Freeze Dried/Dehydrated Foods Reviews

[DaScribbler]

I thought I'd take a few moments and post reviews of Freeze Dried & Dehydrated Foods that I have sampled from my own Emergency Supplies.

Now I have to admit, I don't really like dipping into my emergency supplies as these type of products don't come cheap, but at the same time if anyone ever has to survive on a Diet of Freeze Dried and Dehydrated Foods your body is going to need time to prepare and adjust to this new diet, so from time to time I will sample products from my own panty and post my thoughts on them here:

First up:

Freeze Dried - Banana Slices

From: Shelf Reliance/Thrive Foods
Sealed Shelf Life: 25 years
Opened Shelf Life: 2 years

7 months ago I opened a Mylar Pouch of this Product and finally finished them a couple weeks ago. The Banana's in this pouch were Freeze Dried back in 2001 so the product was already 10 years old when I opened it.

In their Freeze Dried state they made for a tasty Crisp Banana chip like snack.

Then just to satify my own curiousity I decided to reconstitute them to see how they would turn out. I soaked them in warm water for 3 minutes, then drained off the water. I was pleasently surprised to see that they looked like Fresh Cut Banana chips. For the most part they tasted like Fresh Cut Banana's, some of them were a little tough at their center, but perhaps I didn't soak them long enough. The packaging says they should be soaked for 3 - 5 minutes, I only gave them 3 minutes.

Over all, I have to give them the Thumbs Up

I would definitely buy more of these for my Emergency Supplies

[DaScribbler]

Next up: Freeze Dried - Peach Slices

From: Shelf Reliance/Thrive Foods
Sealed Shelf Life: 25 Years
Opened Shelf Life: 1 Year


Last week I opened a mylar pouch of this product. It was Freeze Dried in September 2010, so it was just over a year old.

In its Freeze Dried State it was simply awesome. The product was sliced into wedges and tasted like Peach Candy.

This was so good in its Freeze Dried State that I never bothered to try and reconstitute it.


I'm not normally a big Peach Fan, but this stuff was pretty darn good. Thumbs Up

Would I buy it again? Definitely!

[DaScribbler]

Next Up: Freeze Dried - Fuji Apples

From: Brothers International Food Corporation
Sealed Shelf Life: 2 Years
Opened Shelf Life: Unknown


This product is marketed as a Lunch Snack, primarily meant for Children's School Lunches. Being a Fan of Freeze Dried Food Storage I decided to give it a shot. Big Mistake!

This Product is meant to be consumed in its Freeze Dried State and not reconstituted.

This Product tasted like a Crunchy Paper product with a Slight Apple Flavour. Extremely low quality and explains its low price and why its available from your local 7 - Eleven.

It should also be noted: although the packaging lists Brothers International with an American Address, the Product clearly states: Product of China.

Its low quality gives it a Thumbs Down

Will I buy it again? Definitely NOT!

[DaScribbler]

Next up: Freeze Dried - Sliced Strawberries & Banana's

From: Brothers International Food Corporation
Sealed Shelf Life: 2 Years
Opened Shelf Life: Unknown


These Fruit Crisps (thin sliced Fruit product) are marketed as a Child's Lunch Snack with Disney Charaters on the packaging, but again as a Freeze Dried Foods Fan I had to give them a shot.

As a lunch snack this product is meant to be consumed in its Freeze Dried State and not reconstituted.

These weren't bad. They look like Slices of Strawberries and Banana's and the taste isn't half bad. It's definitely not very high quality product, but over all it made for a nice snack food, definitely one of the better products I've tried from Brothers International.

Again, although the packaging gives an American address for Brothers International the package reads: Product of China

Would I buy it again? As a novel, alternative, slightly healther Snack... Yes. As an addition to my Emergency Foods Supply? NO! Its mere 2 year shelf life and low quality, I think disqualifies it as a real Freeze Dried Product.

