Category Archives: Food Storage

Happy Customers, Prepared for Life

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It’s always exciting to receive customer feedback, especially when it’s customer feedback that confirms everything we’ve been saying about PrepareWise’s superiority to other emergency food for so long. Admittedly, we are a little biased. But you, as people simply trying to find the best quality and value in emergency food, are pretty fair-minded. So when you tell us our product is good, it has to be true.

Here is some feedback we received recently from Mark, an experienced prepper and happy buyer of PrepareWise emergency foods:

 

We received our PrepareWise food order on Monday morning. The shipping was free and the delivery time faster than several other vendors we have used in the past. We decided to try it right away for lunch because our morning was full of work.

As we began to prepare lunch, we looked at the buckets and realized several very innovative features: the bucket tops are designed to mate with the bottom of other buckets, creating a more stable stack, and the lids do not come off all the way, creating a better seal and no chance for damaging or misplacing the lid. All the foods are immaculately packaged in thick mylar, contain oxygen absorbers, and are vacuum-sealed.

The ingredients are clearly listed on each package, and to our amazement we can pronounce the names of all the ingredients. We have yet to find a label with an artificial or unhealthy ingredient.

Preparation was easy: Bring water to a boil, pour in food, and cook for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally.

We tried the fettuccini alfredo. I can tell you that I have had several other competing brands’ fettuccini alfredo and was sorely disappointed. Frankly, yours was delicious. We are now trying to unload some of the other companies’ food so we can buy more PrepareWise. My children, mother-in-law, and wife all commented on the deep flavor and great seasoning. We tried it plain without the addition of any seasoning or meat and it was great. My eight-year-old son suggested that we add chicken so we opened a can of white chicken meat, and it was filling and delicious. It was one of the quietest lunches we have ever had. The kids were too busy eating to talk. We liked it so much we had dinner last night and breakfast this morning from our PrepareWise foods inventory. We want to eat the food now so when we have no choice later it is familiar and expected.

Thanks for developing a relationship with Legacy Foods. We have already told several friends about the food and will be purchasing more next month. Not only is the food delicious, but PrepareWise is the best value for the dollar I have found the past five years of prepping.

Thanks,

Mark and the LoneStar Posse

Thank you, Mark, for the thumbs-up. We work hard to offer the highest quality ingredients and create the best-tasting emergency food available. We also think it’s vital that food storage be easy to prepare and convenient to store. It validates everything we do here when we hear from customers that we are fulfilling our mission and helping you in your efforts to provide well for your family.

We can talk forever about PrepareWise food storage and tout its superiority, but it’s never going to mean the same thing to you as when you hear it from a fellow customer.  Trust Mark—Once you try it, you’re going to have a hard time saving it for later.

Doomsday Preppers: Over the top or on top of it?

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“I’m preparing for a coronal mass ejection in 2012”

“I’ve spent the better part of my life preparing for a nuclear holocaust”

“I’m preparing for a world-wide economic breakdown”

If you’ve seen an episode of Doomsday Preppers you know just how seriously these preppers take their doomsday predictions. Stockpiles of guns and ammo, gas masks, radiation suits, underground bunkers, and wood-fueled pickup trucks are just a few of the extreme measures they’ve taken in order to prepare themselves for a day they’re sure will come-the day that will change life as we know it, leaving us all in a battle for survival.

It’s clear the show is meant to be a sensational look at these extreme characters. We’re meant to gawk, gasp and shake our heads in wide-eyed amazement at the repeated image of a 3 year old running drills to shave seconds off the time it takes to don full radiation gear, or the family gathered around the dinner table anxious to enjoy their evening meal- a giant pot of crickets. It makes for great television! I’ll admit, I get a real kick out of seeing these intense people detailing their elaborate plans (and equally elaborate backup plans…. not to mention their complex tertiary plans) with such pride and confidence, it’s truly astonishing! However, only part of me is laughing at the absurdity. Another (rather large) part of me is struck with admiration. I find myself taking mental note of ideas I want to implement into my own emergency preparedness plan.

That guy has seven years worth of food stored?!! I have roughly one year of food storage…… Wouldn’t hurt to make it two….

Bug out plans, eh? Yeah, we could definitely use a bug out plan….

