Storing Rice & Beans

[NoFlinch]

I vac. sealed about 20# of 13 bean soup mix, in 4 cup packets, (I got about 15 packets), but am concerned about moisture.

Should I have included a moisture pack in each?

I'm going to vac seal rice next week.

I thought about just putting 2 or 3 "packets" (the 4 cup packets) in mylar bags and sealing them.

Do I need moisture absorbers in the mylar bags?

What size, if so?

Where to buy Mylar bags & moisture absorbers?

Is the local LDS cannery a good place to shop?

Thanks

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[spectra]

I packed up rice in gallon size or bigger back in 11 I think but anyway all I used was the oxygen absorbers and that was it. I think I used 2 of the smaller ones and it has worked perfect. I just opened one the other day and it was good to go.

I have also done beans but have not opened them yet but do feel that they will be find.

I just purchased my stuff of the net when I bought it.

Also found my wifes hair straightener works great for sealing up the bags I had a machine but did not like the way it worked. Also remember once you open a bag and empty it out save the bag. It can be used to seal up other items besides food such as ammo or other gun related items.

This place looks familiar but not sure if that is who I used http://www.sorbentsystems.com/mylar.html

 

[jbett98]

Winco for the oxygen absorbers and eBay for the Mylar bags.
I use my wife's clothing iron (with no water in it) and a 24" spirit level that has grooves on one side.
The grooves gives me five seals at the same time.
I also use my vacuum sealers jar adapters rubber tube to suck most of the air out before I'm near the end of the sealing process.
Large bucket when filling 5 gallon buckets worth of product. 1 gallon bucket for smaller product.
Put Mylar in 5 gallon bucket, fill with product, throw in O2 bags and then set the level across the top of the bucket, start ironing from one side while the vacuum tube is removing air from the other corner and when it shrinks down tight, pull out tube and finish ironing.
Fold Mylar into bucket and cap with bucket lid.
Mark bucket with content/date with felt pen.
Immediately re-vacuum pack the O2 absorbers.

 

[spectra]

Winco for the oxygen absorbers and eBay for the Mylar bags.
I use my wife's clothing iron (with no water in it) and a 24" spirit level that has grooves on one side.
The grooves gives me five seals at the same time.
I also use my vacuum sealers jar adapters rubber tube to suck most of the air out before I'm near the end of the sealing process.
When I am filling 5 gallon buckets worth of product. 1 gallon bucket for smaller product.
Put Mylar in 5 gallon bucket, fill with product, throw in O2 bags and then set the level across the top of the bucket, start ironing from one side while the vacuum tube is removing air from the other corner and when it shrinks down tight, pull out tube and finish ironing.

I did not know Wino had the absorbers. Will have to check them out next time I am there. I have also used the 5 gallon bags and the level method it works pretty good. But after the wifes hair iron I wont go back. I also picked up 30 to 40 buckets with lids off craigslist for a dollar each years ago. My only issue is a 5 gallon bucket of rice will net get eaten in our house so I break them up into smaller portions.

 

[7SFCW4]

Reminder: Think Home Depot. Home Depot has the best prices on 5GAL food grade plastic buckets, and re-sealable Gama Seal Lids, with free shipping. The lids are available in black and the buckets in white, but...

 

[NoFlinch]

So, does anyone have answers to my questions????????

 

[sig40shooter]

NoFlinch, I have not used the moisture packets with dried goods. I did just open 4 year old rice from a Mylar bag and O2 absorber. It was just fine. no sign of moisture... I suppose it couldn't hurt though. As far as the buying the bags, I get mine on Amazon. I haven't stored more food for a while but they used to have some pretty good deals there. I'd check them out. Good luck!

 

[NoFlinch]

NoFlinch, I have not used the moisture packets with dried goods. I did just open 4 year old rice from a Mylar bag and O2 absorber. It was just fine. no sign of moisture... I suppose it couldn't hurt though. As far as the buying the bags, I get mine on Amazon. I haven't stored more food for a while but they used to have some pretty good deals there. I'd check them out. Good luck!

O2 absorber and moisture packets are the same thing, correct?

Sounds like if I vacuum seal the rice/beans/etc, vac. seal it it in a Mylar bag, and throw in a o2 absorber, I'd be REALLY good to go...

Or just using a Mylar bag without o2 absorbers.

Or vac. sealing w/o any o2 absorbers in commercial (home) vac. bags.

I'm trying to do this only once, so detailed, accurate info is appreciated.

THANKS!

 

[308]

I use the airtight long term storage buckets from Bob's Red Mill over near Milwaukie.

 

[spectra]

When I did mine I used mylar bags and o2 absorbers. I do not think the o2 absorbers do anything for moisture and have not run into any problems with moisture after 4 yrs. I opened a bag the other day and rice was dry and good to go.

