Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Well, the title says it all.

I stopped by my local fire house subs. They sell food grade 5 gallon buckets for 2 dollars each, which they then give to the local fire house.

I figured thats all well and good. Only problem is, the buckets are used for pickles and well lets say they smell exactly like that.

Is there a way to get the pickle smell OUT of the buckets? I want to use these for storing beans and flour, in mylar bags, but Im worried well be eating Pickle-Bread and Pickle-Rice, even with the mylar.

Has anybody had an exeperience with these?

Also, if I put food in the mylar bags, is it ok to store them in non food grade buckets(like the home depot buckets)?

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

10% bleach solution should do the trick.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Thank you sir.

I was thinking dumping a whole crud load of baking soda solution, but the bleach would probably work better.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

My understanding is it's REALLY hard to get the smell out.

Home Depot buckets are what I use with mylar.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

damn.

All well, Ill do my best and report back. I wasnt expecting to really get it out, but I figured for 2 buck donation to the local fire house, why not give it a try.

Ill go with the home depot buckets in the future if its safe with the mylar. Seems the best bang for the buck.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

do the sensible thing and use the pickles buckets for salt brine pickles. They're great. Then do as Andy suggest get some new buckets fro home depot for you mylar bags. Ok?

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Be sure to compost it like humanure. :111::111::111::111:

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I was thinking that, but I just dont eat enough pickles lol.

Maybe Ill do a huge batch of 'kraut. Now that sounds good; 5 gallons of kraut!

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

OK, I'm just asking. If you're going to do the mylar bag thing, what difference does it make if the plastic buckets smell like pickles? Either the mylar is impervious to air or it isn't.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I was thinking the exact same thing. However there is another aspect here.

You've no idea HOW MUCH this thing smells like pickles. It made the car smell like pickles. With the lid on. It made my house smell like pickles just walking it to the porch and now the outside porch smells like pickles.

With the lid totaly snapped on, I still smell pickles. So my flour may be safe in mylar, but my storage room(closet under the stairs) will certainly reak of pickles, which would make my whole down stairs smell like pickles. lol. :36_1_25:


EDIT:

and, IIRC the mylar is very slightly gas permiable. Im sure if this stuff was sitting for a year, pickle might seap in. Never underestimate the smell of pickle. I did...until today!

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

People who have tried tell me that you will NEVER get the smell out. That won't affect your food in mylar bags.

The thing about plastic buckets is that rats can smell food through the plastic and will chew holes in your buckets to get it. However, they can't smell through mylar. You should be using mylar bags anyway, just because you maybe can't eat a five gallon stash before it spoils. So you split it into smaller portions and bag them.

BTW, if your grocery store has a bakery you may be able to get the frosting buckets free. At least they stink pretty!

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

As long as you REALLY love the taste of pickles you will have no trouble.

Any Chinese restaurants in your area? They by their soy sauce by the gallon, I mean, by the 5-gallon. I've gotten quite a few from one I frequent (it helps to be a customer).

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Got a bunch of 3.5 gallon buckets from Publix bakery a few years ago. They worked out just fine, and the price was right "free" just ask.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

First, let me say Heimdhal do you order the Steak Sub at Firehouse? - the best.

As for the pickle buckets, time will remove the odor. Fill bucket with water, add a little Dawn dish soap, mix a bit, let sit overnight, dump-out, rinse, let sun dry. Repeat. After about a month the smell should be gone.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Any self respecting Baker(myself included) makes his own icings/frostings. In a bucket? HA!!!!! :tongue_ma:

Simple Swiss Buttercream Recipe:

1lb Egg Whites
2lbs Sugar
3lbs Butter

:ok:
mmmm, buttercream bread! Rats arent too much of a problem for me here, since I have to store inside my airconditioned part of the house. At least, I hope rats arent a problem, or Ill have em running around my living room and kitchen! :36_1_25:

Yeah, were semi-friendly with a new place that just opened up. I didnt know they got their soy by the 5 gallon, TY for the hint!

TY

Yes, their subs are great, just a bit over priced. I HATE subway, HATE IT!!! Firehouse is defently better, IMO. Ill have to try that method, but I gotta say, that sounds like a lot of time devotion to a single pickle bucket :moon:

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

We store our sugar in a pickle bucket...it STILL smells like pickles when you open it but the sugar is fine.

