# Bulk Survival food?



## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

I know that anything you put up or can yourself will be better than any bulk food you can buy but I was wondering what the best option for bulk survival MRE type food is. 

Good taste is a plus but cost effective and shelf life is biggest concern. What do you guys buy and where?


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

You can certainly buy MRE's but they are expensive. You can make an excellent substitute by purchasing meals canned in bags such as tuna, chile, stew, or mac & cheese. Though the cans weigh more you can purchase similar products in metal cans.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*MRE`s are for soldiers in the field...............*

And I feel sorry for them.So you want MRE`s well ,some of the early MRE main courses were not very palatable, earning them the nicknames "Mr. E" (mystery), "Meals Rejected by Everyone", "Meals, Rarely Edible", "Meals Rejected by the Enemy", "Morsels, Regurgitated, Eviscerated", "Mentally Retarded Edibles", "Meal Ready to Expel", "Meal, Ready to Excrete", "Meals Rejected by the Emaciated", "Materials Resembling Edibles", "Morale Reducing Elements", and even "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians "Their low dietary fiber content could cause constipation in some, so they were also known as "Meals Requiring Enemas", "Meals Refusing to Exit", "Meals Refusing to Excrete", or "Massive Rectal Expulsions". While the myth that the gum found in MREs contains a laxative is false (however, they are sweetened with xylitol, which has a mild laxative effect), the crackers in the ration pack do contain a higher than normal vegetable content to facilitate digestion. In December 2006, comedian Al Franken (on his 8th USO tour at the time) joked to troops in Iraq that he had had his fifth MRE so far and "none of them had an exit strategy" In March 2007, The Salt Lake Tribune invited three gourmet chefs to taste-test 18 MRE meals. None of the meals rated higher than a 5.7 average on a scale of 1-to-10, and the chicken fajita meal, in particular, was singled out for disdain, rating an average score of 1.3 and that is not all? The use of rations for noncombat environments has been questioned. While the nutritional requirements are suitable for a combat environment where service members will burn many calories and lose much sodium through sweat, it has been provided as emergency food or even as a standard meal. The high-fat (averaging about 52 grams of fat, 5 grams trans fats) and high-salt content are less than ideal for sedentary situations. Shelves life depends on storage conditions Usually MREs are good for about 7-10 yrs., there not like the C-rat shelf life on that what over 50 to 60 years as long there wasn't any dents in your can. Now there is allot of things that play with the shelf-life of the MRE. MREs in Iraq go bad within 6-8 months due to the heat. They are expensive so in my honest opinion get can goods and also learn how to canned and preserved food ,this coming from an old soldier who loved C-rations and just had roasted pork canned 5 years ago.


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

Try looking into freeze dried. Some Walmarts have them. Check out emergency essentials sites like that. I personally like Mountain House meals.


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## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

I wasn't exactly looking for MREs but something similar in that they can be stored in a shed with small air conditioning unit something that I could buy bulk and have emergency rations for a year or longer for several families. It doesn't have to taste the best or be the best for you because it will not be a main source for my family. What I am looking for is other alternatives similar to this to compare prices on. http://jimbakkershow.com/lovegifts/bulk-sampler-bundle.html


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## 21601mom (Jan 15, 2013)

You can also buy Augason Farms freeze dried food from Walmart at costs cheaper than buying directly from Augason. You may be interested in something like this: Augason Farms Deluxe 1-Year, 1-Person Emergency Food Storage Kit, 120 count. Link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-F...Emergency-Food-Storage-Kit-120-count/22001495

Wise and Mountain House are OK as well. For me, it comes down to price.

If you want individually packaged good food, you may want to try mypatriotsupply.com. Good food, just more expensive than buying in #10 cans like the Augason set. I think Padre likes Augason as well.


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## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

That is the kind of stuff I'm looking for and yes price is the key here. My goal here is to have a storehouse of food for my family incase something happens like crop failure or live stock dies. I also want to be able to help extended family and neighbors in case SHTF happens say during the winter I could feed them until we can get them self sustainable.


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## 21601mom (Jan 15, 2013)

This month is probably the best time to buy as it is National Preparedness month. I think I may finally invest in a full year supply of food for the same reasons you mentioned above.

Sue Gregersen (gypsy sue)has a great book on food preservation-that book has helped me build my current 4 month reserves. It's available on Amazon for a very reasonable price. 

I would love to hear what brands are stocked by our more experienced members. Sentry, Padre, Grimm, UncleJoe, Andi?


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

CrawDaddy said:


> I wasn't exactly looking for MREs but something similar in that they can be stored in a shed with small air conditioning unit something that I could buy bulk and have emergency rations for a year or longer for several families. It doesn't have to taste the best or be the best for you because it will not be a main source for my family. What I am looking for is other alternatives similar to this to compare prices on. http://jimbakkershow.com/lovegifts/bulk-sampler-bundle.html


Okay, not MRE's but bulk foods, way different. I thought you were looking to fill a BOB to other short term usage. Start with beans and rice. This is inexpensive and keeps a long time. As time and funds allow add in vegetables, spices, meats, condiments and everything else you use regularly.


