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Last updated January 25, 2008

I calculated shipping and got ONE amount, but when I went to checkout got a higher amount.  Why?
There is a $2.75 handling charge added to any order to cover the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, peanuts and other miscellaneous costs.  We don't have a way--in our cart--to add that in, except as it appears in your cart checkout. If the amount is MORE than $2.75, please let us know so we can find out what's going on!
I just calculated shipping for a 300 lb order and it was WAY too high.  Why?
On August 27, 2006, we uploaded a NEW shopping cart which is pretty accurate at figuring shipping for orders UNDER 200 lbs.  Once your order reaches 200 lbs, you qualify for reduced shipping for products shipping from the SAME location (called hundredweight or CWT). Unfortunately, UPS does not have realtime shipping rates for CWT shipments, so our cart can't figure them and it gets carried away.... Please ignore high shipping reported for CWT orders.  Your credit card is NOT charged until we review shipping costs.  You will be charged only ACTUAL shipping costs and we will email you the shipping total. Our markup for BULK orders (dehydrated foods in bags, boxes or regular buckets/SuperPails) is so small that we need to charge you the credit card or PayPal fees.  If you can, please send a check or money order to avoid that charge. P.S. - With our new shopping cart, we'd appreciate your telling us of any problems you find with it (like missing banners, images, etc.)  Thanks!
I live close enough to you to drive to Dallas and pick up my food and save shipping costs . . .
This is without-a-doubt our most frequently asked question. Grocery stores build into their pricing the cost of shipping product to them. It's easy for 'em. They don't ship anything anywhere else. They sell the groceries to the "locals". Our canneries dropship their products (for us) coast-to-coast, so shipping costs are always different, depending on how close you live to the cannery. We cannot build the cost of shipping into our pricing, without being unfair to some (who live nearby), and overly generous to others (who live far away). You're welcome to drive to Quinlan to pick up your food (if we have it in stock), but you'll still be charged what we were charged to have it shipped to us. Our suggestion is that you save the time, gasoline, trailer rental and wear and tear on your car, and have your order dropshipped directly to you. You may drive to the cannery to pick up your order, if you live close enough. Place it through us, and when it's ready to ship, we'll give you the O.K. to go get it. Then there will be no shipping charges. Click HERE to subscribe to our newsletter. (Opens a new window.) We do not share your email address with anyone. Period. Read what our Customers are saying!
Do you ship products to foreign countries?  If so, which ones, how and how do I pay?
We ship to any country EXCEPT those in Africa.  (Sorry, guys, but until you get your spammers and cheats under control, you'll get nothing from us. And please stop notifying me of the "millions of dollars" you want to transfer to me....) Shipping will usually be via United States Postal Service, unless you request--and are willing to pay the additional cost for--another shipping method or carrier. Payment for orders outside the United States or Canada must be either by Bank Check or by Wire Transfer. We do NOT accept credit cards from any country other than the USA or Canada. (There are some cases when we will accept credit cards from the UK, Australia or New Zealand, if we can verify you're genuine, but we have to pass along the surcharge the bank charges us, so your foreign credit card fee will be higher.)
How long will these canned foods store?
While we cannot guarantee these canned foods will last this long, you really should read about the canned food taken to the Arctic in 1820 . . . and opened in 1938, and found still to be edible.  That's after 118 years with a can produced when canning technology was about 10 years old! I know you're busy and have no spare time (the average time people spend on our website is 3 1/2 minutes), but you really owe it to yourself to read this page.
Do you offer an Affiliate Program?
We are working at developing an Affiliate Program in which you can promote our products and make money for the sales you generate for our dehydrated and freeze dried foods.  Part of our problem is that, on some items (like Bulk and Bucketized foods), our markup is so small that we can't share it with you without us losing money on the sale. However, you CAN make money right now selling our incredible Real Handmade Beef Jerky. Remarkably, the amount you can earn can be as much as $3,000 per month!  It does take some work, but your cash outlay can be as low as $12 per month (and that gets you 1/2 pound of Real Beef Jerky each month).  Know anybody who eats??  If so, click here.
What are your hours
We begin answering the phone at 9:00 a.m. and stop answering it at 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Central time. We have been quite busy lately, and there's a good chance you'll get voicemail. If so, please leave your name and phone number so we can call you back. If you're calling for shipping quote, you can place a "test" order in our new shopping cart, if your order is under 200 lbs in weight.
I've emailed you twice and you never answered
Your email return header does not contain a valid email reply address. We answer all emails that contain a valid REPLY address. We TRY to look for and then copy and paste email addresses from the body of your message, but we might overlook it. If you're shielding yourself from "spam" email by putting a bogus "Reply To" address in your header info, you may never get a reply from us.
Your prices are lower than others'. Is your food quality inferior?
