Survival Food

Pinto beans get their name from the Spanish for speckled bean, frijol pinto. In northern Mexico and the southwest of the U.S., they are the bean most likely to be produced, and across the U.S. are served in a multitude of ways – fried, mashed, re-fried, served in soups, dips, salads, and slow cooker meals. … Read more

Preppers who are getting ready for long-term survival scenarios and living in the aftermath of disasters are always looking for a better survival food option. Something that is more nutritionally complete, longer lasting, easier to prepare, easier to carry, etc. Some folks have suggested using protein powder as a survival food, and I must admit … Read more

It’s been said that there is nothing new under the sun, and pretty much everything that trends in our society has been a topic of discussion long before. One of the single biggest topics concerning food sources, and supposedly helping the environment, is eating bugs and specifically eating crickets. Proponents claim they are a tremendous … Read more

When you are in a survival situation, be it a short-term or a long-term one, you might not have much say so about what you eat. If you’re in a major hurry, lack resources or just have really bad luck, you might not even have time to cook your food. Some foods are better than … Read more

One of the most fundamental skills that any prepper can possess in a survival situation is knowing how to forage for food. Nature can provide us with all sorts of nutritious things to eat if we know where to look, know how to harvest them and know how to prepare them. But not everything is … Read more

One of the factors that some preppers fail to account for when planning for a legitimate survival situation is just how little choice you will have in the proceedings, at least much of the time. Necessity will ultimately make many of your decisions for you, and in the case of water to drink and food … Read more

There are all kinds of plants serving all kinds of purposes in and around human habitation. Every once in a while, you come across a plant that is pretty divisive. Some folks might love it for its beauty or aroma, but it might have physical characteristics that make it a nuisance to others. Honeysuckle is … Read more

Every self-reliant person I know spends hour upon hour planning to accommodate the need for food in all kinds of survival situations. Yeah, you can go for weeks without food before you starve, but only a handful of days without food before you’re dangerously low on energy. But one thing that is routinely overlooked in … Read more

When you’re talking about survival, real survival, your wants and preferences will rarely factor into the equation. Survival is mostly about making the best of a bad situation, or choosing the lesser of the two evils much of the time. As always, necessity is going to be the ultimate decider of your actions. This certainly … Read more

It’s a good thing to be a prepper, in the context that you accept that bad things can happen, happen unexpectedly and it is in your best interest and the best interest of your loved ones to be ready for those occasions. But, it is easy to forget that despite your efforts you might not … Read more

Cacti thrive in hot and dry regions but can be found all over the world in areas that don’t reach below freezing. While admiring the vicious-looking appearance, you might be surprised to learn that it offers much in terms of survival. Yes, you can eat most cacti, though some varieties are toxic for humans. Generally, … Read more

When discussing survival scenarios, especially long-term scenarios or ones where you are trapped in the middle of the wilderness, the topic of hunting for food often comes up, and for obvious reasons. But, this discussion typically overlooks small game, and I’m talking about really small game in particular: insects. Although eating insects is nothing new … Read more

MREs have evolved past the point of just feeding the military while they are out in the field. Each country has its version of these easy-to-prepare meals, with the Canadian IMP (Individual Meal Pack) as a good comparison. MREs have become famous among civilians who enjoy the many components found within. Meals Ready to Eat … Read more

Some of you reading this might have a bamboo cooking utensil in your house right now, or maybe you purchased a bamboo toothbrush to see what the hype was all about. But did you know you could eat it for survival? Yes, bamboo shoots can be eaten for survival. However, although edible, bamboo does contain … Read more

Preparing for a power outage and its impact on your life is difficult enough without worrying over how you’re going to prepare your meals. Considering that the kitchen is really the command center of the average home, anything that takes your kitchen offline is going to dramatically interfere with feeding yourself and your family. Yes, … Read more

MREs, or meals-ready-to-eat, are military ration packs that every single person serving in uniform is already familiar with, and they also happen to be a long-term food storage solution for preppers. Though expensive, their combination of extraordinary shelf life and stability across a great temperature range makes them good survival food for civilians just like … Read more

In some cultures around the world, insects feature heavily on the menu. Throughout Asia, Africa and South America bugs make up an important resource of nutrition. Similarly, bugs have commonly been turned to as a food of desperation by those in survival situations or living in times of extreme lack. It sounds gross, and it … Read more

Most preppers already know that OPSEC, or operational security, is an important concept when surviving in the aftermath of any major disaster or other long-term crisis. A loan word taken from the military, applying the concept to prepping and general survival means taking pains to keep your business your business, and not giving away to … Read more

Ramen noodles. You love them, or you hate them, and probably not much in between. That being said, you have to respect them for becoming so ubiquitous and so cheap. Whether they are tossed into a pack as a reliable if uninspired camping meal or used to desperately stretch the dollars of broke college kids, … Read more

Canned food is a reliable, convenient option, and aside from being an everyday staple in the kitchen it also serves as a fundamental part of a long-term food storage plan. You might have seen various depictions in media of people heating up canned food right in the can prior to eating it, but is this … Read more

Berries are a bountiful, delicious and nutritious wild food that can make for a great supplement to your rations anytime you are out in the wilderness. But before you go and chow down on a bunch of fresh-picked berries, you had better know which ones are safe to eat and which ones are poisonous. Choose … Read more

It’s the middle of summer, and that means cookouts! If you’re like most people, your grill is probably covered in rust. You know you should clean it, but that is a chore, and messy besides. It won’t hurt to put it off just a little longer, right? So is cooking on a rusty grill safe? … Read more