Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Meat = Good Eats #4

Today we will talk about stocking up on meat.  I know, not everyone eats meat - and those that find that offensive, probably shouldn't even read this.  We all have our own thoughts on the subject, and it is doubtful that they will be changed by a blog post.

I have an ample supply of meat - a huge percentage is frozen.  I have never home canned meat,  Have you?  It is just something that scares the beejeesus out of me!!!!!!  I am very intimidated by a pressure canner - crazy I know - but that is me.  One of these days I will get brave!!!!

So other than home canned meat, which is shelf stable - there is store bought canned meat supplies that are shelf stable.
WHY do I mention that?  Well, if things go south for our world, and there is disruption of power - shelf stable will be hugely important!  All that freezer meat won't do us a bit of good - except we will have one heck of a cookout for the neighborhood - then the meat will be gone!

I know lots of people are now getting into self canning meat.  They are emptying their freezers and canning.  People are getting scared and want to prepare.  YES, you can process previously frozen meat.  There are many videos and instruction on-line that tell how to do this.  I do believe I will be checking them out in the near future.

So, if we don't can meat ourselves, we need to think about having that particular protein on our shelves.  I know a lot of us keep dry beans, peanut butter, powdered eggs, and even protein powder on hand.  Hopefully, we would be covered for protein - but shelf stable (ready to eat) meat would be nice to have as well.

Some of my stocks include all sorts of meat.
I keep some cans of corned beef (G loves this stuff), luncheon loaf (SPAM or other brands), tuna, chicken and I always have a few of the little canned hams.
I really like the 'Spam' like luncheon loaf from Aldi.  It is a lot cheaper and it tastes good.  If you have never tried - dice up and add to a pot of soup beans.  It truly is good and a great substitute if you don't have ham.
I get those little hams at Big Lots - as they are quite cheap there.  They are just a neat item to have on hand.  Tuna and chicken - well, those are pretty much self explained.

We also keep some mackerel on hand (not much - as it  is stinky), and of course salmon.  I do like mackerel, but it is highly smelly - so I generally cook it  on the grill.  It is also messy to deal with - but I think salmon is too.  So that is just me.  These are very high in protein, so they are good items to have on hand.  Mackerel is much cheaper than salmon, but can be fixed the same way.
I have seen canned shrimp and clams and crab as well.

There are many more items that can be kept on the shelf.  Jerky is a good one.  That lasts a long time.  Pepperoni can be left on the shelf for extended periods of time (until opened).  Pickled bologna and Vienna sausages are also available.  We both enjoy pickled bologna (with crackers) every now and then.  You can also find chipped beef (dried beef) in jars.  That is something I need to get.
There is canned turkey and beef pieces as well (like chicken).  I have had both of those in the past and they are fine.
You can find shelf stable sausage patties and even cooked ground beef.  I have seen the ground beef at WM and for a 28oz. can it runs about $6+.  Not something I would keep a lot of - but it sure might come in handy in an emergency situation.
There is even cooked and shelf stable bacon available now!


You can check out a lot of different sites for large cans of meat and other foods - such as eggs and peanut butter.  LDS sells these items, much can be purchased through WM (online) now, Sam's Club has some survivalist items, Lehmann's sells them - there are many places.
There is quite of variety of meats that are available that are shelf stable - you need to check them out.

I am NOT suggesting that people panic!  I am suggesting you just get busy and get prepared - cause I do believe with all my heart that lean times are coming.  I think the weather situations will have more to do with this than anything (at least in the short run).

If you think meat and groceries are expensive now - JUST WAIT!  So much has been destroyed already and more bad weather is heading in.  I heard this morning that nothing will be dried out until well after May - and that is if ONLY one more big weather event happens.  If there are more - not much will be happening this year in those areas.
Not only have the farms been destroyed (along with homes and towns), but also the roads.  The infrastructure will have to be repaired as well so transportation will be slowed and stopped in many instances.  There is also no power in these areas due to the flooding.  It is a accumulation of devastating things.
It takes great time to replenish livestock and fields and buildings and feed and farms - IF it can EVER be replenished back to normal.  Many farmers will be done now.

