food storage essentials

7/30/2019 Food Storage Essentials

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food ................................................. 2

Food Storage for Beginners ...... .... ...2

Develop a Home StorageMindset ...................................... 2

The Seven Major Mistakes in Food

Storage .................... ......................... ... 4GENERAL SHELF LIVE INFO: ............5

Food Spoilage ................. ............ .....7

INSECT INFESTATIONS ...... .... ....7

BACTERIAL SPOILAGE ...............8

C.1 BOTULISM ........................8

Moisture Content............... .... 9

MOLDS IN FOOD ......................10

B.2 MOLDS IN CANNEDGOODS .....................................12

B.3 MOLDS IN GRAINS ANDLEGUMES ........................ .........12

Food Preservation Methods ........... .13

A Short Lesson On OxygenAbsorbers ................................... .13

Oxygen Absorbers .................. .14

Using Dry Ice To Preserve YourFood............................................ 15

Mylar bags ..... ........................ . 17

Storing with Nitrogen or Argon....................................................17

Equipment needed: ...... ..... ..17

Specific FOODs - STORAGE ...........18

STORING EGGS ........... ...... ......18

CELLAR EGGS KEEP 6 MONTHS................................... ............. 18

STORE EGGS WITHWATERGLASS - #1 ...................18

STORE EGGS WITHWATERGLASS - #2 ...................18

Potatoes ................................ ..20

Harvesting and Storing .......20The Healing Process ..... .... ... 20

Storage ............................... .21

storing SWEETENERS ...... ...... .21

D.1 TYPES OF GRANULATEDSUGARS ................................... 21

D.2 TYPES OF HONEY ...........22

D.3 TYPES OF CANE SYRUPS.

.................................. ............. . 24D.4 CORN SYRUP ........ ...... ...25

D.5 MAPLE SYRUP ............ ....25

storing HERBS AND SPICES.....25

storing DRY MILKS ............. ...... 26

B.1 TYPES OF DRY MILKS .... .26

B.2 STORING OF DRY MILKS .27

C. CANNED GOODS ...... ..... ...29

Milk Recipes ......................... 29

Butter Powder ............. ............30

Cheddar Cheese Powder ...... ... 31

General info on storage foods ........31

LEGUMES ......................... ....... 31

Grains ..... ..... ........................... 33

GRAIN VARIETIES .......... ..... .....38

Water ............................................. 39Three Easy Ways to Purify Water ...39

Distillation ............................... 39

Emergency Food and Water Supplies........................................................... 40

Quantity ............................ ......41

Water Collection ......................41

Methods for long term storage oftap water:.................................... 42

Water Purification ....... ...... ......45

Heavy Metals .................... ...45

Turbidity .................. ............46

Organic compounds .............46

Pathogens ............................46

Bacteria ..................... ..........46

Viruses ............................... .. 46

Water Purification and Storage ......46

Physical Treatment ........ ...... ...47

Heat Treatment ........... ...... ..47

Microfilters ........... ............. ...... 48

Slow Sand Filter ................ ...48

Slow sand filter constructioninformation:...................... ....... 49

Activated Charcoal Filter .. .. .49

Sol-Air Water Treatment ......50

Improvised Mechanical Filter . .50


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FOOD

FOOD STORAGE FOR

BEGINNERS

Develop a Home StorageMindset

If you're new to food storage, firstprepare by developing a food storagemindset. It's easy to think of lots ofreasons why we can't get our foodstorage started; but we have to remindourselves that ANY food item that isstored for later use (tomorrow, nextweek, next year, or years from now) isfood storage. In that context, thecanned vegetables and packages ofpasta in your kitchen cupboard are partof your food storage.

Start Simply

Don't begin your food storage focuswith the compulsion to obtain a year'ssupply of food storage immediately.Start your food storage plan bydetermining what food items you useregularly that could be bought aheadand stored for future use.

Store What You Will Use

Examine the shelf life of food itemsyour family uses. That will help you toestimate how much you can store. Youcan only store as much as your familywill use before the shelflife of the fooditem runs out (stored at propertemperature and under propercircumstances in adequate food gradecontainers, without oxygen ifappropriate.)

Back to Basics

You may be able to save money withyour food storage by using "back tobasics" techniques such as grindingyour own grains, sprouting seeds,growing garden vegetables, home

canning, etc. Whole grains store well formany years and can be purchasedinexpensively in bulk. If your family isnot accustomed to eating whole-grainfoods, you will need to increase theamount of whole-grains in your dietslowly to allow the body to adjust to thefiber increase. Whole dried herbs canalso be purchased in bulkinexpensively. You can grind your herbswith a coffee grinder or mortar and

pestle.Label Carefully

As you package a food item forstorage, be sure to label the containerplainly with the name of the food itemand date it is packed. Place your labelsso that you will still be able to see themwhen containers are stacked orshelved.

Rotate, Rotate, ROTATE!

The MOST IMPORTANT thing I can tellyou about food storage is that it isnecessary to ROTATE your storage.

That means that you use the containerthat's been stored the longest andreplace it with newer stored containersbehind the older ones. If you are storingitems that you never use, you arewasting space that could be used forfood items you need. Food storage that

spoils or lies untouched is garbage.Don't fill your home with garbage. Fill

your home with precious healthy foodstorage that will be a blessing to youand your family on a regular basis andin times of need.

Food Storage is NOT Just forEmergencies

Food storage is not something we setaside for an emergency, although it is agreat blessing in such a time. Foodstorage is a plan for living better,buying less expensively, preservingfoods we grow ourselves, developing ahealthier lifestyle, and learning ways touse our storage for household uses andnatural healing.

