Free Food Friday: Will Mikey Eat it? :-)

When it comes to food storage, I like to think I have all bases covered.  Canned goods, bulk foods, freeze dried products – you name it, I have it.  As I tend to preach, having variety is as important as having foods that your family will eat.

Realistically, in a survival situation you will likely eat anything, including plants that you forage and even snakes, bugs and heaven-forbid, road kill.  Fortunately, the likelihood of a desperate and dire survival situation is remote when compared to the possibility of a short term crisis or disaster where you will need to fend for yourself for a much more limited period, say one week to one year.

That is where your well stocked food pantry comes in to play.  To help build your food pantry, there are tons of resources including articles such as 20 Items to Kick Start Your Food Storage Plan as well as my book, The Pepper’s Guide to Food Storage.  That is all well and good, but what about our four-legged friend?  You know, those dogs and cats that are as much a part of our life as our own children.

Shortly after Backdoor Survival sponsor Buy Emergency Foods came on board, I mentioned that I did not spend enough time talking about food storage for pets.  And although I had packaged some myself using gallon sized Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, it had been a chore with kibble flying all over the place.

When they offered to provide some of their Legacy Pet Food for testing and a giveaway, I jumped at the chance to see just how good – or bad – the product could be.  (More about the giveaway in a moment but for those of your that do not have a dog or cat, the giveaway will have an option for people food too.)

What I did not tell them was that Mr. Tucker the Dog is a fussy eater.  He turns his nose up on a lot of products and spoiled that he is, gets some Little Caesar every night but never any people food.

The Taste Test

How do you review and test dog food?  You give it the sniff test, you feed it to your dog, and you watch for any digestive disturbances that may manifest themselves in the following 24 hour period.  The big question, though, if you are old enough to remember, is “Will Mikey eat it?” or, in this case, “will Tuckie eat it?”.  (Yes, that really is his nickname.)

The answer in a word is yes.  He actually went crazy wild for the Legacy dog food.  I mean crazy.  I gave him a handful at first which he gobbled up.  Then I put two piles on the floor, his current kibble and he Legacy product.  There was no contest.  When the Legacy food was gone, he ignored his usual meal and and barked for more.  Holy moly is he spoiled or what?

The really important part of the testing came later.  It is a bit gross to mention but important to note that his poo the next morning were on the small side and a firm – a good sign that the food was wholesome and well digested.

Legacy Foods Pet Food Products

Something I have always liked about Legacy, even before they became a sponsor, was their heavy duty, square buckets.  For storing and stacking, the square shape simply cannot be beat.

The food inside the bucket was packaged in two separate Mylar bags which is nice since that means that if the emergency is for a short term, you do not have to repackage and reseal the whole bucket when the crisis is over.

According to Legacy Foods, Legacy Premium Dog Food is designed to meet all of the nutritional needs of dogs.  Fresh, never frozen, chicken is the number one 1 ingredient in our food.  In addition there are eggs and whole grain brown rice as well as vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Just an aside: the website refers to the dog food as puppy food but in comparing it to the adult food we currently use, the protein, fat and fiber content was virtually identical with the exception that the Legacy Food was 27% protein and my existing pet food was 26% protein.

The Legacy food is well packaged with two inner Mylar bags and with the bags, a sufficient number of oxygen absorbers to keep the food fresh for ten years.

The Giveaway – People Food Too!

Here is the part you have been waiting for.  Buy Emergency Foods will send either one 31 pound bucket of Dog or Cat food to one lucky Backdoor Survival pet lover.  Alternately, they will send a 2 Person, 72 hour,  2,000 Calorie per day Food Kit.  The winner gets to choose and even if you are a pet lover, you can still select the people food.  Now how cool is that.

In order to win, you will need to leave a comment in the comments area below.    Here is something to think about and to address  in your comment:

In an extreme power outage, what amusements do you have in place to keep yourself and your family occupied without TV, video games, and the computer/Internet?

The deadline for your entry is 6:00 PM Pacific on February 28th.  A winner will be selected at random and will be notified by email as well as in an announcement in the Sunday Survival Buzz.  The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.

Note: If you are reading this article in your email client, you must go to the Backdoor Survival website to enter this giveaway in the comments area at the bottom of the article.  As with all BDS giveaways, this giveaway is only open to visitors to the website.  Email and Facebook entries do not count.

The Final Word

This has been a really fun review and giveaway for me to put together.  As easy as it is for me to write about food and food storage, there is simply something special about involving little Tucker the Dog (“Tuckie”) and having some fun along the way.

I hope you enter the giveaway and take a chance at winning some free food.  In the meantime, be sure to visit Buy Emergency Foods.  Their Legacy food products, on a cost per calorie basis, are the best price out there and shipping is 100% free to the lower 48 states in the US (with credit given for Alaska and Hawaii).

I have tried their people food but will save my comments for another day.  That said, hint hint wink wink – be sure to try the Pasta Primavera!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

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If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Facebook which is updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or link to a free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  You can also follow Backdoor Survival on Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ and purchase my book, The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage from Amazon.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: Here are some of my favorite food storage items. Whether you are just getting started or a seasoned pro, here are the items you will need when purchasing food in bulk for long term, SHTF needs. And for help with your food storage questions, my new eBook: The Preppers Guide to Food Storage.

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer: As long as the unit has an accessory port (and this one does), and inexpensive FoodSaver will work just as well as the fancier models. That is my two cents, at least.

FoodSaver Wide Mouth Jar Sealer: Already have a FoodSaver? If so, check out this jar sealer which can be used to vacuum seal your Mason jars. This is a great option for short to mid term storage of items such as beans, rice, sugar and salt. Store your jars in a cool, dark place and you are set with the added advantage of removing a small amount for current use without having to disrupt your large Mylar bag or bucket of food.  There is also a version for regular sized jars. See Fast Track Tip #4: How to Use a FoodSaver for Vacuum Canning.

FoodSaver Accessory Hose:  Most FoodSavers come packaged with an accessory hose.  If yours is lost or damaged, be sure to purchase a hose to use with your Jar Sealer.

Mylar bags & Oxygen Absorbers: What I love about Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers is they protect against every single one of the food storage enemies. Prices do vary but for the most part, they are inexpensive and easy to keep on hand. And while you can seal them up with a FoodSaver, some tubing and a common clothes iron, I find it infinitely easier with a cheap hair straightening iron that you can pick up $20 or less.

60 – 300cc Oxygen Absorbers: This is one area where you want to make sure you are getting a quality product. Currently, a pack of 60 (in three 20 unit packs) is about $11 with free shipping.

Mylar Zip Seal Food Storage Bags: These are the zip seal bags that I used to package up my spices, herbs and butter powder. These are extra heavy, 5 mil bags. I found that the zip feature made packaging extra easy although I still seal the bags with my hair iron.

Sharpie Permanent Markers: Sharpies were invented for preppers! And without question, Amazon is the cheapest place to buy them. Typically, the price on Amazon is less that $8 for a dozen.

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.  And this month only, there is FREE SHIPPING on all orders of $150 or more!

I frequently forget to mention that Emergency Essentials sells a huge selection of preparedness gear.  This month, the Kaito Voyager is on sale for $39.99.  If you have been procrastinating on purchasing an emergency radio – or, do not have a spare – this would be a great item to add to your food storage order.

This is just one of the items on sale this month.  Click on this link for more:  Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials.

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My eBook, The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage will provide you with everything you need to create an affordable food storage plan, including what to buy and how to store it. Nothing scary and nothing overwhelming – you really can do this!