I’m about to buy some pre-packaged dried food from Mountain House, and I was wondering what flavors are good, which ones should I avoid, and if people would suggest other dried food brand flavors.
(my first post, so hopefully this works :)
I retitled the thread. Please carry on.
zeta, I have tried the Mountain House Spaghetti w/meat it was ok. It taste like beefaroni in the can. A good site to check out different foods is http://tinyurl.com/p4gbj
Mountain House----Chicken a la King very good, Seafood chowder good,Turkey Tetrazzini good. You can 2 serving pouches to try them if you like, which is what I did. I bought Raniy Day Foods whole eggs, and they are good. So far alll of the dried fruit has been good.
When you get the number 10 size cans they say “For best results contents should be used immediately after opening. However, product sha been found acceptable up to 1week after opening”
since one can has about 10 servings you need to focus on eating it up before it spoils.
jim - I’ve wondered if you could put the remainder of a #10 in a quart canning jar with an oxygen absorber (maybe even keep it in the fridge) and extend that 1 week. I have oxygen absorbers on order and I’m gonna try it. We’re just a family of 2 most days:)
I don’t like the MH “Chili Mac”; it’s bitter-spicy. I would suggest doing what I did and go to your local hiking supply store (REI for me) and buy two-serving packages of the MH foods your considering. I did this for both MH and Alpine Air entrees. Alpine Air uses the same noodle in almost (if not every) entree. Both MH and AA are tasty.
Perhaps we should have at least 2 can openers just to be safe.
I have hidden can openers all over the house.
Be sure to supplement any of the freeze dry meals with extra fat for long-term use.
MANY backpackers complain of fat cravings when using them for extended trips hiking.
There is an extensive review of the MH entrees at warrifles.com
Also some awesome MountainHouse group buys.
I’ve tried several of the shelf stable meals that have been mentioned on this board … Denty Moore, Hormel, and the Chef Boyardee stuff for the kids.
I’ve also created my own “just add water” dried soup and beverage mixes with great success.
Something you may think about is the “complete” casseroles that Betty Crocker has in a box. These casseroles have everything you need … just add a little water usually … and then you bake it. If you had to, they look like you could even stir many of them up on the stove top. They feed about 4 servings. Piece it out further with crackers, flatbread, etc. There are lots of flavors as well.
This is the second time that I’ve seen the warrifles site mentioned, so I pulled it up and got the message “FORBIDDEN” You do not have permission to access this site. Not very friendly, eh? One could almost hear a deap male voice barking “FORBIDDEN” LOL!!!
Ocean2 – at 12:04
I went to that site after someone spoke about them importing canned butter and I didn’t have a problem getting in. I just didn’t stay long cause it was a little spooky. Wonder why you couldn’t get in.
Mountain House is very high in sodium per serving ! 500–800 mg! But then again most prepackaged foods are also!
Ocean2 and silversage - Maybe BirdGuano will comment later, as he mentioned the warrifles.com site. I hesitated to go there - I guess the name put me off a little:-?
Ocean2 - Do I remember correctly that you are not located in the USA? Could that possibly be a factor??? Just guessing.
OKbirdwatcher- this is true, I’m in the Netherlands. That could be it.
xray – at 00:46 Perhaps we should have at least 2 can openers just to be safe.
Chesapeake – at 08:04 I have hidden can openers all over the house.
I read somewhere, ‘two is one and one is none’ so I bought a couple extra can openers, as well as some other key items ‘cause it would really suck in a major way if you couldn’t find one. Now, if I can’t find four then something darwinian is wrong with my genepool and maybe it’s for the best. ;)
If you like Indian food, the line that Trader Joe’s carries is quite good — I think it is the same as Tasty Bites, which has been mentioned elsewhere. I’m not sure this is what you are asking about, though. It is not dried, but packed in foil pouches.
slongo – at 15:17 “it would really suck in a major way if you couldn’t find one. Now, if I can’t find four then something darwinian is wrong with my genepool and maybe it’s for the best. ;) “
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read in awhile — I feel like that too sometimes…fortunately we’re both still here, huh??!!