 A completely self-sustaining food supply…impressive! I’m not about to start my own fish farm-tilapia EVERY night seems a bit much-but I really should store some seeds, at the very least…

So, while I may turn it on for the pure entertainment of it all, I always walk away with a quiet determination to do a little more prepping myself.

As with anything in life, balance is the key. The way I see it, most of the catastrophic events these preppers describe leave little chance for even the most thoroughly devised plans to be successful. What are the chances you will actually survive the initial unexpected blow? If you do, will your provisions be so lucky? Will roads exist to get you from point A to point B. And if you do find your safe haven, can you really expect to defend your preparations against desperate and deadly looters? I have to wonder if even the most expert planning could leave you little better off than anyone else in the face of an all-encompassing global catastrophe like those described on the show.

So, is there a point leading up to which, prepping is prudent, but after which, prepping is play? There are many, many smaller scale emergencies with much higher likelihood that everyone would be wise to plan for. I suspect the individuals profiled on the show started with this in mind and simply developed a passion for prepping.

Many hobbies- golf, gaming, Civil War reenactment, Iron Man competition, to name a few- have a way of shaping a person’s lifestyle, dominating their thoughts, time and resources. An avid hobbyist delights in gathering every available nugget of information out there and enjoys even the toil involved as they become fully immersed in their passion. No doubt these preppers are genuinely convinced of the necessity of their extreme preparations, but underneath it all, I think they just really like this stuff. They like playing nature survivalist, medic, soldier, farmer, and so on. I don’t judge the person who eats, drinks, and sleeps football, so to the Doomsday Preppers, I say prep on!

As for me, I take seriously the task of preparing my family for the unknown, keeping water, food, and medical supplies to the tune of six months to a year stored for a rainy day. There’s definitely more I can do and learn without danger of going overboard and I thank these extreme preppers for providing motivation to do so sooner than later! That said, I don’t plan on living a post-apocalyptic lifestyle until I live in a post-apocalyptic world. I am determined to enjoy the world I currently live in while I still can! It is for each of us to determine the right balance between preparing for the worst that is to come and embracing with gratitude the fortunate circumstances we enjoy today.

The Time for Emergency Food is Now

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Do you ever feel like your to-do list will never end? That’s because it won’t. Every day there is more that needs to be done, and sometimes it seems impossible to keep up. It is easy to bump emergency food to the bottom of the list until the day we need it. The problem is that we never know when that will be. Waiting to purchase emergency food until we need it doesn’t work, for obvious reasons. Preparing now is important.

At times we receive a warning or a simple reminder that trouble can come at any time.  For example, when a hurricane is on the horizon, we are given a few days warning time to prepare. Gentle reminders also come in the form of natural disasters or problems that arise in other nations, such a Japan’s earthquake last March.  But those who wait for disaster to strike or warning signs to begin their emergency preparation may find that the store shelves are empty and the gas stations are closed.

Even with all of the things on our lists, we must somehow make emergency food storage a priority. In times of crisis, it all comes down to loved ones, food, water, and shelter, everything else is secondary. Can you imagine trying to find these basic necessities if disaster came?  What would you do?  Would you be able to face your children and loved ones and explain that you have nothing to give them?

So let’s move something off of our lists this week to make room for emergency preparation. Basic emergency preparation can be done anytime you are buying groceries for your family.  Pick up a couple extra cans of soup or vegetables or a small first aid kit.  Buy some extra batteries for your flashlights and portable radios.  Most importantly, do something. By doing something, we will create peace of mind for ourselves and our loved ones.

Legacy Premium and a Happy New Year!

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As we embark into 2012, PrepareWise would like to announce its newest partner and explain why we have switched to the Legacy Premium line of emergency food storage products.

First off, Legacy Premium Food Storage was created by the same good people who started the “Bear Creek” brand of soup and chili mixes, as well as “Sawyer’s Premium”.  With over 20 years of gourmet food-making experience, Legacy Premium’s line of long-lasting emergency food is the new industry standard in taste and value.

With a greater variety of entrees and breakfasts than the competition, Legacy makes sure that you have a wide range of flavors to choose from.  In addition to entrees, Legacy has delicious side dishes and refreshing drink mixes to add more variety to your emergency meals.  The ultimate complement is the Freeze-Dried Meat pouches, which allow you to add real meat to your entrees for additional protein and calories. In addition to the large variety of meals, Legacy Premium is proud to provide gluten-free meals!  We are happy to finally be able to provide 10 different gluten-free meal options for those with special dietary needs.

