If you had to start all over again...

[Decaff]

Like many. I would buy better quality even if it meant a little less for a wee while. My problem over cheap tinned food is that I might as well buy the cheap stuff of some things as we don't use them except for the stuff I lay in for prepping purposes. We prefer frozen veg and fruit if no fresh but I have tins laid in for a longer term event when freezing may be a problem, eventually I need to use them as nearing bbdate, or if I notice at least a month ahead I will sometimes give to foodbank which is something else you could do rather than bin them.

I'm trying to replace my tinned food with home canned food. I have quite a few jars of carrots canned up now so will remove the same qty of the stored tinned ones into my use now cupboard. Hoping to get some tasty meat meals home canned so I can get rid of the tinned meats that I'm not keen on. Spag bol will be first, then chicken curry, beef stew, sausage casserole, chilli and meatballs. Soups are a good to make in bulk too.

[tirawa]

Continuing with the baked beans theme, I find that all baked beans, even the top of the range varieties are pretty insipid compared to what they were like 10 or 15 years ago. Even the mighty Heinz has to have half a level teaspoon of salt and the same amount of sugar added to make them taste like the Heinz beans I remember from my younger days. I know that's not exactly healthy but if I'm going to end up sitting in a hole under a tarp I'd rather be eating something that actually tastes nice Most of the 'own brand' tinned goods you find in the supermarket are pretty vile, with the exception of Lidl and Aldi products but they can all be turned into something resembling real food by the addition of a bit of salt or some herbs and spices

[metatron]

I wish I had put a food rotation system in place early on, as from time to time, I'm pulling out things that are past their sell by date. I try to store what I eat and eat what I store but that's not always easy to do once you start storing 4 to 6 months of food, and you get things in bulk.

An example would be at the moment I've got three bottles of Tabasco that are two years past there sell by date. I'll still use them, as the stuff is aged in barrels anyway and the only thing that changes is it gets less spicy so you need to use more.

[23pioneer]

i would have bought fencing earlier to start raising pigs sooner, also apply for my FAC as not bothered my arse yet. i would also have dug a small pond to raise crayfish in and to attract ducks. remember if you can get free food no need to stock so much.

[mat]

I'd probably be less of a cheapskate and invest in quality from the start and not upgrading as things failed.

Me too ... for everything, not just equipment, but food, weirdly. At the very beginning, I bought cheap stuff to store (Basics teabags, ug!) and now, I've taken to heart the whole "store what you eat, eat what you store" and rotate everything. I just didn't understand what that catchy little saying meant

I'd second your opinion Arzosah. I bought Tesco's own baked beans and thought I would rotate them....until I tried some. Now I'm going to just use them in an emergency and when they come to the end of their shelf life I'm going to bin them.

Phil

this is a great recipe to use up your beans, ive had it a few times out in the woods cooking over some nice hot coal

6-8 strips of bacon cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 Medium onion, diced
1/2 Bell pepper, diced
1 - 2 Jalapeno Peppers, diced (seeding is optional)
1 - 55 ounce can Bushs Baked Beans
1-8 ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Cup ketchup
1/2 - 1 Tbs. dry (ground) mustard

Saute bacon pieces in fry pan until crispy and remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Saute onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper until tender.

In a large mixing bowl combine beans, pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup and dry mustard. Stir in bacon pieces and vegetables. Pour into a 12X9 or a deep 9X9 aluminum baking pan. (While mixing if things look dry, add additional ketchup 1/4 -1/2 cup at a time)

Place in a 220-250° smoker for 2 1/2 - 3 hours (make sure temperature of the baked beans reaches 160° ) or place in a 350° oven and bake for 1 hour.

NOTE: If you are making these beans as a side dish for Kansas City style pork ribs, smoke the removed skirt meat for 1-1 1/2 hours, then dice the skirt meat and stir into the Baked Beans.