having cooked for many years for a living before turning to electrical work i have learned one lesson that is still at the heart of all cooking,,,,,, you wont eat it if it tastes like shit!!! spices , salt, pepper, whatever, they used to trade like gold a couple hundred years ago,,,,, theres a reason for that….you will eat your own boot if it’s two things,,, tender enough and tasty,,,,,,, enough said. nutrition is a modern lable nothing more ,,,,, there are calories in acorns if your willing to “learn” how to cook and eat them,,,, or you can let the squirrles do the work and then eat them,,,, same differance. less the fiber….. you cant have it all your own way mate. …. a full belly keeps you going. ,,,, at least for untill you can find better grub. good luck all.
to reiderate on the merits of learning how to actualy cook. you can use to full advantage what you have handy wheather stored or gathered. , too wit : i just took three couple day old summer squash, a half a can of tomatoe juice, one medium onion, three bullion cubes, one can cut green beans, salt, pepper, parsely, and vinegar, and voila,,,,, homemade soup to die for. less adding any bulk like rice, noodles, or barley as i am diebetic and dont need the extra carbs, learn to cook…. it could save your life. i think good cooks are as important as doctors. and i dont mean chefs,,,, their just a bunch of overpriced goofy hat strutters, i mean cooks ,,, like grandma. dig it. :).
Digit, spiritaxe! But I’m soooo not eating squirrel poop ;)
Thank you all! You’ve been incredibly helpful to this newbie. :)
Most processed foods have enough sodium in one serving for an entire year.
That’s the downside.
That and low fat content, which you really, really need in a survival situation.
I’ve adapted many of my families favorite recipes to use dry and freeze-dry ingredients.
Freeze dry food lasts a LONG time under proper storage.
zeta at 22:17 - I could be mistaken, but I think spiritaxe meant eat the squirrel:)
Kathy In FL at 11:57
You mentioned making your own dried mixes. Do you have a link to any threads here with recipes? If not, would you share your recipes?
I found a book called “Backpack Gourmet” at REI by Linda Fredrick Yaffe with what looks like some good recipes for stews, soups, etc. that can be dehydrated. I’ve not tried any of the recipes yet (I’m still new to my dehydrator and have been sticking to fruit and veggies so far). Some examples are: Sweet Potato Lentil Soup; Chickpea Brown Rice Soup; Sweet and Sour Noodles, etc. Low sodium.
I’d love to know if anyone has seen this book and what they think of it …
Hi — I check this site nearly every day. I did go to War Rifles to look into the group buy of canned butter and canned cheese. I ordered both. You only need to register and can go right in. You do not need to be a gun affecianado…the price is about $20 lower per case on the butter and cheese than the Internet Grocer. The posted cut off date for the group buy of the canned butter and cheese is September 1st.
okbird whatcher,,,,,,, very perceptive, but only if need be. dont let the fuzzy tail fool you. it’s realy just an herbavoriuos arborial rat. and realy quite tastey if parboiled and then wraped in bacon and then broiled or baked. . . remember,,,,, theres room on this planet for all of gods creatures,,,,,,, right next to the mashed potatoes. :).
what is this troll alert crap????? you cant handle reality?????? then your gonna croak pal,,,,,,,,, get a grip. I’ll bet your a banker.
spiritaxe at 22:47 - My dad and brothers went squirrel hunting a lot when we were kids. One way my mother prepared them was with dumplings. Delish! Also “smothered”. Dredge in seasoned flour, brown in oil, put in a lidded casserole with a small amount of water and into the oven for a while…came out sooo tender. YUM
absolutly!!! ,, it has been said,,,,,,,” there is room for all of gods creatures on this planet”,,,,, right next to the mashed potatoes for some. . :).
Trolls usually can spell better than this character.
Has anyone tried any of the “Coast Guard Emergeny Ration bars” that some of the preparedness sites sell? Different names (Mayday, etc.). Are they in any way edible if you were not in a disaster scenario?
You can buy a lot of “real” food for the amount of money you’ll spend on things like Mountain House. The only #10 cans I stocked up on were a dozen cans of granola, a can of powdered butter, and a couple of cans of powdered eggs. The granola was a deal - the fact that it’ll keep for years in #10 cans is just a plus! The eggs . . . well, I just hope I never have to use them. Think rice, beans, oatmeal, dried/ canned fruit . . . there’s a lot of actually good stuff to eat that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (and that calls a serving a serving). We have about 40 pounds of good vacuum packed dried fruit, and seeds and a sprouter for growing fresh veggies.
