Castle Dinners

Some thoughts on food preps.

buy what you eat, and eat what you buy. Rotate your stock. Temperature control is very important.

Keep an inventory, know what you have, when you bought it, when it expires

Rice, Beans, whole wheat and other grains keep for a very long time. They should be packed in 5 gallon buckets, sealed in a Mylar inner bag, you should put Oxygen absorber packs in with the product.

Wetpack, (canned goods) are not the best way to store for bad times. They degrade over time, are heavy and bulky for what you get.

Don't forget about freeze dried products. Extreme shelf life. You can buy material and equipment and freeze dry your own as well.

As was mentioned, don't forget other items, such as salt, sugar, pepper, paper goods. Take a quick survey of what you have now, and stock up on what you use.
 
We keep hundreds of pounds of rice, pasta, and beans. We also keep a room full of canned goods such as veggies, tuna, tomato sauce.. The dry stuff is stored in sealable plastic boxes. Rotation of the canned goods occurs naturally, we eat them and restock.
 
TemplarKnight21c said:
chicken-can-1.jpg


:D:D
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Yeah, I've seen these by other brands. :eek::D Tried one once, not terribly impressed. May have to try it again before I stock up. Personally, I like my chicken grilled or roasted. I suppose these could be fried in a skillet, that might be an option.

Edit: I was wrong, I was thinking of canned chicken breasts or chunk chicken (like tuna) there are a million good recipes on line. A whole chicken in a can is a different animal, however, something left over from the Great Depression that apparently has some regional popularity. Here's a revealing video that will make your stomach churn :eek::
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/07/video-whole-chicken-in-a-can.html
 
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bruce said:
dawsonbob, no problem. I wonder if we are related?

You are right in that I wasn't aware of the syndrome you mentioned until you brought it up. I have worked a little with dry beans but my field of concentration is in muscle tissue as a food, and in dairy products.

We both learned something tonight. If I do any more bean work for my company, I'll certainly be aware of this issue.
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It's entirely possible that we could be related — there are a lot of Dawsons out there.

My entire family, myself included, have been Marine officers for a very long time. Some, however, split off and joined the Army. They had daughters who married Army personnel. You were Army, so who knows?

Yes, we both learned tonight, and that's a very good thing. That's one of the things I love about this board, is the number of things I learn, and sometimes about the oddest subjects.

Incidentally, while I don't work in food research per se, I have researched a lot of beans. There are those who have gone so far as to say that I'm full of beans.:D
 
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OK, that Chicken in a can is vomit comet material right there.

I do like to stock up on canned goods. If you're not planning on immediately going to the live out of a backpack the rest of your life plan, they are the best bang for the buck.

I know Hormel says their Pantry items (basically all of the canned goods) have an indefinite shelf life so long as the can remains intact. I remember reading a study where they opened some 20 and 30 year old canned goods, did some tests on them and such. They had no bacteria living in them, they lost very little of their nutritional value. The only problem was taste after 10 years or so. Not that they tasted bad, but that they lost their flavor.

I like to keep canned goods. But the guys above are right, I keep what I eat. It also helps to know which brands you like. For instance, to me, everything from Bush's tastes the same -- just like crap. Corn from them doesn't taste like corn from other brands. Most of what I stock is canned meat and veggies. I don't do much in the way of carbs. I mostly stock flour and various fixings for bread that I make and biscuits and such. All stuff I eat anyway.
 
Very interesting about not eating even though you have food but it's not what you want. In the short term I can understand how it could be possible, even to the point of letting yourself loose significant weight, but I would think at some point a switch would flip and survival instinct would kick in....
 
remmmm said:
Very interesting about not eating even though you have food but it's not what you want. In the short term I can understand how it could be possible, even to the point of letting yourself loose significant weight, but I would think at some point a switch would flip and survival instinct would kick in....
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Maybe, maybe not.

Older people are notorious for succumbing to dietary fatigue or simply not eating unless they get what they want.

In the 2004 hurricane season, we were out of power for 2 weeks, and an older member of the family that visited wouldn't eat any of the canned food, cooked or not. So once we ate everything from the freezer and had no fresh food to cook, he didn't eat -- for nearly a week. Literally said he'd rather die than eat something he didn't want, and threw fits that we didn't go out and get something (even though all the stores were closed and there was no place to get fresh food).

I have a feeling that some people would persist in refusing to eat to the point of death if they couldn't get what they want.
 
ROCK6 said:
While I do agree with you Bruce, one's mind can literally starve one’s self to death by not eating "gross" or unfamiliar foods.
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I can't help but think trying unfamiliar foods would best be done while everything is fine - not during an EOTWAWKI situation. The best way would be to buy and try new foods before considering stocking up on them.

If you are looking at an extended stay at home in a SHTF situation then fruit trees & a vegetable garden are a really good idea. Even in normal living they are a pretty good idea, for that matter. But having access to fresh fruit and vegetables to supplement your dried & canned goods has to be beneficial.
 
