Last year I wrote about the home-made MREs I keep in my emergency food stockpile. Like most people’s my food store leans towards bulk dry goods, but there’s something to be said for having a reserve of individual ration packs that can be quickly grabbed and thrown in a rucksack.
At the same time military-surplus MREs can be expensive, hard to find or of dubious quality, so I tried to make my own lightweight, convenient and long-lasting packs. That was what my last MRE-related article was all about.
Some of those home-made MREs have been stacked in my shed for well over two years, though, and recently I’ve been wondering how they’re doing.
I tried to select foods that would last a long time in storage, but did I succeed? Or am I in fact relying on rations that are no longer safe to eat?
Last week I decided it was time to answer that question, so I dug out two packs from the first batch I made and had a look at them. Nothing looked obviously wrong; in fact they looked pretty much identical to how they looked when I first packed them.
But were they still edible? It was time to test them out.
Day 1
Breakfast
For breakfast I had a pack of instant oatmeal, which is a quick and easy way to get something hot.
I avoided messing up my cook pot by just opening the sachet, propping it up and carefully pouring in some hot water.
Then, I let it stand for a few minutes.
Related: Apocalypse Survival Foods You Should Stockpile Right Now
While that was soaking I ate the other half of the meal – a vacuum-sealed portion of Cheerios, eaten dry because I didn’t have any milk (and don’t honestly like it much anyway).
A lot of the cereal had stuck together in clumps, probably as a result of being firmly squeezed together by the vacuum-sealing process, but the clumps broke up under pressure from a spoon and the Cheerios tasted just fine.
The other part of breakfast was a hot drink. I’d added four packs of instant coffee to this MRE, but I hadn’t added any sugar. This was a mistake, but rules are rules, so I had a mug of unsweetened instant coffee.
Lunch
The main element of lunch in this pack was flavored couscous with chicken and mushroom, which I’d transferred from its original sachet to a larger bag then vacuum sealed.
This meant I could prepare it by just pouring boiling water into the opened bag then leaving it to stand for ten minutes. While I waited I ate five graham crackers that I’d also vacuum packed.
These were in perfect condition, and they’re also surprisingly filling, but with nothing to put on them they were a little dry. On the other hand the couscous was very tasty.
When I make MREs I like to split each one into separate sub-packs, one for each meal.
The lunch pack also contained some snacks – a granola bar, a Snickers and a vacuum-sealed bag of Haribo gummies. I stuck these in my pocket to eat through the afternoon.
Dinner
My main meal of the day started with a packet of instant chicken soup, which had suffered no ill effects from its two years in my shed.
After that I had instant mashed potatoes, which I’d livened up with some Cajun spice mix and a quarter cup of dried vegetables.
Related: 10 Vegetables That You Can Stockpile Without Refrigeration For A Full Year
For protein I’d packed two snack sausages, a sort of thicker and less chewy Slim Jim.
I started off by boiling enough water to reconstitute the potatoes while I chopped the sausages into half-inch chunks, then dropped them in the water to heat them through.
Then I dumped in the potato mix, gave it a good stir and left it to soak up the water while I enjoyed my soup.
It turns out that mixing the vegetables with the potatoes had been another mistake; they could really have done with being simmered for a few minutes before the potato granules went in, because they were distinctly chewy.
From now on I’ll seal the vegetables in a separate packet so they can go in the water first.
Apart from that, though, dinner was tasty; all the ingredients were in good condition even after two years, and nothing made me even slightly nervous about eating it.
I finished off the meal with the gummies, which had somehow escaped being eaten earlier, and a mug of coffee.
Day 2
Breakfast
Once again breakfast was instant oatmeal and Cheerios, but I’d also added a protein bar to this one.
I didn’t actually feel any particular urge to eat the protein bar, because to my slight surprise I hadn’t woken up starving, so I kept it for later.
In this pack I’d supplied myself with four teabags and, happily, a considerable amount of sugar. I topped off breakfast with a nice hot mug of sweetened tea.
Lunch
What was I thinking when I packed this lunch? Two packs of five graham crackers, and that was it. I was glad I’d hung on to the protein bar from breakfast.
I ended up eating that and one pack of crackers. I definitely need to improve my lunches.
Again I’d thrown in some snacks – a cake bar, a Snickers, a cup of salted peanuts and some more gummies – and that gave me something to eat through the afternoon, along with another mug of tea.
Dinner
For dinner I started with instant soup again, while the main meal soaked in boiling water.