Since someone mentioned warrifles, let me say that I did verify with Phyllis at Internet Grocer that their offer on Warrifles is legitimate. She also welcomes anyone to contact her directly at IG (I’d mention Fluwiki or even CE - I’ve talked about both to her). She is very understanding of people not wanting to join warrifles to get in on this deal, and people who might be reluctant to give their personal information to an unknown third party on the internet. She said they expect to get in a shipment of canned cheese any day now, although they still had some, I believe, and that they are hoping to open butter up for pre-order in early Sept. and hope to be able to ship it before the end of the month. I have tried the cheese and love it - we’d be buying it even if it weren’t prep food!
Clawdia….Did Phillis offer the same price as warrifles group buy?
Hey, watch what you say about chefs! Not all chefs are “goofy overpriced hat strutters”…my husband is a professionally trained chef (Culinary Institute of America) and he can make “home-cookin’” as well as anyone! I agree with what you are saying about the importance of spices for flavor, but in the midst of a pandemic we are not going to have a lot of the fresh “gourmet” ingredients available so we all better learn to eat other things. (Like Dinty Moore beef stew….yum!)
Cherokee Rose – at 22:39
Check the various “recipe” threads. You’ll see that I’m a bit of a cheap-o. I only have a couple of “survival” items, prefering to go with substitutes and alternatives than pay the price for commercially prepared “survival” foods. <grin> I prefer to use readily available items rather than things you have to order online.
Kathy in FL – at 14:52
I’m right there with ya Kathy. I do have some dehydrated whole eggs and I bought a can of dehydrated margarine just in case, but other than that all my preps come right off the store shelves. I have found that if I have trouble keeping it in stock, then I am buying the right stuff.
OKBirdwatcher - “I could be mistaken, but I think spiritaxe meant eat the squirrel:)”
Ohh!! That certainly sounds much tastier than squirrel poop!
I just bought some Mountain House lasagna (Thanks Chesapeake for the link!), and I’m getting some cheese from the warriffles group buy (Thanks BirdGuano!)
Pat in AZ, I love Indian food, but alas no Trader Joe’s near me.
I’d certainly be interested in hearing about your favorite recipes for making your own dried mixes. I guess the question is, if you had to eat the same recipe for a week, what would you eat?
Again, thanks everyone!
oops that last anon was me :)
Still learning.
one question about squirrels. Are all squirrels alike in taste. Someone told me if you eat squirrels found in a forest they are good but squirrels in a neighborhood eat all kinds of stuff and it would not be healthy to eat them??
FL Watcher - I really can’t answer your question, but it seems that might be the case. I’ve been told the taste of venison will vary according to the deer’s diet so the same might apply to squirrels. I’ve only eaten ones hunted in wooded areas and they were consistently tasty. Think chicken - the dark meat:)
Kathy in FL at 14:52
I’ll check the recipe threads. We finally bought a (hopefully) good printer that will allow me to make a “recipe collection” from the wiki threads without needing to use my H’s work computer.
I’m too cheap to buy the pre-packaged meals, but I’m not a good cook (I’m pretty good with a crock pot and “one-dish” meals) and I’d like to have some “homemade” ready to go meals. I’ve bought dehydrated whole eggs and egg whites, some freeze dried fruit and 9-Grain Mix from Honeyville but the rest of my food preps are “bargains”.
We like soups and stews - I just need to experiment and let DH be a guinea pig :-)
What about coffee? I cannot survive without a source of caffine.
xray - Do what the rest of us caffeine addicts do, stock up;)
galt, I think there are about 3 major brands of those survial bars. Each has a different taste and texture to it. While none are exactly what I’d call great eats, some are better than others, and one I tasted I’d have to be truly starving to choke down. Suggest you buy one or two of whatever brands you’re considering and try them before ordering very many.
Here’s what Doug Ritter of www.equipped.org has to say about them. “My current choice of those available are “Mainstay” (by Survivor Industries), “S.O.S. Food Lab” or Mayday brand rations. The Mainstay and Mayday have a texture somewhat similar to a shortcake cookie and a mild flavor. The S.O.S. is more like a heavy bran cookie in texture with a “cookie” sort of taste. Both come in various size packages. The S.O.S. is available in a myriad of packaged configurations to better fit different kit packing requirements.”
