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cabingal3
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 07:22am
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just some thoughts running about in my head.
would u rather purchase freeze dried 30 day survival meals for your camp like for saving for times when the highway is snowed under and u cant get to town.would u rather purchase some of the freeze dried meals or would u rather get empty 5 gallon buckets and fill with things to help u thru.u could fill the buckets with wheat,beans,rice and more.
also some of our canned foods froze at the cabin.they were ok but the chili beans were mushy.i had to slice the chili out in slices.
no garbage service but should i purchase cans of fruit or jars of fruit? i can save the jars to use later but would they freeze or crack? i am trying not to have left over stuff to recycle cause no garbage service.
thank u for any of your thoughts on this subject.
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Tarmetto
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 07:57am
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At home, we store a mix. We have 2 large can rotation racks that we store canned food in as well as #10 cans of freeze dried foods from Thrive. We use the Thrive ground beef, ground sausage, and chicken chunks almost exclusively now VS fresh. We can't tell the difference! We also store salt, rice, flour, and corn meal, which we vacuum seal in single servings, and family sized servings, and then store the bags in 5 gallon buckets. We place the dry goods bags in the freezer for a few days to kill any bugs before they go into the buckets.
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FishHog
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:14am
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if its going to freeze, then you need to stick with dry goods only. What about digging a pit below the frost line to keep stuff in so it won't freeze?
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paqcrewmama
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 11:32am
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Avoid having things that can freeze up in cans and jars. I would go for staples that can provide different meals from basic ingredients. Freeze dried basics and dehydrated fruits can work too. You might need desiccant packs.
Tarmetto, love the idea of food saving in smaller packs! Gotta remember that!
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hattie
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 12:56pm
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I have never bought those survival meals. I figure I want to store things that we actually eat and just rotate them. If you are going to be living up there full time, will it still get cold enough for items to freeze?
When we moved up here we realized the grocery store is 20 km away and if the road was closed we'd be stuck here. Also it would be inconvenient to go to the store if I was missing an ingredient. I have basically built a grocery store in our house. Each time I use something I write it on a shopping list and we replace it next time we are at the store.
Some things to store are: a really good variety of spices, flour (various kinds), sugar, pasta, rice, shortening, oats, brown sugar, icing sugar, honey, noodles, powdered milk, corn starch, corn meal, salt, pepper, coffee, tea, canned fruit (we make our own), bottled water, canned apple sauce (our own), jam (our own), pickles, kraft dinner, stuffing mix, crackers, various oils (olive, canola, etc.), vinegar, condiments (like ketchup, mustard and relish), barbecue sauce, soup, evaporated milk, peanut butter, tomato sauce, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, canned tuna, canned salmon, spaghetti sauce, and beans. I also dehydrate various fruit and make beef jerky.
What you store should be geared to what you normally eat. The key is to rotate things so that the oldest is used up first. I don't open the packages of flour and sugar, etc. I leave them sealed and put them in rubbermaid containers with some bay leaves to keep the creepies out. It has worked extremely well to date and we have been living here for many years now.
You mentioned you have no garbage service. We don't either but we are allowed to use the dump in the town 20 km away. We just have to take the garbage there ourselves. Perhaps you have something like that near your place that you can use? You may also want to buy a composter and start composting some of your waste such as coffee grounds, tea leaves, veggie scraps and fruit scraps. It will provide you with some amazing soil to put in your gardens too.
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old243
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:23pm
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If you have no garbage collection. Look at the packaging that your products come in. All paper waste goes in our woodstove to start the fire . In summer a burn barrel , works well. You can even burn the cans , this eliminates attracting critters. Depending how enviormentaly friendly you are, you can burn most other garbage. Collect the cans from the barrel and crush them , you can sell them and other scrap metal once you have enough. Probably limit glass packaging if possible. old243
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SandyR
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:47pm
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We have talked about what happens when food freezes, but what about if the canned food in the jars gets too hot? Does anything happen to it?
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 01:50pm
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thanks so much everyone.i loved all these ideas and they really got me to being guided more in my mind of what we need to do out in our woods.
i love reading what u said...
on all points.
anymore tips would be greatly appreciated.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 06:51pm
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Quoting: hattie Some things to store are: a really good variety of spices, flour (various kinds), sugar, pasta, rice, shortening, oats, brown sugar, icing sugar, honey, noodles, powdered milk, corn starch, corn meal, salt, pepper, coffee, tea, canned fruit (we make our own), bottled water, canned apple sauce (our own), jam (our own), pickles, kraft dinner, stuffing mix, crackers, various oils (olive, canola, etc.), vinegar, condiments (like ketchup, mustard and relish), barbecue sauce, soup, evaporated milk, peanut butter, tomato sauce, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, canned tuna, canned salmon, spaghetti sauce, and beans. I also dehydrate various fruit and make beef jerky.
this was excellent advice!!!!
