Fall and winter preps

[TheGrey]

This May have been covered but not sure.
How do I store large bags of goods? Looking to store in the basement and worried about critters. Buckets? What type and where?

Also I heard that flower goes bad and oxidizes. How do you store it?


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Hi Erni!

Yes, depending on what type of flour you have, it can go bad within about 3 months (that's the average on the 'net) for whole wheat/whole grain flour. You can bypass that issue by putting it in the freezer. You'll want to freeze bags of flour for at least 3 days, to kill any weevil eggs that are in it. I've found that freezing it in 4-cup amounts in ziplocs means that I can stack them nice and flat, and when I need flour I don't need to pull out the whole container. All-purpose flour and bread flour will keep a bit longer- up to a year, they say. I'd still keep it in the freezer if you can.

Things like almond flour and coconut flour can live on the shelf safely enough, until you open the container. Then it stays in the fridge.
As far as keeping foods in large bags- it depends on what types of foods, and what types of critters you're worried about. If you have a chance of having mice or rodents in your basements, those buggers will chew through a plastic food-grade bucket at the worst possible time.
If you're worried about moths and insect-types, food-grade buckets will be helpful. You can get 5 gallon buckets that are food-grade at Home Depot or Lowes.

I don't care for using buckets, personally. I can't see what's in them, can't see if the food is okay, and in order to check, I have to open it up. That exposes the food inside to air, which undoes everything you've worked hard to achieve- unless you have the foodstuffs in smaller containers inside the bucket. What type of stuff are you storing?

It also depends on how you plan on treating your food storage. Thus far, I've found two distinct types of food storers: the type that stash food away for their emergency stash, and they don't touch it- it's for emergency only; and the type that cycle through their storage, replacing as they eat it. I prefer the second type, so I know what we have, know that it's not expired, and know that we store only what we can and will eat. I can our food, so I can see at a glance what we have through clear jars.

What type are you? Emergency-only, or cycle-through?

[Gman]

I would imagine food grade buckets and Gamma Seal lids would be a good start.

[hatidua]

I would think that planning for the future would be fairly easy based on what was in short supply in Feb-April of this year. Nobody is going to die from running out of toilet paper, but food comes in handy from time to time. Rice/beans are cheap and with an adequate stash of salsa/hot sauce can be pretty tasty.

I would guess that everyone on this site has enough lead to risk the integrity of their foundation, so get some food and don't go around licking door knobs and you will likely be as prepared as you can be.

If you like profiteering, get a few cases of N95 masks and 'supply' those that didn't think ahead.

[Great-Kazoo]

I would think that planning for the future would be fairly easy based on what was in short supply in Feb-April of this year. Nobody is going to die from running out of toilet paper, but food comes in handy from time to time. Rice/beans are cheap and with an adequate stash of salsa/hot sauce can be pretty tasty.

I would guess that everyone on this site has enough lead to risk the integrity of their foundation, so get some food and don't go around licking door knobs and you will likely be as prepared as you can be.

If you like profiteering, get a few cases of N95 masks and 'supply' those that didn't think ahead.

We're redoing an out building, to have a dedicated place to store paper goods. That will free up another building we can climate control, if needed for canned goods. Sadly neither the spouse or i have gotten in to canning. So we're browsing costco and other larger stores (shamrock/foodservice warehouse) for bulk buying. Also have an in at restaurant depot. for long term shelf items. Unfortunately for livimg in a small rural town is. The trip to the valley for bulk buying is a full day.


The most important thing we've seen that people tend to ignore is.... Checking expiration dates. Buying in bulk is nice. Providing the pallet of goods you have, doesn't expire in 6 months.

[hatidua]

The most important thing we've seen that people tend to ignore is.... Checking expiration dates. Buying in bulk is nice. Providing the pallet of goods you have, doesn't expire in 6 months.

Depending on the item, exp. dates don't mean diddly.

Not directed at you Great-Kazoo but I think the obsession with expiration dates is, to an extent, generational. My next door neighbor will toss a bottle of ketchup that has been in the fridge since new the day it expires, same with mustard, she thinks beer in the fridge goes bad, etc. Read up a bit on why expiration dates are when they are, and how the FDA determined that. They aren't all that.

My favorite ramen comes from Asia and I've never found a packet in the U.S. that is still in-date, we eat it regularly and are still alive. I can all but guarantee the various canned beans we have are not days, weeks or months past retirement, but years. They may not be quite as flavorful (maybe) but they are fine.

A can that now looks like a grapefruit I'd avoid, otherwise, eat up, it's likely far less harmful to eat expired food than breath the air in any metro area.

[Erni]

Grey, great question. Staring to think I don?t know.

