What to include in homemade/DIY MREs?

[Sirenemarie83]

So, I've been looking at small, household sized, vacuum packing machines lately. For making my own MREs*.

I have already planned the main meals, and the hot and cold drinks.
But what would be good to add as snacks? Besides the obvious nuts and dried fruits.





*I currently have no plans for doing this on a commercial scale.

[Dekard]

Harvest Right has freeze drying machines for freeze drying - if you're intending to do your own retort packaging for food other than dry snacks; i'd be very concerned about food safety.

while i haven't researched the subject i'd be very leery of even tasting home canned food in retort pouches. not an indictment of your canning skills, i just don't know if there are any non-commercial systems that approach the safety and sterilization levels of commercial equipment.

you could search about and see if there are any community canning facilities that may do retort canning. i remember reading here someplace that LDS has community canning facilities if you're near one.

[Sirenemarie83]

Ah, I haven't heard about Harvest Right before. I'll do some more research on household size freeze driers, etc.

Also, those MREs are for personal use, so I don't have to resort to junk food if I'm at an event, like for example a Nerf war.
I thought that was sort of implied in the first post?

[Dekard]

Also, those MREs are for personal use, so I don't have to resort to junk food if I'm at an event, like for example a Nerf war.
I thought that was sort of implied in the first post?

i understood the personal use from your post - was just concerned for your health and your loved ones if you were going to can your foods via the retort method.

if you're going to be vacuum sealing your own freeze dried or dehydrated food, you should be safe.

[Sirenemarie83]

The freeze dried mains of my homemade MREs will, until such a time where it becomes viable to do at home, be bought pre-made. Something I made clear in the first post, where I quite clearly state that I already know what to do about them.

I was specifically asking about what types of snacks to include.

[RockyRaab]

I understand you are using vacuum bagging as an outer bag. That was clear.

I'd look at small packages of jerky, meat sticks, Tootsie Rolls, small cans of pate/potted meats, sardines, hard candies, chocolate bars and such. The main thing would be to pick snacks that won't be crushed by the vacuum packing. Things like cookies, pretzels, crisps would crumble in the vacuuming process.

[carlosflar]

You also have to keep in mind the density of the food, its wiser to put a bar of chocolate than a bag of chips since the chips are going to ocupy way more

[Sirenemarie83]

Who the [censored] packs crisps/chips as a snack in an MRE? That's just asking for trouble.

But the bars (chocolate, nuts, etc.), jerky (when I find one I actually like), etc. will certainly be taken into consideration.

[RockyRaab]

That was my point.

[blue87fj60]

Who the [censored] packs crisps/chips as a snack in an MRE? That's just asking for trouble.

But the bars (chocolate, nuts, etc.), jerky (when I find one I actually like), etc. will certainly be taken into consideration.

The .gov that’s who.
Never had combo pretzels, pretzel sticks, patriot cookies, etc. in an MRE?