| In times of distress, natural disaster or even | | | | Experts also recommend that any dehydrated |
| terrorist attacks, survival foods are one of the | | | | meats be placed in a freezer to help them from |
| most important things to have on hand. | | | | spoiling. |
| Having enough food to eat will help you and your | | | | You may also need to place your newly |
| family survive most emergency situations. | | | | dehydrated foods in the freezer right after |
| Survival foods can also help you in case of a job | | | | dehydration for a few days to help reduce the |
| loss or in the case of an illness or pandemic | | | | possibility of insect contamination. |
| where you don't want to leave your home. | | | | Again the two issues you may have with |
| Most people today are taking steps to make sure | | | | dehydrating food is preparation time - which can |
| they have a supply of survival foods on hand. | | | | be long, and shelf life - which can be quite short. |
| What are your options? Here are 3 different | | | | #3 Freeze Dried Foods |
| types of survival food to consider with | | | | You can also buy prepackaged freeze dried food |
| advantages and disadvantages of each: | | | | that is easy to stack and store. |
| #1 Can or Preserve your Own Food | | | | Freeze dried meals that are easy to prepare are |
| If you are the Martha Stewart type, have hours | | | | one of your best options for survival foods. Most |
| of free time, or have nothing better to do on the | | | | meals only require you to add water - which in an |
| weekend, then canning or preserving your own | | | | emergency situation might be all you have. |
| food might be for you. | | | | Plus in a true emergency if you have young |
| The advantage to this option is that you can | | | | children, the simpler the meal is to make, the |
| choose what kinds of foods to have on hand and | | | | better. You can ask them to help (this will also |
| preferably choose something you'd actually enjoy | | | | keep them distracted from the problems outside). |
| eating. You might also save a bit of money doing | | | | And contrary to how the name sounds freeze |
| it this way as well. | | | | dried foods can taste remarkably good. Some |
| The disadvantage is of course time. If you're like | | | | companies have made their freeze dried foods |
| most people, you don't have much free time | | | | almost to gourmet levels. |
| after work and the thought of preserving food all | | | | For example you can get Chicken a la King, Italian |
| weekend doesn't excite you. | | | | wedding soup with meatballs, vegetable stew with |
| Plus you have to be aware of the shelf life of this | | | | beef, and even blueberry pancakes. |
| food - probably around 1 - 2 years at best. So | | | | Plus unlike the two options above, some freeze |
| you'll have to make sure you eat your preserved | | | | dried survival foods have a shelf life of 25+ years |
| food and add in some more newer foods as time | | | | (depending on storage temperature). So as a long |
| goes by. | | | | term food storage option they fit the bill. |
| #2 Dehydrated Foods | | | | Basically all you do is store them in a cool dry |
| You can dehydrate your own foods with a food | | | | spot, and inspect them on a regular basis. |
| dehydrator. This option gives you a little more | | | | So those are 3 options for having survival foods |
| variety and again, you get to choose foods that | | | | on hand in case of emergency. No matter how |
| you like to eat. | | | | you choose to prepare yourself, it's important |
| Many of the higher end food dehydrators have | | | | that you do take some steps to have food on |
| timers so you can "set and forget", which make | | | | hand should you be stranded in your home and/or |
| things a little easier. I consider dehydrated foods | | | | unable to find food. |
| more of a short term food storage item, as you | | | | Being properly prepared can mean the difference |
| should (according to some sources) consume | | | | between barely surviving and thriving should the |
| them within 1 year of making them. | | | | worst happen. |