What to eat for harsh times

It all depends on how "harsh" the times are. A lot of the stuff I see ppl posting on this thread deals with dry goods/canned goods, and spices. To me that fits in the "eat cheaply with a little added luxury flavor" category. I think most people understand the point of canned goods, dry goods, breads, beans, rice, etc. If stuff ever went way south and people had a short time to stock up to prepare for the worst, those sorts of things would be great.

Now, if you want to talk about seriously long-term (months and months or better yet years), I would rather by a gun or 2 and TONS of ammo or some other sort of projectile weapon like a bow. Or better yet, in addition to that, learn how to MAKE a bow and arrows, and in general learn about surviving in the wilderness. As for that comment about the solar-powered oven, that's a neat appliance and could definately come in handy, but a fire is all you need for the long-term.

Knowing how to make a firebow, having at the very least a good knife or 2, having maps, compass, knowing plant life, all that other good stuff that comes into play in surviving in the wilderness would be key to surviving in any extremely harsh times. Other than a relatively small amount of actual THINGS needed, the know-how would be vastly important.

I'm certainly not ripping on anybody's posts and there is an enormous range of ways and hows as to crap hitting the fan and food shortages and price hikes coming into play. But if stuff REALLY turns south and we're talking very long-term, bought sacks of dry goods only will hold so far. And if you can't transport your sacks of beans and flour with you because you have to get the hell out of wherever you are for any one of 1001 different reasons (like looting, killing, etc, etc)...then they won't do you much good. Still, a great potential food buffer for however long at the start.

I fully realize the way our world is now, the very long-term scenario I'm talking about isn't likely, and what most of you people have been talking about is MUCH more likely, so again...I'm not ripping on anyone whatsoever. Just thought I would include a thought towards the more extreme end.

Surviving is surviving, and I don't think the majority of people at least in more civilized countries realize just how little you need to accomplish that. If it came to the extreme survival stuff, spices could burn in hell for all I care, they are simply the television for your tent at that point.

Look at all the "child/man survived lost in woods alone for 4 days and is now a survivor hero" crap you read or see in the news every once in awhile. 4 days? I don't care if its a week or even 2 weeks. As long as you have water, aren't severely injured, the weather isn't literally life-threatening, and you don't get freakin mauled by a bear.....you're fine. You would have to TRY to kill yourself. Hell, you could do nothing but lie down naked on the ground and survive with flying colors as long as the weather was fine and you had enough water. It takes at the very minimum 3-4 weeks to starve to death for most any normal person. A lot of people just don't get it I think.

reply to post by Luciddreamer0


Hey Lucid,

You make a lot of really good points, but I think that if the situation becomes so bad that you have to attempt to hunt to get your food, most people are going to die.

I'm also not ripping on your post, but you might note that in those Omega Man type movies (last person on Earth, small group of survivors, etc.), the hero is always scavenging from modern stores. True, they do usually hunt, but it would be unnecessary.

I guess a lot of this depends on the situation.
-If it's an economic collapse of catastrophic proportion, that means in the short term, there will be a lot of survivors. That means a lot of mouths to feed.
- If it's a population reducing event (nuclear, biological, etc.), it might make it easier to loot at will.

BTW - A TON of ammo weighs about a ton...that's not so portable either.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


This has always been one of my favorites:

Homemade Biscuit Mix
3T. Baking Powder
6C. Flour
1T. Salt
IC. Shortening (vegetable stores longer, butter flavor tastes awesome)

Sift dry ingredients together and cut in shortening untlmx looks like coarse cornmeal. Store in any covered container. This mix does not need refrigeration.

To Use Mix for biscuits:
3/4C. Milk (or water in a pinch)
2-1/2C. Mix

Blend well. Knead Lightly an roll out 1/2 inch thick. Cut and bake at 425 for approx. 15 minutes. Makes 20 biscuits.

