I went to a food storage class a while back and someone there had packed routine shelf stable food – enough for one week – into a bucket. I thought it was such a great idea. A 7-day emergency food cache, with ready-made daily menus of “regular” grocery food.
I am imagining: Immediately after the bad thing happens and I’m all out of sorts, I can grab the convenient bucket and execute easy to prepare meals without using any brain cells. After we eat, the bucket may come in handy for …well … the other things that happen after you eat…
And, although it would be too heavy to carry in a bug-out situation, it would be a great grab-n-throw-in-the-car bucket. Anyway, I don’t know the person or how to contact them, so I am attempting to re-create her idea using my food items.
My goals – feed 2 people for 7 days. 2,000 calories per day with some basic nutrition and variety. Everything must fit into a 6 ½ gallon plastic bucket with a gamma lid. (I’m not planning to pack in a Mylar bag.)
Here’s what I have so far, but I’m nowhere near my 2,000 calories.
For the sake of this project, I assume that I have the ability to supply water, cooking and cleaning requirements separately. And oh by the way, if you decide to do something similar, I found that I can stuff the underside of the gamma lid with small items. (tea, coffee, crystal light, P38 can opener, etc.)
p.s. if you are looking for more ideas, check out our complete survival food list.
Breakfast | Total Calories |
Water Required? |
Oatmeal, Quaker, individual packets (12 total) |
1560 |
yes |
Pancake mix, 5.5 oz. |
660 |
yes |
Syrup, Aunt Jemima, 8 oz. |
400 |
|
Beef Jerky sticks (2 each) |
100 |
|
Snacks | ||
4 Trail Mix Bar, Nature’s Valley |
720 |
|
4 Peanuts, Salted Planters, 2 oz. |
680 |
|
4 Oats & Honey Bars, Nature’s Valley |
720 |
|
4 Snack Bars, Misc. Flavors, Nature’s Valley |
720 |
|
Starlight Peppermints – handful |
100 |
|
Tootsie-Pops chocolate candy – handful |
200 |
|
Drinks | ||
14 Coffee, Folgers, Instant Individual, Packets |
0 |
yes |
8 Lemonade Drink Mix, Crystal Light |
0 |
yes |
8 Raspberry Drink Mix, Crystal Light |
0 |
yes |
8 Wild Strawberry Drink Mix, Crystal Light |
0 |
yes |
8 Cherry Pomegranate Mix, Crystal Light |
0 |
yes |
Lunch |
|
|
Double Stuffed Ravioli, Chef Boyardee (2) |
800 |
|
Raisins, Sun Maid (2 each) |
50 |
|
Tuna, 5 oz can (2) |
200 |
|
Tuna Helper, Box 7.5 oz. |
700 |
yes |
Powdered Milk Packet | ||
Mac & Cheese, Kraft box 7.25 oz |
780 |
|
Powdered Milk Packet | ||
Beef Stew, Dinty Moore Cans 15 oz. (2) |
800 |
|
Protein Bars, Nature Valley (2) |
360 |
|
Peanut Butter, Jiff, crunchy, 18 oz. |
510 |
|
Saltine crackers, 2 columns |
200 |
|
Chicken, SAM’S Member’s Mark, 13 oz |
350 |
|
Manwich Can 15.5 oz. |
210 |
|
Baked Beans, Bush’s Can 16.5 oz. |
490 |
|
Chicken Noodle Soup Can + Lipton Envelope |
300 |
|
Protein Bars, Nature Valley (2) |
360 |
|
Dinner |
|
|
Beef with Gravy, Hormel Cans, 12 oz. (2) |
520 |
|
Baked Beans, Bush’s Can 16.5 oz. |
490 |
|
Green Beans, Can 14.5 oz |
70 |
|
Chicken Chow Mien Dinner, LA Choy, 28 oz |
540 |
|
Spam, Can 12 oz. |
840 |
|
Sweet Potato Casserole, Glory 15 oz. |
250 |
|
Cooked Ham, DAK, 16 oz. Can |
800 |
|
Instant Mashed Potatoes, Idahoan 4 oz. |
240 |
yes |
Green Beans, Can 14.5 oz |
70 |
|
Spaghetti Dinner, Kraft Box 8 oz. |
800 |
yes |
Tomato Paste, Hunts Can 6 oz. |
150 |
|
Chicken, SAM’S Member’s Mark 13 oz. |
350 |
|
Rice Package, Knorr 5.7 oz. |
600 |
yes |
Corn, Can 12 oz. |
245 |
|
Corned Beef, Hormel Can 12 oz. |
720 |
|
Instant Mashed Potatoes, Idahoan, 2 oz. |
440 |
yes |
Carrots, 12.5 oz. |
158 |
|
Total Calories in Bucket |
19,253 |
|
Total Calories per day for 2 people |
1,375 |
Another GREAT idea MsKYprepper! I find that when I am stressed I a) eat more, and b) want “comfort” food.