To make that I’d emptied two packs of instant pasta, the kind that’s supposed to be dumped in a mug with some boiling water, into a vacuum sealed bag with a big spoonful of grated hard cheese.
I’d also added two ounces of sliced, dehydrated chorizo in a separate sealed bag.
After I wrote my last article a couple of people in the comments had some doubts about the chorizo.
It turns out they were right.
Although dehydrating it should have removed any water, a good bit of oil had seeped out. Vacuum sealing would probably have protected that from going rancid, and when I opened the pack and sniffed it nothing smelled off, but it just didn’t look too happy.
In the end I binned it and ate the pasta without protein. It tasted fine, but some sausage would have been very welcome. Then I finished dinner with the other pack of lunch crackers and the gummies.
What I Learned
The first, and probably most important, thing I learned is that these improvised MREs work.
Related: Meal In A Jar Recipes You Need To Prep While You Can Still Afford It
Apart from the suspect chorizo – which I think was probably still safe to eat, but I didn’t feel like risking it – everything had survived two years at room temperature in my shed.
I never felt that I hadn’t eaten enough, and I didn’t feel short of energy either. There was enough food in each of these packs to keep me in good shape for 24 hours.
However, they did get a little boring in places. I chose graham crackers for lunch because they can be eaten on the go, I figured they’d last – which they did – and they’re reasonably energy dense.
But, while not unpleasant to eat on their own, they’re not all that exciting either. I’m now looking at one pack of five crackers for lunch, along with a shelf-stable pouch of tuna.
I’m also not going to mess around with meat anymore. My little packs of dehydrated chorizo will be replaced with snack sausages, jerky or other prepacked, long-life meat.
I do like having some proper protein that can be added to the main meal, but I need to be sure it’s safe. The snack sausages worked; the chorizo… well, after taking a look, I didn’t want to risk it, so it failed the test.
My dehydrator is still going to get some use, though, because I’m going to take another suggestion from the comments and add some dried fruit to future packs – not to replace the candy, but as well as it.
I’ll also make sure every pack has sugar for hot drinks (and some extra to add to the oatmeal) and look at adding Kool-Aid or something similar to make water taste a little more interesting.
Overall, I learned a good bit from eating these rations and most of it was positive.
Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be overhauling my existing stockpile, removing things I don’t trust anymore and replacing them with better alternatives.
My lunch meals will get more interesting, and I’ll add more healthy, fruity snacks. But the main thing is I know my home-made MREs will stay edible and provide enough nutrition to keep me going when I need them.
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Hi, All good stuff. I too store back
up meals but haven’t made MRE’s yet. Working on it.
The article is good for alternative food choices. The problem with survival and processed food is these are temporary food substitutes for actual normal fresh foods. Even the military only does a meal substitute replacement in the field. The soldiers still need fresh food. A long term use of survival or processed food will effect a persons health long term.
Not all of us can farm our fresh food and hope the coming collapse does not happen. Preps as said by others is a temporary solution to starving.
Those that control the food supply controls the Sheeple, preppers not so much.
If the bee population goes so does ours.
Too much pesticide and electronics harming the bee population. Do your own research on the bee population decline.
I’m in Sweden. Last year I’d a healthy garden and harvested and stored many food crops. (been gardening for decades). This year we’ve been sprayed daily, and I remain convinced whatever they spray us with also contained growth retardant. Seedlings would reach a few inches high and out there I *still* have beets that did so in May that are the same size now and haven’t grown. I’ve never seen that before. My beans, peas and other crops didn’t grow at all…they got to about six inches high, shrivelled up, turned brown and crispy and died. I document Swedish geoengineering on social media so I do know what they’re doing. And I believe they’ll continue to make it impossible for many to grow their own food unless they do it indoors. Unfortunately we haven’t the funds for extensive grow lights etc, and summer here is all too short. But this year, we’ve no harvest (nor had many farmers after weather manipulation brought never before seen floods in this area) so we are relying upon the last of our pantry foods. The European Commission approved *twelve* different kinds of insect “flours” to be used in just about every commercial food on supermarket shelves in Europe, including things like milk and nuts. The source for that info can be found by searching (please don’t use Google….) and so bought food isn’t safe to eat. None of it is labelled here because, they said “labelling is already adquate enough”. Neither is the GMO and mRNA labelled. But it’s there all the same, in both food and meds, including OTC meds.
Not sure we, as an older couple, will survive this winter. We’ll try, but for the first time in my life, I have my doubts we’ll manage.
