Food 5 Gallon Bucket Debate

Crusty Echo 7

Veteran Member
I am wondering what opinions are on the two 5 gallon set up theories and any alternative points of view.

To frame this, let’s start with a family with limited mobility, say the elderly or a couple with young children in a surburban area.

Bugging out without a vehicle (particularly on foot) is very limited.

Does it make more sense to fill 5 gallon buckets with a mix of the staple Mylar-bagged goods or fill separate buckets with only 1 ingredient (i.e. rice, oats, beans, etc.)?

The first compliments a daily 3 meal approach per bucket. And follows the one person 30 day supply idea.

Does the second make more sense for the families’ situation?
 

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
I have both and rotate them as necessary. For staple items I've found the single-item five gallon bucket is better. For full meals the mixed bucket is better. If using the mixed bucket method, labeling is very important. And since I've been doing this a long time I have discovered, because of changing dietary needs in my family, I regret not including ingredient lists on the meals for long term storage.

I now have a daughter that is a pescatarian and who is very dairy intolerant.
I have a son that must NOT be given anything with red dye in it or he turns into the tasmanian devil with attitude problems.
I have a couple that seem to be slightly gluten sensitive.
And I'm living with Type 2 diabetes and need to watch the sugar and starches.

In a survival situation you'd hope for some dietary flexibility, but not all of us can afford it any longer. So, whatever method you chose, label, label, label. Even if it seems redundant and a pain in the backside. You'll be glad you did.
 

Babs

Veteran Member
I have some long term preps as single items in 5 gallon buckets. For example, I store wheat berries in a single 5gl mylar bag, with O2 absorbers. Other items I might put several 1-2 gallon bags with different items. I don't want to open a whole 5 gl bag of one item, that I might not use up quickly. It makes sense to me, to put several smaller bags inside of a 5 gallon bucket, and only open what I will use up in a timely manner. I don't use spelt as often as I would wheat berries, so I will divide up the spelt into 1 gallon bags, and place several in one bucket. And, for things like spices and herbs, I will put several 1 qt. bags of different herbs in a single 5 gallon bucket.

I also use 2 and 3 gallon buckets with for one item. For example, my beans, I would fill a 2 gallon bag, and place into a 2 gallon bucket. I would likely use up fairly quickly.

I just don't want to open up more than I will use in a given time, to preserve freshness of everyting as long as possible.
 

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
that mixed meal deal isn't for long term storage (5 years and up) and that's the only reason to be bothering with mylar and 02 absorbers >>> you have nothing but a mish mash of ingredients that are in various stages of storage longevity ....

if you want to make smaller batches of specialty type dry goods in 1/2 & 1 gallon mylars there's tricks & hacks that help >>>> the 1 gallons stacked down the center of the buckets with more 1/2 gallons down the sides fill a 5 gallon bucket the best possible - then pour loose grain/rice in to fill the voids around the packs >>> surprisedly you don't lose much compared to a bucket filled the conventional one food item ....
 

Babs

Veteran Member
that mixed meal deal isn't for long term storage (5 years and up) and that's the only reason to be bothering with mylar and 02 absorbers >>> you have nothing but a mish mash of ingredients that are in various stages of storage longevity ....

if you want to make smaller batches of specialty type dry goods in 1/2 & 1 gallon mylars there's tricks & hacks that help >>>> the 1 gallons stacked down the center of the buckets with more 1/2 gallons down the sides fill a 5 gallon bucket the best possible - then pour loose grain/rice in to fill the voids around the packs >>> surprisedly you don't lose much compared to a bucket filled the conventional one food item ....

I don't mix and match. Every bag has only a single ingredient. I'm using smaller bags for the things I don't use up quickly. I have no mixed ingredients.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I opened a two gallon bucket that I packed last year when I bought several boxes of muffin mix. The mix was in pristine condition, but the box I put on the shelf was a nasty mess.

I didn't put the ingredients in mylar bags, I just put the boxes of mix in the bucket with a very liberal amount of bay leaf and sealed the bucked. I know this won't last long term, but in the interium it did keep the mixes viable longer than they would have been on the shelf in my hot and humid climate.

I can't really add much to the comments in #2 and #3. They have covered the subject well. Its a lot harder and more expensive now to buy buckets in any size than it was a year or so ago. I got myself a very good supply of buckets and mylar bags.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

Jeff B.

