag of calcium chloride lying around (I have some weird industrial/scientific hobbies so my junk shed may contain some rather bizarre items... and I live in the desertish area so the CaCl is odd because I don't have to do any de-icing ). I lined the buckets with a mylar blanket and then stocked them with dry long term foods (dried beans, rice, some seasoning containers, few bags of salt) then took about 3 cups of CaCl that had not absorbed any moisture yet and dumped it into a terrycloth shop towel. I folded the top of the towel up to make a pouch and tossed one into each bucket. Then folded the mylar over the rim and back over the top of the bucket, and put on the lid.
I'll check it in a few more years to see how it's holding up if (hopefully it won't be necessary to consume in the intervening time!
Of course if the SHTF for real my first action is going to be to skedaddle somewhere that I can grow some food (have a seed vault too, but mainly because I enjoy gardening, not as a survival precaution) without intensive irrigation requirements... It's too dry to grow anything but weeds and puncture-weed where I am now without a reliable supply of municipal water. Maybe go occupy some land somewhere on central-coast CA.
). I lined the buckets with a mylar blanket and then stocked them with dry long term foods (dried beans, rice, some seasoning containers, few bags of salt) then took about 3 cups of CaCl that had not absorbed any moisture yet and dumped it into a terrycloth shop towel. I folded the top of the towel up to make a pouch and tossed one into each bucket. Then folded the mylar over the rim and back over the top of the bucket, and put on the lid. I'll check it in a few more years to see how it's holding up if (hopefully it won't be necessary to consume in the intervening time!
Of course if the SHTF for real my first action is going to be to skedaddle somewhere that I can grow some food (have a seed vault too, but mainly because I enjoy gardening, not as a survival precaution) without intensive irrigation requirements... It's too dry to grow anything but weeds and puncture-weed where I am now without a reliable supply of municipal water. Maybe go occupy some land somewhere on central-coast CA.
