Let Them Eat... Rations

Dan posted a great blog last week about the Survival Seed Vault.  This is a favorite item of mine and an absolute must for your zombie apocalypse "hope chest".  But growing produce takes time and you're going to need food to see you through to harvest.  What do you do for "now" food?  Well here's a list of options to keep in mind.

1. Canned Goods


The easiest way to prepare your pantry for the zombie nightmare, is right at your local supermarket. Canned goods are readily available, relatively cheap, familiar and palette friendly.  They also store very well.  Canned food has a shelf life of 2-5 years.  It's best to keep at least a month's supply of emergency food, and at 24 cans per case, you'll need at least 4 cases per person.

If you are so inclined, you might even want to can your own food.


2. Dehydrated Food

You can go to your local sporting goods store and get some Mountain House freeze dried food. This is a favorite of mine when backpacking, but at $7-10 a pack, it can be quite costly to store enough food.  Most people don't know this but your local warehouse club (ie. Sam's Club, BJ's, Costco etc.) carries dehydrated emergency food. You won't find it in the store, but they do carry it online.  You can buy kits that range from a one month supply of food for one person, to a one year supply for four people!  The one person / one month kits are under $100.  An even cheaper option... Ramen Noodles! 


3. MRE (Meals Ready to Eat)

Military-spec food... sounds good, right?  Well for many people including myself, it's gourmet! ...and as the name implies, they are ready to eat. The wonderful invention of the US military, these generic brown packages included EVERYTHING!

• Entree - the main course, such as Spaghetti or Beef Stew
• Side dish - rice, corn, fruit, or mashed potatoes, etc.
• Cracker or Bread
• Spread - peanut butter, jelly, or cheese spread
• Dessert - cookies or pound cakes
• Candy - M&Ms, Skittles, or Tootsie Rolls
• Beverages - Gatorade-like drink mixes, cocoa, dairy shakes, coffee, tea
• Hot sauce or seasoning - Little bottles of tabasco!
• Flameless Ration Heater- to heat up the entree. Just add water.
• Accessories - spoon, matches, creamer, sugar, salt, chewing gum, toilet paper, etc.

I'm old enough to remember when they included cigarettes!  These meals are available at you local army/navy store and places like US Calvary. They run about $80 for 12 complete meals. If you know someone in the military, you might be able to get them at from the PX for a bit cheaper. They are expensive, but remember... they come with everything.  Check out more about MRE's at MREinfo.com


As they say "variety is the spice of life", and with all those undead walking around, you're going to need plenty of variety.  Mix it up.  If you're going to eat nothing but canned green beans for a month straight, you're never going to make it.   And don't forget the chocolate!