For Pancakes:
2C. Milk or Water (more or less depending on how thick you want the batter, experiment) =)
1-1/2C. Mix
1-2 Eggs
Vanilla (to taste)
Mix all together. Make pancakes. =)

Basically you can use this for any recipe that you would use Bisquick for, it's just a heckuva lot cheaper.

GB,
~pre

Just remembered another one.
I know spaghetti isn't terribly expensive at the store if you buy generic, but if you store flour (which I do) and have chickens (which I'm lucky enough to have) then this recipe can be a real cost cutter.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home Made Egg Noodles
4-5 eggs
3/4c. milk (vegetable or chicken broth can be a nice change)
1/2tsp. salt
Enough flour to make stiff dough (depends on the size of the eggs a lot)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Combine all ingredients to make a stiff dough. Adding flour slowly helps. Roll out dough until its 1/8 inch thick (unless you want thicker noodles). Cut into strips (or fun shapes is good to get the kids involved like with cookie cutters).
Once the strips are cut you can either add directly to boiling water for fresh noodles or air dry and refrigerate or freeze them.
This is a very fun and flexible recipe. Add a little spinach for green noodles on St. Pat's. Add cooked mashed carrots for orange noodles. Make three or four batches, adding different food colorings to the milk of each before combining ingredients and have rainbow spaghetti for a children birthday dinner... The list is pretty endless once your brain starts going.
Enjoy!

Wow, I thought I knew how to respond to this thread until I read the responses!

Well all things taken into consideration, for the meat eaters, I would recommend getting a "jerky machine". You can stock pile tons of nutrient filled 'chews'. They are light weight & back pack friendly. Honestly, you'd probably really only need to eat like 2-4 a day to survive (depending on size of course)......I assume most of us know what a standard piece of beef jerky looks like!

Now for inexpensive meals in the meantime.......don't underestimate the power (and joy) of hamburger helper! You don't have to use meat either. You get all of your pasta and seasoning in one convenient box for about .99-1.50 depending on where you shop! A little creativity does wonders

We buy 50# bags of peanuts (already shelled) for the birds. I took a coffee can full out to the platform feeder the other day and then it struck me, "Well if all hell breaks loose, we can always eat the bird food!"

Originally posted by Snooze
We buy 50# bags of peanuts (already shelled) for the birds. I took a coffee can full out to the platform feeder the other day and then it struck me, "Well if all hell breaks loose, we can always eat the bird food!"

Someone clued me in to the fact that sunflowers grow well in the
brutal heat around here, and they attract birds too which make
for some a good stew as well, lol.

So I added some to my bugout kit.



[edit on 20-7-2009 by Ex_MislTech]

reply to post by Jessicamsa


Me and my sons ate an awful lot of pasta, rice, potatoes, and eggs when they were growing up, cheap but filling.

Here's somethng i made a lot when money was tight.....

Fry some sliced potatoes with chopped green peppers, oinion, and garlic add whatever seasoning you like (you can use canned potatoes if you don't have fresh).

Mix eggs and milk like you would for scrambled eggs, the amount depends on the amount of potatoes you use.

When the potatoes are done add the egg mixture to the pan and stir until the eggs are fully cooked.

If you like cheese, let some melt on top and spoon mixture into soft tortillas.

It's pretty cheap and it's filling, tastes good and you have dairy, protien, veggies and grain so it's nutritious.


Another one was fried rice, with or without meat......

Blend eggs, like you would for scrambled eggs (except don't add milk or water) pour in pan and let cook without scrambling it, turn over so it cooks on both sides then chop it up into small pieces.

Mix the chopped eggs with cooked white rice and fry with your choice of seasonings (with or without meat, chicken, beef, pork all taste good), fry or steam some veggies to throw in there if you have them, whatever you like works fine.


You can make a good sized pot of soup (enough for 4+ meals) with only two chicken breasts if you have potatoes and veggies to add to it, even more if you have rice or pasta also. Just remember if you cook the rice or pasta in the soup when you store it they will soak up all the juice (especially rice) so i cook it seperately and add to the bowl.

sweat potatoes are proven to be self sufficient and provide enough nutrients and vitamins to survive @ least a year!
I'm sure they would but nasty after a few weeks of them but if survival is what its about.......sweat tators it is!

