How Do You Store Freeze-dried Food?
As an advanced prepper, you know that freeze-dried foods can play an important role in providing high quality shelf-stable meals to sustain you and your family in an emergency.
Fortunately, the quality and selection of commercially available freeze-dried products for food storage has dramatically improved over the last few years.
However, some of these products can be pricey, and given that you’re looking at purchasing food items designed to last for decades, you need to shop wisely to make sure that you meet your needs—without breaking your budget. Here are some tips to help save you money on freeze dried food, without having to sacrifice quality.
1. Try to buy in bulk:
While it may appear to be cheaper to purchase smaller quantities of freeze dried foods to build up your food storage, the truth is that you are probably paying more per unit than you would if you bought the same items in a larger quantity.
While the added shipping expense should always be factored in when buying food storage items online, these costs can often be offset due to the extended shelf-life of freeze dried foods, some of which last indefinitely.
In addition, as you shop around, you’ll discover that many companies offer substantial savings for larger packages, including special discounts and free shipping.
2. Try before you buy:
Sure, your freeze dried food storage will be ready to go even decades from now, but it won’t do you any good if no one wants to eat it.
To make sure that your food storage will be palatable for all, you’ll want to take it on a taste bud test drive. And due to the competitive nature of selling freeze dried food online, almost every company is offering free samples.
Although they may charge you a small shipping fee, it’s a small price to pay to make sure that the food you’ll be investing in will be palatable and pleasing to your family. Just as grocery store brands may vary when it comes to quality and taste, not all freeze dried emergency food is created equal.
3. Try making your own freeze dried food storage:
Although the idea of freeze drying your own meals for emergency storage may seem a little extreme, by searching the internet you’ll find that there are some fairly simple ways to effectively freeze dry certain types of foods for long term storage.
For example, you can purchase many fruits and vegetables on sale that are ideal for freeze drying, and when you find these good deals, you can easily freeze dry the food at home with a cooler, freezer bags, dry ice and gloves. While this option may not be for everyone, it can be a very budget-friendly way to increase your emergency food storage.
4. Try buying freeze dried foods individually instead of complete meals:
While complete freeze dried meals are very convenient, you may be able to get freeze dried emergency foods less expensively by buying a specific food or product individually.
This approach can work well in giving you more control over what your family members will eat, particularly if some are picky eaters or have special dietary needs. Budget wise, another benefit of buying specific freeze dried food items is that you can make your own meals less expensively by using bulk ingredients and then use the freeze dried foods to augment the meal with a tasty treat.
Desserts are just one of many food categories that freeze dried food companies have dramatically improved upon over the years.
5. Try setting realistic food storage goals:
When strategizing the best way to go about emergency food storage, you need to set realistic goals. One of the best approaches is to ask key questions such as: How long do I really need to prepare for? How much do I (we) really need? Does my food storage adequately address the nutritional needs of all concerned?
How much of my budget can I realistically put toward food storage? These questions and others will help you to avoid over preparing and over spending, at the same giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, in the event of an emergency, you will be prepared.
