First...Mods, I am not sure I am in the correct place here. I looked but didn't see any special area for canned food or mylar storage etc. I apologize in advance if I missed it. It wasn't done on purpose. I think I got enough Freeze-Dried Mountain House now and have started concentrating on the basic long-term necessities, like Rice, Pinto Beans, Split Green Peas, etc. I picked up 25 lbs sacks of each today but I want to confirm that what I am doing is correct for long-term storage. My intent, unless told otherwise, is to leave them in their sack and store all three in individual food grade buckets (pickle buckets purchased from fast food places for $1 each, cleaned with soap, water and sunshine) seal with Gamma lids that I got a deal on, $5 each. They will be stored in a dark place that is constant 45F-65F. That's it. I think this will keep them for ~2 years each, yes? Please confirm. If I store them with Mylar and O2 packets, how long will they keep? Trying to figure out if that is worth the extra cost and time to do for dried foods... I intend to store 25 lbs of Sugar also in the same manner except to put a large piece of cheesecloth containing a big handful of rice in each to help keep it dry; however, its package is a large plastic air-proof sealed bag...nevertheless, the rice won't hurt. I am also storing some Flour in Mylar that I had in the freezer for about a month. I figure that should last probably 2 years also before it goes bad. I know it's life span isn't real long even in Mylar... Okay? Am I on track? Comments/Suggestions?
Plastic buckets can work for long term food storage, but there are limitations and requirements for success. . All I can add is that I have found from experience that plastic buckets can be breached by rats and mice. Rats can chew thru a plastic bucket in one night. Mice take quite a while longer and leave tell tell signs of gnawing and their poop. I have made quite secure pressure treated lumber cabinets to house my higher value stored food items in bulk. It is easier for me to use Glass jars (they can be any size as long as you have a metal lid with a bit of a seal. recycled bulk gallon food jars from commercial sources are great. offer 50 cents to a buck a piece for them to save them for you along with the lids. These do not need to be canning quality. Save your canning jars for canning!) Metal tins are harder for me to find. Others do much better and find sources. The do not seal as well, so in my opinion require aluminum duct work tape (not cloth duct tape) to seal the lids air tight, or preseal the contents in mylar bags. Mylar bags by themselves can be breached by any gnawing / chewing / clawing animal. If you absolutely have to go the plastic bucket method for storage, you need constant vigilant observation of your buckets. Filling a unused walk in closet where you have stuff deep in there that you rarely can eyeball is a prescription for disaster. Better yet is open storage racks you can walk both sides of and see under for any sign of gnawing. . If your plastic buckets are buried in a tight space where you can't see them all for months at a time, sooner or later, you will have buckets out of sight breached by mice. I can't stress that enough!
The Gamma lids are great due to being easy to open and close, but for long term storage new regular snap on lids are much cheaper and I think a better storage choice. They seal just as well as Gamma lids and only have to seal against the bucket rim. G lids have to seal to the bucket rim and also to the screw off section as well providing double the opportunity to fail. Stacking loaded buckets will increase the compression on the seal to the bucket rim but tends to flex the lid inward which doesn't do any favors for the seal to the screw off lid section. I know some people have had G lids crack when something was stacked on them. Personally, I only use conventional lids for long term storage for this reason. You certainly want several G lids to replace the regular lid after you start using your long term stores for use when frequently dipping into them. AT
@Airtime Good info! I will save the money and stick with the standard lids. So, is it worth cost in time and money to Mylar dried peas, beans, rice? And, should the O2 packets suck ALL the air out of the mylar package within 24 hours? I am a bit nervous as had O2 that I had out for about 2-3 minutes while I got bag ready. I did keep the rest inside a seal mason jar until I was ready for them.
+1 on the Gamma lids, and you only need one per type of dry storage, worth the cost to mylar, not if you rotate. If you plan to store for 20 years, then mylar and OX absorbers. You'll want a lid pri tool, they are cheapest at the beer brewing supply places. Rancher
If you aren't using plastic for dried and bulk storage what are you using? I haven't had a problem with mice and rats but we are getting pack rats in our area now and I'm not sure what to do about storage. I have mine in plastic Gamma lids I only use on the bucket I have open. e.g. wheat, I'm sprouting wheat grass atm so I have a gamma lid on the bucket I get wheat put of.
@Ganado "If you aren't using plastic for dried and bulk storage what are you using?" Yes, I am using plastic. I am using plastic food grade buckets...but I didn't think rodents could eat through them so...so not sure what I will go to next. I will storage the buckets under my house but unlike most 'crawl spaces' I can almost stand up; it's 5 feet high and completely enclosed so no mice, rats, bees or etc. And, all the vents have heavy galvanized screens to keep, rodents, bees and birds out. I also will just be using the Gamma lids on what's opened and being used from now onwards. @azrancher "You'll want a lid pri tool, they are cheapest at the beer brewing supply places." Yep! I picked up one today at WINCO. And, I think you are right and I will store a 10 gallon mylar of everything and rotate the rest.
Most of our Long Term Storage is in #10 Cans.... Steel works, with Nitrogen Gas Flooding before sealing...
You can use plastic, but then store them in a closet you line with 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth. If done well including around door, you can keep rodents out.
