[ComancheSniper]

Hey guys, I am proposing a food storage challenge here. For those who are getting started prepping, this is for you.

Challenge:

Store one 5 gallon sealed bucket of food a week for 12 weaks.

It is not as hard as it sounds. You do need to get a few things.

Oxygen Absorbers, Mylar bags, and the 5 gallon buckets.

Oh yeah, and the food too.

Here is a video of my first weeks worth of storing food. I kicked it off with two 5 gallon containers stored. Oatmeal and rice.

 

[BOBtheBUTCHER]

Great Video.

Couple of thoughts,

would it be better to store the food in smaller amounts so once you open the pack you don't waste as much product? say 1 litre so you have 5 per container.

What's the price on the bags and absorbers?

thanks

Chef

 

[ComancheSniper]

Great Video.

Couple of thoughts,

would it be better to store the food in smaller amounts so once you open the pack you don't waste as much product? say 1 litre so you have 5 per container.

What's the price on the bags and absorbers?

thanks

Chef

I have given that a lot of thought as of late. I have 5 mouths to feed and I am pretty sure we would be flying through these containers. For those who are alone or just two or something it would make sense to drop the sized to make it more efficient.

As far as Bags and absorbers, you are going to have to look on the internet. The prices are all over the place on them.

Thank you for the idea Chef!

 

[JRD505]

Great Video.
Couple of thoughts,
would it be better to store the food in smaller amounts so once you open the pack you don't waste as much product? say 1 litre so you have 5 per container.
What's the price on the bags and absorbers?
thanks
Chef

YEp thats exactly how I store my food.. Alot of it is in 1, 1 1/2, and 2 gallon sized mylar bags. For example i can fit (3) 1 1/2 gallon mylars in a 5 gallon bucket. Or (2) 2 gallon mylars and possibly a 1 gallon mylar all in a 5 gallon bucket (Depending on the food im storing that 1 gallon mylar is a maybe)

So thats just for example how i do it.. Yes you MIGHT be losing a little bit of food storage doing it in the smaller bags but IMO thats a great way to do it!

Now I also store only one food product such as rice, beans, wheat berries etc in the 5 gallon mylars as well, but that is food that I know would get eaten quickly and not go to waste. So for me thats how i do it, having a vast variety.


As far as where i buy my mylar bags, theres only one place I go now...
UsaEmergencySupplies - THey offer some of the BEST varities of mylars i've ever seen. Ones with zippers on top, ones that stand up etc. and they offer all these varities in ALL sizes. I find that very appealing! Iam in no way affiliated with them, just have had amazing service buying there!!

 

[MikeK]

Great Video.

Couple of thoughts,

would it be better to store the food in smaller amounts so once you open the pack you don't waste as much product? say 1 litre so you have 5 per container.

What's the price on the bags and absorbers?

thanks

Chef

Either way works. But most foods have a very long life even after they're opened. Some things like tomato powder, tend to clump up, and since you use it pretty slowly, would benefit from being in smaller packages. But for most everything else, it doesn't matter.

I generally only feed myself here and I have buckets of all sorts of things open. About 20-25 of them. Even at that, nothing goes to waste, because it all gets eaten in time. If you're eating out of buckets almost exclusively, it goes pretty quick, especially if you are feeding a family.

 

[TxHills]

I have it stored both ways. Remember though.....you'll have less food in a bucket with smaller bags in it. I have spices, ie: pepper and such stuffed in the voids now. I have elbow mac and beans, etc in smaller portions....1 gal mylar....then 5 gal buckets.
If you do a bucket a week, be sure and seal up the o2's you don't use right away.
I have Quaker oats stored like ComancheSniper....but heare's a question for you guys. A while back....the store had their brand of individual sevings of apples and cinnamon oatmeal at 5 boxes for 5 dollars. I bought several, opened them and stored them in 1 gallon mylar with o2's. Will these last as long as regular oats? Is there anything in the oatmeal with apples that would cause it not to last as long? The apples I think are dehydrated... Way say you? Good to go...or wasted my time?
BTW, Enjoy your vids, ComancheSniper.

