Food for storage

[Guest H0TSH0T]

don't for get to store up on the basics, like flour, sugar, yeast, gluten, oats, cream of wheat, grits, beans, rice, salt, spices, Crisco, peanut-butter, nuts and berries, deteriorated fruits and veggies,and seeds for new growing, water purification tablets, iodine, and plenty liquor.

[dash80 to dash8]

Anyone in the Knoxville area know where to pick up large amounts of beans and wheat and things other than Rice. Rice is easy to find in bulk bags, but I'm just not sure where to get some beans and other ingredients to stock in my SP

[Guest FTG-05]

Another way: dry pack with paint cans: Frugal's Forums

[Guest Rando]

Ok read storing in original bags you buy in is bad,WHY? I know my Dad stored some rice in the bags but also put said bags in sealed buckets is that ok or not? We are hoping to get to the shows in Kingsport and Knox. in the coming weeks to find more info and survival items hope there will be some vendors with what we need. Thanks for answers on above questions and all info I have read awesome everyone

[Makiaveli]

another easy way to store water is to reuse 2L soda bottles. i drink a decent amount of soda, i know its bad for you, but i refill all my 2L bottles with tap water. then add a few drops of chlorine bleach to it. these can be stored literally anywhere. i have shelves of them out in the garage. threw a few under the sofa and beds etc... it adds up very quickly.

I don't think that is safe. The plastic isn't designed to last for long periods of time and will release chemicals. My wife is my source on this, and since she has a Master's in Nursing I don't normally argue with her.

[G27]

I don't think that is safe. The plastic isn't designed to last for long periods of time and will release chemicals. My wife is my source on this, and since she has a Master's in Nursing I don't normally argue with her.

Not that they're the end-all source of knowledge, but FEMA recommends 2L soda bottles: FEMA: Water

If you choose to use your own storage containers, choose two-liter plastic soft drink bottles – not plastic jugs or cardboard containers that have had milk or fruit juice in them. Milk protein and fruit sugars cannot be adequately removed from these containers and provide an environment for bacterial growth when water is stored in them.

I'd like to see someone who works with plastics weigh in on this one.

[Makiaveli]

Not that they're the end-all source of knowledge, but FEMA recommends 2L soda bottles: FEMA: Water

I'd like to see someone who works with plastics weigh in on this one.

Short term it's not a big deal. I just wouldn't want to pack it away for 20 years. And this isn't the type of thing that would poison you per se, it's more of a long term health hazard.

I should have spelled that out, was running on brain fumes when I typed that.

**edit**

I also note that FEMA starts off recommending food-grade containers. I would have to say start with 2L bottles as you build your stockpile, and then once things are rolling along divert some funds into better quality storage.

Edited August 8, 2011 by Makiaveli

[Oh Shoot]

I don't think that is safe. The plastic isn't designed to last for long periods of time and will release chemicals.

You are confusing other plastics with the 2 liter PET/PETE bottles. These are BHA free, just like Reliance water storage jugs. BHA is the only thing in some food grade plastics that has been (maybe, sort of) shown to be detrimental to health.

Not sure if the flimsier stuff (milk jugs, water jugs) you get at supermarket have BHA or not, but doesn't really matter, as they will leak ere long period.

The 2 liter PETE bottles are as toxin-leaching free as any plastic known, and kept out of sunlight and protected from freezing, will last indefinitely, likely a very long time indeed.

- OS

Edited August 9, 2011 by OhShoot

[Jasongar8]

I canned 13 quarts of tomatoes today. Did 87 quarts of green beans over the last month with my Grnadparents. They taught me how to can a few years ago and now I do it every Summer. We have already canned tomatoes, tomato juice, salsa, spaghetti sauce, potatoes, and beets. Only thing we have left to do is peaches and sauerkraut. It is a lot easier than you guys may think.

[Guest meadowmb]

I am canning pickles and chicken today

[ttocswob]

24 pints of salsa over the weekend.

Pears will be ripe in 1-2 weeks. I slice and dehydrate as many as possible. Delicious! And they keep for years at room temp in a ziploc bag.

[Makiaveli]

You are confusing other plastics with the 2 liter PET/PETE bottles. These are BHA free, just like Reliance water storage jugs. BHA is the only thing in some food grade plastics that has been (maybe, sort of) shown to be detrimental to health.