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 06:52pm
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Membership to Costco so you can stock up on all your staples. I have found they have the best prices on a lot of the supplies Hattie listed(great list Hattie).
I wonder if they would have free food safe buckets via their bakery? Doesn't hurt to ask.
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paqcrewmama
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 07:12pm
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Add to Hattie's list:
-dehydrated egg solids (add water and they scramble like you thought they were fresh)
Other than that, it's a list to be proud of!
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rmak
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 07:29pm
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I'm interested in the responses too. I have been eyeing survival kit freeze dried packs of food sold at an outdoor store nearby. We ate freeze dried near the end of my military tour. Much tastier than c rations. I'd like to stock up just in case.
One reason I had a pond dug was to have a fresh water source other than our well with an electric pump. Once again, just in case.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 07:39pm
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One reason I had a pond dug was to have a fresh water source other than our well with an electric pump. Once again, just in case.rmak thats just smart.
hattie-turkeyhunter is right.that list is excellent.i am gonna copy this down and save this list to put on my kitchen wall at the cabin.
silverwaterlady .we have tons of buckets but for those who dont...thats a great idea.
sounds good.lots of things to ponder over here.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 09:52pm - Edited by: darz5150
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The pouch on the left is one of the " samples" I received free from Wise Co.
I think I got three pouches for free and only paid for shipping...I think it was either 9 or 12 dollars.
I was contacted by one of their sales guys (more times than I wanted) until I finally gave in and ordered their 60 serving meat bucket " special deals". I believe I spent around $100 but free shipping.
When I received the order I realized I was a victim of the ole bait and switch routine! Pouch on the right.
I opened it up and wasn' t impressed with the contents. A bunch of tiny gold pouches and 2 small bags of instant rice!
Both items in the picture are supposedly 2 servings or so. Now for the nurtritionl facts:
Sample.. 2 servings at 260 calories each
Purchased product.. 2 servings..70 calories each
For comparison sake, Ramen Noodles (15 cents).180 calories per serving
Anyway I thought everyone should know about what happened to me. I called the sales guy and he promised to make it all good and I never heard from him again. Just don't want anyone else to get burned.
Emergency Essentials is a very good company, very good customer service. We actually use all kinds of their products on a regular basis. Very handy and tastes good. They have dehydrated and freeze dried food as well as other things. Mountain House is also very good if you just want to add hot water and eat.
I didn't mean to be so long winded, but I speak from experience. Hope this info helps everyone learn from my mistake.
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2015 10:52pm
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darz5150 -thank u.it was not long and totally interesting food for thought.thanks so much.this is some of the stuff i need to know cause i am getting ready soon to shop for the cabin .we are gonna make my kitchen bigger and i am gonna completely rearrange it all.so taking notes and ideas from all.thanks.
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ChuckDynasty
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2015 08:25am - Edited by: ChuckDynasty
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http://honeyville.com/
Look through this site. I get 50lb bags of steel cut oats. I store the oats in mylar bags inside of food grade 5 gallon buckets with Gamma screw on bucket lids.
A 50lb bag is currently $57.99 with $4.95 shipping. If you get on their email list they have 10-15% of entire orders throughout the year.
I get breakfast for three days from one cup dry. I add tablespoon raw honey and a banana.
I just tried Groats which are uncut oats...better than steel cut.
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ChuckDynasty
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2015 08:44am
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Quoting: hattie You may also want to buy a composter and start composting some of your waste
I have been using a system that works very well for me for a couple of years...basically an inside 2 bucket system then out to the compost pile.
If interested I'll explain it. Very simple, no smell or fruit flys inside.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2015 11:39am - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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Quoting: ChuckDynasty have been using a system that works very well for me for a couple of years...basically an inside 2 bucket system then out to the compost pile. If interested I'll explain it. Very simple, no smell or fruit flys inside.
I like to see how you do it...thanks I have a compost pile out by my barn.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2015 08:57pm
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had these printed out for my list in case we get snowed in and the snow plows cant plow the highways so we can get to town.
Gary O looked at this list and swore to me he would get us to town.
ha haa ha.
some of these i have had as a kid and an adult.
http://thesurvivalmom.com/could-you-stomach-these-great-depression-meals/
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2015 09:44pm - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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Quoting: cabingal3 some of these i have had as a kid and an adult.http://thesurvivalmom.com/could-you-stomach-these-great-depression-meals/
sounds like good southern fixing....squirrel dumpling is a good one to add the list...I had over half of those...for real.
my Mom( she is 72) she eats a Mayo samich or a onion samich when she is out working in her yard and don't want to eat a lot in the summer.And if she get's fancy she might have a spam samich...lol
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2015 10:03pm
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hmm.i love an onion sandwich with mayo..maybe add some chips for crunch!.whee doggy!