In my job I am lucky enough to meet people from all walks of life and from all over the US. I met this guy at Fort Bragg who was originally from California, just outside of LA to be exact. He found out that I was an avid hunter and fisherman and expressed an interest in going with me. He didn't own a gun or have a license so he was just tagging along to see what it was all about. We had a great November afternoon and game was moving very well, I shot 2 squirrels and a rabbit. We went to a good spring nearby and I showed him how to clean them, he acted a bit squeamish but no more so than I had seen other people act.

That night I made wild game chili, with the game we killed that day along with some venison and wild pork from the freezer. I have been told I make pretty good chili and there very rarely is leftovers for very long. The next day I brought him a big bowl for lunch and told him what it was. He heated it up, took about 3 bites getting paler and paler. He told me it tasted good but he couldn't eat it knowing what it was made of. He then heated up his lunch which was leftover chicken nuggets. :confused::confused: Chris
 
August West said:
He heated it up, took about 3 bites getting paler and paler. He told me it tasted good but he couldn't eat it knowing what it was made of. He then heated up his lunch which was leftover chicken nuggets. :confused::confused: Chris
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I eat the flesh of dead pigs, chickens, fish, cows, sheep & deer all the time - what difference would it make if it was the flesh of a rabbit, squirrel, snake, ostrich, crocodile or whatever? Geez, I'd happily eat your chili!

I'm an animal lover - they are delicious!

Gotta go - I'm getting hungry now!
 
August West said:
In my job I am lucky enough to meet people from all walks of life and from all over the US. I met this guy at Fort Bragg who was originally from California, just outside of LA to be exact. He found out that I was an avid hunter and fisherman and expressed an interest in going with me. He didn't own a gun or have a license so he was just tagging along to see what it was all about. We had a great November afternoon and game was moving very well, I shot 2 squirrels and a rabbit. We went to a good spring nearby and I showed him how to clean them, he acted a bit squeamish but no more so than I had seen other people act.

That night I made wild game chili, with the game we killed that day along with some venison and wild pork from the freezer. I have been told I make pretty good chili and there very rarely is leftovers for very long. The next day I brought him a big bowl for lunch and told him what it was. He heated it up, took about 3 bites getting paler and paler. He told me it tasted good but he couldn't eat it knowing what it was made of. He then heated up his lunch which was leftover chicken nuggets. :confused::confused: Chris
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I'll take whatever you were going to give him. Not an issue here, I just can't get a lot of wild game anymore.
 
dawsonbob, my Dawson relatives came from England and settled in Richmond, MO in the early 1800s. They later moved to Idaho where my father was born (his mother was a Dawson).

My favorite joke about food avoidance: Man walks into a diner and sits down at the counter. The cook comes over to him and says, "what'll you have?" Man says, "what's the special?" Cook says, "A nice tongue sandwich." Man says, "Oh, yuk, I'd never eat anything that's been in a cows mouth! Just give me two eggs."

Ok, I'll keep my day job!

The major factor in the reduction of food consumed in the studies I worked on was menu repetition. A case of MREs has 12 menu items and the troops ate three of them per day. It only takes four days to complete the cycle and start over. Also, troops rarely get to select the MRE meal they want, mostly they are "thrown" at them, so you could face the same MRE meal three times in a day (assuming no trading, which is a stupid assumption). Pretty soon "taste fatigue" sets in and you just eat the components out of the MRE that "seem" good at the time, throwing or trading the others away. It doesn't take long before a 1200 kcalorie meal is down to 600 calories. With all the energy expended by soldiers in combat or in simulated combat training, an 1800 kcal day, day after day, will reduce your body mass.

It isn't an MRE thing either. One of the three test groups at regular, prepared meals made of fresh ingredients (frozen meats, fresh vegetables and salads, chilled milk, etc.). The troops eating standard fare also lost weight due to taste fatigue. Here again, the meal selection was limited to 12 meals.

Point being that the foods we store often don't allow us to make meals with the same variety of those we eat now, or purchase out. The best time to get creative with stored foods is while we are not dependant on them.

Game? I used to be a professional game processor while in high school and college. Like othes above, I don't hunt for meat because I've seen too many mess created by poor hunting and salvage techniques.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Maybe, maybe not.

Older people are notorious for succumbing to dietary fatigue or simply not eating unless they get what they want.

In the 2004 hurricane season, we were out of power for 2 weeks, and an older member of the family that visited wouldn't eat any of the canned food, cooked or not. So once we ate everything from the freezer and had no fresh food to cook, he didn't eat -- for nearly a week. Literally said he'd rather die than eat something he didn't want, and threw fits that we didn't go out and get something (even though all the stores were closed and there was no place to get fresh food).