I just put the rice and 2 to 3 absorbers in a gallon size bag maybe bigger and got as much ait out if it before sealing it up. Within a few days the absorbers do there thing and the bag is empty of the air. I have also done this with 5 gallon size bags with bigger o2 absorbers and it also worked real well.

I think you will be good with how you are planning to do it. You can always try one bag and see how it works out. Do a test run let it sit for a few months.

I also store all my stuff in a cool dry place that the temp pretty much stays the same all year long.

 

[308]

Something else for storing food is using Diatomaceous Earth. It is safe to ingest, but it scratches insects whether present or emerging, causes them to lose moisture and die very quickly.

 

[leadischeap]

I'd be leary of DE. The only raves for it are on sites selling DE. Anything the kills bugs in the garden isn't something I want to put down my pipes.
No FDA, USDA or State Ag Departments recommend it as safe or useful in food.
Beyond that, you really should be rotating your food stocks so you don't have to eat 10 year old rice or beans. You sure as ish wouldn't intentionally go to the store and seek out ten year old food.

Do like the Mormans. Incorporate being prepared into your everyday pantry food rotation. That way you don't freak out your family's digestive systems with wild dietary swings.

 

[Redrum]

Mylar bags need to go inside something stronger like a bucket to protect them from being punctured. O2 absorbers are moister removers..water is H2O. remove the O and all you have left is Hydrogen gas. also bugs cant breath hydrogen. another thing you can do is get a tank of hydrogen from a welding store and make a hose on/off nozzle setup. You flood the bag with the gas after the grain goes in and before you seal it. this displaces the air in the bag and makes it so you don't need as many O2 absorbers and they dont have to work as hard so they work longer.

Grain stored in plastic buckets with mylar bags like this will be good for years and you wont be able to tell 10 year old from 10 month old. its the processed food or semi processed stuff (like flour) and stuff thats not grains you wanna rotate.

If your storing wheat..then you need to eat wheat regularly..or else store lots of TP for the day you start eating the food storage. Rice you don't need to worry

beans and rice together are a complete protein and you can live off just that alone. also my personal favorite food.

You need to be a LDS member or know someone who is LDS and go with them to use the Bishops storehouse/cannery. Bishops Storehouse isn't open to the public.

 

[leadischeap]

NoFlinch

The cliche' 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket' applies here.
Go with O2 absorbers, multiple small packages. Rotate ALL your food. Rice never has 0 moisture content. Any food degrades over time. Oils break down, colors and flavors change.

Anybody who fills a 5 gal can full and doesn't check the quality by eating the food is just wishing and hoping. Being prepared means making habits out of strategies. Are you planning for the STHTF on a day of 0% humidity, air conditioning and electric working fine and plenty of gas in the car?
Or a day trying not to freeze in the sleet under a tarp with your youngest child as your only help within 20 miles?
Pop the top on a 5 gal bucket in the rain and now you have 5 gal of rice that needs to be cooked NOW.
Check your equipment, practice your skills in bad weather and be sure your backup food is edible.
Hell, even MacDonalds throws away perfectly 'edible' hamburgers after they are an hour old.

 

[Redrum]

wow....just wow

 

[coop44]

I always have rice and beans on hand, because I like them! store them both in gallon freezer bags never a problem. always get nervous when I'm down to one bag (about 5 pounds). because I use them both I'm never eating anything that's been stored more than 6 months. 25 pounds of rice goes a long way

 

[peetar]

I didn't know winco foods had O2 absorbers until recently. Good info.
Also, the O2 absorbers will essentially vacuum seal any bag that has a good seal. I did some rice with mylar bags (sealed them with hair straightener) and it is hard as a rock now LOL. The O2 absorber sucked all the air into itself and the thing is awesome.

 

[NoFlinch]

wow....just wow

WOW........I don't have any idea what this means....Just WOW......

 

[Martini_Up]

Temperature has very much to do with how long beans / rice can be stored and remain edible. The cooler and dryer, the longer.

 

[Redrum]

"Wow..just wow" ...was directed at the only person in this thread who hasn't contributed a single thing to the actual topic the thread is about, but feels the need to tell others how wrong they are. When in reality that person has consumed more diatomaceous earth in their lifetime than they obviously realize and fails to understand that no where did anyone recommend actually eating straight DE. Also no one advocated eating 10 year old stored anything over fresh or recommended not checking your food storage to make sure its all still good.

To get this back on track..... If you just use the bible as a historical record and exclude the religious aspects. Then you will learn the Egyptians were able to store enough grain for 7 years to feed their entire country thru another 7 years of famine.. thats 14 years total without 02 sensors, plastic buckets or Mylar bags. In Vietnam the Viet Cong were able to store tons of rice for months on end in the jungles of one of the wettest countries in the world, without the benefits of the modern tech we have today. Was it perfect? no. Did they loose a percentage? surely they did. The technology we have today only makes it easier for us.

WINCO also has a very good price on Gamma lids.