Bulk Food Prices/Storage/Preparation

[Joeywhat]

Going to try and get a good supply of stored food going over the next few months...probably get it little by little, buy a huge bag of whatever on my next trip out, a case of canned goods the next, etc.

My concern is prices, specifically in regards to bulk grains, etc. I've seen HUGE price differences from my research online. I've seen Rice listed for $75+/50lb, then saw $15/50lb referenced here seen at Costco (unsure of date of thread in question). In either event, is there a difference in these, and where can I get the cheapest bulk grains that are good. Is Costco still a good source here?

[Joeywhat]

Also curious to know about storage...I've done some research, I have a pretty good base to start on. I brew beer, and have a handful of food grade 5-6 gallon buckets available, all with rubber seal lids. More can be obtained for reasonably cheap. Is there anything I need to do with the various major food products (flour, rice, beens, etc.) stored in these buckets besides ensuring the lid is in place securely? Will purging the buckets with CO2 help for long term storage? I have a CO2 tank so this would be quite easy to do...is anything else really needed besides not dropping them in wet areas and keeping them from getting too hot?

[PA PATRIOT]

Grains are great storage items but you have to have treated or properly purified water to be able to process/cook those buckets of rice, beans and so on. So make sure you have the necessary water storage or means to purify outside water to cover the preparation of All Your Dry Goods or they wont be worth much once the SHTF.

[Joeywhat]

Water is part of this initial plan...it's cheap enough to pick up 5 gallons or so every time I hit the grocery store. Purification products will be in my more long term plans.

[Just a Jarhead]

Also curious to know about storage...I've done some research, I have a pretty good base to start on. I brew beer, and have a handful of food grade 5-6 gallon buckets available, all with rubber seal lids. More can be obtained for reasonably cheap. Is there anything I need to do with the various major food products (flour, rice, beens, etc.) stored in these buckets besides ensuring the lid is in place securely? Will purging the buckets with CO2 help for long term storage? I have a CO2 tank so this would be quite easy to do...is anything else really needed besides not dropping them in wet areas and keeping them from getting too hot?

Brown rice is the most nutritious and will last only 8-10 years due to the high oil content if stored under 75 degrees. White rice will last upwards of 30 years but is much less nutritous. I have stored both. You should put the rice in the freezer for at least 2 weeks to kill any larvae. Then if it is already in an air tight plastic bag (not a pourous weave type plastic bag, burlap or paper bag) you can put it in a food grade bucket, otherwise get mylar bags and pour the rice in the bags, then store in food grade buckets. I get all my food grade buckets for free from Publix Grocery stores bakery here in FL. Just go in and ask your grocery store bakery they will probably accomodate you.

For wheat the dry ice method is most commonly used, get a piece of dry ice the size of a quarter and place it on top the wheat in a bucket, place the lid on loosely. As the ice melts the gasses displace any oxygen. Then secure the lid tightly. You don't secure the lid tightly until after the ice melts because you need some of the gasses to escape or you could have a pressure situation on your hands.

Ground flour has a shelf life of about 2-3 years. Just seal it up good in large ziplock bags with a desiccant pack. Keep it cool...the cooler the better. Beans usually come sealed in plastic of some sort already. Just put them in a food grade bucket with a desiccant pack to protect from rats & mice.

For anything survival and food storage info www.survivalblog.com is a great resource. Founded by James Wesley Rawles a former Army Intelligence Officer and author of "Patirots". Anything you need can be found there by searching the archives or reading the blog everyday for new posts.

[Just a Jarhead]

I should have added that just prior to securing the lids on your food grade buckets, throw a desiccant pack on top to absorb any moisture.

I make my own desiccant packs by going to a craft store and in the flower depart. you can buy a box of silica gel which is used for drying flower arrangements. I then get family sized (large tea bags although any size will work) remove the staple from the tea bag flap, dump the tea out and with a tea spoon fill the tea bags with the silica gel, re-staple. They're now ready for ammo cans or food buckets etc.

For about $10 for the box of silica gel and $4 for the tea bags you have enough supply to make a whole bunch of desiccant packs whenever you need them.

[High Desert]

Costco is better than a typical store for your bulk beans and rice, but the best prices I have found are at Restaurant supply stores. I also buy #10 cans of condiments too for a lot cheaper than even Costco.

+1 on Survivalblog and dont forget Backwoodshome.com

HD

[chadbag]

My concern is prices, specifically in regards to bulk grains, etc. I've seen HUGE price differences from my research online. I've seen Rice listed for $75+/50lb, then saw $15/50lb referenced here seen at Costco (unsure of date of thread in question). In either event, is there a difference in these, and where can I get the cheapest bulk grains that are good. Is Costco still a good source here?

Our Costco has white rice between aorund $18 and $30 per 50lb depending on what kind of rice. The regular long grain white is around $18. We buy the Homai brand medium grain white which is an asian sticky rice type white rice. That is $24.xx here locally. Various other basmati and Jasmine are more expensive.

Our local Costco also has 45lb wheat already sealed in the bucket (from a local supplier so I doubt this is a nation wide Costco thing) for $16.45.

Costco also has good brown rice -- a medium grain brown organic. It is around $13 or so and I think it is 15lb or thereabouts.

[Joeywhat]

So how about actually preparing these foods and making good meals out of them? I fancy myself a pretty good chef, but a lot of these ingredients are rather foreign to me...I am more used to their more processed brethren.

Take hard wheat for example (are wheat berries the same thing???). So far I'll I've been able to find regarding cooking them is to boil them for a long time...that sounds pretty gross. I'm sure in a pinch it's just fine as it's food and doesn't have to taste good to do it's job, but I'd rather make something I'll enjoy. What sort of consistency is it once cooked? Are there recipes out there for using it with different ingredients?

And what about powdered milk? Can it be used like 'normal' milk? I can figure out how to use rice and sugar and that...but some of these other things are completely new.

Any links for proven recipes?

[High Desert]

There are some books out there just for this.
Cooking with home storage by Peggy Layton is one.

Check out this site, scroll down to the cooking section.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/store/files/books.html

I strongly recomend this magazine too.

HD