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## PopPop (Sep 14, 2010)

I saw a piece on Seasoned Prepper's website about a bean and rice based bulk storage system that would feed a family of 4 for a year. It is all readily available at the big box stores and on the web. I prepared a trial pot for us to try, it was tasty. This system is something we are now putting in place.


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## kinda (Sep 8, 2015)

I bought locally grown soybeans, corn and rice, and had a drumfull of hard winter wheat shipped to me. The wheat, with some honey and salt, went into the ground in a 35 gallon drum, inside of a 55 gallon drum. The other 4 of the 35 gallon drums of other grains, beans, etc, are in a public storage. the wheat, salt and honey will last forever, but the legumes and grains lose nutrient value after 2 years of storage. So I dump them and replace them at that point.

4 empty, buried 55 gallon drums await having the smaller drums dropped into them. In the 10x10 storage is an old bike, with the front wheel locked in alignment with the frame. If shtf, walk alongside of the bike, with a small drum lashed to the bars and seat. 4 such trips (1/2 mile each way) and I'll have a year's supply of food where I can access it discretely and it won't be found. 

Snares for dogs, cats, and coyotes, and rat traps can see to it that nothing gets dug up/revealed after shtf. I had to use fiberglass fencing as reinforcement and field/make a concrete cap for the buried drum of wheat. Also had to have 3" of gravel around and under the buried drums, as well as a double wrap of ratwire, and a pair of plastic drumliners around each drum, so that nothing gnaws a hole in them and so that the ratwrire doesn't corrode too soon. Metal drums rust-thru and leak in about a year, when buried. So they are not a viable answer.


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## recon-1 (Nov 10, 2011)

Is there one site that post all info on all the company's that sell this food? Like prices,etc?


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## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

I found this http://www.foodstoragereviewer.com


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## recon-1 (Nov 10, 2011)

This one also.
http://www.buyemergencyfoods.com/be...age: Compare&gclid=CKCI-rbNhsYCFdWPHwodmAcAwA


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## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

CrawDaddy said:


> I know that anything you put up or can yourself will be better than any bulk food you can buy but I was wondering what the best option for bulk survival MRE type food is.
> 
> Good taste is a plus but cost effective and shelf life is biggest concern. What do you guys buy and where?


I buy Spaghetti & Pasta for 1 year at a time


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Caribou no wonder I like this forum more and more every day, people always forget the primal, the basics of life sustaining substances, rice and beans, wow the world moves on those two and yet people never mention them on their preps, with rice and beans you don`t need meat, but with some salted pork or dry meat you can be king of the hill, sometimes I wonder about folks .


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## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

I actually have quite a bit of rice and beans put up already. I also have 8 rabbits, a pig, a goat, 2 ducks, and a fish pond. All my chickens got wiped out by a **** so I know I have a **** or two around also.


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## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

I will be getting some more goats, pigs, and chickens too.


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## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

Actually besides a year or two of regular long lasting food that I will eat anyway during the year like rice, spaghetti, pasta, beans, I buy 2 cans a month of freeze dried Mountain House Ground Beef, Cooked which actually tastes surprisingly good and lasts decades for End of the World Usage.


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## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

RTG, my stash is full of several kinds of dry and canned beans and a few different kinds of rice - basmati, jasmine, plain white, and even some "forbidden" black rice. 

I can easily afford other foods, but I go through a lot of beans and rice because I happen to enjoy it. It's comfort food at its finest, and it's wonderfully flexible because you'll find some version of it in every cuisine. Our forebears may not have heard of amino acids, but they still knew what they were doing when it came to complementary proteins. See my post in the Depression Food thread. 

:yummy:


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## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

Oh ... and my personal favorite go-to for stocking up is Winco. The prices are great. And they have a fantastic bulk section with giant barrels so I can pace myself according to my budget. Sometimes I'll buy by the ounce, sometimes by the gallon.

Best of all, they have everything from the ubiquitous beans-and-rice to mixes, candies, baking supplies, spices, breakfast cereals, and pet food. Can't be beat.


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## CrawDaddy (Aug 10, 2014)

No winco here. We have Walmart and a few local groceries stores none offer the kind of experience winco does.


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## PeachesBackwards (Sep 8, 2015)

*Best Place to Buy My Unsolicited Advice The Ready Store*

www.thereadystore.com I particularly like The Saratoga Farms stuff:

SARATOGA FARMS INSTANT ROTINI NOODLES,

SARATOGA FARMS FREEZE DRIED ORANGES,

SARATOGA FARMS HASHBROWN POTATOES,

SARATOGA FARMS FREEZE DRIED POTATO CHUNKS,

SARATOGA FARMS FREEZE DRIED SWEET CORN

MOUNTAIN HOUSE GROUND BEEF

MOUNTAIN HOUSE INSTANT WHITE RICE


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## neil-v1 (Jan 22, 2010)

I would go with freeze dried.


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