Ten Five Gallon Buckets - What To Put In Them?

Storage bucket supplies like mylar bags and oxygen absorbers tend to come in units of ten, so I was thinking about my first ten buckets - currently have two pinto beans, two rice, and one rolled oats. Getting ready to fill five more buckets so I can seal them without waste, and wondering what makes the most sense for the remaining five..Also, have a 25lb bag of salt but looking for a smaller storage bucket since I don't want to make it too heavy for my wife and MIL.

So if you please...
What do you recommend for my next five buckets?
If I started from scratch, what would you recommend for the first ten buckets?
Finally, building on the first ten, what should go in the next ten buckets?

 

Break the salt down and add some to every pail... consider sugar different types of rice (i.e. Jasmine, Brown, Basimati... each has a different flavor and won't cause flavor burn out.) bouillon cubes, spices, garlic, Tobasco sauce, potato flakes, dehydrated veggies, pasta, vegetable oil, packaged noodles and rice mixes... make sure it's something your family will eat....

 

I am going through the same thing right now. I got 10 buckets (former pickles for a $1 each which I finally got the stink out). So interested to see what people pick for starter basics.

Speaking of Rice...I read somewhere, might have been here, not to store white rice because converted rice is much better for you and stores as well as white. I have been all over God's creation and I cannot find Converted Rice...even the Uncle Ben's stuff now just says 'enriched white rice'...Do they even make Converted any more or maybe White is now Converted or what?
Rick

 

Authors: Jana Darrington USU Extension Agent and Brian A. Nummer, Ph.D, USU Food Safety Extension Specialist
September 2008

White rice, more commonly known as polished rice is a main food source for over half of the world’s population. Rice is an excellent addition to home food storage because it’s versatile, high caloric value, and long shelf life.Families should store about 300 lbs of grains per person in a one-year supply. Depending on personal preference, about 25 to 60 lbs of rice should be stored per person. Separate from brown rice, there are three types of white rice in the United States: long, medium and short.In addition, there are several types of specialty rice available.


Long Grain. long grain polished rice is about three times longer than it is wide.After cooking it is firm and fluffy (not sticky) .

Medium Grain. medium grain polished rice is between 2-3 times longer than it is wide. Cooked US medium grain rice is soft, moist and sticky in texture.

Short Grain. short grain Rice is less than two times longer than it is wide.Short grain rice is very sticky and sometimes called sushi rice.


Specialty varieties include Arborio, Basmati, Della or Dellmont, Japanese premium, Jasmine, Toro, and Waxy. Analyses on which variety stores best have not been done. Raw rice is made of three layers: the hull, bran, and kernel. Polishing removes the hull and bran layers from the polished rice kernel. Before milling, raw rice may be parboiled, a process of soaking in water and steaming under intense pressure, which pushes the natural vitamins and minerals from the rice bran layer to the kernel.

Quality & Purchase. Purchase quality rice grains from a trusted source. Inspect rice for insects or discoloration[Bj4] , prior to preparing for home storage.

Packaging. Store rice in a tightly sealed container. Food safe plastics (PETE) containers, glass jars, #10 cans (commercial size) lined with a food-grade enamel lining and Mylar®-type bags work best for long-term storage. Use food-safe oxygen absorbers [Bj5] available from food storage supply stores to preserve rice quality, and protect from insect infestation. #10 cans will hold approximate 5.7 lbs (2.6 kgs) of polished rice.

Storage Conditions. The best temperature to store grains, including rice, is 40°F or below; however, rice stored at a constant 70° F with oxygen absorbers will store well for up to 10 years. In cooler storage areas rice sealed in oxygen-free containers can be stored for up to 30 years. A BYU study sampling polished rice and parboiled rice stored from 1 to 30 years found that both types of rice will keep their nutrients and flavor up to 30 years.

Nutrition & Allergies. In the United States, vitamins and minerals: iron, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid are added to rice. Rice is high in starch and fiber. In addition, rice is low in sodium and a good source of protein. There are no known common allergies to rice or its constituents.

Shelf life. When properly sealed and stored, polished white rice will store well for 25 to 30 years.

Use from storage. After opening use rice within one to two years.

References.


1. Briefing - Rice: Background. (2008). Retrieved June 20, 2008 from http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Rice/background.htm

2. Connor, W. E., & Conner, S. L. (n.d.). Rice- based diets: Nutritional properties. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Pre-Sma/Rice-based-Diets.html

3. Coons, L., Halling, M., Lloyd, M. A., Ogden, L. V., & Pike, O. A. (2004, July). Quality of regular and parboiled rice in long-term storage. Poster presented at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, [LOCATION].

4. Coons, L., Halling, M., Lloyd, M. A., Ogden, L. V., & Pike, O.A. (2004). Quality of regular and parboiled rice in long-term storage. IFT Book of Abstracts, No. 99F-8, 272.

5. Halling, M. B., Van Noy, N. D., Ogden, L. V., & Pike O. A. (2003, July). Quality of white rice retail packaged in No. 10 cans for long-term storage. Poster presented at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, [LOCATION].

6. Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service. (n.d.). Cupboard approximate storage times. Retrieved June 26, 2008 from http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/store/ksu_cupboard.pdf

7. Pahulu, H. F., Davidson, R. T., Dunn, M. L., Ogden, L. V., Steele, F. M., & Pike, O. A. (2007). Change in mutagenicity in white rice after accelerated and long-term storage. Journal of Food Science, 72 (2), C126-C131.

