# DIY White Rice storage: Is a Food Grade bucket required?



## mikhailfrankovich

Good morning, all

I am fairly new to the concept of being prepared, and brand new to this forum (stumbled on it yesterday). 

I found an interesting video about how to store white rice that will allow it to last for up to 25 years. 

To sum it up, the method is to put insect free white rice into individual mylar bags, seal said bags with an appropriate oxygen remover inside, and then store these bags in a food grade bucket.

I would like to know if a food grade bucket is needed in this situation? Based on my research, food grade buckets are made of a grade of plastic designed to minimize the amount of plastic that would get into your food. This makes sense if you are storing food in their directly, but since this process would have the rice inside sealed mylar bags that are placed within the bucket, could I use just about any kind of bucket?

The reason I ask is economic. I am looking at food grade buckets and they look to cost (at best) about $25 each, where as other sturdy 5 gallon buckets and be purchased for $4-$5 a piece. 

Any input you might have to offer is greatly appreciated! Thanks all


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## SOCOM42

Using the sealed Mylar bags negates the need for food grade buckets.

I use steel 20MM ammo cans with Mylar bags for beans and rice, ratproof.


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## Stockton

https://www.amazon.com/Living-Whole...98663215&sr=8-1&keywords=storage+buckets&th=1

These are under $12 each including lid and are food grade. I haven't ordered them yet. I am getting ready to store some rice. Wouldn't food grade be of more value when opening later on?


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## Toefoot

Try Uline for your buckets and lids. 

I have food in both food safe buckets and run of the mill buckets. So far no issues but some claim of taste and health issues. On a side note for regular storage buckets and lids, make friends with a local Painting Company and you will have all the 5 Gal buckets/Lids you need, this also goes for local town bakeries that have food safe buckets and will give them away.


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## Illini Warrior

the mylar bag ISN'T a liner for the bucket - it does serve as a PHYSICAL barrier between the food and bucket - but it's only a secondary unnecessary purpose if a food grade container is in play .... ANY container that isn't specially manufactured from the start to be FDA food grade is inherently contaminated - talking crap recycled plastics and toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process - these are your Homer type paint buckets and Wally World totes ...

there's more involved in the physics of the long term storage buckets than just physical contact - there's also an exchange of microscopic particles suspended in the air exchange - the bucket is drawing in 02 to replace the removed by the 02 absorbers - there's a minute slight low pressure void created - nature fighting the imbalance ... contaminated bucket or an outside environment that's contaminated - your food will absorb that tainted air - toxic chemicals or an obnoxious taint involved and your long term stored food will be unsafe & uneatable ....

ask anyone that's stored food in a used pickle brine bucket or stored their food around the fuel oil tank in the basement or stored the food in a dank, damp, musty basement .... that's nature at work ....


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## Redneck

I want food grade for my buckets as it is safer & is a know commodity. Yes, the mylar provides a barrier for your food but it is not a complete barrier as stated above. What about once the food is used during a crisis? You really want to maybe store water in such a bucket that is not food safe? I plan on using my empties for all sorts of uses, be it water or storing food from the gardens. I sure don't want to be limited because I wanted to save a few bucks.

I get my 6 gallon food grade buckets with lid & gasket from Emergency Essentials & pay $8 for each set. They normally offer promotions for extra discount or free freight. One way to often get discounts from them is to first set up an account. Then add the product to the cart & then leave the site, without purchasing. Very often, you will get an email or a reminder when you revisit the site, offering free freight or a better discount if you finish checking out.

https://beprepared.com/6-gallon-bucket-with-lid.html


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## mikhailfrankovich

Thank you all for the replies!

Illili, I guess what confuses me is that if the mylar bags are sealed to a point where oxygen can't get in, does it matter if the mylar bags are placed in a non-food grade bucket?

I am no physicist, so I could certainly be wrong, but mylar bags are designed to be sealed against something as small as oxygen. If oxygen can be sealed out, how can a comparatively large plastic molecule be able to penetrate the bag? It seems to me that the sealed mylar bag would allow for storage in standard plastic buckets without fear of food contamination.