Don’t let the Piss Ants get you down…
I’ve been doing 2 Gallon buckets from Lowes. I’ve been considering ordering some 3 Gallons as the size seems a bit better than the 2.

Mostly driven by the weight and mass of the filled 5 Gallon buckets. I can still handle them, but honestly, my wife would struggle with them. I’ve also been going with smaller packs using the Mylar Steelpak bags from Amazon. They vacuum down nicely.

Jeff B.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I’ve been doing 2 Gallon buckets from Lowes. I’ve been considering ordering some 3 Gallons as the size seems a bit better than the 2.

Mostly driven by the weight and mass of the filled 5 Gallon buckets. I can still handle them, but honestly, my wife would struggle with them. I’ve also been going with smaller packs using the Mylar Steelpak bags from Amazon. They vacuum down nicely.

Jeff B.
I like the 3 1/2 gallon size myself. Much easier for me to handle. Although I do have 1 and 2 gallon sizes on hand. I like the Argee brand, I got them from walmart a year or so ago, and I believe that home depot has that brand in sizes too.

God is good all the time

Judy
 

Crusty Echo 7

Veteran Member
Thanks for the inputs everyone. I have several 5 gallon buckets and 1 gallon Mylar bags to pack.

I was thinking about packing rice, beans, pasta etc in separate bags and then adding bags of each into the buckets.

That’s a great idea to mix different sizes of bags 1 & 1/2 gallon and using smaller buckets.

The little ones I’m thinking ofin this plan and I don’t handle beans very well but it’s the only protein I can think of for long term storage.

We buy beef/pork by the head, chicken in bulk hunt & fish. Will probably get some egg powder & powdered milk just in case.

I was also thinking about balancing individually packed ingredients into a bucket so it’s only a matter of opening a bucket at a time to resupply the short term shelf.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Limited mobility and maybe don't know how to use?
Pack as meals in mylar with instructions on how to use. I have some recipes that I broke down. I bagged ingredients seperately, noted which ingredients would have to be bought or gotten from some other areas, and added cooking instructions. Those went out as gifts one Christmas and were well recieved by some moms that viewed them as the homemade equivalent of stuff like Hamburger Helper.
 

JasmineAndLace

Senior Member
Limited mobility and maybe don't know how to use?
Pack as meals in mylar with instructions on how to use. I have some recipes that I broke down. I bagged ingredients seperately, noted which ingredients would have to be bought or gotten from some other areas, and added cooking instructions. Those went out as gifts one Christmas and were well recieved by some moms that viewed them as the homemade equivalent of stuff like Hamburger Helper.
I would be very interested in some of your recipes if you would care to share. I have very limited mobility and can't handle large buckets of items.
 

Toosh

Veteran Member
It depends on what your goal is. If you intend to store as much as you can in as compact of a space as possible, then one ingredient in a 5-gallon bucket can't be beat. However, if you are looking for convenience for those occasional power downs, it's handy to have 1 week in 1 bucket. I recommend having both.

I haven't found a reliable source for 3 gal buckets at a good price so I continue to buy 5 gal buckets and just don't fill them completely with heavy stuff.
 
