Looking for a simple effective way to store dry goods.........

[Curmudgeon]

We are looking for a simple way to store beans, rice, sugar, flour, yeast, spices etc etc etc for long term. The thing is we want it portable. We are thinking 5 gallon buckets with a lid then taped around the lid.

Any creative ideas welcome.

 

[Rebecca]

I put the food in mylar bags, then in 5 gallon buckets. I use silicone sealant around the lid - the kind used around kitchen countertops etc that claims it's safe for incidental food contact. Although because the food is sealed in the bags it should never touch the bucket or the silicone.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I put the food in mylar bags, then in 5 gallon buckets. I use silicone sealant around the lid - the kind used around kitchen countertops etc that claims it's safe for incidental food contact. Although because the food is sealed in the bags it should never touch the bucket or the silicone.

Thanks, that's kinda what we were thinking. I didn't think about the caulk we were leaning toward duct tape, lol.

So the Mylar bags can be vacuum sealed?!

 

[phideaux]

I've got rice, oats, sugar, salt ,pasta peas , beans in vacuum sealed quart canning jars for 10 years and we still use them.

No problem .
Just need a Food saver vac seal and canning jars adapter.

Jim

 

[SheepDog]

With food grade plastic pails you can use dry icein with your dried goods, Fill the bucket about 1/3 full, place some dry ice on top and fill to about an inch from the top with more dry goods. Put a layer of dry ice over that and place the lid loosely in place. When the bucket stops fuming set the sealed lid and store it. Be sure to mark it with the contents and date. When you open it to remove some contents add desiccant or more dry ice with the lid on but not sealed until it stops fuming. Set the lid again.

 

[Neb]

With food grade plastic pails you can use dry icein with your dried goods, Fill the bucket about 1/3 full, place some dry ice on top and fill to about an inch from the top with more dry goods. Put a layer of dry ice over that and place the lid loosely in place. When the bucket stops fuming set the sealed lid and store it. Be sure to mark it with the contents and date. When you open it to remove some contents add desiccant or more dry ice with the lid on but not sealed until it stops fuming. Set the lid again.

The Princess put O2 absorbers inside the Mylar bags and uses gamaSeal lids. They have rubber seals and are easy to open and close since they just screw on and off.


Ben

 

[Amish Heart]

Seal them some way...mylar, food saver, whatever you can do. Then put them in the bucket. In a pinch, a freezer ziplock full of dry foods in a bucket is better than sitting out.
Glass jars are great, I use them alot and vacuum seal them with a food saver attachment, but they can break.
Dry ice is a pain in the butt, and wouldn't be my first choice. Just keep air out, sunlight out, and put the food in something that mice have a hard time getting into.

 

[Sourdough]

and put the food in something that mice (Grizzly Bears, Wolverines, Coyotes, Black Bears, Wolves, etc.) have a hard time getting into.

I fixed it for you...........dancing chicken

 

[Rosco]

We use 1pt up to 2qt Ball jars with oxygen absorbers or simply vacuum sealed with a Foodsaver jar sealer attachment and Harbor Freight hand brake bleeder pump. There are some things you shouldn't use absorbers with, but for the most part, either gets the job done well. Be sure to store in a cool, dry, dark space. We prefer jars over mylar simply because sealing requires less equipment, the jars are more readily reusable and can be used for dry or pressure canning.

 

[Rebecca]

Thanks, that's kinda what we were thinking. I didn't think about the caulk we were leaning toward duct tape, lol.

So the Mylar bags can be vacuum sealed?!

I use a hair straightening iron to seal the mylar. Seal three quarters of the way, pull the air out with a vacuum and then seal the last bit. I do also throw in O2 and moisture absorbers before sealing.

I personally use the 5 gallon buckets because I can store so much in each one vs having even more jars than I already have LOL. For example 200kgs of rice is a lot of canning jars. The buckets are also less breakable so I can hide them in all sorts of places where jars might get bumped and broken.

I have a mini experiment going on for 2 years now. I sealed up a bucket filled with rice in a mylar bag and hid it out at the top of our property near a game trail. So far none of bears, coyotes etc have shown the slightest interest in it. Or maybe they just don't do rice?! It's also handling the weather fine so far.

 

[Aerindel]

Mylar bags, with o2 absorbers is the ONLY correct way to store dry goods long term.

Dry ice, vacuum sealers, and buckets have all be thoroughly disproven.

The principle is simple. You have remove the oxygen and KEEP it removed. A bucket WILL NOT DO THIS. Plastic is permeable to O2. Mylar is not.

