Wise food review

Recently, a friend of mine asked me my opinion of the buckets of shelf-stable food one of those big membership stores used to sell on their website.  I told him I had no idea of the quality, and I urged him to consider keeping stores of extra canned goods instead.

And then I perused the company's website...and I found this link for free samples.  Well, I can't resist a free sample, so I submitted a request.  A few weeks later, I got a call from a representative at the company.  She asked my reasons for wanting a sample, my mailing information, and a few other basic survey questions for their records.  She sent out a package of food and encouraged me to write a review.  She also let me know I would be hearing from another representative who would be in touch with me before and after receiving my sample.

About a week and a half later, I got my sample:  Creamy pasta and Vegetable Rotini.

I neglected to take any pictures, but we made it for dinner one night that week.

The sample arrives in a mylar/foil pouch and made me think of one of those Lipton or Knorr noodle sides.  Upon cooking, the initial appearance is very soupy.  I figured since it had similiar characteristics to those other pouch foods, that it would set up after cooling a bit.  It became VERY thick - ideal for hikers/campers and the like.  Definitely rib-sticking thick.

The smell was just like those noodles-in-a-bag sides.  Lots of oniony goodness came from that pot.  I have to admit, I was drooling.  I'm no food snob, and I consider those sides a form of comfort food, as I grew up eating that stuff.  As you can imagine, I was a bit excited about this.


The flavor was very mild, and I liked it.  Chris's opinion was that it was not unpleasant, and it needed chicken.  I felt it could use a dash of pepper.  It already has TVP in as a protein source, so I can't imagine how filling it would be with extra protein.  It's a bit heavy but it definitely sticks to the ribs.  I could see carrying this on a backpacking trip.  I had enough left over for a small lunch the next day, and I found that upon reheating the garlic/onion flavor really comes through.  This may be a turnoff for some people but I liked it, and enjoyed it to the last bite.

I'm seriously considering trying other options from them.  They could come in handy when we're out camping.  Thanks, Wise!

Attention locals: get your TP casseroles ready!

The panic is strong with this storm. As Hurricane Sandy slowly works her way toward land, newscasters and locals are panicking. The Mayor has already declared a state of emergency. Those of us who prep for things like this regularly are ready for Sandy, but there's one thing left for us to do.

We have to make our TP casseroles. Normally this is a winter-only recipe, but with the amount of panic I'm seeing around here, I think we can adapt it for hurricanes.

Reposted with permission, and with my edits in bold.

1 Forecast of at least 1 FRANKENSTORM
3 cups of Baltimore News Channel Reporter and TV Crew
3 tbsp of panic
1 closed school system (prior to the storm)
1" of rain, with significant wind
1 gal 2% milk
Doz & 1/2 large eggs
1 full loaf of Wonder Bread (white preferred)
1 Charmin value pack (8 rolls)

Take one mixing bowl and place the Baltimore TV weatherman's forecast of a high risk of FRANKENSTORM on the 6 PM evening news. Watch this newscast until you hear the word "storm," "wind gusts," or "FRANKENSTORM" repeated at least 6 times. At which point we then shake in 1 cup of the Baltimore News Channel Reporter & TV Crew doing live shots before one drop of water can even be seen. This live shot may include canned footage of newscasters looking out to sea for their elusive ratings.

At this point, take one of the 3 tbsp of panic and use it in the mixing bowl of sensationalism. Go to bed, and let the mixture percolate in the fridge over night. At 5am the next morning, arise from bed and check the local news to see that the TV crews are still indeed doing their live shots from last night. If they are, turn on your AM radio to 1090. If at least one school system has closed, look out your window to confirm no rain has hit the ground. At this point, mix in the 2nd tbsp of panic, wake and dress the kiddies so you can get them ready to go to the store.

While at the store, head straight for the diary case first. Eggs and milk are the first things to be picked over, followed by bread. Toilet paper will be the last product to be picked over of the four main ingredients. Do not purchase any other products as this will prevent the casserole from being adequately formed. Use the express lines in the grocery store, and chat with as many people as possible about the yet to occur storm in hopes you will induce enough panic to cause your sensationalism to build to ludicrous speed.

Exit the store to head home, but if you would happen to see any TV crews, make sure you stop and talk with them, mentioning the fact that you were fortunate enough to be the last person to get any of the key ingredients to make your casserole. Safe guard these items with your life because if they should be stolen, your life will most certainly come to a screeching, panic induced end.

