Just have a question on how to protect your long term food storage at your Bugout location?
The Bugout location is in a remote area, off grid with no electricity, will only be occupied/ checked on once a month, and has one small cabin/shack.
Problems I have considered protecting against are animals mainly rodents, temperature out side temps range from -20f to 100f, moisture,and thieves.
Solutions? Is a root cellar a viable option? Some sort of sheet metal box fit 5 gal buckets in?
Just asking for a friend.
There's an old saying that good fences make good neighbors. Warning signs, even false ones, a few ADT markers, who knows we have underground power lines, how do they know there's no power?? DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE, or CAUTION DEADLY SHOCK HAZARD... just a few ideas off the top of my head for nosey bipedal pests.
I am now using a couple of old chest freezers for things not stored in glass. Ask me about the herd of raccoons that came through and devastated my vacuumed packed and tote stored grains, flours, etc.. Cripes, they even chewed the candles. Early days and many lessons learned since then.
OUCH!! As you said though, lessons learned
Reminds me when I was a wee lad. We had a wooden food box that we used to store our non refrigerated food in when we would go camping for a week. One night the field mice got in and eat over half of my Graham crackers and some other stuff. No Smores for this little guy! And that is how I learned my lesson. But now I need to learn how to prevent it (on a much larger scale of a years worth of food to protect). Thanks for sharing about the racoon. I think its great to incorporate real life experiences at times. As brings to live real problems and allow for more critical thing to find a better solution.
Might consider brand new metal trash cans?
I like that idea. Maybe stack buckets in the middle and Mylar bags filled with heaver stuff at the bottom and lighter stuff stacked on top. I will have to get some measurements and see if I can maximize the internal space.
Another thing learned..vacuum sealing is a fantastic way to store things, but always wash off the bags before storing though. I have a bucket filled with water, white vinegar and a couple of drops of Dawn soap, next to my work area. Every pack I do goes into that bucket to be washed after they are marked. Dried, then stored. No matter how well you think you have kept things off the outside of the bags, the scent will be there if not properly cleaned. This will also show if you have sealed properly or not.
Awesome tip!
Love this! I learn the best things from y’all.
@reneestump I'm glad..better learning here than losing 500 lbs. of flour and rice. Never mind the other stuff. Those killed me, lol.
Good call..tip noted and logged.
I'm going with dry canning rice and pasta into 1/2 gallon Ball jars. Insect and rodent proof. I keep other things in metal trash cans with lids.......rodent proof, if not strictly insect proof.........So far, so good. Since I largely rely on canned goods, not bulk foods, that simplifies things a bit......Bulk foods are probably more cost effective for a larger group, but I only have me and some cats, so canned goods are workable.
You probably already know that putting the dry goods into a freezer for a bit will kill any eggs from bugs. I usually put flours and such in for a week or more and then get it out and put it up. Never had a problem in over 25 years. Some things should be frozen if you can. Dry pet food keeps practically forever in the freezer. That way the oils do not go rancid. Yeah they take up space, but like you, it's me and my animals.
@Haunted55 Yeah, the rice goes into the freezer for a week minimum or until I decide to have a canning day. Dry cat food seems to have a "best by" date a year or so out. I keep a couple hundred pounds on hand, about a years worth. Too much for my current freezer space, but I do store it in metal trash cans to keep critters out. Maybe I need to look into a dedicated freezer. I have the space, so it might be something to pursue...........Thanks for your input :)