Foods that do not require any preparation, are lightweight, and are shelf stable make ideal foods for a survival pack or to have on hand for emergencies at home, at the office, or even when stranded in your vehicle. The best part is that you can make beef jerky and hardtack at home, and by no means do you need extensive cooking or food preparation skills.
You have enough to worry about when you find yourself in a survival situation, so make sure you have the bases covered when it comes to survival foods.
We will describe how to make beef jerky and hardtack even through previous articles have described the methods in detail. This article however, is more about the concept of having foods …show more content…
You want each biscuit or cracker if you will the same size for even backing. Once in squares use a nail or any pointed object to poke holes in the dough. This helps to ensure even backing and prevents the dough from "puffing" up and cracking or crumbling. Place the squares on an ungreased cooking sheet. Oils or sprays will cause burning and can prevent even baking.
Preheat the oven to 350° F and bake on one side for 45 minutes then turn over the squares and bake another 45 minutes. You can repeat the baking times to ensure the moisture is completely gone. The longer the cracker bakes the longer it is shelf stable. It will be extremely hard to chew once completely dried.
Now you have shelf stable survival foods that can be carried or stored virtually anywhere as long as it is a dry area.
You can place a few strips of jerky in hot water and let steep to make a protein broth. Dip the hardtack in the broth to soften for eating or soak the cracker in the broth to make it thicker.
Water is obviously important, and when consuming high protein foods like jerky you need more water for proper digestion. You can carry small packets of powdered milk and crumble hardtack in the beverage to soften and eat that way to break up the monotony of just flour and water crackers. Powdered whole milk will also add needed vitamins and minerals to your survival