Originally posted by jackieps1975
Wow, I thought I knew how to respond to this thread until I read the responses!

Well all things taken into consideration, for the meat eaters, I would recommend getting a "jerky machine". You can stock pile tons of nutrient filled 'chews'. They are light weight & back pack friendly. Honestly, you'd probably really only need to eat like 2-4 a day to survive (depending on size of course)......I assume most of us know what a standard piece of beef jerky looks like!

Now for inexpensive meals in the meantime.......don't underestimate the power (and joy) of hamburger helper! You don't have to use meat either. You get all of your pasta and seasoning in one convenient box for about .99-1.50 depending on where you shop! A little creativity does wonders

A note about making home made jerky. . You really have to be careful and know what you're doing.

It is so easy to end up with food that is not fully dehydrated with the wrong spices and eat yourself dead by food poisoning.

I just made some fabulous chicken jerky, my beef didn't turn out as well, but know you have me nervous. I ate quite a bit of it. It was so good I am wondering how I am going to not be tempted to eat it before an emergency. If I get sick I'll let you know.

What to eat for harsh times, ??????

The first thing that popped into into my head was that fat squirrel that plays in my garden....
Then I'd have to scoot down to the local park , I know theres a good supply of squirrels down there, we got mobbed by at least 17 in one area alone when we had a bag of nuts, and they're too friendlyand trusting, rustle a bag and watch them run over to you, easy reach with a net, yumyum...

After that think I may have to go further out of town for rabbits..

I watched a programme last night, guy caught a couple of bunnies and an hour later they were in a pie, apparently rabbits better for you than chicken is.

Originally posted by DaddyBare
How to make your own Yeast...
INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

[edit on 17-7-2009 by DaddyBare]

How to make your own yeast
1) add yeast


I like the way you think!

reply to post by DataWraith


OMG - just the thought of killing and cleaning animals that are out in the back yard just makes me sick! YUCK!

However, I'm quite sure my husband could get it done with a little prodding! LOL

reply to post by uplander


Better I imagine that than scrabbling around looking for out of date ( depending on the level of Situtation X) food stuffs in the looted shops, or picking up roadkill, or passing by berries and plants you didn't know you can eat, and probably a lot better than starving to death.

Animals especially wild ones, look after themselves , and instinctively know whats edible and what isn't, at least they'll be 'healthy' , ok a few fleas maybe but the fire will cook them off , or what you could do is let the kill hang for a day or two and let the parasites leave of their own accord.

People wouldn't even know how to hunt and wouldn't see whats edible even if its in front of their faces, all they'd think about is tinned cans and stuff you ALWAYS expect to see on your supermarkets shelves, but there is more out there to eat that isn't processed.

if you look for foods that people ate during the depression you will see that they are all easy to make and have a few common ingrediants in them....
1) flour
2) eggs
3) baking soda/powder
4) yeast
5) salt/pepper
6) potatoes
7) milk/butter
8) basic easy to garden veggies(corn,peas,carrots,onions,beans,ect)


with this you can make a ton of differant things if you can hunt for the meat.
they have cook books for this kind of cooking also.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Raman Noodles!

Tastey, filling, about 20 cents a pack that can be bought in bulk!

Don't listen to this! Ramen noodles are extremely poisonous. Besides the sickening amount of dangerous Monosodium Glutamate, they are just bleached wheat flour, which is broken down into sugar.

So basically, every time you eat a package of instant noodles, you are just eating a bowl of sugar with salt on top. You'd be better of just storing sugar and salt, they take up less space.

