Alright, now see what y'all done and made me do. Since I am in no position to be making a batch, I figured I may as well share in my suffering and press on with my contentions. So here's a pretty good link about Pemmican:

http://www.calverley.ca/Part01-FirstNations/01-047.html

I guess what it boils down to is, if you are in Laz-y-Boy mode, then Pemmican is not only a lot less enticing, but actually a little hazardous to your health. If you are in survival mode, then this may be the ticket. Maybe them Coast Guard survival bars got Pemmican beat, but I like the idea of being able to make survival provisions at will at home, for next to nothing in cost, and to whatever suits my taste for variety. In this day and age, where pre-packaged foods ready for the microwave are a lot more commonplace than suits my comfort level, I really like the idea of spending a little time putting together goods that I know will get the job done. Kinda makes me feel like I'm a little more prepared for what the world has to throw at me.

Of course, Pemmican ain't the only thing I produce. Biffy bars (a combination of peanut butter, dates, honey and sesame seeds) are also something that does well, though it isn't quite the juggernaut that Pemmican is. Regular ole jerky is pretty good, too, especially if I get a deer in the fall.

The point is, just spending money of survival supplies ain't the end all, be all for being equipped to survive. Taking the time to do such things as make up Pemmican or other home-made stuff stimulates the mind to consider preparation for adversity. That in itself makes Pemmican a worthwhile commodity, at least in my way of thinking.

Ben,

Could you please post the recipe for Biffy Bars? I couldn't find anything on Google, and they sound good. Are you able to make anything similar in Iraq?

Anyone else care to share their homemade survival food recipes, please? I love to cook and this would be alot of fun for me.

Thanks!

I also like Logan bread. It is dense and rich and filling, full of vegitable protien, fiber, carbs and nutty-fruity goodness. I'll post my mother's recipe when I can pick up my cookbook over the holidays.

That's the spirit! Now we are getting somewhere.

I'm not in Iraq anymore, but I am away from home, and I don't have access to all my cooking stuff, so it ain't as bad as Baghdad, more like being in limbo for now.

Here's the official "Bif Bar" recipe. This is something from my youth:

3 cups peanut butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
2 cups butter (no substitutes)
4 eggs
1 cup milk powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
6 cups white flour
6 cups oats
2 cups sunflower seeds
3 cups raisins
3 cups chocolate chips

Cream together the peanut butter, sugars, eggs and butter. Add in the milk powder, salt, soda, flour and oats and blend well. Stir in the sunflower seeds, raisins and chocolate chips. Bake in a preheated 275 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove, let cool, and slice into packable sections.

Alternately, here's my version:

3 cups peanut butter
3 cups dates or figs
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup sesame seeds

Mash the dates or figs (you can cheat with a food processor or blender, but I like squishing them between my fingers). Mix in with the other ingredients to a uniform consistency. Wrap in plastic wrap and smush into packable shapes.

I think mine are better, they're certainly easier.

Anyone know what "BIF" is an acronym of?

I have a ranger cookie recipe that uses total cereal flakes, coconut, oats and butterscotch chips that I thought was a pretty good survival food as well. I may post that again when I get home, as I don't have that recipe here with me.

Actually, none of these are very good survival food recipes. They never seem to make it past the first day or two. Maybe I need to mix in some pepper to regulate the appetite a little.

Personally I am approaching harvest time for my favourite survival food. You have to stake out a territory early from other scavengers and gathering tools consist of a large sack ( often easily procured on site) and a long stick with a hook ( good practise with your PSK gaff hook.) The peak day is on December 26. Look for square, rectangular and sometimes round subspecies with an overall glossy brown colour and various colourations of pineapple yellow, cherry red and other regional variations. Preservation is by simple freezing or submersion in alcohol, usually brandy or rum ( preferred.) Since alcohol is the purest form of vegetable matter this is easily shared with vegetarians. Vegans make take issue with the milk and egg unless procured from free range sources.

Yeah... fruitcake... stuff lasts FOREVER!!!

