Freeze Emergency Supplies?????

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therealsteamer

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NW Ohio but dreamin' of Shreveport
Long Story Short (sort of)... My wife and I have given in to the "Bird Flu Paranoia" and have insisted that we keep an ample supply of staples on hand. She works in the not so local mall and has "connections" that allow her to bring home the empty buckets from the "cookie place" that they get icing in. These vary from 5 gallon, 3 gallon and 1 gallon. They have an O-ring seal in the lid. Anyway, we clean the hell out of 'em and use them to store bulk sugar, flour and rice. She has just now told me on her breaks she read in a cooking book that these supplies should be frozen to last for any peroid of time (anything past 4 months). Is this correct????? Can anyone give me any realistic (cheap) suggestions for other stuff to keep on hand... We are on the great American limited budget and already keep the pantry heavily stocked w/canned goods. ANY suggestions and info would be greatly appreciated.......

Steamer
 
Steamer, do you think people have always had freezers? ;)

Your supplies will do just fine.
 
Thirdrail,

You need to read the "Food For Survival" thread and the links off of it first.

How long you expect to need to store food determines how you store it. You don't need to freeze flour/beans/rice/ but you do need to protect it from insects, moisture and air. Putting your own flour into sealed buckets is like putting it in an air tight canister on your kitchen counter. It will last longer than in the open, but not too much longer. If you exhaust all the air out of the sealed container you still have air trapped in the flour. The only way to get to that air is to put an oxygen absorber in the bucket with the flour. Doing that will extend the shelf life of the flour by probably a factor of 4. To store dry goods for extended periods of time you only need to keep the insects, moisture and air out. Doing that is the challenge.
 
My family always bought flour, sugar, and rice in huge bulk quantities to save money. These were kept on hand i excess of 4 months as a matter of routine without ill effect. just keep them dry (which the seals will accomplish) and free of vermin and you shouldbe fine. The whole point of flour and rice is that they keep quite well.
 
Wheat stores a lot longer than flour but then you need a grain mill. Some of these grains , beans and things can be purchased purged with nitrogen and sealed , they will keep a long time .A freezer also requires a generator in case the power goes out .
 
The old time remedy of dried bay leaves in pastas, rice and flour will keep the bugs out. Just remove when using. If your constitution is sturdy, the bugs will die when cooked and add protein.
 
As I understand it, you freeze them to kill any bugs or larvae that might have gotten in there. After it's been frozen for a couple weeks, it can be stored somewhere else. At least that's the reasoning I've heard behind it.
 
tis a problem. i have been searching for long term storage solutions since Y2K reared its head. many sources state that bugs come in the flour and beans in egg form (tiny) and are generally not easily sifted out at this stage. even sifting out the adults leaves the eggs they have deposited. only thing i know to do is ignore this and enjoy your meal. as mentioned, added protein. picky eaters will love it after a few days of doing without. i know i will
 
Carbon Dioxide!

Your answer is carbon dioxide. Do a search for Dry Ice Preservation.

Without going into details:

clean bucket. THOROUGHLY dry out said bucket and lid.
put x amount of dry ice in the bottom, making sure to use gloves, and keep as much moisture off it as possible.
layer of newspaper/papertowel or parchment to keep food from sticking to the dry ice.
load up with food
set the lid on the top, without hammering down to activate the seal.

Ice evaporates leaving carbon dioxide behind, which is heavier than oxygen, and pushes oxygen up and out of the lid.

When ice evaporates completely, the base of bucket no longer cold to the touch. I crack the lid just enough to slip a fresh oxygen absorber in, and then hammer it down. Voila!

No oxygen, no bugs.
 
I've been using flour that's older than I am (I'm 19 right now) without a problem. Ditto rice, sugar, and salt.

All sealed, kept in airtight containers in the basement.
 
JJpdx, what a great idea. no oxy, no bugs. now for a source of dry ice in a small town. dont see why co2 from a fire extinguisher won't work, heavier than air etc. cheap, no, but compare cheap with hunger, see which wins. course, if hungry. would eat bugs and all and be glad for it. beats a handful of leaves.
 
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