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- - Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger (http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=451015)

Merlin | 02-24-2010 10:22 PM
Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger The Freeze Dry Guy (http://www.freezedryguy.com/ offers a "club" where you can purchase 3 #10 cans of freeze dried meat (1 each of beef, chicken and hamburger) at a cost of $138 a month. That represents 47 servings a month for the price (less than $3 for each 2/3 - 3/4 cup serving.) They make the claim that this represents a 1-year supply for 2 people. Only if you're eating meat 3 days out of 4! My question for you preppers is this: Does this represent a fair price for what you are getting? It is freeze dried, nitrogen flushed, 98% free of O2. They present that the product is good for 30 years or more. I kind of like the Christmas Club savings plan aspect of it because I'm not in a position to buy thousands of dollars of preps at one time. In other words, I know that I could get a better price by purchasing volume. Given that is not what I'm doing, do you folks think this is a decent way to purchase freeze-dried meat?

MNeagle | 02-24-2010 10:29 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I'd want to try it first before I commit to it.

Merlin | 02-24-2010 10:30 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger On the other hand, I can purchase a case of Yoders canned meats (not freeze dried) for $75. This provides 168 2-ounce portions of canned meat at a cost of $0.45 per serving. Now here is the problem. The Yoders solution makes no claim at all about 2/3 - 3/4 cups per serving. In fact, the 2 ounces per serving that they put into that #2 1/2 cans cannot possibly be anywhere near as much product per serving. So we are comparing apples and Yoders, yes? Yoders claims only a 10 year shelf life. But, we all know it will last longer than that if the can integrity is intact. What to do? What to do?

mick silver | 02-24-2010 10:32 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger his prices look high to me .......... you cannot buy just one can to see if you like it

Merlin | 02-24-2010 10:33 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by MNeagle (Post 2197674) I'd want to try it first before I commit to it.
I agree with that, for sure. I have tried the Yoders product (the canned bacon and the canned sausage) and it is very, very tasty. I've never eaten freeze-dried meat.

Corbin Dallas | 02-24-2010 10:36 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I like the idea, but I also like ordering individual #10 cans each month, being able to choose the variety on my own. I buy mostly from the Ready Store, going for the "on sale" items and I order just over $100 each time so the shipping is free. As far as Yoders, I mix it in with my freeze dried preps for variety. (I really like the Yoders bacon) and I plan to rotate it every 7 or 8 years.

Merlin | 02-24-2010 10:36 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by mick silver (Post 2197686) his prices look high to me .......... you cannot buy just one can to see if you loke it
No, he sells the stuff by the case.

nub | 02-24-2010 10:39 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I've never had freeze dried meat or Yoders?, so I 'd want to try them first too. Sorry no help here.

coopersmith | 02-24-2010 10:41 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Cheaper faire here maybe..........http://grandmascountry.com/?uid=8519&page=4765 Their dried milk is the best in my family's opinion.

Ishkabibble | 02-24-2010 10:46 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Rated 1.5 out of 5.0 stars here... I do see some concerns that would stop me from selecting them, such as the heavy use of preservatives. http://storablefoodwatch.org/rated_c...e_dry_guy.html Text summary: Freeze Dry Guy includes Mountain House freeze-dried foods and dehydrated foods. They offer individual cans on special, but not on their year units. The Mountain House cans have the dates on the lid. Their 4 person supply includes some basics such as wheat and sugar, but doesn't include enough. They mention the number of servings per case on the freeze-dried items. No calories were mentioned. They do include sugar, flour, and salt as fillers. Freeze Dry Guy suggests a year supply. Their Mountain House foods are loaded with preservatives. They don't differentiate between freeze-dried and dehydrated. They don't mention how long a person should store. They do mention their unit was designed for storing wheat and sweeteners. No other mention on the basics. They include just one can of cracked wheat in their year supply unit and about 18 lbs of beans. In their 4 person unit they have about 312 lbs of wheat and 66 lbs of pinto beans. That's not enough wheat or beans for 4 people. They do include sprouts in the 4 person unit only. For a great summary of suppliers and ratings, look here: http://storablefoodwatch.org/ratings.html The star ratings don't seem consistent, but the selection of suppliers and summary of what to expect is most useful.

