Hi,
If food for long term storage is put in a plastic five gallon bucket with silica gel and a mylar bag, how much does it matter how humid the outside air is after it is completely packed? For instance, if the only place to store the food is in a shed outside will humidity in the air get into the bucket? How important is dry storage air to the time the food can be successfully stored.
Thanks, – C.N. in North Carolina
JWR Replies: Food grade plastic food storage buckets are designed to be air and moisture tight when properly sealed. Once sealed, they should not gain any moisture over time. As previously noted, in damp climates, it is best to do your food storage packaging during a dry month of the year. Be sure to enclose several oxygen absorbing packet and a silica gel desiccant packet. Inspect each lid’s rubber gasket for softness and for any foreign matter before seating the lids. Use a rubber or leather mallet to seat them firmly. BTW, you will probably find that you’ll need a “lid lifter” tool for when you eventually open your buckets. (These are sometimes called “bucket opening wrenches” by some vendors.) They are available from Ready Made Resources, Mountain Brook Foods, Nitro-Pak, and a variety of other Internet food storage vendors.