recipes using stored foods

[Shannon]

I cannot attest to the taste of most of these dishes but I think if we tried them we could tweak them into what was tasty. All of the following come from Biggest Book of Casseroles.
Stir and Bake Ham Casserole
serves 4
1 10 1/2 ounce can of condensed cream of celery soup.
1 1/4 cups milk
1 4 1/2 ounce jar sliced mushrooms (or re-hydrated dried 'shrooms)
1 T. dried minced onion
2 cups diced ham (or use one of the small canned hams)
1 cup dried elbow macaroni
dash black pepper
1/2 cup diced American cheese (Use a small package of Velveeta)
In a lightly greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole combine soup, milk, mushrooms, and onion. Add ham and macaroni, and pepper. Mix well.
Bake, covered, in 375* oven for 30 minutes; stir well (mixture may appear curdled). Cover and bake 20-30 minutes longer. Un cover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered for 5 minutes more.

[Shannon]

Asparagus-Ham bake
serves 6
1 can cream of asparagus soup
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked ham
2 cups cooked rice
one can of asparagus (the original recipe calls for 9 ounces fo frozen asparagus)
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (if you are not storing cheese it will have to be either yogurt cheese or Velveeta)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion1/2 cup Panko crumbs (Japanese style bread crumbs)
2 T. melted butter or lard if that is what you have stored.
Mix all ingredients together and stir well. Spoon into baking dish and top with the Panko and butter/lard. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 375*. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

[Shannon]

Ham-Apple-Chedder Casserole
serves 6
3 cups shredded potatoes (re-hydrated from dried will take a little less then 1 cup of the dried)
1 large apple, cored and chopped (or re-hydrate and chop 1/2 cup dried apples)
1 tsp. sage, crushed
1 T. butter or lard
1 cup cooked diced ham
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup shredded Chedder cheese or one prepared foil package cheese topping (think Schilling Cheese topping)
1/4 tsp. salt
Press excess moisture from potatoes and set aside. In a small saucepan cook apple and sage in hot fat over medium heat until tender. If using canned apples just until hot through. Remove from heat and combine apple, potatos and ham in a lightly greased square baking dish.

In a medium bowl whixk together milk, eggs, cheese and salt. Pour over potatoe mix, but do not stir! Bake uncovered in a 350* oven for 35-40 minutes or, until an inserted knife comes out clean.

[Shannon]

This recipe has gone through a considerable amount of tweaking but, I think it will work fine.
Mexican Potato Bake
Serves 6
6 eggs or equivalent of 6 dried eggs
3 cups re-hydrated shredded potatoes
1 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup hamburger "rocks"
1 cup shredded cheese or Velveeta
1 pickled jalapeno pepper or one small tin diced peppers and three shkes of Tobasco or other hot pepper sauce
1/3 cup milk
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining eggs, milk, salt, pepper and diced peppers (plus Tobasco). In a medium skillit melt fat over medium heat; pour in egg mixture. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until mixture begins to set on the bottom and around the edge.

With a spatula, lift and fold the partially cooked egg mixture so the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until egg mixture is cooked through but is still glossy and moist. Spoon eggs over potato mixture in dish. Top with salsa and the remaining cheese.

Bake, covered, in a 375* oven for about 25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
__________________

[Shannon]

Hash Brown Casserole
this one has been significantly tweaked as well and needs to be made in the winter when food can be left out and not spoil.
serves 6

8 oz. unflavored yogurt
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups re-hydrated potatoes
1 cup diced cooked ham
one cup cubed cheese (Velveeta will be good in this one)
1/4 cup shopped lightly cooked onion (soften the onion but don't brown)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup crushed corn flakes
scant 1/4 cup butter or lard
Early in the day, in a large bowl combine the yogurt, soup, stir. Add the potatoes, ham, cheese, onion and pepper. Spread the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased baking dish. Cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours.

In a small bowl combine corn flakes and fat. Sprinkle over the potato mixture. Bake, uncovered in a 350* oven for 50-60 minutes or until hot in the center and bubbly.

