Where To Put It

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=172 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="01364643.gif"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0143f460.gif" border=0 width="63" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Food Storage</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>Pages</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <U>Index</U></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Started"><U>Getting Started</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic Five"><U>Basic Five</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_wheat_and_grains_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>wheat</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_oil_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Oil</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_beans___legumes_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Beans </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_powdered_milk.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Powdered Milk</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_sugar_and_sweeteners.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Sugar</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_salt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Salt</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_water.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Water</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home Preservation"><U>Home Preservation</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="38a2c210.gif" border=0 width="44" height="33" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where To Put It"><U>Where to Store It</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Keeping Track"><U>Keeping Track</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Recipes"><U>Recipes, etc</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dont Throw it Out"><U>FAQ's</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Plans"><U>Misc. Food Storage Plans</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="More Things To Store"><U>More to Store</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Last Word"><U>The Last Word!</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hedgecock Family Page"><U><IMG SRC="0172e2c0.gif" border=0 width="46" height="44" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hedgecock Family Page"><U>To Family Home Page</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.myhoneybrook.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.myhoneybrook.com"><U><IMG SRC="018581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="01164643.gif"> <bR> <div> <B>Where Do I Put It? </B></div> <div> <A HREF="#anchor_1" TITLE="Where To Put It"><U><B><U><IMG SRC="04d25250.gif" border=0 width="37" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#990000" FACE="Goudy Old Style" ><A HREF="#anchor_1" TITLE="Where To Put It"><U><B><U>Pictures and Instructions!!! </U></B></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Current update:</B></div> <div> A year ago, we moved again to a larger house with more kitchen storage but virtually no other closet space. <A HREF="#anchor_1" TITLE="Where To Put It"><U><U>Click here</U></U></A> to see how we solved our food storage needs! You'll see it can really work without a lot of cost or effort!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Several years ago, we moved from a large house, with a seperate room just for food storage, to a smaller house, with one less bedroom than before.</B> Our family size remained the same, however, so we've learned (and re-learned) <U>a lot</U> about storing food in tighter quarters. The suggestions given here <U>really do work</U>! Don't give up just because you think you haven't the space. We love showing off our "linen" closets full of food storage. We use the space under the stairs to store the larger cans and buckets. We stack 5 gallon cans in the corners of closets. We built shelves in a coat closet for food storage. Yes....we have a decent sized year's supply...we have six kids still at home! AND we store it all <U>inside</U> the house; we live in the desert southwest, so storing food in the garage is out of the question. Those of you who live in cooler areas can still have root cellars and use your garage for less perishable items. So don't give up! Keep consolidating and you can find many places to store food!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>We recently updated this page with our suggestions for keeping track of </B><I><B><U>where</U></B></I><B> all that food is. </B><A HREF="id9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Keeping Track"><U><B>Check here</B></U></A><B>!</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Here are some ideas:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>First,</B> look around your house. You'll find lots of things you can eliminate to make room for food storage. We have seen whole rooms lined with shelves, but some folks build shelves in garages or storerooms. Sometimes your kitchen cabinets can be re-arranged, and an extra shelf added to make more room. A lady I knew stored her five gallon buckets on top of her kitchen cabinets. She sewed a pretty curtain, from sheets, that hung from the ceiling to cover them up. <B>How about in your bedroom closets?</B> Try this- you may have two feet or more of wasted space above the top shelf in each closet. Install an extra shelf there for storage. Or, stack five gallon buckets or #10 cans in the "back" corner of the closet. Each closet could yield a little space. (This works best when you don't have teen-age girls!) I've heard it suggested that you tie loose items up in a sheet or pillow case, and hang it from a huge hook from the ceiling. The hook needs to be placed on a "stud" or beam, to hold the weight. This would work for things like bar soap and other smaller items.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div>  <A NAME="anchor_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><B><IMG SRC="38525250.gif" border=0 width="37" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Better yet, build shelves in an entire walk in closet.