Before you attempt to eat MRE’s ask someone who was in the military about them.
I ate a bunch of them long ago. They weren’t bad, but like someone said, were nowhere near as good as as a freshly prepared meal with fresh food. I LOVED the fruitcake. Most didn’t, so I frequently traded it for the something less appealing, the chipped beef. Yes, I gave up the protein, and replaced that with my own mixed nut cache and canned tuna
I had some when I was in Texas helping clean up after Hurricane IKE. As with most foods/meals, there are some good ones and some less favorable.
These are not real military MRE’s, they are homemade one’s Far different. I see zero reason to store military MRE’s, too many far better choices. We have many similar to the author’s, premade meals that are dehydrated mostly along with tuna packets and many other things. Ours are built to provide a balanced nutrition set of macros for carbs, protein and fat.
During my deployments, I didn’t find the MRE’s or other combinations of meals too bad. We all complained, but only a few didn’t finish their meal packs.
My favourite homemade mre is spaghetti I made it with quinoa pasta for added protein and made the sauce a little thicker than normal. They came out great! Just be sure to chop the sauce veggies fairly uniform and I dehydrated the cooked ground beef separately. My hubby said he’d never know it was dehydrated if I hadn’t told him and he’s picky lol
Well now, this reminds me, I should look at my homemade MRE’s. Probably upwards of 6 – 10 yrs old! 😆 I reckon I’ll be ‘Buggin-in’ and have a substantial store of food, both short-shelf-life(rotated) and long-shelf-life. Excellent article and replys!!
This is why We can’t eat normal food, it is getting too expensive. We got unions in every part of the economy striking everyday for higher wages. Eating MRE’s is baloney, after 2 weeks that stuff turns to concrete in the gut. Unless you chew the laxative gum in the accessory packet provided.
What is wrong with liberal sanctuary blue States?
Please keep an eye on California and New York as the social barometers of future liberal tactics.
In California several reasons gas prices are high they have $1.98 in extra taxes compared to other States. The liberals rack on too many taxes and fees.
The liberal Demoncrat’s in Sacramento, the State is influenced by environmentalism climate change and unions against the will of the State’s voters and the legal citizens of California.
Did you know the Sacramento politicians did not want the nation’s gas and oil pipeline hookup that other States enjoy for lower prices. California depends on tanker ships to supply their oil, that is foreign oil dirtier polluted. Then the cleaner oil and gas drilled and pumped in the United States proper.
It is the dumb Sheeple that let it happen, just think they are the ones that caused their mess in political voting. Making their California State a hazardous State to live in. So bad that those liberal Marxist public school educated. Leave California for greener pastures, taking their Marxist political ideologies to other States in our nation. They don’t leave their politics behind to start anew. They corrupt another States politics wherever they go, period.
The problem with California is the concentration of liberal minded socialist, Marxist, communists are located in their major cities. Yes there is real conservatives in California, they are in smaller cities and towns. Mostly in the rural farmlands. The problem is the major cities get most of the liberal’s ear that get heard more than the conservatives outside of the major cities.
The liberals are making it economic hard to use their gas vehicles in favor of mass transit. The road repair taxes for decades have been diverted not for the crumbling highways but for social justice activities. Sacramento wants a mileage tax of 4 cents a mile and privacy rights are trampled on too.
The California electrical grid has not been upgraded in decades, the activists don;t understand the grid can’t handle the EV Charging and still have power for normal appliance use without their forced brownouts. The oil refineries are run by unions which every year there are plant breakdowns causing gas shortages. California has not built a new operating refinery since 1978, go figure. The State does have operating oil wells around, the climate activists complain that damages the environment.
At the same time the environmentalist use to complain and have the average citizen fined several $ thousand dollars for entering restricted protected endangered species act properties. What is funny the open border has illegals trashing those same areas. There is no peep out of the environmentalist about the trashing, but they bitch about the legal citizen accidentally trespassing on those lands.
The CARB – California Air Resources Board that regulates BS smog rules and more. The California special fuel blend for Winter and Summer causes too high taxes on the average driver going to work, school and play. The politicians get perks like free gas and vehicle use by taxpayers. So no skin in the economic scam politicians do on the public. CA car smog testing is another tax on the public.
SANDAG is a board of mayors dictating policies like the mileage tax. To get the public out of their freedom vehicles to ride mass transportation. California is not setup like NEW York is for mass transit subway system. One complaint is mass transportation takes hour to get partway to people’s destinations. Then simply driving a gas vehicle.
