I'll be testing some freeze dried food soon. Food storage questions.

[Shooterman]

But I would like your input too as to what you like.

I will soon have my 2nd Wise 60 serving bucket. The first was general entrees, this will be meat and rice.
After this I will be focusing on canned food, especially since I read that Hormel chili will last indefinitely as long as the seal is not broken.

I got one emergency ration bar for a taste test. its a 1200 calorie bar supposed to last you all day. The company is mainstay. I've not read many good reviews of these bars but I will get a 3 day supply for a bug out kit.

I've ordered a couple of #10 cans from Mountain House for a taste test. one is chicken and rice and the other is ground beef. Most importantly...have any of you tried these products?

I'm thinking I need to diversify my stock. my goal at the moment is to survive an interruption, not a total collapse...A private home is what is needed. I'm in an apartment.

The good news is All the supplies I've rcvd have come in boxes marked, Amazon.com. So not even my manager knows about this stock of mine.

Camping gear is being built up too. I have a backpackers mess kit, two Esbit stoves with the solid fuel tabs, a water purifier with two back up filters. Purification tabs. waterproof matches, real basic stuff.
I still don't have a backpack yet. Hopefully by fall I will OK for a few months if I need to.

Oh and does anyone know about bulk storage of rice? Do I just need to buy a bag and forget it, or do I need a special container?

Hopefully by this weekend I will have a few taste tests for you. The ground beef is what I'm worried about. But I will let you know.
***** and again, I would like to know what you have tried and like.

Read an article just the other day about dry canning rice in Mason Jars. Seemed logical. Problem is one needs a vacuum sealer with the jar lid attachment. Wife and I eat lots of rice and have thought about trying it. Also read about canning ground beef in bullion broth as well. Possibly something you may wish to look into.

[LC EFA]

Read an article just the other day about dry canning rice in Mason Jars. Seemed logical. Problem is one needs a vacuum sealer with the jar lid attachment. Wife and I eat lots of rice and have thought about trying it. Also read about canning ground beef in bullion broth as well. Possibly something you may wish to look into.

Just me , but I'd stick to using the plastic sheet normally used with the vac packer. The only real advantage I can see in using mason jars is their re-usability.

[Teri]

Mountain House Lasagna with Meat Sauce. Very good. Has some meat in it, but I added a half cup to freeze dried ground beef anyways. one serving like this almost filled me up. It would fill up a normal person. I ate a few crackers to finish it off.

Mountain House has excellent dried foods that rehydrate really well.  I love the powdered eggs...it's amazing how well they taste.  I made some French toast with them too and it was really good.  They also make a Scrambled eggs with bacon that's good too.

[Teri]

Read an article just the other day about dry canning rice in Mason Jars. Seemed logical. Problem is one needs a vacuum sealer with the jar lid attachment. Wife and I eat lots of rice and have thought about trying it. Also read about canning ground beef in bullion broth as well. Possibly something you may wish to look into.

That's something that we bought a lot of was rice.  We're storing it in those special five gal food buckets in mylar bags with the gamma seals. 

[JLO]

Hormel canned products are good long-tem storage, apparently.

"Can we serve a canned product beyond the “Best By” date shown on the container?

We recommend using our canned item by the date printed on the container for best quality, flavor and freshness. After this time, the product should be safe to use as long as the can has not been compromised (no dents, split seams or other container damage).

We recommend storing canned items in a cool, dry place to adequately preserve the flavor."

http://www.hormelfoods.com/search/~/link.aspx?_id=5A84C370E0CA4AE6A945E47E5AEA6AFE&_z=z

Buy on-line:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?rh=k%3Ahormel+canned%2Ci%3Agrocery&keywords=hormel+canned&ie=UTF8&qid=1363665861