Keep Food Storage on Your Mind

As you begin to focus on your homestorage, keep your storage in mind asyou shop, clip coupons, and browsenewspapers for sales. When you findtomato sauce on sale, stock up onenough for a month or two. Whencanned vegetables are on sale, buyenough for a variety of canned goods inyour storage. Pasta, oil, and beans keepwell; so store enough for two or threemonths. As your pantry fills, you willbegin to develop an idea of what youwant to add to your storage, and you'llkeep that in mind as you shop and planyour gardening.

Plan Ahead When Buying in Bulk

When you begin to buy in bulk, youwill need to plan ahead to make surethat you have all the containers andequipment you will need for yourstorage. Reusable containers can be ablessing for those who plan to continuetheir storage as a way of life.


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Tailor Guides for Short-Term BasicStorage and Long-Term ExtendedStorage

As you develop a home storagemindset, you can devise a plan forshort-term basic storage and for long-

term extended storage. Food storageguides are meant to be used as generalguidelines that can be tailored to yourfamily's needs that serve to give you abetter overall picture of home storage.Food storage buying guides generallylay out a plan to obtain a year's supplyof food storage with monthly or weeklygoals; but these, too, should be tailoredto your family's needs. For example, ifeveryone in your family is allergic to

oats, a large supply of oats would be awaste for you. Substitute a similar fooditem that your family could put to use;such as barley, rice, or quinoa.

Set a Goal, Devise a Plan, and ObtainYour Storage

Set a goal, devise a plan, and obtainthe storage you desire. For example,you might begin with a goal to obtain amonth's supply of food storage. You

might plan to purchase items such asstaples, canned goods, dry milk, andpasta, making a chart of how much ofeach item you will need to store. As youmake your grocery purchases over thenext month, buy twice the amount youneed of each item (one for this month'suse, and another for next month'sstorage.) Buying on sale, usingcoupons, and growing your own foodscan help to reduce the initial cost of

storing foods. You might have to makesome adjustments to find money for

your storage by cutting back on fastfood, eating a "cheap" meal once aweek, or fasting for one day a month ormore and saving the money you wouldhave spent on food for your storage.

You may examine your expenses andfind other ways to trim your budget to

allow for home storage; such as goingout for entertainment one less time amonth, giving your own haircutsinstead of going to the salon, callingless long-distance, etc. After a fewmonths of storing a month ahead andliving off your storage, you will begin tosee other ways in which you can obtainyour food storage in greater bulk lessexpensively. You may devise a plan fora 3-month supply, a 6-month supply, ayear's supply, etc. as your needs andmeans permit.

Find Space for Your Storage

As your storage grows, findingstorage space can be a challenge. Ifyou are lucky enough to have a rootcellar, basement, or spare room withtemperature control, you are veryblessed. If space is a problem, getcreative. Build shelves, store underbeds, use an unused corner of a room,store under decorative tables, or storebehind couches and other furniture. Ifyou truly have a desire to set asidehome storage, there will be a place foryour storage.

Make Use of Your Storage

Make use of your food storage andfind new uses for it. For example, learnhow to use the same herbs as spices forcooking, formulas for healing, andhousehold cleaning. Use salt, vinegar,

and baking soda for cooking, healing,and household uses. Learn to grindwhole grains and to sprout your grainsfor fresh sprouts, juices, essene bread,salads, and wheat grass. Proper use ofyour food storage can help to simplifyyour life, improve your health, extend

your budget, and enlighten your soul.

Put Your Home Storage to the Test

Once you feel confident that yourhome storage pantry is well-stocked,plan a weekend for your family to putyour home storage to the test. Use onlyyour storage to live on for the weekend.For a real emergency preparednesstest, turn off the electricity and water,and survive using your alternate

sources of heating, cooling, cooking,water, etc. Within the first hour you willthink of many things you should have instorage that never occurred to youbefore. When you live on your foodstorage, you will become personallyaware of the need for a variety ofherbs, butter powder, mayonnaise, anda number of things that will make yourfood storage tastier, more palatable,healthier, and more interesting.

Storage is a Blessing

As you become accustomed to using,rotating, and extending your homestorage, you will find that it is ablessing to you and others in manyways. Your home storage is a blessingwhen your neighbor who has lost apaycheck is in need of groceries, whenyour loved one who has taken ill needsmeals taken to his or her home, whenyou've run out of commercial cleanersso make your own, when a flood


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destroys all foods not stored inwaterproof containers, when one of theladies from Church asks if you wouldn'tmind making homemade bread forsomething special, when your friend isin need of a poultice for an insect stingor wound, when power lines are down

and refrigerated items spoil, when yourfather needs an herbal tea forheadache or upset stomach, when anatural disaster destroys homes andfood, when your child needs ahomemade game to keep him occupiedthrough an emergency situation, and,REGULARLY, every time you prepare ameal for yourself or your family usingyour home storage. Keep the faith, andalways move forward prayerfully.

[ November 17, 2002, 09:57 AM:Message edited by: AZ GRAMMY ]

THE SEVEN MAJOR MISTAKES

IN FOOD STORAGE

A month or two ago I met a cute littlegal who was talking to me about hernewly begun food storage. "You know,"she began, "I've dreaded doing my foodstorage for years, its seems so blah, butthe way national events are going myhusband and I

decided we couldn't put it offanymore. And, do you know, it reallyhasn't been hard. We just bought 20bags of wheat, my husband found aplace to get 60 pound cans of honey,and now all we have to do is get acouple of cases of powdered milk.

Could you tell me where to get themilk?" After I suggested several

distributors, I asked, "Do you know howto cook with your wheat?" "Oh," shelaughed, "if we ever need it I'll learnhow. My kids only like white bread and Idon't have a wheat grinder."

