Lessons learned from 1998 preps

[Kathy in FL]

I also use chlorine buckets because we can get a ton of them free for the asking by calling up pool cleaning companies. I store basic stuff in there and/or food in mylar. Those are very heavy duty buckets with screw down lids.

[2redroses]

Someone asked about old cake mixes. We have those regularly and usually simply adding an extra egg is all that is needed. I did find that when it's three years or more out of date, it wouldn't rise though.

Thanks for the egg suggestion, I always add a little baking soda (1/2 -1tsp) to ANY mix that is outdated to ensure it rises - cake mixes, muffin mixes, bread mixes - and have had good results every time. Always assumed that the expiration date referred primarily to the leavening agent.

[willowlady]

I keep sunflower seeds for years thusly: Buy raw, unsalted seeds and vacuum-seal them in glass jars. Stored in a dark pantry, I've been opening ones that are three and four years old. Salted, roasted ones only last about six months to a year.

[LilRose]

Canned cooked beans from 1998 are fine too. They tend to absorb a lot of the water in the can but are just fine even though some brands get a metalic taste.

Buckets of rice and beans are great also. If the beans dry out too much then they are firmer and work better in a pressure cooker. If they are still too hard afer cooking I go after them with a mixer and make them into refried beans.

I have been putting rice and also beans in food saver bags that are about 2-3 cups per and vacuum sealing them...this way, I can just either put them back in the big sack they came in or stack them in a bucket. I figure I don't have to worry about opening a sealed bucket and having the rest get stale or buggy before I have used a 5 gallon buckets worth. I am actually considering opening some of my buckets of corn meal and wheat and switching to the individual vacuum sealed bags.

[biere]

I have always wondered how long vacumn packer bags would last?

I am planning on putting some stuff up next month and I am planning for long term with a lot of it, well I hope it is long term.

Anyway, mylar and 02 absorbers seem like the best long term method and I am going to put mine in 55 gallon metal drums. I am planning on 5 gallon or smaller bags, depends on what I feel is the best price point vs. dealing with a lot of stuff when I open up a bag.

Once a bag is opened I have canning jars to put the extra in and can vacumn seal the canning jars. While I do have a nice little food saver machine with the accessory port I also bought a hand operated vacumn pump and it will also vacumn seal the jars.

I actually have not used the vacumn packer machine much to put food up other than using it to vacumn down canning jars filled with stuff.

I figure the plastic bags would last a few years but don't know how long they would hold up long term.

[willowlady]

Mylar bags are best for long term purposes. I've lost (had to use asap) many a food-saver bag of dry goods that were fine when I sealed them. It seems that over time, anything that has the slightest sharp edge, i.e., rice, corn, tapioca, lentils, etc., will pierce the bag and break the vacuum.

[Zulu Cowboy]

I learned that Clorox bleach will turn back into water and salt after only a few months on the shelf. I ended up pouring two cases down the drain, because of this. Bleach starts breaking down and weakening in potency, almost immediately after it is manufactured. Hence, I only stock a bottle or two now...and I replace it every six months. This is bleach I would store for water purification. I have also started storing granular Calcium Hypochlorite, in addition to swapping out my ready made bleach supply.

Zulu Cowboy