8. Product Recommendations. (n.d). Family home storage: Longer-term supply. Retrieved June 20, 2008 from http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7531-1-4062-1,00.html

9. Research - Rice quality categories. (2005). Retrieved June 20, 2008 from http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=7060

10. Storage pests: Insects. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2008 from http://zj.shuidao.cn/IRRI/Storage/6.A._Insects.htm

 

Id already thought about storing bouillon with the rice, but hadn't considered plain old salt, spices or the others. great idea! It makes the buckets more modular.

 

Sugar, wheat, more rice and more oats.

 

May I suggest Alen T. Hagen's Faq on food storage.. I have looked to his suggestions on food storage since the 90's and have found much of it sound..

 

That could be an issue. The weight quickly adds up when you are filling those buckets plus they are cumbersome especially to short people. @Witch Doctor 01 has a good plan. But note- the vegetable oil will go rancid before the dry products. Oil based items do not have a long shelf life. Watch your bullion also.

Good luck. The only converted is Uncle Ben's and I did not find it in 50 lbs bags. I found it in 3 lbs bags and it was very expensive. I gave up and just went plain white rice. The key is to figure out what you can add to the plain white to make it more nutritious.

 

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@Don't ,
Is that on the website here?

@Motomom34 ,
"Watch your bullion"
Because it goes bad also? Even the dried square cubes?
Thanks for info on the Rice. We'll just go with White enriched and mix it with beans or tuna.

Rick

This is a bit off topic...
I got my buckets from the San Francisco dough eatery (or something like that, I still haven't got all the names of stores down) for a $1 each off Craigslist. They were pickle buckets. All in great shape but they stink of pickles. I gave them a good wash with water and soap then let them sit in the sun. It took two weeks to lose the smell. Anyone have a faster method? - Rick

 

All converted rice is just parboiled. "Converted" is just a marketing name. To me the more processed something is, the worse it is for you, but thats just my opinion.

Me too. A #10 can of dehydrated meat on the bottom, surrounded with smaller bags of salt, seasonings, dehydrated veggies, small glass bottle of EVOO, etc. Then the rice and beans. It is pretty easy to have several different recipies covered in each bucket keeping things from getting real boring.
Not all of my 5gal buckets are set up that way, but it is nice to be able to grab a bucket or two in a hasty escape, and know you still have a fairly balanced bucket of food. What is nice about mylar bags is that you can make them anysize you want or if you go with the resealable mylar ziplock bags you have an easy way to reseal them.

I think the lifespan of bouillon would depend on type. But repacking the cubes in mylar with O2 absorbers. Powdered may last even longer prepped the same way and you can get a #10 of it with a shelflife of 10-20 years here... Ready Store
I wish they had it in smaller cans like a #2 or #3

 

Add a bleach and water rinse/soak. And I pay nothing for my pickle buckets. I talked to the manager of the local burger King. They go through 1 every day or two, and save them for me, instead of having to crush them. Good for them, good for me. They even stopped cutting the lids to open them (fastest method for them) so I could have them intact. Ask at your local fast food stores.

 

Oxygen absorbers go in every thing , but I find that portioning through out my reserves gives me an advantage over leaving every thing in bulk status.
If peradventure the bucket is compromised for any reason there is a good chance that not all that is in there is contaminated .
And , being portioned I can open the bucket and dispense as much or as little, with out compromising the whole thing .
A stray bullet or 2 does't ruin the whole thing.
I understand that of the different rice the brown rice does not store well.
Worst case scenario ,if something does fail to store well it can be used in mulch so nothing actually goes to waste.
Canned foods usually survive many years past best by dates. (some say up to 50 years.)
Food value might diminish , but the fact of the matter is if it comes down to it , it's better than nothing. If you don't appreciate "nothing" , it hard to if you've never really been there.
Missing few meals out of choice is one thing ,because you know for a fact there is plenty of food if you want it.
Not having that luxury is a very different story.

 

So how long do you think bouillon cubes would last if packed in Mylar, 10+ years (you didn't finish sentence) because that would make more sense than a #10 can.
Also, I really like the idea of setting up some buckets as a complete Grab & Go with a bit of everything. I will do the next 10 like that or at least half of them.
Rick

Stupid Question: If I fill up a 5-gal food grade bucket that has a good gasket with Rice can I just put the OX absorbers in and it will work or must I put Rice in Mylar? I know Mylar is better but...

 

oops sorry about that. I think you would get quite a long self life. The individual cubes are wrapped in probably something resistant to O2 transfer, combine that with an O2 absorber and a mylar bag, you should approach the 10yr mark but powdered bouilian should last longer stored the same way.

As for not running the mylar bag in the bucket. I would say no because the plastic will permeate O2. Also, once the O2 absorbers sucked out all of the O2, the bucket itself would be under a vacuum increasing the chance of that happening as well as making it seriously difficult to open (until it finally equalizes).

It is all about Oxygen. You keep it away or minimal, things last a long time. Extra Virgin Olive Oil in glass or metal lasts a very long time especially "Cold Pressed", put it in plastic bottles, your down to 2-3years.

 

You could use another gas to displace the oxy, like nitrogen, then seal it. No oxygen inside, no pressure diffrence.

 

Here is a pretty good article with several links to other good sources.
Food Storage Packing - Do-it-yourself Facts & Myths

 

If you add canned goods make sure you add a can opener to each bucket... a water purification system (pills pool shock new filters for a berkly filter bucket system) you need this because all dehydrated items will need to be hydrated with clean water... additionally I know folks who add toilet paper and some pots for cooking... Matches and fire starters or other ways to make fires need to be added to each bucket...

 

In one bucket I would put several decks of card, chips, some type of board games, a bible, shampoo, tooth brushes, soap, tooth paste, wash cloth ETC.