Survival food thoughts

I know this will degrade into some garden or preservation thread,so please stay on topic.I read a few survival websites,mainly to see the panic set in.Most advertise the 20 yr food storage stuff,freeze dried,#10 cans,MRE's,whatever.Have you seen the prices? I just saw an ad for 48 #2.5 cans,a soup can,for 160 bucks! Granted,it was more than just soup,things like chicken ala king type meals,but 3 bucks a can? Do they think that calling it survival food will make me pay more? You can get the same items at walmart for a fraction of that price.Is it that good?

a reply to: FlyersFan

You make some very good points there.

I am taking the fresh food route. You need to know where you are going to bug out first though and prepare the area.
I have patches of potatoes in various places in the woods. They can be left all year and will comtinue to grow, I know cos I have done it. Regardless what gardners will tell you. Also yacon, plant it and leave it, will grow year after year, more and more. Artichokes are the same. There are plenty of foods that will do this. Always a good source of fresh food. One problem I have though is the wild boar, they keep stealing my potatoes. I have plenty though. Also, dont use GM foods, the seeds they produce dont work, again, I have tried it...never again.

We have plenty of wild mushrooms, wild fig trees, fruit trees. Also, lots of dried beans, grains and pastas, tinned fruits and veggies.

Planting berry bushes in the woods too.

A good thing to be aware of, in a shtf situation, do not grow crops in lines, too visible. Make it look like part of the natural vegetation.

Hopefully will never need it, but its real good fun.

Its comforting to know that if the shops close, I will not need to panic like others. Better than a pension these days.


I do have an issue with the dried long term foods. They contain some questionable ingredients and the nutritional value is at a minimum. They are great for a last resort, but eat real food wherever you can cos you will need your strength and your body needs to be as healthy as poss in a shtf situation, I feel living of long term storage foods for too long will not be beneficial at all. Im no expert though. I you look in the right places you may get some of decent quality. Try not ordering it from the internet though as they are usually really6 crap and expensive.

After Hurricane Ike, millions of MRE's were distributed. A lot of people didn't eat them and were happy to give them away after the situation stabilized. I have a dozen cases of MRE's that I got for free.
They really don't taste very good, but beggars can't be choosers in an emergency situation.
I have enough food to survive for months if I had to without spending a dime.
I really hope I never have to.

originally posted by: FlyersFan

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

a reply to: pennydrops
Excellent. Makes me wish I was your neighbor. You have survival skills and survival knowledge that us city suburb folks don't have. You'll probably make it longer than us.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

Its kinda my job so hopefully I will be ok for a little while anyway. Im not the protective type so would welcome anyone to share the bounty. If shtf, swim over to southern europe and find me, Im in the woods...lol

a reply to: skunkape23

Well done. Its great to know peop[le prepare, and its fun too.

People will make fun of preppers, but if the shtf, they will eat their words.....not my food...joking. I wouldnt let anyone starve.

i buy the #10 can with enamel lining and oxygenless packing that last 25 to 30+ years. and they are expensive. i just spent 400 dollars on a case of steak from overruns of government continuity bunker supplies. before that i spent 300 on a case of hamburger patties a few months back. i don't intend on eating mice or grubs if something goes badly wrong. i'll be eating steak. screw that "eat a bug" stuff.


but yeah it's very expensive; but the various vendors do get into inventory trouble and run sales. and you can get even the best stuff at those sales for even more than 60 percent off. you just have to be patient and read their newsletters and promotions. a can that costs 40 bucks you can find on sale for 25 if you wait for it. and some of the items aren't all that expensive (compared to those burgers and steaks) ground beef is reasonable. TVP is cheap cheap cheap. TVP is good to flavor bland stuff with or make a soup base. and veggies are reasonable. With fruits it depends. the common ones are dirt cheap but the rarer ones get pricey.

beans, rice and things like that are dirt cheap even canned for long term storage. 6 bucks to 9 or ten per can. it's not out of anyone's price range.

a reply to: pennydrops
a pre planted garden is great...until a flood wipes out the bridge to your bug out spot! What if SHTF in the winter?Gardens and hunting are great ideas,but you can't eat them if you can't get there.

a reply to: blkcwbyhat

I only buy Mountain house it is by far the best and have about 1 years worth. The chili mac is the best. Backpackers pantry and Wise food do not even come close.