Good luck ever getting the pickle smell out,tried bleach but didn't work.

Restaurants should have buckets that various things came in,mayo,pickles,kraut,etc.
The mayo buckets we get aren't 5 gallon however so the gamma seal lids do not work.

I also get them for free so the smell matters little...

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I had the same problem with my beer fermenting bucket. Couldn't get the beer smell out.

My solution?

It's now the pickle fermenting bucket.

Got a stainless steel conical for the beer! :beer:

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

mmmmm. Beer Pickles!

If not for anything else, this thread has certainly given me some good recipe ideas for pickles in the future!!!



Another question for all your smart preppers out there:

What size oxy absorbers do I need in a 5 gallon bucket? I have some 100cc ones here( a just under 200). If I toss 5 or 6 in a bucket of flour, should that cover it?

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

All I use are the pickle buckets I get free at Schlotzkys. I rinse them out and then let them stand a couple weeks with water in them in the hot garage. The smell seems to dissapear after a week or two. I then use mylar bags with 3 500cc OxyAbs. T
he icing buckets the local kroger uses are too small, flimsy and the lids don't have rubber gasket seals, so I don't use them.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

IIRC Walton Feed uses a 500cc absorber per each #10 can. I don't know what they use for buckets but it seems like it would be more than that.

Also, you might be better off storing wheat berries and buying a mill.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Speaking of pickles,try making garlic pickles...we used to be able to buy them but can't find them anymore.They were a German company.

Not to 'pickly' tasting so you could actually just eat them on their own.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Ive been considering that. For long term storage, that really is the best way.

But I bake a lot of our bread at home(except recently). Because of that I go through the flour pretty "quick".

I have some gamma lids coming so I can get easier access to the flour when I need it.

Mills are getting expensive too! I was amazed by the price of them. I figure since I likley wont have any flour sitting longer than 6 months to a year in SEALED containers Ill be alright. Probably wouldnt hurt to pick up some wheat berries just in case though.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I get the firehouse subs buckets also.

I soak them in a baking soda solution in the bath tub then scrub out the inside with more baking soda. I fill them with water and leave them outside for a few days and the smell is gone in about a week. I've done this several times and it has worked for me.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

ty. I was following that very same method before posting on here to get other ideas. How much baking soda do you use?

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

When I'm soaking them in hot water in the bathtub I don't know how much baking soda I use. Maybe a few cups. But I have a large bathtub that can fit 8 buckets lying sideways (It's literally the size of a medium jacuzzi - I joke that it fits 4 comfortably).

When scrubbing each bucket I use 1/2 cup. And then fill it up with water with the baking soda still inside. I set it outside for about a week with the water in it and then dump the water and let it sit outside for a few more days.

Like I said, afterwards there's no smell and the food I've eaten out of it tastes like it should.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I go to jewel and get them to save me the five gallon frosting buckets(they do have gaskets and are easier to snap on and off than regular lids), they are easier to clean than pickle buckets and they are free. I have to have no smell left whatsoever because I use mine for maple syrup buckets and for collection.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Got a couple more free ones from the bakery in the local grocery store after reading this thread last night. The nice little two gallon ones with rubber gaskets in the lids. They said that someone had just gotten their 5 gallon ones. Much easier to clean out the vanilla smell than the vinegar/pickel.

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I've pretty much totaly got the smell out using the baking powder method. I ran out of baking powder, but the smell is very faint now and with mylar wouldnt be a problem anyways.

THe greatest problem I had with the smell was not just it permiating into the food, but the fact that even sealed it made our entire downstairs smell like pickles in just a few minutes, it was that strong.


I think in the future I'll definetly go with the frosting buckets or go to my cousin's little italian market and grab whatever he has.

2 bucks isnt a bad deal, but having to put a weeks worth of work into it, that stinks...like pickles....:cry1:

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

I found a deal at Costco on food storage containers.

The item # is 494989

Not all Costco wharehouses have them but they are almost 1/2 off the price of most of the online sources that have them to sell and you dont have to pay shipping.

http://www.gamma2.net/new/stackables.html

Re: Pickle Buckets and Storage
 

Heim,
Just a little north of you I am,
I have done the same above thing.
Works great.
Just a little time is all.
Regards,
Haystackneedle