*Food Storage: The 3 Freeze Method*
By: Spike
07 August 2009
The 3 Freeze Method is yet another way to store rice & beans for the long term. The process is simple and doesn't require all the stuff dry packing and such does but I have seen preps that have been good for over 10 years using this method.
Items needed:
-vacuum sealer
-bags
-clean HDPE bucket
-tape
-marker
-deep freeze
-caulk
First vacuum seal your rice/beans in quantities you specify. I have mine in 1, 4 and 6 cup bags. This is to facilitate possible barter practices if need be. If the deal is for 3 cups of rice, I open 3-1 cup bags and put it in a container. They're none the wiser to long term storage, I get my bag back and the deal is done with the "Well, this is the last of my rice!" story.
Once your rice is sealed, place it in the deep freeze. I keep mine between -4 degrees F and -6 degrees F. Keep it in there for at least 1 week straight.
When a week has passed, take the bagged rice and lay it out to allow for the moisture to dry off. I allow 3 days for this as I normally forget about it until I go back to the basement. :-)
When your bagged rice is dry, place it in the clean HDPE bucket, put the lid on and use the tape and marker to record the date your began the freezing process. DO NOT caulk the lid yet as you will repeat this process in one month and one month after that. As it goes, the freezing of the food product along with the removal of air destroys any possible bugs that could grow.
Once you have done this procedure three times, place your dry bagged rice in to the bucket for the last time, secure the lid and caulk it. Again, I have seen this process succeed on Y2K preps that were just recently opened up and tested then repacked for another 5 years before the next test.
Spike
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