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buckets to store your grains, flour, sugar, and other dry goods in I
have found an excellent resource. I talked to the bakery department at
the Walmart in Shawnee and found that they sell the buckets with lids
for $1 each. The buckets held products like icing. Since they
contained food items, the buckets can safely be used for storing your
dry goods. The size of the buckets looks to be about 3 gallon
capacity. Lids fit snug, so you do not have to be concerned about bugs
getting into the buckets.
I ended up buying 6 buckets to start with. I am preparing to buy a bulk
amount of rice, flour, sugar, pasta, and oatmeal. Next stock up
shopping trip will include a variety of dried beans in bulk packages. I
am so thrilled to be able to do this. I have been wanting to store a
lot more of the basics and this is a way to do it. If the buckets have
a tight enough seal, you can go the extra step of buying oxygen
absorption packets to place in the buckets that will be stored. This
will increase the shelf life of the dry goods.
One tip that I want to share is my way of labeling the buckets. I am
going to a teacher supply store and buying the clear vinyl adhesive
sleeves that you can slip an index card into. It is basically a clear
pocket that can be adhered onto a school desk. I am going to place on
on each bucket to allow me the ability to change out the index card
labeling the contents and the date sealed. You can likely find a
similar product at an office supply store.
Check your local bakeries. You never know. You may find more
containers that you can use!
Blessings,
Paula
3 comments:
I to have gotten buckets from the bakery departments. I really like to grind my own wheat to make my own bread. This is a great way to store wheat.
Then I found out about Gamma Seal lids. These are lids that are in 2 parts: a ring that fits onto your bucket and a lid that screws in and out of the ring. "Transforms 12-inch diameter pails into airtight storage containers."
This really secures your items from bugs and moisture. You can get in and out of the buckets to get out what you might want or need and seal the bucket back up, easily without killing your hands trying to open the bucket. They come in a variety of colors so you can color code for your food.
There is a food storage company "Emergency Essentials" that currently has them listed at $7.50 each. I then decided to purchase buckets to fit my Gamma Seal lids after purchasing several bakery buckets, and in some instances, getting them for free.
Works for me!
If you have a Mormon (LDS) cannery near you, you can great deals on basic foods. Most LDS canneries allow non members to purchase food and to can there in #10 cans, or purchase bags (usually 25# bags) and take home to store in your buckets. I am not a member and have had no problems with purchasing there. In fact, sometimes they have volunteers who will help you can or load your car, or whatever you need help with. I suggest you call your local cannery in advance and ask questions that you might have, including if they sell to non members. They do not charge taxes. This is their current price list: http://www.providentliving.org/pfw/multimedia/files/pfw/pdf/123115_HSC_OrderForm_US_ENG_28_APR_2011_pdf.pdf
Good idea for the labels. But I hope you have better luck with the buckets and lids from the bakery than I did. The ones I got at our Walmart were okay just for collecting items that were already sealed if I put something on top to hold the lid down, but I couldn't reuse them for grain. The lids had already been "sprung" from having been opened. If you have the same problem, you might check the the hardware/paint section to see if they have new lids that fit those buckets. Good luck!
Here's a little more info on buckets.
http://livingprepared.blogspot.com/2011/08/plastic-buckets.html
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