The Bike Mafia- Then parking spaces are being taken away for room for the bicycle mafia spandex wearing bike lanes. More then not hardly any of those bike lanes are in full use. Most older people don’t want to ride bikes in inclement weather, cold, rain, heat or snow. Trying to get to a doctors appointment on time. Or some pregnant lady, disabled person and so on can’t relied on a bike or mass transit to get to a pinpoint location. That mass transit does not provide. Especially with the violence on the streets we have in American cities. Criminals are not prosecuted by George Soros and son’s DA lawyers in court and politics, condoned by the Biden administration’s policies and EO mandates by tyranny. American are asleep and remain so until the next terrorist act happens with the open border situation. It is all connected if we do a deep dive into what is happening to America. Stop funding Ukraine and fix or repair daily our America first for change. Your decision to vote for CA gov Newsom, Michelle Obama as a replacement for sleepy Joe and word salad Harris is a big mistake.
Time to leave CA dude.
Some of us are waiting for a family member to pass on. So we can sell the home and leave the ridiculous politics of California. It is too expensive to comeback to sell the home after resettlement in another State, if you are a senior on a fixed income.
Actually California back when governors like Reagan and Pete Wilson were in charge, the State had a livable economy. The homeless camps were no on the radar.
Research this, the California homeless crisis was partly due to East Coast cities giving their homeless one way bus tickets to the West Coast namely California. So those taxpayers are forced to provide services. Now the influx of illegals has almost bankrupted the State.
The pot smoking hippies of San Francisco 1960’s, 1970’s became the tenured college professors, that indoctrinate young skulls full of mush with Marxism, a fact.
It does not help that liberals in other States mandated Sanctuary Blue States for the illegal influx on welfare for legal Americans.
Did the State’s legal taxpayers have a say in why their States became a Sanctuary State?
Can the American taxpayers reverse the Sanctuary State designation and go back to conservative principles, Maybe?
Good morning. Cool post. Just remember that prepping has no politics. It doesn’t care who you are. It’s also not only a frame of mind, but for the unexpected. Keep getting into it. Thank you, Claude.
Well some people still think voting matters
Obvious you did vote for Biden, let’s go Brandon!
Then why do we still have the trolls here? They politically motivated.
There’re the ones to watch out for. When SHTF, they will come and “TRY” to take what you have at your expense and probably, maybe, even your health. Security and protection are/is part of prepping. It doesn’t matter what political, color, or race you are, it’s going to hurt all around.
Prepping is about politics tyranny as seen today with Bidenomics. If we would take better care in voting these rags to riches people into office. We would not have to listen to the daily fearmongering.
Prepping is what a century ago was considered normal for most folks in the city and in the country. People living outside of big cities may get snowed in for days. Travel to the local grocery store was not always done until the roads cleared of the snow. Back in those days they did not have snowplows to clear off the snow piled roads.
The Jimmy Carter days prompted the survivalist mindset as the same history repeats it’s self with the Joe Bidenomics of today.
Will our prepping be partly due to politics than of necessity?
First time I felt an article worthy of responding to. What a great experiment! Thank you going through this test. I am certain there are many out there who have stored and forgotten. This was confirmation that you need to check on what you have stored (if you aren’t rotating food out) and the test of what you want to have available should the need arise.
Rotating food is a real pain as our economy is pulled in different directions. And food is getting too expensive for rotating. As the 25 year survival food can’t afford to rotate with new stock. While having to pay increased gas, food and utility priced for those poor union worker’s low wages.
Hey what about us common folk, we are not getting or demanding increases in our incomes to live in Bidenomics world. Yeah what about us?
Lately I have been thinking about a get home bag for my car and after reading this, putting food in smallish mylar bags would be an economical choice for storing some food in the bag
I prefer to eat fresh food. The package processed foods are not always fresh. Those survival foods are made months ago, nutrition values does fade away.
Do those package foods have the same 25 year quality as the expensive survival on the open market, think not.
To survive the coming collapse we also need guns for
What is with the Biden administration’s push on gun restrictions?
San Diego current mayor is working with president wannabe CA gov Newsom. The Del Mar Fairgrounds next to the Del Mar horse racing track. Has anti-gun liberals on the Del Mar board around the rise in Covid decided to eliminate the San Diego Gun Shows. Depriving local gun owners 2Amendment rights for gun show due to Marxist ideology.