Every Legacy meal is packaged in a sealed Mylar pouch that is flushed with nitrogen to ensure a long-lasting product.  When stored correctly, this allows the food to last for up to 25 years!  To protect the Mylar pouches, 15-20 pouches are placed in stackable plastic buckets ranging in size from two gallons all the way up to eight gallons.  The six serving Mylar pouches allow you to eat a small portion of your food storage without compromising the rest.  In comparison, the traditional #10 tin can food storage has to be eaten soon after opening, often meaning a large amount of your emergency food supply will go to waste!  We feel that the six serving Mylar pouch is a much smarter and more convenient way to store your emergency food.

Finally, the biggest benefit we found with Legacy is the price!  While many companies focus on cost per serving, they ignore the fact that serving sizes often differ.  By comparing the cost per calorie you can more accurately compare what you are actually paying for.  Legacy once again shined by having the lowest cost per calorie in the industry, meaning you get the most food storage possible for your hard earned dollar!

With greater variety, better packaging, and the best value in the industry, we are excited to offer Legacy Premium food storage. To wish you a Happy New Year we’re offering a 10% discount on the already discounted prices on our website.  Enter the promo code “Friend10” by January 25th, 2012 to receive your discount!

Thanks again for being a big part of the PrepareWise community; we truly appreciate all of your support.

My Emergency and What I Learned

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I could have sworn that my windows and walls were going to rip down and fly away. Looking out my windows I saw shingles, Christmas ornaments, and everything else that wasn’t tied to the ground was flying through the air. I watched a small tree fly through my neighbor’s 2nd story window and into his home.  The news said that the wind speeds were “only” between 80 and 103 miles per hour, which just happens to be considered a class 2 hurricane. The wind felt and sounded like it was moving much faster than that, though. My daughters were upset and scared, and one even fell down and split here head open after something banged against our house. Power was gone. The wind coming down off the mountain was bitter cold, colder than anything I have ever been in. If my windows blew out I was in big trouble…

This was my situation a week ago. The winds lasted about an entire day, with another decent storm a couple days later. Power was out in some neighborhoods for 48 hours or more. Thousands of trees were knocked down.  I was amazed that wind could rip sixty foot tall pine trees out, roots and all.  Other trees were snapped in half, literally broken in the middle of the trunk.   Windows were broken. Almost every home for several miles was missing shingle, and several roofs were ripped from the home itself. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants were shut down. People couldn’t gas up. Everything was shut down for several days.

My emergency taught me a few good lessons. It caught me off guard and made me think more about preparing for a major emergencies and disasters.

I first awoke in the middle of the night to my house shaking from the wind and realized that my power was off. Our home was very cold, so I ran to check on my little girls and make sure that they were still sleeping and not scared. I then tried to find lights and much to my dismay, I discovered that my kids had used the flashlights in their playing and had drained the batteries. I finally found a couple battery operated lanterns in the garage. Once I had light, my focus shifted to addressing the cold and ensuring that everyone was going to stay warm. I fortunately kept a heater that could be used in my home in the garage. It was a small heater so it only warmed a single room up, but at least we had something. I stumbled around the rest of the day waiting out the storm and praying that my home wouldn’t blow over. We had plenty of food in the fridge, and luckily we didn’t need to tap into our emergency food reserves.  Through the whole experience, I felt helpless and was scared for the safety of my wife and 3 little girls.

From this experience, I have created a list of what I plan to do differently in the future and have started to ensure that I have everything ready:

  1. Make sure that I have plenty of extra batteries for flashlights.  Also, I found a wind up flashlight that has a small hand crank to ensure that there is always going to be light in my home.
  2. Keep a generator that can power some of basic utilities and make sure that I have adequate fuel on hand.
  3. Purchase a large heater or more small heaters should power go out. One of my neighbors had a really nice kerosene heater that can heat up 3000 square feet.  There are several nice options out there, do a little research to find what works best for you.
  4. Make sure my cars are full of gas before anticipated storms or during times of likely issues, or have a few gallons on hand just in case.
  5. Be prepared to evacuate if necessary by keeping emergency bags with clothing and other items available. We have some small 72 hour kits that have blankets, food, and medical kits.
  6. Buy a large tent and other camping items so that I have shelter. We have sleeping bags already, which came in handy keeping everyone warm during the storm.
  7. Try and have a few weeks worth of medications on hand.
  8. Keep some water available for immediate use, keep water filters available for additional water needs, and have adequate food storage around for at least three months should things be bad enough that it is necessary.
  9. Have some cash stored away for an emergency, even if it is just a couple hundred dollars.

