General Questions re Food.

[Japadvan]

Finding a variety of food to store is rather an issue with us (wife and I.)

Are MRE's (our only long term option? ) available in the UK in bulk and at a sensible price? We could use a trustworthy source of these in the UK. I have seen large packs of dehydrated food on sale but the menus seem to cater for those into heavily spiced meals (Indian, Chinese, etc ) which we cannot stand. Another major problem is food bores me anyway, and what doesn't will be the first to disappear WTSH. (Meat, Fish, Dairy, Fruit, Vegetables) Finding a 3 months food supply beyond survival rations (apart from canned goods) is proving a major bugbear, if the power goes down for that period also. I have started collecting canned goods, energy bars, vitamins, but beyond these it's the most serious challenge we face in our domestic situation.
Any thoughts, advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jap.

[Scythe13]

That's a fair question, and one that deserves a rep point, because it's clear you're thinking about it properly.

The best thing is the dehydrator. You can dehydrate food and get it lasting over 10 years.

One thing that I LOVE is beef jerky. That stuff lasts for years and years!!!

One thing you could also start doing is growing crops, or small things, like chillies, herbs and spices. They will make post SHTF much more bareable. You can even make your own sauces (Reggae Reggae all the way!!!).

If you need a way to take oxygen out of the food supplies (like with rice), as long as it's in an air tight package, you can use an iron-filling hand warmer. It's the same as an oxygen absorber, but easier to store (learned that from National Geographic over the weekend).

Other things to think about are non-perishables. Things like Honey, and sugar, that NEVER go off.

[Skean Dhude]

MREs are not your only long term option, Pasta, Rice, Honey, Grains can be stored as long. They are your only prepared food long term option and when you taste them you will wonder why.

I would buy the less expensive options and live on it. Canned food and dried food lasts as long as freezer stuff and doesn't need the power.

As for what will go first, depends on the time of year. Fruits are summer stuff, veg are all year round but not everything. Animal,fish keep themselves fresh while they are alive.

Personally, I would ignore seasonal priority and buy extra of what you buy.If something is cheap buy that.

You will buy significantly more of your normal food for the same price in MREs and they will taste much,much better. Plus the chances are you won't be leaving them 25 years anyway.

[Scythe13]

Just realised something Jap,

If you find food boring, then just go for a nutrient only mean, and ignore the flavour. One thing that I actually LOVE is liquidized chicken breast and potato. It's so easy to prepare.

Boil a chicken breast, skin a potato then boil it. Blend the whole lot up with a little water, and hey presto, the meal is complete! It provides you with a great balance of protein and carbohydrate. Then for dessert, 1/4 of a multi-vitamin/mineral and a small scoop of peanut butter. Job's a gooden!!! Delicious (kind of) and highly nutritious.

That is a simple meal, but you can freeze LOADS of that. It's the perfect nutrition qualifier.

Alternatively, you could go to a sports shop and get Meal Replacement sachets. I like Met-RX because they helped me get big and muscular. I've got some left (found them in a box under my car seat) that are 3 years out of date. I'm going to try them on Friday and over the weekend to see if they're still good to eat.

If so, it means they have a 5 year shelf life, for sure!

[TOF]

If you have the time and inclination I would recommend preserving. I have a 250W dehydrator and a pressure canner. With those I can pretty much preserve anything. Some veg lend themselves really well to dehydrating, others I Can or pickle. I preserve fruit and meat too. Next is to try canning butter. My aim is to have everything preserved without the need for a freezer and not have all my eggs in one basket.
Otherwise what SD said.

[Prep Girl]

I wouldn't fancy living on packets of dehydrated food for long


pan cake mix, just add water type,
falafel mix,
oats
nuts, seeds, dried fruit
Flour
sugar
salt
wheat
cheese, some processed types last a year or 2
dumplings just add water mix
salt fish
pasta , rice, stock cubes and more stock cubes
jars of pickles, chillies, garlic
dried onions/veg
lentils
cans of fish/sea food
the list is endless once you get into it.