10 x 5 Gallon Mylar bags - help with contents

[Moony]

Anyone using one of those foodsaver machines?

I do have a vacuum sealer like in the vids but didnt use it for stuff im putting in mylar + buckets, bit overkill if u ask me, but i might give it a go ! ( you can't actually directly vacuum seal mylar bags with one of those machines btw, they need specially designed bags with air channels inside.)

A few extra tips:
1) leave your oxygen absorbers exposed to air for as little time as possible, do all the packing + partially seal the bag up before you even open the package the absorbers. Open and add them at the end, remember you need to seal up any unused ones as soon as possible.
2) As many people here want to keep their preps private, I'd recommend labelling the bags/buckets with numbers and keeping a list of contents. A 5gallon bucket with 'Pasta' written on it stands out a bit, if it just has a '3' it could be any old junk you are storing out of the way

[Justin Time]

Well, the buckets have arrived and it's time to choose the contents.
Had a quick trip to the cash n carry for a recce and was blown away with the choices for rice.
I haven't even looked at other items yet because of the sheer difference in the prices for rice.
I took some photos so you guys can give me some input.


Look at the difference in price for these two 20kg bags.
Can someone explain why?


heres one with an in betweeny price


So much to choose from.


The price differences are bewildering. What is broken rice?


Then theres 5kg Thai rice. I'd like to know about the difference

and just for info heres two 40kg bag prices

[Ferricks]

hi there! The whole rice thing is crazy and I find it exhausting! However, I've made a personal decision to go with basmati - it stores really well and my whole family likes taste so that's what we're going with (i find long grain too sticky and have no idea what most of the rest actually are. I'm using fizzy juice bottles in thick boxes to keep the light out in the wee box room that's rapidly filling up and causing my husband great concern in terms of the joist strain.....

Why don't you try small packs of rice from the supermarket and conduct a "taste test" there's no real nutritional difference between different white rice but there's also no point in making a possibly desperate situation even more miserable by having to wade through 10kg of tasteless gloop........

[Justin Time]

You make some important points there Ferricks.
I too am going for basmati but will defo try the other types as a test.
I was recommended the K2 variety in the cash n carry (which is the cheap one) by an Indian gentleman.
Your comment on long grain is noted but I have heard that a few drops of white vinegar in the water while boiling will stop the sticky situation. I haven't tried this yet so can't verify.
Another important point I need to consider is nutritional value. The difference in price surely can't reflect a difference in nutritional content so the only thing left to consider must be taste.
If anyone can correct me on the nutrition of one versus another please let me know asap. I really have no idea.
So, in conclusion to the rice quandary, I'm going with the recommendation for now in one of my buckets. I will most likely have some left over and will gladly post a tester out if anyone is in the same predicament. more on this when the 10 buckets a filled.

[Justin Time]

I'm the type of bloke who can put my hand to most things. give me wood, brick or wire and I'm like a pig in s**t.
Put a cooking pan in front of me and I'm likely to burn the water.

Here's a list of stuff that I'm considering for the 8 buckets that are left. Rice and Pasta already reserved. I could really do with prioritising the remaining buckets.

wheat 20kg brow farm 21.55
buckwheat 20kg brow farm 29.95
oat groats 20kg brow farm 29.53
beans/pulses broth mix 25kg suma 31.09
butter beans 25kg suma 36.5
black eye beans 25kg suma 39
chick peas 25kg suma 38.65
green split peas 25kg suma 36
kidney beans 25kg suma 37.25
brown lentils 25kg suma 22.5
green lentils 25kg suma 26.25
red lentils split 25kg suma 24.75
marrowfat peas 25kg suma 25
green split peas 25kg suma 21.75
yellow split peas 25kg suma 21.5
bran flakes 25kg suma 62
oatmeal 25kg suma 17
oat bran 25kg suma 25.49
porrige oats 25kg suma 17.89
muesli 25kg suma 57
mixed nuts chopped 25kg suma 117.8

sorry for the messy list, copied it straight from spreadsheet

[Moony]

You might want to consider the calories / number of meals you'll get out of each of these buckets. I don't know if you are storage space limited (I suspect probably not) but if you are it's worth going for whatever will give you the most calories per bucket. You'll get a lot less pasta per bucket than rice for example, as you're storing alot more air gaps. The amount of food you store should be calculated not by weight but by the total number of calories / your chosen daily calorie intake (2,000 is a good round figure). If the SHTF you shouldn't be worrying about keeping your calorie count DOWN, but keeping it UP, as you are likely to burn more doing additional manual work and simply to keep warm (depending on the scenario).
I notice your list all has 25kgs for each item - don't expect that because you can fit 25kg of rice in your bucket size the same will be true for everything else. If you buy 25kg of porridge oats you'll probably fill 2 buckets, whereas some of the denser foods might not even fill 1. If possible get a smaller amount of each (1kg ?) and see how much volume that takes up to calulate how much 25kg will fill up (or alternatively how much you need to buy to fill 1 bucket)
Ultimately however, store what you are going to eat and what you (and whoever you are sharing preps with) likes ! Theres no point storing 100kgs of green lentils if you hate the bloody things

[Moony]

Im still waiting for my buckets to turn up currently, Ampulla are out of stock and waiting for deliveries, so all my stuff is in plastic boxes and the mylars and oxy-absorbers are just sitting there waiting !
My own 10 buckets (when they come) will contain:
1. Sugar
2. Salt
3. Baking soda
4. Fuller's earth (cat litter for toilet use )
5. Wheat
6. TVP (mince Textured Veg Protein, has particularly good shelf life in mylar apparently)
7. Rice
8. Pasta
9. Couscous
10. Oats

[Justin Time]

Thanks Moony
Didn't know that cat litter was perishable.
Also the first time I've ever heard of TVP. I was looking for some sort of meat substitute, this could well be it.
I'm also looking for a milk substitute, any recommendations?

You could have just helped me complete my first 10 buckets. I will be so relieved when they are done. I feel as though I've been dragging my heels.

[Moony]

Thanks Moony
Didn't know that cat litter was perishable.

It's not perishable (nor is salt/sugar really) but I'm sticking it in buckets to prevent moisture / pests getting at it and causing damage. I won't be mylaring + adding oxygen absorbers to that stuff either

[Squirrel hunter]

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Mix and match the contents, with smaller amounts of each item in each bucket in individual packages.

5 gallon mylar is too much in a lot of cases, and is better in five one gallon bags or smaller on a lot of the items.

Also using zip-lock bags inside the main one is also a good idea as seen at http://www.buildanark.net/index.php?vid ... 20Mae.html

The owner of the site has a strong religious back-ground as do many of their friends, many people don't have such beliefs, but each to their own.