It is expensive but why keep buying canned goods that expire in 2-3 years? We just donated 100 cans that were going to expire end of this year.

originally posted by: pennydrops
a reply to: FlyersFan

You make some very good points there.

I am taking the fresh food route. You need to know where you are going to bug out first though and prepare the area.
I have patches of potatoes in various places in the woods. They can be left all year and will comtinue to grow, I know cos I have done it. Regardless what gardners will tell you. Also yacon, plant it and leave it, will grow year after year, more and more. Artichokes are the same. There are plenty of foods that will do this. Always a good source of fresh food. One problem I have though is the wild boar, they keep stealing my potatoes. I have plenty though. Also, dont use GM foods, the seeds they produce dont work, again, I have tried it...never again.

We have plenty of wild mushrooms, wild fig trees, fruit trees. Also, lots of dried beans, grains and pastas, tinned fruits and veggies.

Planting berry bushes in the woods too.

A good thing to be aware of, in a shtf situation, do not grow crops in lines, too visible. Make it look like part of the natural vegetation.

Hopefully will never need it, but its real good fun.

Its comforting to know that if the shops close, I will not need to panic like others. Better than a pension these days.

Yes; i think it's called guerilla gardening. it prevents raiders from getting your food. it is a very good idea. have your tried other rood crops like carrots? they will do like you said and remain edible for a couple of years plus they will reseed and there will always be some first year ones to harvest. if you do not have land you can do it on federal state or corps land (do not ask permission unless you happen to be on really good terms with a ranger) but if you prep in advance you can count on vegetables, fruits and nuts where raiders will not find them all.

it is best not to have just one plan. like relying completely on canned or bucketed stuff, or a home garden. the more options you have the more resilient you can be if things go wrong.

originally posted by: SubTruth
a reply to: blkcwbyhat

I only buy Mountain house it is by far the best and have about 1 years worth. The chili mac is the best. Backpackers pantry and Wise food do not even come close.



It is expensive but why keep buying canned good that expire in 2-3 years? We just donated 100 cans that were going to expire end of this year.

mountain house does tend to be the best but there are competitors and sometimes the competitors come close or have stuff you cannot get from mountian house. look up honeyville grains, thrive, Augason farms, Alpine airs, Gourmet reserves, provident pantry, mredepot, (thats where i got the steak, Hamburger patties, chicken breasts) and emergency essentials.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

I will check it for sure......Thanks. I am always looking for cheaper freeze dried food. I am done with canned anything other then fruit.

originally posted by: blkcwbyhat
a reply to: pennydrops
a pre planted garden is great...until a flood wipes out the bridge to your bug out spot! What if SHTF in the winter?Gardens and hunting are great ideas,but you can't eat them if you can't get there.

Winter is no problem, potatoes and artichokes in the ground most of the year.

Flooding is something to be aware of. Im ok, im on the side of a hill. Getting there is not an issue either, Try not to pick a spot on the other side of a rickety bridge, my spot is behind my house, 100's square km's of woodland, thats where I'll be.

You make good points but generally, root vegetables will store for a while naturally under ground. Thats why they are great. Use a variety and you are guaranteed to have food any time of year. And if you dont eat them, they produce more.