She had just made every major

mistake in storing food (other than notstoring anything at all.) But she's notalone. Through 14 years of helpingpeople prepare, I found most people'sstorage starts out looking just like hers.So what's wrong with this storage plan?

There are seven serious problems thatmay occur trying to live on thesebasics:

1.) VARIETY - Most people don't haveenough variety in their storage. 95% of

the people I've worked with only storedthe 4 basic items we mentioned earlier:wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Statisticsshow most of us won't survive on sucha diet for several reasons. a.) Manypeople are allergic to wheat and maynot be aware of it until they are eatingit meal after meal. b.) Wheat is tooharsh for young children. They cantolerate it in small amounts but not astheir main staple. c.) We get tired ofeating the same foods over and overand many times prefer not to eat thanto sample that particular food again.

This is called appetite fatigue. Youngchildren and older people areparticularly susceptible to it. Store lesswheat than is generally suggest and putthe difference into a variety of othergrains, particularly ones your familylikes to eat. Also store a variety ofbeans. This will add variety of color,texture and flavor. Variety is the key toa successful storage program. It is

essential that you store flavorings suchas tomato, bouilion, cheese, and onion.

Also, include a good supply of thespices you like to cook with. Theseflavorings and spices allow you to domany creative things with your grains

and beans. Without them you areseverely limited. One of the bestsuggestions I can give you is buy agood food storage cookbook. Gothrough it and see what your familywould really eat. Notice the ingredientsas you do it. This will help you morethan anything else to know what itemsto store.

2.) EXTENDED STAPLES - Few peopleget beyond storing the four basic items,

but it is extemely important that you doso. Never put all your eggs in onebasket. Store dehydrated and/or freeze-dried foods as well as home canned andstore bought canned goods. Make sureyou add cooking oil, shortening, bakingpowder, soda, yeast and powderedeggs. You can't cook even the mostbasic receipes without these items.Because of limited space I won't list allthe items that should be included in awell-balanced storage program. Theyare all included in the The New CookinWith Home Storage cookbook, as wellas information on how much to store,and where to purchase it.

3.) VITAMINS - Vitamins areimportant, especially if you havechildren, since children do not storebody reserves of nutrients as adults do.A good quality multi-vitamin and

vitamin C are the most vital. Othersmay be added as your budget permits.


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4.) QUICK AND EASY ANDPSYCHOLOGICAL FOODS - Quick andeasy foods help you through timeswhen you are psychologically orphysically unable to prepare your basicstorage items. No cook foods such asfreeze-dried are wonderful since they

require little preparation. MRE's (MealsReady to Eat), such as manyprepardness outlets carry, cannedgoods, etc. are also very good.Psycological Foods are the goodies -

Jello, pudding, candy, etc. - you shouldadd to your storage. These may soundfrivolous, but through the years I'vetalked with many people who havelived entirely on their storage forextended periods of time. Nearly all ofthem say these were the most helpfulitems in their storage to normalize theirsituations and make it more bearable.

These are especially important if youhave children.

5.) BALANCE - Time and time againI've seen families buy all of their wheat,then buy all of another item, and so on.Don't do that. It's important to keepwell-balanced as you build your

storage. Buy several items, rather thana large quantity of one item. Ifsomething happens and you have tolive on your present storage, you''ll faremuch better having a one-month supplyof a variety of items than a year'ssupply of two to three items.

6.) CONTAINERS - Always store yourbulk foods in food storage containers. Ihave seen literally tons and tons of foodthrown away because they were left insacks, where they became highlysusceptible to moisture, insects and

rodents. If you are using plastic bucketsmake sure they are lined with a foodgrade plastic liner available fromcompanies that carry packagingsupplies. Never use trash can liners asthese are treated with pesticides. Don'tstack them too high. In an earthquake

they may topple, the lids pop open, orthey may crack. A better container isthe #10 tin can which mostprepardness companies use when theypackage their foods.

7.) USE YOUR STORAGE - In all theyears I've worked with prepardness oneof the biggest problems I've seen ispeople storing food and not knowingwhat to do with it. It's vital that you and

your family become familiar with thethings you are storing. You need toknow how to prepare these foods. Thisis not something you want to learnunder stress. Your family needs to beused to eating these foods. A stressfulperiod is not a good time to totallychange your diet. Get a food storagecookbook and learn to use these foods!

It's easy to solve these food storageproblems once you know what they are.

The lady I talked about at the first ofthe article left realizing what she hadstored was a good beginning, but notenough. As she said, "It's better to findout the mistakes I've made now whilethere's still time to make corrections."

This makes a lot more sense. If you'reone who needs to make someadjustments, that's okay. Look at thesesuggestions and add the things you'remissing. It's easy to take a basicstorage and add the essentials to makeit liveable, but it needs to be done. As I

did the research for my cookbook Iwanted to include receipes that gavehelp to families no matter what theyhad stored. As I put the materialtogether it was fascinating to discoverwhat the pioneers ate is the type ofthings we store. But if you have stored

only the 4 basics, there's very, verylittle you can do with it. By adding even

just a few things it greatly increasesyour options, and the prospect ofyourfamily surviving on it. As I studied howthe pioneers lived and ate, my wholefeeling for food changed. I realized ourstorage is what most of the world hasalways lived on. If it's put together theright way we'll be returning to goodbasic living with a few goodies thrownin.

GENERAL SHELF LIVE INFO:Is your food insurance up to date?

Since the entire idea of a foodstorage program is that it should beavailable for you and yours in times ofneed, it is important to understand theconditions that can affect the edibles

stored in your pantry.

