Tony Masterson wrote:About freezing.
Would be a good or bad idea to put all my closed bucket outdoors for a week when it's freezing? (to kill off any bugs that somehow got in. Like hatched eggs, and whatever.)
Or would that cause condensation issues? Perhaps add a moist absorber?
I would be concerned about condensation from doing that depending on how much air is in your buckets. If you're concerned about insects in your food then using the right amount of oxygen absorbers will prevent any insects from surviving due to lack of oxygen in the bucket. The key is making sure you have enough oxygen absorbers. For 5 gallon buckets with rice 2000cc of oxygen absorbers should be fine. I like using multiple to spread throughout the bucket and I generally use extra just in case. Lots of good info here on how oxygen absorbers
https://www.shtfbase.com/2023/01/13/oxygen-absorbers-for-food-storage/.
As long as your lids are airtight you shouldn't have much to worry about. The thing about buckets is it's difficult to know how airtight your lids are. Some people use petroleum jelly to help make sure the lids are airtight.
I like using mylar bags which I then place in my buckets so there is not as much concern over the bucket's lid being 100% airtight.
