Mixing contents in buckets?

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We're getting ready to store bulk staples (purchased in 50 lb bags from a local health food store) in plastic buckets using oxygen absorbers and mylar liners. To provide as much variety as possible, we're buying 15 to 20 different types of grains and legumes. It seems like it would be a good idea to put some of each type in each bucket, because our family is so small we'll only have a couple dozen buckets stored, and opening them all up at once would obviously defeat the purpose of long-term packing. We do want this stuff to last a long time, because if things *don't* fall apart in the year 2000 it may take us quite a while to use it all up and we don't want to waste it.

My question is, does anyone have any good ideas for convenient, safe sub-containers to keep the millet from getting mixed up with the garbanzo beans? Paper lunch bags might not last and aren't very strong, and zip-locks would probably prevent the oxygen absorbers from doing their thing properly on all the contents. If we put 10 different things in each 5-gal bucket, that comes out to 2 or 3 hundred little bags, so they need to be fairly cheap.

-- Newbie Ned (none@nowhere.com), February 14, 1999

Answers

Like you, I used plastic buckets & liners. I filled the bag about 1/2 way with rice, and topped it off with plastic freezer bags filled with beans.

Now, since we want the O2 absorber to act on all contents, I punched the freezer bags (beans) with holes using a large nail.

-- Anonymous99 (Anonymous99@Anonymous.com), February 14, 1999.


Plus, the zip lock bags really aren't impervious to gas transfer, so that the oxygen absorbers will work. That's why you use mylar bags and seal them. Another thing you can do is take any type of food safe plastic bag and just tie the neck shut (use garbage bag ties).

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), February 14, 1999.

Newbie Ned; This might sound wild and extreme but why not PVC pipe in various sizes( diameter) with PVC caps on each end. Label the pipe with info of what's inside and store laying down or upright? People put money inside PVC pipe why not grains ??? Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), February 14, 1999.

Yu can buy ziplock vegetable bags which have all-over minuscule perforations. Store brands are available.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), February 15, 1999.

i packed some food with our church group and the coordinator found a lot of information from a company called impak who has a website but all i remember is that it's not the same as their co. name. they do a lot of things with the oxy packs and said that the little packets can absorb right through most clear bags. we bought big foil bags to line the 5 gallon pails we used.

-- tom bishop (tommmyboy@hotmail.com), May 16, 1999.


Furie, I think the concern is that the PVC pipes aren't food safe. Presumably lining them with Mylar could alleviate that problem. Anyone know for sure?

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), May 17, 1999.

See food torpedo. http://theepicenter.com/tow04166.html If you are burying it, be sure not to store anything that might expand or ferment if it gets wet. I also understand that those heavy plastic juice containers (like non-concentrate oj containers) can be filled and sealed with roofing patch for midnight gardening.

Have a friend who has stashed all his stores in an very large culvert pipe and sealed the ends.

-- marsh (armstrong@sisqtel.net), May 17, 1999.


Tricia-

A great deal of our water supply come to us through PVC pipe. From the large mains to the house services. I have never heard of any problems except when used with hot water, in which case they use CPVC instead.

Not to say this is an absolute, but we have been installing these types of systems for about 20 years that I know of.

-- spun@lright (mikeymac@uswest.net), May 17, 1999.


By the way-

I was at TAP plastics yesterday to check out mylar. They had it in all sizes and colors, but only a couple of thickness' 2mil and 5 mil

I assume either would work ok. Any suggestions?

The best find was the roll of mirror mylar hanging on the wall.

Bingo!! Just the ticket for my portable solar oven I'm making. I'll be using 3/4" PVC pipe for the large dia. ring and possibly a wood ring for the small dia. ring at the bottom.

-- mobliemike (mikeymac@uswest.net), May 17, 1999.


Ned,

I stored my grains & beans in 5 gallon plastic buckets using the dry ice method. I purchased Rieke lids from U.S. Plastics

The Rieke is a gasketed lid with a small, gasketed pop-up spout. Cost about $1.21 each. Simple & effective.

Best Wishes,

-- Bingo1 (howe9@pop.shentel.net), May 17, 1999.



Spun Alright, my apologies. I meant to say 'PVC may not be food safe,... does anyone else know'. If I'd put a little more thought into it, I'd have realized that the whole reason PVC's are considered dangerous is that they are so stable, they stay in the eco-systems for a loonng time. Being that stable, they likely would be safe for food. Duh! Thanks for the correction :-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), May 17, 1999.

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