Originally posted by jackieps1975
Now for inexpensive meals in the meantime.......don't underestimate the power (and joy) of hamburger helper! You don't have to use meat either. You get all of your pasta and seasoning in one convenient box for about .99-1.50 depending on where you shop! A little creativity does wonders

Once again someone suggesting that people eat packages of sugar and salt to survive in hard times. BS!!! better off starving than poisoning yourself, imo.

Hamburger Helper = bleached wheat noodles (sugar) and seasoning (salt). Do you really think a big hot plate of sugar and salt is a good way to survive hard times?

How about growing a garden people? How about studying cheap designs for solar dehydrators? You can make bags of soup and stew mix that last all winter, and seed packets are still cheaper than poisonous instant noodles and hamburger helper.

I really can't believe that you people are suggesting that sugar and salt are good things to eat during hard times.

Maybe, maybe you could occasionally add a box of hamburger helper to your garden mix if you are experiencing unhealthy weight loss, but skip the seasoning packets of death.

Dandelions, acorns, walnuts, blackberries, wild strawberries, pawpaws, mushrooms, there are tons of possibilities that grow in the wild and are free if you have access to public or private land.

[edit on 17-8-2009 by maus80]

Originally posted by maus80

Once again someone suggesting that people eat packages of sugar and salt to survive in hard times. BS!!! better off starving than poisoning yourself, imo
>snip<
I really can't believe that you people are suggesting that sugar and salt are good things to eat during hard times.
>snip<
[edit on 17-8-2009 by maus80]

Um,
Ok...
Hi Maus.
Salt is vital for survival. Period. Sugar is not as necessary, but definitely has a place in case of over exertion leading to hypoglycemia.
Maybe you meant the seasoning packets in things likely Hamburger Helper were poison and weren't really referring to normal salt and sugar? If so, I can understand your feelings as the MSG in most packets like that is nothing I want to add to my body.
But still, spices are going to be vital for variety and taste of more basic foods. There is a condition called food apathy, where people will choose not to eat rather than eat the same bland thing every day for months. It tends to affect children the most. Of course, storing and growing spices is better than packets with MSG, IMO.... but those tiny packets are good to have, just in case.
I personally don't think hamburger helper is good to stock, to little bang for your buck. Buying noodles and adding things is much more cost effective. Still, salt and sugar are far from poison. Salt is absolutely necessary.
Also, many of us grow gardens and store seed and save seed. I hope you weren't assuming otherwise... because the way you commented about it sounded that way a bit.
To say salt is poison and shouldn't be eaten in survival situations isn't accurate and we have a lot of folks here who are just starting their preparedness learning. That's why I commented, not to just criticize you. I hope you don't take it that way.
Everyone, do your research on salt and your need for it. Don't take anyone's word for it, not even mine! =)
~prep

edited to add:
Now..MSG does = poison! LoL =) And Maus, I reread the first post you put up about this where you suggest people stock salt and sugar instead so if I was hasty I do apologize! Just worried about people realizing they need salt, mainly! Have a good one!

[edit on 8/17/09 by preparanoid]

Sorry if I came off harsh, I do know there has been a big return to gardening in the last decade - I just strongly feel that dietary intelligence has been mostly robbed from the common man by corporations who have gone out of their way to convince everyone that eating is supposed to be nothing more than a good time.

I do realize that salt and iodine are important to a persons diet, but I think most people don't realize that bleached wheat is nothing more than sugar. A meal of nothing but sugar and salt is dangerous, especially for children.

If people really want to know how to save money and still eat well, they should go outside and see the abundance of free, nutritious edibles that grow all around them every year. For those who live in the city, your roof-tops and balconies should have enough room for a small garden, and bags of healthy frozen vegetables remain at around $1-$2. The idea that it is too expensive to eat healthy is completely BUNK, as is the notion that the best way to cut corners is to feed your family garbage not fit for a dog.

edit: Also, wild onions, chives, and garlic grow like crazy in many parts of the world. Herb gardens take up very little space and do well in windows. There should be little reason for anyone to starve because their food is too bland.

[edit on 17-8-2009 by maus80]