I'm going to buy some "long-term" food for storage. Freeze dried seems to be the best for store and forget. Does anyone here have experience with Mountain House or Provident Pantry or (preferably) both. Does one taste better? Does one store longer? Are there other brands I should consider?
Thanks,
Michael

Avoid the Moutain House "Jamacian BBC Chicken". I took some backpacking and after two bites decided I'd rather go hungery. It was horrid. I suggest you try the different flavors before buying any in bulk.

-Blast

It’s hard to recommend a food because all of us have different likes in food. I like Mountain House stroganoff a lot.

I think Mountain House & Backpackers Pantry are good. I don’t have any experience with Provident Pantry.

Another backpacking food to take a look at (and it’s less expensive and taste good) is Enertia Trail Foods. They are more vegetarian based then other trail food. Here is their web address

http://www.trailfoods.com/index.html

Michael,

Try harmonyhouse.com also. They have some sampler packages you can check out before making a large buy. You can rotate them out and use them for evryday cooking and for trail meals also.
kmat

I second the Mountain House Beef Stroganoff. I've also had their turkey tetrazini and it was good as well. Vitacost has very good prices on Mountain House products. The cans are supposed to last 30 years if unopened and stored properly.

http://www.vitacost.com/Mountain-House-Products-Beef-Stroganoff-with-Noodles

Mountain House spaghetti with meat sauce is good choice. I have a can of it and another Mountain House product (can't remember which) stored in the basement.

Might want to throw Alpine Aire foods into the mix. Good stuff.

This is a great thread, by the time it’s a few weeks old there will be a list of all kinds of food to try. Food is one of my favorite subjects…

They are fundamentally different in that one is freeze-dried and one is dehydrated. I am assuming we are talking #10 cans for both, since this is long-term.

Mountain House makes some basic ingredients (meat, cheese, vegetables) but they specialize in complete freeze-dried entrees. If you want very simple food prep, this is the way to go. Scoop food, add boiling water, wait 10 minutes, eat. Of course, it's more expensive, but it makes a great quick meal. The only problem is that everything is pre-spiced, sometimes heavily so, and you either love the taste or want to use it as spackle. The pouches are a good way to try out various dishes to see if you can eat them regularly.

Provident Pantry (which I have not tried, but I have used Rainy Day Foods, which looks very similar) is dehydrated, so it is more individual ingredients: rice, beans, TVP, tomato powder, pasta, fruit and veg. Dehydrated stuff requires some simmering and cooking (hence fuel) from scratch, and you'll find more dried mixes like for pancakes, breads, etc. The upside is that you get to season it yourself and vary the menu more than with freeze-drieds, and it's much cheaper. If you know how to cook even a little, you can make a lot of "normal" meals from dehydrated stuff.

I have not yet built up my stock to where I want it to be, but right now I use a base of dehydrated food with a few select freeze-drieds for quick meals and areas that dehydrateds don't cover (meat, cheese, some fruits like berries). It works out well, and I mix it slowly into our regular menu so if we ever need to use it exclusively there will be no great shock.

you might try looking at the following web sites:
www.beprepared.com and
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago104.html

How does freeze dried compare to dehydrated for long-term storage? The freeze dried is said to last 15 to 50 years if stored in the correct conditions.
In general, how long with bulk items (like rice, corn and beans) store if they are sealed in CO2 (superpails?)?

I use them backpacking and haven’t given it thought to long-term storage. It would be good to e-mail Enertia and ask and see what they say on this and to also research it as the company may not have a good answer as the survival market is probably not their main market like backpacking is.

Why not go with canned goods - long shelf life and cheap.

I do have a lot of can goods (more then other foods, percentage wise) but I like camping and the lighter backpacking foods are also nice to have. And variety is nice to have in your choice of food.

But then I do seem to take a lot of can food camping over the course of a year.

What's everyones opinions on MREs? I've personally never tried MH or any freeze dried rations...

Heavy

They are heavy, but if you are not backpacking it’s not a big issue. I find them expensive and I also don’t like the food in all but 2 or 3 of them.


For ready to eat food that doesn’t have to be cooked to eat, can food is better then MREs, its also heavy, but the taste is so much better. Can food like all food (including MREs) is better tasting heated. MRE’s have their own heater, you just add water to it and it warms up the pouch.

Freeze Dried food is even more expensive, you can spend $5.00 to $8.00 for a meal and still be hungry. They generally have a good flavor and are light weight and last up to 50-years.


My main storage food is the items you find at the local store. Can food, it’s not expensive and taste good and last a few years. Also I lay in a good supply of grocery store packaged food.

I use a magic marker to write the purchase (or if it has a best if used by date) on the can or package and rotate food to keep my supply fresh as I can.

I use freeze dried food more for backpacking, but also have some stored. But I tend to pull it out of storage and take it camping.


There is no real wrong or right answer as to what food to put away, as long as it palatable to you it works.

The important thing is not what to store, but rather that you do store some.


I just wish they still made caned bacon, I use to buy it at the local Kroger (Celebrity brand) but it disappeared several years ago.

.

Hi all, I have just discovered Yoders meats for long term storage needs. Just got them yesterday, and they are supposed to store 10 years + in a cool basement atmosphere. From what I hear and see, it is fresh cooked meat in it's own juices, no additives. It has become a quest with me over the last two years to be able to provide balanced meals for a long term emergency. I have gone to Waltons Feed also and found some great products there. It costs for shipping because of the weight, but all are basic ingredients that store for a long time. This is why I buy one or two things a month. At least with the storage time of the stuff I've bought, it doesn't need to be rotated every six months. It's put away and I don't need to worry. Any other products worth buying?