Merlin | 02-24-2010 10:48 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by nub (Post 2197695) I've never had freeze dried meat or Yoders?, so I 'd want to try them first too. Sorry no help here.
Somebody (???, I'm too lazy to look it up) sold a sampler that included the Yoders bacon. The bacon is wrapped in waxed paper, stuffed into the can and processed. They claim an extended shelf life. Heaven only knows about that. But I can tell you that, after you've opened the can, you can either nuke it in the microwave or fry it in the pan. It will be almost indistinguishable from fresh from the grocery product. So I ordered a case. I believe in it. The Yoders sausage arrived sort of the same way. I opened a can and have used it in split pea soup, omelettes and scrambled eggs, and sausage gravy. You can't make patties out of it because it's been cooked already and will not retain a patty shape. There is liquid in the can too; but that can come in handy, as it did this morning, if you want to make a roux and get some gravy going.

Merlin | 02-24-2010 10:52 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by coopersmith (Post 2197699) Cheaper faire here maybe..........http://grandmascountry.com/?uid=8519&page=4765 Their dried milk is the best in my family's opinion.
I have some 6-year old dried milk in a 6-gallon pail that I'm going to re-package so that I can re-cycle it better. And I'm going to order something fresher for the storage pantry. Thank you for the link and the recommendation.

Merlin | 02-24-2010 11:01 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Ishkabibble (Post 2197707) Rated 1.5 out of 5.0 stars here... I do see some concerns that would stop me from selecting them, such as the heavy use of preservatives. http://storablefoodwatch.org/rated_c...e_dry_guy.html Text summary: Freeze Dry Guy includes Mountain House freeze-dried foods and dehydrated foods. They offer individual cans on special, but not on their year units. The Mountain House cans have the dates on the lid. Their 4 person supply includes some basics such as wheat and sugar, but doesn't include enough. They mention the number of servings per case on the freeze-dried items. No calories were mentioned. They do include sugar, flour, and salt as fillers. Freeze Dry Guy suggests a year supply. Their Mountain House foods are loaded with preservatives. They don't differentiate between freeze-dried and dehydrated. They don't mention how long a person should store. They do mention their unit was designed for storing wheat and sweeteners. No other mention on the basics. They include just one can of cracked wheat in their year supply unit and about 18 lbs of beans. In their 4 person unit they have about 312 lbs of wheat and 66 lbs of pinto beans. That's not enough wheat or beans for 4 people. They do include sprouts in the 4 person unit only. For a great summary of suppliers and ratings, look here: http://storablefoodwatch.org/ratings.html The star ratings don't seem consistent, but the selection of suppliers and summary of what to expect is most useful.
Well, all in all, that seems like quite a condemnation. Thank you for that heads up. I will go elsewhere, I think.

Ishkabibble | 02-24-2010 11:05 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger If you have an understanding of what you need, it looks like 21st Century Food Storage is worth checking out. No preservatives or additives, very few fillers. Not sure how competitive pricing is. They lost a lot of points on the advice part of the review, but scored well on the food. http://www.storablefoods.com/catalog/index.cgi

mick silver | 02-24-2010 11:05 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Corbin Dallas (Post 2197691) I like the idea, but I also like ordering individual #10 cans each month, being able to choose the variety on my own. I buy mostly from the Ready Store, going for the "on sale" items and I order just over $100 each time so the shipping is free. As far as Yoders, I mix it in with my freeze dried preps for variety. (I really like the Yoders bacon) and I plan to rotate it every 7 or 8 years.
how about a link for the ready store thanks

Corbin Dallas | 02-24-2010 11:33 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger http://www.thereadystore.com

Wilhelm | 02-24-2010 11:39 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I can vouch for the pork chops at FDG...quality product wish the beef was grass fed

thrifty_bob | 02-25-2010 02:17 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Seems silly to me. The costs are astronomical. Is the idea to "trade" this stuff when TSHTF or eat it?

Maddie | 02-25-2010 08:56 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2197660) My question for you preppers is this: Does this represent a fair price for what you are getting? It is freeze dried, nitrogen flushed, 98% free of O2. They present that the product is good for 30 years or more. I
No, that's too expensive. Look around. You can often find ground beef for under $40 (Honeyville's price right now is $33.99, and the diced beef and chicken can usually be found had for right around $40 (give or take a dollar or two). Even if the price included shipping, you might come out better ordering from someplace like Honeyville, with lower prices and low shipping costs.

bean | 02-25-2010 09:32 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I dont like the fact that honeyville doesn't stand behind thier product for the same shelf life as other FD food companies. Only 10-15 years on their meat opposed to 25 years for other brands. Same with their FD fruit. Makes me wonder how well they pack them (ie if their is residual oxygen in the cans.)

