[coinshooter]

First, Im not sure this is the right section for this question, so sorry Kev. if it needs to be moved.
What im looking for is someone that can teach me how to package about 5-10 5 gallon buckets with the mylar lining and O2 obsorbers. I would purchase the beans, rice, salt and pasta. I would also purchase the mylar bags, buckets and O2 obsorbers. I would like to also then learn the shelf life of these items and they may not be all done at once.
I live in the North east Pennsylvania area, Near Scranton.
Thanks in advance
Jimmy

 

[veganburgh]

You can learn pretty much all you need to know on Youtube from our forum member delta69alpha. Here is part one of a three part series:

He also has a few videos showing the results of long term storage as he opens the old buckets. Speaking as one with zero bucket packing experience myself, all of it is a must watch if you're planning to pack buckets.

 

[WoodUSMC]

I haven't messed w/mylar in a long time. I have been using a vacuum sealer for years and will not go back to mylar although I do still pack everything in buckets w seals. I just finished packing 4 buckets w/20 lb cornmeal broke down individual packaging, 15 lbs Pintos, 15 lbs split green peas, 10 lb lentils and 40 lb of rice broke down into portions to feed my family of 3 per meal. This way there is no waste. The shelf life of these food stores is 5-7 years as long as the packaging remains intact. The cornmeal is about 2 to 5 years.

Chris

 

[coinshooter]

SO they are packaed with a vacuum sealer then put in buckets? Do you still use the O2 thingys?

 

[rednecknoise]

SO they are packaed with a vacuum sealer then put in buckets? Do you still use the O2 thingys?

from what I've been reading. Vac sealers will not seal Mylar all the way( on the thicker .mil stuff)nor remove all the air. The easiest way I've seen Mylars sealed was in the vid from those PAW guys using a clothing iron. There's are some good how to from movies Josiah out there as well that deal with that same subject!

the paw iron movie

from what i can gather from the results movies they have hosted if you pack your food properly it can go for 20+ years!

 

[WoodUSMC]

I do not use Mylar! You are correct that the vacuum sealer will not give a good seal on mylar. I use impermeable bags especially made for the sealer. They come in 16 ft rolls that you cut to size. I can seal as small as a pint which comes in handy for such things as spices, I have even vacuumed loose .22 rounds 50 to a bag. I can vacuum up to 3 gal of food at a time. I have found that anything over 3 gal overworks the sealer. As far a O2 absorbers I don't use them. There is no need. I did cornmeal this weekend and it is vacuumed and sealed so tightly I could use it as a blunt force weapon. Anything I seal I leave on my work area for 2 days to ensure they are permanently sealed before I bucket them. If packages are soft I reseal. If they are tightly sealed I bucket them. I also date and write any specific instructions for use on the package.

Chris

 

[Lowdown3]

I for one would prefer to use the STANDARD INDUSTRY METHODS where at all possible. The "PAW Productions" videos put out by "Bob in Idaho" and "Dave in Idaho (R. Henry)" show the exact methods used by the commercial food storage industry to pack superpails.

I understand folks wanting to re-invent the wheel, but I would prefer to produce a product that is similar in quality to the stuff put out by Waltons, Honeyville, etc. over something with a much lower shelf life that is still open to contamination with bugs. And I've seen bugs in the little vacu seal bags before.

The vacu-seal bags are NOT a light barrier and there effectiveness as a TRUE oxygen barrier has yet to be established on a LONG TERM test (now I don't mean 2 years).

I mean no offense nor to sound like I'm bragging, but I've stored food since 1986, if there was a better, more reliable, cheaper, SAFER and more effective way, someone would have found it by now.

And I understand your thoughts regarding the smaller serving sizes- everyone thinks that when you open a 5 gallon mylar of rice that is HAS to be used up within a short period of time or it will just go POOOOFF! and vanish. THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL.

That being said, the cornmeal you mention, WILL get bugs in it if let to lay open for a couple of months. The whole grains- which are what folks should be storing- will not go POOOOFFFF! if you open a mylar and cannot use the entire contents in six months, a year, etc. We have some superpails in our kitchen that have been opened for close to a year- no problems whatsoever.

When you open a superpail- take the lid off, cut the mylar NEAR THE TOP (always cut your mylar close to the top, this way you can RE-USE it if you so prefer), scoop out what you need. Then roll the cut piece back on to itself and put the lid on. If you KNOW your not going to get back into the bucket for a few months, roll the cut part of the mylar back on to itself and TAPE it down with duct tape. Then HAMMER the lid on tightly. The food isn't going to leave the bucket, no matter what sales are going on at Kmart! LOL

I understand that our culture preaches convenience and therefore, a lot of folks like the idea of smaller serving sizes, etc. Understand that that's all well and good if you only putting up 50 or 100 lbs. of a product, but when you get into serious quantities, it's going to COST YOU AN ARM AND LEG in packaging costs!!!

How do I "know" that food will last like this? I donated the "old" food that was used in these tests-

 

[WoodUSMC]

Thank you for the video and your opinions. The cornmeal you mention has no chance to get bugs as I package what my family will consume per meal. 1 bucket will feed my family for 2 months along with the canned food and what is put up from the garden each year. Thus no wasteage on anything. I put up 150-200 lbs of food per month. This does not include canned food in storage. As far as the light I use dark buckets. I am not trying to reinvent the wheel or convert others! I was just showing that there are other options out there. Again thank you for your comments and the video. It was very interesting! That was how we did it in the 80's.

Chris