please share DEALS on shelf stable food

[TheOtherDave]

Costco is selling cases of freeze dried fruit pouches, 18 ct for $15.50. These contain Apples, Apples with cinnamon, and Strawberrys with Bannanas. These were packaged by Oregon Freeze Dry, better known as Mountain House.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... lang=en-US

Given that Mountain House recently claimed that their pouches really are good for 30 years same as their #10 cans (they are in a @#$%-waving contest with Wise Foods over who's packaging and O2 content are better), this is an excellent value and opportunity to put away some long term-essentially forever-fruit in your food storage. I bought a few cases locally, and plan to buy a few more for storage. They do offer larger 144 package boxes but I don't know if they are MH or if the packaging is the same as the ones in the link above.

[TurtleNomad]

Costco is selling cases of freeze dried fruit pouches, 18 ct for $15.50. These contain Apples, Apples with cinnamon, and Strawberrys with Bannanas. These were packaged by Oregon Freeze Dry, better known as Mountain House.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... lang=en-US

Shiny! Review please.

[TurtleNomad]

It's time for REI's annual Labor Day Sale (Aug-24 to Sep-03)!

No MN this year, but, a nice 20% off BackPacker's Pantry freeze dried products:
http://www.rei.com/search?cat=4500001&c ... 27s+Pantry

Resistance is futile, I'm already planning to order the new, improved version of their "3 day kit":
http://www.rei.com/product/837878/backp ... y-meal-kit


It's also time for one of Target's Clif and Luna bar sales. As usual, it's $5 for a six pack. They've recently greatly expanded their available flavors (I'm particularly fond of Luna chocolate peppermint stick), so it's worth checking out, if you're near one.
I'm not sure how long the sale lasts. It might only be thru this Saturday. Sorry for the late word.

[TheOtherDave]

Costco is selling cases of freeze dried fruit pouches, 18 ct for $15.50. These contain Apples, Apples with cinnamon, and Strawberrys with Bannanas. These were packaged by Oregon Freeze Dry, better known as Mountain House.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... lang=en-US

Shiny! Review please.

Well, the pouches are .35oz and about the size of a lunch sized bag of chips. I liked all three flavors (Fuji Apples, Fuji Apples with Cinnamon, and Bananas with Strawberries) but of the three I liked the apples with cinnamon the best even though I didn't think I would. The fruit is really tart and sweet, just like real apples. All are meant to be eaten right out of the package but the bannanas/strawberries need a little water to wash them down. Everyone who has tried them so far has liked them, and the friends/family who are into preparedness all bought cases themselves or asked us to get them for them.

On a cost basis, 18 packages @ .35oz is equal to 6.3 oz. I see Emergency Essentials is selling 7 oz of FD strawberries for $15 in a #10 can. You give up a little on value by weight with the costco cases, but you get three flavors and individual packaging-a #10 can of freeze dried needs to be eaten within about 2 weeks of opening depending on ambient humidity.

I'd definitely get in on this if you guys want to put some fruit up for snacking when the trains no longer run on time. Buy an extra case to try though, if you are like me it's easy to leave a sealed case alone-you are going to mow thru your first case pretty quick after trying them.

[Treesuit]

Looks like the price on the Costco value box has gone up a few dollars.

[TurtleNomad]

Great review, Dave! Thanks!

Tree, the REI sale also includes Clif's protein bytes, which sound similar to something you reviewed one year ago ("PowerBar Protein Plus Bites"). Here's the full list:
http://www.rei.com/search?cat=4500001&s ... ood%3AFood

[Treesuit]

turtle,

Yes, I did a review of the protein bytes by power bar last year in June. They were very good, just eat them slowly and with some water. They're great to have in your pantry or backpack if you need a quick snack. Also they're very small and compact, taking very little room. I haven't tried the Cliff bar version but I would assume it's the same as power bar. I also tried the Camelback electrolyte fizz for camelbacks and those are absolutely a "must have" on my list. I bought three tubes when I went down to NM in late June and 105 F degree weather everyday, I used all three by the time I got back to WA. So if your going to be doing any physical labor that's good to have in your pack.

[TurtleNomad]

Bad news:
The CTD HDRs are completely sold out.

Good news:
CTD is having a big sale on MREs entrees, t-rats, and civilian casees!
Here's the highlights:

MRE entree 12-packs at $19.93 (previously $24.97):
Beef Patty
Meatballs In Marinara Sauce
Pork Sausage Patty Maple Flavored
Penne Pasta In Spicy Tomato Sauce
Buffalo Chicken

T-Rations (about 40% off):
Cooked White Rice (2 pack)
Chicken Breast In Gravy (2 pack)
Cream Gravy with Ground Beef (4 pack)

complete civilian cases (12 meals; all are at least $10 off regular prices):
$49.97 aPack
$59.97 Sure-Pak
$59.97 MRESTAR
$59.97 EverSafe (Wornick)

variety pack of four HDR items (peanut butter, jam, fig bars, oatmeal cookies):
HDR 50 Piece Spread and Dessert Item Sampler Pack Bulk Pack of 50 Items
$19.93 (was $39.97)

sundry:
$59.97 (was $89.97) 140 MRE Tortillas Flour Snack Two Pack
$19.97 (was $24.97) MRE-296 MRE Side Dishes 28 Individual Servings

When the sale started, I ordered a bunch of stuff, and had it sent to a friend. That was after the HDR cases were gone, but there were still some half boxes, so we got a couple. We also bought that HDR "sampler", and a case of MRESTARs. I'm picking up my share tomorrow, and will post up reviews as soon as I get a chance. Note that the MRESTARs include two different breakfast menus, with some interesting items (yes, my friend couldn't resist, and "inventoried" his share).

The Sure-Paks were not on sale at that time, so I didn't order them. Would someone please buy a case, and review it? From Kman's reviews, it sounds like they are the closest to military ones.