What type of containers do you all use for long-term storage of items like flour, sugar, salt, wheat, grain, etc. I have gone online and looked at buckets with lids but they are very expensive-especially the lids.
I had a good supply of gallon jars, large coffee cans, and some in the freezer in plastic zip bags.
I did order the 5 gallon buckets from Walton Feed.com, which is where I buy all my sacked grains, beans, flour and cornmeal, as well as the large cans of dehydrated foods, yeast and dried buttermilk.
But I decided that I could not handle them if loaded.
Walton’s sells a 2 or 3 gallon plastic round container that comes with the lid, I like those and wish I had bought more of them, then, they were about a dollar each, must be double that by now.
When I am using jars, cans or even the plastic round container from Waltons, I add a layer of plastic on the top and a 3 or 4 Bay leaves seal tight and it works for me.
You asked about seeds, this page will give you more information:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/links/start-392001/msg00240.html#section4?12,22
Several companies here:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/links/start-392001/msg00240.html#section5
and here:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/links/start-392001/msg00240.html#section5
When I still gardened, I bought from Bountiful Gardens, Pinetree, Nichols in Oregon and Sand Hill Preservation.
Pinetree sells mixed seed packets of some types, as in 5 kinds of lettuce in one packet, or many types of Basil, etc.
If I were shopping today, I would start with Pinetree and Sandhill Preservation, next would be Richters in Canada and LOL, I never met a seed catalog that did not have something I needed to order.
I was very surprised this past Saturday when I went to Home Depot to get storage shelves. They had stacks of Multi Purpose 5 Gallon ‘Paint Buckets’ all around the store. Price - $2.98 - I figured they would try to make it up on the lids, but I found them there for .99 - So, I checked the bottom and believe it or not - HDPE #2 - (High Density Polyethylene) The same as food grade - it is even the same plastic used for milk.
So, I bought 10 more buckets and lids - for $39.70 - Wife thought it was too many more than we have, but once we got them home, she had already planned on using them all - Things like First Aid supplies - Cleaning supplies, etc. etc. (along with added food items) She now says we should have gotten more.
Hope they have them at a Home Depot near you.