Best Long Term Food

Assuming the scenario doesn't impact wildlife, here, we have all kinds of options. Fishing, of course, but also birds, snakes, frogs (seems we'd never run out of those), bugs, armadillos, possum, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit, boar, and deer are all wild here. I'm sure I'm forgetting some others. Sure, we're all used to chicken or beef, but really, there are a LOT of food options for just about anyone, in any area. If you really think about it.

Also, there are a few great vids out there on waxing your own cheese (even store bought cheese), where you can preserve it for YEARS....

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Cavemanjoe said:

We stock up on freeze dried noodles, pasta's and rice, beans and canned fruit and vegetables in case the garden is empty, but cooking daily with fresh veggies and beans and rice, now have a 3 month supply and monthly adding to it , using large 50 ltr boxes at the moment, but the buckets with cover from any fastfood restaurant are a better idea ?

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I have been using old pickle and icing buckets from grocery stores. Normally you can go in and ask for them or get on a list to have them saved for you. I put flours, sugars, pastas, rice, beans. etc.. It just depends on what your family eats really and I rotate often and have never had any problems with them.

geez,have to have those buckets and I know where to get hold of them,they put those kind of buckets out for grab at my school,washed and ready for use, oh please kick me hard on my butt for not realizing it earlier,well blond and stupid sometimes....just stay in the queue and wait for your school dinner and keep on watching that table with all those buckets....

jontte said:

geez,have to have those buckets and I know where to get hold of them,they put those kind of buckets out for grab at my school,washed and ready for use, oh please kick me hard on my butt for not realizing it earlier,well blond and stupid sometimes....just stay in the queue and wait for your school dinner and keep on watching that table with all those buckets....

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We all wake up more and more from all the messages on this forum, its really helping us all? Hopefully we have more time to prepair before a SHTF disaster?

I have a very limited budgets and any ideas to save some money too get more preps is awesome.
And I have a few questions on this topic.
What kind of shelf life can I expect out of these do it yourself buckets?
Do the gamma seal lids work better?
What do they help?
Do you have to add oxygen and water absorbers?
Do you just throw the dried goods in it loose or keep in bags?

I just been buying the buckets. But I've kind of went away from the meals. To staples like rice and corn meals specific 30 pound buckets and are cheaper. And the large cans of dried apples and bananas etc etc. I've gotten a little stocked away. And I haven't quite figured how to do or what to do about meat yet. Id definitely like some direction here. Do I get canned meat? Like spam or tuna fish etc etc?

BiteMe707 said:

I just been buying the buckets. But I've kind of went away from the meals. To staples like rice and corn meals specific 30 pound buckets and are cheaper. And the large cans of dried apples and bananas etc etc. I've gotten a little stocked away. And I haven't quite figured how to do or what to do about meat yet. Id definitely like some direction here. Do I get canned meat? Like spam or tuna fish etc etc?

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I would just buy what you allready eat. Just be sure to rotate as you buy more. Canned goods last a lot longer than their expiration date, but some things last better than others. I had some tuna cans that were still edible after two years, but started getting mushy. Yet the canned chicken was still fine. I can grow and home can veggies pretty well now, so with that knowledge I feel it's better than stockpiling food. I do have an emergency stockpile of food, probably better than 6 months, but it is for a natural disaster or job layoff. Long term I feel your better learning to make your own, hunt and forage.

BiteMe707 said:

I have a very limited budgets and any ideas to save some money too get more preps is awesome.
And I have a few questions on this topic.
What kind of shelf life can I expect out of these do it yourself buckets?
Do the gamma seal lids work better?
What do they help?
Do you have to add oxygen and water absorbers?
Do you just throw the dried goods in it loose or keep in bags?

