Are they food grade?

R.

I am going to guess you meant to respond to me.  

I have no idea if they are food grade, they are basically air tight faraday cages that are bags. I know they do use these bags to nitrogen seal space level parts.  I just can't find anything on the interwebs

Sorry.  I was responding to you.  My quoting fu was off.

My theory is the food grade mylar is so inexpensive, I just don't mess with anything else.

R.

This is great info, thanks for collecting and posting it.

I would like to add that a good idea for the buckets is to add a shipping document sleeve to the top, then a slip of paper with the contents.
Just using felt marker on the side of the buckets can and get smeared during transport. Also reusing the bucket for a different food when you are cycling your stash wont be as confusing.
You can get the stick on sleeves from UPS or the Post Office.


-HS

Wanted to give a big thumbs up to the Latter Day Saints folks.  Now i'm not religious, and was worried about a big box showing up here at my office with LDS stamps all over it announcing where it came from.  But it was very discreet, didn't have anything on the return label but "Salt Lake Distribution Center."  Well packaged and timely delivery.  No shipping charges either for 250 mylar bags and 300 O2 absorbers.

Just wanted to share my experience.

J.

I want to add, whole grains like wheat, rice, and oats are great long term storage.  Plus since it is whole grain (not flour)  it can make you feel full and not hungry.  I would recommend books about your local plant life.  edible weeds offer a lot of the stuff that long term storage lacks.  (I mean use both, just not food storage alone).

Plus LDS offer driend apples and carrots....  its awesome for bulk buy.

also, take a look at you tube - food storage in a shed

I just put up several months worth of food in 1 gal. mylars.  I put one O2 absorber in each bag and sealed 'em up with an iron.  The next morning, they looked like they had been vacuum sealed and I was happy.  Then I read a post on here somewhere about  how the bags should be rock hard and you shouldn't be able to dent them by squeezing them.  Mine aren't like that.  Have I screwed this up?

I filled each bag about half full, sealed the bag except for about the last 2 inches, squeezed the remaining air out, and finished sealing it up.  I used a clothes iron on the edge of my workbench and the seals looked great.  The O2 absorbers were new from LDS.

Am I worrying over  nothing?

Thanks

How long does wheat flour store? Some people say only a couple of years others say it will keep for a good long time.

TAG

WELL??>>

I think if the bags look vacuum sealed you are GTG. O2 is only about 20% of the atmosphere in the bag and that is all that will be absorbed. Depending on what you have in the bags they may or may not be rock hard. I put three 500g O2 absorbers in a full 5 gal bag of rice (the 20x30 mylar). The buckets are a must in my opinion because mylar is easy to damage by itself.

this thread inspired me..



I bought the mylar bags from the LDS, and homer buckets form home depot.    I havent thrown them in the buckets yet but I bagged





50 lb rice



50 lb sugar



50 lb bread flour



25 lb salt
whole process took me about 2 hours  





When I do it next time I wont pack it quite as tight.. I averaged about 5lbs of goods per bag, which made ironing a little bit of a pain.

picked up some 5 gal buckets from lowes with lids no gasket are the gaskets necessary for long term storage if using mylar

Not my impression from reading this thread, if you use sealed mylar bags, the buckets are only to protect the bags and to make it easier to stack.



 

thanks for the response . 3.50 for  the bucket and lid i figured i couldnt go wrong

I have not, but I think you have to freeze seeds if you want them to last.

R.

Bagged 61lbs of rice this weekend in 10X14 bags with 1x 300CC each. 50% of the bags shrunk up like a vacuum sealed brick of coffee (see pic) and 50% only pulled in a little bit
but nothing like the picture. Honestly I wasn't expecting such a dramatic shrinking, it's hard as a rock, after reading what others have posted and from other sites.
All bags were sealed the same way and each O2 was exposed to as little air as possible before going in.

http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww248/yenrab22/SDC11981.jpg

Some things seem to compress more than others.  Beans puller in hard but powdered milk not so much.

I cut a few beans open the next day that didn't suck in and added one more o2 absorber then resealed.

Thanks for the info.  I'll definitely have to get some mylar bags, O2 absorbers, and buckets and start storing food this way

ETA  Ordered bags and absorbers from LDS today, and got some buckets from Lowes.  Also, the post right above this got me thinking.  Stuff like beans and rice would have more space for air, giving the oxygen absorbers more to absorb, making the vacuum tighter.  With powdered or denser food, there is less oxygen to be absorbed and thus not as tight of a vacuum pulled.  Thanks again for the great info!

Question, when bagging potato flakes and powdered eggs in mylar, do you use the o2 obsorbers?

I didn't read through all the replies, but you might find your answer here.

nothing to add except this thread was very informative. A friend and I split an order from LDS and the mylar and o2 absorbers worked great. We both sealed up rice, beans, sugar, salt, etc and no problems whatsoever. Used regular iron and sealed up using a piece of ceramic tile to iron on. Left over o2 absorbers were stored in mason jars and hopefully will be fine. My buddy bought 5 gal buckets to hold his mylar bags but I just used small totes with snap on lids that I was using to store food with before. Buckets are easier to carry but totes worked just fine.

