Making mixed-food mylar bags. Good idea, or not?

[John in WI]

Hello folks,
I finally came into a bit of side-income, and wanted to devote a couple more bucks to long term food storage. A few years ago, I mylar/oxygen absorber preserved several 5-gallon buckets of assorted rice, pasta, beans, lentils.... I packed them all separately. But recently, I was wondering if it would be a better idea to pack mylar bags with a mix of foods. So that opening 1 bag would provide a nutritious mix of carbs, protein, some variety...

I'm curious how you folks go about storing food? Big bags with just one food in them (ie, big bags of white rice, another with big bags of beans...). Or do you prefer to mix it up a bit?

I was thinking it would be a good idea, should something happen and I'd need to grab a couple of buckets and run, or who knows what could potentially happen.

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas on the matter!

 

[Oddcaliber]

Not a bad idea really. Just label the outside of the bucket or have something inside as a list of the content's.

 

[Cindyd]

Hello folks,
I finally came into a bit of side-income, and wanted to devote a couple more bucks to long term food storage. A few years ago, I mylar/oxygen absorber preserved several 5-gallon buckets of assorted rice, pasta, beans, lentils.... I packed them all separately. But recently, I was wondering if it would be a better idea to pack mylar bags with a mix of foods. So that opening 1 bag would provide a nutritious mix of carbs, protein, some variety...

I'm curious how you folks go about storing food? Big bags with just one food in them (ie, big bags of white rice, another with big bags of beans...). Or do you prefer to mix it up a bit?

I was thinking it would be a good idea, should something happen and I'd need to grab a couple of buckets and run, or who knows what could potentially happen.

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas on the matter!

I dont see why not. Seems like anything you can dry storage in mylar or food grade buckets, you could mix. I make "meals" (mixed ingredients), when pressure canning foods.

Others here may have opposing reasons why not to, and I'd to hear those, if any.

Here is a video on storing meals in a bag. I honestly didn't watched this all the way through, (she was too slow/boring me to death), but I think there are likely several on YT on this topic.

 

[Amish Heart]

I get most of my recipes from "Meals in a Jar" recipes...dry, just add water recipes. Then mylar them in the five by seven or eight by ten pouches. Pouches go in tubs or buckets labeled either main meals or side dishes, depending what they are. If it's a bean or rice recipe, I put the seasoning in a snack sized ziplock in the mylar bag, same with powders that might make a gravy in a recipe. Similar to what you would find if you opened up something like a store bought rice a roni where you have a couple of pouches in the box. Anyway, do this 365 times and you might have a year of dinners.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

This woman always has great videos on preparing meals in jars. Her way of canning is more like we did before Canners were invented. No one time use of lids for her! She uses Reusable lids .

 

[Amish Heart]

I would not do it this way, but my grandma did something similar with pork, after pig butchering each year. I still have her crocks. The pork was salted and cooked, put in the crock, hot lard poured over the top like a seal. Covered and put in the basement. I'm still not absolutely sure how they preserved and hung whole hams. Grandparents were born in 1900 and lived right down the road from here. Wish I could bring her back for a day. Our farm house was built in 1908.

 

[Cindyd]

I'm going to work on some of the meals in a jar dry recipes...I really like that idea a lot. Not sure why I haven't done any of those yet, but I'm kinda late in the game to pressure canning foods also, so that is my go to long term food storage, along with dehydrating.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

I would like to do this with the freeze dryer. Using a vacuum sealer on a jar is more of our go to than Mylar.

 

[Cindyd]

Yes, I use the vacuum sealer more than Mylar also. I've thought about getting a freeze dryer, but not convinced it's cost effective and seems like a lot of work/time consuming, they are expensive. Maybe if I were doing more bulk food storage than I currently do, I might justify it, but not convinced it's worth it just yet.

Would love to hear pros/cons on justifying cost of freeze dryer ftom those of you who have them.

I have the Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator, love it! Also have a Nesco, basic one that works not as good, but good enough.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

I wanted a dehydrator, my wife in her research went the step further.
Started out with fruits, seem to be best with eating straight.
Watch many videos before trying things. Biggest source of no info is how to reconstitute.
I have done berries, pineapple, avocado, peppers, cilantro and herbs
I did see a video that claimed a 24 hr period was about $1 run time.
Freeze Dried Skittles are pretty awesome.
Bought an Eye of Round (leanest cut of meat, fat doesn’t freeze dry) for my next experiment