Chocolate will add calories in a small space :) And rice will add volume to almost anything–dump a can of soup over cooked rice and instant hot dish, ah casserole :)
Bev :)
Bev, I was experimenting around as my physical condition worsened (spinal stenosis)and I had settled on the #2 sized tub from Wally world as being the ideal size and weight wise for me to handle and carry to the truck. I added some security snaps two per side and some rubber foam weatherstrip in the lid slot. I was able to set these up with food and utensils and a few other badly needed devices like large and small box cutter type utility knives, picnic sets of salt, pepper and other spices. I had room for a four day supply of everything needed for two people, three meals a day for the four days with a little bit leftover. Breakfasts included biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs with ham and peppers (Mountain House Pouch) canned chunk ham to flavor the beans and lentils with, minute rice, soup, canned ham to slice, fry and add to breakfast. I also included cans of ravioli and tamales along with a can of the keystone meat beef, chicken, pork, or turkey with the side dishes to compliment. When I had the four days worth there was room in the tub for garbage bags,towels,toilet paper with the core removed and squashed flat. I had peanut butter, jelly, crackers, graham cracker and some cheezits for snacks. I had bought some of the reusable squeeze tubes that you fill at the bottom and seal but did not need them since I had plenty of room doe those “wish I had some” type item like accord, duct tape,etc. I was trying to keep the maximum weight to forty pounds or under and the only tub that was anywhere near this figure was the one with the knock down stainless steel stove and oven. They were easy to grab and load into the bed of the truck into a prepared rack I had made. This was the A tub. The B tub was a plastic milk crate about the same size which held four gallon jugs of spring water. The only thing I went back and added to this was a bottle of five hour energy drink for each of us for the initial bug out and get set up period. I had 5 different A tubs according to the entree. We got to use one for an over nighter and I had only completed the initial five when my conditioned worsened making it plain that I would have to stay put with what I have. The grandson I have that is interested in learning, I gave the rest to he and his wife and I suppose thy have all been consumed since the were having a rough time of it.
Harold, these are great ideas. I’ve chosen to stick with buckets, only because I need to keep my containers consistent for easy storing in a small space. But you stil gave me a few gems. Thanks
Glad you could glean something from it since in my opinion this is what this blog is about. My reason for the tubs is because the readily conform to fill out the corners, stack easily and my conditions precludes me using buckets. I did try with the four gallon square buckets but they did not hold enough for my purposes. Perhaps a square six gallon bucket might do the trick but the real deciding factor was the water. We use the gallon jugs of spring water from Wally World because our city water is undrinkable causing me great intestinal distress and they just ignore the test reports on the tests I have had run on it. I have visited the particular spring that the water at our local wal mart uses and approve of their procedures and I know it it not recycled tap water because I do a periodic water test on some of it. Four jugs, a gallon a day is the bare minimum for drinking or cooking purposes for us and just fits in one of those little plastic milk crates they sell which are the same size as the tub I am using making it so easy to grab and go since I keep a supply of water on hand all of the time so I know it would be fairly fresh and stored water would not be. At any rate, the project is over with since I can no longer walk around more than a dozen steps at a time so I will have to just stay put where I am. My wife still prepares meals with the stuff we had stocked in the tubs because of the convenient serving sizes. Harold
Harold have you tried using the Pro Pur water filtration system? This is what we use at our house and we really like it. I am including the link to their web site maybe have a look see and see what you think.
https://propurusa.com/
I still have the PUR filter I was sold by the water softener people and it does remove the discoloration but not the microorganisms that are causing my distress. I just use it for drinking purposes and the rest is boiled. For the shower I just hold my nose. About twenty years ago. the city stopped using the deep wells north of town and started drawing water from the lake. Problem is lake surface area is not great enough nor is the inflow sufficient to provide constant turnover to prevent stagnation and it is worse with the drought. One of my fields of expertise is water treatment in conjunction with the steam boilers for turbine electricity generation so I have all of the equipment on hand to do the job.