A storage program is only as good asthe quality of the food that goes into it.It cannot get any better than whatoriginally went in, but it can certainlyget worse. In the fullness of time, allstored foods will degrade in nutrientsand palatability until they reach theinevitable end where even the dogwon't eat them. It's because of this

eventuality that every article, book, and

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teacher concerned with putting food bygives the same advice:

Date all food containers and rotate,Rotate,

ROTATE.

The first food in should be the firstfood out. This concept is oftenshortened to the acronym FIFO.

The reason for this emphasis onstock rotation is that when discussingthe usefulness of foodstuffs there arereally two shelf lives to be considered -the nutritional life and the palatabilitylife. Nutritional content actually beginsto fade at the moment of harvest withthree major factors influencing nutrient

retention: The food's initial nutrientcontent; the processing andpreservation steps the food underwent;and the storage conditions in which it'skept. Given sufficient time, all but themost durable nutrients will dwindleaway to nothing. Unfortunately, there isno good way outside of laboratorytesting to know how much nutrition isleft in a given food, but we can makeour own determinations about othercriteria which leads us to thepalatability life mentioned alsomentioned above.

A food's palatability life is the pointat which undesirable changes occur tofoods taste, texture, color and cookingqualities. This is the reason for the "useby" and "sell by" dates on many foodsand for shelf lives in general. It willalmost always be in excess of good

nutritive life. If you don't have anythingto replace old food with, it's not

necessary to throw the food out justbecause it's reached the end of its bestpalatable storage life. Do, however,keep in mind that advancing age willonly further decrease the usefulnutrition, increase the foods'unattractiveness to being eaten and

enlarge the chances that somethingmay cause the food to spoil.

Within reason, the key to prolongingthe shelf life of your edibles lies inlowering the temperature of the areathey are stored in. The storage lives ofmost foods are cut in half by everyincrease of 18 F (10 Celsius). Forexample, if you've stored your food in agarage that has a temperature of 90 F,

you should expect a shelf life less thanhalf of what could be obtained at roomtemperature (70 F) this in turn is lessthan half the storage life that you couldget if you kept them in your refrigeratorat 40 F. Your storage area should belocated where the temperature can bekept above freezing (32 F) and, ifpossible, below 72 F.

Ideally, your storage location shouldhave a humidity level of 15% or less,but unless you live in the desert it's notterribly likely you'll be able to achievethis. Regardless, moisture is not goodfor your dry stored edibles so you wantto minimize it as much as possible. Thiscan be done by several methods. Thefirst is to keep the area air-conditionedand/or dehumidified during the humidtimes of the year. The second is to usepackaging impervious to moisture andthen to deal with the moisture trappedinside. If you are able, there's no reasonnot to use both.

All containers should be kept off thefloor and out of direct contact fromexterior walls to reduce the chances ofcondensation brought on bytemperature differences between thecontainer and the surface it's restingagainst.

Another major threat to your food isoxygen. Chances are that if your foodsare sealed in moisture-proof containersthe containers are probably air-tight aswell. This means that the oxygen canalso be kept from doing its damage. Ifno more can get in, your only concernis the O2 that was trapped inside thecontainer when it was sealed. Loweringthe percentage of O2 to 2% or less of

the atmosphere trapped inside thepackaging (called head gas) can greatlycontribute to extending its contentsshelf life. The three main tactics forachieving this are vacuum sealing,flushing with inert gas or chemicallyabsorbing the oxygen. Any one or acombination of the three can be used togood effect.

Once you have temperature,humidity and oxygen under control, it isthen necessary to look at light. Light isa form of energy and when it shines onyour stored foods long enough ittransfers some of that energy to yourfood. This has the effect of degradingnutritional content and appearance. Fatsoluble vitamins, such as A, D, E, and Kare particularly sensitive to lightdegradation. It certainly is a prettysight to look at rows and rows of jarsfull of delicious food, particularly if youwere the one that put the food in those

jars. However, if you want to keep them

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at their best, you'll admire them onlywhen you turn the light on in the pantryto retrieve one. If you don't have aroom that can be dedicated to thispurpose then store the jars in thecardboard box they came in. This willprotect them not only from light, but

help to cushion them from shockswhich might break a jar or cause it tolose its seal. For those of you inearthquake country, it's a particularlygood idea. When "terra" is no longer"firma" your jars just might dance rightoff onto the floor.

Assuming they were properlyprocessed in the first place, canned,dried and frozen (never thawed) foods

do not become unsafe when storedlonger than the recommended time, buttheir nutrient quality fades and theirflavor, color and texture goes downhill.Following these rules of good storagewill keep your food wholesome andnutritious for as long as possible:

#1 - First In, First Out (FIFO) meansrotating your storage

#2 - Cooler is better

#3 - Drier is better

#4 - Less oxygen exposure meansmore shelf life.

#5 - Don't shed light on your food.

Think of rotating your food storageas paying your food insurancepremiums -- slacking off on rotationcuts back on your coverage. Is yourfood insurance up to date?

FOOD SPOILAGE

INSECT INFESTATIONSA.1 PESTS OF STORED GRAINS,

LEGUMES AND DRY FOODSTUFFS

Insect infestations can occur in awide variety of foodstuffs such as

flours, meals, pastas, dried fruits andvegetables, nuts, sweets, whole grains,beans, sugars, TVP, jerky, bird seed andpet foods.

Naturally, the best way to deal withan insect infestation is not to have onein the first place. Try to purchase fromsuppliers who are clean and have ahigh volume of turnover of theirproducts. This will mean the products

you purchase will be less likely to havebugs in them.

When you buy foodstuffs examinethem closely to be sure they are insectfree. Check for any packaging or use bydates to insure their freshness. Don'tshake the package, most adult insectswill be found in the top couple of inchesof the product and shaking the packagewill mix them into the contents anddisguise them. If the package does turn

out to be infested, return it forreplacement.

