Packed first buckets today (newbie)

[jimmycthemd]

Ok, the first thing I did was RESEARCH!!! I googled and searched this forum and read, read and then read some more. I watched the videos about packing grains on this forum and decided it was time to take the plunge. I only deviated from the videos in a couple of places (with reasons).

1) I used 1 gallon mylar bags (they fit in my food saver) and I wanted to mix/match items in the same bucket for grab-and-go.
2) I went WAY overkill on the oxygen absorbers (I got the bag of 100 100cc and decided to use them all instead of being cheap and trying to save them).

I packed two buckets. In each bucket there is:

10 pounds of rice (two 5 pound 1-gal mylar)
10 pounds of pinto beans (two 5 pound 1-gal mylar)
2.5 pounds of rolled oats

If you count them up that's 5 mylar bags per bucket for 10 total. So, I put 10 100cc oxygen absorbers in each 1 gallon bag. Overkill I know but it was either that or throw them away so what the heck :-). I only had to re-seal one of the bags (got some wrinkles in it when sealing) so I just cut off the top and re-did the seal. Worked great and using the food saver helped me seal the 10 bags in about 10 minutes.

There are some nooks and crannies still open in the buckets so I'm planning on getting some smaller mylar bags and putting packets of dry soup mix (onion, onion/mushroon, vegetable, etc.) and possibly some spice packets once I collect them for some variety. I figure 20 pounds of rice, 20 pounds of pinto beans and 5 pounds of rolled oats (a little light on the oats, but that's all that would fit) should be about a month's worth for two people. I plan on getting some commercially packed veggies, etc., to round out the diet.

Total cost was about $50 for the two buckets so far. I know it's not as cost-effective as doing the complete buckuts of one item but I wanted to start small so that, if I messed up some of it, I wouldn't be SOL when it came time to consume them. Starting small and working up as I go.

[claymore]

Congrats on the LTS. I store O2 absorbers in mason jars (tried vacumn packing them but got a pin hole in bag, didn't notice until too late). Going overboard is not all bad (costly; I'm too cheap).

[goatlady]

You absolutely need salt in those buckets!! That does NOT need to be vac-packed, just double seal in small Ziplock bags and tuck in a corner of the buckets.

[jimmycthemd]

You absolutely need salt in those buckets!! That does NOT need to be vac-packed, just double seal in small Ziplock bags and tuck in a corner of the buckets.

Good suggestion :-) I'll put that on the list of add-ins. I haven't put the lid on the buckets yet...I will when I get everything I can fit in there.

[goatlady]

Along the same line of thinking, tuck some bullion cubes in also - chicken and/or beef will go a long way towards "pepping up" the rice to help avoid food fatigue and are good just by themselves in a pinch.

[jimmycthemd]

Thanks again!!! Keep 'em coming :-) With the 5 pound bags there're plenty of nooks and crannies to put small things like that.

[goatlady]

Okay, one more sort of suggestion - tuck in some sugar (just ziplocked is fine), a small container of cinnamon and some dry/powdered milk (ziplock and foiled) - mixed with cooked left over rice you have a tasty breakfast dish or a treat for dessert! Can even tuck in some dried fruit of some sort, raisins are most commonly used with rice, but whatever you and yours prefer. A few tea bags (just wrap in some foil), some of those coffee individual bags (like tea bags) or even a small jar of instant coffee to go with the sugar and dry milk? A few packs of sweetened Kool-Aid like drink mix for kiddies (large or small ones!) anything that will help with hydration especially in a stress situation. All this also "assumes" at least a cup and spoon are handy. You can just toss in a few clean quart ziplocks to be used as mixing containers for the milk and juice type powders. In fact, just mix the powdered milk in a qt. ziiplock, add the rice, sugar, and spice and eat right out of the bag! Rinse out the bag and it's good to go for another meal/treat.

[miked2345]

10 O2 absorbers in a 1 gal. bag? Yep... that should suck the air out... probably suck the white off the rice too! :D

[jimmycthemd]

Ok...now we're getting more than will fit in these buckets. I stopped by the grocery store to try to get some icing buckets (2 gal) but they recycle them. I'm going to try another one on the way home from work this afternoon. It sounds like I'll need 'condiment' buckets. I'll keep the sugar, etc., seperate for easy rotation. Don't think that stuff'll last the decades that the rice/beans will.

[goatlady]

of course sugar and salt will last decades. Gets hard as a rock so just use a different rock to pound it back to loose! I really don't think a handful of raisins, a cup of sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon would be too much for your rice bucket, but it's your buckets.

[jimmycthemd]

Going to the grocery store this weekend. I'll pick up some extra to put in as much as will fit :-) Will probably add brown sugar too for the rolled oats :-)

[610Alpha]

love hearing about other newbies first bucket packing!!

[jimmycthemd]

Ok...here's what's going in so far...no more nooks and crannies:

1 cup sugar
1 cup salt
1 cup dried onion
1/2 cup Italian seasoning
1/2 cup garlic
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup cinnamon

I'm going to get a couple of 2 gallon buckets and put the medium term storage stuff in there...like brown sugar, soy sauce, dried fruit, etc.

[JUSTIFIED]

We've started buying the prepacked buckets of dehydrated foods. Has anyone calculated the cost savings of preparing and sealing your own food compared to buying the buckets, and do you think it's worth the time to do your own?

[goatlady]

I far prefer to do my own packing of foods as that way I know exactly WHERE that food came from and most usually how it was handled. So much of the prepacked stuff comes from out of this country and I personally do not trust the food safety available there or here except for what I grow, dry, ect. Just my personal choice. It's not so much a cost savings to me, it is a healthy precaution. Besides those prepacked buckets are chock full of stuff I don't eat and the costs of those buckets is outrageous!