[Shannon]

Fruit and Nut Baked Oatmeal
serves 4
1 3/4 cups milk
2 T. butter (most of us will not have butter and lard just won't work so, I would substitute cans of evaporated milk which taste creamier)
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup snipped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup raisins
5 T. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
~ milk optional

In a medium saucepan bring the 1 3/4 cups milk and butter to a boil. Slowly stir in oats. Stir in drid fruits and 3 T of the brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour into a lightly greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole.

Bake, uncovered in a 350* oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. brown sugar and the nuts. Bake an additional 5 minutes. May be served with additional warm milk.

This recipe could easily be made the night before and placed in a hay box overnight. If you decide to do that make sure you use the thick style rolled oats rather than the instant.

[kr105]

I have a tasty one for you to try.

Swanson has canned Chicken a la King (found by the tuna in most grocers.) Add one can of peas and 1/2 cup of milk and cook over low heat, stirring.
Serve on top of rice.

While the can states it's only one serving, by adding the milk, peas and rice you can get 2-3 servings easily.

Enjoy!

[Jonesie]

Don't overlook Hormel Bacon Bits. They add a lot of flavor to foods.
Walmart, Dollar General, and most grocers sell the bottles. Around $1.50.
They are a great prep item.
Mine expires in 2009.
And Hormel has some great recipes too:

http://www.hormel.com/brands/brandvi...75&catitemid=3

[T. Modesto,PhD]

The recipe sounds very interesting. have one question: "What is a HAY BOX"? Never heard teh term
TM

Originally Posted by Shannon

Fruit and Nut Baked Oatmeal
serves 4
1 3/4 cups milk
2 T. butter (most of us will not have butter and lard just won't work so, I would substitute cans of evaporated milk which taste creamier)
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup snipped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries
1/3 cup raisins
5 T. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
~ milk optional

In a medium saucepan bring the 1 3/4 cups milk and butter to a boil. Slowly stir in oats. Stir in drid fruits and 3 T of the brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour into a lightly greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole.

Bake, uncovered in a 350* oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. brown sugar and the nuts. Bake an additional 5 minutes. May be served with additional warm milk.

This recipe could easily be made the night before and placed in a hay box overnight. If you decide to do that make sure you use the thick style rolled oats rather than the instant.

[MHSC]

A hay box is basically a tightly built wooden box that has hay in it formed into a bowl shape. You then place your already hot dutch oven with the partially cooked food in it, into the box, cover with more hay that is placed inside something like a pillowcase so that the hay doesn't end up in the food.

The hay box can be made in different ways, but the idea behind it is to retain as much heat as possible to finish cooking the meal.

P.S. The "hay box" can be made with foam board insulation instead of hay.

[T. Modesto,PhD]

great explanation. Thank you so much. Think I will get some foam board. Guess if necessary even a large dense pile of leaves and mulch could be used.
TM

[MHSC]

If you are in a warm climate, placing the dutch oven in a hole in the ground covered with hay or rocks can also work in a pinch.

[Laidback Al]

Thread on haybox cooking---

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6187

[Amish Country]

Hi All
I have been prepping for a while but this is my first post to flu trackers. There is A LOT of good info on this site!

The recipes above sound interesting. However we are talking pandemic prep here for multiple waves that may last 18 months. How about more recipes left over from the Great Depression era? The idea being to use as few shelf safe ingredients as possible and S-T-R-E-T-C-H what ever food supplies you have for as long as you can. Like dumping a can of meat and vegetable soup over rice or noodles? How about oat meal and corn meal mush? They may not be gourmet but they are filling, cheap, shelf safe and easy to prepare

[MHSC]

Hi Amish Country,

Welcome to the group!

[sharon sanders]

Welcome Amish Country.

[T. Modesto,PhD]

Hey AC, glad you posted! Good to see you here. Come often and stay long or late or both!.
TM

[Jonesie]

CORN CHOWDER

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn
1 Tablespoon dried onions, or 1 diced onion
2 cans (15 0z each) diced potatoes, drained
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans evaporated milk (do not dilute)
1/3 cup butter (or equivalent dry butter)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, corn, onions and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in evaporated milk and butter until butter is just melted.
Season with salt and pepper (and other favorite spices) and serve at once.