What about instead of buying those “survival” bars that are available online, check out the protein and nutrition bars that you can buy in the grocery and other major chains of stores.
For instance, there are some bars that you can buy over in the diet/nutrition section of all the wallyworlds that I’ve ever been in. They are about 99 cents (US) each. They have a couple of different varieties … some are for dieting, some are protein bars, and some are meal replacement bars. There is also those bars that weight lifters eat to help them “bulk up.”
I know locally Walgreens and CVS also sell these kinds of bars.
If you are really interested, try going to the GNC chain … or local vitamin/nutrition store … and explaining what you need which is basically a good meal replacement bar and/or nutritional supplement bar. See what kind of recommendations they come up with.
I meant to add that the local homeless agencies regularly request the donation of these bars to put in hygiene packs that they pass out to their clients.
zeta, in regards to the Indian food that Trader Joe’s carries, they are Tasty Bite. You can get them on line here http://tinyurl.com/kagyc
Kim and Kathy in FL, thanks very much for the great suggestions and info! I bought a couple of the supplement/meal replacement bars to try today. Thanks again. Galt
You can also consider getting something like these emergency food bars, the kind that they give out in disasters.
Chesapeake – at 16:24
zeta, in regards to the Indian food that Trader Joe’s carries, they are Tasty Bite. You can get them on line here http://tinyurl.com/kagyc
The Thai stuff from tastybite are outstanding. Just add a can of chicken and heat, and you have some great curry dishes.
Canned butter is back at the Internet Grocer. I got an email from them letting me know. http://tinyurl.com/gvpjx
I just wanted to tell you we ate Mountain House Jamacian BBQ Chicken today for lunch and it was really great! As we’ve said before, it’s certainly salty, but it sure was good and lots of flavor besides the salt that were wonderfully blended. I’d only bought 2 since I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I’m heading back to Academy Sports for more this weekend.
Well, the kids like those Hormel shelf-stable meals well enough but hubby doesn’t. Oh well, it was an idea and I may still keep a few back for an emergency. Frankly I’m not really disappointed as they are a little price-y for a family our size.
I found Hormel shelf stable meals(3 flavors) at Dollar General for 1.50 each. Also found a pasta cooker there for $5, large cans of stew for 2.00. figured the pasta cooker would work for the ramen 12/1.00 that they have as well.
Chesapeake at 21:12 (or anybody). Is it right in front of me and I’m just missing it? I’m looking at the canned butter and I can’t see how many ounces it is. Under “size” it just says “can.” That doesn’t tell me a thing. How big is the can? There’s a photo, but I can’t read the number of ounces in the photo. Anybody know, or any eagle eyes out there that can tell me?
Anybody tried this stuff?
Athena: Canned butter — 12 oz. cans (equal to 3 sticks of butter per can) — 24 cans per case. Canned Cheese — 8 oz. cans — 36 cans per case.
Althena, I’ll go look at mine & let you know…Kathy you’re right they ARE pricey, we just use them occasionally — 2 a week maybe, but if one of us were sick the other one would use them frequently, or if the power was out. AzNewBe, I think the WalMart price is always $1.49 for the Hormel meals.
Athena at 18:17 The butter is 12 oz (figure three sticks of butter)and comes 24 to a case.
Yep, Mj’s right…my Red Feather is 12 oz.
Thanks all :)
Has anyone tried the Nutrisystem food? My wife got a month’s worth of food to try it out. Didn’t care for it but it came in 3 easily stacked boxes and it was all vacuum packed. Price wasn’t bad. Maybe a pandemic could lead to a decrease in the obesity epidemic…
Thanks Chesapeake! I just ordered some Tasty Bites :) And thanks everyone! You guys are the best. I also went to Big Lots for the first time and found a bunch of dried soup mixes for 99 cents each. Kim, I’m going to try some of those Mainstay bars soon and possibly add them to the bug out bag. I figure I have a few weeks of food stored up for two people, but I’d like to get to at least 3 months worth for 3 or 4 people so I can help others in the neighborhood if needed.
On the fence – at 00:28 : Vacuum sealed to keep in the freezer or shelf stable?