Once you have purchased theproduct you should store it in an air-and moisture-tight container so itcannot be invaded after you havebrought it home. With sufficient time,adult and some larval insect forms canpenetrate paper, cardboard and thinplastic packaging. Your containers

should be either heavy plastic, glass ormetal with tight fitting lids. As with

everything in food storage, you shoulduse older packages before newer onesand opened packages before unopenedones.

The storage area should be keptclean. Don't allow grain, flour, beans,

bits of pasta or other food particles toaccumulate on shelves or the floor.Cracks and crevices should be sealed orotherwise blocked. Unless it is a stickyspill, vacuuming is the best method ofcleaning since cleaning with soap andwater can wash food particles into thecracks.

Insects may also get their start inchairs, sofas and carpets where food isdropped and not cleaned up. Don't

forget to replace the filter bag on thevacuum as some insects can surviveand reproduce in the bag after they'vebeen sucked in.

Bags of dry pet food and bird seedcan also harbor insect infestation.Decorative foodstuffs such as ears ofcolorful Indian corn, colored beans andhard squashes can carry insects thatcan infest your edible food. Even poison

baits can harbor flour beetles.A.2 CONTROL OF INSECT

INFESTATIONS

Should you find that in spite ofbuying fresh products and using carefulpackaging techniques you have aninsect infestation, you can try some ofthe following steps:

1. If the food is too heavily infestedto try to save it should be disposed ofas soon as possible. Remove it from thekitchen or food storage area

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immediately so it won't infest otherfoods.

2. Large bugs can be sifted orwinnowed out if the food's not tooheavily infested and you want to try tosave it. Then treat it by placing into a

deep freezer at 0 F (-18 C) for three toseven days depending upon the size ofthe package. Refrigerator freezersusually do not freeze low enough toeffectively kill all of the life stages ofinsects, but if left there, will slow theirdevelopment. If freezing is not workablethen the product could be spread onbaking sheets and heated to 150 F forfifteen to twenty minutes, cooled andrepackaged. Heat treated foods should

be consumed shortly thereafter.3. The surface areas where the food

containers are stored can be treatedwith an insecticide. This is not areplacement for clean storage habitsand good containers, but it cansupplement it. This will not controlinsect infestations already in yourstored foods.

Spray the shelf surface with 0.5%

chlorpyrifos (Dursban), 1% propoxur(Baygon), 0.5 percent diazinon, or 0.25percent resmethrin. You can find any ofthese in the hardware store in ready toapply packages. If a sprayer isn'tfeasible then they can be applied with apaint brush. Allow the solution to drythoroughly. Cover the shelves withclean, untreated shelf paper and putproperly packaged foods back onshelves. READ THE PRODUCT LABEL

FOR SAFETY INFORMATIONCONCERNING CHILDREN AND PETS

Household bleach, Lysol and othersterilizers will not control insectinfestation, though they can be used formold, mildew and algae.

You may continue to find someinsects after the cleanup is finished.

This could be for several reasons. Thefirst being they escaped from thepackages they were infesting and didnot get cleaned up. There may be morepackages infested than were originallyrealized or, there may be hiding placesin the storage area that need attention.Once you have carefully eliminated allfood sources, the bugs shoulddisappear in three to four weeks.

BACTERIAL SPOILAGE

Just like the fungi, bacteria areeverywhere. They're in the water, soil,air, on you, your food and your foodstorage containers. Fortunately, thevast majority of the bacteria weencounter are relatively harmless oreven benign and only a few represent adanger to us and our stored foods.

Bacteria can be very much moredifficult to kill off than molds and

insects. Some of them are capable ofcontinued growth at temperatures thatwould kill other spoilage organisms.When conditions are such that they areunable to grow, some bacteria can godormant and form spores. These sporescan be quite hardy, even to the point ofsurviving a rolling boil.

In order to grow, bacteria needmoisture, some as little as a 20%

moisture content. For dry grains,legumes, powdered milk and other low

moisture foodstuff bacterial spoilagewill seldom be a problem so long as themoisture level in the foodstuff remainstoo scant to support its growth. For thisreason, it is imperative that suchproducts be drier than 20% andpreferably below 10% to ward off mold

growth as well. The botulism bacteriumneeds moisture in the 35% range togrow. Thus, making being sure of themoisture content of the food productsyou want to store, and appropriatelyusing desiccants in your food packagingare also excellent ideas.

WARNING: It is in wet pack cannedgoods (where the container has freeliquid in it) and fresh foods we must be

the most concerned about spoilagebacteria. It is here that a little bad luckand a moment's inattention to what youare doing could kill or seriously injureyou or some other person who eats thefoods you've put by. In both home-canned and commercially-cannedgoods, IF THE CAN IS BULGING,LEAKING, SMELLS BAD, OR SPEWSLIQUID WHEN YOU OPEN IT THEN

THROW IT OUT! But, throw it out safely

so that children and animals cannot getinto it.

C.1 BOTULISMClostridium botulinum is one of the

oldest life forms found on the planet.Like the gangrene bacteria, it is ananaerobic organism meaning it livesand grows in the absence of freeoxygen. It forms spores whenconditions are not suitable for it to grow

and these spores are commonly foundin the soil. This means that C.

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botulinum can be brought into your lifeon raw produce, tools, hands oranything else that came into contactwith dirt. To further complicate matters,botulinum spores are extremely heat-hardy. The bacteria itself can be killedby exposing them for a short time to

boiling water (212 F AT SEA LEVELPRESSURE), but their spores can not. Tokill them, the food product andcontainer must be exposed totemperatures of 240 F (AGAIN AT SEALEVEL PRESSURE) for a long enoughperiod of time to allow all of the food ineach container to come completely upto the proper temperature. Only apressure-canner can reach thenecessary temperature.