The "inferior food" story is propagated by those who have to charge more for their food because of their food distribution system, because of greedy companies or because of greedy "master distributors". The "dirty little secret" in this industry is that there are only 3 major dehydrators in the country and everybody buys their food from the same places, so *quality* is not an issue, though the high-priced companies try to make it so. (How else are they going to justify their pricing??) We know of one highly overpriced company who sold the exact same foods that we do, but gave them fancier names. For example, our "Diced Potatoes" were their "Select Idaho Diced Potatoes". It's called "selling the sizzle" (and, indeed, they were former used car salesmen, and "sold the sizzle" with a vengeance!). They ultimately went out of business, but many customers fell for that baloney and paid 1.5x to 2x more for their storable food. Our goal is to get as many people fed as inexpensively as possible. Your order is drop-shipped directly to you from the cannery, not double shipped and double handled. Consumers frequently fall for the "sizzle" and spend more for the exact same steak.... Lastly, our price for a One Year Supply for Four is what many companies are charging to feed ONE person for a year. You've just gotta decide how you want to spend your money.
I don't understand your price list. How does it work?
Pricing works like this: (Dehydrated Foods) Hard Red Wheat ... 12.00/48 (W007) means a pail of wheat costs $12.00 and weighs 48 lbs shipping weight. The product code is W007. The left column is individual #10 cans, the middle column is a case of 6 #10 cans and right column is SuperPails (6 gallon buckets of product). Bulk items are on their own page. We tried (I guess unsuccessfully) to describe this in the column header.
Does your food contain MSG?
Actually, the proper question is, "Do you add MSG to your foods?" because a lot of foods contain naturally-occuring MSG. (Anyone who tells you their food contains no MSG is either ignorant or lying.) But, to answer your question, yes, we add MSG to some of our mixes. It's one reason they taste so good! (MSG also goes by the name "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" or HVP.) Many today mistakenly believe that they're allergic to monosodium glutamate (MSG). It was one of the "health fads" that roared through in the '70s with which we Americans are so enamored. (Every year it's something else that, "if we eat it . . . or don't eat it", we'll be healed and live forever.) Here are the facts: If you can eat eggs, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, walnuts or Parmesan cheese, you can eat MSG. All those foods are loaded with naturally-occuring MSG. The crystalline MSG used as a flavor-enhancer is produced by a natural fermentation process, very similar to the way beer is made. It's not made from chemicals in a lab. Your body—and even chemical analysis—cannot distinquish "man-made" MSG from naturally-occuring MSG. The human body produces about 50 grams of glutamate daily. Your brain can't function without it. Furthermore, double-blind tests performed on people who claimed to have food reactions to MSG, showed they had those same reactions when given a sugar pill (placebo). Every test. The so-called "Chinese Food Syndrome" just doesn't exist. Those people have a reaction to something besides MSG. I invite you to visit The Glutamate Association and learn the facts. If that doesn't convince you, go to a food allergist and have a double-blind test done. Then, go try the food at any China Garden in Georgia. It's fabulous!
What are the different can sizes?
A #2.5 can ("number two and a half size") is slightly less than a quart in size. A #10 can ("number ten"; not "10 pounds") is slightly less than a gallon in size. It's the food industry standard size and is the same size can that coffee is sold in. Our SuperPail is a 6 gallon plastic bucket containing food in a Mylar bag from which 99.9% of the oxygen has been removed. (Some companies sell only 5 gallon buckets of food, so watch pricing and check them out.) Mylar is "plastic coated" aluminum foil which is light-, air- and moisture-proof.
Please describe shipping and the hundredweight savings.
One bucket of wheat to Northern CA (we need to have zip code to be accurate) would cost more than the cost of the wheat.  If you buy 5 buckets, you reach the UPS hundredweight chart (CWT) and the shipping would cost (240 lbs = 2.40 x $Hundredweight Rate =) $??. (Add $2.75 handling to any size order.) Please call us for your CWT charges. With the cost of fuel these days, we can no longer publish a rate.
Will we be notified by the carrier prior to shipment so we can arrange a time to meet the truck when       it arrives?
You should receive either a phone call or postcard from the shipping terminal advising you your shipment is there. You then arrange with them for delivery. Note, though, that UPS and FedEx will NOT give you advance notification of delivery. You will need to use the tracking number we provide to get an idea of when a UPS or FedEx order will arrive.
Will the driver bring the food/shipment inside for us?
Yes. It will cost you an additional $60.00 to $100.00 or more (called an Inside Delivery Charge) for him to do it, but it can be arranged. Please understand, it is not a free service, and you will be charged for it.
Bulk Freeze-Dried Food vs. Dehydrated Food
"I don't quite understand how much you get in some of the bulk freeze dried foods or the total cost. I did see the price per pound. Using the green beans for example, they are priced at $16.25 and come in a 15 to 25 pound case. I assume that a 15 pound case of those would then cost $243.75 assuming that they come in a 15 pound case and not a 25 pound case. How long would a typical case last if you had normal servings of these three times a week?"   Your pricing method is correct. However, unless you have a particular need for freeze dried veggies, you'll save a *ton* of money buying dehydrated instead. To answer your question, you get about 20-24 servings per pound of FD green beans for the $16.25. (Dehydrated green beans, on the other hand, yield about 32 servings per pound and cost $8.23). In our opinion, you're throwing money away buying FD vegetables when dehydrated are available. We suggest buying FD products only for the meats/entrees available, and buying dehydrated vegetables, etc., to round out your meals.t
When do you charge my credit card, when you receive my order or when it ships?