Yield: 8 servings
A delicious comfort food.
Serve with saltine crackers.
Tastes better the next day.

[Jonesie]

SPICEY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

1 Jar spaghetti sauce, any flavor, 24 - 32 oz.
1 Tablespoon dry onion, or 1 medium onion chopped
1 teaspoon dried garlic, or 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 can chicken, turkey, beef, or clams. 8 - 12 oz.
Additional Italian spices & pepper if desired.

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer for 45 minutes.
Serve over cooked pasta.

The sauce tastes better the next day.
Serves 4-6.

[Amish Country]

Hi All
If food supplies have to last for 3 to 18 months then canned meat may become a Sunday treat for many families. A lot of jobs will end during a long term quarantine. Incomes could evaporate or become sporadic along with food supplies. Even today many families may be trying to put together a years supply of food on a shoe string budget. For these reasons my recipes are designed to be cheap, filling, have only a few ingredients and are easy to prepare.

Cornmeal mush
1 cup corn meal
4 cups water
pinch of salt (optional)
Mix the meal with the water using a whisk. Trust me it is great for getting out lumps. Put it on the heat and stir until it thickens. You can eat it as is with a little spread and sweating. Some add cheese for flavor. Pour leftovers into a mold or loaf pan and it will solidify. It can then be fried or just reheated with a little water and a few swipes of the whisk. It will make a hearty breakfast for a family of four or filling side dishes for may be two meals. If you have a feed or grain mill near you that sells cornmeal for human consumption you may be able to buy 25 pound of it for about $13.00.

Millet
1 cup millet
3 cups water
pinch of salt (optional)
Rinse the millet. Put it in a pot with the water and heat it until it is soft. Serve it like Cornmeal mush. Organic millet can be had in my area at $.99 a pound.

Millet loaf
Millet cooked
Lentils cooked
Onion powder (to taste)
Italian seasonings (optional)
Gravy (Canned or powdered)
Take leftover millet and lentils mix them with spices and form them into a loaf. Reheat the loaf in a 325 degree oven till warm. Check after 30 minutes. Make or heat the gravy. Serve the millet loaf with gravy.

[Jonesie]

Originally Posted by Amish Country

Hi All
If food supplies have to last for 3 to 18 months then canned meat may become a Sunday treat for many families. A lot of jobs will end during a long term quarantine. Incomes could evaporate or become sporadic along with food supplies. .

The canned meat I bought from Aldi's is imported from Brazil.
I read somewhere that Hormel has a cannery overseas also.
During a pandemic, should the ports close and the overseas canneries stop production, this meat will not enter the USA ... or other countries.
And the expiration date on my canned meat, hams, fish and bacon is late 2008 and into 2009.

If you rotate meat, see my spaghetti sauce recipe above. It is great in spaghetti sauce & in canned chili beans also...Campbell's soup too.

I sure hope the Campbell Company is able to can meat for distribution in the USA...Anyone know if they do?
I see that they are actively involved in sponsoring meetings for the pre-pandemic efforts.
We will need more domestic canned meats in the USA. We will, after all, lose most of our overseas markets should the ports close.

Can the Purina canneries switch over from canned pet food to canning meat for human consumption and interstate distribution? (They have a great distribution network.)
I imagine Purina and other pet food canneries will lose demand for pet food when the pandemic hits and pets are abandoned. Canning meats for human consumption could offset their losses.
Some people resort to eating canned pet food when times are tough. Can pet shops sell canned meat for human consumption...inexpensively?

This is a problem that should be addressed. A lack of protein in the diet is a main cause of social unrest.

So buy canned meat NOW if you are able.
If you want meat or fish once a week ... over a 3 year pandemic period ... that is about 150 cans.
(Even I don't have that many cans!)

I was counting on my contacts with local cattlemen, auction houses and butchers for a source of meat, but with no transportation, no phone service and no refrigeration, (and no security on the way home)...I can now see my thinking was flawed.
Talk about lackadaisical...I have only 4 cans of ham!
(Denial again)

[T. Modesto,PhD]

I'm wondering if we can negotiate with say Plumrose that does canned hams or some other company if they will offer flutrackers a discount on canned meets.