nickelless | 02-25-2010 10:43 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by thrifty_bob (Post 2197925) Seems silly to me. The costs are astronomical. Is the idea to "trade" this stuff when TSHTF or eat it?
I'm dehydrating my own fish and chicken and saving a ton of money. I'm picking up a new camera tonight and I'll post pictures of some of what I've got. I've saved a TON of money dehydrating my own and stashing it away in mason jars. The only food preps I'm buying are things that I can't easily make myself. I just placed an order for tomato powder from waltonfeed.com. I'm eating what I'm prepping because I prep what I eat. While I could theoretically trade food preps for other necessities WTSHTF, I'd prefer that nobody outside my family who knows me in real life would know what food I have. Same with my silver. Having said that, I might make anonymous gifts of food to people in the middle of the night when nobody can see what I'm doing, but advertising that I have food or other preps would not be advantageous. Quote:
Originally Posted by Maddie (Post 2198141) No, that's too expensive. Look around. You can often find ground beef for under $40 (Honeyville's price right now is $33.99, and the diced beef and chicken can usually be found had for right around $40 (give or take a dollar or two). Even if the price included shipping, you might come out better ordering from someplace like Honeyville, with lower prices and low shipping costs.
Or you could make your own. ;) Here's what I've done with spinach--I thawed 4 lbs. of frozen spinach for several hours, dehydrated it in my Nesco and then afterward the entire 4 lbs. fit into a one-quart mason jar. I have about 16 quarts of spinach at the moment. http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/100_1211.jpg http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/100_1213.jpg http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/100_1219.jpg

thrifty_bob | 02-25-2010 01:29 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by nickelless (Post 2198313) I'm dehydrating my own fish and chicken and saving a ton of money. I'm picking up a new camera tonight and I'll post pictures of some of what I've got. I've saved a TON of money dehydrating my own and stashing it away in mason jars. The only food preps I'm buying are things that I can't easily make myself. I just placed an order for tomato powder from waltonfeed.com. I'm eating what I'm prepping because I prep what I eat. While I could theoretically trade food preps for other necessities WTSHTF, I'd prefer that nobody outside my family who knows me in real life would know what food I have. Same with my silver. Having said that, I might make anonymous gifts of food to people in the middle of the night when nobody can see what I'm doing, but advertising that I have food or other preps would not be advantageous. Or you could make your own. ;) Here's what I've done with spinach--I thawed 4 lbs. of frozen spinach for several hours, dehydrated it in my Nesco and then afterward the entire 4 lbs. fit into a one-quart mason jar. I have about 16 quarts of spinach at the moment.
I agree 150% with both your reasoning and method. I bet the cost is dramatically lower. Any guess the shelf life for spinach done that way? There was a someone dehydrating cooked hamburger, I think it was, and storing it, too, but they might be gone, banned, I think. My beef jerky would be fine to grind up and make soup out of, but after 2 yrs, it tastes fine but not good looking.

mick silver | 02-25-2010 01:36 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/Stor...rt_id=15603646 15 % off code 8tray

Merlin | 02-25-2010 03:08 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by mick silver (Post 2198663) http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/Stor...rt_id=15603646 15 % off code 8tray
Thank you, Mick. I'm sure you noticed all the Yoder's canned meat for $69.95 per case of 12 cans on this site. The cans weigh 28 ounces each, so Yoders claims there are 14 two ounce servings per can. Now, while a 2 ounce serving doesn't seem like much of a serving to me, especially since that includes the juices and gravy from the meat, I'm still inclined to think that Yoders represents a better value than a $50 #10 can of freeze dried that contains only 14 to 18 servings.

nickelless | 02-25-2010 03:46 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2198848) Thank you, Mick. I'm sure you noticed all the Yoder's canned meat for $69.95 per case of 12 cans on this site. The cans weigh 28 ounces each, so Yoders claims there are 14 two ounce servings per can. Now, while a 2 ounce serving doesn't seem like much of a serving to me, especially since that includes the juices and gravy from the meat, I'm still inclined to think that Yoders represents a better value than a $50 #10 can of freeze dried that contains only 14 to 18 servings.
I'm buying 15-oz. cans of mackerel at Wally World for less than $1.50 each, with an in-can shelf life of about three years. The shelf life will be even longer after I dehydrate the fish. Most meats and fish can be dehydrated for a lot less money on your own than stuff being sold by companies like these. The only products I'm ordering from companies such as these are high-sugar dehydrated foods (apples, tomatoes, bananas, etc.) that are a pain to do myself, because they stick to the dehydrator trays.

Ag_man | 02-25-2010 04:15 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Do you really like dehydrated mackerel? Sounds great, if you've got a cat.

nickelless | 02-25-2010 04:24 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Ag_man (Post 2198959) Do you really like dehydrated mackerel? Sounds great, if you've got a cat.
Mackerel may not be as mild as other fish, but the fishy-ness isn't overpowering. But cook it in a soup and you barely even notice it. The important thing is that it's both cheap and a great source of animal protein.