California is the land of the fruits and nut-jobs there. Mass shootings are self inflected Demoncrat policies. Gun free zones at many public locations are an invitation for mentally whacked liberals. Whose favorite go to gun is the AR configuration that is exploited by the Marxist. As the same game plan that has been done before in other countries and back in the World War 2 era.
A ban on magazines over 10 rounds is ridiculous. That is from the fear mongering of the bank heist in SoCal shootout. https://en.wikipedia*org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout
There are hundreds of thousands of gun laws on the law books. Each mass shooting politicians add to the Baloney virtue signaling laws to anti-gun activists.
Many laws are not enforced as we see the George Soros and son’s DA’s letting the criminals out in the new criminal revolving doors of the liberals.
Yet they let gangs and homeless steal merchandise and people stopping them are potentially prosecuted. Let crazy people do underground chicken cockfights and pit bull fights, all the criminals get a pass.
Or Obama, Biden Fast and Furious straw gun buying to Mexican drug cartels that got Border Patrols agents shot. Along with innocent civilians shot too.
Vote for Marxism again, butt what the hay, you do not any better friend.
Great article and suggestions.
I do have a suggestion for the chorizo problem. I’ve found that beef flavored TVP makes a fair substitute when we go camping. When miked with other foods it’s not bad. It is shelf stable and will last a fairly long time, if vaccum packed as you did here.
TVP is a soy product. For guys, Soy catches flak for what’s perceived as being a man boob–giving, estrogen-bestowing testosterone-killer.
No wonder those soy eating vegetarian men seem to be more feminine in today’s world.
Man or woman – soy shouldn’t be eaten by anyone it’s horrible for your health. I ate it for years thinking it was healthy. I was wrong.
Beans, Lentils can give you protien- freeze dried chicken can go well in dishes too- mountain house has freeze dried chicken on sale now. I got a couple cans just in case. Might want to consider splurging for it.
Also, looking for protein subs? Try Nutritional Yeast, unfortified. it’s supposed to taste like cheese, but I have added about 1/2 Tablespoon to casseroles for 1 and it adds no discernible taste.
Also, those dehydrated fruits can jazz up water pretty well…also, some herbs are great additions as well…sage, mint, basil are a couple and they can be added with the fruits too…example: strawberry basil; blueberry sage, etc.
Protein? That’s easy. They make small packs of peanut butter in squeeze rubes now or use powdered peanut butter which you just add water to and it’s very good. Both are available in stores everywhere. If you eat breakfast at restaurants grab extra jelly packs and take them with you. Are they going to have you arrested? Then vacuum seal them still in their original packaging. Get some Pilot crackers as well. I think Goya makes them and they are in the Latino food section of the grocery store SOMETIMES. Or order them from Amazon. I’ve done both. They are pretty good too. You CAN use other kinds as well but be careful when you vacuum them and go “light” on the pressure or you’ll have pre crushed soup crackers. As for soup if you are like me I like tomato but you will no longer find it in the grocery as Lipton doesn’t make it anymore so you will be limited to chicken noodles and a couple of others unless you make your own tomato soup which can be really messy. Heinz makes it but you have to order it from the UK or MAYBE find it in one of those stores that specialize in overseas foods. Don’t forget the “accessory pack”. Spoon/spork, sugar,salt,pepper,candy,gum, tea, coffee, hand wipe, and TOILET PAPER for goodness sake!!! Get some of those compressed towels they are awesome and not too expensive. Good for TP or washing/drying. Make sure you have some way of heating water too. A metal camp cup (largest you can find) and you only need ONE same with spork or other metal utensils. An embittered stove with fuel is probably the cheapest most compact way of making fire to cook with and creates no smoke for people to find you with. Again one would work with plenty of esbit fuel tabs and pretty cheap too. You COULD pack instant dry milk for cereal which isn’t too bad if you use it on/in something instead of drinking it by itself or pack some instant chocolate for milk like Nestle and it will make the instant milk more palatable. They come in packs that make about a half gallon or more so repacking and vacuum sealing will be necessary. Or buy instant WHOLE milk on line. Its not bad when cold but again use chocolate powder for taste. I have seen squeeze packs of cheese in stores but I forgot where but you can find them on line at Amazon and other places that sell MRE “accessory packs” to make your own. Same with jelly and peanut butter. Ever had MRE bread? It’s DELICIOUS if you can find it. I’m going to experiment making my own one of these days. Ramen noodles are a must for any homemade MRE IMHO. Light to carry and easy to make. Making your own “meal” is fine but there are many things in your local grocery that will work just as well you just have to look around like I have. Same with online. These homemade MRE’sare NOT necessarily for long term sustainability but for short term emergency/get out of Dodge/get home reasons. Don’t forget a decent METAL water holder. You can cook in it too. I have some 16oz ones that work perfectly with my esbit stove or any other heat source. Make your own meals if you like but don’t forget the accessory pouch. The military actually got ONE thing right designing their MRE’s. The actual food well meh.