Thanks Chris, I needed that <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Troy

The only problem I see with that is for it to be classified as survival food, you gotta be willing to eat it. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Actually, I do like fruitcake, and I had a lion's share when I got back from Baghdad, but I also found out there can be too much of a good thing, and ended up throwing the other half away cuz I just couldn't stand to look at it no more without wretching.

I suppose as an alternative use, you could mount a teakettle handle on the top of a round loaf and use it for curling. It has about the right density (the name of the item would fit, too).

I read an article speculating that archeologists of the future will be able to use fruitcake info. When excavating a landfill, they will be able to separate the years by the layers of fruitcake.

Chris, how many fruitcakes are you hiding? No fair, man, if you hang onto them, you will break the fruitcake cycle, they are only made to be given. There was only 300 left in the wild last I knew.

Here's one recipe for Logan Bread:


INGREDIENTS:

* 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 1 cup applesauce
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 cup raisins
* 2/3 cup sunflower seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch square baking pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, white flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, honey, molasses, applesauce, and vegetable oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until well blended. Mix in the raisins and sunflower seeds. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
3. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Let the bread cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares or bars. Wrap pieces individually, and refrigerate or freeze.

In the "official" recipe it lists baking powder, and in the directions, it mentions mixing in the soda. Does the recipe call for baking powder, or baking soda?

If I were smarter about these things, I probably wouldn't have to ask...and I'm the experienced one in the kitchen at my house <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I know what I'll be doing for holiday baking this year <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have a backpacking book (cookbook I believe) which recommends carrying some dry dogfood as emergency rations since it is very nutritious but will not be eaten except in an emergency by most people. I never could get myself to carry the dogfood--I always went for the more edible rations. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Not so far fetrched. A sediment flow rate for the Mississippi was established using various dateable aluminum cans with the various opening desings. Clay pipes used in taverns underwent a progession of stem diameters that are used to date New England sites. I excavated the Rectory at the Plaza Church in los Angeles. I uncovered a complete bottle of wine among the shards. I was about to uncork it when teh site leader had a fit. It's at the museum, probably worth a small fortune to wine colectors.

Dry dogfood may be very nutritious if you're a Doberman, but I remain unconvinced that it is particularly nutritious for humans. And the weight-value issues concern me. Most dry dog foods that I've seen and used have a high% of fiber and filler. I've had to use premium dog foods to get away from methylcelulose filler (sawdust)etc.

So, I have a hard time with the suggestion regarding the dry dog food in a BOB. In fact, if I still had a dog to worry about, I'd probably skip dog food and feed him Mainstay in a BOB situation.

I have that habit. I was surveying a site below Rocketdyne in Simi ( home to the Reagan Library and infamous Rodney King Trial) California where the massive Saturn rockets were developed. There were these ugly, greygreen plants that looked like dead african violets and smelled. They were going to all be bulldozed. In some wierd prescience I transplanted the 29 I could find. Later a botonical survey identified another 14 located on the fringes as the very rare 'Santa Suzanna Smog plant' a native that actualy gave off oils that contributed to the San Fernando Valley's pre industrial air pollution. They were bemoaning the loss of the others. To the aggressive 'Dozer operator that afternoon. My partner said " those ugly little grey things? Kav has them all. " <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I think I might be tempted to feed the dog food to the dog and then eat the dog if I had to!!
<img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Marketing firms have always portrayed pet food in a way that makes it look more appealing (such as the cat food in the crystal goblet). One of their target audiences is humans on fixed incomes.

Thanks for the recipes, everyone! I'll be sure to try making them all this season!

Seeing the ingredients for Bif Bars and Logan bread, it makes me wonder if cultural staples such as zucchini nut bread and irish soda bread would also cut it as survival food? Having made both, and eaten them for days, and seeing how well they keep, I'll bet they'd make a great survival ration.

As for dog food... I dunno. I took on a dare a few days ago to sample Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance dog food. My dog may like it, but I can't stomach the stuff. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> And that's premium stuff!

I've found that the two in this case are somewhat interchangable. In fact, I've substituted bp for bs in a lot of older recipes because soda can impart a less desirable taste to the food, though it is more efficient as a leavening agent.

Having worked at a slaughter house/rendering plant, I can tell you I'll never eat dog food. You do not want to know what's in there. Most dog food contains things rejected from the cheap hot dog making bin.

