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We butcher all our wild game. Not the hog we get- a guy about 1 1/2 hour from me does that and he is a master.
Freezer, soups, stews or jerky. It's all good.
I am ashamed of myself. I may know how to ferment, dry, can, cure and smoke. I can identify and use over a hundred wild plants, process and eat them. I know how to fish, and clean them . I know how to butcher a chicken in minutes. I know in theory how to make a snare and I know in practice that acorns and black walnuts make great bait. Even the green hulls from black walnuts attract them. I even know how to eat the bait , which is why I know.
..I am recovering from my parents who raised us with TV dinners, Tang and Cheese Wiz..... I am happy to say even in my teens I revolted.
I really need to step up and at least buy a half hog and butcher it myself. Damn you...
I was going to comment, but didn't want to sound like a negative Nellie. Dehydrating food isn't really "long term" storage. It's a shorter-term food preservation similar to canning. Mixing oxygen absorbers and silica packs are frequently self defeating (the oxygen absorbers require moisture to function, and silica packs remove said moisture). But in the case of the jerky, its probable the meat had retained enough moisture to allow the oxygen absorber to work. That is not something I have experience with.
But if your strategy is working for you, I don't see any reason to stop.
In my experience, the cost of acquiring food and then converting it into a form that is acceptable for long-term storage costs more than just buying food (like freeze dried food) that is already packaged for long-term storage, even compared to growing/raising the food yourself.
We do have some food in long-term storage, but mostly we just raise and eat food as it becomes available. This doesn't require any type of storage, but not everybody can live in the tropics where there are no winters when food can't be grown.
First I agree that manufactured emergency food has it place. I need a buffer until such time I can develop efficiencies even with things I know how to do. I have industrial emergency food as well.
Some foods store just fine. Pemmican is shelf stable for example. And canned food lasts a lot longer than advertised. The really bad stuff is denatured with heat.
In a power outage you can watch a freezer full of meat spoil or start making confits, jerk , ferment salt etc. No need to be fancy with oxygen absorption. All you need is a paper towel and steel wool and just a touch of moisture in a bag. Better than nothing ....
What will the stores run out of first? probably not anything in the freezer. All that can be preserved while other people buy all the canned food.
Also when it all runs out , what then? Knowing preservation well is an advantage.
......this morning, I found one of my powdered milk bags punctured as I was leaving for work. For the time being, I picked it up and put it in a large Gamma container, one of the ones holding pinto beans. So, two things.
First, I tend to swear by Gamma containers. Have at least 4 of them, will probably get more for the emergency dog food supply (ie, found lost dogs), and am now thinking of having a spare or two around (in addition to standard storage) for such emergencies like this morning. The question is....is Gamma the best answer as is anything else?
Secondly, for the "split milk", I am thinking of double bagging it in gallon baggies.....or should I just duct tape that Wally World bag?
I bought four gamma lids and all of them are defective. There is a tiny hole from a manufacturing defect in the very center of each of them. I didn't notice it until after the return period had passed. I tried contacting them for their "warranty" and it went nowhere. I'll never buy one again.
Stuff in a freezer doesn't deteriorate fast, just don't open it. It will stay cold and safe for 2-3 days. Mine was still rock hard after 4 days.
You can buy dry ice or block ice to keep your food cold in the refrigerator, if you think the power will be out for a long time.
Canning skills come very handy. Lot of food can be canned. I have ready to eat meats with gravy in many jars stored in the pantry.
Have pantry full of cans, dry goods like breakfast cereal, peanut butter, nuts, whole wheat crackers, snack bars, as well as powdered milk and beverages that don't require refrigeration PLUS manual can opener...
Mastermacher vacuum packed bread stays fresh and delicious for over a year.
"First, I tend to swear by Gamma containers. Have at least 4 of them"
I have 20 or more Gamma lids (most any bucket will work). Gammas are nice, pricey but nice. However recycled food grade buckets are just as good or better, and cheaper...$4.50 for bucket and lid. Mine have a child proof tab that must be depressed before the top unscrews.
When I was buying Gamma lids, the cheapest on line source I found was freckleface.com.
As for recycled food grade buckets, most fast food places will sell them for a couple of $$ each, with standard snap on lid.... just buy a gamma lid for easy opening.
Just a quick note. A USDA rep told me to wrap my food first in plastic wrap, then freezer paper. He said the big enemy of frozen food is air. The more air is excluded, the longer the food will avoid freezer burn and the better it will taste.
I usually don't blanch my ears of corn, just freeze them. I don't find there is much difference in taste. Any opinions?
Just a quick note. A USDA rep told me to wrap my food first in plastic wrap, then freezer paper. He said the big enemy of frozen food is air. The more air is excluded, the longer the food will avoid freezer burn and the better it will taste.
I usually don't blanch my ears of corn, just freeze them. I don't find there is much difference in taste. Any opinions?
We've only done this short term (a few months) but freezing corn fresh off the stalk and unshucked in the husk tastes almost like fresh corn once it thaws, shucked, and then heated enough to melt butter on it.
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