You do not want, or need a vacuum seal.

Place your food in a mylar bag. Add the appropriate size absorbers. The place selling them will tell you what size you need for what size bags. They are often sold in kits.

Seal your bag with a 2x4 and an clothes iron set to the wool setting. Foodsaver seals are too narrow and will not work. You want your seal to be at least 1" wide.

Your o2 absorber will remove the oxygen from the bag. It will shrink down by about 20%. It does not need to be a 'hard' vacuum seal. Depending on what you have in the bag and how much air you got out before sealing, it may still feel loose and soft like a bag of chips. This is fine. A hard vacuum seal just makes it more likely to break.

IF YOU WISH you can place the bag in a bucket to protect it. If you want to save space, use square, stackable storage totes.

Do not waste time with anything else. A bucket, no matter how will sealed, will be full of 02 again in just a couple years. PLASTIC IS GAS PERMEABLE. Without something like mylar to block 02, you are wasting your time trying to remove o2 or air from a plastic container.

Properly stored, white rice, wheat, etc will last for 30 years in mylar. Beans about 10.

You cannot store brown rice for more than a few months as the oils in its hull will turn rancid unless treated with preservatives or frozen.

IF you do not need the food stored for that long, just placed in a bucket rice and wheat are good for about 10 years, beans for about 5.

 

[Amish Heart]

Sourdough, was assuming you'd put your buckets in your house or your basement and not let bears and wolverines in to visit. But ok. Maybe you better put yours in ammo cans.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I guess I should have added the fact I want this to be mobile if needed. I'm thinking the Mylar with the O2 absorbent, sealed and then packed into 5 or 6 gallon buckets sounds like the trick.

I will also be placing some at an alternative location in case we need to group up.

 

[Neb]

Mylar...

You cannot store brown rice for more than a few months as the oils in its hull will turn rancid unless treated with preservatives or frozen.

...
5.

Good information.

The Princess has some brown rice cached from about 3 years ago so I will have her crack one open and check. Worst that can happen is we have to toss it and learn a lesson. Best is that we have a lot of rice on the menu. I like rice.

Re: plastic is permeable to O2

Do you know if that applies to both HDPE and LDPE?

Buckets are HDPE while bags ( I believe) are LDPE.

Is my material scientist side showing? dancing chicken

Ben

 

[Aerindel]

Google says its better but still high too high:

In any case, mylar is the industry standard for long term food storage. There is a reason all your commercial survival food is in mylar (or steel cans) All your potato chips, all your candy, nuts, energy bars etc etc.

Now, as to brown rice if you really really want to store it you can process it to not go rancid by parboiling it, and treating with a food grade anti-oxidiant like ascorbic acid, dehydrating it, and then storing in mylar. People say you can push it out to seven years this way but I have not tried it.

Also note, most people can't taste rancidity even if its normally used in association with a smell or taste. Its a chemical process that results in a loss of nutrition and formation of a lot of free radicals. Its not going to kill you to eat it...probably....but it is still bad for you even if tastes okay.

This is actually the reason behind the creation of white rice in the first place, it was a preservative method. A lot of old style processed foods that people now view as unhealthy, or less healthy where not just an arbitrary choice because they liked the taste or something, it was a preservative method so they could keep a harvest through the year.

Also, if you don't already know, this is a problem with all cooking oils, butters, etc. Unless frozen, they have short shelf life's. Those terrible transfats that we don't use anymore....the reason they where created in the first place was solve the oil rancidity problem. Which they did do, but by creating a different problem.

 

[Caribou]

All of the 5 gallon buckets are O2 permeable. The mylar bag is there to protect the food. The bucket is there to protect the mylar.

Pour 2 to 4 inches if product into your mylar bag already in a bucket, drop in some CO2 (dry ice), top off with product, mostly seal the mylar, after the dry ice sublimates finish sealing the mylar bag.

To stop bug eggs from hatching the O2 must be less than 3%. To stop bug eggs from hatching CO2 must be over 3%. It is much easier to bring the CO2 up with the use of dry ice. Yes, it can be inconvenient to find and use. CO2 is heavier than air so as the dry ice sublimates the O2 bearing air is lifted from the bucket through the small hole you left at the top of the bag. If you seal completely the mylar will make an excellent balloon, until it pops.

Bucket lids should have an o-ring gasket. I prefer the Gamma-Lids. They have gaskets on both the ring and the lid making for a great seal.

 

[Aerindel]

You could do that....but o2 absorbers are cheap and easy to work with.

