long term storage food

[Cozy439]

The info begins....

I ordered my bags and absorbers from Amazon. I think it was $23 for 60 3.5mil bags and 60 300cc absorbers. You will obviously want a thicker bag when storing sharper items. I put 5 pounds of rice in each 1 gallon bag, and used 1 absorber for each bag. After pushing most of the air out, and then sealing it, the absorber basically vacuum sealed the bag (which I was told isn't supposed to happen, but oh well).

I didn't weigh the 5 pounds to fit, it just happened to be 5 pounds. I found that 5 18oz Solo cups was just the right amount to get the bags filled to where I could manage them. So, 5 Solo cups of beans, wheat, etc should fit about the same.

This is what I was looking for. Does anyone else have anything to add? Are brand names important? Are there and names/dealers to avoid? I have a few buckets now. I can see me ordering supplies soon and taking an evening to do some filling, sealing and stacking. Thanks

 

[Car Ramrod]

Here is the link to what I bought, and they're also Prime eligible (if you're a member).

http://www.amazon.com/60-Absorbers-...TF8&qid=1361840828&sr=8-2&keywords=mylar+bags

I went with 1 gallon bags because I wanted to be able to expose less food at a time when using them. I also have cats, so I end up with a lot of litter buckets. Using the 1 gallon bags, I can fit 5 of them in one of the square litter buckets. I don't need to put the bags in the buckets, but it makes it easier to store/stack and also is another layer of protection from light and punctures.

 

[katfishinking]

just a thought,i use the 5 gal. size mylar bag, inside I put beans, rice, basically a variety of items in 1 gal. ziplock bags with all air removed."squished out" then put these in mylar inside the bucket. throw in O2 absorber, seal it. this way you can maximize how much you can put in the bucket. it is also resealable in the ziplock bag, after the mylar is opened. maybe not the best way, but it works for me.

 

[Car Ramrod]

just a thought,i use the 5 gal. size mylar bag, inside I put beans, rice, basically a variety of items in 1 gal. ziplock bags with all air removed."squished out" then put these in mylar inside the bucket. throw in O2 absorber, seal it. this way you can maximize how much you can put in the bucket. it is also resealable in the ziplock bag, after the mylar is opened. maybe not the best way, but it works for me.

If the rice, beans, etc are in a bag, and the absorber is outside of this bag, then how is the absorber supposed to absorb the oxygen inside the Ziplock bag? Just "squishing out" the air isn't the same thing.

 

[DragonGunner]

Thanks for the info guys, that is why I love this place.

11-B
I'm thinking if rabbits take more calories to burn than it gives you I might need to check into getting them for my weight loss efforts now!!

ClydeB
I guess if I really want cheese, I'll just have to spend the $$ on the canned stuff. I am sure that if things get bad I can manage without it.

Rabbits don't have enough Fat, thats the main problem with just a diet of all rabbit. Just eating rabbit and working hard, burning calories will result in death. So don't just eat rabbit, you can get fat from eating the rabbit brains though. Seems it would be a good diet food for a couple meals a week if one was wanting to loose weight....very lean meat.

 

[PistolBob]

Rabbits don't have enough Fat, thats the main problem with just a diet of all rabbit. Just eating rabbit and working hard, burning calories will result in death. So don't just eat rabbit, you can get fat from eating the rabbit brains though. Seems it would be a good diet food for a couple meals a week if one was wanting to loose weight....very lean meat.

Or you could just FRY the rabbit in vegetable oil, lard, peanut oil, or even olive oil.

 

[TaunTaun]

Or you could just FRY the rabbit in vegetable oil, lard, peanut oil, or even olive oil.

Use the bacon fat that you save from all of your stored bacon.

 

[DragonGunner]

Use the bacon fat that you save from all of your stored bacon.

There ya go!!!!!!

 

[patience0830]

you can starve to death eating just rabbit lol dont waste your time

That's if you have no other protein source. Rabbits are a fine supplement to diet, easy to raise and reproduce well. Small amount of space required. Provide excellent fertilizer for the garden. Lots to recommend them to a homesteader.

 

[patience0830]

Rabbits take more calories to digest then they have in their meat so you would be taking 2 steps forward one step back in a way

I call

You've obviously got them confused with celery.

 

[Tactical Dave]

Back in the late 90's I was eating dessert storm/Vietnam era mre's if that says anything.... The ones with the old famous brownies....

 

[11-B]

I call

You've obviously got them confused with celery.

Why Rabbit Meat is Not The Best Survival Food

 

[katfishinking]

think about it. with several different ziplock bags in 1 mylar bag with a 2000 cc o2 absorber inside. the ziplock bag is left just cracked open to vent all air into the mylar bag, then it is absorbed into the absorber. im not saying it is the perfect way, just the way I do it. I don't want to have 1 large bag of rice, another one with beans, and so on. this way, when I open a bucket of food, I have a variety of items to choose from, instead of several buckets of open food to spoil, or get infested with bugs.

 

[Car Ramrod]

think about it. with several different ziplock bags in 1 mylar bag with a 2000 cc o2 absorber inside. the ziplock bag is left just cracked open to vent all air into the mylar bag, then it is absorbed into the absorber. im not saying it is the perfect way, just the way I do it. I don't want to have 1 large bag of rice, another one with beans, and so on. this way, when I open a bucket of food, I have a variety of items to choose from, instead of several buckets of open food to spoil, or get infested with bugs.

Why not just do individual 1g mylar bags at that point? It would be a definite that it is actually working and still give you smaller portions of each food item. After you open the bag you can then empty the contents into a Ziplock bag to keep out bugs and anything else you're worried about (or, worst case, just reseal the mylar).

I can fit five 1g bags in my square cat litter containers (each bag is about 5lbs of food). That gives you a bag of rice, beans, potato flakes, whatever to choose from.

 

[katfishinking]

never thought of doing it that way ramrod. might have to give it a try. that's why I like to talk things out, to get another perspective on it. theres always something to learn.

 

[Car Ramrod]

never thought of doing it that way ramrod. might have to give it a try. that's why I like to talk things out, to get another perspective on it. theres always something to learn.

It looks like it even works out to be cheaper. Looking on Amazon, ten 5g bags and 2000cc absorbers are $24, sixty 1g bags and 300cc absorbers are $22.

Give it a look, and try it out. I found, for me, that five 18oz Solo cups put the perfect amount in the 1g bags (ends up at 5lbs of rice). It gives you enough room to seal the bag and let the contents be decently flat for storing.

 

[Indiana Camper]

Hum. I could'a swore somebody already mentioned this....

 

[Car Ramrod]

Hum. I could'a swore somebody already mentioned this....

In Post #22, perhaps?

 

[slackerisme]

Anyone use dry ice for prepping?

IIRC Pour dry goods in bucket, put large bowl on top of bucket. fill bowl with dry ice and add a splash of warm water. Watch the magical fog pour over the sides of the bowl and fill the bucket with C02, replacing the O2. Seal tightly.

 

[11-B]

Anyone use dry ice for prepping?

IIRC Pour dry goods in bucket, put large bowl on top of bucket. fill bowl with dry ice and add a splash of warm water. Watch the magical fog pour over the sides of the bowl and fill the bucket with C02, replacing the O2. Seal tightly.

seems like a lot of work....why not just use o2 absorbers