Next step will be to get some means to grind our own grain so we can seal up whole wheat instead of buying flour which needs regular rotation. With that and the gardens we both are doing, we will be prepared if SHTF.

Great thread.
I just came back home with 10 Hommer buckets, 100lbs. of rice and 100lbs. of beans. Then, I ordered the bucket lids the OP uses, the ones with the security tab and gasket, silica gel and the Mylar bags. Once I get all that sealed up I will start on getting some honey. A place about an hour away sells it by the gallon.

Then I will start thinking about grain and a country living mill. Chocolate Morning Moo is also on my list.

Just finished another 250 Lbs of rice,need to go get more buckets

Bump for the newb's

for those like me that are just getting started... Wendy DeWitt (LDS) has an excellent video on Youtube... about 1h 27m but another is broken down to shorter segments...she recommends dry pack vacuum sealing in a traditional Ball/Mason glass jar rather than the mylar bag/bucket...might be worth your time to take a look... she has very good information on how to plan for the church's 1 year emergency supply

GREAT advice.  I have taken the Nitrogen approach, though.  Got a 80foot tank with 3000# of nitrogen.  The regulator (inert gas only) and tank cost about $250, and the refills are $20 for a FULL tank (3000#) of Nitrogen.  The benefit to me is that we are eliminating the O2 completely, for sure, and providing an environment that will not support life.  

We use an air line blower (blow-off) pistol thing and some clear tubing with stainless clamps.  The trigger on the blower allows control of the gas and the regulator can hold it down to a workable 30# or so.  Note that the Nitrogen is injected into the BOTTOM of the bag after the goods are loaded, so the N (which is heavier than air) fills from the bottom up!

It is easy to see when the bag is full of N.  On the first bags, time a shot of gas to the bottom of the bag.  Say 3 seconds.  Then take a lit lighter and move it into the top of the bag, below the bag edge and above the goods.  When the lighter goes out, you are FULL of Nitrogen.  With a little practice, we KNOW how much gas to spray in the bottom of the bags once the goods are in it.  Needless to say, my first experience with sugar was NOT pleasant, as I blew it ALL OVER the place.  A deft touch is required for powders like flour and sugar, but once you screw up you learn quick.

We bought the nice sealer unit for about $150, as it does a thin 1/2" seal line that is as good as the factory seal.   This allows for MORE room to re-seal the bags later, if needed, and has an automatic timer to INSURE the weld is perfect.

We learned that the smaller bags are generally better, and the best size for us is 13x11"ish.  The bigger bags are fine for large rice deposits of 20# or so.  The rest of the goods will probably be used in smaller quantities, we think.  The pails are stored in a temperature controlled environment, numbered, with a printed list of all and their contents which we update in a spreadsheet as we pack them up.

I have pails filled with 25-30# of mixed goods, labeled and inventoried.  We opted for food grade so we could re-use the pails later for other purposes that may include storage of food.  They would be a valuable resource in SHTF scenario.

The tank of gas will do at least 35 pails, with average of three or four little bags per pail.  So for the initial cost plus three refills, you can do at least 100 pails for about $2+ each.  This INCLUDES filling the pail once the bags are in to provide another layer of protection.  In the long term, a better solution than the O2 absorbers, and more absolute in its effectiveness.

We use CO2 fer killing the nasties, cheap fillup at the welding supply.

Buckets on the cheap: Donut shops, pretty much all their frosting and such comes in food grade buckets, sometimes they just give them away or throw them away, our local shop sells them for a buck a piece with a lid with a seal, still a good deal.

I finally got around to reading through this thread.  A couple questions for those that know, if I may.

1.  What are the cost benefits of storing one's own bulk foods versus buying a pre-packaged solution like the Super Pails from Emergency Essentials?
2.  How long can the following items be stored, provided they are properly sealed:  Baking powder, baking soda, yeast, brown sugar, corn starch, corn meal, and pasta?
3.  What are the different types of wheat used for?  I see hard red, hard white, and soft white types.  Presumably, they have different baking qualities, correct?
4.  Is there a well researched list compiled somewhere that provides suggested quantities of each food type (wheat, rice, corn, beans, etc.) and assorted supplemental items (sugar, salt, etc) needed to last one person for a year's supply?
5.  What would be a good, versatile hand grinder capable of grinding both corn and wheat?  From reading previous threads in SF, I gather the Country Living and Wonder Mill's are at the top of the pack.  Is one more versatile than the other?
6.  For salt, is there any reason to store one type over the other(iodized salt versus sea salt)?
7.  What is the preferred cooking oil type for long term storage and how long can be it stored for?

Thanks in advance for any help with these questions.