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## Coastie dad

Wally world has food grade buckets for about $3 in the paint dept. They will be white and marked food grade.


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## Redneck

mikhailfrankovich said:


> Illili, I guess what confuses me is that if the mylar bags are sealed to a point where oxygen can't get in, does it matter if the mylar bags are placed in a non-food grade bucket?
> 
> I am no physicist, so I could certainly be wrong, but mylar bags are designed to be sealed against something as small as oxygen. If oxygen can be sealed out, how can a comparatively large plastic molecule be able to penetrate the bag? It seems to me that the sealed mylar bag would allow for storage in standard plastic buckets without fear of food contamination.


Mylar is not a complete barrier... a good one but not absolute. It is permeable to atmospheric oxygen in rather small amounts. To help you understand think balloons. The regular latex ones hold the air in but will deflate rather quickly. Mylar balloons on the other hand will stay inflated for much, much longer but eventually they deflate too. What you are seeing is the difference in permeability between different products.

The issue is not the plastic molecule passing thru the barrier but the vapors of what was initially stored in the container or the possibly dangerous chemicals molded into that pail. Non food grade plastic can have all sorts of things in it. Could have printing ink if they ground up misprinted plastic parts. In the molding process, they can & will throw in all sorts of defective parts that have been ground up. Food grade plastics only use the proper virgin material.


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## Redneck

duplicate post


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## mikhailfrankovich

Okay, thank you all for your advise and knowledge. Maybe I will upgrade to food grade buckets for the rice. 

I have also purchased approximately 35,000 calories worth of canned beans with pork in maple sauce. I am keeping them stored in a cool, relatively dry basement, in a plastic bin. How long after the 'best before date' passes do you think they will be edible? I have heard it could be good for several years, so long as the cans are not rusted through, and there is no signs of dents or bulging.


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## mikhailfrankovich

Okay, thank you all for your advise and knowledge. Maybe I will upgrade to food grade buckets for the rice. 

I have also purchased approximately 35,000 calories worth of canned beans with pork in maple sauce. I am keeping them stored in a cool, relatively dry basement, in a plastic bin. How long after the 'best before date' passes do you think they will be edible? I have heard it could be good for several years, so long as the cans are not rusted through, and there is no signs of dents or bulging.


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## Redneck

mikhailfrankovich said:


> I have also purchased approximately 35,000 calories worth of canned beans with pork in maple sauce. I am keeping them stored in a cool, relatively dry basement, in a plastic bin. How long after the 'best before date' passes do you think they will be edible? I have heard it could be good for several years, so long as the cans are not rusted through, and there is no signs of dents or bulging.


Yes, you are correct. They can last longer than labeled on the can, especially if stored properly. However, IMO you would be much better to store dried beans, just like the rice. Actually, you can store both in the same pail. I can get 1 1/2 25 lb sacks of rice in my pails but sometimes I'll just put in a single 25 lb sack of rice & then finish loading the pail with sacks of dried beans.


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## SOCOM42

Let me detail my process, Mylar bag with O2 absorbers, plastic food grade buckets or 20MM cans.

When bags are in place all remaining O2 is purged with nitrogen or CO2 from the container before closing.

Using the bags within the buckets protects the integrity of the individual bags is a seal is lost, won't loose the entire bucket.


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## paraquack

While I will not use pail that contained cleaners, chemicals, or the like, The Mylar bag should be all you need. But saying that, I buy 3-5 gallon pails from bakeries around my place for 50 cents each with a lid. Just have to double check the lid actually fits the pail. But they are food grade. I tried pickle pails once, the smell never really left.


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## mikhailfrankovich

paraquack said:


> While I will not use pail that contained cleaners, chemicals, or the like, The Mylar bag should be all you need. But saying that, I buy 3-5 gallon pails from bakeries around my place for 50 cents each with a lid. Just have to double check the lid actually fits the pail. But they are food grade. I tried pickle pails once, the smell never really left.