We charge your card when your order is ready to ship from the cannery.
I want to verify pricing on your site . . .
No need. The pricing is correct. If it's not, we'll honor it.
What is the difference between Egg Mix and Whole Eggs, between Nonfat Dry Milk and Instant Milk?
Egg Mix has such ingredients as milk or whey, vegetable oil and salt, so that it makes a better, more realistic, scrambled egg. (Cooked properly, it is difficult to tell you're not eating fresh eggs that have been scrambled.) Instant Milk undergoes a "crystallizing" process so that it mixes faster with water. (Don't ask me about the technicals. I don't know.) The down side is that the yield-per-can is reduced. In other words, while it takes a little longer to mix the "regular" milk with water, you get quite a bit more milk out of a can. So, like so much else in America today, you pay extra for the convenience of fast mixing. (Phyllis is a former restaurant manager ... she likes the taste of the regular milk better. I can't tell the difference. We have had some reports, and our experience is, that the regular milk lasts longer in the 'fridge.)
Does DE kill adult worms in horses? . . .
. . . or does it only kill the eggs? (That a horse might ingest). How long does a horse have to be fed DE before it becomes effective. The reason I am asking is I have two horses that have been getting DE for about 7 weeks. I just had a fecal egg count done and one horse has evidence of strongyle eggs and the other has tapeworm eggs. I have not used a chemical wormer since late last September . . . I am having trouble finding detailed literature on DE. I don't know if there have ever been test studies comparing horses on DE and horses on wormer pastes.   There is debate as to whether DE will act as an internal parasite killer. Some say Yes and others say No. In the external world, there IS evidence that, when DE gets wet, its effect on insects is reduced. By implication, then, the internal cleansing of parasites would not be very effective since the DE has to get "wet" to travel through an animal (or person). However, there is ALSO well-documented evidence that DE kills fly maggots in manure patties . . . and DE gets wet in THERE. Since DE is such an inexpensive insect/parasite control solution, there is little or no interest shown by chemical companies running tests to determine DE's efficiency in controlling internal parasites. (If they showed it worked, who would buy their chemicals?) One other thing: DE has no effect on earthworms. Because of that, I wonder if fully-developed tapeworms would also not be affected. I don't have the answer to that. One thing that would be important is the "dosage." Were you feeding your horses DE at a rate of 2% by volume of feed? That seems to be the amount needed for beneficial results. Lastly, did you buy the DE from us (I can't locate a record of your purchase.) It's CRITICAL that you use Food Grade DE like we sell.
I want to add the following items to my order . . . .
Unfortunately, that causes great confusion at the cannery and opens your order to errors. Please think your order through the first time around. Any additions must be treated as a new order.
I ordered various cans of Freeze Dried products from you and received only a case of Chicken a la       King.
We re-use boxes whenever we can and your order is in that box. Please, before you call, open your boxes to see what you've received. Thanks.
What is a flaker? Will it make rolled oats from oat groats?
There are (basically) 3 ways to "prepare" grain: Mill it, flake it or roll it. Milling crushes the grain into "powder" (flour). Rolling flattens it, like the old wringer washers used to do to clothes. The flaker "shaves" the grain into thin "strips". Don't confuse this with Kellogg's Corn Flakes or Wheaties, etc. Those are cooked (recipe) products. True flaked grain makes a *great* fresh cereal (toast it in oven for 7-8 minutes), can be used as a topping for kneaded bread dough (added nutrition and great crunch), in other baked goods for texture and added nutrition, as a meat extender, etc. The flaker will not roll oats, just as a fryer will not bake a potato.
What is your policy on product damaged in shipment?
For truck/freight/common carrier shipments, shipping damage MUST be notated on delivery ticket at the time of delivery (specifying the number of cases damaged) and MUST be reported to us within 48 hours of receipt of shipment (stating which products were damaged) in order for goods to be replaced. UPS shipping damage MUST be reported to UPS within 2 days and a damage claim made. If these things are not done, product cannot be replaced. PLEASE NOTE that we MAY require that damaged products be returned to us at your expense before we replace them.
There are dented cans in my shipment.
(This is not-so-frequently-asked, but in case it comes up . . .) Hopefully, you followed the instructions in the answer to the previous question. As to the dented cans, that may or may not be a problem. If you noted it on the delivery ticket and reported it in time, the shipper will have to make good, and the cannery will re-ship. If you didn't note it on the ticket, open the can and re-pack the contents into glass jars. Keep the food dry and it will still last over a year. You can tell if the seam has been broken by sight and smell. Is there any powder in the bottom of the case? If so, the seam has likely been broken (could also be from the cannery). Smell along the seam of the dented can. You'll smell the contents if the seam has been broken. I regularly accept dented shipments using those tests. As long as a can opener will work on one or the other end of the can, I'm happy. We've been trained from childhood not to buy dented cans from the supermarket. Wet-packed foods are dangerous if the interior enamel is broken. Not so with dehydrated, as long as the seams are intact (and you can open the can).