It's not the bacteria or its sporeswhich are directly deadly, but the toxinthe bacteria creates when it grows andreproduces. In its pure form, botulismtoxin is so potent that a mere teaspoonof it would be enough to provide a fataldose to hundreds of thousands ofpeople. It is this lethality that is whyevery responsible book on canning,food preservation, food storage, and

the like hammers constantly on theneed for care in technique and methodand why spoilage must be taken soseriously.

C. botulinum, like any other life form,must have suitable conditions for it togrow and become a danger to you. Oneof the conditions it must have is asuitable pH range in its environment.pH is the measure of the acidity oralkalinity of a substance and ismeasured on a scale of 1-14 withanything above 7 being considered

alkaline and everything below 7 beingconsidered acid. If the pH of your wetpack food is BELOW 4.6 then botulismis unable to grow. Keep in mind pH isnot eternal in foods and it is possible forit to change. If it should change to alesser acidity than 4.6 pH your

previously botulinum proof food maystart allowing the lethal spoiler to grow(see B.2, molds in canned goods). Thisis why it is vital to use propertechnique, even for acid foods liketomatoes. It has been found that whenthis occurs and botulinum becomesactive and produces its lethal toxin italso produces minute amounts of acidwhich can lower the pH of the poisonedfood back into what should have been

the safe zone had the pH not jumpedup and allowed the bacteria to grow.Again and again -- use good techniqueand pay attention to what you aredoing.

Botulinum toxin, unlike fungalmycotoxins, can be destroyed byboiling the food briskly in an openvessel for fifteen minutes. Because ofthis, if your canned food shows any

safety problems you should follow thisprocedure. If the food shows even theslightest mold growth, keep in mindthat mycotoxins are not for the mostpart broken down by heat and disposeof the food safely.

I don't intend to go into the hows ofhome canning here. For that I stronglyrecommend that you read the r.f.p.FAQ, the Ball Blue Book and mostespecially the book Putting Food By forin depth information on this subject.

Moisture Content...It seems to be the 'in' thing now days

among the Internet crowd to throw adesiccant packet or two into their foodstorage container before putting on thelid. Here at Walton Feed we don't dothis, now let me tell you why.

Desiccant packs won't even start toget this job done. Let me explain: First,let's do the math. For the bean/grainseeds I've checked, the specific gravityis between 1.0 and 1.2. As water has aspecific gravity of 1.0 we can use theweight of the seeds themselves todetermine how much water is in theseeds at a given moisture content.

Let's use a 6 gallon bucket of wheat

with a 15% moisture content for ourexample. The wheat weighs 45 lbs. Tofigure how much water by weight is inthis sized sample, multiply the weightof the wheat by it's water content. Solet's figure it: 45 lbs X 15%=6.75 lbs ofwater. But we only want to remove 1/3of this water, (6.75 X 0.33=2.23 poundsof water) or about 2 1/4 lbs water as wedon't want to take out all of the water,but rather only bring it down to a 10%moisture level. As one cup of waterweighs 1/2 lb, that 2 1/4 lbs of waterhas a volume measurement of 4.5 cupswater (just a bit over 1 Liter). Good, drydesiccant can absorb 40% it's weight inmoisture. To absorb this much wateryou'd need at least 6 lbs of desiccant.

Now, there's no way that a smallmoisture absorber packet, or several forthat matter, are going to remove that

much water.

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Suzanne Ashworth in her book, Seedto Seed, explains the right way of howto do this using desiccant. "...Colorindicating silica gel is an excellent"desiccant" (moisture absorbingmaterial) for drying seeds... The [silicagel] beads are deep blue when

completely dry, but gradually change tolight pink as moisture is absorbed... Thedrying process requires a glass jar withan airtight lid... Determine the totalweight of the seeds and packets, andthen measure out an equal weight ofdark blue silica gel. Place both thepackets [of seeds] and silica gel intothe jar and screw the lid on tightly. Thesilica gel will immediately startabsorbing moisture from the seeds...

"Both large and small seeds reachoptimum moisture levels for storageafter seven or eight days in thecontainer... Open the container andseparate the packets of seeds from thesilica gel then repackage the seeds inairtight containers."

Ms. Ashworth suggests using equalparts of seeds and desiccant. This is notpractical considering the large amountsof food we are storing at one time. So,what do you do? You don't want to putyour food in the oven as this willdestroy the storageability of your food. Ionly know one other way - you have toair dry them. Farmers have big fansthat pull outside air into their storagebins and circulate it up through theseeds. The fan goes on when thehumidity conditions are low, and isturned off as the humidity rises eitherbecause of wet weather or droppingtemperatures. Even this isn't really

practical for the average person as hedoesn't have the equipment. Theeasiest thing to do is make sure thefood you get is already at 10% moistureor less, then pack it up for long termstorage before it has a chance to sitaround in moist conditions and gain

moisture. If you live in a dry climate likewe do here in the Intermountain West -Don't Worry!

Let me repeat Geri Guidetti's seeddryness test you can do at home. "...tenpercent is good. Don't fret aboutneeding instruments to measure this.Longer seeds should snap smartly,cleanly in half when bent if they are thisdry. Wheat and corn seeds should

shatter and powder when hit with thehead of a hammer (That's the GeriGuidetti Dry Seed Test--you won't find itin a book. It is very reliable, though.)Beans, peas and other large seeds willshatter....Geri Guidetti, Non- hybridGardening Forum moderator

Alan T. Hagan in his food storageFAQs also has a way of determiningmoisture content. Don't confuse hismethod of checking for seed moistureas an accpetable method for dryingyour seeds for long term storage,however.