Thank to all, and Paraquack, great idea. I am going to local bakeries to get the food grade buckets on the cheap (or for free!).

Other than white rice can you guys recommend other foods I can do that will keep for a similar amount of time under these storage conditions?


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## Redneck

mikhailfrankovich said:


> Other than white rice can you guys recommend other foods I can do that will keep for a similar amount of time under these storage conditions?


My largest store by far is hard wheat. I mean, I like my rice & beans but I always eat more wheat product than anything else... such as bread, biscuits, pasta, pizza, cake, cookies, etc. I also store a lot of rolled oats.


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## mikhailfrankovich

******* said:


> My largest store by far is hard wheat. I mean, I like my rice & beans but I always eat more wheat product than anything else... such as bread, biscuits, pasta, pizza, cake, cookies, etc. I also store a lot of rolled oats.


Thanks *******. Wheat is a good idea for taste, but I imagine there is a lot of prep that has to be done once unsealed that I am not capable of.

As for the rolled oats, how would you prepare them? Can they simply be added to hot water and eat like that? And what kind of beans do you recommend? I have a few dozen cans of various bean types in sauce, but what kind of dry beans do you recommend for long term storage?


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## mikhailfrankovich

******* said:


> My largest store by far is hard wheat. I mean, I like my rice & beans but I always eat more wheat product than anything else... such as bread, biscuits, pasta, pizza, cake, cookies, etc. I also store a lot of rolled oats.


Also, do you store anything like salt, sugar, pepper? If so, is the storage similar to the food (mylar bags in food grade bins)?


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## Redneck

mikhailfrankovich said:


> Thanks *******. Wheat is a good idea for taste, but I imagine there is a lot of prep that has to be done once unsealed that I am not capable of.
> 
> As for the rolled oats, how would you prepare them? Can they simply be added to hot water and eat like that? And what kind of beans do you recommend? I have a few dozen cans of various bean types in sauce, but what kind of dry beans do you recommend for long term storage?


With the wheat you would need a grain mill, which would be very handy to have around in a crisis. I have a couple of them. With the wheat berries, you get the 30+ years of storage life. However, once wheat is ground into flour, you are looking at 1-2 years.

The rolled oats of course makes an easy, nutritious breakfast, as you stated. It also can be ground, just like wheat, into flour. Oat flour is also gluten free, which could be important to folks in your group. Oats are higher in protein and healthy fats, and lower in carbohydrates than most other whole grains.

I purchase my dried beans from my main prepper supply house... Sam's Club.  So I have navy, kidney & black beans in storage. Also, some red beans because I was raised on red beans & rice.


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## Redneck

mikhailfrankovich said:


> Also, do you store anything like salt, sugar, pepper? If so, is the storage similar to the food (mylar bags in food grade bins)?


Yep. I store hundreds of pounds of salt, as it will be used to preserve food in a crisis. I buy bulk bags of sugar at Sam's Club as well as their big containers of whole peppercorns.

Yes, I store same as the other foods not necessarily because they need it but to protect them from moisture and pests.

This thread might interest you:

http://www.prepperforums.net/forum/...297-putting-bulk-seasonings-into-storage.html


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## Brettny

Food grade buckets are $3 at tractor supply. So for $3 why not food grade? would guess that any feed/farm store would have something of the sort. Thats $3 with out a lid. Lids are $2 i get them from lowes with a gasket.
Fyi foodgrade buckets are HDPE #2.


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## Notold63

Funny though, when I first joined the Army we were fed C rations that were 25-30 years old. For those who are unfamiliar, the rations were in cans. Just added info, C rations also had cigarettes in them.


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## SOCOM42

Notold63 said:


> Funny though, when I first joined the Army we were fed C rations that were 25-30 years old. For those who are unfamiliar, the rations were in cans. Just added info, C rations also had cigarettes in them.


A mere youngster.

When I went in the army, we were eating WW2 K's and older "C" type from Korea, the new "C" individual ration, was just being introduced.