That’s ESBIT not EMBITTERED. Lol. So much for spell check.
The MRE craze is a good short term item. Military accessory packs have laxative gum that must be chewed to keep from being constipated. The older MRE versions were said to be radiated for long term use to not spoil. Most of the supplies are rated for a five year expiration. These MRE’s are not like the old C-rats, last used in Viet Nam. The C-rats if not kept in ideal storage conditions are beyond ready to eat. These C-rats are now degraded with possible Botulism poisoning. Even the older MRE versions have deteriorated to poor storage conditions, so buyer beware.
I use Romen Noodles and Knorr’s packets to make meals. Depending on the flavor, I add pulled meat and fresh garden spices and freeze dry. Curious, I opened one that was packed 3 years ago, and it was great. I also tried some 2-year-old Christmas ham. That tasted just as when I sliced it.
Thank You claude for these great articles and inspiration to keep trying and prepping , no matter what the evil in charge has thrown our way
just like said above i concur
Alway s Date , Go back sample the stock ,
Rotate the stock regularly , and taste to see if it is right
as a master of my trade i alway s test, verify, and self check everything I do as it is criticle that it is right
so in preping , the need is even more crucial to know if you are doing the process right and iron out the errors before shift begins
The amount of Incompetance and ignorance out there is so great , you have to cross check , everything
Age of Deception for the 2030 agenda of the fools on the sinking ship , who will sink with the ship of fools
Great comments
wish you all the best
Do not forget the evil of Bio engineered label foods now stocked in grocery stores. Many of our traditional processed foods are GMO and or Bio engineered. The organic vegetarian people do not know for sure if their high quality vegetarian foods are not exempt from being adulterated by GMO and Bio engineered plants. That Monsanto maybe responsible for in the quality of foods produced.
Evil is as evil does, in particular to our nutritional needs in the 21st century.
Agree:
MOST of the Big Corporations sell bio engineered foods –
even Cadbury & Hershey’s chocolate companies do
(It’s not the ethics of your great- grandpa’s food suppliers anymore)
Additionally
Best not to purchase from among the many Canned foods labeled
in very small print “PRC” (Peoples Republic of China)
Cans have very pretty artistic rendition of the foods packaged in their metallic contaminated water
(remember how many of our pets died from CCP dog food a few years ago?)
Be blessed+
FYI:
I have seen bio-engineered ingredients now listed on some survival food packages; some – not all – Ready Hour brand. I’m sure it’s on others now too as there is a push for it to be in ALL our foods. When I questioned which ingredients were I was told, “. . . it is normally Maltodextrin.”
Also, many companies that used to be American or made mostly in America are now under foreign ownership. a LOT are China owned now, the following link gives 195 such businesses. Included are BUILDINGS in America that are foreign owned! Some are quite illuminating. Warning: LONG post! Steet Insider: American Companies That Are No Longer American
What about us? I am 72. Have been union more than once. Never had the slightest bit of support back then that they seem to have now. By the People and by the Politicians everyone thought the union was just full
Of greedy people the other guy not the way members are portrayed now so we didn’t get much for a long time!
The unions in the 20th century were good for the average worker against the rich corporations. Now almost every job we can think of has a union. These low skilled workers are kept in positions that require skills. But due to the greedy union bosses who really make good retirement bank. The workers are also being short changed in wages. Now everyone strikes for higher pay. Seniors who retired have fixed incomes to barely survive the high costs of politicians taxing them. The unions add to the high costs of the average seniors who are being taxed out of their homes to be homeless.
We got healthcare workers union striking several times.
Wonder why our healthcare and vet bills are so high?
This union striking is not sustainable in 2023, many associated jobs are effected. Assembly lines, delivery, warehouse and associated workers are furloughed until the strike is over and loss of product on the store shelves.
Unions are a form of socialism. We are being manipulated towards being an economy, subscription nation of products. Subscriptions were usually to magazine or newspaper. Now online delivery subscription products and streaming services are considered the norm.
We see these begging commercials, For only $19.00 dollars a month we can help some poor, medical or someone suffering from no food.
