Food Storage Survival Seeds

Sometimes when you are going about your ambitious task of obtaining a full one year food storage supply you are so involved that you can’t see the forest for the trees.  Of course, almost anything edible and nonperishable that you put in your food storage will be of benefit to you, but there are some things that get overlooked.  I’m not suggesting that you aren’t smarter than a whip or not thinking hard, it’s just that you may not be thinking outside of the “food storage box”.  Remember the whole purpose for having food storage items under your stewardship is so that you can sustain yourself for varying periods of time from the short term to the longer term.

What better idea for a long term food storage solution that food storage seeds (better known as survival seeds)?  Food storage seeds are a perfect addition to your food storage supplies because they can sustain you indefinitely with nutritious garden produce (and how much of that do you have in your food storage room?  It doesn’t store very well.)!  I say indefinitely because the smartest idea for securing food storage seeds for you and yours is to make certain they are heirloom seeds.  These survival seeds are not genetically modified and are unpatented.  Because they haven’t been modified genetically (this means they are not hybrid), you can plant the seeds that come from your first harvest, your second harvest, your third harvest… you get the idea.  These food storage seeds are called survival seeds because you can dry out the seeds from your harvest and plant them the following year.  That’s the disadvantage of a hybrid seed.  You can’t do that with a hybrid seeds because it is essentially sterile.  Sure, hybrid seeds might sometimes be BMT (bigger, meatier, tastier), but what’s more healthy for you and more prolific in the long run?  Science hasn’t even proven whether GMO (genetically modified) foods are even healthy for you or what the long term side effects may be.  Messing with nature is a crap shoot at best and a disaster at worst.

You can buy food storage seeds, set them, and forget them.  Of course, you are not counting on Doomsday or hoping for it to happen.  You just want to be prepared for come what may.  There are a variety of the most healthful heirloom seeds available—almost anything you can think of.  For a very reasonable price you can obtain enough seeds to plant a full acre!  And remember, this food storage seed investment pays big dividends in fresh garden fruits and vegetables year after year!  You would be well advised to get some seeds for food storage and some to “practice” with for the next growing season.  See if they don’t taste even better than the hybrid because they are natural.  If you are a gardener it’s a no-brainer.  Gardeners are always looking for and wanting to try new things with their green thumbs.  And think what food storage seeds (heirlooms) could be worth someday if there were food shortages as has been predicted.  It’s an investment and a safety precaution.  And just a smart choice for your health, too!

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There is a wealth of knowledge about emergency preparedness in books, videos, classes, conferences, government sponsored organizations, private organizations, and other media outlets. The trick is to find the simplest, most straightforward basics of emergency preparedness in one place. What is needed is a family preparedness handbook that is extremely well organized, informative, and user-friendly. What is available is exactly that! James Talmage Stevens, author of Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook has recently revised his emergency preparedness book with 260 additional pages of new information, charts, tables, and recipes. James’s mantra is “keep it super simple”. So, although James’s wildly popular, best emergency preparedness book on the market is packed with so much information– everything from food storage to fuel storage to financial preparedness to the organization of critical documents to self reliant living to supplementation, and emergency action plans, James’s best emergency preparedness book (over 760,000 copies sold, and in its 11th addition!)– sticks to its title, mission, and purpose of Making the Best of Basics. Quite frankly, the best of anything is basic and easy to understand, especially in the case of emergency preparedness! If emergency preparedness is made to be too complicated an issue, it is abandoned by most people (and causes a whole lot more deaths!). Indeed, James understands this principle because his creation of the best emergency preparedness book available takes a reader from kindergarten to college in regards to family preparedness.