[ November 17, 2002, 09:53 AM:Message edited by: AZ GRAMMY ]

MOLDS IN FOODMolds are fungi just like mushrooms

and yeast. Also like mushrooms, theyreproduce by releasing spores into the

air that land on everything, includingyour food and food storage containers.

If those spores begin to grow, theycreate thin threads that spread throughout their growing medium. Thesethreads are the roots of the moldfungus, called mycelium. The stalk of amold fungus is the portion above or onthe surface of the food. It produces the

spores and gives the mold its color.We've all seen examples of this whenwe discover a dish of something orother left way-y-y too long in therefrigerator and has become covered inmold fuzz.

Molds can grow anywhere they havea growing medium (their food),sufficient moisture and enough warmth.Some can even grow at refrigerator

temperatures, albeit more slowly thanthey would if it were warmer. They canalso withstand much more salt andsugar than bacteria, which is why yousometimes find mold in jellies and jamswith their high sugar content and oncured products like ham or bacon withtheir high salt content.

In the past, it was felt a slightamount of mold was harmless and thefood could be consumed anyway. Formolds that were intentionallyintroduced into the food, such as themold in bleu cheese, this is just fine. Forthe unintentional molds, it can be avery serious error in judgment. Theseunwanted molds might just beproducing a toxic substance called amycotoxin which can be very badindeed. Mycotoxins are producedaround the root or mycelium of themold and the mold roots can penetratevery deeply into the food. Thesemycotoxins can survive for a long time

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in foods, and unfortunately most arenot destroyed by cooking. The moldsprobably best known for this are thevarious Aspergillus varieties whichproduces a mycotoxin known asaflatoxin, but there are other dangerousmolds as well, such as the Fusarium

molds. Both of the above affect grainand some legumes. See B.3 Molds InGrains and Legumes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In wet pack foodssuch as your home canned goodies,molds can do something else as well,possibly leading to lethalconsequences. If they find their wayinto wet pack acid foods canned by theboiling water bath method, whether by

reasons of improper procedure orcontamination after the fact, they canconsume the natural acids present inthe food. The effect of this is to raisethe pH of the food in the container,perhaps to the point that it becomespossible for spores of Clostridiumbotulinum, better known as botulism, tobecome active and reproduce. If you'renot already aware of the consequencesof botulism poisoning, please read the

bacterial spoilage section below whereit has an entry all its own. This is themost deadly kind of food poisoningthere is. For this reason, moldy wetpack foods should be safely discarded.

Molds in low acid foods canned bythe pressure canning method areequally dangerous and should also bediscarded in a safe manner.

B.1 MINIMIZING MOLDS

You can do a number of things tominimize unwanted mold growth in

your kitchen, food storage areas andrefrigerators. If your kitchen is at all likemine, it is the refrigerator that is goingto collect the most fungal growth. Thiscan be dealt with by washing the insideevery couple of months with atablespoon of baking soda dissolved in

a quart of warm water. Rinse clean andallow to dry. The black mildew thatgrows on the rubber door gaskets andother places can be dealt with bywiping down with a solution of threetablespoons of household bleach in aquart of water. I generally use a softbristle brush for this.

The rest of the kitchen can be keptmold free by keeping it clean, and dry

and by spraying occasionally with aproduct such as Lysol. Patches of moldgrowing in spots can be eliminated withthe bleach solution used on therefrigerator doors.

Try not to purchase more fresh foodthan you'll be able to eat in a shortperiod of time. This will keep you fromhaving to deal with the moldy remainsthat didn't get eaten. If food does gomoldy, don't sniff it. This is a good way

to give yourself respiratory difficulties ifyou are at all susceptible to moldallergies. Moldy food should bedisposed in such a manner that youranimals and children won't be able toget into it. Mycotoxins are every bit asbad for your animals as they are foryou.

Obviously, you don't have to throwout everything that shows a spot of

mold on it. Some foods can be safelydealt with and still partially saved if

they show signs of fungal growth.Below is a set of guideline from M.Susan Brewer, Ph.D., R.D., a specialistin food safety. Her articles and worksare found in many state universityextension services publications lists.

If the food shows even a tiny moldspot, follow these guide lines:

1. Hard or firm foods with tiny moldspots can be trimmed; cut away thearea around the mold (at least an inch)and rewrap in clean wrap. Make surethat knife does not touch the mold.

TRIM:

Hard Cheese (Cheddar, Swiss,etc.)

Bell Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels

Sprouts Garlic, Onions Potatoes, Turnips Zucchini Apples, Pears 2. Soft foods such as cheese

slices, cream cheese, sour creamand yogurt should be thrown

away. TOSS: Soft Cheeses, (Mozzarella, Brie,

etc.) Sour Cream, Yogurt, Cottage

cheese Bacon, Hot dogs, Sliced lunch

meats Meat pies Opened canned ham

Most left-over food Bread, Cakes, rolls, flour, pastry

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Peanut butter Juices, berries Jam, Jellies, Syrups Cucumbers, Tomatoes Spinach, Lettuce, other leafy

vegetables

Bananas, Peaches, Melons Corn-on-the-cob Stored nuts, whole grains, rice

B.2 MOLDS IN CANNED GOODSIf good equipment and proper

technique are used, then it is unlikelyyou will ever have mold growth in yourunopened canned goods. If you do havesuch, then there was either a flaw inthe procedure you used, or somethingaffected the jar or can after the fact tobreak its seal. In any event, once thefood has molded, it is past saving andshould be discarded in such a way thatchildren and animals will not be able toget into it. The most likely homecanned products to show mold growthare jams and jellies sealed with paraffinwax.

There are a number of points in the

canning process where this can occur:

(1) In the time after the jar is takenout of its boiling water bath, but beforeit is filled.