Merlin | 02-25-2010 06:52 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I'm surprised that the in-can shelf life is only 3 years. By the way, what does your house smell like after you've dehydrated several trays of fish?

nickelless | 02-25-2010 07:20 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2199200) I'm surprised that the in-can shelf life is only 3 years. By the way, what does your house smell like after you've dehydrated several trays of fish?
Well, the date stamped on the can says three years, but it's probably a bit longer when you consider the salt content. The fish odor really isn't problematic--there's a difference between the smell of baked fish (which is what I'd compare this to) versus the smell of just plain old fish or the lingering smell of oil-fried fish, which lingers because the oil mist hangs in the air, sort of like at fast-food restaurants. But the smell of dehydrating fish doesn't come close to that. The flavor of the fish intensifies as it's dehydrated, but the smell diminishes the longer it's in the dehydrator because the water is removed. That's not to say it doesn't have an aroma, but the smell of dried fish isn't much stronger than dried chicken. But besides that, which would you rather have--a kitchen that just needs to be ventilated after cooking, or an ample supply of animal protein for your survival? I guess what it boils down to is, how badly do you want to have food for your own long-term survival? I'll take a little fish smell in the kitchen now for the sake of being able to eat down the road.

mick silver | 02-25-2010 07:47 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger this is not a bad deal for 6 cans after the 15 % it was around 40 http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-...ey-Beef/Detail the other place was 100 bucks for 3

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- - Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger (http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=451015)

Merlin | 02-25-2010 08:01 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by mick silver (Post 2199265) this is not a bad deal for 6 cans after the 15 % it was around 40 http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-...ey-Beef/Detail the other place was 100 bucks for 3
For another $20, you can have 12 cans instead of 6. I've been toying with that. The 12-can sampler gives you a lot of variety for not a lot of money. http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-...beef%2C/Detail If you have the cash, this is the better deal. I want to thank you again MickS for turning me on to this site again.

thrifty_bob | 02-26-2010 12:46 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by nickelless (Post 2199240) Well, the date stamped on the can says three years, but it's probably a bit longer when you consider the salt content. The fish odor really isn't problematic--there's a difference between the smell of baked fish (which is what I'd compare this to) versus the smell of just plain old fish or the lingering smell of oil-fried fish, which lingers because the oil mist hangs in the air, sort of like at fast-food restaurants. But the smell of dehydrating fish doesn't come close to that. The flavor of the fish intensifies as it's dehydrated, but the smell diminishes the longer it's in the dehydrator because the water is removed. That's not to say it doesn't have an aroma, but the smell of dried fish isn't much stronger than dried chicken. But besides that, which would you rather have--a kitchen that just needs to be ventilated after cooking, or an ample supply of animal protein for your survival? I guess what it boils down to is, how badly do you want to have food for your own long-term survival? I'll take a little fish smell in the kitchen now for the sake of being able to eat down the road.
I think the main thing is that you like eating it, so your stored cans can be easily rotated over at least a 3 year span, allowing you to store 150 cans if you like it enough to eat a can a week. Its sort of like me with tins of sardines. Even in good times having them for lunch once a week is fine, so having 100 cans on hand (about $100 worth) is fine. If things get bad I bet I'd be very happy to eat them every other day, in which case I only have 6 months worth, but at least I have a supply of good, nutritious, ready to eat food on hand. I would like to have preps to make a decent meat chili or spaghetti on hand though. Those are other dishes you could eat a few times a week happily compared to going hungry. If I was to prep with cans of yoders meats or freeze dried mountain house, I'd end up with 1/5th as much meat for the same amount of prep dollars, I bet. Its nice for going on a 1 or 2 week hiking vacation where cost is no object and pack weight is everything, but for putting on a shelf in case the store shelves go empty someday, it seems a bit silly to me, other than to have a some ready to eat stuff to be able to survive while there is no power, and no cooking.

mick silver | 02-26-2010 12:54 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2199287) For another $20, you can have 12 cans instead of 6. I've been toying with that. The 12-can sampler gives you a lot of variety for not a lot of money. http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-...beef%2C/Detail If you have the cash, this is the better deal. I want to thank you again MickS for turning me on to this site again.
i was going to do the 12 cans . but i have never had there meats so i got 6 just to try them out .. i hope there good as they say . i also got the half case of green coffee . i was hoping they had there butter in but they were out . i also got this i hope it a good set http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-...t-First/Detail

