Note from Jen Tucker: Survival for Blondes readers are in for a special treat! It is my honor to introduce you to a new member of our SFB family, Heather Thurmeier. She is an author, a crazy girl, and someone who is passionate about preparedness. So much so, that she wrote a novel about it. I don’t want to steal a bit of her thunder, and will let her share all the deets with you. I truly believe that we cross paths with others for a reason in this life, and one of the reasons that Heather and I met, was so she could spend time here with you all today. Let’s show her a lot of love … Welcome, Heather! *Jen throws confetti and makes little zombie cocktails for everyone*
I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on becoming zombie food if the SHTF one day. I also have no intention of going out to pillage whatever scraps are left on the supermarket shelves. But I still have a family of four to feed and that means I need a plan.
I’m talking long-term food storage so that I can feed my family if I need to. And it’s important to note that this food could be useful in other emergencies besides just the zombie apocalypse. Last year I went without power for 5 days because a hurricane took down a few power lines. Luckily, my roads were clear and the nearby restaurants all had power so we could go out to eat. But what if we’d been stuck at home with no power and a fridge full of spoiled food?
So what are my options for fine dining during the apocalypse? There are more options than you may think and some of them don’t sound completely terrible. Of course, this is relative because when resources are scarce, you’ll eat just about anything that resembles food. But I’d rather eat something that tastes good and I don’t have to worry about it killing me, because I’m pretty sure there will be enough other risks without worrying about my food supply.
#1
Home Canned Foods
Shelf life: 6 months - 1 year
Embrace your inner pioneer and learn to preserve your own food! I grew up on the Canadian prairies and we had an entire wall of homemade canned food in our basement storage room. That makes it sound like we lived on a farm away from civilization but we didn’t. We lived in a city. Most of it was canned fruit, but there were also pickles and other veggies. I don’t think we got any more adventurous than that. But it was nice to know there was always a jar of food in the basement if needed. There’s just a few problems with this plan for me—I don’t know how to can anything, I don’t have any of the necessary canning supplies (jars, lids, giant pots) and I don’t have that much storage in my basement. So I’m not sure this option works for me, but it might work for you.
PRO: Learn to be more self-sufficient. Store only foods you like.
CON: You have to eat what you’ve made within the year. Yearly time commitment to replenish.
#2
MREs (aka Meals Ready-to-Eat)
Shelf life: 1 month - 5 years
PRO: They are relatively small and easy to store.
CON: Expensive. Short shelf life for the cost.
These are the field rations the military uses. I haven’t tried one, and honestly I don’t plan to. But they are an option. I do have them in my emergency bags that live in our vehicles. Are those MREs spoiling while sitting in my vehicle at a variety of temperatures? I have no idea. I guess I’ll find out if the SHTF someday and we make a run for it. Let’s hope they’re fine… Heck, let’s start by hoping we never have to run.
#3
Freeze-dried, prepackaged meals
Shelf life: 25 years
PRO: Long shelf life. Easy to prepare meals. Variety of hot food with good nutritional balance.
CON: Needs a heat source and clean water to cook. Cost. Storage room.
Each meal usually comes in it’s own sealed packet and all the packets are stored in a plastic pail. The thought is that the buckets are easy to stack and store in your home and easy to carry if you need to leave. You can buy a variety of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners as well as individual items like just fruits, vegetables, and meats. Some brands of long-term food even offer meal shakes, drink mixes like milk or juice, and coffee. Each container is treated in a way that maximizes shelf life of your food. So while this is not cheap, it is an option you only buy once and not throw away for 25 years.
Now this is the option I like the best. If you look at the meals, most of them look and sound delicious… Well, they definitely sound edible. I’m really not convinced they will be delicious. But I’d still rather take my chances with freeze-dried Chicken a La King versus homemade squirrel stew. And I have eaten freeze-dried fruits and veggies before without rehydrating them and they were crunchy and delicious! I’d snack on some of the dried strawberry chips right now if I had some. I like the variety this option offers in meals as well as the fact that they are hot, home-cooked style food. And really, when the zombies come banging on our doors, wouldn’t we all like the comfort of a hot home-cooked meal?
I’ve researched a few places online for this long-term food storage but haven’t yet decided which one to go for. Most have similar meals offered in each bucket. One place offered supplied in individual cans versus packets in a bucket. Another place offered a delivery schedule that you sign up for and every month they automatically send you a new bucket of food. Yet another place offered a free emergency stove and fuel with a purchase of their food supplies. Who doesn’t love freebies?!
PRO: Long shelf life. Easy to prepare meals. Variety of hot food with good nutritional balance.
CON: Needs a heat source and clean water to cook. Cost. Storage room.
Now you know what a few of the options are! I’m sure there are more, but this will get you started on your road to food preparedness! To find out more information about any of these options, Google “Long term food storage” and see what you find!
I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do for my long-term food supply, but I sort of like the thought of buying a coffee bucket regardless of what I decide for food. If the zombies come, I want to be bright-eyed and awake enough to take one out at 20 yards with my new kickin’ bow.
Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders, and a reality TV junkie. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now lives in upstate New York with her own personal Romance Hero (aka her husband) and their two little princesses. When she's not busy taking care of the kids and an adventurous puppy named Indy, or preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse, Heather's hard at work on her next romance novel. You can find out more about her romance novels on her website at www.heatherthurmeier.com.
DISCLAIMER: The Survival Blondes love all of God's creatures and do not endorse hatred of any kind. Not even of people, who totally suck sometimes. However, we are not judgey, and only hope Heather can work through her spidey issue in time.