The cigarettes were Lucky Strike's in their green packs from WW2.

I had one "K" that was made on the day I was born!.


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## mikhailfrankovich

Thank you all for the advice. I have decided to use food grade buckets. An extra shout out to the member who suggested contacting various companies looking for them for free or on the cheap. I called two local grocery stores, spoke to the bakery, and they are going to set them aside for me to periodically pick up! 

I have one final question regarding the storage of the buckets. So, the plan is to have the food sealed in mylar bags, along with an appropriate-sized oxygen remover. Mylar bags go into the food grade buckets, which will be stored in the basement which is cool, and away from any sunlight. My new concern is humidity. The basement is fairly dry, but on some days the humidity can get a bit up there. To counter that I have a small dehumidifier which does a pretty good job, but of course does not remove all the moisture from the air. 

Should I be concerned about this affecting the long term storage of my food supplies? Or is the combination of the mylar bags and food grade buckets enough to prevent any worry. Furthermore, would it help to further protect the food by using something like duct tape around the bucket/lid seal?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Also, the day I do the food storage process I plan to do several things to keep the food as dry as possible. I was thinking of doing it on the main floor, with the AC on all day before hand to reduce any humidity. What strategies do you implement at this stage in the process to reduce any kind of moisture?

Thanks all


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## Redneck

For proper long term storage, you need cool, dry & dark. IMO, your humidity can be an issue and possibly reduce the storage life some. If you use a properly sized oxygen absorber and insert it properly, that will keep the food in the mylar plenty dry no matter where you package it. The issue is all material, both the plastic & the mylar "breath" over time, so if stored in a damp or very humid room, that moisture will eventually get to the food. Duct tape will serve no real purpose, assuming you have a proper lid with gasket.


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## mikhailfrankovich

Thank you, Red. 

So my basement is the only real option for storage. I will strive to keep humidity to a minimum, and with the food properly stored and sealed in hopes of keeping it as dry as possible for as long as possible. 

If I am able to keep humidity around what would be considered average humidity, how long do you think the food would last? Maybe up to 20 years?


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## Redneck

mikhailfrankovich said:


> Thank you, Red.
> 
> So my basement is the only real option for storage. I will strive to keep humidity to a minimum, and with the food properly stored and sealed in hopes of keeping it as dry as possible for as long as possible.
> 
> If I am able to keep humidity around what would be considered average humidity, how long do you think the food would last? Maybe up to 20 years?


BTW... I ain't red & I'm not a neck. I'm a proud *******. 

30+ years. I'd think you could always repackage after a 5-10 years, with fresh oxygen absorbers if you store in less than ideal conditions. Might want to consider that when sealing, to leave some room to later cut open the mylar enough to slip in new absorbers and then reseal.


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## MaterielGeneral

mikhailfrankovich said:


> So my basement is the only real option for storage. I will strive to keep humidity to a minimum, and with the food properly stored and sealed in hopes of keeping it as dry as possible for as long as possible.
> 
> If I am able to keep humidity around what would be considered average humidity, how long do you think the food would last? Maybe up to 20 years?


My basement runs the full length of the house. I have a dehumidifier on each half of the basement. Works pretty good.

Make sure you place the buckets on a pallet or similar so they are off the ground. Place a moisture absorber inside the bucket to help. You can buy them on eBay including food grade or you can make your own. Something else you want to make sure you do is make two content labels. One on the inside of the lid and the other taped to the bucket side.

I am a cheap bastard so I get my buckets from Burger King (pickle). I just got done soaking 10 of them in soapy bleach water, heavy on the bleach. I let it soak for about a week and a half and then washed them inside and out. The lids I ran through the dishwasher with the heat dry cycle off.

Worked out great. No smell and once the food is used the bucket could be used for water.


