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So, I'm getting ready to make a bunch of compact/portable meal kits for the truck and car and just camping in general. It had been on my To Do list for a while now to review and assess the condition of the freeze dried foods that I had squirreled away just to make sure that they were usable if it ever came down to it.

I had some freeze drying failures which, looking at what failed, seems like it was a malfunction in the freeze dryer (as found by the manufacturer this past summer). I figure this is the case because certain entire batches were "mushy". I lost 3 quarts of green peppers, two quarts of tomatoes, two quarts of mushrooms. Those were in super fucking thick mylar bags and careful inspection did not reveal any failure in the bagging materials.

I did lose a single 5-pack of biscuits due to vacuum seal failure. I opened them to check and they were still dry as a bone but... yellowish. I figured it was a sign that oxidation caused oils in the biscuits to go rancid and taste-test confirmed (that was nasty, by the way, don't eat shit with rancid oils/fats).

I have concerns about pork sausage but I figured that was a possible failure when I started since sausage tends to be a high fat food anyway. I haven't opened the bag yet but the sausage patties are flexible and they should not be. It's possible that it's just that the fat is keeping it flexible and has not gone rancid since it still has a tight vacuum seal. I'll know when I open it tomorrow and taste a crumb. Unfortunately, there's not much of a way to test that otherwise and I'm still concerned about botulism (food poisoning) since it thrives without oxygen and you can't taste it. My plan it to taste a crumb and if it doesn't seem off to test a half or quarter patty and see if I have any ill effects. I'll update if I do.

But other than that, all the other foods seemed to have lasted 2+ years so far. I opened several other bags I was concerned about. Specifically refried beans and ground beef because they seemed "mushy" in the bags but they're fine. All dried and crunchy when removed so they were resealed and put back in rotation.

I did open a bag that had pizza that I freeze dried 2 years ago. The cheese has gone a little yellow but it's otherwise fine and tasty. I had wondered if I needed to rehydrate it but it's pretty damned good as is so I plan to get a few more to freeze dry for meal kits.

As for the eggs (since I had posted about that earlier), I still have around 12 dozen stockpiled. They are well oiled and I'm keeping an eye on them. So far no problems.

Once I replace the spoiled foods, I'll start making my kits.

On a further note, meat loaf freeze dries very well and is pretty damned tasty. The freeze drying process seems to intensify the flavor.

Once I have all the food bits in place, I will make full "MRE" kits ideal for long term storage and ready to use should I need them in any event.

I'll keep ya updated.