Nutrisystem
In a pandemic I wouldn’t want to be eating/storing calorie restricted foods.
I’d want the max calories/fat possible.
If you are overweight, you would still lose weight in a pandemic.
Smeone earlier was looking for recipes for the dried mixes to possibly pre-bag. This link www.hillbillyhousewife.com has quite a few. We have prepped several amounts of the rice packs and mashed potato mixes. After tasting them and realizing how easy they are to create we have come up with our family mixes. Enjoy the site
ps…hope I did the link correctly
Oops … Meant to Say ~
Destressed at 19:12
Interesting site. I’m glad you have tried and like several of the rice and potato mixes.
These would make some neat mixes to give out in “Prep Packages” too.
Thanks!
OKbirdwatcher at 22:38, maybe what Spiritaxe could have ment about the nuts , is long ago back in the olden days when the hubby when out and shot squirrels the wife cleaned and got them ready to cook and she would harvest the nuts in a squirrels tummy and dry them out and put them in a jar to use in cookies and cakes. yup I read about that in a book. just another survival lesson from the good ole days.
lady biker - OMG. I’ve never heard of that. Guess I don’t go far enough back - lol:))) Thanks for passing that along. (I think)
Chesapeake – at 21:12
Thanks for the heads up on the canned butter. I have just ordered a case. I have been trying to find some for months (out-bid on ebay) and missed the warrifles deal (my firewall makes access to their site near to impossible). I will try it out to see if it as good as they say. I may go back for more as it could be a good barter item in the future.
my family’s 2 cents
The Hormel (in 90 seconds) MRE spaghetti is excellent and filling. I hope the other versions I bought in mass are equally tasty. My family thinks the Tasty Bite Thai curries are dreadful (also bought in mass without testing). The Tasty Bite Madras & Bengal Lentils and Punjab Eggplant are quite good and taste like chili.
We think the best survival bars, if you go that route, are MayDay bars, which taste like shortbread cookies and have a 5-year shelf life.
Sthrn Tr – at 20:28 the Hormel dinners are all very good, just keep in mind that even at $1.49 at WalMart, they can be very costly for a large family & the reason they are good is that they have a lot of salt in them….not a LOT, but they’re NOT reduced fat or reduced sodium!!! If you’re doing work that burns calories during a pandemic or a power outage, etc, they will indeed serve as a filling meal, and supply you with the carbs you need to keep going to get the work done, and so long as you don’t rely on them totally they shouldn’t affect your blood pressure, etc. because of the salt content.
If you haven’t already read this, the Hormels can be dropped into a pot of boiling water, several can be heated in one of those Bubba keg wide mouth thermoses, and then fished back out of the water with some long handled tongs, then served.
I’ll also mention, since I mentioned the kegs, I’ve looked at those Bubba Kegs at Home Depot three different times & walked away because the danged lids in the larger ones are sooooo hard to open and close. The smaller ones that have a handle that goes all the way across the lid open a thousand times easier, but they’re small so they’re basically like any other thermos at that point & therefore overpriced at $23. Someone had mentioned they’d bought them for $14 at Home Depot but they were always $24 at ours so I don’t know it that had been a typo or what.
One of my favorite pre-packaged food is those little crackers with peanut butter. They usually come six little “sandwiches” to a pack. They are pretty easy on the tummy and are great for taking an edge off of one’s hunger. I keep some with me at work for a quick pick-me-up.
Chesapeake - can you tell me what the shelf life is on the canned butter?
Re Tasty Bite retort meals. The Bombay Potatos are one of our favorites also, along with the Lentils and Eggplant!
Watching in Texas.. they say “indefinitely” it is stated on their website, bottom half of the page http://tinyurl.com/pj6gp
LUUUURVE them tastybites! http://www.tastybite.com if you can find those little indian markets, they have many different brand variations on the tastybite theme. aashirvad brand are almost gourmet.
vegetarians (and those who still appreciate vegetables): http://www.amys.com makes VERY tasty organic canned soups, chilis, beans and sauces. we’ve laid in about 10 cases of their canned goods.
“people get ready, gonna do rock steady, uh huh!”