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## mikhailfrankovich

MaterielGeneral said:


> My basement runs the full length of the house. I have a dehumidifier on each half of the basement. Works pretty good.
> 
> Make sure you place the buckets on a pallet or similar so they are off the ground. Place a moisture absorber inside the bucket to help. You can buy them on eBay including food grade or you can make your own. Something else you want to make sure you do is make two content labels. One on the inside of the lid and the other taped to the bucket side.
> 
> Is there a particular reason the buckets have to be on a pallet? If we have a finished, tiled basement floor is that still required.
> 
> Interesting idea with the moisture absorbents. Do you put them in the mylar bag? Or does it go in the bucket along with the mylar bags?
> 
> Thank you,


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## Deebo

Good to see people learning and sharing.
Deebo approves....


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## MaterielGeneral

mikhailfrankovich said:


> MaterielGeneral said:
> 
> 
> 
> My basement runs the full length of the house. I have a dehumidifier on each half of the basement. Works pretty good.
> 
> Make sure you place the buckets on a pallet or similar so they are off the ground. Place a moisture absorber inside the bucket to help. You can buy them on eBay including food grade or you can make your own. Something else you want to make sure you do is make two content labels. One on the inside of the lid and the other taped to the bucket side.
> 
> Is there a particular reason the buckets have to be on a pallet? If we have a finished, tiled basement floor is that still required.
> 
> Interesting idea with the moisture absorbents. Do you put them in the mylar bag? Or does it go in the bucket along with the mylar bags?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> 
> 
> Both if you want to. Some foods it's a good idea. If you put it in the food make sure it is food grade.
> 
> Long story short oxygen and moisture absorbers for everything you store to be on the safe side. Even non food items. Especially if you are going to bury a cache.
> 
> Works great for food saver bags also.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


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## MaterielGeneral

Pallets are good insurance. A lot of moisture comes from the cement walls and floor. Plus better temperature control. Some stuff it will ruin. You have heard about batteries getting ruined from leaving on the cement floor?

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## mikhailfrankovich

Thank you, MaterialGeneral, that rationale makes sense. 

So I dont have the room for a true pallet. Do you think it would Suffice if I ran a pair of 2"X4"s on the ground next to a wall (placed on their side so their is four inches of clearance) and stack the buckets on those? Same basic principle as the pallet but different layout for my situation.


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## MaterielGeneral

mikhailfrankovich said:


> Thank you, MaterialGeneral, that rationale makes sense.
> 
> So I dont have the room for a true pallet. Do you think it would Suffice if I ran a pair of 2"X4"s on the ground next to a wall (placed on their side so their is four inches of clearance) and stack the buckets on those? Same basic principle as the pallet but different layout for my situation.


Yeah, more or less the same thing.


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## azrancher

MaterielGeneral said:


> You have heard about batteries getting ruined from leaving on the cement floor?


Well sort of, lead-acid batteries used to be made out of glass jars in wooden tar sealed boxes, any damp floor (and you've see the moisture well up if you put something right on the concrete floor) could cause the wood to swell, breaking the jars.
or
If you had an original Edison cell nickel-iron battery it was not protected from discharge to ground, no coating on the battery. 
or
Early batteries used primitive hardened rubber, you've seen the stuff, they used to make steering wheels out of it, it is porous and does contain lots of carbon, causing it to discharge much the same as the Edison battery.

*Rancher*


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## paraquack

Even food grade buckets are made out of polyethylene. PE allows air and oxygen to diffuse inside 
and oxygen and sunlight are the to biggest things to degrade food. When I first got into using 
Mylar bags I saw a Youtube where the guy had use PE buckets to store food. After a 5 year 
storage, he was curious and popped open a bucket of rice and notice a slight discoloration of the 
rice. He sent some in to lab to have it tested and the results were that while it was edible, it had 
lost nearly 30% of nutritional value. So he went with the Mylar bags because the are almost 
impervious to air.


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## Knotacare

I have noticed that many of you store large quantities of rice. I surely hope you are aware of this https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319948.htm


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## RJAMES

SOCOM42 said:


> Using the sealed Mylar bags negates the need for food grade buckets.
> 
> I use steel 20MM ammo cans with Mylar bags for beans and rice, ratproof.


