Food How do you store your "Bear" Creek soups long term?

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I'm thinking of cutting a small slit in the package, inserting a small o2 and seal with good tape. Then storing either in a large mylar or bucket or both.

I now have quite a few of these soups but its not something we would eat even once a week. so I want to store time to last a good while.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'm thinking of cutting a small slit in the package, inserting a small o2 and seal with good tape. Then storing either in a large mylar or bucket or both.

I now have quite a few of these soups but its not something we would eat even once a week. so I want to store time to last a good while.

God is good all the time

Judy

Wasn't there a video some time back that said to do it that way? I thought it was a good idea after watching it. I don't buy a lot of soup mixes or anything similar, so I haven't done any.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Wasn't there a video some time back that said to do it that way? I thought it was a good idea after watching it. I don't buy a lot of soup mixes or anything similar, so I haven't done any.
Probably and I probably started that thread, LOL. I had never bought things like this in the past, but I am now because DH did not like the last two pots of soup that I made from scratch. Its hard to get the seasoning right for him, it has to be really subtle or he won't eat more than a small bowl and then I'm stuck with a big pot of soup. The dog and I usually finish it off. The dog and i both have gained weight.

I made the Bear Creek creamy potato soup during the deep freeze and he did eat two bowls. I added dehydrated green onion and bacon bits. That reminds me I need to get another package of bacon bits.

The very best dehydrated green onions I've ever gotten are from Thrive. You open the can and the aroma of green onions is almost intoxicating it smells so good.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Probably and I probably started that thread, LOL. I had never bought things like this in the past, but I am now because DH did not like the last two pots of soup that I made from scratch. Its hard to get the seasoning right for him, it has to be really subtle or he won't eat more than a small bowl and then I'm stuck with a big pot of soup. The dog and I usually finish it off. The dog and i both have gained weight.

I made the Bear Creek creamy potato soup during the deep freeze and he did eat two bowls. I added dehydrated green onion and bacon bits. That reminds me I need to get another package of bacon bits.

The very best dehydrated green onions I've ever gotten are from Thrive. You open the can and the aroma of green onions is almost intoxicating it smells so good.

God is good all the time

Judy

I've never tried potato soup. My mom has a recipe she uses to make it from scratch, but I've never made it. She likes it so much that she makes a huge pot, and divides it up into individual containers then puts it in her freezer to take out as quick meals.

Do you know where I can buy #10 cans of bacon bits? I use a lot of them, but have to buy small packages of them at a time. It's all I can find here.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I've never tried potato soup. My mom has a recipe she uses to make it from scratch, but I've never made it. She likes it so much that she makes a huge pot, and divides it up into individual containers then puts it in her freezer to take out as quick meals.

Do you know where I can buy #10 cans of bacon bits? I use a lot of them, but have to buy small packages of them at a time. It's all I can find here.
I usually buy the large 20 oz Hormel bags at Walmart, I use to get them at Sams, but I let my discount card expire because we just did not go there often enough to justify that expense.

I looked and I have an extra bag, good.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I usually buy the large 20 oz Hormel bags at Walmart, I use to get them at Sams, but I let my discount card expire because we just did not go there often enough to justify that expense.

I looked and I have an extra bag, good.

God is good all the time

Judy

Ok, thanks, Judy. I'll look for them at Sam's when I make my next order. Don't know how I've been missing them there when we were shopping in store. Haven't been to Sam's in quite awhile.

When I cook bacon, I cook the whole package. What is left over, I put in a freezer bag, and store in the freezer. That's what I use for my bacon bits, but sometimes I run out. It's good to have some store bought on hand in those times.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
that retail bag is good for at least 5 years sitting on the shelf - you need to simply think "rotate" - it's pantry food and not long term storage basics ...
its not a food I use regularly, but want in my pantry, hence my desire to lengthen the shelf life.

Judy
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
that retail bag is good for at least 5 years sitting on the shelf - you need to simply think "rotate" - it's pantry food and not long term storage basics ...