I never want to worry like that again. I, like most of us, will need to prepare one item at a time. But that’s what I’ll do. I suggest we all be prepared for whatever might come. In the case of an emergency, we don’t want to be reliant upon the government, neighbors, family, or friends to help us. We should be in a position to help others.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Is there ROI in Food Storage?

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Outside of the peace of mind that comes from being well prepared with your emergency food storage, is there an actual ROI, or Return On Investment, for food storage? While we hope that we never have to completely depend on our food storage to survive, food insecurity is on the rise and over a billion people worldwide suffer from hunger and undernutrition.  Even here in the United States, our food supply is not guaranteed and hinges on a very delicate balance, so the real ROI in food storage comes if we ever are forced to use it to survive. Take a look below at some interesting facts about how disasters have affected some peoples’ food supply and what shape our country is currently in.  Get prepared and be ready for whatever may come so that you can help yourself and those around you.

Is there ROI in Food Storage

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Food Storage Containers and When to Use Them

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There are several different types of food storage containers, each with it’s own set of uses, pros and cons.  Knowing that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and there will be lots of leftovers, we wanted to take a look at some of the different containers available and get an idea of what works best for both short and long term food storage.

Long Term

Since long term food storage is an area that we are very confident in, we decided to start here.

  1. Plastic Buckets – These are great for storing large quantities of food, as they come in sizes that range from one to ten gallons, and even on up to 55-gallon water buckets.  These are great at keeping mice from your food, stack easily on top of each other, and relatively inexpensive.  They may also serve as a floatation device in event of flooding (we aren’t sure about the efficacy, but someone told us it worked!).
  2. #10 Cans – Small, not too heavy, sit nicely on a shelf.  Food is kept safe from insects and rodents, the cans are also sturdy and airtight.  If you have had a car for over 10 years, you know that metal rusts, so keep these away from water.  Also, new reports have surfaced this week saying that metal lining in food containers may contain BPA, which is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and heart disease.  We aren’t sure if this applies to #10 cans, but be careful and do some research.
  3. Mylar Bags – These are less expensive than buckets or #10 cans and great for storing emergency food.  The bags are airtight and keep insects out.  They aren’t quite as sturdy as a bucket or #10 can, and mice could chew through them if they are left out in the open.  If stored in a plastic bucket, you then have a double layer of protection to ensure that your food lasts and rodents can’t get in it.

Short Term

 

  1. Plastic Containers – Plastic containers come in many shapes and sizes, are different levels of thickness.  There are many companies that produce them and swear that theirs are the best.  Many plastic containers have re-sealable lids and can be washed easily.  Find stronger grade plastics for longer storage terms and keep them in rodent free areas.  We also encourage you to look for products that are BPA-Free.
  2. Glass Containers – Some people like to skip plastic altogether and just use glass products.  They are good at keeping out chemicals from your food, recyclable, very easy to clean, and almost always dishwasher safe.  They cost a bit more than plastic products and have a tendency to break when the fall of a countertop or shelf, but they are a great way to store food.

Regardless of how you prefer to store food, there are many options available to you.  Take the time to research and look into whatever products you are using so that you can ensure that your food storage, be it short or long term, will be protected and edible when you open it for consumption.

We hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of laughter, love, and great food!

Food Storage Fun for Halloween

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In honor of Halloween today we wanted to share a few fun ideas for how to use your food storage this Halloween. The key to these ideas is to use your imagination and get creative!  It is also a great way to get your kids involved in cooking. If you search for Halloween treat recipes you are sure to find many different fun and spooky ideas but here are a few of our favorites.

When I was growing up I went to a friend’s house for a Halloween themed dinner where we are eyeball salad, witches brew in pumpkin bread bowls, and had graveyard pudding for desert.  So much fun themed food and it was all easy to make!

Eyeball Salad:

This is just a fruit salad with green grapes peeled and you can use some red food coloring to make them bloody eyes if you want.

