Please critique this!

[moolie]

I also welcome ~gd's comments here, especially if he has additional facts on the matter.

Air is only about 20% oxygen, most of it is nitrogen--O2 absorbers don't make the air "go away". Oxidizing metal doesn't create a vacuum, it is a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction within a sealed container can't make atoms disappear.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Never said the absorber made the matter "go away", I'm saying it goes through a state change from gas to solid. That could cause the air volume to decrease by 20% making the bag shrink. the mass of the bag contents would remain the same.

The OP said using the O2 absorber "pulled a vacuum", I think they were saying their bag shrank as the absorber works. Technically speaking, not the most accurate use of terms, but I think their observation is correct.

Even a vacuum sealer doesn't create a true vacuum, since there is food in the bag. It just removes most of the air.

so how many angels can dance on the head of pin?

 

[baymule]

so how many angels can dance on the head of pin?

545,620,899, 200,184, 583,million,billion,trillion!

 

[TheMartianChick]

Just a comment about one item that always seems to be on stock-up lists: powdered drink mix.

This is an item that should probably be included in every pantry whether you drink it or not. The reason is that there may be an occasion where someone (particularly children and elderly) may need to take in fluids or medication but refuse to due to the taste. There are times when the water you have access to may not have a pleasant taste or odor due to sulfur or something else that isn't dangerous. Kool Aid can mask the flavor of bad tasting water or medication and ensure that everyone stays hydrated.

I'm not a fan of Kool Aid, but we don't have any allergies to it in our family. For that reason, we keep a supply of it. You never know what kind of emergency might come your way, but your ability to adapt to a changing situation is what enables you to survive it. As a kid, my babysitter had sulfur in her well-water and had a water softener. I hated the taste of her water because it tasted both flat and salty to me. I refused to drink it while I was there and became seriously dehydrated one summer.

Years later my family traveled to Florida, I was introduced to the horribly sulfur- laden water that is common to Central Florida. (I don't know if they neglect to use a water softener or if that is the best that a softener can do, but it always smells like an alligator is about to fall out of the faucet!) We all refuse to drink it, but we are fortunate to have choices. In an emergency, we might not have a lot of choices available unless we prepare for something like this. Unsweetened Kool aid is relatively inexpensive and lasts for quite awhile.

 

[snapshot]

Definitely getting koolaid! I was raised on sulfur water! Even tea never tasted good.

 

[Bettacreek]

I hate lists. I go based on what's on sale. I wouldn't eat half of that stuff. Going by sales vs some random list will save more money and you'll get what you actually use.

 

[wooddustmaker]

Store what you eat, eat what you store.

If you do this, rotation shouldn't be an issue. Buying 100 lbs of wheat makes no sense, if you don't bake, and have a wheat grinder. It is amazing how fast a stockpile can be built up by just buying 1 or 2 extras of something that you like, and use. Then it is a simple matter of rotating them from the pantry to the kitchen. The new goes to the back, the old goes to the kitchen, or front.

If you can not store what you buy properly, its not worth it. If you buy 100 lbs of flour, and never use it, it will go bad. Maybe insects in it, mice, it got wet, etc. I would suggest making sure you have the means to store, before you store. This may be something as simple as building some basic shelving. You need to be able to see what you have, so you know what you need to get to fill in the "holes."

The pre printed lists are great, only if you can, and will use what is on it.

 

[Blaundee]

When I first started, I printed out a list similar to this one. DH and I went over it, line by line, crossing out things we definitely wouldn't eat, adding things we eat that weren't on it By the time we were done, it was a scribbled over mess DH (being the anal numbers man that I love) had me write out two sets of 'standard' menus - one for cold weather and one for warm weather. I also had to calculate how many times on average I made each listed meal (there are some things, like pizza and tacos, the guys insist on having once a week, spring, summer, fall and winter ). He then got to work figuring out how much of each ingredient was used per year (hey, he thought it was fun ). That is now our master list. I base how much of what I grow in the garden/buy in bulk based on that list. It took him 2 days ( and drove me nuts, because HE doesn't cook, so he pestered me for the amounts on EVERYTHING ) but it makes everything so much easier now! I am not a slave to the list - I buy things on sale that aren't on it and so does he. We have a small 'core' of items that aren't on the list, for back up ( powdered eggs, just in case, powdered milk in case we are snowed in or - once our cow starts producing - for her dry times, etc. ) Our way isn't for everybody (unless somebody in the family is REALLY into lists and numbers ) but has made the process effortless for me.
I have to agree that, if your family eats everything on that list, and you need the structure of a list to follow, go for it. Remember too, that lists are usually made to be nutritionally balanced. For example, if you hate soy beans(I chose those because they are on that list and I do hate them ), and take them off the list, their replacement should provide the same amount of nutrition.

