Chapter 22 · Pantry and cooking without power
22.6 Long-term storage: buckets, Mylar, and absorbers
Studies from Brigham Young University (BYU), summarized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' storage guide, show that some dry foods, packed without oxygen and stored at 75 °F (24 °C) or below, remain acceptable for decades:
| Food | Estimated life in oxygen-free packaging, at 75 °F (24 °C) or below |
|---|---|
| Wheat, white rice, dry corn, sugar | 30 years or more |
| Pinto beans, rolled oats, pasta, potato flakes, dehydrated apple | 30 years |
| Nonfat dry milk, dehydrated carrot | 20 years |
Honest limits
- Those figures assume 75 °F or below. In a hot home or one without air conditioning for several months a year you will not reach them; rotate every few years.
- Dry foods only: 10% moisture or less. A moist food in oxygen-free packaging can produce botulinum toxin (USU; BYU).
- Not suitable for long-term storage: brown rice, whole wheat flour, nuts, granola, pearl barley, jerky, powdered eggs, brown sugar, dehydrated fruits and vegetables that do not snap when bent.
- They need water and fuel. Rice takes roughly 2 parts water to 1 part rice (follow the package); dry beans, soaking and one or two hours of cooking. With no water or gas, a bucket of beans is no use to you. That is why the rotating pantry comes first.
- Calories are not everything: rice and beans alone, for weeks on end, cause fatigue, digestive problems, and food aversion. Supplement with oil, salt, spices, canned goods, and vitamins.
- Beware of "25-year buckets" sold pre-assembled: check the total calories, not the "servings" (chapter 2).
How to pack in a bucket with a Mylar bag
- Materials: food-grade bucket with a gasketed lid, a Mylar bag that fits inside it, oxygen absorbers of the right size (the manufacturer states how many per volume; the BYU/Church guide specifies one 300 cc absorber per container of up to 1 gallon), a clothes iron or heat sealer, a marker.
- Freeze first the grain for 3 to 4 days at 0 °F (−18 °C) to kill insects (USU), and let it return to room temperature inside its sealed bag so it does not condense moisture.
- Fill the bag inside the bucket, leaving a few inches at the top to seal.
- Put the absorbers in last, quickly: they start working on contact with air. Keep any leftovers in a glass jar with a metal canning lid, not in resealable bags.
- Press out the air by squeezing the bag and seal it with the hot iron over a board, in one continuous line.
- Label it: contents, weight, and date. Close the bucket lid.
- Check the next day: the bag should look "sucked in" and hard. If not, the seal failed or there was not enough absorber.
