Storing rice beans and oats in mylar bags for shtf

Survivalist Boards ^ | 8/14/ | Kev

[Kartographer]

My SHTF food preps include mylar bags, #10 cans, MREs and canned goods. In this article and video ware going to discuss making up 20 mylar bags of rice, beans, oatmeal,,,,, and various other items.

[WOBBLY BOB]

What’s up buddy?

You’re preppin’ ,too ?

[domeika]

This is a much discussed subject, but the one thing I’d like to add is that it is best to keep what you have as mobile as possible. We have a lot in totes, so that I could load everything we have in the pickup if need be in just a few minutes. Also not bad if you want to bury them to keep them from falling into the clutches of hungry zombomas.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

What’s the downside of just keeping a twenty lb. bag of rice in it’s original plastic

The bags they come in have minute perforations. Not sealed at all. Not large enough for rice to get out but large enough for air to get in. And bugs. And mice will sniff it out.

[Kartographer]

As far as long term cooking I recommend one of these;

A Rocket Stove:

http://www.stovetec.net/us/index.php

[Kartographer]

There is also a plan for a DIY Rocket Stove in my Preparesness Manual:

http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf

[GT Vander]

In a word, yes. We buy large quanities of rice, beans, flour ect. We store them in the freezer for a week prior to storing them in food grade 5 gal buckets with rubber seals, they’ll stay good for years.

[Sawdring]

Mylar also does an excellent job keeping Helium out. You don’t want your prepped foods floating away.

[goodwithagun]

My Walmart is now carrying 25# bags of wheat berries: Wheat Montana hard red spring and hard white spring. At my store they are under $13/bag. I bought both they had on the shelf and I haven't seen it restocked yet. Something to check out though, because it's cheaper than buying it and paying for shipping. If your store doesn't have it, perhaps you can request that they order it for you.

[riverrunner]

I just openned some rice that had a 1985 date on the bucket.

Still good but it was stored in a root celler bucket still in fine shape.

[domeika]

To the un-initiated, a 5 gallon bucket with an o-seal is not something they are likely to come across easily. They would want to look for Gamma-Seal lids, available from Nitro-Pak.

[goodwithagun]

I ordered this a couple of weeks ago, under $30 with regular shipping and it arrived in three days: http://www.amazon.com/10-Gallon-Absorbers-Dehydrated-Storage/dp/B001Y0Y8C6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1313697666&sr=8-2

My Walmart bakery gives away the decorator's icing buckets for free. I scrub them with very hot water and Dawn, in fact I add a couple of cups of boiling water to the bucket along with hot tap water. If your Walmart doesn't give away free buckets, check other area grocery stores or bakeries. Combined with free buckets, the Mylar purchase is worth it.

[GT Vander]

I have a customer on my route that operates a small store with a deli counter. His pickels come in food grade buckets with rubber seals, he gives them to me because I haul them off and he doesn’t have to deal with them. I soak them in bleach water to lessen the smell of pickels, but we still pack everything in bags and add baking soda in the bucket before we seal it.

[goodwithagun]

That is what I’m asking for for Christmas! Next summer I’m even going to test canning (hot water not pressure) on it to see how efficient it is without heating up my kitchen. I’m curious to see how much wood it will take for basic pickled hot peppers and hot pepper butter, my husbands vices. I know it uses charcoal as well, but wood is free and I’d like to keep the charcoal for emergencies. BTW, does charcoal have a shelf life?

[mountn man]

Plastic bags are porous and will let oxygen in. Oxygen = bad food. Mylar bags are virtually non porous and o2 and other gases will not get in. Food items in mylar can be stored for YEARS in most cases.

When using Mylar, you must use food grade.

You think mylar is expensive now, wait till you see the price of food in the future.

[domeika]

Good for you. You are saving a TON of money by not having to buy buckets an lids.

[domeika]

Good for you. You are saving a TON of money by not having to buy buckets an lids.

[Kartographer]

Not that I am aware of. Just keep it dry. Yeah these Rocket Stoves are GREAT! Think how many meals you can cook with just one old shipping pallet.

[mountn man]

You have to be very careful with water bath canning. Only some items can be canned that way.

[CharlyFord]

Yep! 5 gallon buckets and bay leaves! The buckets seal tight. As long as the contents are dry, should last many years.

[Kartographer]

Almost all Walmarts have the buckets and lids now back in their paint departments. Lowes and Home Depot have them as well. But nothing beats getting them for FREE!