Valley Food Storage Review ~ Read Before You Buy

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Valley food storage is one of the most trusted emergency food suppliers, and the quality of their long-term storage food is impeccable.

Valley food storage was one of the first emergency food suppliers I ever sampled.  To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much.  Most people don’t actually sample their emergency food, you see. 

Emergency food reviews routinely say things like, “Fast shipping, great company, and I’m happy to have it my back closet just in case.” 

When an actual emergency happens, few people have the time (or internet connection) to leave an honest review of the food they’ve eaten. Personally, that makes me nervous, and I’d never want to depend on food I’d never eaten, especially in a true emergency.

My first sample was, honestly, totally game-changing.  Their freeze-dried fruit was some of the best I’d ever tasted, beating out those expensive snack packs you can pick up at Trader Joe’s.  Every one of their prepared meals exceeded my expectations, and I just couldn’t believe how much effort they put into producing a high-quality product.

Since those initial reviews, I’ve sampled food from every emergency food supplier on the market, and written reviews on the best (and worst) survival food kits available.  I even wrote an updated version for 2022 that includes all the new emergency food kits that have come on the market since 2020 (and trust me, it’s a lot). 

Valley Food Storage has consistently impressed me with their commitment to quality, and though they’re not the least expensive kit on the market, they are one of the best in my opinion. 

(If you are looking for a “budget” option, I’d suggest going with My Patriot Supply.  They’re one of the least expensive options on the market, and while they’re not grandma’s home cooking, they’re better than most of the prepared food you’ll find in the supermarket today.  You can read my full review of My Patriot Supply, where I take you through each and every one of their meals.)

What does Valley Food Storage Sell?

While many emergency food companies have branched out to sell survival supplies and other equipment, Valley Food Storage focuses on food and water.  They don’t have a lot of gear or other “stuff” in their catalog, though will find options for water storage, which is essential alongside your food stores, and heirloom seeds.

All their options are freeze-dried, which means they’re light, compact, and rehydrate back to their original form quickly.  Freeze-dried food maintains its texture and flavor, and once rehydrated it’s actually pretty hard to tell the difference between it and fresh food that’s never been freeze dried.

The best part is that it’s all rated to store for at least 25 years, meaning you’ll have it on hand tomorrow or a decade from now. 

Here’s what you’ll find:

• Emergency Meal Kits
• Freeze-Dried Fruit
• Freeze Dried Vegetables
• Freeze Dried Meat
• Freeze Dried Milk and Eggs
• Heirloom Seeds
• Water Storage

Valley Food Storage Meals

Most people opt for prepared meals when shopping for emergency food, largely because it’s hard to cook meals from scratch during an emergency.  In a short-term emergency, you’ll want easy to prepare “just add water” meals to keep your family fed while you deal with the situation at hand.

In a longer-term emergency, you can look into specific ingredients, provided you know how to cook in general. 

I started off by testing each and every one of the prepared meals that Valley Food Storage offers, and each was easy to prepare and satisfying.  The meals do require a small amount of cooking, meaning they’re not “instant.”  You start by adding water and then simmering them in a pot, usually for about 10-15 minutes.

(If you’re looking for “instant” meals, I’d highly recommend Nutrient Survival, and I’ve written a complete review of Nutrient Survival as well, so you can see each and every one of their meals.)

In the past 2-3 years, Valley Food Storage has added several new meal options, while keeping its existing selection.  At this point, if you order a bulk meal kit bucket you’ll get quite a selection.

Each meal bucket is rated by calories and servings, so you’ll be able to choose options from a quick 72-hour kit all the way up to a one-year food supply.

At this point, they have more than a dozen different savory dinner meals to keep things interesting:

• Chicken A La King
• Irish Pub Cheddar Potato Soup
• Sweet and Sour Asian Rice
• White Bean and Lime Chili
• Italian Wild Risotto
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Pasta Primavera
• Mango Habanero Chili
• Tomato Basil Soup
• Mac and Cheese
• Enchilada Beans and Rice

Individual meal types are often sold out during periods of high demand, which, let’s face it…has been every day since March 2020.  You’re better off with a bulk meal kit bucket that will have a variety of meals included, rather than just a bunch of one type.

They also have a number of breakfast options, including:

• Apple Oatmeal
• Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
• Multi-Grain Cereal
• Strawberry Cream of Wheat
• Strawberry Oatmeal
• Apple Cream of Wheat

My kids are especially fond of their breakfast selection, and while this mama may be all about a bowl of chili, they can’t get enough of the strawberry oatmeal.  To each his own, but I know we’ll all have something we like in an emergency.

They also sell freeze-dried milk and freeze-dried whole eggs, which can be prepared individually or used in baking.

Freeze-Dried Fruit

While I know most of you are probably interested in prepared meals, I have to mention their freeze-dried fruit…because it’s amazing.  That’s actually what got me interested in writing about survival food in the first place.  I sampled freeze-dried strawberries from Valley Food Storage and they were some of the best I’d ever eaten.  I barely had a handful before my kids gobbled them up, and my daughter asked if she could have some of them for her birthday present.  They were that good.