I truly don't mean to sound like a panic monger, that is not my intention.  It is just common sense.  If you want your family to eat in the future - you need to get your bums in gear now and PREPARE!
I do not have delusions that any agencies would help us.  We are on our own.

Get busy - add to your pantry as you can.  Maybe make an extra effort now - add a few dollars to your grocery fund each week and stock up.  Make the effort - it is truly important to you and your family.
I just can't emphasize how very important this is.  Don't wait - as prices will be increasing soon!

28 comments:

  1. I've never really kept canned meat in the pantry. We do enjoy tuna and salmon once in awhile though. It would be good to stock up on the things we enjoy I suppose. Thank you for the reminder!
    Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

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    1. I don't think a lot of people do - but it sure would be handy in the event that meat gets to a price that we can no longer afford.
      Have a great day!

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  2. Thanks for the tips!
    I'll check out big lots for the canned hams, and I'll buy one of aldi's spam to see if we like it. I bought some tuna when kroger had it on sale for .50/can so that should last a while. Salmon has been so expensive lately that I haven't bought any in a long time. I'll see if I can find a good deal on pepperoni and I think those summer sausage have a relatively long shelf life.

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    1. Oh I forgot about that. Summer sausage is very good and yes, that has a good shelf life. Thanks for that tip.

      There are just so many ways we can prepare for the long run.

      Hope you like the Aldi 'spam'. Yep, salmon is expensive - I got a deal of many cans on the markdown shelf - so I took advantage!
      Good luck!

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  3. I, like you are scared to death of pressure cookers. Let me know when you get brave and we can try it together.

    I keep lots of tuna, chicken, clams, vienna sausage, soups with meat, canned hams, jerky sausage and pepperoni in my dry storage. I also have a bunch of pork, beef, chicken, fish, ham and turkey in my freezers. Hubby loves to smoke meats so if we lost power long term, he would do that to a lot of the meat. I always have plenty of salt on hand for this reason. I wouldn't be able to eat it but the rest of the family would. We also have a generator so it wouldn't have to happen immediately. My chest freezer only needs to be run a few hours every day to keep everything frozen solid as long as it is kept shut.

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    1. Well I am glad I am not the only scared of that thing!
      My freezers are full too and we have a whole house generator which would be a blessing - but it would be very costly to have everything going all the time with the gas. And that is saying that gas is still flowing.

      I love the idea of smoking meat. Never tried that either.
      Glad to hear you are on top of having shelf stable meats. I will let you know if I get brave!!!!

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  4. I also stock up on canned meats. And summer sausage and pepperoni. Have you tried Yoder's Bacon? It's really good. A lot of bacon packed in one can. I also have some of the Auguson Farms freezed dried meats. You can order that online from Walmart. I have home canned turkey meat before. It turned out fine.

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    1. Good for you! I have never seen bacon in a can. That is something I will look for. Thanks.
      I keep thinking about getting some of the Auguson Farms products. They say they last 20 years.
      Keep up the good work.

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  5. i noticed those hams at aldis. how do you prepare them. i wonder if they will be less at easter time. nancy

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    1. Yes, that is right, Aldi does carry them too. I forgot about that. You can bake them for a short while - cut them up in other foods, or eat them as are. They are fully cooked. That is what makes it nice to have on the shelf - in case you have no way to cook.

      Doubtful that they will be cheaper. They usually stay the same price year round.

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  6. Cheryl and others that have not canned meat. Ask around at your local senior center or church for any older ladies that have canned meat. Once you find your local canner the best way to get started is to see if they will come to your home and show you how to do it. My Dad taught me several years ago over the phone as I lived several states away. Check out a Ball canning book and read it numerous times through. BEWARE though....once you start its like an addiction! You will be looking for meat to score t0 can! Good luck ladies!

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    1. I have heard it is addictive! LOL
      I think my brother has canned meat - I need to get with him. He cans everything. I am just intimidated by the pressure canner - not so much the meat!
      Just call me a scaredy cat!!!!!!

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  7. Once again, I am learning so much. I keep tuna and canned salmon on hand but never gave other canned meats a thought. I am now and will be adding those to my stock up list. Thanks, Cheryl!

