Strategy

Years ago, my husband and I had some out of town guests stay with us and they noticed the buckets of freeze dried food we have on the top shelves of our closets. We got the look. You know the look. The ‘you paranoid weirdo…why do you have freeze dried spaghetti in your closet’ look. Then of course the dumpster fire of 2020 hit and all the sudden, maybe we weren’t so weird anymore.
Food is one of the most important survival supplies. When thinking about the best food to stockpile for survival, I’m a huge fan of ‘a little from each column’ strategy. There are tons of people that buy the buckets of freeze dried meals or pallets of MRE’s; toss them in a closet and go about their lives (never having tasted any of it). Then there are the homesteaders that grow food, raise animals and have homes off the grid. God bless them because I can’t do it. I tried to grow strawberries and ended up spending $50 for 4 strawberries. My strategy for food prepping has always been somewhere in the middle. We have a variety of MRE’s, freeze dried food, a fully stocked freezer and a pantry full of canned food. My hopes for growing our own food have been dashed due to my black thumb.

MRE

MRE’s (meals ready to eat) are great because the calorie content is pretty high for the price, they don’t require any water, and shelf life is pretty good. They typically last at least 3 years as long as they are stored properly. If buying MRE’s from an online store, make sure you know how long that vendor has been holding the MRE’s. Have they been sitting in a hot warehouse in Arizona for the last year? If so, they probably won’t last very long (our MRE’s are stored at 70 degrees). The problem with MRE’s is the nutritional value is low and they tend to be low in fiber. MRE’s are great to add to your stash but should not be your only food. Ask any veteran, and I’m sure they will tell you MRE’s are fine short term but not a good strategy for long term.

Freeze-dried Food

There are tons of companies that sell cans or buckets of freeze dried meals. Determining which ones are worth the money can be challenging. The biggest benefits to freeze dried foods are a very long shelf life and they don’t require any refrigeration. We live in Florida which is prone to hurricanes and long power outages so having something on hand that doesn’t require refrigeration is a bonus. After researching many brands, Mountain House™ and Augason Farms® have become a favorite in our house. Mountain House has great premade meals that actually taste good and I like that Augason Farms has many options to buy staples like milk, butter and eggs. Some of the fruits don’t even need to be rehydrated to eat like the apple slices or banana chips.

Frozen Food

Keeping a freezer stocked full of meats, vegetables and fruit is always a good idea. Always make sure to label any frozen foods with a date so you don’t end up with a pile of ‘mystery meat’ at the bottom that can’t be identified months later. The big challenge with storing frozen food is relying on having electricity to make sure your food isn’t spoiled. We decided to purchase a separate freezer for our laundry room and we quickly stocked it full of ground beef, chicken, lots of frozen veggies and of course french fries. I was completely heartbroken months later when we realized the breaker had tripped and we didn’t notice. All of that food went to waste. I decided to buy a wireless temp alert product and was confident this would never happen again with our new, fancy, Wi-fi enabled digital temp gauge. Much to my chagrin, the battery died in the damn thing, never sent me an alert and the breaker tripped again. Another $1,000 worth of food in the trash.
My point in all of this is yes, stocking food in the freezer is great but do not plan on this being your only food source in an emergency. If the power goes out, your food is wasted.

SOS Bars

Survival bars or lifeboat rations are high-calorie bars typically made of wheat flour, sugar, some type of oil and sometimes vitamins and minerals (diabetics beware). They typically have a long shelf life and are a great addition to backpack, vehicle, RV or (as they were originally intended) on your boat. They are great in an emergency to give you enough calories to keep going until help arrives.

Canned Food

Canned food has a good shelf life and most foods we need can be canned (meat, vegetables, and of course beans). Canned foods don’t need water to eat, no refrigeration, and can be eaten cold (just taste better if you have a way to heat it). Canned foods can last two years or longer and should be stored in a cool, dry location. One thing people tend to forget is a manual can opener. Electric can openers are great but in an emergency, power may not be available.

Conclusion

The saying ‘Stock what you Eat’ is great to keep in mind when planning for food. Rotate your stock and try a meal out of that bucket of freeze dried food in the closet. Don’t wait until you really need it to try it.