Freeze Dried Meat
The Top Three Uses of Freeze Dried Meat
For most of us, the thought of freeze dried meat is not very appealing. You never see a restaurant advertising freeze dried meat, for example. If asked, the vast majority of people would rather have fresh meat than the same dish freeze dried.
Freeze dried meat, however, has some very important practical uses that you may want to consider.
Including Freeze Dried Meat in Emergency Kit
One of the central uses for freeze dried meat is for emergency kits. If you don’t have one already, you may want to consider keeping an emergency kit in case of a natural disaster. As we have recently seen in Haiti and Chile, an earthquake or other severe natural disaster may disrupt the usual methods of food distribution for several days. Even if the government does manage to bring in food, there may be a period just after the disaster where looting and general anarchy make the streets a dangerous adventure.
In order to avoid this unnecessary risk, it is best to have a well stocked emergency kit. Alongside your first aide kit, flashlights, batteries, emergency radio and water, you should also keep enough cans of food to feed you and your loved ones for at least two weeks, just in case something terrible happens.
This may seem extreme, but a well-stocked emergency kit may be the difference between life and death. As part of this kit, you may want to include some freeze dried meat to help supplement your meals and create some variety in the diet. You will also want to remember to keep some extra water so that you will be able to prepare your canned foods. Don’t forget that shortly after a disaster, contaminants may taint the water supply so you don’t want to drink or cook with tap water if possible, until the authorities give you the all clear.
Camping with Canned Meats
Another very common use for canned dried meats is for camping. When you are going on a long camping trip, you don’t want to carry extra weight in your backpack. There is nothing more discouraging than an overly full backpack during a long hike. Freeze dried cans with meat and other meals have the added benefit of being lighter than the same foods without this process.
Canned foods also have the benefit of not being as attractive to bears and other night time creatures when they raid your camp looking for food. You will still want to take precautions to keep your cans away from nighttime critters. Many animals have a keen sense of smell and may be able to smell food even in cans; also, many animals have run across left over cans litterbugs have left behind and have come to associate cans with food, so even with cans you should take the same precautions you would with other kinds of food.
Winter Stores for those off the Grid
If you live off the grid, freeze dried meat may also be a necessity for the winter months when you are living off the grid. If you are a park ranger or if you live out in one of the national parks, in places where your winter snow separates you from human contact, then you will want to prepare for the winter months.
If you are good with rifle, you may think that you can simply live off the land. However, this may not always be possible. Winter prey can be difficult to come by. In addition, if your other food supplies should be contaminated or if rodents or other wild critters should raid your supplies, you want to have back up plan.
These are the three main uses for freeze dried foods. Some people, however, also find it nice to take some cans of their favorite American food with them when they are going abroad so that they can have a familiar meal while they are away. You should, however, check with the customs agency of the country you plan to visit, as some countries do not allow certain types of foreign foods to pass into their country.
Some people even become accustomed to the taste of freeze dried foods, though this is indeed a small group. Although frieze dried foods are the main choice for most people, they certainly have an important role to play.