Inexpensive Food Storage

MeadowMuffin · Coal Joined: Jun 09, 2008 Posts: 7

At the COSTCO in Mesa recently there was a vendor selling a basicly 5 gal size container with freeze dried vegan packets in it to support 2 people 30 dasy for $70.

We got one plus it supplemnents the MRE's we have.

Meadow Muffin

Pops · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

The cheapest food storage is to buy in bulk, in case lots on sale and store what you buy and buy what you store and cook it everyday.

Check out the index at the top of the Planning forum and the Downloads menu at the left of your screen.

Smile

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WyoDutch · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

I think you've made an excellent start.

I'm including a couple photos of my pantry... a climate-controlled storage room built as a "room within a room" in one of my outbuildings. If I factor in the contents of my two freezers, there's a 3-year supply of food, medicines and toiletries for my family.

The white buckets at the rear contain several types of dry beans, while the white boxes on the right contain salt, dried vegetables and fruits, etc..

Cooking oils are an often overlooked category, but without them, you're forced to boil all your foods... not a palatable long-term plan!

Shelf life is a very important topic. From Hormel's own web site comes this tidbit....

"What is the shelf life of a Hormel Foods product in an unopened can?

Answer: The processing techniques utilized by Hormel Foods makes the canned product safe for use indefinitely if the product seal remains intact, unbroken and securely attached to a can that has been well maintained. It is suggested that all canned products be stored in a cool and dry environment to keep the flavor adequately preserved. For maximum flavor it is recommended that the product be used within three years of the manufacturing date. After that period of time, the product is still safe to use however, the flavor gradually declines.

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Ludi · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

Wow, I'm amazed. I just have a few buckets of rice and beans...
Razz

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RedStateGreen · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

Impressive!
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canis_lupus · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

gol DANG

I've got two month's worth and my mother in law has another two. I thought WE were cool

I see by your photos I've forgotten the coffee in my pantry...nutz

mystiek · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:56 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

Very impressive! Keep in mind I have 6 people to feed in our home, all males with big appetites except for me and probably a few more are going to end up with us. So far I have about 125 lbs flour, large containers of yeast for bread making, 25 lb pinto beans, 100 lbs sugar, honey, 50 pints of jam, canned applesauce cake, 22 pints of canned butter, 15 lbs of wheat that could be ground to flour if necessary. Lots of store canned vegetables soups, condensed milk, powdered milk, lots of boxes of borax, arm and hammer super wash, fels naptha (to make laundry soap-check out the Soaps Gone by web site for soap recipes), 6 xtra large containers of clorox, ammonia. My plan is to can the greenbeans and tomatoes from the garden. There are several pick your own farms near us that I plan to get peaches, corn, blueberries this summer. I was going to freeze the green beans and corn but I think I'm going to break down and buy a pressure canner. We have frozen 1/2 side of beef with preparations to have the beef smoked if our electricity is knocked out for an extended period. I am planning on ordering from survivor mall the boxes of water that have 5 year shelf life. The other thing I have done is put together several large plastic sealed boxes of first aid supplies with a list in each box of the contents and a master list.We also have been pack rats with respect to lotions and soaps. Between the little soaps from motels and the baskets people give at Christmastime we have all these little bottle of lotions and soaps that I would just stick in the closet. I have gathered all those and placed them also in one plastic labeled storage box. Not to sound too extremist (LOL), but I do have the tablets to protect the thyroid from nuclear radiation and several homemade Faraday boxes for the computers and radios. I am also going to order some space blankets to cover the tv's and the rest of our computer hardware in case of a EMP. I am still trying to talk my husband into installing a freestanding wood stove for supplement heat and to cook on if needed. We have a large potential wood supply so its a natural choice. Sorry, I deviated from the food storage....just got carried away!

careinke · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:45 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

Hey Dutch, I just set up those same storage shelves and love them! Mine were free. My son called me from work and said they were tossing these shelves that were still in the box, and asked if I wanted them. One of my best scores.

Cliff (Start a rEVOLution, grow a garden)

Pops · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

That's a nice pantry Dutch, I hope your friends there in Park county who have been members here at PO.com for years have as much Maxwell House.

Smile

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Pops · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:14 pm Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

Really though, Dutch's pantry pics are a good example of storing the stuff you use.

Corn or wheat berries have lots of energy and store in a small space for a long time, but if you and the kids aren't used to eating gruel or mush or MREs 3x7 things will get tough quicker than you think.

Store what you eat and eat what you store and produce as much of it as you can.

Smile

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patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1677

Right, Pops! That's why we got a powered grain mill and started doing our own baking. Wheat is a nice idea for long storage, but if you can't grind it and cook it into palatable food, it's just chicken feed.

The cheapest food storage is in the garden, fresh, or on the hoof. That idea can augment what is canned, dried, etc.
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Specop_007 · Expert Joined: Aug 12, 2004 Posts: 6267

Arsenal · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:56 am Post subject: Re: Inexpensive Food Storage

kernull · Tar Sands Joined: May 14, 2008 Posts: 20

I have some questions here, hope you can help me:

- can i buy honey in a PET plastic bottle? Will it last there? I know PET and other kind of plastics pass oxygen when stored for long time, does it affect food ?? PET bottles right now are really cheap and thrown away like trash, what if I store flour in them ?? Will it last for 5 - 6 years?

- What about rice packaged in polyethilene bags? do these traspass oxygen?

thanks in advance

PeekOil · Coal Joined: May 30, 2008 Posts: 17

Kernull,

You need Mylar bags and O2 absorbers and put into plastic sealed buckets after heat sealing the mylar bags. Grains should last anywhere between 5 and 20 years if stored this way and kept very cool.

Try sorbent systems

Good luck