Once at home, retrieve your mixing bowl from the fridge and let warm. Once the TV crews report the first drop has hit the ground, you can then mix in 3cups of milk, and your remaining tbsp of panic. Crack open 2 large eggs and place the remainder in the fridge. Fold in one roll of toilet paper and 4 slices of bread. Mix thoroughly until well blended.

Poor mixture into one medium sized casserole dish (preferably Pyrex) and let bake @ 350 degrees until the end of the storm.

Servings are variable by nature, and not known to contain any nutritious qualities.

Oh, and don't forget your pallets of water.

Against my better judgement, I watched Doomsday Preppers.

Here's my opinion.

Family 1 - The head of the family covered their in-ground pool and set it up as a greenhouse - they keep tilapia in the deep end, with chickens over it, duckweed covering it (to feed the fish), and they use the greenhouse to grow food. They also keep a pair of goats. Great idea for providing for your family, but if things got to the point where power is not restored, how in the heck does that guy think he's going to protect his family? Now that he's on this show, he's a big dang target. Even with "educating" the neighbors, he'd end up overrun and out of food sooner than later. Smooth, dude. Real smooth. Furthermore, how does he plan on dealing with the inevitable sewage problem? How does he plan on avoiding disease? He didn't really discuss that beyond bagging their waste and "keeping it separate."

Family 2 - Okay, this lady's approaching things a bit differently. Lots of shelf-stable "prep" food. Has currency concerns, recognizes the possibility of an increase of home invasions, takes the kids to the range. Admitting her full name and showing her house on TV kindof destroys the whole point of getting food delivered at night, though.

Family/Group 3 - These guys seem to be the most prepared. Holy damn that's a lot of people to feed, though. It appears they've focused on combining knowledge to cover a range of skillsets. They're also raising cattle and chickens on a farm where they intend to get two families together to protect everybody. They've addressed border security and firearms training. These guys could easily be called exceedingly paranoid.

Family 4 - This guy...yeah. He's got an underground bunker. He's been preparing for nuclear holocaust for years. I don't think I really need to say any more about this guy. I don't recall if they said he's former military, but I get that feeling from watching his segment of the show. I would be concerned about their food choices, though, if their showcase dinner was ramen and mac&cheese. I understand those are shelf-stable foods, but you can't stay healthy on food like that. Still, dude's pretty much ready for anything short of running out of water in a year...and his bunker's out in the middle of Nowhere, Utah, making his cache the hardest to find out of the 4.


I don't think I'd watch more episodes, but it's interesting to see how many average people are really starting to get paranoid.

Attention Preppers and Gardening Enthusiasts

If you're into gardening, or seed saving and stockpiling I would like you to consider buying a catalog and possibly the seeds for your upcoming garden from D. Landreth Seed Co. D. Landreth is the oldest seed company in America and was founded in 1784. They list every president from George Washington to FDR as prior customers. I recently found out that the company is having some financial problems and is attempting to increase their catalog sales in order rectify this problem. Their beautiful catalog is full of illustrations and information on seeds and plants dating back to 1839. It can be seen and purchased here for $5.45. It also makes a great gift for the prepper on your list.

Rather than just a plug I'll give you a review. D. Landreth is a local company to me and I have been buying seed from them for several years, in fact I have met the owners at local flower and garden shows. They are very nice, free with advice and will go out of their way to make sure you get what you want and ensure your order is straight. D. Landreth carries heirloom vegtable and flower seeds, bulbs and gardening gifts. If you are unfamiliar with heirloom seeds these are the type that grow what the package says time after time. They are exactly the type of seeds that you want to stockpile or cultivate and save in your survival garden. I've tried a lot of these different veggies and flowers and picked ones that I really like and that are easy to grow. The seeds I've received from D. Landreth have been consistantly fantastic. I rarely get seeds that won't sprout. The resulting plants always produce in abundance. I have found the plants to be hardy even when I get forgetful and neglect them. I have also tried sevceral of their flowers and their famous Zinnia Collection. If you like flowers try some in a sunny spot. Landreth's Zinnias grow big and are beautiful. We got compliments from the neighbors all summer and fall. I had a few plants even hang on and bloom in November this year due to our extended warm fall. The colors are fantastic and the effort was non existant. I thew the seeds in some loose dirt in a flower bed, covered and watered. Really! And bam! big colorful Zinnias all summer. The seeds really have been great. I only order vegtable seeds from 2 companies now and Landreth is one of them.

Some info about D. Landreth's difficulty
Help Save One of America's Heirloom, Non-GMO Seed Houses

Washington Gardener

D. Landreth on Facebook