Maddie | 02-26-2010 01:11 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by bean (Post 2198193) I dont like the fact that honeyville doesn't stand behind thier product for the same shelf life as other FD food companies. Only 10-15 years on their meat opposed to 25 years for other brands. Same with their FD fruit. Makes me wonder how well they pack them (ie if their is residual oxygen in the cans.)
I noticed that, too, and have wondered if their packing method is different or if they are just more conservative in their claims. I tend to rotate their items first because of that.

thrifty_bob | 02-26-2010 01:14 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I have to say the $3 a lb yoders stuff with 10 yr life seems the most reasonable of the store bought alternatives here, but we are talking about spending $70 for 12 cans, so you'd need 16 cases for a 1 yr, 2 person supply if you were going to eat meat every other day. That would run close to $1200, annd a 2 yr supply would be $2400. I guess for me that's not a lot of money, but I bet it is for most here.

mick silver | 02-26-2010 01:19 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger a little spam here some tuna there and alot of chicken in the can plus the stuff i have in number 10 cans . can go a long ways . plus the stuff we can . an lots of dehydrat stuff we have done . peanut butter is great to have around an lots of it . lots of cearal . lots of flour and baking stuff help to . we may not be eating 3 meals a day but what we have will make us feel like kings in the time of need

thrifty_bob | 02-26-2010 07:06 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I wonder whether the weight is of the meat or meat and gravy? Not that anyone but someone like me would care, LOL.

nickelless | 02-26-2010 07:23 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by mick silver (Post 2199657) a little spam here some tuna there and alot of chicken in the can plus the stuff i have in number 10 cans . can go a long ways . plus the stuff we can . an lots of dehydrat stuff we have done . peanut butter is great to have around an lots of it . lots of cearal . lots of flour and baking stuff help to . we may not be eating 3 meals a day but what we have will make us feel like kings in the time of need
"Three meals a day" shouldn't be your measuring stick--you should just worry about meeting your nutritional needs and consuming enough calories. Consider that WTSHTF, you'll likely be burning a lot more calories and needing a lot more calories to replace them. Fat and protein are especially important.

bean | 02-26-2010 08:24 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by thrifty_bob (Post 2199864) I wonder whether the weight is of the meat or meat and gravy? Not that anyone but someone like me would care, LOL.
It's most likely including the juice. They appear to be raw packed, so the juice is just natural gravy not added water. So basically you get the same thing as if you bought the equivilant amount of raw meat and cooked it, but instead of losing weight to evaporation the juices get trapped in the can.

Merlin | 02-26-2010 08:49 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by thrifty_bob (Post 2199652) I have to say the $3 a lb yoders stuff with 10 yr life seems the most reasonable of the store bought alternatives here, but we are talking about spending $70 for 12 cans, so you'd need 16 cases for a 1 yr, 2 person supply if you were going to eat meat every other day. That would run close to $1200, annd a 2 yr supply would be $2400. I guess for me that's not a lot of money, but I bet it is for most here.
I guess the arithmetic here depends upon whether you accept Yoder's assertion that 2 ounces is one serving. If 2 people eat meat every other day, you require 365 servings for a one year supply: (365 servings /14 servings per can / 12 cans per case) = 2.17 cases So, let's round up to 3 cases at $70 or $210. Of course, that only works if you buy the 2 ounces per serving argument. On the other hand, to use Thrifty_Bob's $3 a pound and $1200 a year yields the following serving size: ($1200 1 year supply / $3 per pound / 365 servings) = 1.1 pounds per serving That may be much more reasonable for a SHTF scenario when you may be working hard and burning calories. There is probably some point between the two extremes that most people on this forum can afford. The other question I have is this: Is there a reason why Yoder's restricts their shelf-life claim to 10 years? A company like Armour says that their canned meats and chili have indefinite shelf lives when the can integrity is intact. Maybe Yoder's cans aren't as good?

thrifty_bob | 02-26-2010 09:39 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I took the 2 servings per can from the thread. Myself, at my house, I would say a 28 oz can of beef would be 4 to 8 servings, depending on whether it was used as an entree itself, or used to supplement another entree. For example if I added it to spaghetti sauce, and did it skimpily, it would be 8 servings, but if I were just serving it as a meal + veg and bread, I would only get about 4 servings from it. Anyway, as I see it, if TSHTF, there won't be a lot of meat in my diet unless I have some way to raise it.

