# meals in a bucket question or three



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

I searched this forum but could not find what I was looking for. confusing....

Almost all of our storage is in either #10 cans or huge buckets(grains/beans and such). We live in a very wooded area.

Been thinking of putting together meals in buckets so that each one of us could if because of fires grab one and go with it. so I started looking today at already put together buckets. I was really not sure what I was looking at.

Was wondering if there is a link here for preparing bucket meals or if there is a link to a site for preparing bucket meals. I would need mix information to add to the dry foods along with how to prep these buckets.

The prices that I saw weren't really all that bad considering they have to be put together however I really don't like the idea of all that 'stuff' in my foods. But I will buy these if I have to.


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> Been thinking of putting together meals in buckets so that each one of us could if because of fires grab one and go with it....
> 
> Was wondering if there is a link here for preparing bucket meals.... I would need mix information to add to the dry foods along with how to prep these buckets.


Not really sure what you are looking for. A Bug Out Bag Bucket (BOBB)?

I guess I would probalby make it a mix of easy prep foods:

food bars
MREs
freeze dried food pouches
canned goods (with an opener in each bucket)
other?
If you want bulk stuff, then go with something that you can make without boiling water, like rolled grains (usually oats) which you can just soak.

I eat oats plain, so I don't need any fancy recipes for it. But, it sounds like you want recipes for adding flavorings and spices to the bulk stuff, so you can just cook it. Something like this recipe for Friendship Soup?



Freyadog said:


> The prices that I saw weren't really all that bad considering they have to be put together however I really don't like the idea of all that 'stuff' in my foods. But I will buy these if I have to.


Post a link to what you found, and I will have a better idea of what you are looking for. Not sure what "all that stuff" is.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

​


Tacitus said:


> Not really sure what you are looking for. A Bug Out Bag Bucket (BOBB)?
> 
> I guess I would probalby make it a mix of easy prep foods:
> 
> ...


all that stuff is the ingredients in some prepared foods that you can not pronounce the names of. will go and look for links that I was looking at this morning.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farms-12-Day-Emergency-Pail/20532431

soemthing like this but I want to make it myself and really need help in putting something likethis together.


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Aahhh. Got it. Then I stick by my previous recommendations. 

I hear what you are saying about "all that stuff." I have one of those emergency supply boxes, and I will use it if I have to. But I don't like it when they put quick oats in there with a ton of sugar in it when I eat regular oats with nothing but milk on it.

But, in an emergency, I wouldn't worry about "all that stuff." I don't think short term consumption of fatty, salty, sugary, carbo-loaded (or whatever you seek to avoid) will be a big problem. In fact, you may need the extra calories. 

Of course, if you have a medical condition, then you obviously need to pack the buckets taking the medical condition into account.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I have MANY of the Augason 30-day buckets, but I also make my own MRE's. Which I suppose is what you are trying to do only yours would be on a much larger scale. I select the food products I want to use and then use my Food Saver to seal them. Some of what I use is freeze dried meals that I make using soup, stew or casserole mixes and other natural freeze dried ingredients. For example I purchased some freeze dried chili packets at my local grocery store then added natural freeze dried onions, tomatoes, beans, ground beef and seasonings (most of which was also Augason). I now have a much heartier and more nutritious chili sealed in a foodsaver bag. Doing this also allowed me to control serving sizes. When I get my chili pouches the way I want them I added other foodsaver sealed products (granola bars, crackers peanut butter packets, hard candy, etc., etc.) and then seal all of it together in another bag. Usually with utensils, sugar packets, tea, drink mixes, salt, pepper, moist towelettes, etc. I have made about 24 MRE's so far and another 12 SRE's (snacks ready to eat). But now you are making me want to make my own emergency food bucket too!


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I worry about all that stuff also but have several of the prepared meal pouch buckets as well as ready made FD meals in #10's. IF it gets to the point I need to use it, well, it will be better than the alternative. I do see your point though. If you cook from scratch now I would think just put FD ingrediants into a bag that you would normally put in a 'meal'. Then vacuum seal with an O2 absorber and pack it away.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

www.budget101.com/frugal/mix-recipes-166/

Some homemade mix recipes in categories like drink mix, soup mix etc. No 'stuff' added.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Thank you everyone. This was just the responses that I was hoping for. Gonna start digging fd/dehydrated stuffs out and get to work.

I do not fear water here. too high up but with the woods surrounding us I do fear fire.

Gonna grabhold of my teenage friend down the road and get busy this weekend.


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Lake Windsong said:


> www.budget101.com/frugal/mix-recipes-166/
> 
> Some homemade mix recipes in categories like drink mix, soup mix etc. No 'stuff' added.


Great site.

I thought about it, but I don't really see myself mixing up the soup mixes ahead of time. However, I do store beans, barley, etc. And, I've been trying to store spices. I should probably try to determine what the top 10 soup incredients are.

I assume the top soup mix ingredients would include:

bases: boullion (beef, chicken)
fundamentals: meats, legumes
extras: veggies, roots, barley
spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, others?
thickeners: flour, corn starch, powdered milk
All off the top of my head.

Anyone want to list their top, standard soup ingredients? Although I think about this stuff a lot (because I'm the prepper in the family), my wife is the primary cook. It is just slow getting her involved. I'm just trying to anticipate her needs without worrying her about all this.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Freyadog said:


> Thank you everyone. This was just the responses that I was hoping for. Gonna start digging fd/dehydrated stuffs out and get to work.
> 
> I do not fear water here. too high up but with the woods surrounding us I do fear fire.
> 
> Gonna grabhold of my teenage friend down the road and get busy this weekend.


Be careful where you grabhold.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Ready-to-Cook on the Go Meals.*

Freyadog is absolutely right, ready made foods have more chemicals than food, if what your trying to do is pre-package ready-to cook meals like http://www.ricearoni.com/Products/Rice-A-Roni/Classic_Favorites/Red_Beans_and_Rice, then you can simply mix your dry ingredients by portions. For instance 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water and so forth, my favor is chicken and rice and red beans/rice and dry sausages, but by mixing it yourself you eliminated the chemicals, you have emergencies ration, readytogo home taste to boot.
Case in point here, I baked a lot so all my mixes are pre-made with power milk and eggs, all I need to add is water/oil, so in two 5 gallon buckets you can have your meals, salt ,pepper, tabasco, collapsible stove, fire starters, plastic ware, wipes and more or you can make an emergency kit and keep it in your main transportation.
Good Luck.


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