Storing food long term

So like I mentioned yesterday I have decided to, slowly, start storing some foods and other items for long term as a safety net.  I have taken some pics and will show you step by step how I did it.  Instead of making one 5 gal bucket full of rice and 1 full of beans, ect.  I didn't think that made any sense so I ordered 20-1 gal bags + oxygen absorbers which measure 10"X16". They also produce 6 gal bags 20"X30" if you do decide to make full buckets of one item. So why mylar and oxygen absorbers? Why not just throw the ingredients into a bucket and throw a lid on it? Well if you want to store things for the long haul you need to keep out light and air.  A bucket alone does not completely keep air out, by sealing it in a mylar bag and adding an oxygen absorber then sucking the air out and sealing it you will extend the life of the items greatly.  Then putting those into a 5 gal bucket protects the mylar from weather, and rough handling it also makes it easier to store and stack.

 I made multiple packages to put into 5 gal buckets so they are more user friendly and you can just take out 1 bag use it up then go to another bag instead of opening a whole bucket full of one item and having it exposed. For this first bucket I bought 4 lbs of pinto beans ($4.80), 2 lbs dry macaroni noodles ($1.84) and 15lbs of medium grain rice ($12.99). The bucket and lid, from home depot  ($5.26) and the 20 mylar bags along with the 20 oxygen absorbers from www.mylarpro.com ($16.87).  So the investment for our first long term bucket is $29.11......not to bad for items that will have a longer shelf life than me!

So lets get started:

Here are all the items for the first bucket.

4lbs of beans only makes half a bag

2lbs of macaroni is just under 1/2 a bag

I used 6lbs of rice in 2 bags which made it 1/2 full and put the last 3 lbs in another bag

This is what I used to seal the bags. The iron set to wool setting with no steam, a piece of wood I had in the garage(to keep it off the counter) wrapped with a towel, and my shop vac with the small tip on it. you can use your home vacuum cleaner and use the crevice tool to suck out air in the bags.

Don't forget to put your oxygen absorbers in the bag before you seal it. One 300cc absorber is plenty. Make sure you seal up any unused oxygen absorbers so they don't continue to "work". I took out the 5 I needed then I resealed the package with the iron so they would be sealed again, I also put them in an extra mylar bag and sealed it, so when I need them next time they I will know they are still good. I ironed about 3/4 of the bag before I used the vacuum so it would be easier to seal the last bit. Sealing the last corner while you are holding the vacuum is defiantly an art form. I got better after I did the first two or three.

Here is the first bag.

I finished all 5 bags and then I printed out labels with the Item, weight, date packed, and cooking directions.  Then I printed out a label for the bucket with the contents, weights, and date packed.

The five bags fit in perfectly with about 2" of room to spare.

And here is our first finished bucket.

 

 

I have been looking around and have found a source that gives their estimates on how long items will last stored this way.

Indefinite Storage Life Items:

 Salt, Raw Honey, White Sugar

30 Year Items:

 Hard Grains (Whole), -Buckwheat, -Corn, Dry, -Flax, -Kamut, -Millet

 -Durum wheat, -Hard red wheat, -Hard white wheat, -Soft wheat

 -Special bake wheat, -Spelt, -Triticale, Oats (whole or rolled)

 Rice, Beans, -Adzuki Beans.,-Blackeye Beans, -Black Turtle Beans

 -Garbanzo Beans, -Great Northern, -Kidney Beans, -Lentils

 -Lima Beans, -Mung Beans, -Pink Beans, -Pinto Beans

 -Small Red Beans, -Soy Beans, Macaroni, Powdered Milk

 Potato Flakes, Dried Apple Slices. Dehydrated Vegetables

10 - 15 Year Items:

 Garden Seed or Sprouting Seed (Do not use O2 absorbers or desiccant also do not store hybrid seeds only store open polinated heirloom seeds)

 Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

 Dehydrated Dairy Products. -Cheese Powder. -Cocoa Powder

 -Powder Eggs, -Butter/Margarine Powder, -Whey Powder

8 – 10 Year Items:

 Soft Grains (Whole), -Barley, -Hulled or Pearled Oat

 -Groats, -Quinoa, -Rye,

 Brown Rice, Shortening

3 - 5 Year Items:

 Peanut Butter Powder

 Coffee (Possibly Longer. Minor flavor loss in the first 2 weeks)

1 - 2 year Items:

 Flours and Other Products Made From Cracked/Ground Seed

 

So do you or are you thinking of storing food? How much do you think you should store? Let us know what you think.