Emergency Chow

What is the ideal emergency food - something that is reasonably nutritious, palatable, stores easily, and can be consumed with no cooking. While food is not required immediately during an emergency, my experience is that I function much better if I am fed. Hydration, of course, is another matter entirely, and is an absolute necessity.

In terms of chow, I have come to prefer various items packaged in a "candy bar" format -sealed packages that are water and air tight. These items can be tucked away at the bottom of a pack or in other odd spots until they are needed, sometimes years later.

Item one - Clif bars - various flavors, 250 (+/- depending on flavor), edible long after best by date but noticeably dry (solved by dipping in hot coffee if needed) - widely available in the US and reasonably cheap

Item two - Tanka Bars - my favorite - mostly buffalo meat (with cranberries) so essentially pemmican, a classic survival food, not widely available, but can be ordered from REI - expensive ($3/bar) -very long lasting (one was quite tasty, none years past its best buy date) - only 70 calories but nearly all protein

RXBar - something I just picked up at the local Trader Joe's -210 calories, reasonably tasty, healthy ingredients although fairly high sodium, no idea as to durability, but looks like a keeper...

There's lots of stuff out there, and I understand a lot of just plain candy is pretty decent (Snickers Bars). What are your faves? Restricted to items that can be consumed right out of the wrapper and that will keep a long time....

I've been stocking Millennium bars. They're not well-loved by my children so they don't disappear from kits, but everyone can eat them without negative gastrointestinal effects, and they last a long time in storage.

Have not eaten the prepared bars in quite a while.

Do they still make Power Bars? The chocolate kind was too sweet ... a little sickly. But the banana flavor was OK.

Really ... I think that crackers, canned tuna (small cans with pop tops), peanut butter, and some fruits is a good way to go. I don't like really sweet things, that much. It's a bit more bulky, but I prefer giving my stomach things that it actually likes. For me, it especially helps to have some protein. Beef jerky is also pretty good, I like the teriyaki. :-)

Pete

In my EDC bag, I keep an 8 oz bottle of water, two nutritional shakes, protein bars (actual number of bars change) and an 8 Count box of cracker sandwiches

Jeanette Isabelle

while I've used Cliff bars on hunting trips,they are not a stored staple... during hurricane season I get a large box of Nature Valley Almond Sweet and Salty Nut bars from Sam's Club...I don't really know the life expectancy after use by date, but I agree with Hikermore that having a familiar tasting snack can be very comforting in a period of stress....

Dry dog kibble. No one will eat it until they really need it.

I hate the Millenium bars but I love Datrex lifeboat rations.

I use a cereal bar (the actual brand is "Corny") in different flavours. The shelve life is reasonable and the bars need to be checked regularly for bugs anyway. I rotated them when I order new ones or when they are about to expire. I also have some chocolate. I decided to go for SCHO-KA-KOLA. It comes in a nice tin and is available in semi bitter and milk chocolate.

Hey, maybe you guys can help assess this. Is pemmican supposed to be greasy? In the reviews of the following product on Amazon, some buyers complain that the pemmican is "really gross," "nothing but lard," "from another friggin' century," etc. Is this what pemmican is supposed to taste like?

https://www.amazon.com/Lakeside-Gourmet-...s=beef+pemmican

Bing, per Wikipedia, traditional pemmican is 50/50 jerked meat (often bufalo) and animal fat, sometimes with dried berries added. The Tanka bar is dried buffalo meat (which I adore) and cranberries with some miscellaneous ingredients - no fat added, although 25 of its 70 calories are fat derived.

Epic makes a similar bar, but with added bacon fat. I don't think it is nearly as tasty.

Tanka bars were developed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in South Dakota, where I have spent many memorable summers, so that is a plus for me. The name 'Tanka" is derived from the Lakota word for strong or powerful.

Is this what pemmican is supposed to taste like?

YES.

Pemmican was a very old-fashioned way of storing food. Pieces of food embedded in fat. They melted fat until it was liquid and greasy, then added protein e.g. dried meat. It was originally an Indian creation, later adopted by settlers. So it is definitely very fatty and greasy. Keep in mind - it was designed for winter survival in harsh conditions. Your body needs energy. Fats have that stored energy. A good flavor was not the goal - just a food that lasted longer and had high calorie content.

Few users would like pemmican today. Some people make their own - with other fats that are more healthy (lower saturated fat). But any fat that is high in polyunsaturated fats and monosaturated fats will be liquid at room temperature. That destroys the object of making pemmican - the fat is a binder that holds the food together. It needs to be solid.

Usual disclaimer.....no relation to any company. Just like their food.

Target (we like the archer brand) trail mixes.

Lara Bars (VERY FEW ingredients) good for those wanting alternate to many ingredients you can't say. Taste good too.

Costco dipped granola bars (come in choc chip and caramel).

Jerky (find your preference).

All of these were good for us during Irma. Plus canned stuff.

