If you want nutrition, go with Ensure. If you have a source of water, you can get the dry mix. Seven servings pers cannister (about $1.25 per serving). 250 calories. It is low-cholesterol and low-sodium, has 24 essential vitamins. Gluten- and lactose-free.

You can also use it as part of recipes http://ensure.com/recipes/index.aspx

It's not high-calorie, and it's low in fat and fiber, not necessarily great in a survival situation, but that's not why it was created. Ensure and granola bars, a complete diet?

Sue

I'm so dumb. I think I had the answer (or at least part of it) all along.

I dusted off my copy of 'Camp Cookery' (originally published in 1910). It's virtually a how to manual for a base camp or chuck wagon. There were no refrigerators or supermarkets or anything fancy so food needed to store well and be nutritious enough to feed hardy working men. I believe if I remember correctly the book even goes so far as to shun spices because only 'city food' needs spice...real food tastes good on it's own.

I think that with a bit of creative shopping many of the ideals in this book could be utilized to put together an emergency pantry of sorts.

I'm going to read it tonight (It's not a big book) and if I have any 'why didn't I think of that?!' moments I'll post about it.

Taurus: Thanks for the tip bro. My inlaws live close to that SaveOn by Namao...I'm totally going to get me some hardtack this week!

"...the book even goes so far as to shun spices because only 'city food' needs spice...real food tastes good on it's own."

Unseasoned beans... BLECH!

Sue

The only seasonings and condiments the book speaks of are the following:

Salt (a lot of salt!)
Pepper (white is preferred)
MAYBE cayenne
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup (only if genuine)
Sage for stuffings
Celery seeds for soups
Whole nutmeg
Whole cloves

Maybe cinnamon, ginger or curry powder

And a half pint of Brandy!

Susan:

The beans in the book aren't completely unseasoned. Salt Pork, salt and pepper...that's all.

I found it...I quote:

To season fresh camp dishes as a French chef would is a blunder of the first magnitude.

No one item. Not even soup- lots of salt, lots of msg, lots of fat. Or they are just water with overcooked vegetables.

Stock staples, learn to use them. Learn your local edibles. Learn how to sprout seeds in a jar (bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts)- those will give you a lot of your various vitamins.

I pretty much lived on Top Ramen noodles, Easy Mac, and Uncle Bens rice for my first two years of college. Not sure how healthy it was, but it was better than eating the food they had there.

It is not rocket science. Just make some. If it spoils, your are out an afternoon of "work" and some flour.

I'd add freeze dried blueberries, tomatoes (not just the sauce), apples, banana chips, pineapple, mandarin oranges.

Should provide additional nutrients and vitamins that other foods might not have. Someone recently described blueberries as some type of 'superfood' that nature intended for us.