Would you care to share YOUR list with us all?

 

[Blaundee]

They are on my list for this year!

DO I need anything other then jars for storing dried stuff long term? Or should I get a vacuum sealer and oxygen absorbers?

This partly depends on how humid your climate is. For all the jokes about how it always rains in Oregon, during the summer it is actually quite dry here; we get our humidity in the winter. So I store most of my dehydrated foods in glass jars alone. Sometimes I use the the vacuum sealer, but often don't bother. Now, if I lived where there was a lot of humidity during the hot weather I would be more concerned. And if I lived in the dry desert I could even dispense with the glass jars, and store in paper bags (if I didn't have a mouse problem )

Hahaha... we have a large snake living in the cellar, so no mouse problem there! But you DO want to locate the snake before loading up your arms on jars of food LOL

 

[SSDreamin]

When I first started, I printed out a list similar to this one. DH and I went over it, line by line, crossing out things we definitely wouldn't eat, adding things we eat that weren't on it By the time we were done, it was a scribbled over mess DH (being the anal numbers man that I love) had me write out two sets of 'standard' menus - one for cold weather and one for warm weather. I also had to calculate how many times on average I made each listed meal (there are some things, like pizza and tacos, the guys insist on having once a week, spring, summer, fall and winter ). He then got to work figuring out how much of each ingredient was used per year (hey, he thought it was fun ). That is now our master list. I base how much of what I grow in the garden/buy in bulk based on that list. It took him 2 days ( and drove me nuts, because HE doesn't cook, so he pestered me for the amounts on EVERYTHING ) but it makes everything so much easier now! I am not a slave to the list - I buy things on sale that aren't on it and so does he. We have a small 'core' of items that aren't on the list, for back up ( powdered eggs, just in case, powdered milk in case we are snowed in or - once our cow starts producing - for her dry times, etc. ) Our way isn't for everybody (unless somebody in the family is REALLY into lists and numbers ) but has made the process effortless for me.
I have to agree that, if your family eats everything on that list, and you need the structure of a list to follow, go for it. Remember too, that lists are usually made to be nutritionally balanced. For example, if you hate soy beans(I chose those because they are on that list and I do hate them ), and take them off the list, their replacement should provide the same amount of nutrition.

Would you care to share YOUR list with us all?

I will see if I can pull out the 'cleaned up' version, see if I can get it scanned into my puter, then upload it - which means I make no promises!

ETA: Couldn't get my scanner to work :/ So, I will jot down my monthly breakfast list for ya.
Menu:
Pancakes (pancake mix, water, syrup)
Cereal (cereal, milk, sugar)
French Toast (bread, milk, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, syrup)
Toast - bread (peanut butter, jam, butter, cinnamon, honey)
Eggs & bacon (eggs, bacon, bread-toast, butter)
Breakfast tacos (eggs, bacon, hash browns, cheese, tortillas, taco sauce)
Oatmeal (oats, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, salt, water)
The guys LOVE breakfast tacos, but I hate making them, so we only have those twice a month. Oatmeal - I love it, the guys gripe, so that is twice a month also. That leaves 5 different breakfasts to cover 24-27 days. Also, I must point out that both my guys eat, A LOT. so, this is the calculated amounts of stuff we need for a months worth of breakfasts (your mileage may vary):
Pancake mix 16C
Syrup 5C
Cereal 6 1/4 Boxes (ave. 13 oz)
Milk 47 C
Butter 9 3/4 C
Bread 16 loaves
eggs 58
bacon 4#
Hash browns 16 C
I used to make biscuits & gravy, but the guys prefer that on our 'breakfast for dinner' night. I have also revised this list - I make the pancakes from scratch now, so I had to change the calc. on that, and - if I can't buy cereal on sale under my spending cap ($1.50/box at the moment), we drop that from the list until I can find it
At least this gives you an idea of our system