Another thing, dont use GM. They will die off rather quickly. Only use heirloom foods/seeds. Some of the heirloom types of root veg are thousands of years old (planted by man), they will last forever. GM will last 3 years at most, usually they will produce no seeds after the first season.

a reply to: blkcwbyhat

Store bought are not processed to last in the same way and for the different reasons survival foods are.
ie: Length up to years, extreme heat, extreme cold etc

The canned goods in the stores can be used but you have to rotate them. As a rule of thumb, you want to use them by six months after the expiration date, but base foods can go to a year. I don't think spam will ever go bad. Rice and noodles last a long time, but rotate those too. Buy to feed yourself foods you usually eat, this way they can be rotated. I have a few things like crystal eggs and some big cans of dried foods I got reasonable to have for long term. My pantry can take care of our family for about two months. That is food for ten people. Now it would keep the wife and I for about a year I suppose, but I doubt if it would ever last that long. The creeks and lakes have fish here, the woods have wildlife. There are wild plants that are edible all over the place. Now why would I need more. Keep seeds also so you can grow things, there are seeds that can last many years.

Its an insurance policy so you shouldn't waste money if you can avoid it. There are sources on youtube that show how to store rice for years. Then start dehydrating your own food and rotate which should give you at least a 6-12 months supply. Buy seeds to extend the range.

a reply to: blkcwbyhat

Iv been looking into this alot lately, i think I am going to start growing/farming soon I already hunt. I think with them foods to last tho they could have you off, I mean in 10, 20 years after everythings gone down hill and you open a tin and its rotten or whatever its not like you can complain it would have to be right proper if you get me, I cant trust that. I am only 22 but wish I started alot earlier but I was dumb now iv got a steady plan going to get set up with in a few years and also invest, I already want to be prepared and on the moove (but have a fixed place not my current property now) and get on with my usual business now but if things go down hill quick like now its going to be very different and iam going to have to do it the hard way...

Right now a garden is not a real option for me, I have a few earth boxes that allow me to supplement but cant really do a garden.

I have a mix of Mountain House and Wise foods, If I am on the move hiking primitive conditions, I prefer Mountain house, the packaging lends itself more to heat water pour in bag shake well and eat in a few mins..

If I am bugged in somewhere with most of my amenities (cabin at the hunt camp, or power outage at the house sort of situation) I prefer the Wise.

a variety of Protein/granola bars and such are also kept on hand for snack food as needed.

In a perfect world when I get back from Germany I will get a more remote bit of land and go full garden, some chickens... and not sure if pigs or bunnies. with as along as it can be done, buy a calf at auction grass/hay/grain fed for 12 months then take it to the butcher.

Bottom line, what are you willing to do, what sort of funds do you have to spare, and what space do you have then once those blanks are filled in knock yourself out.

blkcwbyhat, you're paying for the convenience of them already doing the long-term storage prep for you.

Yes, you could go to WalMart and buy a lot of rice, but unless you store it properly for long term use (in food grade buckets, with mylar bags, and O2 absorbers) it won't keep for 15-20 years.

Personally, we concentrate only on storing foods we can't easily make ourselves, but enjoy, so the following:

Rice, beans, dried pasta, mashed potato flakes, sugar, salt, flour, powdered milk, powdered cheese, powdered butter, corn, cereals, etc.

We do store a lot of canned food too, just tricky to make sure we rotate through it (so use gravity racks). There are 5 of us in the house, so we go through a lot of food.

Typically, we go shopping for about 2 weeks of food at a time, while having about 2 weeks worth in the house of perishable food, so on average, we have about 4 weeks of perishable food at a time. Even with two full fridges, we run out of room though, so will be adding a freezer chest this year.

Fully realized, the plan is to grow the veggies and fruit we eat most, canning excess for later use. We also grow spices and herbs for both culinary and medicinal use.

For protein, we keep both chickens (eggs) and rabbits...but we could also hunt for boar, birds, snakes, frogs, fish, etc. Later, we'll add goats to the mix too. We also keep horses, but those are pets not food (to us). Really, all our animals are pets, but come SHTF, we know we'll have to adapt there. Even then, we'll likely concentrate on breeding the rabbits mostly (and chickens).

We're in FL, so fishing is almost a given.