Some folks would consider the Tabasco a survival necessity!

<br>Don't forget rice. Most people tend to store wheat, though it seems more difficult to actually eat it under the situations it is kept for. Rice is easy to store and only needs boiling water.<br><br>MREs appear to be made largely of plastic packaging. When camping, they are lighter and take half the room if you remove it.

MRE's provide a balance of nutrients, flavors, and tastes. Canned food is a can of a single food. Both are ready to eat.<br><br>Depending on how long you want to store food and how much food you want to have on hand, you might look at dehydrated foods. They tend to be more expensiev in the single serving packaging sold in camping stores but flavors are good. They also require cooking. <br><br>Regardless of what you stock, keep in mind appetite fatigue. I would suggest a blend of many different storage techniques to provide a change of taste, texture and content. A couple of MREs and they all start to taste the same. MREs have a reputation for causing constipation. This can be counteracted by drinking lots of water. Canned foods tend to have a lot of water in them which can work to your advantage. Dehydrated foods need water to be added and typically heat to cook. <br><br>You can also get dehyrated foods in your regular grocery store. Things like instant mashed potatoes, grits, oatmeal, scalloped potatoes, Hamburger Helper type meals, Mac & cheese, etc. Seasoning packets can help to change the flavor of food to help combat appetite fatigue. <br><br>I have a case of MREs to add variety to my other stored foods. I keep canned foods like vegtables and fruits but also keep soups and stews. The warehouse clubs make it easy to purchase in bulk. I also have quite a bit of pasta and tomato sauses. <br><br>Whatever you decide to store, remember rotate, rotate, rotate. The other axion is store what you eat, eat what you store. Which means constant replenishment through rotation of your stored foods.<br><br>If you won't eat canned okra know, what makes you think you will eat it during an emergency?

>>MREs have a reputation for causing constipation. <<<br><br>I've heard persistent rumors, probably false, that the "chiclets" style chewing gum packed in "real" MREs contains a laxative. Some soldiers religiously chewed the stuff.<br><br>Personally, I've had far more trouble in that area from freeze-dried food.<br>

>>I've heard persistent rumors, probably false, that the "chiclets" style chewing gum packed in "real" MREs contains a laxative. Some soldiers religiously chewed the stuff.<<<br><br>Thats what we're told. <br>And the other reason to chew the chicklets is the coarse sugar gum offers a quick alternative to a tooth brush if you don't have one available.

lol--NO ONE ever "enjoyed" a C ration.

Presumed--I am just beginning my research into MRE's and Dehydrated meals for storage and Camping purposes. I am looking for the best brands and best sources. Also trying to figure out what the "mix" should be. If you could steer me to some of your articles....it would be greatly appreciated. I know NOTHING about this and don't know where to start (although I obviously started here--with apparent success!) ... my email is rek@frontiernet.net. THANKS!