Well quit spending money on the cigarettes, Booze, pot or buying expensive items you can’t afford on a credit card, like an Electric vehicle.
People are starving, they go to these food supply centers to get bailed out. Just stop it!
Rethink what you are doing for your life, depending on food welfare centers.
Quit voting for the same things expecting a different result. We will own nothing in the future, you will only rent or die trying.
Recently New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged on Friday with corruption. Got caught will large sums of money and gold bars. You wonder where your taxes are going to? What politicians is getting bribe money from these foreign lobbyist or governments?
They are not representing us American taxpayers anymore.
Translated as Salid said: “the Quran has forbidden alcohol, you deceivers.”
Beware your posts are being watched by the throat-cutters here in the USA.
How many are the illegals Biden invite into our America?
We have known terrorist of military age for what purposes? By the Biden administration that says the Open Southern Border is secure, really?
Clive
Most of the “25 year expiration” prepackaged foods is so highly salted that I will be combining it with my own pure basmati rice…..my own Irish oatmeal… So not to perish of salt poisoning
Additionally,
General mills, Quaker, Campbell’s, Nestlé Coca Cola (even their smart water)…
I avoid because they are notorious for adding HEK 293 for “natiral flavoring”…. And are not free of graphine.
Best wishes to all.
Do not forget to pray before eating+❤??
Good article. I do meals in a jar (vacuum sealed bag) myself. There are a lot of books out there with good recipes. For example i just picked up “Meals in a Jar: Quick and Easy, Just-Add-Water, Homemade Recipes” Or there are a few you tube channels I follow for recipes like “Wicked Prepared” All recipes are real easy and taste just like any other meal. I have them every once in a while when I am pressed for time.
NO, Don’t Drink the KOOLAID !!! LOL !!
Not sure why not to drink Koolaid? That worked well in Vietnam for the water we had. Hid the taste of the purification tablets and the smell of the water. HA!
Now, more than ever, it is time to start a garden. You can also have a fall garden and if you use insulated boxes with glass/plexiglass/plastic covers, can grow thing in winter too.
Also, some nut butter (peanut, almond, walnut, etc.) would be a nice addition to the crackers, making them more nutritious…you can use home made dehydrated or even peanut butter granules that can be bought.
Forgot: VERY nice post! Appreciated the testing and the photos too.
Thank you for reminding me to do a 3 day food trial. We keep saying we need to do it and keep putting it off.
Yuck! In a real survival situation, you need closer to 4000 calories a day at the offset, for stress and work (sometimes stress travel) factors, and your junk food would barely be 1 meal, let alone 3. Keep it. Only a non-active senior might get by on your “Concentration Camp diminishing you as you go” diet.
2 years storage? Well and fine. It should have had a better caloric and nutrition intake set aside for future use for the practical real world of what survivalist nutrition WHEN YOU NEED IT entails. Was this a Cub Scout project of yours for the kids, or what? NOT practical or in any way to the level I would have expected from this article at the Title’s Outset. Disappointed…for sure. Blah!
Wow, a spoiler alert! 4000 calories is an extreme amount and one could get fat on that much intake. When I was younger, we always tried to get 2000-2500 or so calories even under the stress of combat. I don’t remember too many individuals pushing past that. Of those rare individual that ate everything around them, they have turned into the blimps we see today. I have many friends that I meet during our military reunions that must have been on those 4000 calories diets???
Why don’t you write an article telling everyone the correct thing to do?
I believe we have been told over the years not to use plastic bags, etc., to heat food. Our food takes up the chemicals from the plastic. Some of the plastic is designed for cooking but the original packing is not good for that purpose. The article is really helpful and thank you for it.
Good ideas for the various foods to pack that we may not have thought of.
As of Tuesday 9/26/23 Cal governor signed as new law doubling the taxes on guns and ammo.
I have commercially sealed foods in heavy Mylar….. Beef stew, chili beans, chicken, and tuna. Also shelf stable milk and powdered milk. On my shelves are instant mashed potatoes, heavy weight bags of powdered eggs, canned fruits and vegetables commercial and jars. And buckets of sealed rice, pasta and oatmeal ect. My biggest investment has been fruit trees, bushes, and vines. Last year every time I had extra fruit, vegetables, meats, butter, and milk; I canned it in jars. Flour, sugar, dry yeast, salt, seasonings, corn meal and more are sealed and safe. Seeds are vacuumed in Mylar packages. I cooked with some of it. Everything was tasty and is keeping well. Some jars of thick soups with meats and vegetables could be easily a meal for two. Much is in pints because it makes more sense for 2 seniors.