What I do to build up a good supply is to buy a few extra items for storage (usually2) every time I go to the grocery store. In one-year you will literally have a ton of food stored away. And at no time did you have to make a big purchase that took lots of money.

Big +1 on the Jamacian BBQ Chicken.

I had exactly the same response to that meal last November on a trip to the Grand Canyon. I thought it sounded tasty so I actually prepared it at Mather Campground (south rim) the first evening I was there. If I had taken that particular meal into the canyon I would not have been happy.

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this board, but thought I would check it out based on a recommendation from some guys over at the Kifaru message board (www.kifaru.net). Anyway, I am in the military so I thought I would just throw in a few thoughts on MREs. Some love them some hate them, but if you have to eat them, you can survive on them. Our first rotation to A-stan we had to eat them all the time, but they will give you the energy you need to keep going.

As far as storage, they have a 20 year shelf life, and you are just supposed to inspect every 3 years to make sure that they are not bloated. That would mean that they have gone bad. They are not vacuum sealed, but should have a look like the air was kind of squeezed out of them before sealed. So if they look like a balloon, something is wrong. Also, in an emergency situation, you can survive on only 1 per day, 2 if you are active. They have between 3000-5000 calories each, so eating 3 a day is overkill. Just something to keep in mind when calculating how much you will need.

Hope this helps.

Smackdaddyj

I have tried a variety of Provident Pantry foods and everything was been wonderful with the exception of their freeze dried ground beef. It has a funny taste that no amount of seasoning can cover. One reviewer likened it to a dog food taste. After contacting the company I purchased it from with my concerns, at first they were eager to help but upon further correspondence back and forth they began to question my storage methods, climate of storage area and other things. Once they found out that I had purchased the hamburger meat about 2 years ago, all bets were off and they were unwilling to help me any further. This food is designed for LONG term storage but their guarantee is only for 30 days so if you don't open the cans immediately which totally defeats the purpose then they won't help you. That being said, I still recommend Provident Pantry foods.

Thrive by Shelf Reliance is also another great brand and their ground beef is delicious (no dog food taste). I won't go into a lot of detail (unless asked) since I am a dealer for Thrive.

What Mountain House foods I have tried (only the pouches) have been really good as well. I just prefer to have individual ingredients to prepare my own foods rather than the entrees but that's just me.

If Yoders canned meat will store ten years,then so should your own.

Learn to pressure can,its simple and a lot cheaper than buying commercial product,though glass doesnt hold up like cans if they fall,they are a very good option and you get the skill on preserving your own hunted meat too.

Good option if cost is an issue,meat on sale,canned up,its a winner.We have chicken(79 cents/lb),corned beef(1.69/lb),and lots of soups,good stuff.

For that matter,you can dehydrate frozen veggies and package in mylar or jars.Nice thing is again,they are cheap and pre blanched,they dehydrate NICE! Just pour frozen onto dehydrator tray and dry away,cant get easier than that.

We buy a few cases on sale,like the corn for 50 cents a can,its now 79 here ( the cheap stuff) and that was a few months ago,so we are talking a 60% increase,WOW!Storing is nice,storing sale items,that much better.

Survival also includes economic survival,so making our bucks stretch rates as a major consideration in our preps.

Food inflation is here...now,stock up if you can,its only going to cost more tomorrow.

We use this system (3 of em,one in house,2 large in pantry),you can make your own,these goofy things can hold 400-700 cans in a small footprint depending on how you configure them.And first in,first out rotation,and its easy to see in a glance what needs to be replaced,and also to see what you actually use.I found we had too many Campbells soups,and werent eating em,so started making an effort to use em up.Hard to tell that when placed on shelves it just doesnt pop out at you like on the rotation storage system.

So when we get down a few cans in a few rows its to the pantry and stock up,Pantry gets used its stock from cases or buy more,really simplifies things.Maybe this sounds like overkill to some,but I have to say,it really works.

This is what we paid.....Who knows,1500-2000 cans? Havent counted but still love the system,needed shelves either way.I felt the cost was worth it for the amt it holds in the space it takes up.They will outlast me and the Mrs.


The Harvest 51" is the perfect FRS for smaller families or those with a limited amount of storage space. This FRS system holds up to 381 cans that are automatically rotated on a first in first out basis. This means you'll never have to deal with expiration dates again! All can tracks have an adjustable width so you can store goods the way you want, and, like all Shelf Reliance Food Rotation Systems, the Harvest 51" sits flat against virtually any wall surface.

Harvest 51" $251.93

=============================

The Harvest 72" 1 $299.66

Frame Color
1 x Black Frame $0.00

Track Color
1 x Black Track $0.00

Customize Rows
1 x 5 Small Rows, 1 Medium Row add $49.99

Small 24" Black Can Track 9 units= $47.61

Small Straps (25-pack) $3.28

Top Shelf for Harvest (36" x 24") 2 units= $39.76
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Subtotal $912.53
Shipping & Handling $45.63
Tax $70.75
Grand Total $1,028.91





I have no interest in company but Im a very satisfied customer.

I have the Harvest 72" and I love it! It's a bit of a pain to assemble (spacers) but my son and husband put it together in about a half hour or so.

Agreed,it really helped using the youtube instructions,at that they didnt make clear how top and bottom supports went on,I did it wrong LOL,but yup,love the system.

If you have time, heat and water, keep rice and beans on hand.