[DaScribbler]

Next Up: Dehydrated - Cheesy Broccoli Rice

From: Food For Health International
Sealed Shelf Life: 20 Years
Opened Shelf Life: N/A


Food for Health offer many Entree/Meals that are 100 percent vegetarian with high nutritional values and no hydrogenated oils, trans fats or added MSG.

Not sure if this product really is Dehydrated, but due to its long shelf life I suspect it must be.

This sample of Cheesy Broccoli Rice came from my Food For Health Bucket, it was a 5 serving Mylar Pouch. I cooked it for 20 minutes in two cups of boiling water. I wasn't expecting much out of it, but to my surprise after 20 minutes of cooking the result was mouth watering cheesy rice dish with a hint of Broccoli.

This 5 serving package took me 3 sittings to consume myself. It was a filling and satisfying entree style meal. I could easily enjoy this dish a few times a week.

This definitely gets a Thumbs Up

Would I buy it again? DEFINITELY!

[DaScribbler]

The above posts are all the products I've sampled from my own Emergency Food Stores over the last eight months. I'll post more of my thoughts and reviews of various products as I try them.

Please feel free to offer your own reviews or any input you may have on any of the above or on any Emergency Supply food you have tried.

Let's learn from each others experiences

[paintergirl]

What an excellent post, thanks!! I have been doing some reading on Thrive and it was my first choice ... I was glad to see the positive review, particularly on a product that was 10 years old. I had originally planned to order it from the US but seeing it is available in Alberta, ( my thanks to you for alerting me to that) I will be placing my order there... no border tie-ups and hopefully reduced shipping!

As I have been re-building my pantry and emergency supplies, I have found myself dwelling a great deal on shelf life, particularly with dried goods (pastas, barley, flour) and tin goods, Thrive continues to become more appealing.

I would be interested to hear any reviews on Thrive "meat" dishes involving TVP if anyone has tried these, I am strongly considering these for my first shipment.

[vanislemom]

I bought dehydrated TVP from Lifestyles Market for my shtf pantry.

Came across this article about the safety of TVP, regarding how it's processed. I'm not sure how concerned to be about it, but thought it worth passing along. Anyway, I plan to use my supply in soups over the course of the apocalypse.

http://www.naturalnews.com/033728_TVP_t ... otein.html

[paintergirl]

I bought dehydrated TVP from Lifestyles Market for my shtf pantry.

Came across this article about the safety of TVP, regarding how it's processed. I'm not sure how concerned to be about it, but thought it worth passing along. Anyway, I plan to use my supply in soups over the course of the apocalypse.

http://www.naturalnews.com/033728_TVP_t ... otein.html

Bloody he** (double hockey sticks)... lol
I really believe there is so much engineering going on with so many foods, it is almost impossible to track! That article was a little scary...hadn't seen that in my reading yet, good to know. Since they say trace amounts, I weighed the pros and cons and would probably still be pro TVP since I am looking at the TVP for a long term emergency food solution.
I plan to use the Thrive meats for the same thing, soups and stews...

[DaScribbler]

Next up: Datrex Blue Ration 3600 kcal

From: Datrex Technologies
Sealed Shelf Life: 5 Years
Opened Shelf Life: Subpackaged for ease of rationing so N/A


These Emergency Food Bars (crisps) came from an old B.O.B. and were 4 years 11 Months old (30 days from their expiry date). They are small, compact and light wieght. Because they don't require any water or preparation they make a great addition to any B.O.B. and can easily be stored for long periods.

The texture of these Emergency Bars reminded me of a thick crisp chip, and tasted a lot like a Power Bar (dry, chalky) with a light Coconut flavour.

I'm not a big fan of Coconut, so I really didn't enjoy these at all.

The big selling point for these Emergency Bars is there compact, light weight, portability. They have been studied by various Governmant agencies and approved for use by both the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards.

Would I buy them again? For my B.O.B.'s, Yes. For my Bug In Supplies, No. The taste just wasn't there for me. They would do for Emergency "I have no choice" Survival, but otherwise not for me, coconut is just not my thing.