There are several markets that are booming in the current economic climate, and one of those is emergency preparedness and food storage. People are quickly realizing that fiat dollars and credit cards won’t feed the family, and are working quickly to stock up on needed supplies. Many people are flying blind in their pursuit of food storage, and are unsure as to what to store.
Filling this niche and marketing themselves to these customers (and others), several companies offering freeze-dried products have begun to more aggressively promote their products and fill a need in the marketplace. I looked into several companies based in Utah, and ultimately ended up making a small purchase through Tomorrow’s Harvest.
There are a few reasons why I chose to acquire some freeze-dried food to begin with, and a couple reasons why I chose Tomorrow’s Harvest over their competitors.
I don’t believe that freeze-dried food should be one’s only food storage acquisition. I know one individual who purchased an entire year’s worth of freeze-dried food and subsequently checked his “year supply” task off his list. I think that this is unwise for a few reasons: 1) Diversification in any storage situation is important, 2) Supplementing the nutritional value of freeze-dried food is never a bad option, and 3) It encourages sloth when one thinks that he is “done” simply by making a single purchase and putting it on the shelf.
I do, however, think that freeze-dried food is a great way to supplement one’s overall food storage strategy. In the event of a TEOTWAWKI scenario, people will have rattled nerves and depleted energy. Having to cook meals out of basic staples is not my idea of fun, and I’d rather spend my time in more productive pursuits. For that reason, it’s important that I have some quick, easy-to-make meal options on hand to accommodate those days when I don’t want to spend a couple hours preparing my meals. Additionally, your other food storage items (rice, beans, wheat, etc.) can be integrated into the freeze-dried meals to add nutritional value and flavor.
Properly stored, freeze-dried food can last over 20 years. This rivals your basic food items such as rice and beans, and provides a great way to stock up on some easy meals for the long term. I chose Tomorrow’s Harvest over some of the other companies because the meal selection they provided sounded more appetizing than what others had listed, and in addition, they provide fruits and vegetables as part of their kit. An added bonus is their “Grab ‘n Go Bags”, included with your purchase, which consists of four mylar bags with 11 servings in each. These are handy for your bugout situations where you need to leave in a hurry—simply grab a bag or two (or four) and you’ll have an easy meal solution by simply heating up some water.
There’s no reason why we need to slave away cooking beans and wheat and subject ourselves to bland meals on a repeated basis. Having basic staples of food is an excellent idea, and one I recommend heartily—but I think it’s wise to store freeze-dried meals in addition to the rest, simply to provide for easier meal solutions on days when we’re exhausted, short on time, or simply looking for something with a bit more flavor.
I recently had some of the Baked Potato Cheese Soup, and it exceeded my expectations. The serving size for one of these meals is ten ounces, so it would be a good idea to supplement the meal with other items from your food storage, or their included fruits and veggies. Meal preparation was a piece of cake, of course, since we only had to boil some water, add it to the meal, and stir. Freeze-dried food is never going to taste like mom’s home cooking, but I was impressed by the flavor and taste and could definitely see myself living off of these meals for a while, especially giving how easy it is to store and prepare.
If you’re looking to round out your food storage and add in some delicious, easy-to-make meals, then freeze-dried food is an option you should consider. And Tomorrow’s Harvest, from my experience, has a great product and a knowledgeable team willing to help.
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