I am stockpiling food for six-plus months (at least enough to get us through winter) and I have a few questions;

#1 Where can you find food grade barrels and buckets? I need some good, air-tight containers to store a years worth of kitten and ferret food. (Can't let my fuzzies starve :). And even if they manage to ship human foodstuffs in after a time, they may consider pet food a luxury.)

#2 How long does canned coconut milk last?

#3 How much canned meats/poultry/fish should I be aiming for?

Thanks for now, I know I'll be coming up with more questions.

-- Alison Tieman (fearzone@home.com), March 05, 1999

Answers

Alison, I don't have the answers but you will find many knowledgeable folks at Gary North's Food and Food Storage Forum

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), March 05, 1999.

To #1, we went to the local burger stand and got their leftover pickle buckets. These are plastic airtight 5-gallon containers (they take a little cleaning out) and they're free.

#3 all depends. We figure one can per person per day for as long as you're preparing for, depending on the size of the can. We have (for 2 people) 280 cans of tuna (for us and the 6 cats), 72 cans of roast beef, 48 large cans of chicken (serving for two), and 144 cans of various seafoods. And probably more, but I don't feel like moving the stacks around to find and count them.

I'm allergic to coconut.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), March 05, 1999.

There are many food storage threads on this forum. You need to search the archives, found at the bottom of the first forum page. Go forth!

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), March 05, 1999.

www.glitchproof.com provides plastic storage containers at a reasonable price. However, you must be patient for shipments.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), March 05, 1999.

One book all the answers and planning tools you'll need- Making The Best of Basics by Talmadge Stevens. Probably available through Amazon.

EC

Best bets for buckets- pizza places, and bakeries- when you call ahead be sure to ask if they have lids. Many eateries also have them- margarine and the like come in them.

-- EC (JHnck1776@aol.com), March 05, 1999.

Call the 800 numbers for the companies listed on canned goods such as for juices and vegetables.

Each one has a different coding system for expiration dates. Also, juicy juice in cans lasts much longer than plastic bottles.

As to how much to store: Figure out what the balance would be for your family that is between waiting for manna to fall from heaven, and stocking up Noah's ark.

P.S. my friend (who is not a vegetarian) says feed the kittens to the ferrets, and then eat the ferrets!

-- Renee (stanrene@mhonline.net), March 05, 1999.

#1 bakeries, delis, etc. But you will NEVER get rid of the smell of pickles so don't waste your time. #2 as the other person said, most canners have a 1-800 # where you can figure out the can code. #3 look at how much protien per day you need and go from there.

If you want info on the Morman 4 or cornell bread http://home.earthlink.net/~kenseger under MORMAN4.TXT has the basics.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), March 05, 1999.

For #1, if you don't want to get the buckets from local restaurants, or can't, try Wal-Mart's paint dept. I picked up a bunch for $2.67, the lids were .97. It's something to remember, too, if you can get buckets but no lids (have to make sure they fit first, though). For #3, I also recommend Talmadge's book. It's invaluable, with worksheets and shelf-life lists for your storage.

Jeannie

-- jhollander (hollander@ij.net), March 05, 1999.

> P.S. my friend (who is not a vegetarian) says feed the kittens to the ferrets, and then eat the ferrets!

Hey! That's what I'm trying to *avoid*. :)

-- Alison Tieman (fearzone@home.com), March 06, 1999.

If you just want to buy the buckets then

http://www.MajorSurplusNSurvival.com

has them. You can also get gamma lids which have a screw on top with gasket for easy open and close. Also carries oxy absorbers and mylar bags to preserve some stuff for years.

Don't buy the cheap sealer for the mylar bags...it doesn't work.

LM

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), March 06, 1999.

How to read codes on cans + shelf life

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), March 06, 1999.

Strength athletes - football players, weightlifters etc. - eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. You can be healthy on about half of this, but if you want the ultimate in strength and injury recovery, be sure to get plenty of protein.

In addition to meat, dried or canned milk is a very good source of protein.

You also need enough fat, at least 20% of your calories should be from fat. Fat is especially important for optimum immune system functioning. Canned soup etc. is a good source of fat.

Many folks are apparently planning to live almost entirely on carbohydrates. Sure, they will live but they won't be in the best possible health.

by the way...why is canned chicken so expensive when both canned tuna and fresh chicken are cheap ?

-- y2kbiker (y2kbiker@bellatlantic.net), March 06, 1999.