My intent when first establishing this blog was more about using bulk foods as a lifestyle instead of emergency preparedness. There are many blogs and forums on the internet about emergency preparedness, not so many about the lifestyle of using bulk foods. I consider being prepared a "fringe" benefit of the lifestyle. All that said, I suppose a discussion on oxygen absorbers could fall into both of the above categories.
None the less I have been asked about using oxygen absorbers for storing your bulk foods. Any of your "in use" buckets would NOT need oxygen absorbers, but those that you are NOT currently using and are being kept for a later date, those definitely benefit from being sealed with oxygen absorbers.
Basically, oxygen absorbers do just that, they absorb the remaining oxygen out of the bucket you are storing. Thus making it uninhabitable by anything undesirable . . . NO AIR, NO CRITTERS!! They come in all sizes for using in various sized containers. Click here to download a chart for your reference. When you purchase them, they come in a vacuum packed package that also has an indicator inside. Click here for an excellent explanation of how that indicator works.
In the past, I have purchased the FT-500 (300cc) to use in the 5-6 gallon buckets. When you are storing something that packs tightly - like grain, flour, sugar- then one of this size is sufficient for sealing the bucket. If you are storing something not quite as tight - like pasta, for instance - you may want to use two.
The best way to package using oxygen absorbers is first to have all your supplies together. Go ahead and make sure your buckets are clean (whether using new or used). Fill your buckets with the desired contents allowing about an inch and one half headspace. Then you want to have your lids, rubber mallet and oxygen absorbers ready. Remember, you do NOT want to open those absorbers until you are completely ready to pop them in your buckets. Once you open a package of absorbers they immediately become active. Just as a side note, if you leave a package of absorbers open, they will actually become hot as they activate. Unfortunately, they are kind of expensive to just experiment with!! : ) Now line up your buckets (it is very helpful to have two sets of hands when doing this), one person will pop the absorber in the bucket, the other will hammer the lid down tight. You want to work quickly and efficiently. I have found that if you cut the top off of the absorber bag but keep the packets in the bag, that the person popping the absorbers in the bucket can actually fold the top over the package of absorbers as an extra precaution.
Now when you are finished you want to have an empty glass container to put your remaining oxygen absorbers in, preferably as small as possible (less oxygen). Be sure to drop that handy indicator in the bottom of your jar and add the absorbers quickly. Fill up any remaining space in the jar with newspaper, paper towels, or even plastic bags and place the tight fitting lid on top. These oxygen absorbers can last for years undisturbed in this jar. I have a container on my pantry shelf that has been there for two years and the indicator is still quite "pink." I should have used a smaller jar because it is a quart jar and the absorbers only actually take up about 1/3 of the space, the rest of the area is filled with paper towels & plastic bags (probably what I had on hand at the time :D ).
Hope all this help!
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