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kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I don't have "hard" recipes. I just built them as I went along.
For shepherd's pie, dried caramelized onions and peppers in one pocket with italian seasoning and 1 tsp dry bouillon. Dried mixed veggies in the next pocket with another tsp bouillon. Mash potato flakes in the third. (If you can have butter, this is a good place to add freeze dried butter for the potatoes, as well as milk powder. Package any flavoring herbs in a small tuck in square and mildly notch one side to help it tear when you need it.) Directions - soak the first pocket in half cup hot water for 30. Same for second pocket. Pour first packet into pan, add 2 lbs ground meat and brown it. While that's going, make the mashed potatoes. After meat is browned, scoop veggies and add them. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add some liquid from rehydrating the veggies if needed. Put mashed potatoes in bowl, top with meat/veg mix, top that with cheese if you want. Only fresh ingredients are meat from freezer and cheese.
For tacos, "instant" beans (cooked and then dehydrated) with spice mix. While meat is browning, add 3/4 cup hot water to the bean mix. (Needs to be ~ 30 minutes.) When meat done, toss in bean mix with a bit more water if needed. Let warm for another 10 minutes. Add to your shells and whatever toppings you want. (For this, packet cheese or freeze dried cheese or other topping could be added.)
Same things for stews and soups. Break down your favorite recipes. Figure out how much of it you can dry or get freeze dried. Pack it by recipe batch. Keep spices separate from most other things to avoid some over-seasoning effects. (Not frequent issue with beans but can be a real problem with other things) Homemade "instant" rice and/or beans helps a lot. I do a few BOB variations for my son using freeze dried meats. But you could probably also make them with pemmican or shredded jerky. Dried bouillon should should go with spices unless you've got something like the dried onions/peppers for them. Oh, warning, black beans somehow make seasoning flavors disappear or hot seasonings become really mild, so don't add seasonings to those.
If you've got a foodsaver, you can do one bag with segments. That worked real well for my SIL. She just grabbed a bag and add whatever, and in the crockpot it went. Hers were designed for that because she was working insane hours, and so was my brother.
If the recipe uses things like Rotel, toss a can of Rotel in the dehydrator on parchment paper and then put it all in when it's dry. Etc. If something can be dehydrated or freeze dried, you can break it down like this. So take your favorite meals and experiment, breaking things down and testing replacements. Then not only do you have a meal packed as an all in one, but you know that it's meals you like in flavors that won't upset your body.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Southwestern meat mash is a dried can of chipolte corn, a dried can of rotel, a small packet of mixed seasonings. I don't even bother soaking them. Just toss them in with seasonings and about two cups of water, when mostly rehydrated, toss in meat and start browning. Or the other way around. Separate pack of "instant" rice with dried chicken bouillon, make that while the rest is cooking. Mix in bowl and service. (Note, beef is an allergen here so most of these are made with turkey or chicken.)
Whenever Thrive finally has ground turkey back in stock, some of these will get further testing with that.
 

Crusty Echo 7

Veteran Member
Hello everyone, providing a quick update and a challenge for the group.

I’ve been primarily using 1 gallon and one quart Mylar bags in 5 gallon buckets. 1 gallon for Rice, and pancake/waffle mix. The smaller bags have pasta.

My idea is to have an even mix of convenient open a bucket and eat from it for a week and the second set-up is for single ingredient, 5 gallon bags in buckets for long term.

One challenge I have is protein. We have large freezers, buy meet by the head, hunt & fish but the problem is with beans. We just don’t digest them well.

I was looking at some of the freeze dried foods which have the pre-pared meals. I have a few of those but started also purchasing freeze dried meat, vegetables, and fruit in addition to the typical canned/preserved food.

I figured if I need to secure long-term protein, the dried meat saves me money because I can purchase/bag my own rice, flour etc for far less and mix that with the freeze dried foods in the long run.

I still intend to top the5 gallon buckets with beans packed in quart bags as a barter item and fill additional air space.

Any thoughts or suggestions with this rationale?
 

Carl2

Pass it forward...
Beans (and lentils, which cook much faster) combined with rice or other grains form complete protein which is equal to meat (save for lacking Vitamin B12).
 

Old Gray Mare

TB Fanatic
I am wondering what opinions are on the two 5 gallon set up theories and any alternative points of view.

To frame this, let’s start with a family with limited mobility, say the elderly or a couple with young children in a surburban area.

Bugging out without a vehicle (particularly on foot) is very limited.

Does it make more sense to fill 5 gallon buckets with a mix of the staple Mylar-bagged goods or fill separate buckets with only 1 ingredient (i.e. rice, oats, beans, etc.)?

The first compliments a daily 3 meal approach per bucket. And follows the one person 30 day supply idea.

Does the second make more sense for the families’ situation?
If they have to bug out and bug out fast and the choice is:

1 bucket of beans, 1 bucket of rice, 1 bucket of oatmeal and 1 bucket of dried milk

or

1 Bucket of breakfast - 4 people 2 weeks
1 bucket of lunch - 4 people 2 weeks
1 bucket of dinner - 4 people 2 weeks
1 bucket supplies need to prepare meals, first aid etc.
Yes this is doable. AT thru hikers could probably put together a list of this from off the shelf, shelf safe foods in a NY second.

Think I'd know which prep group I'd want to be in.
 
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