Dried Food for Storage

I browsed through the REI online catalog a few months ago when I had some credit to "spend" there. My recent decluttering challenge made it crystal clear that I did not need any additional gear so I was a bit stymied about what to order. My emergency bag was stocked and didn't need anything new, and I never mail-order clothing because it never fits right.

Finally, I noticed they had a food section. Ah ha! Nope, don't need sport drinks or bars. Oh, wait. They have backpacking food that's dehydrated. This might be an easy way to put up some food for emergencies. Of course, it'd be better if I was dehydrating my own locally-obtained organically-grown produce, but life is not always ideal. I had credit available and they had dried food available. We came to an agreement.

I spent hours perusing through all of the options, frequently having to go to each brand's own to check on ingredients for the dried meals. Very few were completely vegan, and a number of those that were had received poor reviews. "No-one will want to share your tent because this meal will give you so much gas" kind of reviews... During a disaster and emergency, dealing with excess gas and odors will not help worn nerves!

Then I noticed an interesting-looking option. The Harmony House Backpacking Kit boasted 18 pouches of dehydrated vegetables and beans that could be combined however you wanted for 70 servings. At $50, this was quite a bit cheaper than the $6 prepackaged meals with two servings only. The only drawback was the lack of starches but that could be easily remedied with whole wheat couscous, a very fast-cooking pasta. And I have plenty of herbs and spices on hand to liven things up. In a pinch, I'll even settle for just salt and pepper.

The advantage of dehydrated food is that it is compact and lasts for one to two years. It can evidently last even longer if repackaged with a vacuum sealer. Another plus is the low weight means less fuel is used to ship it, especially compared to heavy dense grains! There are some disadvantages to dehydrated food. You have to make sure water is available to rehydrate it. And, of course, the process of removing the moisture from it initially required some energy use. However, I still think it is a valuable addition to my emergency supplies.

I was checking out the Harmony House Foods website this week and noticed they have a great sale going on right now. Not only are they kind enough to warn customers that their prices will be going up in July, they will also give you a 5% discount on the entire order for the remainder of this month. The front page lists the current specials and the discount is even good on those items. Not one to pass on a good deal, I placed a little order. Can't wait to try their vegan TVP meatless products!

You've only got three days left if you want to add to your emergency food supplies cheaply so go check them out quickly. Unfortunately, I'm not getting any kind of payment for promoting this company - just the satisfaction of supporting an outfit that offers good options for vegans.