I'm not taking a chance that bugs won't get into that bag sooner or later. I plan to empty the bacon bits into canning jars and vacuum seal.
 

aviax2

Veteran Member
Other then dry onion soup mixes, I don’t have any experience with dry soup packets. It’s rare but we do occasionally get a mouse which flips me out so I store pretty much everything that’s not in canning jars or regular cans in buckets, glass gallon jars, glass canisters, a few plastic canisters and tins that I’ve collected over the years.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Other then dry onion soup mixes, I don’t have any experience with dry soup packets. It’s rare but we do occasionally get a mouse which flips me out so I store pretty much everything that’s not in canning jars or regular cans in buckets, glass gallon jars, glass canisters, a few plastic canisters and tins that I’ve collected over the years.
Bear Creek soups are pretty darn good. I got the vegetable beef soups to use as a base to build on. The cold weather around here went away in a flash and now it's 80 degrees outside which is not soup weather.

God is good all the time

judy
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Other then dry onion soup mixes, I don’t have any experience with dry soup packets. It’s rare but we do occasionally get a mouse which flips me out so I store pretty much everything that’s not in canning jars or regular cans in buckets, glass gallon jars, glass canisters, a few plastic canisters and tins that I’ve collected over the years.

I went into the pantry room looking for something sometime back. On one of the shelves, I saw chewed up paper. I looked more closely, and a mouse had eaten the label off of a jar of sauce, and left behind a few droppings, too. Immediately went after the mouse trap. Caught that sucker right away. Now, I keep traps all over the room out of reach of our dog. Never have had a big problem with them in the house. We have a dog that stays inside with us, and cats outdoors that are great mousers.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Bear Creek soups are pretty darn good. I got the vegetable beef soups to use as a base to build on. The cold weather around here went away in a flash and now it's 80 degrees outside which is not soup weather.

God is good all the time

judy

Supposed to be 80 here tomorrow. Time to put away all the soups, stews, and chili. LOL!
 

aviax2

Veteran Member
I can’t stand mice! They truly freak me out. My family can tell lots of stories regarding me and mice that they still find funny. I think it started when I was about 8 and my family had just moved into a rental house. Every night I could hear noises in my room which actually didn’t scare me but did make me curious. So I figured out my strategy to find out. At bedtime I pulled a kitchen chair into my room and placed it in front of the closet (I had figured out by then the noises were coming from a high cupboard over the closet) got a flashlight and settled down to wait. As soon as it started I climbed up on the chair, turned the flashlight on and flung open one of the doors. Oh my stars, the previous tenants had left some old catalogs up there and not only was it alive with mice chewing them, they were white. They looked at me and were doing those creepy noises they do and I was standing there in absolute horror. I don’t know to this day if I was even able to scream but I slammed that door back, jumped off the chair and ran back to bed. Found out later that the previous tenants had also left the mice and they apparently had been making babies. To me they are nasty, disease carriers and will ruin anything they’re around! Rats too!

We generally leave a few mouse traps on the floor under the metal shelving in the pantry just in case. The nasty little things can cause so much waste and damage in a short amount of time.

We do soups/stews pretty much year round except for the absolute hottest weather then we eat more salads and lighter type foods. I suppose if we didn’t have air conditioning that would be different.
 

onmyown30

Veteran Member
Bear Creek is pretty good. My son loves the chili (add extras to it) and I keep some of the chicken wild rice soup mix on hand to add my own stuff to when I’m wanting a cream based soup which I never make cream based from scratch. I still prefer my homemade soups though
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Bear Creek is pretty good. My son loves the chili (add extras to it) and I keep some of the chicken wild rice soup mix on hand to add my own stuff to when I’m wanting a cream based soup which I never make cream based from scratch. I still prefer my homemade soups though
I'm not familiar with the chicken wild rice soup, I'll have to take a look at it.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

Cag3db1rd

Paranoid Pagan
The reason I only have internet through my cell phone is due to mice. Cox ran my cable through my pantry shelves. The mice found the hole they drilled and chewed the cable to get it out of the way of them destroying the wall right there to access my pantry more easily. The good news is that the majority of the food right there was home canned foods. The bad news is that the jars were stored in cardboard boxes that the mice shredded and defecated on. I hate mice. I also had to replace a perfectly good fridge when mice chewed through the power cord (which wasn't replaceable in that model). They got into a tote of cloth stored in my garage, shredded and defecated all over the contents. I have outlets in my home that, when I have found them not working, have found the wires stripped and chewed -definite fire hazard.