I agree to a point. AS long as the bucket is new/ clean and the food is in the bags. I would wash and reuse food grade buckets from places like a pastry shop . They have 5 gallon buckets of icing

Outer container needs to be as he said rat/ rodent proof. Advantage to Plastic is it won't rust . Make sure to use bags inside your outer container. Short term 2 years just use zip locks long term do it like your video showed.

You cannot use something that held a chemical /pesticide.


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## SOCOM42

Knotacare said:


> I have noticed that many of you store large quantities of rice. I surely hope you are aware of this https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319948.htm


Not to be a smartass, but, so what?

Everything has one or another toxin in it.

I you followed all the advisories for the last five decades, nothing should be eaten.

What you would you suggest starve? Do you have an alternate?

I eat rice, I like rice and my stomach likes rice.

I have two tons of it stored, grown in the US, Malaysia, central America and other locations, all white or polished rice.

Many towns in the northeast have some level of arsenic in their wells, public or private.

Much has been contributed to 19th century cemeteries,

arsenic was the embalming fluid compound of choice the from the civil war on..


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## Knotacare

Well it looks like you are a smart ass, sure wish I knew as much as you.


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## SOCOM42

Knotacare said:


> Well it looks like you are a smart ass, sure wish I knew as much as you.


You did not answer my simple question, what alternative?

I am not the only one here storing rice, give us your viable alternative.

Again we all live with toxins around us and in us, we will all die someday.

I personally am not going to sit here trembling, biting my nails worrying about these things.

And Yes I knew about it, and again not worried.


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## MaterielGeneral

Knotacare said:


> I have noticed that many of you store large quantities of rice. I surely hope you are aware of this https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319948.htm


Gotta die from something. If your starving are you going to turn down the GMO grains and continue to starve?

Man has so F'D this world your going to get traces of what ever everywhere you go.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## MaterielGeneral

SOCOM42 said:


> You did not answer my simple question, what alternative?
> 
> I am not the only one here storing rice, give us your viable alternative.
> 
> Again we all live with toxins around us an in us, we will all die someday.
> 
> I personally am not going to sit here trembling, biting my nails worrying about these things.
> 
> And Yes I knew about it, and again not worried.


Sure wish I knew as much as you do too. &#129315; There's a reason why we are supposed to keep our elders around.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## SOCOM42

MaterielGeneral said:


> Pallets are good insurance. A lot of moisture comes from the cement walls and floor. Plus better temperature control. Some stuff it will ruin. You have heard about batteries getting ruined from leaving on the cement floor?
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


Oh yes, lots of moisture, have sealed the shop floor several times, it still comes out.

I keep the tractor battery,

plus two automotive and one marine battery on a pallet that is of molded fiberglass and blue resin.

The floors do have a tendency to draw heat out of them.

Yes, each battery has a float charger attached,

to include the batteries in the propane powered generator and the twins in the diesel generator.

Leave a piece of steel on those floors and see what happens to the underside after a month,

been there all too many times.

I have to walk around the shop and with a rag and wipe oil all the ways and tables once a month.


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## SOCOM42

MaterielGeneral said:


> Sure wish I knew as much as you do too. �� There's a reason why we are supposed to keep our elders around.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


THANKS for the +.

I am really tired of all the discoveries of what is harmful to us.

How many time have they condemned some food product then 10-20 years later give it a clean bill,

then kill something else.

DDT was banned but not before I came off a shit island and got dusted with by the med corp,

grew up eating food dusted with it too.

I am still here, perhaps it altered my brain to make me the bitch that I am, who knows???

@Knotacare, No animosity was projected at you,

just sick of hearing every other week they find something that is bad for your health.

There is no way they are going to keep out organic arsenic,

but being the FDA they will need an extra 30 billion to research it and to further step on farmers like they already do.

They will determine the average PPM among the southern growers then set a standard about 30% lower,

to enforce, add 50 people @ $100,000.00 a year for each plus bonuses, releases them into the field with the

instructions to make life miserable for trump supporters.

