Seeking concise methods for food storage

[tb-av]

Is there a simple "food storage for Dummies" site anywhere?

Like how to store rice, beans, whatever.

I keep reading all this info about store this, store that, but it seems like everything expires in under a year except MRE's.

How do you figure what is safe, healthy ( in that it might sustain you for a reasonable time ) and can be stored by the average person easily.

[R.P.]

There are some youtube videos out there that show how to put up things like rice and beans in 5 gal buckets using mylar bags and oxygen absorbers.
Here is one from the always entertaining Pastor Dowell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_PCg1ur3U

[PA PATRIOT]

I buy can goods which have a shelve life in most cases of 24 to 30 months and rotate them.

Also buying what you normally eat avoids complaints from the family and hopefully can be eaten right out of the can with no other prep to save on fuel and water usage.

Unless you have the resources and knowledge to convert all those dry beans and rice into some thing the family will eat then it is a waste of money which could have been spent on other essential items.

[sandsunsurf]

I do the same as Phila- store canned foods and rotate. My only concern with a canned food heavy diet is the sodium. I have several cases of MREs, either to grab and go or for variety. I also store lots of pasta, rice and beans. You do have to be concerned with weevils when storing pasta, but that can be allegedly be solved a couple of ways, the easiest of which is freezing the pasta. I brew beer, so I have CO2, and I purge the buckets with that, too, in hopes of some benefit, but it's not anything certain...

[Gatorbait]

There are some good sites and videos out there about Bulk Food Storage, with a variety of ways to do it. Trips to the warehouse clubs, mylar bags and buckets, #10 cans, O2 absobers, dry ice, etc....all are easy to purchase and do it yourself, if you want. I think there are a good amount of knowledgable people here on this site, who would tell you the way they do it, if you are interested. The LDS church has very good knowledge about long term food storage, and sometimes local resources as well.

I agree bulk food stores are good, but only if you are already working them into your diet, and storing what you eat, and eating what you store. Bulk food stores make up 25% of my food preparedness, with MRE's(or similar store bought food) @ 5%, freeze dried food @ 20%, and regular grocery store canned/bottled/pouched pantry food @ 50%. I believe in a diversified food portfolio....

[tb-av]

Those videos wewre pretty good. It looks like really long term is done via mylar and O2 absorbers.

Maybe I'm just thinking about this wrong. I wanted to just make a big kit and call it done. It's pretty much just me these days so there won't be any pleasing anyone with meal choice.

The other problem thing is, I'm trying to cut white rice, pasta and all that stuff out of my diet due to my age to keep might weight correct.

It sounds like what you guys are saying though is to simply go out and buy a boat load of food that I normally eat and just rotate it. IOW my house would become a mini grocery store. I could do that. I have the space and could easily create more shelving.

The stuff I eat these days can't really be stored beyond the can goods. Meat, fruit, fish. The rest are canned vegs and beans and rolled oats.

So I guess i just need to inventory what I eat in a month and then go buy a year's supply so it's available but not necessarily "stored away'?

[SMETNA]

I buy can goods which have a shelve life in most cases of 24 to 30 months and rotate them. .

I do the same thing. But I've been reading lately that most canned food (soup in particular) has a butt- ton of BPA inside. Its an estrogen mimicker, and feminizes men In a number of ways. I love minestrone, so that sucks. . . Trying to reduce cans on my shelves.

[tb-av]

.... and that's a good example of the sort of things I find as I set out to "do it right the first time".

First thing I find is that brown rice is a no go for long term storage, white rice is bad for your diet, now can goods turn you into a woman.

I need a food chart like the rifle chart so I can quickly see what works and what doesn't.

[SMETNA]

Pasta, sauce, soup cubes, spices, seasoning, rice, beans, and freeze dried #10 cans of veggies. Hunt for meat. Grow fresh potatoes and veggies. Get a pressure cooker and jar meat and veggies.

[cinco]

Great thread listing a bunch of good references on food storage...

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=3642464#post3642464