Not sure if the flimsier stuff (milk jugs, water jugs) you get at supermarket have BHA or not, but doesn't really matter, as they will leak ere long period.

The 2 liter PETE bottles are as toxin-leaching free as any plastic known, and kept out of sunlight and protected from freezing, will last indefinitely, likely a very long time indeed.

- OS

Not sure what you mean by PET/PETE? And I know there are safe plastics out there, it's just that I didn't think that 2L soda bottles were included in that category? If they are, then glad to hear it and sorry for passing on incorrect information...

[Oh Shoot]

Not sure what you mean by PET/PETE?

Type of plastic. Bisphenol A (BHA) free. Google's your friend.

And I know there are safe plastics out there, it's just that I didn't think that 2L soda bottles were included in that category? ...

Type of plastic is generally embossed in the plastic itself, right under recycling triangle. 2 liter dope bottles are PETE.

- OS

[Makiaveli]

Type of plastic. Bisphenol A (BHA) free. Google's your friend.

Type of plastic is generally embossed in the plastic itself, right under recycling triangle. 2 liter dope bottles are PETE.

- OS

Quite familiar with Google since I'm an IT geek by trade And since I thought I was right, there wasn't a huge need on my part to try and prove it.

I am familiar with BHA, at least in the sense that I recognize it now that you mention it. Again I apologize for the incorrect information. Thanks for correcting that, and I will go have a talk with the wife now

[Guest stevenhman]

There is a guy here locally that sells some good stuff for food storage. Preparedness and Survival Advice, Reviews and Food Storage Information

I got some mylar bags and o2 absorbers for long term storage. I can't remember all the prices of what I paid in March to fill up 10 five gallon home depot buckets but, I do remember it being about $33-35 per bucket. That is for the bucket, lid, mylar bag, o2 absorber, ~20lbs rice, & 10lbs beans. I got my rice and beans at Sam's Club. (200lbs of rice and 100 of beans total for those of us [like me] who do math on their fingers )

As for more short term stuff I just try and remember to buy extras of things we eat everyday at the grocery store. Even just $5 worth of canned goods/honey/salt/sugar/dry pasta every trip adds up a lot faster than you would think. I figure we have at least 6 months of food stored up.

I also like to use the Food Saver vacuum sealer for buying bulk at the grocery store. Keeps most of the freezer burn away. Be careful vacuum sealing rice in these bags as I have heard some stories of the rice puncturing the bags. I will be sealing up some ammo this weekend as well.

[Guest lostpass]

I gets the food thing but why vacuum seal ammo?

[G27]

I gets the food thing but why vacuum seal ammo?

No real need unless yo plan on storing it in very humid conditions.

Just stick it in an ammo can with a good seal and it will last longer than you will.

[Guest stevenhman]

Yeah, that's the problem for me. I don't have enough ammo cans! Some of this ammo might get stored for a long time and a long, flat, sealed bag of ammo fits in the space I have better than an ammo can.

[Makiaveli]

Yeah, that's the problem for me. I don't have enough ammo cans! Some of this ammo might get stored for a long time and a long, flat, sealed bag of ammo fits in the space I have better than an ammo can.

That's a good idea and one I never would've thought of.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I experimentally vacuum-sealed .357 and 9mm reloads in 100 rd Dillon plastic ammo boxes. Was slightly worried afterwards (from reading some web comments) that maybe the vacuum would pull high primers or increase the OAL. But have opened a few of the packages since and did not notice problems. They went bang fine and the primers didn't look high.

Vacuum-sealing the plastic ammo boxes was slightly problematic because the vacuum sealing plastic is tough but not incredibly tough. Had a couple of sealed boxes "lose their vacuum" over time because of bag leaks, probably caused by the bag getting micro-punctured from the square edges on the plastic ammo boxes.

Mainly did it because I had previously stored some few hundred rounds in the Dillon plastic boxes, stacked for a few years on an open-air shelf. The ammo still worked fine but looked nasty corroded just from air exposure. Grungy looking old corroded ammo.

However nowadays I usually store ammo in 50 cal cans which are waterproof sealed. So it is likely a waste of materials to also vacuum pack them if they also get stuffed in ammo cans. If not using ammo cans then perhaps it is a good idea to keep the rounds pretty and shiny if for no more practical reason.

Vacuum sealing of rice, oatmeal or lentils seems to have worked fine. I have some of those on the shelf that still have good vacuum after a year or two. I double-bagged most of em.