Greetings to All You People Getting Prepared! Wow! What a wild winter across our nation. As I type, several folks are out of power and it is COLD. There are volcanos in Alaska, and several tremors across the land....power outages, etc. Are you getting prepared? Also, with the economic outlook, it is PRUDENT to get extra food on hand to help through difficult times. I hope you are purchasing bulk food and I hope these tips will help you in feeling like you are secure in the fact the food will keep! So, please look at these next couple of tips, and good luck!
How do you prepare your own bulk grain?
A: One simple method is to spread the grain out on cookie sheets and dry in a very low oven (150 degrees) for about 30 minutes. You don't want to cook the grain, just dry it out and kill any insect eggs that might be present.
After the grain has cooled, place 1/4 of a sheet of dry ice (1/4 pound) in the bottom of a food grade, sealable plastic 5 gallon container and fill 3/4 full with grain.
A: One simple method is to spread the grain out on cookie sheets and dry in a very low oven (150 degrees) for about 30 minutes. You don't want to cook the grain, just dry it out and kill any insect eggs that might be present.
After the grain has cooled, place 1/4 of a sheet of dry ice (1/4 pound) in the bottom of a food grade, sealable plastic 5 gallon container and fill 3/4 full with grain.
Set a packet of Silica-Gel desiccant (to absorb moisture) on top of the grain and set the lid in place, but do not seal it.
Some people like to place a couple of dried Bay Leaves in the container at this time also.
In about 2 hours you can usually seal the container.
Wal-Mart is one place to find inexpensive silica-Gel. Look in the flower section, because people use it to dry flowers. Silica-gel is not edible, so don't let it mix with the food. I have found that coffee filters work well to make containers for the Silica-gel. One coffee filter with as much silica-gel as it will hold and still tie off, is about right for a 5 gallon container of food. The container for the silica-gel must not be plastic, because it needs to be able to absorb moisture to work. If the Silica Gel has already absorbed moisture, it can be dried in a low oven, as mentioned above and will then be reusable. Your 5 gallon food container would now have had most of the Oxygen removed, and should stay dry. Also, any insect eggs should have been (hopefully) killed. Once the container is sealed, the food should keep safely for up to 5 years.
Wal-Mart is one place to find inexpensive silica-Gel. Look in the flower section, because people use it to dry flowers. Silica-gel is not edible, so don't let it mix with the food. I have found that coffee filters work well to make containers for the Silica-gel. One coffee filter with as much silica-gel as it will hold and still tie off, is about right for a 5 gallon container of food. The container for the silica-gel must not be plastic, because it needs to be able to absorb moisture to work. If the Silica Gel has already absorbed moisture, it can be dried in a low oven, as mentioned above and will then be reusable. Your 5 gallon food container would now have had most of the Oxygen removed, and should stay dry. Also, any insect eggs should have been (hopefully) killed. Once the container is sealed, the food should keep safely for up to 5 years.
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