Merlin | 02-26-2010 09:52 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Here is an update that you may find interesting. I tracked down the company responsible for Yoder's canned meats. It is, in fact, Werling and Sons, a slaughterhouse in Burkettsville, OH and the same company that markets Grandma Werling's canned meats. They told me that the shelf life of their meat is limited only by the condition of the can, just like Armour or Hormel. If the can isn't rusted and leaking, the product will remain good. She doesn't know where the 10-year shelf life recommendation came from because that is not what they tell their customers.

bean | 02-26-2010 10:07 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2200038) She doesn't know where the 10-year shelf life recommendation came from because that is not what they tell their customers.
Did she say what they recomend? I was always under the impression 3-5yrs on canned meat, and that it was MREdepot that claims 10 yrs. I personally wouldn't plan on 10yrs except in a pinch. Who knows how much BPA will leach into the food after 10 yrs.

Merlin | 02-26-2010 10:50 AM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by bean (Post 2200056) Did she say what they recomend? I was always under the impression 3-5yrs on canned meat, and that it was MREdepot that claims 10 yrs. I personally wouldn't plan on 10yrs except in a pinch. Who knows how much BPA will leach into the food after 10 yrs.
She did not offer a recommendation. Best used by dates are put on most products because the government requires it. Company marketing departments go along with it because it helps them to sell product. As for the BPA, who knows, indeed? But we are talking about a SHTF preps, which qualifies as a "pinch" for me. I'd rather not starve. In general, though, I agree with you and prefer to rotate through my stock before I have a whole basement full of geriatric cans.

Merlin | 02-27-2010 12:41 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Fatboy was kind enough to share with me in private message some reviews of Yoder's canned meats that he had read somewhere. The original reviews included photos, which did not come through in the private message. In particular, reviewers were turned off by big globs of fat that had floated to the tops of the cans and solidified. So I decided to open a can of beef and see what the fuss was about. Sure enough, there was probably 3 or 4 tablespoons of congealed fat in the can -- definitely does not have eye appeal. But, do you know what happens when you heat the fat? It melts in your pan completely to a clear golden yellow. I used it with some flour to create a roux and made some gravy using the other liquid in the can. I tasted the beef itself; it's just like any other canned beef I've ever eaten. Is it as tasty as a roast fresh from the oven? Of course not. It was raw packed and cooked in the can. This beef has been boiled in its own juices. So, we're having beef and gravy with buttered noodles for dinner this afternoon. I'll probably serve some steamed frozen peas as well. I assure you that I am happy to have the canned beef in my pantry. It is good enough that I'm going to order a case today. My plan is to try each of the other meats before ordering more as well.

bean | 02-27-2010 02:23 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2201778) Fatboy was kind enough to share with me in private message some reviews of Yoder's canned meats that he had read somewhere. The original reviews included photos, which did not come through in the private message. In particular, reviewers were turned off by big globs of fat that had floated to the tops of the cans and solidified. So I decided to open a can of beef and see what the fuss was about. Sure enough, there was probably 3 or 4 tablespoons of congealed fat in the can -- definitely does not have eye appeal. But, do you know what happens when you heat the fat? It melts in your pan completely to a clear golden yellow. I used it with some flour to create a roux and made some gravy using the other liquid in the can. I tasted the beef itself; it's just like any other canned beef I've ever eaten. Is it as tasty as a roast fresh from the oven? Of course not. It was raw packed and cooked in the can. This beef has been boiled in its own juices. So, we're having beef and gravy with buttered noodles for dinner this afternoon. I'll probably serve some steamed frozen peas as well. I assure you that I am happy to have the canned beef in my pantry. It is good enough that I'm going to order a case today. My plan is to try each of the other meats before ordering more as well.
The fat is defintely no big deal. When meat is raw packed the fat is going to cook out of the meat and rise to the top, theres no way around it. My home canned meat always has a layer of fat on the top. Even when you trim off all the excess fat of a piece of beef chuck there is still lots of fat marbled into the meat that comes to the top of the jar when its cooked. A leaner cut like sirloin will have much less but the meat comes out drier and not nearly as good imo.

Merlin | 02-27-2010 02:50 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by bean (Post 2201878) The fat is defintely no big deal. When meat is raw packed the fat is going to cook out of the meat and rise to the top, theres no way around it. My home canned meat always has a layer of fat on the top. Even when you trim off all the excess fat of a piece of beef chuck there is still lots of fat marbled into the meat that comes to the top of the jar when its cooked. A leaner cut like sirloin will have much less but the meat comes out drier and not nearly as good imo.
I agree with you. The fat is actually desirable. I am reminded of a video I saw some months ago when some young people who were members of some kind of video club reviewed the canned bacon. Understand, they were not professional food service people or serious cooks. For them, the concept of canned bacon was just a hoot. They went through the ordeal of extricating the bacon from the can, digging it out with a fork. Any intelligent person would have opened both ends of the can and forced it out. They they all were horrified by the greasy waxed paper in which the bacon strips had been rolled. "Eewwww" and "Yuuchhh" they exclaimed. Well, jeez, does anyone remember that bacon is greasy? In the end, the canned bacon is just fine. Heat it up in a skillet or nuke it; either way it tastes pretty darn good. The fact that it sits unrefrigerated in a can for years may make the product a little unusual; but that it is its real virtue. The same thing applies to the canned beef. I can just picture the video club's review.