Logan bread ain't bad, though I suspect it is a little susceptible to mold. Diabetics are going to have a tougher time with all those carbs, especially the sugar ones, but life is full of limitations and challenges.

BTW, anyone else here have experience with using Splenda in baked goods and having mold develop at an accelerated rate? It seems anything I make using Splenda in place of sugar tends to mold out in about half the time.

Well I tried making the traditional BIF bar recipe tonight and I have to ask how many people do you plan on feeding with this? I used Baking soda since that is what I use when making chocolate chip cookies. (to answer another question posted here) Also it seems the mix is a little on the dry side, any other recipes out there?

Kurt

If you search for the acronym "BIF" you get a lot of hits for various things like "Binary Information File" and "Bank of Ireland Finance" and some that came up several times that was simply "BIF naked" although I'm not sure what that is.

The most likely one I found was a reference to someone named Emily making BIF (Bathroom In Forest) Bars.

So, there it is <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Bingo!!!! You found the right acronym deconstruction.

The recipe comes from that great resort in British Columbia called Camp Malibu, located at the mouth of the Princess Louisa Inlet. Camp Malibu is a Young Life camp. I believe this is where the BIF bar was first concocted, though I could be mistaken. In high school I went on a hiking trip on a nearby mountain there named Perk's peak. We went from sea level to about 7,000 feet, crossed a glacier, and back down. We spent two weeks living off our backs in an exercise called "Hiking Beyond Malibu". It was my first real taste at authentic backpack camping, and also where I was introduced to the BIF bar. BIFs were usually nothing more than a hastily dug hole in the ground somewhere off the beaten path, if there was one. The toughest ones were above the snow zone, where pre-occupations tended to interfere with regular movements.

Much later, while preparing for a spelunking expedition near the Mount Adams wilderness (did I mention I am 6' 6" and weigh 250+ lbs?), I concocted my version of the BIF bar, which I think is infinitely better. Of course, both appear to be consumed via inhalation, so maybe I'm just partial to my own creation.

So there you have it, BIF stands for "Bathroom in Forest".

Hey Kurt, other than it being a little dry, what did you think of it?

Maybe it needs a little more peanut oil. I think the tradtion calls for Sunny Jim old fashioned, which unless you put the jar in a paint shaker at the hardware store for an hour, is gonna be a little more oily except for the last cup or so, which is like near set concrete.

Survival recipes? Yeah, bring em on. I am always interested in new ideas like this. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

What can I say? I'm wicked smart <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Interesting story btw.

I made BIF bars this weekend. If I had been a smart man, I would have halfed the recipe. I've got BIF bars coming out of my... I have a lot of them!

I didn't have to work out that day either, because of all the arm strength it took to mix the dough!

I'll try the simplified version soon. The original took hours and hours to make <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Yep, the original recipe is made of one of them Hobart mixers for sure.

I should have halved the recipe and they were not too dry, just the mix was. I like them but the kids don't like raisins. I am going to look through some recipes I have at home for a no bake peanut butter cookie and I know I have a pemican recipe in my venison cook book.

This recipe was given to me by my dear Sicilian friend. The bread kept well, was extremely filling, and lasted forever, which made me think it would be a good survival food. Plus, I recall reading a thread about how easy it is to grow zucchini, so hopefully there is a place here for this, too!

ZUCCHINI NUT BREAD

INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups grated unpacked zucchini
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, if you like them better)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Beat eggs in mixing bowl. Add sugar gradually until well mixed. Add vegetable oil and beat. In separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add to mixture. Mix in zucchini in small amounts. Alternate with walnuts, raisins, and vanilla. Pour into 2 well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

I found that my loaves didn't even need refrigeration, just placed in an air-tight container. However, the bread can be frozen in foil for a long time, from what my friend tells me.

Be advised that there is a Pemmican brand of jerky. This stuff appears to be jerky and has nothing to do with real pemmican. The name seems to be a marketing gimmick.

Yup, only that stuff ain't even real jerky.

Zucchini is a survival food. Dried zucchini is a good additive to savory pemmican balls. It adds a very distinctive flavor.