Zombie Research Society
We’re happy to announce the return of one of our most popular columns; Apocalypse Yum! Zombie Research Society Advisory Board member and survival expert Cameron Carlson has taken up the torch, and will provide readers with regular reviews for the preppers, survivalists, and zombie enthusiasts in our ranks. If you have a suggestion, or would like to submit your product for review, just contact us directly via email at: contact@zombieresearchsociety.com
Today we’ll be reviewing just a few of the many freeze dried fruits and vegetables provided by Valley Food Storage, perhaps the premiere provider of food storage on the market today!
Freeze Dried Strawberry Slices:
- Smell: The freeze drying process gives off a slightly powdery, candy-like smell; similar to kool-aid, strawberry gum, or Twizzlers. But there’s nothing artificial here! The smell is totally natural and any secondary effects are a result of the process itself, not the ingredients.
- Taste: I love the fact that there’s basically nothing in this package but completely natural strawberries! And it’s exactly what you’d expect when eating strawberries; sweet and tangy. Although, the best option might be something you don’t see in the video below; adding them to vanilla ice cream. The combination is absolutely sublime, and highly recommended!
- Smell: Basically the same as the strawberries mentioned above, but much less powder. Considering the natural sugar content of apples, it was surprising that these freeze dried slices had a much more organic aroma than the overwhelming smell of the strawberries.
- Taste: Regardless of the smell, these are absolutely delicious! Unlike fresh apple slices, they have a solid crunch that provides the sweet taste of apples with a perfect amount of tang. Food Valley Storage add no preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or other ingredients to their products; making these apple slices healthy and organic in every sense of the word. And, as an added bonus, they seem animal friendly; because my dog really loved them!
- Smell: As far as freeze dried vegetables are concerned, I’m not a huge fan. They don’t smell particularly great, and I probably wouldn’t seek out asparagus during the zombie apocalypse. Of course, this is true about almost any freeze dried vegetable in general.
- Taste: Even after this asparagus had been re-hydrated, it was still a bit chewy and had a slightly sour flavor overall. Ultimately, the product we were provided did actually taste like asparagus, but I would definitely recommend mixing it with something else. If you’re in a tight spot and need some healthy vegetables, this will certainly work; so I say go for it!
Overall Impression: The all-natural approach of Valley Food Storage to fruits and vegetables certainly seems to favor the former. Their freeze drying process apparently makes products like strawberries and apple slices a perfect snack straight out of the bag, while something like asparagus requires a bit more work to make them appetizing. But that shouldn’t really be any surprise! Just make sure you factor in the additional preparation time for re-hydrating and draining the excess water; especially if you intend to add them to something else for flavor.
In Closing: Compared to an old-school military MRE, or almost any other emergency ration, Valley Food Storage is top notch. The serving sizes are perfect, the shelf-life is great, and the price is right on point. Even their nitrogen flushed Mylar bags are resealable, making each package easy to store and re-use. These definitely deserve a space in your bug out bag!
The team at Valley Food Storage stand behind their products 100% and will even offer new customers a free sample – you just pay shipping! So we recommend that you swing by their website, take a look at everything, and stock up on their survival food if you like what you see.
Just be sure to tune in again as Cameron continues his Apocalypse Yum review of the best products that Valley Food Storage has to offer, including some tasty Mango Habanero Chili, Pork Sausage Crumble, and Irish Pub Cheddar Soup! Of course, if you just can’t wait; we’ve embedded the complete video review from The Zombie Files below as a sneak preview.