Urgent Info
Packing Food Supplies for Long-Term Storage
Food Grade Buckets
Five gallon plastic buckets for storing grain and legumes can be purchased in your local community. However, you should be careful to purchase food grade buckets as non-food grade plastic buckets can leach gas that will permeate through your food. Round plastic containers protect the contents better than square ones. Food grade, heavy-duty sealable plastic liners in new galvanized steel drums will work as well. The best buckets are opaque. You don't want to expose your food to light as it will diminish shelf life. If you are unable to find food grade buckets locally they are available from eFoods Direct.
Protection from Pests - The Bay Leaf Method
Pests are the the greatest threat to stored food. There are several methods used to insure that pests won't spoil your food supply. We recommend the bay leaf method as it is the easiest and least expensive.
Fill the bucket about one quarter full and place several whole bay leaves directly on the food. Pour in more grain or legumes until the bucket is about half full and put several more bay leaves on top. Do the same thing at three quarters full and finally place bay leaves on top of the filled bucket. Seal the bucket with an air-tight lid.
Proper Storage of Filled and Sealed Food Buckets
To insure that your food stays dry, buckets should be stored on a shelf or pallet and never directly on a cement floor. To maximize shelf life, store your food in a cool (40 to 68 degrees fahrenheit), dry place away from direct sunlight.
Salt and Sugar
Salt and sugar store almost indefinitely if they are kept dry. These items can be stored in the same way as grain and legumes. Because the volume of sugar and salt needed is considerably less than grains and legumes, you might consider storing them in #10 cans rather than five gallon buckets.
If you are a coffee drinker and purchase your coffee in the standard 2 pound cans with re-sealable plastic lids, you can save these and reuse them for storing salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and yeast. For added protection, you can line the cans with one gallon zip lock bags, then fill them with the desired product. Seal them tightly and store them in the same way you do the larger five gallon buckets.
<< Previous: Warnings to Consider | Next: Urgent Info - Contents >>