food storage

[ridethatpony]

Are canning jars with lids/rings a good way to store beans, rice, barley, flour, sugar, etc..???

I made chicken barley soup tonight (using an open box ~ 3 mo old?? of barley) when my son noticed "there's something in this soup"!!

I need a better way to store food, will the canning jars do it ?

Any suggestions please.
Thank You.

[Jeff54321]

I use 1/2 gallon jars to store all sorts of things and it works quite well.

[JGex]

What was the "something" in the soup? If it was moths, you may need to take further measures than simply switching to jars.

Moths can somehow get into canning jars if they want to.... with that said, almost all of my "in use" pantry items are in mason jars.

Don't use the plastic Ball jar storage lids... they're carp.

I try to pack the jars so there is very little air in them... stay fresher longer. Adding oxygen packs helps, too.

[Alice In TX/MO]

The 'something' eggs are in the products you bring home from the store.

Usually, you don't have to worry about sugar, but all those other things will hatch 'somethings' nicely in glass jars in the pantry.

[3ravens]

Easy to fix though. When you bring home your bags and boxes, pop them in the freezer for a few days. Then put your food into jars and seal. Most of the "somethings" will have frozen to death. I usually vac seal mine with the jar attachment on the foodsaver. All except for the one we are eating out of at the time.

[tanksoldier]

Usually when food gets "something" in it the eggs or larvae of that "something" were there when it was packed.

Rice, flour, beans... they all have eggs and larvae. They are just too small to eliminate.

This is one reason why those storing food for the long-term remove the O2 from the container somehow (dry ice packing, O2 scrubbers, etc). It kills whatever is in the food. Another method is to freeze the food for 4-5 days. That will kill most eggs and larvae and you can then put the food in the cupboard and use normally.

I usually freeze flour, pancake mix, dry beans and other such items before storing them in the pantry.

[Forerunner]

Long term storage of dried goods is best in a light proof as well as air tight container. We use food grade steel 15 gallon drums for the lesser items and 55 gallon drums for serious commodities. Place a candle in the top of the material to be stored and light it just before sealing the barrel. The candle will burn out all of the oxygen before it goes out. Obviously, you'll want to use a steel lid and not have the barrel so full that there is no room for the flame....
The candle may also be placed in a jar if there is concern about wax contaminating the material to be stored.
The barrel can be opened at any time for retrieval of contents, and the candle simply relit to reestablish the seal.
This method is used in the tropics with success. We've never had any problems using it. Just make sure the material is dry enough to be stored.

[PD-Riverman]

Originally Posted by 3ravens

Easy to fix though. When you bring home your bags and boxes, pop them in the freezer for a few days. Then put your food into jars and seal. Most of the "somethings" will have frozen to death. I usually vac seal mine with the jar attachment on the foodsaver. All except for the one we are eating out of at the time.

This is what I do. I also store my cerial in pint and quart jars and vacuum seal them. I open a quart jar of cerial that has been sealed for a year yesterday and it taste as fresh as new. Also store Dehydrated things and Garden seed this same way. Would hate to have to do without my Foodsaver.

[huisjen]

I scrounge good condition popcorn tins (3-5 gallon size) from the dump to hold beans, rice , flour, etc. If it's too much to put in the freezer, wet a folded up paper towel with strong liquor and put that in with the food to fumigate them. Doesn't work for powdered things, of course, but works when you don't have a freezer or freezing climate.

I learned that from reading Voyaging on a Small Income by Anne Hill. She "homesteads" on a sailboat that she and her husband built.

Canning jars with good lids and rings can be excellent ways to store many sorts of low-moisture foods.

If you haven't seen it yet you may want to look at the Prudent Food Storage FAQ which is accessible via the URL in my signature below. It's free to read or download. It will answer many food storage questions for you.

.....Alan.

[bugstabber]

An added bonus of using jars with lids & rings is that if you DO get a buggy batch of something it will stay in that jar until you find it. (not move into the next box etc.)

[suitcase_sally]

Originally Posted by 3ravens

Easy to fix though. When you bring home your bags and boxes, pop them in the freezer for a few days. Then put your food into jars and seal. Most of the "somethings" will have frozen to death.

I have often thought that is a crock because if it were true there would be no bugs in the frozen north and those of us that live here can tell you about mosquitoes big enough to ride.