Salt-sea salt has minerals that the body needs. Iodized salt has iodine which the body uses. Thyroid takes up iodine and stores it. In the event of a nuclear problem ,if your thyroid isn't filled with regular iodine it could take up radioactive iodine in the thyroid and later cause cancer.Pickling salt won't get cloudy when pickling or canning. Many now believe that the anti-caking agent in some salt is a fine sand [glass] which cut blood vessels, and this is what causes the cholesterol to build up in blood stream while it tries to repair fine cuts in blood stream. At least this is what I have heard recently.DYODD. I buy pure salt except for sea salt. Get my iodine from kelp pills.

Latter Day Saints have on their web site the amount of food need by a person for a year. If me mory serves me right, they do a very through job on this subject.

Great write up thank you! Great information for new preppers! How do you tag a thread so I can refer to the post when I get my mylar and O2 absorbers in??
TD

Will these 4 mil mylar bags work ok?

Mylar bags on ebay

1.  What are the cost benefits of storing one's own bulk foods versus buying a pre-packaged solution like the Super Pails from Emergency Essentials?
Cost savings will vary depending where you source your materials.
Emergency Essentials right now has a 44lb bucket of white rice for $57.95.
Our local SamsClub has a 50lb. bag of rice for $16.99.
Mylar, O2 absorber and a bucket would not cost me $40.96.
Usually on beans, rice and wheat shipping is the killer due to the weight - again depends where you buy it..
We pack our own rice for a couple of reasons:
1) My wife is loyal to her brand (Comet Long Grain Rice) that she has been using all her life. She lets me pack the rice, I let her pick the brand.
2) We pack rice and beans in 1gal Mylar bags. Each bag holds about 5lbs which is a good size for the two of us.

Most of the other things we store are packed in #10 cans, which holds a similar amount to a 1gal Mylar bag.
We don't pack and forget our stuff, we use it now and replace as we go.

3.  What are the different types of wheat used for?  I see hard red, hard white, and soft white types.  Presumably, they have different baking qualities, correct?
Hard Red and White are mainly used for bread.
It can be coarse ground for cream of wheat cereal, cooked whole and used like rice, put wheat berries in cheesecloth & smack it with a hammer to make cracked wheat, you can sprout it to make wheatgrass.
Soft wheat is usually used for pastries, pie crusts, etc. People do use it for bread and have reported good results.

We source our Hard Red and White wheat from the local LDS cannery.
We bought our last Soft wheat from Emergency Essentials in a bucket. I repacked it into 1gal Mylar.

Also, don't count out Oat Groats.
They are basically oat berries which have not be rolled into oatmeal. They can be ground into flour or cooked whole and used like rice.
Oh, and rice can be ground into rice flour or coarse ground into cream of rice cereal.

4.  Is there a well researched list compiled somewhere that provides suggested quantities of each food type (wheat, rice, corn, beans, etc.) and assorted supplemental items (sugar, salt, etc) needed to last one person for a year's supply?
See above - LDS
Food Storage

5.  What would be a good, versatile hand grinder capable of grinding both corn and wheat?  From reading previous threads in SF, I gather the Country Living and Wonder Mill's are at the top of the pack.  Is one more versatile than the other?
We have a Wondermill Jr. Deluxe. So, I can recommend them.
I have nothing bad to say about the Country Living, we simply went with the Wondermill due to the price.
and we have been very happy with it.

Should bags be redone if they don't vacuum up tight?

If you are talking Mylar w/O2, they are probably fine.
If they don't suck down tight, it probably means you did not squeeze enough air out of the bag before you sealed it.

An O2 absorber will only remove 21% of the air (air is about 21% Oxygen and about 78% Nitrogen)
So, it is probably mostly nitrogen left in the bag which is inert.

I like mine to "suck down" because its easier to see that they are still well sealed when I check them.
However, I we use our stored foods, so any bags I have that did not "suck down" tight, get used first.

OST

5 year old thread and its still awesome

My little brother works at the family fare baker, I should have him pilfer some empty buckets.

Also do any of you guys put whole meals into a bucket? Think MRE

Provided all the ingredients lasts about the same? I think this would work better in my case.

LINK REMOVED BY MOD - SPAM POST
DO NOT RE-POST THE LINK, -JC-



Banned...VA-gunnut


 

It's a shame that the above post can not be deleted completely.

Thanks for the bump however, need to review this topic anyway.

tag

Hey everyone.  I'm going to close out my web hosting account where these pictures are stored.  If you want any of them, please grab in the next week or so.

R.

Thank you for this thread, it's going to be very helpful.

Everyone thinking of putting away food, should read @Lowdown3's long running thread over on Frugals:    https://www.frugalsquirrels.com/vb/forum/patriots-and-survivalism/emergency-and-disaster-preparedness/25650-think-you-can-t-store-food-think-again

I consider Lowdown3 the Limaxray/Foxtrot08 SME on food storage.