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I just did some quart jars of rice and some of beans. I washed the jars and lids, then dried them in the oven at 170 deg. For several minutes. Then I filled them with the dry product, and they went back into the oven for about thirty minutes. You don't want to cook them, just removing any extra moisture. Then I took a 300 cc oxy absorber and put it on top of the food and put the lids on the jars. They pop when the jar cools and the oxygeon absorber begins working, sealing the jar tight. You do have the initial expense of buying the jars, but since they can be used over and over it averages out much cheaper than buying pre made goods. I have some rice in jars that's over three years old and you can't tell the difference from fresh bought.

Pick up 5 gallon food grade buckets from a local grocery store (in the bakery or deli) or even restaurants for free. I keep my flour, sugar, pinto beans and rice in these and the 25 lb bags fit in nicely (opened and dumped). We use these items on a regular basis and I rotate when needed. I do not use any oxygen absorbers or anything else. You want to clean and sterilize them first and get any smells out of them as that can and will leach into whatever you store in the buckets. Normally I will fill them up with bleach water and let them sit for a week and then clean them out. Make sure they are totally dried before you add anything to them. For other items, such as different brown and powdered sugar or pastas, I leave them in their original bags and then rotate them in a 3 gallon bucket. Been doing it this way for over 10 years now and have never had any problems. I am on a tight budget too, so totally understand. I do also grow my veggies and fruits and can my food every year so that is also rotated. I try to grow as much as possible in order to save money and also cut corners on living expenses where I can. Hanging out laundry and not turning on unnecessary lights are examples. Hope that helps

I grew up in the woods and on the lake so hunting and fishing are my pastime lol. This fall I'm planning on looking into a pressure cooker and supplies and try my hand in canning. Gardening I've done some of that. But live in a town home right now so that's not much of an option. Although my wife wants to learn to garden. So if were still stuck their next year. I'm trying to figure out a way to build a shelf system for a sort of make shift garden. But we put a pot with a cucumber plant in a pot looked great was going good. But all of a sudden it just wilted and died. So its not going to be near as easy as I figured it would be. But we will try again next spring. And that's another reason to get the pressure cooker and learn to can. But there's definitely going to be a substantial initial investment I've seen oh well. I'm also thinking about getting some literature and studying up on how to make a smoke house. Seems to be a decent way to preserve meat. Id think about dehydrating but without power to run an oven or dehydrator it seems kind of pointless since idk how else you'd do it.

The rice and beans in the jars is a good idea. Ill have to try it. And food grade pails. OK I'll have to look into that but do the gamma lids help in preserving or unnessesary? I've picked up a 26 lb bucket of brown rice and 28 lb pound bucket of white rice and i think 28 pounds of corn meal from Walmart they run about 28 bucks a pop at Walmart. In bulk what does it run? Is it quite a bit cheaper? Beans I need to start looking into also and their high in protein so I'd be definitely nice to have a nice stock on hand. I started with potted meats so got a way to go there. Itll help once I can get started canning. But my personal goal is 6 months for 4 people. I started out buying a few pails of the pre made just add water pails. But then switched to staples cause they just seemed way to expensive for what you get. And thought there had to be better more cost effective ways. And how important is it have salt and sugar stored?

Sugar is nice for baking and also canning, but honey is a replacement. Salt is a definite and I stock the non iodize These I use for canning, but it is a must to preserve, meats in a smokehouse, veggies in a crock, etc.

BiteMe707 said:

The rice and beans in the jars is a good idea. Ill have to try it. And food grade pails. OK I'll have to look into that but do the gamma lids help in preserving or unnessesary? I've picked up a 26 lb bucket of brown rice and 28 lb pound bucket of white rice and i think 28 pounds of corn meal from Walmart they run about 28 bucks a pop at Walmart. In bulk what does it run? Is it quite a bit cheaper? Beans I need to start looking into also and their high in protein so I'd be definitely nice to have a nice stock on hand. I started with potted meats so got a way to go there. Itll help once I can get started canning. But my personal goal is 6 months for 4 people. I started out buying a few pails of the pre made just add water pails. But then switched to staples cause they just seemed way to expensive for what you get. And thought there had to be better more cost effective ways. And how important is it have salt and sugar stored?