 

[ComancheSniper]

BTW, Enjoy your vids, ComancheSniper.

Love making them. Every single video makes me prep or learn something. it helps me too.

 

[soo-girl]

I generally only feed myself here and I have buckets of all sorts of things open. About 20-25 of them. Even at that, nothing goes to waste, because it all gets eaten in time.

Good to know. I live alone and I was wondering about that.

 

[bigislandhikers]

We use most of the stuff we store so smaller mylar makes sense.

Nice job, thanks for the video.

BIH

 

[Ryn]

I purchase bulk foods each week but save them up until I have enough to fill 10 5-gallon buckets so that I use all my oxygen absorbers at the time I open them. That way I know they are fresh and will work.

Also, why not trim off a bit of the mylar bag before you seal it. I have seen several video that men put on and they mention the large size but leave the huge bag and seal it but the women get out their scissors and cut it down a few inches. It still leaves room for mistakes.

Regarding the oat meal you should just by it in 25 lb bags will be cheaper then buying a bunch of small containers. I buy the 25 lb or 50 lb bags of it at Cash and carry. But I noticed that Winco now has the bulk sized bags too.

 

[stephpd]

The challenge you give comes close to what I did last year. I was new to storing food and it was pitiful how much I didn't have. In that years time I have put up over 50 5 gallon buckets of food. On top of that was the addition of storing canned goods as well as upping my canning of foods too.

In just the last year I've been able to put up close to 1 years supply of food for me and the misses. Lots of variety and I feel a little more secure in case something happens. It did this year with the wife being out of work for a few months and having that food available was money well spent.

 

[NorIDhunter]

I like the idea of both ways, especially for a "bug out or cache bucket"
One might want a "breakfast bucket" with smaller quantities of oatmeal, granola, cereals, raisins, dried cranberries, honey etc so you could have a little variety/choice of flavors. Especially if there are kids involved.

Thanks for the videos CS, they spark thought, discussion and everybody having to invent their own "wheel". :thumb:

 

[MikeK]

Good to know. I live alone and I was wondering about that.

Just consider the item and how much of it you would eat. For things like beans, grains, powdered milk, pasta, dried veggies and such, a bucket works out fine.

It's the stuff like peanut butter powder, tomato powder, cheese powder, spices, buillion and such that benefit from smaller packaging sizes. I also tend to buy oils in smaller containers so that they don't go rancid before I finish them. They go rancid faster after opening and the heat here tends to speed that up.

 

[djthemac]

Hey guys, I am proposing a food storage challenge here. For those who are getting started prepping, this is for you.

Thanks for the vid, very well done. :thumb:

any idea on how long food will last when stored this way?

 

[ComancheSniper]

Thanks for the vid, very well done. :thumb:

any idea on how long food will last when stored this way?

Totally depends on the food. Wheat is said to store upwards of 15 years!! There is speculation across the boards on this but rest assured it is a long time.

 

[Odessa]

So its a race to see who can come up with more food than everyone else. Whats the prize?

 

[ComancheSniper]

So its a race to see who can come up with more food than everyone else. Whats the prize?

Dude, how old are you, 13? You sure are turning into a troll on my threads.

 

[Odessa]

What, youre saying that wasnt funny? LOL, lighten up, every thread has a smart or witty comment tossed in. Ive seen you do the same thing on other posts including my own. Let your fingers do the walking............?

 

[MikeK]

Totally depends on the food. Wheat is said to store upwards of 15 years!! There is speculation across the boards on this but rest assured it is a long time.

Wheat will last a LOT longer than 15 years. Decades easily. Heck the wheat found in the pyramids will still sprout!

Remember to, that most of the storage life estimates are extremely conversative. Some of them from a cover your butt perspective, and others simply because there wasn't enough long term data available. As this data is becoming more available, they're finding that a lot of foods store much longer than the initial estimates.

That doesn't apply to everything, of course. Some foods just don't store well long term.

 

[Madgie]

CS so good of you to share your knowledge with those that don't know how to store food. Kudos and keep up the good work.