Food ration bars, how can you make them taste better?

[Jake-prepper_hopeful]

I have always wondered how to prepare my food preps, considering my current challenges in life. I have almost no money to use towards prepping and no place to garden at the moment, so I took some extra cash from my birthday and used it to get a few ration bars from Walmart, they are supposed to taste like apple cinnamon but more have a nice bland cardboard taste, any ideas on how to improve the taste of these?

 

[Maverick]

Heating them up a little and dipping in honey or sprinkling some salt, generally speaking though, these are for calories not necessarily taste.

 

[Jake-prepper_hopeful]

Yeah, I just wanted them to be easier to swallow I guess. The ones I got are Walmart brand UST 2400 calorie bars

 

[Jake-prepper_hopeful]

Any suggestions on better brands or is it kind of all the same?

 

[Myrrph]

make your own. do some research on food in general and build your own food packs.

Bang for buck, nuts like peanuts, almonds and cashews are high colorie and low weight. I buy raw nuts from super markets and use the ovens to bake them. Lightly salt them and seal using a vacumn sealer.

instant ramen also works wonders. might want to invest firstly on a few things.

1. knife
2. metal cup/pot
3. tarp
4. fire steel
5. draw string bag (well to keep the first 4 items)

Food is really everywhere. Skills and knowledge to accumulate them are more important.

 

[Jake-prepper_hopeful]

I was 2 badges from an Eagle Scout before my troop dissolved, I already have many knives and a mid sized axe, a steel camp cup and about 8-10 different ferro rods along with the skills to make shelter and fire. I have a few crappy bags that all this can fit in, I just don't know a lot about preserving food besides rice, I have plenty of rice put away for not only shtf scenarios but the times when my financial situation is utterly ****, pardon my language.

 

[Myrrph]

thats excellent @Jake-prepper_hopeful

Now work on non-processed stuff. Salt and Sugar do not spoil. Neither doee Honey.

Rice keeps 10 years when properly kept. So do dried herbs like sun-dried rosemary, thyme etc. These flavor rice or meats really nicely.

Rice isn't too expensive, herbs can be harvested or grown in small pots with lots of sunlight. my brother and sis in law in california grow tomatoes, strawberries, eggplant in their window sill. dill, rosemary, asian peppers. thyme can all be grown on your sill. You don't need alot of space to do this. If you cook, and buy fresh produce, keep the seeds.

Prepping is not about having good gear, mate.. prepping is about having the right **** when the SHTF. pardon my french

Hope this helps

 

[Jake-prepper_hopeful]

Helps so much! Thank you, and I agree, I'm a firm believer in the old saying "knowledge is the greatest tool in any Arsenal." I am planning the beginnings of a garden for my sill to start in the spring, any other plants you might suggest that may survive in colder climates? I live in Illinois and it gets rough in the winter sometimes.

 

[Myrrph]

not sure about your opinions about dykes, but there's a brilliant british food blog. She teaches alot about cooking good, wholesome, though mainly vegetarian.

I always feel knowledge is good regardless where it comes from. She's my food hero when it comes to budget cooking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Monroe
https://www.facebook.com/agirlcalledjack
http://cookingonabootstrap.com/

She does assume that you have some staples when she costs in her food but even then, it'll help for everyone, even those who are super flat broke.

As long as you have a way to cook, some money to buy some fresh produce, you should do ok.

The money saved whilst cooking your own meals can go into what I would call luxurious preps. Like Sawyer Water Filters, a better knife, a good and affordable 22 rifle and 500 or so rounds of ammo.

Its also baby steps Rome wasn't built in a day.

Sorry if I've overly intruded into this convo/thread. I've learnt so much from this forum and my own research, I feel its an obligation to help other prep well too.

 

[Myrrph]

Helps so much! Thank you, and I agree, I'm a firm believer in the old saying "knowledge is the greatest tool in any Arsenal." I am planning the beginnings of a garden for my sill to start in the spring, any other plants you might suggest that may survive in colder climates? I live in Illinois and it gets rough in the winter sometimes.

For Winter Plants, try asking around.

I live in Sunny Singapore and spent my whole life here. So I am only familiar with Tropical Plants This is really 1 area I simply can't help

 

[Jake-prepper_hopeful]

I have learned a lot from the forum as well and that's why I created the thread in the first place, I need help and anyone who can offer advice is welcome[emoji1] I'll check around and find out what I can grow easily around me, and I'll look at the links you posted thanks again