I’m curious about your storage conditions. Any storage area outside my house would not be temperature stable. I’ve tried to find temp stable items to keep in my vehicle. About the only think I’ve found are various nuts, instant oatmeal packs, and some jerky varieties.
Thanks
My only true misgivings about the article is that he uses Quaker and Cheerio products, which are SLATTERED IN ROUND-UP! That is a really fast road to CANCER and Parkinson’s Disease!! Not me, NOT EVER!! Start prepping using organic, non-gmo products and stay healthy. No, they are not that much more money, and they actually save you a TON over chemo and radiation or funeral expenses!!! Just sayin’…
Most grocery stores carry single serve peanut butter so there’s your really delicious protein and it’s good on Graham crackers. My store (Ingles) now carries some noodle based dinners such as Mac and cheese that are similar to an MRE but much better tasting. It is for at least 2 people though. Nicely priced as well and pretty good tasting. There is also powdered peanut butter in stores now that has long shelf life and easy to reconstitute with water. You can also buy powdered butter but will have to do so on line or in SOME outdoor type stores. Pilot crackers are a good alternative to Graham crackers but can be hard to find in stores sometimes. A little hard but fairly tasty and good with soups. Lipton makes some decent instant soups though I haven’t been able to find tomato in stores for years and it’s my favorite. You don’t HAVE to use pre packaged sugar like you see in restaurants. Just use regular sugar and vacuum seal the amounts you want in the pint size bags. Enough for a whole day or 2 instead of just 1 meal. BTW sugar will last indefinitely as long as it’s kept dry and cool. Same with honey and salt. Many spices will last indefinitely if kept right. Many hard candies can be kept for decades as long as they are kept cool, dry and vacuum sealed. Cambridge and Thames has hard candy that comes in metal tins and has a coating of some kind of white powder onn them to keep them from sticking together. There are other brands as well and I usually find them in Cracker Barrel. Many flavors as well. Easilly repackaged by vacuum sealing enough for your personal needs.
There are many foods in stores today that will last long term. Such as those individual packs of mashed taters, Mac and cheese etc. They come in individual cups but you don’t necessarily need the cup as long as you know how much water to put in them ahead of time. Then just repackage in vacuum bags with instructions and water amounts written on the package. Believe it or not instant Ramen noodles will last a long time if repackaged and vacuum sealed. MOST canned food will last decades past their “best by date”. Except for foods high in acid such as fruits and tomato products.
MEDICINES:
The military did a study about a decade ago to find ways to save money on medicines. They were tossing meds on the “expiration dates”. The study revealed that MOST meds, both OTC and prescription, will last more than 20yrs past the date on the bottle with little to no effect on their efficacy. There are a few exceptions such as meds that need refrigeration (insulin) and SOME antibiotics. Google )or whatever) something like Ft Dietrich study about use of expired medicines. Not the actual name but it will help in a search. The main reason companies put those dates on bottles is that’s the date THEY will guarantee the meds are good till. It also allows them to make new packaging to ” make your experience with our product better” or some such crap. I have 10yr old tylenol that still works as intended.
Shop around for foods and meds in YOUR grocery or Wally World. You will be surprised by what you can find that is cheaper and tastes better than mare’s. Though I do like some mre products such as the bread and peanut butter in squeeze packs. There is also a civilian version of most mare’s too. One that I really like is the French toast “bread”. Basically French toast shaped like a thick slice of bread with the syrup already in it. Can be eaten right from the bag or even heated if you want. There are MANY articles on line on how to make your own “mre’s” and what ingredients people have already tested and tried which will save you some time. MRE’s have accessory packs that you can sometimes buy separately buy on line as well. Though it’s probably cheaper to do yourself. Don’t forget to include forks and spoons as needed and a CAN OPENER if you are going to use canned foods. Canned foods are best used at your home or bug out place because of their weight.
One person mentioned Kool aid. Good idea but get the kind with ACTUAL sugar and not the fake stuff. You will need the sugar energy that isn’t provided from fake sugar. If you give sucralose to ants they won’t eat it. Tells me a lot about that product.
trump has said he’d like to become a DICTATOR the day after he’s sworn in. He’s said that it would only happen for ONE day. He has been proven to be a compulsive LIAR.
What will you do if he decides to declare MARTIAL LAW? Or Orders A NATIONAL GUN CONFISCATION?
The U.S. marines have created a definition for MRE’s: MEALS REFUSING TO EXIT