When I was deciding which freeze-dried foods to buy for my emergency food storage, I wanted to compare prices. In order to do this, I looked at the total number of calories in each product and divided by 1,800 to find out how many days it would last. Don't be fooled by how many "servings" the manufacturer says it contains. A "serving" is not a MEAL. It is only a part of a meal.
Most products price out at a cost per day of $5 or $6. This product prices out to cost only about $3.60 per day. Therefore, it is definitely the best buy for your money. (Keep reading because I'm going to tell you how to do your food storage for LESS THAN $1 per day!)
The only problem with this product is the problem that All of these freeze dried products have - the calories come from carbs and veggies and they don't contain nearly enough protein. Although Augason says that their product contains 46 grams of protein per day, the problem is that all protein is not created equal. The protein provided by carbs and veggies is a low quality protein and your body is not able to absorb it. (I'll leave it at that and not bore you with a discussion about essential amino acids.) Therefore, it is important to supplement your diet with a high quality protein. A 150 pound person needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Happily, this is the same amount of protein provided by one medium size egg - an extremely high quality protein. Therefore, I purchased a can of Augason's powdered Scrambled Egg Mix. Two table spoons of this equal one egg. My plan is to mix in with other foods I eat to get the protein I need.
DOING IT FOR CHEAP
The Augason 30 day food supply is probably all I will ever need. (In fact, I hope I never need that.) However, the general consensus is that you should have an emergancy food supply that will last for a minimum of 2 weeks to a maximum of 6 months.
Well, it's one thing to spend a few hundred dollars on an emergency food supply. But it's quite another thing to spend a few thousand dollars on a food supply that you will probably never need. So, here is how I solved this problem.
I bought four basic food items in bulk - rice, pinto beans, instant mashed potatoes, and dried lentils. Next, I purchased some food grade 2 and 5 gallon paint buckets and their lids at Home Depot. (The food grade buckets are the white ones.) Then, some paper plates.
Lastly, some dry ice.
Here is how to store this food; place a couple of ounces of dry ice in the bottom of the bucket. Turn a paper plate up side down and place it on top of the dry ice. Then, fill the bucket with your food item. Place a paper plate on top of the food and place a couple of ounces of dry ice on it. Then, place the lid lightly on top of the bucket.
As the dry ice evaporates, it turns into carbon dioxide. Because carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it fills the bucket forcing the air out through the top of the bucket. When the dry ice has completely evaporated, hammer the lid down. (Place a couple of pieces of dry ice where you can see them to know when the dry ice inside your bucket is completely evaporated. Because all of the air has been removed, your food is good for 20 to 25 years.
I bought this food at a store called Smart & Final. It is a national chain that caters to restaurants. Their prices on these bulk items are way better than the supermarket.
This store also carries bulk powdered sauces like brown gravey, alfredo sauce, hollandaise, and country gravey. You can use the same storage method for these using smaller plastic food storage containers.
Another item you might want to get is Knorr's bullion powder. It comes in 3 or 4 different flavors. You can use it to make bullion broth or just sprinkle it on your food for flavor. The shelf life for this is infinity because the main ingrediants are salt and msg.
My plan is to eat all of my freeze dried food first. After that, I have a 5 month supply of the bulk items I told you about. However, if money is tight, there's nothing wrong with just buying the bulk items. At the very least, you can buy a 25 lb sack of rice for $10 at Costco. You don't even have to go to the expense of buying the plastic buckets and dry ice. Rice has a two-year shelf life. So, every two years, just buy a new sack.
ONE LAST PIECE OF ADVICE
Do not tell anyone that you have long-term emergency food stored. If a situation arises where you actually need to eat your emergency food, it means it many other people will be starving. When people are starving, and especially if their children are starving, there is nothing they will not do to get food. And, that includes killing you and taking your food. So, find a good hiding place for your emergency food and remember that this information is on a need-to-know basis.
Morning moo's low-fat milk alternative, banana chips, creamy potato soup, hearty vegetable chicken flavored soup, cheesy broccoli rice, homestyle mashed potatoes, maple brown sugar oatmeal, elbow macaroni, cheese powder, creamy chicken flavored rice.
