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- Dec 3, 2017
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This has been on my mind lately, especially since I am going through cabinets, closets, etc. and trying to improve organization and availability of what I do store. I see this as twofold: what we use to store food, and what equipment we have to process food. It could be more than that.
Oxygen Absorbers: These are commonly used by people who are putting food up for storage. These can be added to any container of food. Sugar and salt are two things that you do not want to add them to, because they will create rock hard food.
Vacuum Sealers: These can be used to seal up food in specially made plastic and mylar bags. They can be used with a special attachement, to seal up jars of food, at the same time removing air. It is not a replacement for wet canning, but works well for canning dry goods.
Glass Jars: Glass jars are basic and ubiquitous, aren't they? A newbie to food storage can use an old pickle jar. I have canning jars that I have purchased new, at garage sales, thrift stores and found for free on Craigslist and other places.
Plastic buckets: The heavy duty 5 gallon buckets can hold about 25 pounds of beans, rice, wheat and more. There are buckets that are 2, 3, 5, and 6 gallon sizes. Some bakeries will give or sell their buckets for a dollar or two. I have ordered from Emergency Essentials and purchased food grade buckets from Home Depot and Lowes. Food grade and clean is very important.
A good sealing lid is important for your buckets (and all food containers). I prefer using gamma seal lids so that I can easily access food and close it back up. I have some buckets that have lids that need to be pried off. I used to have a metal lid remover that broke in the process. It was decades old when it broke, so that tells you how difficult it is to open up a well sealed lid. Gamma seal lids are maybe around $10 now. I haven't purchased any in a while, but saw some online for around that price. It is an investment.
Soda bottles: In the beginning of my food storage, I saw many people talking about using large soda bottles for storing rice and beans and other food. I understand that the plastic is thin enough to allow slow air passage, compromising the ability to protect it.
I have no food in soda bottles and never did. I started with some glass jars and plastic buckets. When you have been working on food storage for a while, you improve what you have and do. You learn from what worked and what didn't work.
Oxygen Absorbers: These are commonly used by people who are putting food up for storage. These can be added to any container of food. Sugar and salt are two things that you do not want to add them to, because they will create rock hard food.
Vacuum Sealers: These can be used to seal up food in specially made plastic and mylar bags. They can be used with a special attachement, to seal up jars of food, at the same time removing air. It is not a replacement for wet canning, but works well for canning dry goods.
Glass Jars: Glass jars are basic and ubiquitous, aren't they? A newbie to food storage can use an old pickle jar. I have canning jars that I have purchased new, at garage sales, thrift stores and found for free on Craigslist and other places.
Plastic buckets: The heavy duty 5 gallon buckets can hold about 25 pounds of beans, rice, wheat and more. There are buckets that are 2, 3, 5, and 6 gallon sizes. Some bakeries will give or sell their buckets for a dollar or two. I have ordered from Emergency Essentials and purchased food grade buckets from Home Depot and Lowes. Food grade and clean is very important.
A good sealing lid is important for your buckets (and all food containers). I prefer using gamma seal lids so that I can easily access food and close it back up. I have some buckets that have lids that need to be pried off. I used to have a metal lid remover that broke in the process. It was decades old when it broke, so that tells you how difficult it is to open up a well sealed lid. Gamma seal lids are maybe around $10 now. I haven't purchased any in a while, but saw some online for around that price. It is an investment.
Soda bottles: In the beginning of my food storage, I saw many people talking about using large soda bottles for storing rice and beans and other food. I understand that the plastic is thin enough to allow slow air passage, compromising the ability to protect it.
I have no food in soda bottles and never did. I started with some glass jars and plastic buckets. When you have been working on food storage for a while, you improve what you have and do. You learn from what worked and what didn't work.