 

[Weedygarden]

After reading all the suggestions, I suggest to make it easier on yourself by doing what will be easiest to do for you. There are many methods and storage container options.

You name it, I have probably used all of the methods. I do have sealed mylar bags in 5 gallon buckets, most with gamma seal lids. I am not sure how easy it is to buy gamma seal lids now. A few months ago, everyone was sold out of them. They come in a variety of colors and I ordered a bunch from Emergency Essential of various colors to kind of help me color code my food.

When it comes to smaller amounts of food, I have many cases of canning jars of dry goods.

Instead of dry ice, I use oxygen absorbers. I bought dry ice once, put it in my freezer and when I went to get it, it was gone, maybe evaporated? I'm sure that someone here knows better about it than I did and do.

When I strongly encouraged daughter to get herself 25 pounds of rice when COVID was beginning, she did not want any 5 gallon buckets. We found cases of half gallon canning jars, 6 jars to a case. That worked for her. I got some for myself but wish I had more of them and will likely get more in the future. They are easier to handle than a 5 gallon bucket.

This option is no longer available, but the LDS Storehouse used to have the option of canning in #10 cans (dry goods). It is my favorite method by far for food storage. Great size of package, sturdy, rodent proof. We used to be able to borrow a portable canner from the LDS storehouse, buy cans and lids, oxygen absorbers, even storage boxes and take the canner home for a period of time. At the storehouse, we could only can their goods. At home, we could can whatever we wanted to. I got corn, lentils, garbanzos and much more canned at home this way, stuff that I couldn't get from LDS. A metal can canner can be purchased, but for a price. There were several for sale recently through a man who has a YouTube channel, LDS Prepper. A prepper group or mutual aid group would be wise to purchase what they need to can in #10 cans.

It is important to label everything with the contents and the day of purchase or canning. Date of "use by date" has too many people thinking that means date to throw it away, because they might die from it. Nope.

 

[Aerindel]

Instead of dry ice, I use oxygen absorbers. I bought dry ice once, put it in my freezer and when I went to get it, it was gone, maybe evaporated?

No maybe about it. Dry ice's sublimation point is -78. All that a normal deep freeze can do is slow its evaporation.

 

[LadyLocust]

I like reusable and dislike garbage so I use canning jars - not light weight or crash resistant. But the other thing is that you don't always need a vac. seal though that makes quick work of it. Before I had it, I did hot jar canning of dried goods (beans, rice etc.) Just low temp in oven until all contents are the same temp. then lid and rim snugly. As they cool, they seal and "poink" just like other canning. I've done this with brown rice which has tasted fine for about a year and a half - maybe the heat helps. I was prepared for it to be bad but was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Amish Heart]

I cooked brown rice, then dehydrated it. Now it's instant brown rice. Hoping it will store longer.

 

[Neb]

I cooked brown rice, then dehydrated it. Now it's instant brown rice. Hoping it will store longer.

Keep us updated.


Ben

 

[Weedygarden]

I cooked brown rice, then dehydrated it. Now it's instant brown rice. Hoping it will store longer.

When I was a young adult, stir fried vegetables and brown rice was a common meal. I used to eat brown rice exclusively, but we all know it has a short shelf life. I have some in the freezer now. It is not something that is recommended for food storage because of the fact that it turns rancid so quickly. I should also like to see if cooking it and rehydrating it helps extend the shelf life.

 

[Amish Heart]

Ok, it's been about 6 months, so I'll try rehydrating. Or maybe wait a while longer. Anyway, I was doing it to make it a quick cook rice, like the Uncle Ben's is for white rice.

 

[Peanut]

Mylar® Bags - Sorbent systems - They make any kind of mylar bag you can imagine... to fit any need.

Portable Hand Held Sealers | IMPAK Corporation - They make industrial mylar bag sealers as well as hand held sealers for home use.

Plastic Buckets Category | Plastic Buckets, Plastic Pails and 5 Gallon Buckets | U.S. Plastic Corp. - US Plastic - They make any kind of plastic bucket with any kind of lid to fit any need.

Down and dirty... Go to the nearest welding supplier and get a bottle of the purest nitrogen they will sell you. You will need a regulator for the bottle and about 8ft of flexible hose.

1) Put a mylar bag in the bucket.

2) Put the end of the nitrogen hose in the bottom of the bucket

3) Fill the bucket with selected grain/rice/bean etc

4) Partially seal the mylar bag leaving a couple of inches unsealed around the hose.

Bottled nitrogen is extremely cold

5) Put cold nitrogen into the mylar bag... about 5 or 10 PSI is fine.

