We highly recommend rotating the food you store in fast and delicious recipes. If you know you will find it hard to open a more expensive bucket of food, consider buying your food in #10 cans. Many people find it easier to open and experiment with food in a #10 can.
Keep in mind that larger containers, like buckets, are heavy to lift, move, and stack. #10 cans come six to a box and are easy to carry and very space efficient to stack.
Some people like the large amount of food stored in buckets. If you store them, be aware that you cannot stack buckets more than three high without risking breakage of their airtight seals.
When #10 cans seem too large for single people and couples
#10 cans of powdered eggs, butter, margarine, shortening can feel daunting to open and consume when only one or two people are using them. #10 cans of dried celery and green peppers, usually used only 1-2 tablespoons at a time in recipes, can also feel overwhelming. Keep in mind that once opened, these foods will be good to use for a year, as long as they are kept away from moisture and light.
You can freeze half the contents of a can until you can use them. Or share the cost of a can among interested family or friends and divide the contents into ziplock bags for use over a period of a year. Bags should be stored in opaque containers to protect food from light. This allows you to rotate what you store.
You can freeze half the contents of a can until you can use them. Or share the cost of a can among interested family or friends and divide the contents into ziplock bags for use over a period of a year. Bags should be stored in opaque containers to protect food from light. This allows you to rotate what you store.
Plastic Storage Buckets with Mylar bags
Plastic buckets are air permeable, and resent studies have shown seals in both regular and gamma lids are unreliable. Lining buckets with Mylar bags, which can be sealed, protects food from oxygen.
You can buy food packaged in buckets lined with Mylar bags, called Superpails. Or you can purchase the bags, buckets, and oxypaks (oxygen absorbers) and package foods yourself. Look for bags with ziplock closures, which close easily after opening, protecting your food from moisture. Ziplock closures make bags easy to seal after adding your own food and oxypaks. Some people prefer to buy Mylar bags that must be heat sealed to ensure bags are sealed well.
This method of packaging is especially beneficial for rice, oats and other foods that have a greater risk of going rancid. (Rancid foods are dangerous to eat.)
You can buy food packaged in buckets lined with Mylar bags, called Superpails. Or you can purchase the bags, buckets, and oxypaks (oxygen absorbers) and package foods yourself. Look for bags with ziplock closures, which close easily after opening, protecting your food from moisture. Ziplock closures make bags easy to seal after adding your own food and oxypaks. Some people prefer to buy Mylar bags that must be heat sealed to ensure bags are sealed well.
This method of packaging is especially beneficial for rice, oats and other foods that have a greater risk of going rancid. (Rancid foods are dangerous to eat.)
Simple way to kill insects in food for long term storage
When food is stored an oxygen deprived environment for 12 days, insects in all stages are killed. Oxygen absorbers in sealed containers are the most effective way to kill insects.
Oxygen absorbers work very well in #10 cans. However, buckets must be lined with Mylar bags to ensure an environment where insects cannot survive.
Oxygen absorbers work very well in #10 cans. However, buckets must be lined with Mylar bags to ensure an environment where insects cannot survive.
Grain Mills
If you are storing whole grains, like wheat, consider getting a grain mill for your family for Christmas, or asking family members to donate to your grain mill fund for Christmas and your birthday.
Electric grain mills produce fine flour, which makes light baked foods like we are used to eating. These are great for busy people who want a fast way to grind wheat so they will use it regularly. When purchasing an electric mill, ask about the noise level and how much flour it makes at a time. Consider how easy the mill is to store.
In a time without electricity, a hand grain mill will be important. Before making a purchase, consider how fine you want your flour. It’s important to ask this specific question or test a mill yourself, if possible.
An inexpensive grain mill that is easy to turn, grinds flour quickly, and produces medium fine flour can be purchased for around $60-$80. This flour makes good-tasting baked foods that are more coarse and heavy than those made with fine flour.
If you want fine flour, like you get from an electric mill, a grain mill with stone burrs produces the finest flour. The trade off for producing fine flour requires more muscle, as these are stiff to turn. If you want less effort turning the handle, you have the option of passing grain through this grinder twice, on a coarse and then a fine setting. For this option, make sure the mill allows flour to pass through a second time.
Steel burrs are necessary for grinding oily or wet seeds and legumes, including beans. Some hand grain mills come with both stone and steel burrs that can be used interchangeably.
Electric grain mills produce fine flour, which makes light baked foods like we are used to eating. These are great for busy people who want a fast way to grind wheat so they will use it regularly. When purchasing an electric mill, ask about the noise level and how much flour it makes at a time. Consider how easy the mill is to store.
In a time without electricity, a hand grain mill will be important. Before making a purchase, consider how fine you want your flour. It’s important to ask this specific question or test a mill yourself, if possible.
An inexpensive grain mill that is easy to turn, grinds flour quickly, and produces medium fine flour can be purchased for around $60-$80. This flour makes good-tasting baked foods that are more coarse and heavy than those made with fine flour.
If you want fine flour, like you get from an electric mill, a grain mill with stone burrs produces the finest flour. The trade off for producing fine flour requires more muscle, as these are stiff to turn. If you want less effort turning the handle, you have the option of passing grain through this grinder twice, on a coarse and then a fine setting. For this option, make sure the mill allows flour to pass through a second time.
Steel burrs are necessary for grinding oily or wet seeds and legumes, including beans. Some hand grain mills come with both stone and steel burrs that can be used interchangeably.
Make sure you can open your cans!
A good can opener is important to have if you store food in a large number of cans. Buy a heavy-duty manual can opener, usually found at your grocery store. Less expensive ones do not last with heavy use.
Water Storage Information
Current recommendations for stored water are a minimum of 14 gallons/person, enough for about 2 weeks. National emergency authorities recommend changing and replacing your stored tap water every 6 months. It’s easy to remember to do this in the spring and again in the fall.
FEMA and the American Red Cross say pre-treating tap water that is treated commercially by a water treatment facility with bleach will not increase its storage life and is not necessary. If you store water from a well, or public water that is not treated, follow instructions provided by your local public health authority or water provider.
FEMA and the American Red Cross say pre-treating tap water that is treated commercially by a water treatment facility with bleach will not increase its storage life and is not necessary. If you store water from a well, or public water that is not treated, follow instructions provided by your local public health authority or water provider.
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