I used to love keeping Bear Creek and Shoreline Lunch soups on hand for quick meals. Unfortunately at a minimum, they are usually contaminated with wheat if not have it with wheat as an ingredient. I don't even keep ramen in my home anymore because hubby is so sensitive to wheat. I generally would just pack them in a bucket.
 

WiWatcher

Contributing Member
For camping trips by myself or smaller crews I have opened the package, used a sieve to seperate the large pieces from the powders, divided them up equally and then repackaged them, usually in small mylar bags. If a more compact package is needed then poke several holes in the mylar bag with a thumb tack, put it in a small vacuum pack bag (you can make small custom size bags easily) and vac pack it. The small holes will allow the air to be pulled from the mylar bag and the myl;ar bag will help protect the vac bag from punctures.
 

mecoastie

Veteran Member
its not a food I use regularly, but want in my pantry, hence my desire to lengthen the shelf life.

Judy
You arent going to use it in 5 years?

I have had them up to about 3 years in the bags with no issue. We usually eat it before then. Only problem was mice got into some once.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
We were talking over in the "weekly prep" thread about having quick and easy meals on hand. That got me to thinking. I don't store a lot of those type meals. So, I'm planning to start buying up a lot of those Knorr "Rice and Pasta Sides" packages. Just add/mix whatever meat you like with them for a meal. Since these will be stored for at least a year or two, I am putting them in 5 gal food grade buckets with gamma lids, then throwing in a few O2 absorbers. I'm doing nothing more special than that. These Knorr packages have a lengthy shelf life on their own anyway. That's my plan as of today, after I buy up a bunch while in town shopping. That's if I can find any anywhere!
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I've finally decided on how to store my soups. I'm either vacuum sealing them in canning jars or poking a couple of small holes in the package and putting the package in a mylar bag with 02s.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
We were talking over in the "weekly prep" thread about having quick and easy meals on hand. That got me to thinking. I don't store a lot of those type meals. So, I'm planning to start buying up a lot of those Knorr "Rice and Pasta Sides" packages. Just add/mix whatever meat you like with them for a meal. Since these will be stored for at least a year or two, I am putting them in 5 gal food grade buckets with gamma lids, then throwing in a few O2 absorbers. I'm doing nothing more special than that. These Knorr packages have a lengthy shelf life on their own anyway. That's my plan as of today, after I buy up a bunch while in town shopping. That's if I can find any anywhere!
I, also bought a good supply of the Knorr Pasta sides, no rice because DH won't eat rice. So far I haven't done anything special for storing them, but I'll get to it.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I only bought a few. I told Cary to pick out the ones he thought he would like, and he said, "None, really". He's so picky. That sorta burst my bubble on what to buy. I put the few bags in a gallon freezer storage bag, and just threw them in my freezer.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I only bought a few. I told Cary to pick out the ones he thought he would like, and he said, "None, really". He's so picky. That sorta burst my bubble on what to buy. I put the few bags in a gallon freezer storage bag, and just threw them in my freezer.
I plan on using them to build a soup with, will always add something extra to them. My DH is very picky and is hard to cook for.

God is good al the time

Judy
 

xtreme_right

Veteran Member
For camping trips by myself or smaller crews I have opened the package, used a sieve to seperate the large pieces from the powders, divided them up equally and then repackaged them, usually in small mylar bags. If a more compact package is needed then poke several holes in the mylar bag with a thumb tack, put it in a small vacuum pack bag (you can make small custom size bags easily) and vac pack it. The small holes will allow the air to be pulled from the mylar bag and the myl;ar bag will help protect the vac bag from punctures.
I did similar except I divided between canning jars. Cooking the whole package at one time is too much for us but it’s hard to divide up the chunks from the powder without sifting. Not sure I’ll ever buy anymore again to avoid the hassle.
 
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