Oh girl! Can NEVER go wrong with chocolate!
Good article MsKyprepper. I like Bev’s idea of chocolate bars, also you might add some sugar packets for thing like the oatmeal, and something like Buddy Bars for desert.
Thanks!
Ooooh…MsKYPrepper….I’m afraid I am about to offend you, and I really don’t want to offend you. But I can tell you if you eat like this, even for a week, you’re askin’ for trouble. Way too much processed food, artificial sweetener (neurotoxins!), Monosodium Glutamate (check that Kraft spaghetti package!)….I think I’ve made my point. MSG acts on the brain the same way artificial sweeteners act on the brain – kill brain cells. If you’re having memory issues, can’t stand as long as you once did without feeling “dizzy”, head “spins” on occasion or you’ve ever been diagnosed with “Vertigo”, THIS may be the problem and nothing else. Seriously. They are both man-made CHEMICALS. It will take time, maybe weeks or even months to get it all out of your system, just so you know.
When SHTF, we can not afford to aggravate existing health problems or create new ones. Such a diet will, IMHO, do both.
Replace all the pre-packaged foods with healthier items, free of artificial sweeteners (NO Crystal Light!) – there are powdered drink products that contain SUGAR – much safer than Crystal Light – or, buy it unsweetened and add Stevia in the Raw; it has a different flavor, so, you might want to start off mixing half sugar and a bit of Stevia (it takes very little to equal the sugar). Might personal favorite sweetener is locally produced, RAW honey but it isn’t all that convenient to carry, and doesn’t work for everything. Makes really tasty whole grain bread, though! Anyway….
Better still, just drink plain, bottled SPRING water. Be careful on this, too. Not “filtered municipal water” – SPRING water. Big difference. Municipal water contains things that NO filter can remove, I don’t care what they tell people – fluoride, another neurotoxin, is deliberately added to it, and we pay for that. Then you have the nano-particle drugs from other people that can’t be removed….runoff from industry along the waterways feeding your system…and so on.
If you must have flavor, Wal-Mart sells a product in a tiny plastic bottle with a yellow label in the spice section, “Zatarain’s Root Beer Concentrate”; 4 fl oz. Add your own sugar and make real root beer! Long shelf life, too. It’s cheap, and tasty (but it won’t be carbonated – which is how REAL root beer is made, anyway!).
Make your own biscuit mix, pack it in easy carry packaging, and be ready to go; but know that this mix will only stay good about a week without refrigeration. Do not buy the off-shelf-brands; they all contain, are you ready – MSG!
I make most of my own mixes – including oatmeal mix, because the pre-made mixes are expensive and contain things I don’t want the fam eating.
I will say that for taco seasoning, quick gravy mixes, etc., McCormick’s works for me – they finally started taking the MSG out of all of their products, but, do read labels first, just in case.
Take some homemade hot chocolate mix, too; very comforting.
If you’re a diabetic, you can still have some sugar, must balance it with your carb intake for the day. Or just learn to love “Stevia in the Raw”, but definitely NO artificial sweeteners; they ALL kill brain cells and they’ll get you diagnosed with a neurological disease you do not have, such as Epilepsy or Alzheimers. You’ll then get treated for these diseases and no one will ever know the difference. Yes, this is very serious business, and I learned this from MY Neurologist. He was 200% correct.
Take your own dry pasta and either commercially-canned sauces, or home-can some yourself – MSG free and lower sodium. It’s going in a bucket with a handle, so, it should be easy enough to move, even if it has a a few jars of food in it. Home-canned is better, all the way around. But if you can’t home can (and I know YOU can, MsKYP!), then commercially canned but read the ingredients list carefully.
Some meats come in convenient pouches, such as tuna or salmon, plus a quart of home-canned spaghetti sauce, a quart or 2 of home-canned ground chuck in beef broth, roasted chicken…get some of these, carry the rest of what you need for a one-pot campfire casserole and throw it all in a pot together with hot liquid, instant meal! Dried pasta and rice come to mind here, along with freeze-dried or solar-dried veggies (all very lightweight). Also cheddar cheese powder – you can do a lot with this.