Here is my goal. Get the family ready for a 6-3-6 prep. Six weeks of eating well to smooth over disruptions in supply chain like we saw earlier in the year. Three months of eating ok in case of 2020 dialing things up past 11. Six months of getting by total nourishment, so the last 3 months can be rice and beans and vitamins but honestly don?t know. (After 6 months well.... we are all going to have bigger problems)

We are blessed with a large pantry that can feed us well for several weeks with shelf stable foods, and a freezer we are filling up. Pantry is being worked by my wife to bring it up to 6 weeks. She finally saw the light. I want to get to 3 months of shelf stable foods that we normally eat and will be rotated and replaced, sort of our own store.
The last 3 months of food is is what I am trying to figure out. Rice and beans in buckets? Rotate it yearly- donate to food pantry and buy new? Flour and lard? Yeah, not sure what to do here. This is meant as sustenance to be augmented with whatever can be found and not meant to be great eating.

Any guidance appreciated.

So part of me here is thinking this is a bit much, but even my Los Angeles based friends who have never even considered prepping are stocking up something fierce. That includes a new garden, generator and deep freezer to name a few.


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[TheGrey]

Grey, great question. Staring to think I don?t know.

Here is my goal. Get the family ready for a 6-3-6 prep. Six weeks of eating well to smooth over disruptions in supply chain like we saw earlier in the year. Three months of eating ok in case of 2020 dialing things up past 11. Six months of getting by total nourishment, so the last 3 months can be rice and beans and vitamins but honestly don?t know. (After 6 months well.... we are all going to have bigger problems)

We are blessed with a large pantry that can feed us well for several weeks with shelf stable foods, and a freezer we are filling up. Pantry is being worked by my wife to bring it up to 6 weeks. She finally saw the light. I want to get to 3 months of shelf stable foods that we normally eat and will be rotated and replaced, sort of our own store.
The last 3 months of food is is what I am trying to figure out. Rice and beans in buckets? Rotate it yearly- donate to food pantry and buy new? Flour and lard? Yeah, not sure what to do here. This is meant as sustenance to be augmented with whatever can be found and not meant to be great eating.

Any guidance appreciated.

So part of me here is thinking this is a bit much, but even my Los Angeles based friends who have never even considered prepping are stocking up something fierce. That includes a new garden, generator and deep freezer to name a few.


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I'm going to offer what I would do, were I in your shoes. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences/ideas, because we've got people from all walks.

I'm not sure I would do a 6-3-6; it seems very restrictive. I get where you're coming from- you want belt AND suspenders. But I think having a "if all else fails, we've got this shoe leather we can make soup out of" idea is going to serve you and your family well. If you are blessed with a large pantry and a freezer, you've got an excellent start. What I would do is make a log of everything you've eaten in the last few weeks- that's your normal consumption. If your wife is the de-facto chef, have her make a list of foods that she likes making, and then a list of meals that she likes to make for special occasions. Keep in mind that although it's hot as hell out now, it will be winter soon- that means soups, stews, hearty breakfasts and warm beverages, too. Holiday meals. Your pantry should reflect that- dry storage such as canned veggies, dried beans, spices, stock and broths, rice/grains, cereals, baking supplies, yeast (for the love of little green apples, get yeast!) and such. Soup and stew-making stuffs can mostly go here.

What we're doing is keeping meats in the chest freezer, and the fussy stuff in the freezer below our refrigerator- veggies, frozen pizza, ice cream, and bits and bobs. But our freezer is mostly for meats and flour, because I can our veggies and fruits. I take things like sugar (or sugar substitutes, as we are a low-carb family due to medical issues) and put them in airtight containers that I can see into at a glance. Nothing drives me up a wall faster than thinking I've got some sort of foodstuff in storage and finding out that we're out of it or it's gone bad. Beverage mixes are important- keep those handy.

It's easy to get overwhelmed, too- try and keep an inventory on a clipboard.

Don't forget fun stuff like Jello (or whatever treats you prefer.) If we have a strict lockdown, I don't think there will be an easy or 'fun' trip to the store for a while. So buy popcorn while you can.

Think about what was not available before. Eggs. Milk. Butter. Pasta. Rice. Bread. Bread, you can make with a bread machine as long as you have basic ingredients. Eggs can be frozen (though not in the shell.) Milk? Absolutely can be frozen. Creamer? Not so much. Better get the dried stuff and stick it in the just-in-case section.

Getting the basics, rather than the already-completed meals (soup fixings, rather than the ready-made cans) may be better for long-run storage. You can make a lot of different foods with combinations of basic ingredients than if you had 40 cans of the same soup. Food fatigue is a REAL thing.

Before I forget- this will show you that the expiration dates on these foods are arbitrary for most things. Sour cream and yogurt can last far longer than the date stamped on the package.

One other thing, before I forget- do you have a Food Saver? Get one, and get extra bags. You will not regret the investment.

That's all I can think of for now.

[tactical_2012]

Was at Shamrock today picked up (2) 40lbs cases of chicken leg quarters for $16.59 each. Boneless skinless chicken breast went up use to be around $42 for 40lbs but is niw $53.99 picked up a case of it. 80/20 ground beef is $1.99lb in 10lbs logs. Picked up a couple bags of sugar and a few 10lbs bags of fettuccine for long term storage

[Gman]

Most of the expiration date hoopla has been dictated by states. I think New Jersey has a max limit of 2 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expiration_date

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/se...ety-2013-09-19

[tactical_2012]

There is a show on History Channel called "Eating History" where they taste test old food