Date: November 14, 1997 07:48 AM
Author: Art Welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net)
Subject: Storage containers and makeshift storage...

Howdy fellow travelers,

Firstus : I think I have solved my storage container questions. I have buckets and lids for much of what I plan. (time to get away from planning and start doing!) In addition, I have something else to pass on. Some time back our well went kerfutz for a few days. It's fine now, but I think the Lord was giving me a message. I learned how important our water source is, and I was given a new idea for storage. Since I have not had the well water retested yet,( although it LOOKS like better water than ever) I have had the family drinking store bought bottled water. $3 for a 6 gallon case. Now.... I am loath to throw those empty jugs out. I have always heard that they deteriorate and are not good for storage. Holding one in my hands, I saw the expiration date of the water for safe drinking was about 1.5 years in the future. Hmmmm....... That does not sound like a container that's going to quit soon. I looked on the bottom and found the jug makers name. Reid plastics. On a hunch I looked in our phone book, and whatya know, it's local !

I called them up and started asking questions. Q: "How long will this jug last if used for storage ?" A: " If you keep it out of the sun it will last just about forever". He went into a long technical plastics engineer explanation which basicly said "It wont get brittle or go bad as long as it's not exposed to UV".

We are going through 2-3 cases a week. Thats 18 gallon jugs a week. They fill easy, they store easy, they handle easy, they localize any bug problems, they make sense when you just want to open a small portion. Only one gallon of product is exposed rather than 6 gallons.

I can soon see buying wheat and other products from Waltons in the 50 pound sacks and packing it ourselves one gallon at a time.

Now.... As to storage space. I have plans and will carry them out this winter. But, for now, I noticed something I should have seen LONG ago. In our basement we have a spare chest freezer. Unused because we have a newer more efficient one in the garage. WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO STORE FOOD !!!! It's already sealed and insulated, can be kept bone dry, has easy access, and can be locked. AND it looks completly normal to any prying eyes. Dead chest freezers can be had for the asking just about anyplace. Think about it.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5670)

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Date: November 14, 1997 11:18 AM
Author: Art Welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net)
Subject: A flash of the obvious !


Just had a blinding flash of the obvious !

Once mr Freezer is filled and desicant dry, I'll light it off for several weeks. Once everything is hard frozen I can forget about any kind of buggy problem !!

Hmm... As long as I have a spare freezer, I could give this treatment to ALL I plan to store.....

Ye Ha !

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5676)

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Date: November 14, 1997 08:28 PM
Author: Lynn (hope1@breeze.net)
Subject: Frozen freezer


Art. sounds like you may have a good plan going with those jugs. But did you say you were going to start the spare freezer once it's full, and then what? If you turn it off you may have a condensation problem in that grain, or whatever is in those bottles. I am not sure, but if it freezes, then warms again I think moisture will collect. Al will probably know, maybe he'll look in and tell us. I have, in the past saved big glass or plastic gallon jugs, hard when the lids go bad, theya rea usually metal and eventually rust. But many jugs are standardized in size , so any found lids may work. I check out the second hand shops, and the deli counters at the grocery.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5695)

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Date: November 15, 1997 08:47 AM
Author: Art Welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net)
Subject: Lynn,


My idea is to put my storage containers together as dry as I can get them, just like normal, except use the freezer as a place to keep some of it. The material inside the packaging is dry, and I can dry the interior of the freezer with desicant (by the pound at WalMart). If the environment is dry then there is no moisture to form frost. All I have to do is leave the blinkin door shut till it warms up again. Hard to do as I am natually curious !

Let you know starting two weeks from now how well it works.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5716)

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Date: November 15, 1997 09:16 AM
Author: Will_richards (will_richards@hotmail.com)
Subject: test


Art, you might consider doing a small test lot and reporting back so we will know. If you test a small lot you will loose less if it is funk. I am sure you have thought of this, but it is one of those things we need to be reminded of sometimes. I can't tell how many times a new idea has cost me big when it should have been a little mistake.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5718)

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Date: November 15, 1997 08:26 PM
Author: Lynn (hope1@breeze.net)
Subject: test


Now I understand! I missed the part about the dessicant. I, as will, would like to hear about a test too. Two weeks is likely to get us into a new thread and I might not find your post about it. By the way, the homemade garlic bread is great, and the homemade grapenuts ceral is very good, more tender than the storebought stuff, which I find I get tired of before the end of the box.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5743)