Ag_man | 02-27-2010 03:48 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Thanks for the product review, Merlin! The protein portion of my food storage program need the most attention and I have been on the fence between FD and canned meats, plus augmentation with TVP. Many here do not favor TVP, but since I am beyond my reproductive years, soy doesn't worry me much! Proteins are the most expensive leg of the food triangle (with carbs and fats), so posts like yours are very helpful in making a good choice. If a situation occurs when we are required to dig into our long term food stores, no doubt we will not be eating the amounts of meat that we currently consume. How do you think that store-bought canned meats; tuna, chicken, corned beef, etc will hold up in storage compared to the Yoder product? I'm not good about product rotation, so what I buy is based upon a store and forget it mode, so I need product with ~10-15 year storage life. FD foods figure heavily in my plan. It would be nice to augment that with commercial grade canned food, but I have my doubts about the stuff staying good over that time and we don't really eat much canned food, with the exception of soups and fruit.

crazychicken | 02-27-2010 03:58 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2197683) On the other hand, I can purchase a case of Yoders canned meats (not freeze dried) for $75. This provides 168 2-ounce portions of canned meat at a cost of $0.45 per serving. Now here is the problem. The Yoders solution makes no claim at all about 2/3 - 3/4 cups per serving. In fact, the 2 ounces per serving that they put into that #2 1/2 cans cannot possibly be anywhere near as much product per serving. So we are comparing apples and Yoders, yes? Yoders claims only a 10 year shelf life. But, we all know it will last longer than that if the can integrity is intact. What to do? What to do?
It is generally considered that a portion of meat per meal per person is 8 ounces. CC

nickelless | 02-27-2010 04:20 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Some people might think it's odd that I'm dehydrating canned fish instead of just leaving it in the can, but there are a few different considerations as to why I'm doing it. First of all, I don't have an excessive amount of storage space where I'm living right now, so even though, for example, 72 cans of mackerel (6 cases) only take up about one cubic foot of space, after dehydration that much mackerel fits into 8 to 12 quart-sized mason jars (depending on the size of the dehydrated pieces and how much you compact them into the jar--I try to make them as compact as possible). The second consideration is shelf life. Granted, there's a stated shelf life of about three years stamped on each can, but take out the water by dehydration and seal it up in an airtight mason jar and store it in a cool, dark, secure, undisclosed location with Dick Cheney (OOPS, mixing metaphors:biggrin:) and it should keep for at least a couple more years or longer on top of that. The third consideration, and IMO the most important one, is that by dehydrating everything now before TSHTF, I'm getting rid of the cans that the fish came in so that there won't be a trash trail in my garbage that lets everyone know that I have food. I picked up this bit of wisdom from Jim Rawles: http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/...ogs=2&limit=20

Merlin | 02-27-2010 04:23 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
How do you think that store-bought canned meats; tuna, chicken, corned beef, etc will hold up in storage compared to the Yoder product? I'm not good about product rotation, so what I buy is based upon a store and forget it mode, so I need product with ~10-15 year storage life.
Every source I have encountered so far says that as long as the cans are not rusted or leaking, the product inside is still “good.” Some here have expressed concern about dangerous chemicals leaching out of the can linings (which are themselves designed to prevent the cans from deteriorating.) I am sure that this is a valid concern, but much more so if you have children or women of child-bearing age who will be eating your old cans of meat. I of course, am nearing 65 years of age. Something will get me sooner or later; I would just as soon it not be starvation. From what I can see, the Yoder’s cans are just like any other commercial can. Keep them cool and dry and they should be OK for a long time. I have some canned chicken breast in the basement right now that "expired" in June, 2006. There's nothing visibly wrong with the cans and the last time I opened one to make chicken salad a couple of months ago it looked and tasted just as it did when I bought it back in 2004 at the Dollar Store. Quote:
It is generally considered that a portion of meat per meal per person is 8 ounces.
Young, physically active adults may be eating 8-ounce portions of meat. But the old folks in my household rarely eat more than 4-ounce portions. The 2-ounce portion size does sound pretty skimpy to me.