Thanks for the Tastybite lead. Found some at the local market and tried the first tonight. Excellent find.
analyst4mkts – at 15:43 Chesapeake – at 21:12
Thanks for the heads up on the canned butter. I have just ordered a case. I have been trying to find some for months (out-bid on ebay) and missed the warrifles deal (my firewall makes access to their site near to impossible). I will try it out to see if it as good as they say. I may go back for more as it could be a good barter item in the future. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I tried to order a case of butter from Internet grocer, but they tell me 2 more weeks before they ship. I found www.mredepot.com, and they delivered it the next day. They have the cheese in a can there also. Try www.beprepared.com for MRE bread crakers, spreads and freeze dried foods too. Also, I think I’ve seen it mentioned here before, but worth pointing out that www.honeyvillegrain.com only charges like $4.00 for shipping, and their freeze dried fruits and vegetables are great for making your own meals, plus 1/3 the cost of mountain house.
Fully Prepped- good find at the MREDEPOT but it is much more expensive from them, I can wait two weeks :-) PS-please try using the url link methods at the bottom of the page so we don’t get this side scroll problem, thanks.
MREDeopt also sells on eBay! Check ‘em out there for better than their website prices - usually.
I think the other companies (like Mountain House) still do too.
Fully Prepped In SoCal – at 23:42
I ordered my canned butter on the 5th and recieved notifacation on the 11th that they have shipped. It should arrive today, 10 days after order placed. The two week estimate may be conservative on their side to keep from disappointing customers.
When you talk about canned butter, is it the Margerine Powder I see on these sites?
No, it’s literally the equilivant of a stick of butter that has been professionally canned — Red Feather is one of the brands!
CAREFUL!!! Hormel just made a deal to get some of their pork from China! See the Pigs as Mammalian Resovoir thread..3/4 down. Get your Hormel now before potentially bad bits get into their “prep items”.
Does anyone know where I can get Hummus (Hommus) mix/powder in bulk? I have seen it in a Whole Foods store in NC but there aren’t those stores here in Florida near me. Does anyone have a link to a store that sells bulk mix online?
Did www.bulkfoods.com not have any? (I think that’s the link)
nope :(
TreasureIslandGal – at 09:18
Sorry that link didn’t help…….
I just wrote Hormel & told them they’d lost a GREAT customer & I pasted the link to the pig thread here and told them there were 5 parts that us “average” people read & understand. I suggested they read it and told them that meantime, I was going to retract my support of their product everywhere I’d praised it.
I’m Working On It…
I too was suprised and sadly shocked by the story. I know I have a lot fo their products already stashed away and was lookign to buy more of them as they are one ot the few suppliers of meat products that I recognize and have never had any problems with. Other suppliers exist, but if I don’t know the brand name, it is questionable and I am unlikely to purchase long term storage items from them.
The way I figure it, we have a short window in which to be able to purchase processed meat products that do not contain the questionable Chinese pork. In fact, I will be checking date to get things that were actually manufactured prior to July if I can. The likelihood of bad meat is decreased. There may be nothign wrong with it, but for the peace of mind I will have when I open a can of something a year or two from now, it will be worth it.
TreasureIslandGal-if you have a Whole Food Market near you check them for bulk hummus.
Dusty -
You can get canned butter and cheese from Inernet Grocer: http://tinyurl.com/pj6gp
My sister purchased both and she said they were very good. I just placed an order for both.
Chesapeake… see my original post at 09:20 :(
sorry bout that- no need to frown
Dusty/JV;
You can buy the cheese, butter and even mres wholesale at mrewholesalers dot com http://tinyurl.com/ot2jt - I told them I was looking for a couple of cases for my family, and they sent me wholesale pricing with no minimums required. Their press release says that they are the exclusive importer of this stuff into the US, so it’s likely they are selling it to those on the internet and ebay who are marking it up to sell to us. Maybe a group buy is in order?
Lasiker -
Thanks. Too late for me now, but others can save money!
JV and Lasiker — thanks! But I too ordered this morning. Just got a notice it shipped. Great resource sites though.
Coast Guard approved emergency bars. . .
Mayday 3600 calorie bars are my favorite. The Mayday brand has superior nutritional values. The folks at warrifles.com did the homework and tried to put a group buy together for them but could not get a good deal because of shipping costs. They taste very good too.
Treasure Gal - how will you know if the meat was processed before July? thanks for the info.