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BaconCreek
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2015 07:26am
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I have bought a bucket of freeze dried food off Amazon. It is cheaper than the retail stores and says it has a 25 year shelf life. I purchased one from Walmart online also. The Walmart bucket included a Lifestraw. We bought these after the 2010 Ky ice storm. Both buckets together should last 2 people 1 month.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2015 07:11pm
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thanks BaconCreek.thats some really good info.i was looking at walkmart buckets ...
have u ever eaten up one of those buckets of food? are they pretty good tasting?
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Malamute
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2015 07:47pm
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I dont do anything special, just keep enough of the normal stuff I eat on hand. On average, theres a comfortable month, if not two of reduced choice.
Dried red beans and rice are good (Zatarains and Mahatma are both good). I make it up and roll it in tortillas with cheese, hot sauce and maybe some sour cream if I have any. The black beans and rice are also good, nice for a slight change.
Pancake mix, flour, sugar, cooking oil, non-instant rice in larger packages, ramen for quick and easy fillers, pasta, jar pasta sauce, fettucini and alfredo sauce, parmesan, basic spices, mac and cheese, canned tuna, dried pintos and canned refried beans. All of it keeps fairly well, just use it in rotation.
Making a highly insulated closet may help keep some things from freezing. Keeping some in coolers may help for shorter periods.
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2015 08:53am
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Malamute..this is the line i am trying to walk-cheap and stocked up versus purchasing a bunch of pre-packed dried foods.
maybe a bit of both.so i like your ideas alot.
is it cheaper to buy bulk or cheaper to buy little bags and fill up a 5 gallon bucket.
is it cheap to get a hard wheat and grind it myself?
i know i want to stock up on dried beans.
once i had 25 pound s of dried beans and they actually ruined somehow.they got old.u could cook them for all day and they would still be hard.
we are going to post our kitchen remodeled and show our stockpiles of good eventually n say what was cheapest n best for us.like alot of those ideas from all.
thanks everyone.
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Malamute
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# Posted: 3 Apr 2015 12:02pm
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I havent comparison priced the stuff sold as long term storage foods or dehydrated trail stuff, but I think all that type food is more expensive than what we normally use, and anything pre-prepared is generally more expensive than cooking with staples. I use some prepared stuff, I'm lazy, and not a great cook, but keep some basics around also. Cookbooks are like nuclear science technical manuals for me. Well, actually, I do OK with most technical manuals. Cookbooks, not so much.
The main difference I think, people get in their mind that dehydrated or "storage" foods are better somehow, and they likely are if you want to stash them and forget them for long periods, like leaving a place unattended for years. What youre talking about, or even just keeping a few months worth of food on hand for natural disasters or whatever, is buying normal foods works fine, just keep it rotated so none of it sits unused for a couple years. Even at that, (even buggy stuff) its not going to kill you to eat it, if the need was great enough.
My downfall is I dont rotate well. I look at stuff and find canned stuff thats 2 or 3 years out of date. Its all been fine so far. I toss buggy stuff, but I'm not starving either. An old Irish saying, "Hunger is a good sauce".
Some people make insulated boxes in the ground, or root cellars to keep things cool, and from freezing. Dried stuff wont be hurt by freezing, canned/jarred stuff can at least be mushy textured if it freezes. I keep a small electric heater in my bathouse/pantry to keep things from freezing, but I live here full time, and am going to keep my bathroom warm anyway.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2015 11:41pm
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we went to walmart today.bulk foods.the ten pound bucket of oats was almost 16$.if i go to grocery outlet.right now the bigger barrels of oatmeal are 1.99$ each.so it would take me 10$ to get the bucket filled.so i am gonna start looking at filling my own buckets right away.
thanks Malamute for all your good tips.
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2015 03:27am
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well i went to get the oats for 1.99$ gone! grr.
so i looked about at other stuff.big bags of rice,big bags of beans,and such.
hmm.is it better to purchase a big bag of beans and use all that propane to cook them or better to just buy canned beans?
i decided in the end...i am waiting till we get to where we are going.then i will go to the stores there...instead of hauling all this big food stuff with us in our move.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2015 06:50am
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Quoting: cabingal3 is it better to purchase a big bag of beans and use all that propane to cook them or better to just buy canned beans?
canned = lots of sodium
dry beans soaked overnight and cooked on profane ;) or fire is better ....you got to get you a couple Dutch ovens for campfire cooking ...saves the propane for sure.
Also get a coleman stove that burns liquid fuel....the newer ones burn aka unleaded gas...which will be cheap cooking ...just a thought
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2015 07:47am - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Go to the Costco web site. They sell dried beans that have been pre-cooked. All you have to do is add water and cook for twenty minutes.
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