</B> We did this in our spare bedroom closet. Shelves are easy to build, but if you aren't handy you could purchase industrial shelving at any Home Improvement Store or your local Warehouse type club. See also the links <A HREF="id11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Plans"><U>here </U></A>for more storage solutions.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="387ea380.jpg" border=0 width="234" height="312" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="38525250.gif" border=0 width="37" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Put that sofa table to work (real work!)</B></div> <div> Here you see, we sewed a simple skirt from a tablecloth (you could use anythiing). </div> <div> <IMG SRC="382064d0.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B> </B>Using velcro dots, we attached the skirt under the top of the table. We simply let the sticky stuff on the dot stick it to the table, it seems not to hurt the wood.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="37cf8ba0.jpg" border=0 width="248" height="186" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  We sewed the soft half of the dot to the skirt, measuring all the way. The skirt hides the cans stored underneath.</div> <div>  (<I>Hint</I>: Stick the dots, both halves, to the table first, then place the skirt around the table. The sticky stuff on the soft half will stick to the skirt. Carefully remove the skirt with the soft half of the dots attached. Now you'll know where you should sew the dots.)</div> <div>  Should we ever need to reclaim the table for another purpose, the sticky dots can be removed.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="380ea380.jpg" border=0 width="234" height="312" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="38525250.gif" border=0 width="37" height="37" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><B>Bed Risers </B>If your beds aren't tall enough to store #10 cans underneath, bed risers can be purchased at many bed and bath linen stores or even online (try Walter Drake). This raises the bed enough to store the cans underneath as shown here. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="3840bc80.jpg" border=0 width="267" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Then we come to the linen closet</B>. Empty it out! Store toiletries <I>in</I> the bathroom. (I used a white "CD tower" to store the towels) Place a spare set of sheets for each bed between the mattress and box spring, give the rest away (OK, if you've got a bedwetter, keep <I>two</I> sets of sheets!) Now you've got a new food storage closet!</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><B>Last, but not least,</B> (after convincing your hubby that white five gallon buckets are attractive) make furniture! I've known people to use the buckets as bed bases! You can also stack two sets, two high (say that three times, fast!) and place a round board over the top, and cover with a tablecloth to the floor, and Voila! an end table! I once saw an attractive folding screen in the corner of a living room. I asked the lady if it had special meaning, and she replied "Sure! It hides my food storage!" I looked behind it, and sure enough! There were several buckets and boxes! See, guys! Five gallon buckets <I>are</I> attractive!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>More creative ways to store that stuff. </B></div> <div> Stack four, six or eight five gallon buckets in a row, two to a stack. Place a long board over the top as if you were making a table. Trim the board with gathered cloth, like a skirt. Voila! A decorative table! Another lady suggested you pull the sofa out from the wall enough to place this behind the sofa, place a decorative cloth or runner and some greenery on top for a new sofa table. And you thought furniture was expensive!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#996600" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><B>Also</B>, a lady who had lived in military housing and was familiar with the lack of space suggested this. Use a piece of beaded board or paneling to make a 'fake wall' on one side of a room. Store the food storage behind the fake wall and use a curtain, shower curtain or plain piece of fabric to cover the opening.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#996600" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><B>It's Important to Know</B> Food storage should be kept in a cool, dry place. Optimum temperature is 72 degrees. Here in the southwest, moisture isn't a problem, but we lived for a time in the east and the Pacific Northwest. Moisture is something to consider. If you store food in metal containers, keep them off the floor (especially cement floors in garages)! We laid rows of 2x4's on the floor, and set the cans of wheat on top of those. The air space prevents the moisture from rusting the cans. This is true with plastic buckets also because moisture can still creep inside.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#996600" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>BUGS</B> can be a problem as well. Freezing flour and grains will kill any eggs waiting to hatch. Airtight containers and oxygen packets are useful in suffocating the little buggers. I buy packages of bay leaves in the ethnic section of the grocery store and spread them all over our storage room. Twice a year I vacuum them up and spread new ones. The bugs hate the smell! If you wish, you can put a bay leaf or two inside the container of flour you are currently using<B> just don't eat it!</B> Tupperware is one of the few truly airtight storage containers (no, I don't sell it or own stock!) Rubbermaid makes some. Not all containers are airtight, so be careful what you use. I have heard that you can put the product (flour, pasta, etc.) in a mason canning jar with an oxygen packet and put the lid on. As long as the seal is in good condition, whatever's inside will keep fresh that way. Oxygen packets are available at the local church cannery for about $9 for 100</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>