bean | 02-28-2010 06:18 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Maddie (Post 2199646) I noticed that, too, and have wondered if their packing method is different or if they are just more conservative in their claims. I tend to rotate their items first because of that.
Crap it looks like Alpine Air gives an even more shockingly conservative shelf life on FD meat, only 5-10 years! http://www.alpineaire.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=3 NOTE: Although it is possible that some beans, grains, and other types of food will store for long periods of time in ideal conditions, we feel it is inappropriate to promise or suggest shelf lives of any longer than 15 years. AlpineAire Foods does its best, utilizing the latest canning techniques and oxygen absorber technology, to ensure the longest possible shelf life. Because of the various factors which affect shelf life, over which we have no control, we cannot guarantee that your results will match our estimates. In order to maximize shelf life, do not expose to high or freezing temperatures for an extended period of time. SHELF LIFE OF GOURMET RESERVES � PRODUCTS IN IDEAL STORAGE CONDITIONS Estimated shelf life in years Vegetables 8-10 Fruits 8-10 Meats 5-10 Eggs 5 Complete Entrees soups/breakfasts/desserts most recipes 5 Recipes w/ shrimp, brown rice, sour cream, tuna & nuts 2-5 Entrees 5-10 Cheese powders 5 Sweeteners 10 Granola 5 Pasta 8-10 Milk, Nonfat 8-10 Beans, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) 8-10 Pilot Bread Crackers* 10 Sauces and Seasonings 5-10 Sprouting Seeds 5-10 One thing is for sure there doesn't seem to be any agreement of the shelf life of LTS food. This is seriously making me hesitate buying more FD meat.

Merlin | 03-08-2010 01:08 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I want to take this opportunity to re-evaluate the Yoder's canned beef chunks. Recently I had opened a can and used a portion to prepare a dinner of beef and gravy with egg noodles, which was delicious. I froze the remainder and after thawing, today I used it to make vegetable beef soup. There are some fairly unappetizing clumps of grissle/whatever floating in my soup. It is clear that Yoder's isn't trimming their beef the way your neighborhood butcher would. It is also clear that the Yoder's product is not up to the standards of Hormel or Libby's, which I've never found to have this problem. In the future, I will have to inspect the Yoder's canned beef carefully rather than just dump it into my stew. I'm sorry if I led any of you astray with my earlier comments.

bean | 03-08-2010 01:48 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2216562) I want to take this opportunity to re-evaluate the Yoder's canned beef chunks. Recently I had opened a can and used a portion to prepare a dinner of beef and gravy with egg noodles, which was delicious. I froze the remainder and after thawing, today I used it to make vegetable beef soup. There are some fairly unappetizing clumps of grissle/whatever floating in my soup. It is clear that Yoder's isn't trimming their beef the way your neighborhood butcher would. It is also clear that the Yoder's product is not up to the standards of Hormel or Libby's, which I've never found to have this problem. In the future, I will have to inspect the Yoder's canned beef carefully rather than just dump it into my stew. I'm sorry if I led any of you astray with my earlier comments.
Bummer. I've used a few cans of Yoders and never had that problem, though I know others claim they have. When I home can beef from Sams I use the whole chuck with minimal trimming since even the parts that would normally be a little grizzly cook away and become tender after canning. Even those nasty little tendons in chicken tenderloins cook away. I wonder what exactly is in the yoders beef that is grizzly even after its canned?

Corbin Dallas | 03-08-2010 03:01 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger I have an unopened case of Yoder's chicken. Has anyone tried it? Thanks in advance.

Merlin | 03-08-2010 03:44 PM
Re: Freeze Dried Beef, Chicken and Hamburger Quote:
Originally Posted by bean (Post 2216628) Bummer. I've used a few cans of Yoders and never had that problem, though I know others claim they have. When I home can beef from Sams I use the whole chuck with minimal trimming since even the parts that would normally be a little grizzly cook away and become tender after canning. Even those nasty little tendons in chicken tenderloins cook away. I wonder what exactly is in the yoders beef that is grizzly even after its canned?
In all fairness, it is possible that the problem is of my own doing. If I were to make soup and use some leftover roast chuck, I would trim away any connective tissue so that it did not make its way into the soup. I suspect that is what I was seeing floating in my soup and I should have exercised the same care here as well. And, in fairness too, I never ever made soup with Libby's or Hormel canned beef; it's possible I might have experienced the same problem with the other brands. So where does that leave us? Sampler packs, with one each of six different Yoder's canned meat varieties, are available. My suggestion is that you try the products yourself before you buy cases.

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