Freeze Dried Food from Walmart.com

[katelyn]

Has anyone ever tried these items? I've been checking out a few different brands and found that Augason Farms on Walmart.com seems to be economical and a bit healthier than other brands.
thanks

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farms-Emergency-Food-Vegetable-Stew-Mix-2-lb/21777152

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Don't know this brand. I'd wanna try some smaller (sample?) containers to see if I even like their stuff.
Lots of brands are pretty good, but some really suck.

Good idea tho.

 

[akrvbob]

There prices are so good that I've been storing up on it so I hope it tastes okay. I'm doing a series of posts on being a survivalists on the Blog and I'm going to be talking about it soon. I just ordered a 1 month supply from Amazon with many different types of food and I am going to test them to see of they are any good. If they are I may stock up on some of them.

I'm not sure it is freeze-dried though. The shelf life on the stuff Walmart sells is only about 10 years which seems low for freeze-dried. All the Mountain House I've seen is 25 years.

 

[Lucky mike]

I bought a month supply survival bucket.....havnt tried them , figure if I end up in a position that I have to eat them I'll just think of my moms words....."You will eat it! and like it or starve!!!"

hope the coffees good tho or there is going to be problems!!!

 

[WheelEstate USA]

hope the coffees good tho or there is going to be problems!!!

Don't count on it Mike....can you say instant crystals

 

[stude53]

Never tried this type of product ... Is the container resealable if you use a small amount?

Bob

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks for the tip Katelyn. I will have to give this brand a try the price seems right. mountain house is top of the line but expensive. I have had good luck with honeyville farms. highdesertranger

 

[katelyn]

I would like to try something smaller too, guess I'll do some more investigating Looking forward to Bob's review on these items , thanks!

 

[Lucky mike]

outside of hiking or onboard survival food.....are you guys eating this on a day to day basis?

Dried Veggies and such I use alot, but dehydrated meats and meals seem on the expensive side to use with any consistency.

like I said I bought a 30 day 3 meal supply bucket and it wasnt cheap......I do buy bulk powdered egg and dehydrated meats for fast meals and recipes and keep bread making supplies onboard......but ready meals are pricey in day to day living

 

[offroad]

Be careful. Is that stuff all full of salt? Heart attack food ? Or salt substitutes? A month on that would be bad.

 

[highdesertranger]

I use it to supplement regular food. when I go prospecting/boondocking we try to stay out as long as possible without resupply. we got about 3 weeks down pretty good. so it goes like this when we make breakfast burritos we use half regular eggs half dried eggs. this way 1 doz eggs turns into 2 doz. I can't tell the difference maybe others can but not me. also many freeze dried or dehydrated food's are sold in a regular stores, like potatoes. if you get just the plain stuff it doesn't have salt added(check first) it's when you get the flavored stuff that they add a ton of salt. I do check the ingredients and also price shop. it is always nice to try smaller portions but not always possible. highdesertranger

 

[LeeRevell]

I use the Mountain House brand for camping, and find most quite tasty. Easy to 'cook', just pour a bit of hot water (best if boiling but not necessary) into the pouch, stir and reseal - ten minutes later it's dinnertime!
Sodium is a concern, just as with MREs..... so I'd not eat them constantly.
Each pouch is listed as 'two servings' but is one good meal for me. From what I have read, these pouches are officially good for five years, with the #10 cans being good for 20 plus years.
The only one that really puts me off is the Neapolitan Icecream..... tastes like Icecream but the temp and texture are just..... "wrong"! Like a huge Lucky Charms marshmallow chunk.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

After 30+ years eating freeze dried swill on mountaineering trips, I can,t stand the stuff. Being storm bound in a tent with someone with 'freeze dried farts' is an experience you will not forget. Too much salt and chemicals in them for my diet now. The only freeze dried food I use now are the meats in #10 cans (haven't found foil packs of just meat, except $almon). Once the can is opened, you need to use it or preserve it, as it will start to spoil as it comes in contact with oxygen. - Spiff

 

[WheelEstate USA]

We keep a few for emergencies. It has to be a real emergency, as I've had enough of them in my packing days.

 

[rverscorner]

Remember the Jetsons back in the sixties? (This was a sci-fi cartoon ) - they had jet packs for traveling around, and other cool stuff, but the best was the meal pill ... one little pill was a full course meal, so 3 x 365 days, a little over 1000 pills was a years food supply.

I'm guessing a 5 gal bucket would supply a family of 5 for 20 years or so.

I wonder if anyone's still working on that :huh:

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Les...What do you mean, "remember the jetsons?", I was moldy by then
Not tasty, but if those pills keep you alive it would be cool.
Just think, tiny poop too.

 

[highdesertranger]

don't know if I could get into a pill instead of food. since we are on memory lane remember soylent green. highdesertranger

 

[stude53]

Even Charleton Heston couldn't stomach that.

Bob

P.S. - If you're feeling old, check out the old film "Wild in the Streets".

 

[GrayWhale]

I would keep freeze dried food for emergencies only or during backpacking hikes. Why eat that stuff for a regular meal when you're mobile and can find a much tastier and healthier meal for $5-10, which is how much a Mountain House pack would cost. There are all you can eat buffets for $6-9. $9 gets me all you can eat Chinese food that's really, really good for the price. The cheapest freeze dried packets are going to probably be terrible in taste, based on some reviews I've read from Survivalist boards. They say that Mountain House is the best by far. I would keep a 10# can or 2 in the van for emergencies.

 

[kyonu]

For those worried about the "freeze dried syndrome" (getting tired of taste, bad farts, chemical injected, high sodium, etc), has anyone tried storing Dehydrated foods? They are similar to Freeze dried (last maybe a little less), but they keep all the healthy enzymes, typically no chemicals added, and has the same cooking process as freeze dried. If you buy organic, you remove the chemical compound as well.

Been thinking about stocking up on dehydrated foods when I travel. I even have a pretty high dollar dehydrator that I got for Christmas that I've been itching to use!