Also you might want to check in the SHARE Programs. That is a organization that you pay so much a month for food (most of it is fresh or frozen) and you also agree to do volunteer work (say sending out flyers on BF or helping with a group) they also agree that if you help someone out in a non-official manner that is counted as well. The amount of food that you receive is a lot and they even give out recipes to go with the food. My mom was involved in that and she received a lot of food including some meat and lots of veggies for I think it was $14 per month and then for the holidays an additional $20 for a FULL holiday dinner. That was back in 1990s. I just checked and it is now $16 per month. you can order more than one order per month if you want to stretch the food supply further.

This is not a charity program but a food club program for persons in all economic situations. I know that Washington DC (where my mom use to live before she died) has a lot of the sites for pick up and it is offered in numerous places all around the country.

What I am thinking is if you can get your ordinary food cheaper through the Share Program or some other food club program or coop then you can use the savings to put towards the prep needs.

Just called around and SHARE is on a local basis with a number of sites throughout the US that I see. The web site is for the Wisconsin branch.

Here are the sites that are currently available. If one is not near you perhaps you might consider helping to start one! I have a feeling that we will be doing much more of this sort of thing if bf hits.

#

NC, SC, 406 Deep Creek Road, Fayetteville, NC 28301, 910.485.6923 & 1.800.758.6923
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NC, TN, VA, WV, 644 W. Main St., Radford, VA 24141, 540.633.2850
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VA, Newport News, 9912 Hosier St., Newport News, VA 23601, 757.596.7188
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IL, IN, WI, 13111 W. Silver Spring Dr., Butler, WI 53007, 262.783.2500 & 1.800.548.2124
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MD, DC, PA (S), WV, VA Northern & Newport News, 5170 Lawrence Place, Hyattsville, MD 20781, 301.864.3115 & 1.800.217.4273
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FL & GA, 1405 E. 2nd Ave., Tampa, FL 33605, 813.248.3379 & 1.800.536.3379
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NM, 505.565.9054, Espanol: 505.306.3924
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CO, NE, NM, SD, WY, 9360 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80221, 303.428.0400 & 1.800.933.7427
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CO, 9360 Federal Blvd., Denver, CO 80221, 303.428.0400 & 1.800.933.7427
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KA, MO, NE, OK, 215 S.E. Quincy, Topeka, KS 66603-3632, 785.234.6208 & 1.800.SHARE 07
#

Iowa, Missouri, Eastern Nebraska, 1102 South 7th Street, Oskaloosa, IA 52577-0328, 641.673.4000 & 1.800.344.1107
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Illinois & Indiana, 1825 NE Adams St., Peoria, IL 61603, 309.637.0282 & 1.800.637.5508
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WA, 4020 South 56th Street, Mail: Suite 100, Street: #103, Tacoma, WA 98409, 1 (877) 570-7757
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CA, 517 West Bradley, El Cajon, CA 92020, 619-590-1692

Hope it helps some folks. I know that the food is very good and their recipes are tasty. Mom got the best recipe for French Onion Soup that well I could NEVER resist. She also got a great on for stir fry veggies. REally miss her cooking.

Here is the web site for the Wisconsin program club:
http://www.sharewi.org/


What is SHARE?

SHARE is a nonprofit food buying club that offers good, nutritious products at reduced cost through a volunteer-run, community-based distribution system. SHARE’s mission is to build and strengthen community through volunteer service.

SHARE Is for Everyone

Anyone who wants to save money on food and help their community can be a member of SHARE. There are no membership fees or eligibility requirements. Click here to find out how easy it is to start saving!

Save Up to 30–50%

As a member of SHARE, you can save up to 30–50% on many of the same products you would find in a supermarket. SHARE can offer amazing savings because SHARE volunteers help sort, package and distribute the food that SHARE buys in bulk for over 20,000 people.

High Quality Food

SHARE offers a wide variety of frozen meats, fresh produce, other grocery items and club-size packages. You pick the food you want every month from SHARE's monthly order form.

