Posted: 6/28/2016 6:49:29 AM EDT
| I'm looking to start buying a few buckets of long term storage food to stash just in case we ever stumble upon rough times and need it. Where do you recommend buying it in buckets? Cabelas has it locally, but I could imagine it's probably 20% higher there vs elsewhere. |
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Rice, beans, lentils, soup starter kits. Sealed in mylar with O2 obsorbers. Cheapest way out. For meals to add water watch Provident Pantry, Wise Foods and Mountain House sales.
I forgot the ne where one could order from LDD type store, not sure if still available. |
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When you say buckets,
I think you are talking freeze dried foods, which tend to be expensive. Most freeze dried pre-packaged buckets talk about servings, however a serving IS NOT a meal, When buying these types of buckets you really have to do your homework and look at how many calories you are getting for your money. Do not rely on..... "this buckets feeds xx people for xx days", because you will most likely come up way short if you ever have to actually use it. Not all freeze dried foods are created equal, there are some that are definately better tasting than others, if you go that route, be sure to taste test some of the items before spending a bunch of money. |
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you can ask for the white buckets at a bakery and buy Gamma Seal lids at Lowe's or Home Despot.
One thing about emergency food that is sold in buckets, be sure you can stand eating the stuff. One company I know of has plenty of filler materials like drinks, oatmeal, pudding, cream of wheat. I don't eat pudding. I don't need drinks (I can make tea with pine needles or plants) and don't want to spend money on oatmeal (because I can get it cheap enough at Costco). What I listed can be 1/3 of the "servings" that are in the bucket. That's a f*cking waste (and a scam). |
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Another vote for buying gallon sized Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. If you know someone else who is interested, you can go in together for larger orders. You will need a good heat sealer and don't forget to write the date and contents on the outside of the bags. A gallon bag can hold:
5lbs of rice, dried beans, 3lbs of elbow macaroni, a canister of oats, etc. I would recommend augmenting these things with canned or jarred sauces, meats, vegetables. And don't forget to keep your favorite seasonings on hand. |
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I buy stuff like powdered milk and hard to find items from http://beprepared.com/. I bucket the rest myself, buying in bulk from Sam's, Costco etc. Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers are a requirement. The link I posted has videos that show you how to do it.
Don't forget salt and sugar. I also keep 100 lbs of flour but in 25 lb buckets that we use because of the short (2-3) year shelf life. |
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Sams Club carries a lot of Auguson farms. Unlke a lot of companies the list the daily calorie count on the outside and it is easy to find on the website. A bucket with a cheap water filter, cheap firestarter fuel(no where near what you need for a month but some) and between 1800 and 1900 calories a day for one month.
THis is important because buying a "2 week" supply from some companies can be an unpleasant surprise. I contacted one of the companies that used to advertise on tv (Fox News IIRC). Could find no calorie info so I emailed and asked for the nutritional info. I totaled up the calories in it and it was between 13K and 14K. So you were getting fewer calories than some one in a concentration camp prior to late 44 or early 45. A large percentage of those calories came from the four packs of mac and cheese. I emailed the lady back and she said I most not have gotten all of email so she resent it to me. Same email. I emailed her back with what she sent me and said, this is what I got is it everything. She said yes. I then told her that was the same info I did the math on the first time. |
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Imo, the best place is a Mormon food store.
You fill #10 cans with tons of different items, toss in a desicant pack and the seal the can. Great prices, usually open to the public one day a week, but not busy. Worth the drive anywhere in Ohio. I literally filled a Ford explorer for about $800 iirc. Txl Here's an article on it..lds food centers |
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This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about.
One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. |
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Quoted: This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about. One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. Food storage should be seen as a short term stop-gap solution to an immediate problem. Problem is that unless you are in production, and that production survives whatever SHTF happens, food storage is finite. The solution is production, and multiple levels of production. And knowing your wild edibles. |
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Quoted:
This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about. One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. |
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if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. Quoted:
Quoted:
This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about. One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. |
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I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. Quoted:
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This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about. One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? |
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Quoted: Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? Coconut oil is a great source of omega fatty acids. Its high in fat, but good fat. |
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They also used to say that eggs were bad for you. There were many years that western medicine had it in their ideas that ALL fat was bad and ALL cholesterol was bad. Coconut oil is a great source of omega fatty acids. Its high in fat, but good fat. Quoted:
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if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? Coconut oil is a great source of omega fatty acids. Its high in fat, but good fat. This. Also, don't forget that many of the "studies" that demonized various foods are often funded by the companies that produced the "healthy alternative". |
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Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? Quoted:
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This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about. One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? Yes, it was the 80s, "settled science". They have now reversed it..... |
| Asian stores (indian/chinese) often have sacks of rice and beans available cheap. A couple hundred pounds of each is a great start. Figure 33# in a 5gal bucket. Mylar bags, o2 absorber, hot iron to seal it. You sumply cannoy buy premade buckets of for anywhere near the price. |
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Yes, it was the 80s, "settled science". They have now reversed it..... Quoted:
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This might be slightly off topic but I think it is worth talking about. One of the things I have realized about long term food storage is that anything you can store for 10 years is not going to provide a lot of the nutrition you need. It will provide SOME nutrition, usually carbs, but anything THAT "shelf stable" just isn't going to give you the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fats, cholesterol etc. that your body needs. I am not saying that you shouldn't store food, but keep in mind that if all you are eating is beans, grains, and canned fruit/vegetables/meat, your health is going to be impacted. if you are not eating, your health is going to be impacted. One can store nutritious foods and fats. I keep a lot of oils in the house. I throw it out if not used shortly after the expiration. I think of it as part of the cost of being prepared. I have 2 big jars of coconut oil. I eat a spoonful every morning so it never gets old enough to expire. It's supposed to be good for you. Isn't that the same oil that prompted the crusade a few years ago to stop using in movie theaters for popcorn because it was so bad for us? Yes, it was the 80s, "settled science". They have now reversed it..... I know, I was just saying..... I lived through those days..... and was pretty unhappy they were screwing with my movie popcorn.... |
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Haha, it IS better isn't it?  Quoted:
I know, I was just saying..... I lived through those days..... and was pretty unhappy they were screwing with my movie popcorn.... Haha, it IS better isn't it? I think it is. I'm old, and getting pretty damn tired of people telling me not to eat stuff I like. 
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