Dried potato products: buy them pre-canned for long-term storage; LDS canneries are probably the cheapest place to get them, but most survival food sites sell them. Off the shelf: read labels: some brand contain MSG, some do not, such as “Inland Valley” (I think I got that right), available at Wal-Mart. Great Value brands DO contain MSG, as I recall.
Ova Easy eggs for breakfast – this are very tasty; I get mine from http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com out of Nebraska, where I also get my long-term store wheat. You can get lots of stuff here. Customer service is second to none.
I home-can my own bacon, but the Yoder’s canned is very good (but pricey on a fixed budget!). The Yoder’s strips are thin; I home-can thick slices. Most survival sites sell Yoder’s. You can buy ready-cooked in boxes in groceries – very expensive, but convenient for camping.
The DAK hams are good – no health issues, to the best of my knowledge and will keep a very long time, although they are small and you will feed only 2 adults from one small ham, unless you’re just using it for flavoring, mostly.
Dried onions, spices, beans, legumes…can’t go wrong; that’s where one DAK ham is useful.
Am I on your doody list now? I’m sorry…but I MUST speak the truth. I surely don’t mean to offend ANYONE.
I realize I will probably have more “cyberspace friends” if I just kill this right now, but, no can do…… :Woodstock:
PLEASE, servantheart, never feel bad in any way about trying to keep your online friends alive and healthy. We’re all “here” to learn from each other, and for nutrition and healthy foods, “You da’ woman” :).
Thank you, Wyzyrd. It’s so much more fun to say only “happy” things.
servantheart –
I think I am going to go out and eat me some hot dogs and Krispy Creme donuts!!! LOL!
You have certainly provided some options.
Thanks – Rourke
LOL
(yes, being silly) Gotta cut the Krispy Kremes in half, grill ’em and fill ’em with pulled BBQ pork and cheddar cheese :)
Mmmmmm….sounds like a heartburn special! Yum! Yum!
Just so you know that I can be corrupted, did you know you can get breakfast, including choice of coffee, juice, or milk, for $2.99 at Krystal? And, they’ll cook eggs to order in that price!
I wondered about Crystal Light, usually anything ‘light’ means aspartame.
It really doesn’t matter which chemical referenced, Pam; they are all neurotoxins. They all kill healthy cells and destroy the neurological system, slowly but surely. They also come in literally hundreds of names. Even a small amount of any of them will cause me to have a “false seizure” – I know they’re false, but the poor folks all around who I terrify during them don’t know they’re false. Haven’t had one in 20 years, since I started being very careful as to what I eat and drink. But I did pass out at the wheel in rush hour traffic, in New Orleans, because of artificial sweeteners. So not cool.
SH – You are so fuuny, I am not offended. I am BLOND – so I need to preserve all of the brain cells that I possibly can! I was hoping for a few great suggestions and you have offered me plenty. I have been strolling the grocery aisles trying to make meals from simple, one-pot, convenient, no refrig stuff that I could easily find and make fit into a bucket. After a few hours walking grocery aisles I was ready to eat any and everything. Thanks for the post. This might make a great article you could put together – how to eat healthy food storage.
You’re a sweetheart, MsKYP! Bless you,
Excellent follow up observations which I believe are the most useful because they give you additional ideas and you can either embrace them or reject them. Harold
MsKYprepper,
What a great start to your food preps, Congratulations! But I have a question about one of your inventory items in the bucket, “Manwich Can 15.5 oz” What do you plan on mixing with this? Did I miss the meat intended? Manwich alone has no meat in it. You can purchase canned beef that has been dehydrated or canned without being dehydrated, which would also add to your calorie allotment. I would also suggest adding some type of fat such as oil (coconut oil is shelf stable) and this would also add to your dietary intake for the day. The big box stores carry it and it is very healthy. I would suggest however you buy a small container and try it before hand though. Some people like me absolutely love the taste of the coconut oil while others, not so much. It also has a very high smoke rate. If not coconut oil, maybe, Olive oil. The reason I suggest adding some type of fat is that to stay healthy our bodies require a certain amount of fat. Also when using a lot of dehydrated food be sure and add some type of laxative to your buckets. For most people, eating a lot of dehydrated foods adds to, how shall I say back up problems. How about adding some dried prunes or other dried fruits to your buckets also bring up your total calorie intake. Good luck and great job
Suni – good catch! You are right, I thought Manwich was a meat-chili-like thing. I opened it and found it was only sauce. Thank you. I thought about raisens becasue they are packed in small individual boxes, I’ll see if I can find prunes. We don’t need to be making family sick during the emergency. Great ideas.