Fat turns rancid much more quickly than dried protein so pemmican probably isn't a very good option for long term storage.

I like Lara bars as well, although they do not keep as well as Clif or Tanka bars. If kept past their "bestby' date, they are noticeably drier and less flavorful..

Pemmican using rendered tallow not "fat" does not go rancid. Reports of pemmican made this way of lasting for years.

Interesting. I've never made it before but that makes sense.

Our whole survival and camping food strategy had to change when my wife was diagnosed with Celiac disease a year ago. Aside from the obvious wheat, barley, and rye, in all their forms and derivatives, many with this auto-immune disorder, including my wife, are also unable to tolerate oats. The sensitivity extends even to foods processed on the same equipment as the above grains. An example is one time while traveling my wife ate some Pringles without reading the ingredients. We spent that evening in the ER...... We had to purge the house and camper of all food, including our stored emergency food, and most of our cooking gear and rethink everything. It took us quite a while to rebuild our supplies and equipment.

Hello again Byrd_, glad to see you are still dropping by.

A person in my extended family is full-blown Celiac, and believe me it's no joke. All our family events deal with this -- even accidentally moving a spoon from one one pot to another can have very serious medical effects. One large exposure can nuke somebody's digestion for many months. Yikes.

So FWIW I understand how that can upend everything. Please post details of how you have adjusted for this.

Quite correct. For proof, refer to the bricks of lard (well-rendered pig fat) stored at room temperature on the shelves of your local supermarket.

Thank you. I took some time away when I retired, but got to spend a lot of it outdoors. You are correct to say that Celiac disease, a hereditary auto-immune disorder, is serious. Undiagnosed, it leads to malnutrition, cancer, and death. This is much different than the 'gluten intolerance' that many people have developed. For a Celiac, a single breadcrumb can cause an immune response as if it were a virus, and seriously damage parts of the digestive system, as well as making the sufferer immediately sick. The reason this is relevant to prepping is that as 'moderate' preppers, we had 30 days of food and water etc in storage. What you learn from Celiac is that many unexpected foods contain, or are contaminted with, grain gluten. For example, none of those 25 year survival rations can be eaten by a person with Celiac, even in an emergency. Canned and frozen green vegetables, jam and jelly, whole chickens, granola bars, most chips and crackers, medications, some canned meat, canned beans, powdered drinks, and the list goes on and on, contain wheat, barley, oat, or rye starch or proteins, or are contaminated in the processing. It was a sick, sinking feeling when we realized that she was now vulnerable and we were no longer 'prepared', nor could anyone come to our aid with food in an emergency. To keep this post from getting too long, I'll tell you what we did in another post.

My sister was recently diagnosed with celiac, too. It makes things pretty challenging.

When the diagnosis came in, we went into purging mode. First, we had to get rid of all porous cookware and implements. This included any plastics with scratches, wooden spoons, spatulas, boards, my entire cast iron collection :-( toasters, electric griddles, skillets, mixers, blenders, towels, potholders, washcloths...pretty much everything that was not smooth glass or non-porous metal. Friends and relatives got all of this. Second, we got some boxes, and put all of our food in them, including dry, frozen, and canned food and all boxes and containers, even non-food like ziplock bags and similar supplies which had contact with airbourne flour, and gave it all to my son and some neighbors. Third, We removed all remaining plates, bowls, flatware, etc and ran them through the dishwasher. Fourth, we washed all the walls, counters, floor, cabinet interiors refrigerator, stove, microwave, upgraded our home air filter...It's a little scary to go from 'equipped' to virtually nothing edible. I'll detail our recovery on another post.

Our recovery to everyday level was slow, tedious, and expensive, and our emergency preparations seriously lagged, as we had to learn how to rebuild our kitchen and home pantry supply first. Trips to the grocery store that would normally take an hour, would now take three. Each and every label had to be read for allergin disclaimers, or crypto glutinous ingredients like malt, or dextrose, yeast, 'broth', starch, hydrolyzed protein and on and on. From scrutinizing labels, we learned some interesting things, like Walmarts Organic Mixed Berry Jam not only contains wheat, it has anchovies....yum. We also learned that some fresh chickens contain 15% 'broth', which is just starchy water placed there for the sole purpose of charging chicken prices for water. Lastly, we learned that most gluten free processed food is a slippery tasteless abomination at 4X the price of it's normal counterpart. So to conclude, we have learned what we can eat (I say 'we' because I cannot bring any gluten into the house for myself). We have refilled our pantry and freezer with safe canned and frozen vegetables, canned and frozen meat and fish, Bush's beans in many varieties, rice and corn based safe products, and fresh fruit and vegetables. We have even found a few brands of rice pasta noodles that are marginally edible. Over the course of the year as funds permitted, I replaced all of my essential cast iron pieces, and learned to make some old favorites with strange flours and ingredients. Our kitchen food supply is back to a new normal, and our emergency food supply has recovered to about three weeks worth and now revolves around dry beans, dry rice, canned beans (Bush's is gluten free, many others are not), canned meat and fish, Hormel chili, veggies especially tomatoes, canned or asceptic pak rice, potatoes, and wild rice. It has gotten easier, but we can never let down our guard. I think we're OK now.