A quick glance through the Table of Contents of Making the Best of Basics should convince the reader that James really is serious about his “basic” premise– to keep things simple! Among his chapter headings you will find the likes of “Basics of Whole Wheat Cookery”, “Basics of Honey Use”, “Basics or In-Home Drying– Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables”, “Basics of Dairy Products from Powdered Milk”, “Basics of Battling Stress”, “Basics of Supplementation”, and on and on– everything is basically basic! The recipes are even basic (I’m game for that!). That’s why I’m tooting James Talmage Steven’s horn for him, and calling it the best emergency preparedness book, because he lays it all out– all of the important emergency preparedness considerations and information is covered a baby step at a time. You have lists of the necessaries, and you can take on emergency preparedness with confidence by utilizing his charts, checklists, and tables. You can photocopy the checklists and use his emergency preparedness handbook as a workbook, becoming an active participant, much like you are taking a class, but at your own leisure (but don’t wait too long!). Not only that, but James is a storyteller. He illustrates practical application of what he teaches through his fun little parables and makes it easier and less laborious reading material. Just be careful that you not enjoy the best emergency preparedness book out there so much so that you don’t get around to doing anything but reading it! Prepare to flourish, not flounder!

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Okay. As far as similarities, both types of food are great for long-term storage and are almost identical as far as shelf life (about 25 years). Also, both need to be kept in similar temperature, humidity, and oxygen conditions.

However, the similarities between the two types of food end there. From that point on, there are three major differences between freeze-dried food and dehydrated food:

First of all, I want to make it very clear that my species did not climb to the top of the food chain so that we could become vegetarians. I like meat. Maybe you do, too. So for me, I need to have meat that tastes good in my home food storage. Well, the meat, as you will see, is very, very different between the dehydrated and freeze-dried types of food storage.

See, dehydrated food doesn’t have any seasoning or additional ingredients added to it when it is made. In fact, most dehydrated foods are just a single ingredient and that’s it. Whether it is fruit or meat, it is just that one item. This is a huge problem for a meat-eater like me because what this means is that a dehydrated piece of meat is just that. A piece of meat. Nothing added to make it taste good or to make it enjoyable. Therefore, if you want any seasoning or anything like that, you need to add it in later.

On the other hand, freeze-dried food does have seasoning and additional ingredients already added in. So when it comes to meat, seasoning and added ingredients have already been added in! That makes eating meat and other items oh so tasty.

This is the first major difference between the two types of food. Even though dehydrated food can range from everything from rice to pancake mix to Ramen noodles, you need to make sure you have some ingredients to add to them once they are hydrated. Otherwise they are quite insipid and tasteless. Freeze-dried food, on the other hand, contains lots of different ingredients and some fantastic seasonings. So, you just heat it up and eat it and mmmmmmmmmm. Remarkable.

The second big different between the two types of food is that although both freeze-dried food and dehydrated food just need water and heat, the prep time varies greatly. Freeze-dried foods are usually quicker to prepare than dehydrated foods. The times can vary anywhere from as little as 15 minutes to one hour depending on what it is you are cooking, but, as a general rule, the dehydrated food takes longer to prepare than the freeze-dried food. Note: If you have a pressure cooker on hand you can cut the prep time down considerably on both types of food. Pressure cookers will save you a ton of time and energy regardless of which type of home food storage you have.

Finally, the third difference between the two types of food is that freeze-dried food is usually a full meal that contains multiple items. Think “TV Dinner” or even “Meals on Wheels” when you think freeze-dried food. Unlike dehydrated foods, freeze-dried foods are meals that are completely ready to eat once they are heated up and water has been added. Again, dehydrated food is usually just a single ingredient. You will need to mix them with other items or season them or they won’t taste that great.

Now, does this mean freeze-dried food is better than dehydrated food? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Well, actually, yes.

But before you start thinking freeze-dried food is some Bastian of Morality and dehydrated food is one step below plankton pee, it should be noted that dehydrated food takes freeze-dried food behind the woodshed every day of the week when it comes to price. Dehydrated food is way cheaper. Way cheaper. Dehydrated food also usually makes more food than freeze-dried food per serving—again, this adds to the value and price ratio advantage.

So, a quick recap here: Freeze-dried food tastes better, is ready to eat sooner, and has a wider variety of food once prepared. Dehydrated food does not taste as good, takes longer to prepare, and is just that one item when you prepare it. However, dehydrated food is much, much cheaper than freeze-dried food.

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