The cold nitrogen will fill the bottom of the bag of grain pushing the room temp air out of the small gap at the top. Basically I just crack the nitrogen valve a little so it fills the partially sealed bag slowly.

6) When the top of the bag feels cold, quickly pull out the hose and quickly finish sealing the bag.

There will be a tiny amount of oxygen left in the bag but a negligible amount.

Voila, all the sealed grains you need. I only do this every few years. I’ll put a 100-gallon feed trough in the back of my truck. I’ll drive over to a field where family or friends are combining grain, corn or wheat. I’ll buy grain directly from them right out of the hopper on the combine. I worry about cleaning grain as I use it, not before putting it in the bag.

Edit to add: For me personally I find it simpler to buy mylar bags and buckets etc directly from the manufacturer, no need to go through various internet retailers. If there is an issue with the product they are quick to replace it.

Also, buying grains from a farmer is far cheaper than buying in bulk at costco etc. Also, the combine has built in instrumentation that will tell you the exact moisture content of the grain etc. There is no guessing.

 

[Peanut]

Moisture and Oxygen absorbers...

https://www.desiccare.com/
Desiccare, Inc.
211 Industrial Drive
Richland, MS 39218
1-888-932-0405

They also have offices in Las Vegas NV and Pomona CA.

I used to buy directly from the Mississippi location. Its been a few years so I don't know if that is still possible.

Moisture - I found the following somewhere on the net years ago. I've sealed corn with moisture content at 13% with no issues. You might want to do your own research. Newer information might be available.

Moisture Content

The moisture content of the grain or legume you want to purchase or grow has a major impact on how long you will be able to store it and have it remain nutritious and edible. Some of the information I have found says that grain with a moisture content as high as 12% can be safely put into long term storage, but there is a risk to storing grain at that moisture level that should be understood.

The outside of each and every kernel of grain or bean you buy or grow may host thousands of fungi spores and bacteria. This is all perfectly natural and is not a reason to panic. The problem lies in that at moisture levels between 13.5% to 15% some fungal species are able to grow and reproduce. Other species require a moisture level in the 16-23% range. Aerobic bacteria (oxygen using) require a moisture level of about 20%. Raw peanuts are particularly susceptible to Aspergillus mold growth that produces afltoxin and should be stored with an 8% moisture content or less.

Thus, if you have grain you want to store with a moisture content as high as 12% you are perilously close to having enough moisture to enable mold growth which could lead to the ruin of your grain. For this reason, I suggest keeping all grains and legumes to a moisture content of no more than 10%.

If you do not have a clue as to what the moisture level of your grain is here is a rough method to determine it.

Take 20 ounces of the grain or legumes in question from the middle of its bag or container (this needs to be an actual weighed twenty ounces and not estimated). Spread the grain in a large baking dish making sure it is not more than an inch deep. Heat at 180 F for about two hours, stirring occasionally. Allow the grain to cool where it won't reabsorb moisture, the oven will do. Once cool, reweigh the grain. A one ounce loss in weight indicates the grain had roughly a five percent moisture content, 2 ounces indicates that it has a 10% moisture content, etc, etc. You might even be able to cut it as fine as a half oz loss, but I wouldn't try to take it further than that.

 

[Curmudgeon]

To stop bug eggs from hatching the O2 must be less than 3%. To stop bug eggs from hatching CO2 must be over 3%.

?

If you seal completely the mylar will make an excellent balloon, until it pops.

Are you referring to using dry ice?

 

[The Lazy L]

I use a hair straightening iron to seal the mylar. ...

FANTASTIC IDEA!!!!!! I never thought about using that!

 

[Caribou]

?



Are you referring to using dry ice?

Dry ice is CO2 in solid form. Dry ice does not evaporate it sublimates. Evaporation is when a liquid goes from liquid to gas. Sublimation is when a solid turns to gas. CO2 does not exist in liquid form, this is why it is called dry ice. CO2 is readily available as dry ice, large cylinders, and small cartridges. If you purchase dry ice use it immediately as it will start to disappear.

I don't use dry ice often. When I do I get all my buckets, mylar bags, and product loaded up in my truck and head to the store that sells the dry ice. I pour a bit of product in each bucket, open the dry ice and put some in each bucket, and then top them off. I do this in the parking lot. I have done this at home if it is a short drive.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I don't think I will go the dry ice route. It's not imperative, is it?

I was thinking the O² absorber packets in the Mylar bag with the product, then vacuum seal.

Will that suffice?