Yeah, it doesn't take much of a trace to do serious harm.

Good to have you back, Byrd_Huntr, and thank you very much for sharing that. Good stuff to know.

Byrd-Hunter,

Wow, I understand what you've been (and are) going through. Congratulations on finding out what it was and being able to address it so completely.

My daughter in law was diagnosed Celiac some time back and it was a real learning experience for all of us (large family gatherings needing special menu items prepared in a separate area from anything else being a prime example). The pantry at their house contains a lot of foods that are expensive and do not taste at all familiar. We were all shocked at some of what (like you) our son told us that they had to do (changing cookware, tossing pantry, deep cleaning etc.)

Fortunately my grandson does not seem to have the issue and he is able to visit me and eat, but I do make sure that he has a complete change of clothes to go back home with so that I can ensure that he does not inadvertently bring any allergens back to his Mom.

Dining out with her is also an adventure, there are few restaurants that really seem to have a grip on the seriousness of Celiac.

In our experience Chik Filet is generally pretty good about handling requests for special orders for her, but it is still hard to ensure that packaging / handling does not cross contaminate items.

We've noticed in the south Fla area that more stores are starting to stock specialty food items for Celiac sufferers, however as you've already commented, pricing and taste remain more than slightly problematic.

Best wishes to your family,

Regards,
Comanche7

Thank you for your kind words. It's readily apparent that you understand the physical and social impacts that this issue has on a person, a family, and their circle of friends, and you all are cooperating and coping.

The reason I bring all this up on a prepping website is that it raises some important issues:

1. How do you prep for large scale emergencies when the most common household foodstuffs and commercial emergency food like Mountain House, Wise, and Mainstay are not an option?

2. What have food industry mega corps like Monsanto and ADM and their geneticists done to our food supply? Is this the reason for an upswing in fatal peanut allergies and an estimated 3 million people with celiac and another 9 million gluten intolerant?

3. If it weren't for gov't mandated allergin labeling, we wouldn't know the extent of cross-contamination of our food, at least for the required allergins. What about other allergins and contaminants?

4. If the food industry cannot keep anchovies and wheat out of organic berry jam, or other organic contaminants out of frozen fruit or green beans, how can they keep viruses, chemical contaminants, and rat feces out of it?

Byrd-Hunter,

Something else that I've thought of to help my family is to purchase a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. [standard disclaimer, I have no relationship with the company aside from being a potential customer].

Yes, these units are rather expensive (many of us would need to use their time payment plan) AND these units DO HAVE a few "quirks" that the operator needs to be aware of prior to purchase / use (examples - vacuum pump oil changes, minor maintenance etc. -- do a google search of "HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER ISSUES" for a better understanding.

Harvest Right was quick to respond and communicate informatively with me regarding answers that I specifically asked as a result of my research. They do seem to be proactively improving their product and I believe that in the long run, they may be an answer to helping my family to be prepared with familiar, home cooked meals using KNOWN products and sources that can be tolerated by our resident Celiac, with meals that she oversees and prepared herself.

Having these prepackaged freeze dried meals of her own creation available to take on trips and just in general to have a fast meal by adding water and heating will be of great benefit. Obviously these units can help many others with the more mundane aspects of being prepared as well and it would be nice to have foods properly prepared without all the additives etc. available for long term storage when properly packaged with oxygen removers, mylar bags and vacuum sealing or placing in cans or jars.

I've asked my son to research his insurance company to see if there is any possibility of re-numeration for such a purchase since this is obviously a well documented health issue. We'll see how that goes and my gut tells me that it will still wind up being a personal purchase.

Like any other specialized tool or piece of equipment, the operator needs to carefully follow the operating instructions for proper use and safety. At several thousand dollars per unit, they are out of reach of many, but they certainly seem to have their use. I look forward to getting it when the time comes that I can make my last payment.

This post is NOT MEANT in a negative manner towards Harvest Right, they've produced a product that the market is sadly lacking in such equipment for home use, and in certain cases may be very beneficial health wise for those with medical issues we've discussed. Just wanted to share info that I researched and your mileage may vary.

Regards,
Comanche7

Thank you for that...It would be a nice addition to our arsenal. We have a dehydrator, so we can dry meat for later use, but it would be nice to have more options for every day use and for prepping.

I used to keep a dozen or so cans of the B4 Canned Poundcake handy back in the days when C-rats were still available. No doubt it would have only been a trivial pleasure. But then, that was back in the 70's. . .

Granted, it was not a prudent choice, but they were in the car kit.

I ate that pound cake, both in the Army and later fighting wild fires. Pretty good stuff!!