# Sugar



## Kidzthinkimahoarder

What's the best way to store sugar?


----------



## Verteidiger

We use Tupperware containers - the lids seal very tight, the plastic is unbreakable, and is airtight and watertight.


----------



## Kidzthinkimahoarder

Thank you. I was wondering how it was best kept, I was thinking a 5 gallon bucket with a sealable lid too? I'm getting quite a few 5lb bags, and the next purchase is going to be one of those 14lb bags. Didn't want ants getting into it...


----------



## Kidzthinkimahoarder

Yea, I've noticed. 

But I've been able to find 5lbs bags, Great Value "Pure Cane Sugar" from Walmart. It's actually cheaper to buy the 14-15lbs bags, but haven't gathered up one of them yet. That's on my list next week. I'm fixing to start making homemade wine as soon as I gather up everything to get started.


----------



## AsteroidX

Ive noticed food prices are going up as well. Good idea about the sugar. I have about 10lbs but I need to move food stores up by a few months before prices get out of control after the new minimum wage hits.


----------



## insatiable ONE

Now bleach bottles are getting sized down.
The mid size bottles are running out... or should say fazed out.

Everything has been getting smaller or more expensive, then smaller.
Just bleach is the latest.


----------



## alterego




----------



## Kidzthinkimahoarder

oswegoscott said:


> A "pound" of pasta or beans is often just 12oz. Quart of Hellmans' mayo is 30oz. Half gal of ice cream is 3 pints. This way it helps them to cheat on inflation stats.
> Is a gallon of gas really a gallon? 8oz yogurt went to 6oz. For years I bought 40lb sacks of dog food--they're 35 now.
> A nice navel orange is a buck!


Drive me nuts! I finally found 50lbs bags of dog food a few weeks ago through a local sale barn, but protien level dictates price. I'm paying 18.00 a bag for Value Pack Brand 21% protien, but it's 50lbs. (I believe they are the makers of Diamond)

I wonder whatever happened to truth in advertising?


----------



## Kidzthinkimahoarder

insatiable ONE said:


> Now bleach bottles are getting sized down.
> The mid size bottles are running out... or should say fazed out.
> 
> Everything has been getting smaller or more expensive, then smaller.
> Just bleach is the latest.


YEP! They call it concentrated, I call it B.S.


----------



## Wquon

in almost any recipe you can substitute honey for sugar, & its sweeter. honey never goes bad, & if it turns to crystal just heat it up.


----------



## LunaticFringeInc

I vacuum seal mine and store in 5 gallon buckets.

Until I can get around to getting some bees and getting a hive established, I wait to catch sugar on sale then but a butt load of it and pack it away. I just rotate through it through out the year and replenish my stash when it goes on sale again, that way I can keep about 100 lbs on hand. Honey is better though. I am also now experimenting with growing Stevia in my garden. The leaves from it are extremely sweet and they can be dried and ground up and used like sugar. Wanna try this for a couple of growing seasons and see if its worth the effort.


----------



## AvengersAssembled

My family lived as a part of a food co-op for a while when I was very young. My mom would trade freshly baked bread for honey, which is what we used as sugar. She said even in her coffee, she'd put in honey, and said it tasted just like regular coffee.


----------



## PrepperDogs

35 pounds of sugar will fit in a 5 gallon bucket. 

Make sure the bucket is food safe with a good sealing lid. Sugar will not go bad, just keep it away from critters.


----------



## Seneca

As a storable food item sugar is pretty stable. Keep it dry and the bugs out of it, that's about all one really needs to do to keep sugar. I've always used the plastic food grade pails and never had a problem. Just made sure the lids had a good tight seal.


----------



## Montana Rancher

Sugar is a great preservative and also is great for making home made wine and curing meat. I keep a LOT ( ... 5 buckets) of sugar stocked as well as some honey and 5 gallon buckets seem adequate to me. 

Don't forget brown sugar and molasses which are good preps as well.


----------



## Nathan Jefferson

I keep it in sealed mylar bags inside food grade buckets. I've heard that if you put O2 absorbers in with it, like I do with almost everything else that it will turn into a solid rock of sugar. Anyone have any experience with this?


----------



## PrepperDogs

Nathan Jefferson said:


> I keep it in sealed mylar bags inside food grade buckets. I've heard that if you put O2 absorbers in with it, like I do with almost everything else that it will turn into a solid rock of sugar. Anyone have any experience with this?


True. Sugar and salt should not be stored with O2 absorbers.


----------



## Montana Rancher

PrepperDogs said:


> True. Sugar and salt should not be stored with O2 absorbers.


I store a 3x amount of salt vs sugar but true neither need to be stored with O2 absorbers.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

I picked up some 5 gallon water bottles they come with a really good air tight screw on lid. 
And when sugar was on sale I filled a few of them. It's been about one year ago I was looking at them
the other day and I don't see any clumps as of yet.


----------



## Inor

Nathan Jefferson said:


> I keep it in sealed mylar bags inside food grade buckets. I've heard that if you put O2 absorbers in with it, like I do with almost everything else that it will turn into a solid rock of sugar. Anyone have any experience with this?


Yes - that is *exactly* what happened to ours. The sugar is still good, but you do need a good hammer to break it back in crystals. Also, storing packages of brown sugar in vacuum sealed bags causes it to turn into brown sugar bricks. Again, a hammer makes it usable again, but it is a hassle.


----------



## PaulS

To cut down on the hammer usage  with brown sugar you can form it into 1/2" (1cm) cubes and then package it. The cubes still dehydrate but they are easier to use. Bulk sugar I just pack it without vacuum packaging. You can use dry ice to kill any bugs that might be present and that will not take the water out of the sugar. sugar is just a carbon atom with two molecules of water attached - simple sugar is CH4O2 and the complex sugars are based off that model so vacuum packaging is not a good idea when storing it. Keeping it cool and away from UV is also a good idea. You can also can the sugars by mixing them 50/50 with water (by weight) and can it the same way you do fruit. When using it you use the same volume as dry sugar but you have to reduce the amount of moisture you add to the recipe by the volume of sugar that you add. (one tablespoon of "liquid sugar" has one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of water) You have to get the mixture hot (140F) to kill any yeast that might be present or you could end up with alcohol or vinegar.


----------



## HuntingHawk

Sorry I'm late to this thread. I use a vacseal & mason jar attachment to vacseal in mason jars. Here in Florida we always a problem with humidity & bugs & this technique takes care of both problems. I vaseal in mason jars all kinds of things including dog kibble in 64oz mason jars.


----------

