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18K views 54 replies 39 participants last post by  Roberto Rodriguez 
#1 ·
I Store a five year supply of normal canned foods off the grocery store shelves for my family of four now that my oldest two are on their own,such as beans,corn and just about any other vegetable you can think of plus meals like beef stew, chicken and dumplings,red beans and rice and the list goes on,meats like beef and gravy, chicken chunks,tuna,and many others.These are all for the most part good at feeding my family with no wasted leftovers. I have been told by others that I am doing it all wrong and I need to store #10 cans and 5 gallon buckets full of food or I will wish I did later on. I do store some things like flour,sugar and necessities in larger quantities but I would like your opinions on my storing the smaller cans of food.
 
#2 ·
I have the same question. From what I have gathered it seems that the #10 cans are the highest quality and most reliable however regular old cans that you speak of (off the shelves at the grocery) are likely just as fine for 15-20-25 years...or more.

But like I said, I am hoping to drill down better on that very issue so thanks for bringing it back up.

(I wonder how long till someone asks, "why not start canning"? lol)
 
#3 ·
I like storing in smaller portions since it is just my husband and I.

I store some dry goods in #10 sizes, like dehydrated or freeze dried stuff. I have some #10 cans that I bought from the online LDS store. I also store some buckets of wheat and will be doing more bucketed items in the future.

I was going to start canning again, but I found out a very valuable lesson -- my husband HATES the texture of canned food. He won't eat it, even though the color and taste were great (these were green beans, one of his usual favorites).

I may still start canning fruits and preserves etc. but won't spend time on vegetables if he won't eat them. Canning is a lot of hard work, and while a great skill, might not be for everyone.
 
#7 ·
I store the smaller single-serving sized cans for several reasons. I only cook small meals for just myself and/or my daughter, so no need to cook a gallon of green beans (or whatever) at one time. It's easier to rotate my stock. If the power is out no need to worry about trying to keep leftovers. It works for my situation but someone with a large family or group may find the larger cans make more sense.
Rusty.
 
#10 ·
I agree with Rusty. Also, it is just my husband and I, so no waste. I don't buy into the 5 gallon bucket, mylar bag, o2 absorber craze. I dehydrate and vacume seal, or just vacume seal everything and store in a dark colored rubbermaid container. That way I can buy in bulk and store it as I need it. The rubbermaid containers are great to, if you bug out, you can grab them and go. And they are stackable too. I don't can anymore because jars are heavy and breakable. Problem with bugging out with jars and if there is a weather system that hits you, by by glass jars.
 
#11 ·
We do both. We store the smaller cans from the grocery store and use them for everyday use. This keeps us with the freshest cans available due to rotation. The #10's and the 5 gal. buckets are our long storage foods. Once we find meals like Mountain House Beef Stroganoff, we store them in the #10 cans due to their longevity of 25 years. The 5 gals. are filled with rice, corn, wheat, and beans. We use these in everyday use also.
 
#12 ·
~The Sarge. I am wondering about your 5 gallons of rice, wheat, and beans. Are you feeding a lot of people? It is my hubby and I and maybe a couple of other people. Will a 5 gallon bucket of those items go bad before you could use it after you open it? I do also get the grab and go Wise freeze dried foods.
 
#14 ·
I do also get the grab and go Wise freeze dried foods.
Be sure to read the calorie and sodium content of some of those Wise freeze dried meals. The ones I looked at were maybe 200 - 300 calories, and over 1,000 mg of sodium.

Example: CHEESY LASAGNA

http://theepicenter.com/pdffiles/Wise_Food_Ingredients.pdf

CHEESY LASAGNA
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Total Calories: 260
Total Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Trans Fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 5mg;
Sodium: 1240mg
Carbs: 41g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 13g
Think about this for a minute

Sodium: 1240mg
Total Calories: 260
Servings: 4
 
#15 ·
I don't have a full year supply yet but I am storing all foods that I normally eat in the normal grocery store sizes plus some 6 gallon buckets of grains & dry milk. I am fine using 6 gallon buckets for the grains & milk because these are items that I use normally and even once opened will be used up well before it goes bad.

I have a family member & spouse who are new to prepping and I keep beating into their heads that he should store what they eat and eat what they store. They looked at me like I was crazy for the past three years but have finally seen the light. Now their financial situation is much different than mine, no kids at home and high income versus three kids and a mountain of medical bills for the past seven years that we have finally gotten paid off. They can afford to do a bunch of freeze dried foods in #10 cans or prepackaged in #10 cans where I simply cannot. I have been working towards my full year of food for three years where they can just plop down a large chunk of money and do it all at once.

My point, it depends on your situation. My family members feel enough urgency that they are willing to spend the money all at once and they can. If your situation is more like mine and money is a concern then by all means store what you normally eat in quantities that make sense for you. For me that 6 gallon bucket of dry milk once opened will only last a few months right now at the most and likely closer to two months if I consider baking needs. For the wheat I go through about three buckets a year now so four months to use it up and in a SHTF situation it would be quicker. The rice we actually don't eat white rice only brown but it's stored in mylar with O2 absorbers - that $15 will feed us for quite a while and in 30 years if we haven't had a SHTF event I will find some chickens or something that can eat it.

For me the hardest thing is veggies as we just don't like canned veggies or FD or dehydrated for that matter. We mostly eat fresh with some frozen thrown in there. I have a garden and have expanded it the last two years even adding 11 blueberry bushes, 9 raspberry bushes, and so far 40 strawberry plants but those buggers multiply so by the end of this summer it will be over 60 most likely. I hope to add apples, pears, peaches, and plums in the coming years too. We like canned fruit though so my plan is to can my own to cut down on the costs. It was sobering though to realize that for my family I would need for example 208 cans of green beans for a one year supply. Holy cow do I ever need more storage shelves. My idea is to just buy the canned veggies at Aldi and donate them when they get close to their expirations. At 39 cents a can it's an $81 cost times how ever many different veggies I buy. Really not too bad and hey it's a tax write off eventually
 
#17 ·
Hot weather and lack of refigeration lead me to believe that larger cans would not be good for me. I buy regular grocery store canned goods and I also can my own in pints & quarts. I have a few buckets of beans & other dried products but regular veggies are in smaller quantities. I can always open 2 if I need a lot at one time.
 
#21 ·
I would have thought so too. But for the last 2 years my wife has been in and out of the hospital, so we've been short $40,000 of income each year. The food I've stored has been used to make up for some of that difference.
 
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#37 ·
I have been told by others that I am doing it all wrong and I need to store #10 cans and 5 gallon buckets full of food or I will wish I did later on. I do store some things like flour,sugar and necessities in larger quantities but I would like your opinions on my storing the smaller cans of food.
Old thread... but you aren't doing it wrong if it works for you.

I might suggest 5 gallon buckets of bulk food like oatmeal, rice, sugar and salt. Those are items with a long shelf life and are much more cost affective if you do the packing yourself.

I wouldn't buy #10 cans of wet packed foods unless you use them now. I buy cans that size of things like tomatoes and tomato sauce for when I do bulk cooking. No. 10 cans of dried or dehydrated food is a different matter and can be a good way to do LTS of things like onions and peppers.
 
#40 ·
A while back -- Wifey got one #10 of ravioli for a good price she said -- just to see if it had any decent taste to it -- we tried it -- for a week - lunch and dinner - :eek:

Short of a
and we have no choice -- I'm not a big fan of eating the same thing - day after day :rolleyes:

Unless we have to feed the 17 "messakins" the gov. will leave on our door step ----- Soon :mad:
 
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