Since then, I’ve ordered more and done blind taste tests with my very enthusiastic kids, who are always happy to review freeze-dried fruit to help mama with her work.

By far, the best quality freeze-dried fruit on the market on the market anywhere, be it in emergency food kits or just supermarket snack aisles comes from Valley Food Storage. 

Options vary a bit based on seasonal availability but generally include:

• Apples
• Blackberries
• Bananas
• Peaches
• Pineapple
• Strawberries

My kids especially love the strawberries, peaches, and pineapple.  While I’m all about caning peaches and canning pineapple at home for the off-season, my son will specifically ask for “crunchy pineapple” and loves to snack on the freeze-dried fruit without rehydrating it.

I personally really like the freeze-dried banana.  It has a really unique, almost creamy-like banana pudding, and is very different than the crunchy banana chips we’re used to as kids.  A real treat to be sure.

Freeze Dried Vegetables

As with fruit, the freeze-dried vegetable selection varies a bit based on availability, but generally includes:

• Broccoli
• Peas
• Potato
• Bell Pepper
• Sweet Corn

All of the freeze-dried vegetables can be rehydrated and eaten as a side dish, or you can incorporate them into recipes (soups, stir-fries, chili, etc).  Again, just as with the meal kits, Valley Food Storage is often sold out of individual vegetables and you’re better off with a bulk variety pack of freeze-dried vegetables.

(If, for some reason, you have your heart set on a particular freeze-dried vegetable to make certain recipes, I’d suggest looking at Emergency Essentials.  They have a really incredible selection of freeze-dried vegetables, more than any other supplier, and they’re almost always in stock.)

Freeze Dried Meat

While “dried” meat-like jerky won’t ever rehydrate back to its original form (or quality), freeze-dried meat is basically exactly the same as fresh meat once rehydrated.  It’s really amazing that you can take meat and put it on a pantry shelf for 25+ years, and then just add water and enjoy it for dinner like it was nothing. 

Freeze-dried meat can be really game-changing as an ingredient in your prepared pantry, and it will allow you to prepare nutrient-dense, high protein meals without having to rely on electricity for freezers.  It truly is one of the best freeze-dried foods to store for an emergency.

Valley Food Storage stocks what’s available at any given point, and during periods of high demand, they only carry variety of buckets of meat, or “carnivore buckets.”  Inside, you’ll find pouches of a variety of different proteins.

Sometime,s you’ll also find specific pouches and buckets when available, including:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Sausage

While we store a lot of flour, pasta, and grains in 5-gallon buckets with gamma seal lids, they just don’t have the nutrition (or protein-packed filling power) of meat.  One of the most useful single ingredients can be used to increase the protein content (and add flavor) to other shelf-stable stored food, and nothing spices up pasta or homemade soup like a bit of meat.

As the price of meat goes up, so does the price of freeze-dried meat, and plain freeze-dried meat is a lot more expensive than pre-packed freeze-dried meals.  It’s also more versatile if you know how to cook.

If you’ve never worked with freeze-dried meat, I’ve written a guide on cooking with freeze-dried meat to get you started.

Water Storage and Purification

Though Valley Food Storage mostly concentrates on providing high-quality emergency food (rather than gear), they do also offer some options for water storage and purification.

We water bath can water for preservation, largely because we have plenty of canning jars at home, given that we make literally hundreds of canning recipes every year.

Most people looking for bulk water storage options, without investing in literally dozens (if not hundreds) of mason jars, will appreciate a 50-gallon drum water storage kit (water purifier included).

Heirloom Seeds

There’s a common misconception about “survival seeds” that all you need is a kit in your back closet, and you can grow all your own food when an emergency hits. 

We actually tried that, just for fun.  We took a stay-cation and spent the entire week clearing a fresh plot of land to plant a survival garden.  We’re experienced gardeners, and we already grow a large portion of our own food.  Still, our “survival garden” was a complete failure.  (I’d encourage you to read why our real-life experience with survival gardening didn’t work out, it’s eye-opening.) 

Survival seeds, or emergency seed kits in general, are not designed to allow you to grow all your own food.  They’re designed to supplement your well-thought-out food stores with fresh vegetables and fruit.  That serves to boost morale and nutrition during longer emergencies.

The heirloom seed kit from Valley Food Storage contains just 10 varieties of seeds, but it’s everything you’ll want if you’re trying to supplement an already well-stocked long-term storage emergency food pantry.

Preparedness Resources

Looking for more preparedness resources?

• Best (and Worst) Survival Food Kits
• Survival Gardening: Our Real Life Dry Run
• Can You Survive a Nuclear Winter
• Best Survival Seed Banks
• Canning Water for Emergencies
• How to Freeze Dry Food at Home