Okay, tinned food is fine. It stores itself. But what about rice? How do you store that for several years? Do you have to put it in some airtight thing, or is it okay just to leave it in the package it came in?

Also, a year's supply of food and so on will take up quite an amount of space -I'm thinking of two or three cubic metres, probably. Where do we store this?? (I think I'm going to be at home for y2k. With a rifle, of course.)

And, water filters. Is it true that iodine tablets work -you can (well, I can) just go down to Mosman Bay, scoop up a bucket of water, throw in some tablets and consider it safe to drink? Or is there a better way -some kind of filtration device that cleans sea water? (Sydney Harbour is probably NOT going to be the cleanest place, if sewage amenities stop working.)

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), March 16, 1999

Answers

Rice can be stored for long term when certain precautions are taken. First of all you need to freeze the rice for 72 hours to 2 weeks to kill off any bugs that may be there. Next you need to bring back to room temperature and store in an airtight, oxygen free environment. That means either in a bucket with oxygen absorbers or nitrogen packaged or dry ice method. You can find all this information at Walton Feeds at http://www.waltonfeed.com/self/upack Now as far as iodine is concerned, you may want to check out Noah's Ark for that information at: http://www.millennium-ark.net/news_files/hollys.html Hope this is helpful to you, Diane http://www.highlandtraders.com - for a list of free sources

-- Diane Milliken (prepare@highlandtraders.com), March 16, 1999.

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), March 16, 1999 wrote:

****Also, a year's supply of food and so on will take up quite an amount of space -I'm thinking of two or three cubic metres, probably. Where do we store this?? (I think I'm going to be at home for y2k. With a rifle, of course.)****

It really doesn't take up that much room. Consider removing the bed frame and putting the mattress on top of the buckets. A piece of plywood between works well. Same idea will build a coffee table for the living room. You get the idea.

***And, water filters. Is it true that iodine tablets work -you can (well, I can) just go down to Mosman Bay, scoop up a bucket of water, throw in some tablets and consider it safe to drink? Or is there a better way -some kind of filtration device that cleans sea water? (Sydney Harbour is probably NOT going to be the cleanest place, if sewage amenities stop working.)****

While there are filters that will make fresh water out of sea water they are somewhat expensive and hard work to pump (reverse osmosis requires pressure.) A solar still is a better idea. Survival stores should have one. Fresh water should generally be treated and iodine tabs do work but bleach is cheap and works just as well. There are no tablets that make sea water into fresh.

LM

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), March 16, 1999.

I've stored rice in zip-loc bags, inside steel cans, for over 5 years with no infestation problem, and I never bothered freezing it like I did my wheat. At least here in the U.S., the rice is so clean it really isn't necessary to do anything to, say, Carolina or Uncle Ben's brands. The foreign stuff or off-brands I'd consider suspect, though.

If you live in a sunny place near the sea, a solar distiller can desalinate and purify your salt water. Easy to make with some copper tubing, window glass and wood. Don't have any URL's handy, just do a web search under "solar distiller" and you'll find the information.

-- sparks (wireless@home.com), March 16, 1999.

I've been putting rice into (carefully dried) 2 litre plastic pop bottles, with some bay leaves tossed in. Certainly less clunky than those bags, & less vulnerable to kitty's claws (she loves to shread plastic bags).

-- you'll (need@a.funnel), March 17, 1999.

What kind of rice it is makes a big difference. White rice or basmati rice have had their husk removed, which also removed the insect eggs laid on the rice before it was harvested, so you don't get insects unless bugs get into it before you seal it up. But brown rice will have eggs on it which will then hatch and you'll have an infestation. Also, brown rice has a lot of oil and goes rancid rather soon, maybe in 6 mos. if kept in a warm place. The difference between storage in a 70 degree spot and a 60 degree spot will double the shelf life. And grain must be kept dry or it gets moldy. Using dry ice can create condensation in your buckets. Finally, be aware that Uncle Ben's is "converted" rice. They cook rice and make it into mush which is then processed into little rice grain shapes. Look closely. It's little pellets, not grains of rice. If you want some life force left in your food, you don't want Uncle Ben's. We'll all be healthier if we eat real foods.

-- Shivani Arjuna (odnsmall@aol.com), March 17, 1999.