I have a feeling that some people would persist in refusing to eat to the point of death if they couldn't get what they want.
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huh that is perty wild. i need to stock up on some food
 
Every week I add to the stock pile of supplys, I've got about three weeks of food and water and all the other needs so far, mostly canned goods that I rotate regularly, rice is good, I don't think dried beans are a good option because they use so much water and need to be cooked for so long, as far as the whole canned chicken,:barf:
 
bruce said:
dawsonbob, my Dawson relatives came from England and settled in Richmond, MO in the early 1800s. They later moved to Idaho where my father was born (his mother was a Dawson).

My favorite joke about food avoidance: Man walks into a diner and sits down at the counter. The cook comes over to him and says, "what'll you have?" Man says, "what's the special?" Cook says, "A nice tongue sandwich." Man says, "Oh, yuk, I'd never eat anything that's been in a cows mouth! Just give me two eggs."

Ok, I'll keep my day job!

The major factor in the reduction of food consumed in the studies I worked on was menu repetition. A case of MREs has 12 menu items and the troops ate three of them per day. It only takes four days to complete the cycle and start over. Also, troops rarely get to select the MRE meal they want, mostly they are "thrown" at them, so you could face the same MRE meal three times in a day (assuming no trading, which is a stupid assumption). Pretty soon "taste fatigue" sets in and you just eat the components out of the MRE that "seem" good at the time, throwing or trading the others away. It doesn't take long before a 1200 kcalorie meal is down to 600 calories. With all the energy expended by soldiers in combat or in simulated combat training, an 1800 kcal day, day after day, will reduce your body mass.

It isn't an MRE thing either. One of the three test groups at regular, prepared meals made of fresh ingredients (frozen meats, fresh vegetables and salads, chilled milk, etc.). The troops eating standard fare also lost weight due to taste fatigue. Here again, the meal selection was limited to 12 meals.

Point being that the foods we store often don't allow us to make meals with the same variety of those we eat now, or purchase out. The best time to get creative with stored foods is while we are not dependant on them.

Game? I used to be a professional game processor while in high school and college. Like othes above, I don't hunt for meat because I've seen too many mess created by poor hunting and salvage techniques.
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Bruce, my relatives (on my Fathers’ side) came over from Scotland ( a portion that was originally British, I believe) in the revolutionary war. They came to fight, and I’m not sure they cared for which side: they just wanted to escape Scotland, an exceedingly poor country at the time. They ended up on the American side, thank goodness. My Mother’s side of the family (my grandparents) came over from Scotland in the 1920’s. I’m not positive, but I don’t think any of them were in MO in the 1800’s.

I like the joke but, you’re right: keep the day job.:D

I’ve experienced the problem of food repetition first hand — not with MRE’s, but with C-rations (many left over from WW 2) and LRP rations. Although we tried to mix and match as much as possible, there was only so much you could do with such a limited variety. Yes, it was tedious — and boring — but it was food/fuel, and we ate it no matter what.

The thing is, a group of tired and hungry Marines in a jungle can’t pamper a discerning palate: they eat what’s available. Sure, they’ll complain — all Marines do — but they’ll eat it, because they have to. Oddly, the times we got back to a rear area where they served hot chow, the guys were actually pickier than when they were in the bush.

Perhaps, because of that, I’m probably a little different than most people: I’ll eat almost anything (except liver, which I feel should come labeled with HazMat warnings). I do try to stock a variety of things, but when it comes down to it, and I’m hungry, I’ll eat what’s there — and be thankful. I rather suspect that most old mud Marine grunts — and soldiers, too — feel the same way.

There are wonderful epicurean culinary delights for back here when things are going well, but WTSHTF, food is fuel: you eat what you have.
 
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bruce said:
Game? I used to be a professional game processor while in high school and college. Like othes above, I don't hunt for meat because I've seen too many mess created by poor hunting and salvage techniques.
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Don't really understand this statement. :confused: Chris
 
August West said:
Don't really understand this statement. :confused: Chris
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You know what, I wrote it and I don't understand it now that I read it! ...and I don't drink!

What I meant to say is that I worked in our family owned meat processing business during high school and college (1966-1976). We stopped processing domestic animals from September to February and only processed game animals (deer, elk, antelope, buffalo, bear, moose, mountain sheep and goats). I loved to hunt but the messes brought in by hunters with no clue as to how to salvage good meat from an animal dispatched by a rifle or bow, caused me to relook my hunting goals. Many had been treated so poorly as to be full of fly eggs, dirt, sticks and leaves, some hadn't been eviscerated at all. Unknowing hunters don't understand that if you bring me a 150 lb field dressed deer that has been shot in all four quarters, dragged, left warm too long, and full of fly eggs, that I cannot give you 150 lbs of frozen steaks, roasts, and burger for your freezer. In fact, you might not get 20 lbs of usable meat.

I switched from hunting for meat to hunting to teach my sons the sport, and to have a good camping trip.

dawsonbob, C's and LRRPs, brings back some memories (retired Army, 1978 to 1999). Spaghetti and meat balls or beans and weanies, pound cake, and peaches! It doesn't get much better than that.
 
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