Canned or dried fruits will up your calories and you need them for balanced nutrition. Canned Mandarin oranges would also add vitamin C which you need under high stress conditions.
This is an awesome idea. I have a question on the (powdered)Mac & Cheese? How do you make this without adding–butter & milk? Or do you buy the one that has the processed cheese in it and all you do is heat it up? The one with the processed chesses is yucky and not near as good tasteing as the powdered version one. :-) I am guessing you take everything out of the “original packaging” and put it into individual ziplock baggies–To make it fit into the bucket? Please keep giving us awesome ideas–Love your site.
Greetings, AnAmericanWoman! You can buy just regular cheese powder from any survival food store, or, you can buy it from places like “The Spice House”, where I buy my Ceylon cinnamon. To use it, just mix your cheese powder with cold water; if you need milk in your recipe, first mix your milk in cold or cool water, then add your cheese powder and let sit a couple of minutes; now it’s ready to add to your “recipe”.
If you are referencing “Velveeta”, for example, you are absolutely correct, it is not cheese – it is oil and salt, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. It is shelf stable – no dairy product is shelf stable until all the moisture is removed, or until “canned”. That, alone, should be a message to all.
AnAmericanWoman – thanks for posting. This is a Kraft mix with dried cheese. 1/2 of the small sweetened condensed milk miked with a little water made wonderful rich tasting mac and cheese. I used the other 1/2 for the tuna tetrazzini. Yes, I took contents ouf anything packaged in boxes and stored in ziplocks along with instructions for fixing.
Sweetened condensed? That would be too sugary for me in mac and cheese. Do you mean Pet milk?
A great idea, and a wonderful start, MsKYPrepper :)
I have not tried this idea yet, but I did bookmark the Instructable as a similar good idea, and might give you some ‘grocery store’ ideas:
DIY MRE’s (water required for many items)
Wyzyrd – thanks. I’ll read that article.
One thing I noticed right away, is that you’re carrying 2 cans of green beans, which are low in calories. I’d change out those green beans for another type of veggie with more calories.
Cheryl – do you have a veggie in mind? I was feeling so unhealthy with these contents, I was trying to put some veg’s into the mix. I didn’t find many “greans” with any signifiant calories. What would you suggest? Would love more ideas.
Not Cheryl. But, add more beans and Chia seeds; a sprouting jar, and a sprouting lid. It’s easy to sprout; learn how to do it (it’s just changing water for a few days, mostly). Sprout “greens” anytime you want and eat the most healthy food available anywhere! If you don’t like Chia, how about mung beans? Experiment until you find your favorites. But they’re all highly nutritious; just plan ahead a bit when sprouting for food – but these carry dry and sprout “upon arrival to your destination”.
Nice work, MsKYPrepper. You’ve done a really good job of not only adding up calories but making them count. You have a really nice variety and have covered protein requirements well.
I used to have a box packed with similar items so I was always ready for the surprise camping trip, I could change clothes and have the truck packed in 15 minutes.
I was unaware, until Suni told us, that Manwich didn’t have meat in it. I think some canned pasta sauces have some meat in them, then you could add spaghetti. She’s also right about the oil.
Is the oatmeal ‘seasoned’? Johnsobo and I are both looking for brown sugar, sugar or honey for it.
AnAmericanWoman and I had the same thought on repackaging, be sure to snip prep instructions and put them in the zip-lock. Add a teaspoon of oil to the mac & cheese. Add another powdered milk packet for good measure. I followed Servantheart to “The Spice House” so I can try that cheese sauce, I want to see how it compares to the stuff in #10 cans. Boy, those folks have a ton of spices at good prices! An 11 oz. can of LC’s mandarin oranges provides 160 calories and feels like dessert.