SHARE Is Near You

SHARE serves over 200 communities throughout Wisconsin, northern Illinois and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most likely, SHARE delivers good, nutritious food directly to your community. Click here to find the SHARE site nearest you.

Make Your Community Better

SHARE encourages all forms of volunteer service. Volunteer with your local SHARE food distribution team. Give time to a local community group. Help out at church, a senior center, or in your neighborhood—however you want to make a difference in your community.

Here is the information in Spanish

¿Qué es SHARE?

SHARE es un club de compras de comida que ofrece productos de alta calidad y valor nutritivo a un precio reducido. Funciona a partir de un sistema de distribución basado en la comunidad e impulsado por voluntarios. La misión de SHARE es fortalecer la comunidad a través del servicio voluntario.

SHARE es para todos

Cualquier persona quien quiera ahorrar en los gastos de comida y también ayudar a su comunidad puede participar en SHARE. No hay ningún requisito de ingreso, y tampoco hay cobros para ser miembro. ¡Vea aquí lo fácil que es hacerse miembro!

Ahorre desde 30–50%

Como un miembro de SHARE, Ud. puede ahorrar desde 30% a 50% en los mismos artículos que se venden en los supermercados. SHARE puede ofrecer ahorros tan enormes por dos razones: 1) los voluntarios de SHARE ayudan en el embalaje y distribución de la comida; y 2) SHARE compra la comida por mayor para más de 20,000 personas—igual como un club de compras.

Comida de alta calidad

La mayoría de los artículos en la hoja de pedido de SHARE son como los que Ud. compra en el supermercado: carnes congeladas, frutas y vegetales frescos, cereales, etc. Usted elige la comida que quiere comprar cada mes con la hoja de pedido.

SHARE está cerca

SHARE distribuye comida en más de 200 comunidades a través de: Wisconsin, el norte de Illinois y la Península Superior de Michigan. ¡A lo mejor, SHARE distribuye comida deliciosa y nutritiva directamente a su comunidad! Haga clic aquí para encontrar el sitio de SHARE más cercano.

Sacar adelante a su comunidad


SHARE estimula todo tipo de servicio voluntario, pero no es necesario que Ud. sea voluntario para comprar comida con SHARE. Puede ser parte de su equipo de distribución de comida local. Puede donar su tiempo a un grupo voluntario en su comunidad, que no sea SHARE. Quizás puede ayudar en la iglesia o en el centro de ancianos local. También puede ayudar a una familia en su vecindario.

[DRJJ]

How do I preserve Lemon juice and lemon rind?

[Gnosis]

Reading all these recipies reminds me why I chose to buy MRE's.........WAY TOO MUCH WORK. That said, how's about eightish for dinner, your place not mine

[Laidback Al]

Gnosis, I am not sure I agree with you about MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) being a better choice than preparing and cooking full meals. People who are sheltering in place will have a lot of time on their hands, especially if electronic media infrastructure is down. Planning, preparing, and cooking meals will help while away the hours. The cooking and sharing process might also help family members interact in a positive manner while they are waiting for the food to be ready. Maybe, T Modesto will comment.

I don't think each person opening and eating an individual MRE will foster much of a convivial atmosphere at meal time. Eating and sharing food at meal time with friends and loved ones may be one of the few highlights during a prolonged pandemic.

[Shannon]

This has been an on-going problem with other places I post. I like to cook. And, I believe it will be important (at least in my house) to keep peoples spirits up any way we can. One of the ways I hope to do that is with food. If you don't cook, or if you are on a budget that makes a shoestring squeak, then the above recipes might not be for you. But, for those of us who have had ample time to prepare or you feel that food will be an important part of making life bearable then this is the thread for you.........and me. lol

DRJJ, you asked about lemon juice and lemon rind. Lemon rind can be grated from any lemons you may currently use then dried either in a warm oven, or in a food dryer. You might even be able to dry them on the counter in your kitchen if the air in your home is very dry. Most homes in winter are very dry because of the forced air heating. The other half of your question is also easily answered. You can buy bottled lemon juice from several companies and it is easily found in most large supermarkets. You can also buy a product that sells dried lemon juice called True Lemon. Albertsons carries this product in my part of the world. I find it near the spice area usually. It has a slightly bitter or re-constituted taste to me so I would only use it for serious prepping. Many people however find the taste just fine.