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Lots of people forget salt, sugar and spices. Ok, great, there's a natural disaster, all the grocery stores are bare. You were prepared though, and have raw staples stored for six months. Ever try eating beans and rice with no seasonings? Even my rice is cooked in turkey or chicken broth, which I have several cases of jars put up. Don't just store food, cook with it till you work out what you will need with it.
One thing I was considering was how hard it will be to live without electricity. I can things currently in a fully equipped kitchen. That's with plenty of clean running water, sanitizing dishwasher, blender, electric stove, etc. it's still really labor intensive. I can only imagine how tough it would be to have to haul buckets of creek water, chop wood for the fire, etc. I think the only way to survive would be with a team effort, with several people sharing chores.

Danil54grl said:

Sugar is nice for baking and also canning, but honey is a replacement. Salt is a definite and I stock the non iodize These I use for canning, but it is a must to preserve, meats in a smokehouse, veggies in a crock, etc.

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I've got to learn about bees, for both the honey and to help pollinate all the plants.

What kind of shelf life can I expect out of these do it yourself buckets?

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Really depends on what's stored. Dry beans, rice, etc. can last for around 15 years!

Do the gamma seal lids work better?

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Both types will seal fine, but the gamma lids are easier to go in and out of.

What do they help?

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In addition to making it easier to go in and out of, they also come in lots of colors to allow for some coding.

Do you have to add oxygen and water absorbers?

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Typically, yes, depends on product being stored. While O2 is great for storing beans, for example, putting them in with sugar will result in a big sugar cube.

Do you just throw the dried goods in it loose or keep in bags?

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Most recommend mylar bags, as it can help keep out certain parasites that may contaminate. Generally, you want to take it out of the existing bag.

We're still experimenting how long the rice lasts, here in the Philippines we have much warmer weather and more moisture, but so far 3 months is what is the limit here. I have not tried the sealed buckets but will do so shortly?
Our garden produces year around so for now no need for canning. No hunting here, only animals are chickens, pigs and cows and goats. but no animals for hunting? Humidity is the biggest problem with storage here? Specially inside our Cave Home humidity is high but temperatures are little lower than outside and difference between day and night are only minimal, like 3 degrees C. While outside temps differ 10-12 degrees C.

I suspect we'll get into canning just as I'm sure the garden will produce more than we consume before it would go bad. While not opposed to sharing produce with friends, first and foremost, we're doing to supplement our groceries, avoid GMO produce, and to actually have a stockpile build up.

Gazrok said:

I suspect we'll get into canning just as I'm sure the garden will produce more than we consume before it would go bad. While not opposed to sharing produce with friends, first and foremost, we're doing to supplement our groceries, avoid GMO produce, and to actually have a stockpile build up.

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Canning apples is a really easy thing to start on. They can just be submerged and boiled for twenty minutes and be safe. You don't need a pressure canner. They keep well, and make great pies and breads. I like a pressure cooker, but water bath canning is a great inexpensive way to get started. And can safely store tomatoes, pickles and apples.

Aside from my gardens. I never cared much for Wise foods, I tend to favor Augason Farms (20-25yrs) and Mountain House (15-20yrs), Mountain House being better tasting. Stay away from MRE's they generally only have a 5yr shelf life and that depends of the temps, MRE's stored above 75deg will shorten the shelf life. Given the drought here got me to change my plan a bit, generally I rely on my gardens but because one of the creeks that I pump from has become very low forcing this garden down for the year so in this unusual weather pattern I decided to increase my long term freeze dried food storage.

Also keep in mind that these buckets require water, each of my buckets require 11gal of water, each bucket will feed two people for 6 days, if you decide to go this rout you must take the water into consideration and increase your water storage as will!