Across the table from a government worker I was discussing the importance of emergency food. The discussion was centered on freeze dried meals and canned foods. We were discussing the feasibility of both in a serious disaster situation. We were not talking about the novelty power outage where we all have fun bringing out all the emergency preparedness tools and toys. Rather the situation where we are helping neighbors, fighting oncoming floods or trapped by the fallout of a life threatening disaster.
It was in that moment he stressed the importance of convenience in a disaster. His example was cereal and shelf stable milk. He described it as follows, “It takes no time at all to put together and will sustain your family members without complaint.” I would be lying if I said this didn’t change my point of view on disaster foods. ‘Could it be so simple?’ I thought to myself. More importantly I began to realize how necessary this convenience could be.
Of course there is a food that presents the ultimate in convenience and perhaps the best choice in a situation like this is the high calorie emergency rations.
These bars are often built in a 2400-calorie pack that is designed to feed you for a full day. The rations are often broken into 4 squares of 600 calories each. These rations are not only used by preppers and survivalists but backpackers and hunters utilize them as well. This is a testament to their efficiency as a calorie provider. Of course the elk hunter wants a delicious back strap for dinner but these rations are a nice second option.
Below I will outline the process of creating your own rations. If you follow the steps you will have your own answer in a disaster scenario or something to take on your next hike.
Gather the following tools and ingredients:
(preheat your oven to 375 degrees)
Tools
- 1 2-inch-deep baking pan
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 small saucepot
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 Cups Maple syrup
- 4 Tablespoons Raw Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Peanut butter
- 1 Cup Frosted Flakes
- 3 Cups Oatmeal
- 1 Cup Protein powder
- 1 Cup Almonds
- 1 Cup Raisins
- Begin by combining your honey, olive oil and maple syrup in a sauce pot. Heat this mix over a medium heat and stir it frequently until it begins to simmer.
- Add your two tablespoons of peanut butter to the mix in the pan. Stir the peanut butter until it melts into the syrup mix. Be careful! this syrup mix will be very hot and if it gets on your skin it’s nearly napalm!
- Take the remaining dry ingredients and add them to a large bowl or two large bowls. You don’t want these bowls to be filled more then halfway as you will be doing a lot of mixing in these bowls. If they are too full with just the dry you will have a terrible time mixing in your liquid in the next step.
- Once you have thoroughly mixed up your dry ingredients take the hot syrup peanut butter mixture and add it into your dry ingredients. While its still hot mix to coat your dry ingredients thoroughly. Make sure it’s thoroughly mixed and all ingredients have a nice sheen to them.
- Dump your mix into a baking pan. This pan should be at least 2 inches deep. Be sure to press and pack this mix down tight. This will allow for tight squares to be cut from this mix.
- Bake in the 375-degree oven for 20 minutes until the edges begin to brown.
- Allow the mix to cool and cut into 2×2 squares. Each square will be roughly 600 calories. Packing together 4 of these squares will equal 2400 calories and be enough calories to push through a long hunting trip or life threatening disaster situation.
- You can even portion them in little muffin pans if you want to get fancy. I kinda like the little pucks to be honest.
These rations are sold by some solid companies in the industry but making your own is pretty easy. As long as you have the right pans and the time these can be made and stored at your home with cheap ingredients.