Witches brew:

This was just chicken noodle soup that she put in pumpkin shaped bread bowls she bought at the store.

Graveyard Pudding:

This was chocolate pudding with cookies crumbled over top and plastic body parts coming out of it.

A few of your food storage items could be used in these recipes but here are some other great ideas!

Mummy Pizzas:

You can use items from your long term food storage to make some delicious pizza dough and then if you happen to have pizza sauce in your storage you can use that but you will need some cheese and other items for your kids to decorate their individual pizzas.  Allow them to add whatever topping they want and use long strips of cheese to look like mummy wrapping and use olives or pepperoni for the eyes.

Pumpkin Bread or Cookies:

This is the perfect time of year to bust out your canned pumpkin and use it to create a yummy treat!  You can make your pumpkin bread into the shape of a jack-o-lantern or even turn your pumpkin cookies into individual pumpkins that your kids can then decorate.

The key is to have fun with your everyday food and turn it into Halloween treats.  What other ideas do you have to share?

Turn a Cardboard Box Into an Oven for Your Emergency Food Storage

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What do you think of when I mention foods like homemade cinnamon rolls, biscuits, muffins, cookies, mini pizzas and cobblers? For me, these are all comfort foods. Home baked goodies always seem to lift spirits and make people smile, and they may be items that you thought you had to forget about in your long term food storage. After all, baking requires an oven, and an oven usually requires electricity or gas, which may be a problem in the aftermath of a disaster. I will explain how to make a very simple oven that bakes as well as the oven in your home, using items that are already in your food storage.

You will need a cardboard box for the oven, and you can use it to store some of your survival supplies in the meantime. Use a sturdy box, such as a box that holds ten reams of paper at the office supply store or a produce box. Thicker cardboard works best. It should be big enough to fit a small baking tray, but not so big that you cannot control the heat. Remember to only use this oven outdoors, and never in an enclosed space.

How to Build the Oven

•  Empty the box and line it with heavy duty aluminum foil, inside and out. Be sure to cover it completely, leaving no cardboard exposed. This is important so that the cardboard doesn’t ignite. Be sure to face the foil shiny side out to reflect the heat.

•  Secure the foil with duct tape on the outside of the box. Never use tape or glue on the inside so as to avoid toxic fumes.

•  Place a sheet of foil on level ground, bigger than the box. You may need to fold two pieces together, deli style, to make it bigger. Make sure that you are well away from any other combustable materials such as grass, bushes, trees or even your tent.

•  Place four used soup cans or soda cans on the foil so they will support each corner of the baking tray. Fill the cans with stones or sand to help stabilize them. This will also help hold the heat.

•  Place charcoal briquettes in the center of the foil and light them. I recommend not using self-starting charcoal, as this adds a chemical taste to the food. A good rule of thumb is to use one briquette for every 45 degrees of heat listed in the recipe (ie. 8 or 9 briquettes for 375 degrees.) You can use big coals from a campfire instead, though this will require a bit more finesse to control the heat and may smoke more than charcoal.

•  Wait until the coals are white to start baking. This is an indication that the coals are giving off optimum heat. Spread the coals evenly on the foil

•  Gently set the baking sheet containing your treats onto the cans.

•  Carefully place the box, upside down, over the baking tray and coals.

•  Prop one short end of the box up with a couple of small stones for air circulation.

Allow the items to cook for the time specified on the recipe for a conventional oven. Resist the urge to peek, as this will cause valuable heat to escape. When you do check, lift the box slowly and carefully. It would be a shame to knock those delicious treats into the dirt. You may have to stoke the oven with additional coals for longer baking times, but make sure the coals are white hot before placing them in the oven.

Building an outdoor oven is that simple. There are more elaborate designs available, with doors and racks, but this one gets the job done and uses items that you already have stored. Find recipes or mixes for your long term food storage that call for adding water only, because the chances of having fresh eggs are slim.

Practice using the oven to figure out baking times, and experiment with some of your family favorites. Have fun and let the kids help. They can even draw the features of a real oven on the foil with a pen. Your food storage should certainly contain freeze dried food with a long shelf life that is simple to prepare, but having some home baked comfort food available will make your survival situation more tolerable.

-Gary Jenkins-

Gary Jenkins is a father and husband living in Oregon who is a wildlife rehabilitation and outdoor adventure enthusiast.