[justin22885]

It seems to me like the contents of an MRE or other type of ration are not all that hard to find available as individual components. But has anyone ever packaged up what would be the equivalent of an MRE in a manner that would allow for long term storage, and still contain an adequate amount of nutrients in them?

If so, what did you use, how did you package it, and what was the nutritional value/calories of each package?

 

[lasers]

A couple months ago there was a thread about homemade MRE's

I don't consider it an MRE but my go to tends to be a tin of sardines and a sleeve of crackers. They are good cold. Are delicious if you are hungry. But aren't so good that I use as a convenient snack when I am not really hungry. (if they taste too good I would end up eating them right away and not have them when I need them)

A can of ravioli, with or without crackers, also fits the bill nicely. Heated it is good if hungry. When served not heated it is nowhere near as good. A 1 pound can is about 300 calories and cost's less than $1

 

[IamZeke]

Homemade rations are a fairly common topic if you search for them.

People need to remember that not even military MREs are capable of actual long term storage. In the very best storage conditions you can get 5 years, which is hard to make happen and still only mid term storage.

So you need a replacement rotation plan.

Old C-Rations lasted a lot longer because they relied on cans. If you want the shelf life like those old rations you have to use their methods. Fortunately this portion control craze has a lot of meat options on single serving cans for sale in stores. The rest of your meal is going to take a lot of hunting and creativity.

Packaging can be heavy duty mylar or vacuum bags for holding the meal together and ruggedizing it, but not for adding shelf life.

 

[tractorfarmer123]

I have some freeze dried meals and buy just the entrees. I wanted something for breakfast and don't want to pay $10 for some eggs or granola, so I got some pancake mix and sealed up some pancake mix in single serving size with a pouch of dried fruit and chopped nuts and a small bottle of water. Not really an MRE, but if I want breakfast on the go, I just need to heat up a pan.

I do some canning, but would not trust myself to cook up food and be able to safely can it and store it for any length of time. Most of the MREs have a long list of preservatives. Easier for me to just buy cans of soup, chili, and tuna.

 

[IamZeke]

I have some freeze dried meals and buy just the entrees. I wanted something for breakfast and don't want to pay $10 for some eggs or granola, so I got some pancake mix and sealed up some pancake mix in single serving size with a pouch of dried fruit and chopped nuts and a small bottle of water. Not really an MRE, but if I want breakfast on the go, I just need to heat up a pan.

I do some canning, but would not trust myself to cook up food and be able to safely can it and store it for any length of time. Most of the MREs have a long list of preservatives. Easier for me to just buy cans of soup, chili, and tuna.

Pancake mix dies after a year or two, regardless of how you package it. Most premixed bread/cake/batter/etc items come from the factory with a built-in time clock for failure.

 

[Major Mjolnir]

...Fortunately this portion control craze has a lot of meat options on single serving cans for sale in stores. The rest of your meal is going to take a lot of hunting and creativity. ...

Exactly. Unfortunately as a general rule smaller serving cans translates to higher portion prices. This is a 'snip' of a spreadsheet I keep for some of the high fat/high calorie canned goods I stock for short term prepping. As an old single man with a dog I tend to go for items that we can eat in one or two meals should the need arise.
All of the items except the two marked Amazon are from Walmart and of course there could be some daily variations in price.

 

[Hammer 1]

I'm going to work on a dehydrated red beans and rice recipe. Just need to figure if I need to use minute rice or dehydrate my cooked rice. The sausage will be pressure canned


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IamZeke]

I'm going to work on a dehydrated red beans and rice recipe. Just need to figure if I need to use minute rice or dehydrate my cooked rice. The sausage will be pressure canned


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Minute rice is cooked and dehydrated rice. The only difference is whether you or the factory makes it.

 

[justin22885]

yeah, whats the difference on storage time between normal uncooked rice, and cooked/dehydrated?

ive been trying to find some portioned size meat, but most of what I could find is like spam singles, which is 2.5oz (i think two would be needed per meal), and thats packed in a vacuum sealed bag so I don't know what the shelf life on that would be, I haven't checked

Looking at old rations, it would seem most of the meat products were completely dehydrated, then packed into a can, but what did they use to kill off microbes before packaging it because a lot of the items you see could not have been packaged hot

i am also wondering how long individually packaged drink mixes would last, like instant coffee, hot cocoa, etc, if packed into a storage container with other items.. probably closer to C-ration style

 

[Nomad 2nd]

I can and dehydrate often.

 

[Rett]

It seems to me like the contents of an MRE or other type of ration are not all that hard to find available as individual components. But has anyone ever packaged up what would be the equivalent of an MRE in a manner that would allow for long term storage, and still contain an adequate amount of nutrients in them?
I
If so, what did you use, how did you package it, and what was the nutritional value/calories of each package?

Heavy rations or light rations?

 

[IamZeke]

yeah, whats the difference on storage time between normal uncooked rice, and cooked/dehydrated?

Both are about the same, though moisture is more of a threat to dehydrated.