There is another serious drawback to MREs. They are made for soldiers carrying heavy packs and working long hours at intensive labor. They contain a LOT of calories. You could split one for most people. If you plan to use three a day and not do a lot of hard work you are going to end up gaining a tremendous amount of weight. If you have a house filled with teenagers, boys especially, this might be a wise way to go, but for the rest of us we would need to be very careful about portion size.

Hayboxes work even better if you use a large insulated cooler. We used one for a birthday party I catered a couple of days ago. Cook the meal, put 1-2 inches of newspapers in the bottom, set your pot with a tight lid on the paper then fill with pellets used in pellet stoves, close the lid. The food will stay hot for several hours as long as you don't open the lid. You can also put in partially cooked food and it will continue to cook for hours or overnight. Re-heat the food for safety if you plan on leaving the food overnight. If the food temps go down too far you could end up with some nasty organisms growing. This is a very easy, and heat efficient way to prepare many kinds of foods. Anything that requires long cooking, like beans or whole grain wheat, will cook to perfection with a minimum of fuel.

[Amish Country]

About those MRE's.... They may be government surplus and may have been "rotated" out of military storage facilities. So they may not be fresh from the manufacture to you. I am not knocking them. If you have to work and do not have time to dedicate to cooking or extensive or creative prepping but want to put some thing by "Just in case..." hey they may be a perfect fit. They are as my Amish neighbors might say "a little salty" (expensive) when compared to unprocessed dry grains, dried beans and dried pasta.

If flu or some other calamity hits your home during a quarantine it might be a good idea to have some grab and gobble food handy. Food that does not need to heated or fussed with.

As for cheap shelf safe protein: Dried Beans! The whole grain quinwa is also pretty high in protein.

[Gnosis]

Originally Posted by Laidback Al

Gnosis, I am not sure I agree with you about MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) being a better choice than preparing and cooking full meals. People who are sheltering in place will have a lot of time on their hands, especially if electronic media infrastructure is down. Planning, preparing, and cooking meals will help while away the hours. The cooking and sharing process might also help family members interact in a positive manner while they are waiting for the food to be ready. Maybe, T Modesto will comment.

I don't think each person opening and eating an individual MRE will foster much of a convivial atmosphere at meal time. Eating and sharing food at meal time with friends and loved ones may be one of the few highlights during a prolonged pandemic.

No argument there. Good points. I made the decision to make the majority of the stored food MRE's, with canned etc. also available. I liked the idea of high nutrition, simplicity in preparation, good taste for the most part, and if infrastructure really craps out, I can cook/eat without electricity or gas. They are easier to transport if I am bugging out as well.

[Gnosis]

Originally Posted by Amish Country

About those MRE's.... They may be government surplus and may have been "rotated" out of military storage facilities. So they may not be fresh from the manufacture to you. I am not knocking them. If you have to work and do not have time to dedicate to cooking or extensive or creative prepping but want to put some thing by "Just in case..." hey they may be a perfect fit. They are as my Amish neighbors might say "a little salty" (expensive) when compared to unprocessed dry grains, dried beans and dried pasta.

If flu or some other calamity hits your home during a quarantine it might be a good idea to have some grab and gobble food handy. Food that does not need to heated or fussed with.

As for cheap shelf safe protein: Dried Beans! The whole grain quinwa is also pretty high in protein.

Agreed, and on the aging MRE's, be sure to buy the freshest "lot" possible.
P.S. I lived among the Amish for years and have many friends I miss. The best kind of folks.

[Laidback Al]

Originally Posted by Gnosis

.... and if infrastructure really craps out, I can cook/eat without electricity or gas. They are easier to transport if I am bugging out as well.

This indeed will be the issue in a populated area. There have been many discussions about masking the smell of cooking food when no one else around you has a fuel source. In that case, MRE will provide the nutrition without advertising your stores and supplies.