A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


January 2, 2012

What I Can't Do Without

     When you think of "survival food" what comes to mind?  Rice and beans?  MREs?   I have to admit I rarely go a day without two of my favorite gastronomical ingredients... butter and cheese!  And if refrigeration is a problem in a crisis situation, spoilage is an automatic concern.  And I can hardly think of any meal that is not made better by either butter or cheese.  Long-term storage of these essential items seemed to me to be a problem without a solution.
     Then a friend introduced me to Red Feather canned butter and cheese.  Canned?  You're probably having the same reaction I did.  Metal taste and rubbery in texture, right?  How could anything so rich and creamy be good in a can?


     Well, I was in for a surprise.  I have to admit, the packaging doesn't do anything to whet your appetite. In fact, it looks rather industrial.  But the taste is amazingly pleasant.  When opened, the butter reminds me of butter that is allowed to sit out at room temperature --- much like my grandmother used to do.  It's creamy, spreads easily and honestly tastes like store-bought butter.  The 12-oz cans are easy to store and have a shelf life of at least 2 years.  So Red Feather canned butter passed the test!
     Next came the examination of the canned cheese.  I'm pretty finicky about cheese that is processed.  Although I love Velveeta cheese, I recognize that it is not very healthy for you.  Surprisingly, this cheese is real cheddar cheese, and has a natural yellow color (unlike the fake color of other processed cheeses).  It tastes like a mild cheddar cheese, and can be sliced, grated or cut like other cheeses.  The only drawback I can find is that it doesn't melt into a creamy, fluid sauce, but I can live with that inconsistency if the taste and texture is there.  So again, Red Feather canned cheese outweighed my expectations.  And, amazingly, it can be stored indefinitely.
      I highly recommend both products for long-term storage, and they are easy to stack, so a minimum amount of space is needed.  And it's nice to think that if, confronted with an emergency or a crisis, you don't have to do without those comfort foods, like macaroni and cheese, and butter for your toast.  Stock up now!

Isaiah 55:2     "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the riches of fare."

2 comments:

  1. I suppose anything canned would be considered "survival food"-stuff right off your local grocer's shelves will do. I've eaten canned food way past its expiration date, and it seemed fine. Apparently, as long as the can is intact, it's probably O.K.(I ate a 35 year old can of spaghetti once,heated up over a 150 watt bulb-long story).This may no hold true for all canned things, though.
    Something else seldom mentioned in prep lists-mechanical timepieces, or at least solar-capacitor ones. What will you do if batteries become hard to get? You can make "water batteries" for clocks,but they're aren't small(but easy to do), or maybe build a solar cell/supercapacitor power supply for clocks(memory capacitors are cheap). Still, having a few old-school windemups around might not be a bad idea. They're still made, but hard to find.

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  2. Yeah, you're right on the wind-up watch. It's definitely something to consider. I'm especially fond of the Benrus military watches. They're as tough as a tank and if you know how to read off the hour hand, you always have a compass with you. If you point the hour hand in the direction of the sun...halfway between 12:00 and the hour hand, will be South. If you've got your watch, you've got your compass!

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