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    1. Isn't it neat that we can all learn something new every day? That was one thing my Daddy drilled into me - LEARN SOMETHING NEW EACH AND EVERY DAY!

      I am glad you will be trying new things and getting prepared.

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  8. You are so right! I keep tuna, Vienna sausage, chicken etc. I just won't can meat and this stuff is really good. I'm looking into buying ham this week. Nope I won't can meat and I have a pressure canner. Nothing wrong with buying canned meat.

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    1. LOL - I understand. Yes, canned meat from the store is tasty and is perfectly OK with me. The only canned meat I purchased that wasn't a HUGE hit was canned turkey. It seemed to have a lot of fat in it - it may have just been the can I got.
      The price of store canned meat is really reasonable as well.

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  9. Cheryl, I think your mindset on being prepared is excellent. While everyone is getting upset by Trump tweets or the Kardashian family, farmers just got hit on all sides. Here is an article I read and thought you would want to read. Have a good day. Oh, my friend did can ground beef and chicken in a pressure canner. I too am afraid of pressure canning but I definitely think it is worth a try. Take care. Barb in PA
    http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/government-warns-of-historic-widespread-flooding-through-may-food-prices-to-skyrocket-as-1000s-of-farms-are-destroyed

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    1. Barb I agree. There are so many things in this world that just don't matter and people keep them going and it disgusts me too. There are real important things and where is the outrage? There isn't any.
      I keep seeing stories about the farmers and flooding on one of our LOCAL (in Indiana) stations, but not on national news. That is crazy that Indiana would be showing it and not them. There is just something wrong with the mentality of this world today.
      OK - sorry about the rant. I get the feeling you feel that way as well.
      Thank you - I will check out the article.
      Take care and stock-up!

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  10. This is a really good post, Cheryl--timely and packed full of good information and insightful comments! Meat/fish/chicken is a neglected area of my pantry, but you have provided so many options and ideas I feel I can successfully address improving my "protein" storage. Thank you, Cheryl!

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    1. Thanks Sue. Protein is important. There are many ways to get it - but many people like their meat. I hope you get your pantry stocked up in case of ANY emergency.

      You are welcome!

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  11. Forgot to add that the Dollar Store carries asceptic boxes of whole and 1% milk. These are not long-term (only a year or two on the boxes I've bought), but they taste fine and easy to rotate in/out.

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    1. YES! I get them and they are great. Sure another option for us all. You never know when you won't be able to get to a store or when they won't have goods.
      Anything that we can keep on our shelves will be a blessing.
      (I get them cold and use for pudding or ice cream or cooking when they start getting old)

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  12. It is frightening to think about, but I know you are speaking the truth. So many roads here just disintegrated when we had all that rain in February. It gives me a lot to think about.

    I keep canned salmon, chicken and canned chili on hand. And plenty of beans. Dried garbanzo beans can be substituted for a mock tuna salad after cooking the beans.

    You've got my mind in gear, Cheryl.

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    1. Our infrastructure leaves a bit to be desired any way - then add all that rain and the power of flooding - and it's a nightmare!

      I have done my job, if I get folks to start thinking about things in a different way. I do believe we are all here to teach and learn, and anything that we glean from each other, helps us all.

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  13. Great post, thanks. Here in the UK, the Brexit messup is well and truly underway simply because our MP's are so undecided. I started a Brexit emergency food box last December and continue to add to. Haven't got too much meat in it yet so thanks for the reminder. People think I am crazy but I don't care.

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    1. De the greatest minds and ideas have always been thought of as crazy in the past! You are being so smart preparing for anything.
      I understand that Brexit has caused tremendous angst for the average person.
      You keep on preparing and putting your goods back for another day. You my dear are the SMART one!

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  14. Good luck De. I would be storing extra if I lived over there.

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  15. Cheryl we had big stock losses and storms in Australia too. And prices have gone up so much in veggies and meat. We love meat. Our blessing is we can get venison for free. But I love lamb, beef, turkey, chicken... tuna.... I always keep canned tuna. Stocking up at good prices is absolutely the key.

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