I would add a can (or 2) of refried beans at 490 calories each, also providing protein and fiber. I would visit Taco Bell for some packets of sauce to add to them along with packets of sugar, salt, pepper, salad dressing and honey (KFC) to tuck in the lid, also. I would definitely add more jerky and a package(s) of dried fruit. Packages of gravy mix might be something to consider, there’s a country gravy (white), too. For a super easy flat, fried bread (tortilla): 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder – these can be mixed ahead of time and stored in the bucket – add 1 tablespoon of oil and 3/4 cup +/- of water. Mix and knead a little, make a ball, flatten it, fry it in a little oil. Serve alone as bread, or smeared with peanut butter or refried beans, or pour country gravy on it and call it a biscuit.
The DIY-MRE Wyzyrd shared has a bunch of ideas. My Boyscout is putting his shopping list together as we speak.
Harold made a valid point – 5 Hour Energy…One cup of coffee each per day would NOT cut it at my house. Tea bags for a caffeine option? Hot chocolate comes in individual serving packets. That’s right, Bev has the answer – CHOCOLATE. I would have put the chocolate in first! (and ended up with barely enough room for a package of ramen.)
Just for the heck of it, as soon as you have your bucket packed, use it. It’ll only take a week to know if one bucket is enough.
(Guiltily :) ) Taco Bell portion control packs of sauces are not a bad idea at all (put them in something solid so the don’t get squished) “Fire” is good (and not as hot as “Medium” for some reason, and the new “Salsa Verde” isn’t half bad. Chik-fil-a has portion control packets of real Texas Pete cayenne hot sauce (my favorite). If a local Asian takeout/delivery place advertises “sushi/sashimi”, there’s a good chance there will be portion control packets of actual Kikkoman-brand soy sauce, not the fake wheat/salt/caramel color stuff you get with a “normal” Asian entree order. Get an order or 2 of spring rolls, and you’ll probably also get hot Chinese mustard and (imho nasty) sweet plum ‘duck’ sauce.
Stop by the local chain burger place and pick up ketchup, yellow mustard and mayo in “last forever” portion control packets. Some even have paper salt and pepper packets you can stick in your belt/EDC kits.
Total extra expenditure for extra flavor: $0.00.
Guilty as well.
Rourke
Wyzyrd – I’m making a run on each of the fast food joints at lunch today! Thanks
Pam – OMG – refried beans! That’s a wonderful addition. Thanks. I’m preparring to completely repack this thing after all of these wonderful suggestions.
I’m not a Nutritionist (and I don’t play one on the internet), but there’s a good reason that SOME version of “rice and beans”, whether red beans, black beans, white beans, lentils, etc. is the standard-issue “peasant meal” pretty much worldwide. Needs some water and time, but you get complete protein (all the needed amino acids), calories from carbs ( a little oil helps both taste and calorie count)
Wyzyrd – YES – another great suggestion. Keep them coming!
:)
Probably my favorite rice and beans dish is koshari (when I don’t have andouille sausage, anyway) – the recipe got posted over at MSO a while back. It’s better with fresh onions and garlic, but can be made with all storable-ingredients. Very quick, very easy, very tasty.
Koshari recipe on MSO
Wow! Lots of knowledge here! Thank you all! I have learned so much!
Bev :)
Wyzyrd’s find of the DIY MRE’s is GREAT! Basically taking your meals that you have gathered MKP and putting them through the Foodsaver in individual packets! I’m thinking that the shelf life would be significantly enhanced! And waterproof/bug proof!
Great ideas Guys and Gals!
Bev :)
Sitting here w/laptop and gaining knowledge and loads of laugh over our “guilty” confessions! LOL Being a lover of dehydrating, I make up my own “meals in a bag” from most of my own stuff, add whatever seasonings I want & vacume seal them in 2-person sized bags. Then I only need fire and water. Portioning them out into buckets makes good sense. BUT…we are of the opinion that we would be in a “survival” mode…not a lifestyle. We only concentrate on what it will take to get us through to gardening time etc. Eat as healthy as we can on our budget, but survive to garden another day. The bucket idea to me is both easier to transport and store in a GOOD situation, otherwise…we’re BIP people and will not leave without one dickens of a fight! We have two Berkey sport bottles that reduce our need to carry water in a GOOD situation, if we can find any source of water at all. Washing all canned veggies dehydrating them will give us less additives and are much lighter in weight in vacume sealed bags. Just sold out on the meal in a bag concept! Wifey.