I currently have rice/beans/legumes stored in 5 gallon buckets with alpha seals. Do I need to repackage food in in mylar bags?

Question

I currently have rice/beans/legumes stored in 5 gallon buckets with alpha seals.  Do I need to repackage food in in mylar bags?

Riley Rabs · Accepted Answer

I've only been doing 1 year storage for five years. From 2015 til 2020 I had just used 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids. I don't have room for multiple years of storage with 7 kids, and we've been moved a lot because my husband's military injury, so we buy a year supply of food and eat it down and reorder. I thought one year would be too quick to get bugs. And I did not have bugs...until this past year.   I bought some new wheat in the spring of 2020, had run out of my 2019 supply. Well, my luck ran out! My beautiful organic red wheat, nice 8 buckets full, was swarming with bugs in a matter of no time! Sure, I could have eaten it, but what would be the point? Those bugs ate all through my wheat, taking all the nutrients and pooping it out at the botton of the buckets! Also, my Calrose Rice, 5 buckets! I decided that mylar was no longer a waste of time and money after that! I get mylar and O2 absorbers from Azure Standard, it's pretty cheap with them and I know I am getting a good product through them.  Learn from my mistakes, and may your food forever be free of pesky little pests. :)

peregrinant · Answer

I have beans and rice still in the bag that I stuffed into homer buckets over five years ago and it's fine. I also have cracked corn over five years old in a 55 gallon plastic barrel and it's also good. Now other grains like wheat should probably be treated to avoid weevil infestation. One method is vacuum sealing in mylar bags and adding an O2 absorber. If you use this method you DO NOT need food grade buckets! That is a waste of money, since the contents are already protected by the bag. Another incorporates adding diotomaceous earth to the bucket. If you are going to use the sealing method 5 gallon bags are fine for 2-4 people. Remember that white rice has a long shelf life so the rice will keep fine after opening that size bag. I once used a vacuum cleaner and an iron to seal bags. Not pretty but it worked.