Wait until they find some amoeba floating in the paddy, snail darter all over.


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## MaterielGeneral

SOCOM42 said:


> THANKS for the +.
> 
> I am really tired of all the discoveries of what is harmful to us.
> 
> How many time have they condemned some food product then 10-20 years later give it a clean bill,
> 
> then kill something else.


Not a chemical but didn't they say eggs were bad for us for a long time and then recently turn around and say data was wrong and that eggs are good for us now?


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## SOCOM42

MaterielGeneral said:


> Not a chemical but didn't they say eggs were bad for us for a long time and then recently turn around and say data was wrong and that eggs are good for us now?


Yes! Loaded with cholesterol and pesticides from the grain they ate.

Plus, bad, bad, bad if you fried them especially in butter.

I think that that was about the same time Pam veggie spray hit the wide market, about 1960.

I well remember that.


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## Annie

Knotacare said:


> I have noticed that many of you store large quantities of rice. I surely hope you are aware of this https://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319948.htm


Long term food storage is a compromise, for sure. But something to eat is better than nothing. My philosophy is to eat as heathy as i can now, but also rotate out some what I store. What else can you do?


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## RJAMES

Can't put too much info on the label. What it is , how much, when packaged. You do not want to open just to see what it is . You want to open knowing what it is and that you intend to use it. 

Best long term storage is 70% humidity 70 degrees Fahrenheit, air circulating behind /under /around the item. Don't push things against the wall and yes use a pallet or shelf to keep stuff off the floor and allow for air movement.


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## azrancher

My Mother wouldn't touch Butter or Mayonnaise, so we ate Margarine and Miracle Whip, she's dead now...

*Rancher*


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## SOCOM42

azrancher said:


> My Mother wouldn't touch Butter or Mayonnaise, so we ate Margarine and Miracle Whip, she's dead now...
> 
> *Rancher*


I had a similar experience.

Mother bought margarine, it came in a two bag package, you had to squeeze one enough to break into the other.

You would then knead them for about 10 minutes, it was gross, kind of like the squeeze spreads of today.

I refused to eat it, my grandmother refused and father always slipped under mother's heel.

Butter was bought freshly cut from a tub in front of you by the amount you wanted.

This was about 1948-49 that I remember. She went back to the margarine about 1965 when on another health kick.

At one grandparents house the butter dish was kept on top of the ice block in the icebox.

Both grandparents cooked with bacon drippings, a lot came from salt pork blocks.

Mine did the miracle whip thing too, brought it home from the nightclub/restaurant my grandparents owned.

My mother passed in 1994.


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## Robie

I haven't read the whole thread but thought I'd say...

I bought a 20 lb bag of white rice probably 6 years ago and poured it into a food grade, white plastic bucket with a gamma lid. 

I love rice and eat it maybe 2-3 times per month. I probably have 1/4 bucket left and to be honest...it's as good and fresh today as it was 6 years ago. The bucket sits in a corner of the kitchen and I didn't add anything to keep oxygen out, etc.

Anyway, that's my experience with rice in a bucket. I love the gamma lids.


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## Robie

I grew up and continue with real mayonnaise and real butter.

My parents went through the margarine phase when they retired but that didn't last long once I convince them it was one molecule away from being plastic.

growing up, the butter was on a saucer and left in the cupboard. My Mother started putting it in the fridge when she got older and started listening to all these health warnings. I reminded her that it was always kept out when we were young and the 6 of us never got sick from it. 

I keep mine in a covered butter dish...in the cupboard.


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## azrancher

Robie said:


> growing up, the butter was on a saucer and left in the cupboard. My Mother started putting it in the fridge when she got older and started listening to all these health warnings. I reminded her that it was always kept out when we were young and the 6 of us never got sick from it.
> 
> I keep mine in a covered butter dish...in the cupboard.


We use a ceramic jar that inverts into another jar with a water seal, not sure what you call it, basically holds one stick of butter and is always at room temperature, left out on the kitchen counter.

*Rancher*


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