Now that Covid has died down a bit, using up some of my excess supplies - because they are there to be used!
I had the Vegetarian Two Bean Chili
- Main course
- Crackers
- Salted crunchy cashew snacks
- 4 cookies
- Grape drink
- Crappy coffee pouch
All in all, pretty tasty. I really liked it. was surprised.
And I have also added Pepto Bismal tabs to my bags! I find even though it was on the mild side of spicey, my old stomach is not about trail foods any more!
The prices are like anything else. When lockdowns end or appear to be ending, the prices drop. However, people do not perceive that there is going to be political stability, so the prices on guns and ammo are up.
I cannot give you a source because I don't know which of the MRE items you eat. I don't have a need for things like dehydrated milk or eggs. I am not going to be cooking regular type meals. So, if I look for MREs, I look for the place that allows me to choose what I want, instead of taking what purports to be someone's idea of 3 days or 30 days supply of food.
Personally, now, years later, I have a much better focus. You need meat protein. You need a supply of calories. Although I have MREs, the least expensive way to go is buy canned fish which never goes bad and is on sale now, and make your own hard tack. Hard tack has the calories, more than rice.
I want you to price out a 5 pound bag of plain white enriched flour. Add some salt and water. Put aside the cost of running an oven for few hours at 240 degrees. That 5 pound bag gives you 5 days of calories. If properly stored, it will last your lifetime. I put the stuff in zip log bags and then in a clear plastic container in the closed and locked garage. Keeps the animals away. The civil war soldiers would crumble it up and put it in coffee or a soup. Compare that to taking the time to find water, fuel, cook an MRE, and clean up.
If you store and eat canned stew - which never goes bad - and weighs something, throw a couple of cans in your stash and you don't have to eat sardines or tuna all the time and the hardtack will crumble right in. You also don't have to heat canned beef stew to make it safe to eat.
I have, cans, freeze dried, and dry goods ... like finances I like to spread it out and not all in one item.
If I was to pick, I say stock up on what you eat and rotate.
Just that I like to have options... haven't had MREs in a long time since used up... just wondering.
Haven't made hardtack but do make bread all the time...even in the outdoor fireplace.
Do make alot of flat bread ( no yeast ) for dinners
I still have some MREs stashed in my hunting cabin. They are probably 10 years old by now. I tasted a couple last summer just to see and they still tasted fine. I really don't eat carbs anymore so my rations are usually canned chicken, tuna, beef, almonds, jerky/beef/venison sticks/salami, hard cheeses, pork rinds.
For emergencies we do have a stash of canned beef stew, canned chicken/tuna, soups, spam etc. I fast about once a month and can go 72+ hours without eating if I had too so except for my wife, I'm good for at least that long.
I have the same items. Be careful on spam. Look at the salt content. I have different flavors, with an emphasis on low salt. A couple of spoonfuls provides about all the meat protein you need a day. It doesn't go bad in the can. Most things are salted too much. In Jan 2020, I bought extra cases of beef stew and canned soup that was on sale. Never had to give it to relatives, so I am slowly consuming the same back down to the levels I had established for myself.
Salt gets a bad rap. It's not necessarily bad for you. It is associated with high BP and heart disease but salt doesn't cause high BP or heart disease.
And BTW, I had borderline high BP and high cholesterol before going on keto and didn't use or put salt on anything. After doing keto I started putting salt on everything. My BP and C are both very low and the only side effects....no more muscle cramps.