(2) In the time between when the jaris filled and covered with the meltedwax.

(3) When the wax cools, if it pullsaway from the side of the jar, leaving

an opening for the mold to get in.

(4) If bubbles form in the paraffin,which break and leave holes.

It is for this reason that most canningauthorities no longer recommend usingthis technique. If you must use it, the

jelly jars should be boiled for at least 10

minutes before the jelly is poured intothe jars. The filled and wax capped jarsshould then be covered with some sortof protective lid. The book, Putting FoodBy has excellent instructions on this orsee the applicable section of therec.food.preserving FAQ.

B.3 MOLDS IN GRAINS ANDLEGUMES

It's long been known that eatingmoldy grain is bad for your health. Theugly consequences of eating ergot-infected rye probably make the bestknown example. It's only been for aboutthirty years, though, that intensivestudy of these grain fungi have beencarried out on other varieties of moldsand their respective mycotoxins.Fortunately, for those of us in the U.S.,the USDA and the various statedepartments of agriculture go to agreat deal of trouble to detect grain andlegumes infected with these toxic fungi.In some of the less developedcountries, the citizenry are not so lucky.Still, it is good to have something of anunderstanding of what one should do toprevent mold growth in one`s storedgrains and to have an idea of what tolook for and ask about when purchasinggrains and legumes.

The one fungal type that has caused

the most commotion in recent historyare the various Aspergillus species of

molds. Under certain conditions withcertain grains, legumes, and to a lesserextent, nuts, they can produce amycotoxin called aflatoxin. This is aserious problem in some parts of theworld, most especially in peanuts,occasionally in corn. I am not aware of

any documented deaths in the UnitedStates from aflatoxicity, but othernations have not been so fortunate.What makes aflatoxin so worrisome inthis country is that it is also a verypotent carcinogen (cancer causingagent).

In addition to the Aspergillus molds,there is also a very large family ofmolds called Fusarium and these can

produce a wide variety of mycotoxins,all of which you do not want to beeating directly or feeding to your foodanimals where you will get the toxinsback indirectly when the animal isslaughtered and eaten.

The Federal government and thevarious state governments continuouslymonitor food and forage crops. Thoseproducts which are prone to moldgrowth and toxin production are not

allowed to be sold for food. Oncepurchased however, it is up to you tokeep your food safe from mold growth.If you have already found mold growthin your whole grains, meals, flours orother grain products, they should bediscarded. Most mycotoxins are notbroken down or destroyed by cookingtemperatures and there is no safe wayto salvage grain that has molded.

B.3.1 PREVENTING MOLD GROWTH INSTORED GRAINS AND LEGUMES

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The easiest method to prevent moldgrowth in your stored grains andlegumes is simply to keep them too dryfor the mold to grow. The Aspergillusand Fusarium molds require moisturecontents of 18% and above toreproduce. This is subject to some

variability, but in all grains andsoybeans, they must have a moisturecontent of that level. If you are storingraw (not roasted) peanuts, in the shellor shelled, you want to get the moisturecontent to less than 8% as peanuts areparticularly susceptible to mold growth.

The recommended moisture content forall other grain and legume storage is nomore than 10%. Please see part 2.A.3.1Grains and Legumes for a method to

determine moisture content. At 10%moisture, it is simply too dry for fungi togrow.

FOOD PRESERVATION

METHODS

A SHORT LESSON ON OXYGEN

ABSORBERSwaltonfeed.com/self/upack/oxyintro.h

tml

------------------------------------------------------------

Oxygen absorbers come in a plasticbag. Each absorber packet has aspecial barrier to prevent it's contentsfrom making contact with your food.

Within the last ten years the adventof oxygen absorbers has brought a

revolution to the food storage industry.Their use has increased the storage life

of foods and has made the job ofputting away food for long term storagemuch simpler. There are two types ofoxygen absorbers used for the storageof Food, "B" absorbers and "D"absorbers. The "B" absorbers requiremoisture from the food they are packed

with to perform their action. A goodexample would be beef jerky ordehydrated fruit that hasn't been drieduntil it is brittle. The "D" absorberscontain their own moisture and arebetter suited for dry pack canningbecause there isn't enough moisture incorrectly dried food to activate the "D"absorbers. The "B" absorbers will last ayear after they are manufactured butthe "D" absorbers only last 6 months.

This is important for you to know so youwon't buy a bunch of absorbers, packthem away for two years, and expectthem to do their thing when you finallyopen them. The "B" absorbers also workmuch slower as they must first absorbmoisture from the food they are packedin before they will absorb any oxygen.

You can generally leave them out for 2hours before they reach theiradvertised minimum absorbingcapacity. Because the "D" absorbershave their own moisture built intothem, they start absorbing oxygenimmediately when opened and reachtheir advertised minimum muchquicker, generally within 20 minutes.

Oxygen absorbers perform theiraction through a chemical reaction.

They contain iron powder which reactswith the oxygen in the air causing the

iron powder to rust. When all the ironpowder has oxidized, the oxygen

absorbers are "loaded" and theabsorbing action stops. Remove theoxygen from an active absorber and thechemical reaction stops. Put them backin the air and the reaction starts againuntil the iron is gone.

Each bag of oxygen absorberscontains a light pink capsule. Thiscapsule turns to a light blue color whenthe bag is opened. It's there to tell youif an unopened bag has beencompromised. It doesn't automaticallymean that all the oxygen absorbersinside are bad as it will change colorsoon after the bag is opened.

Number of oxygen absorbersneeded: We sell 500cc absorbers. They

will absorb 500+ cc of oxygen. A #10can holds 13 cups or very roughly3300cc. Air is 21% oxygen. So thatempty 3300cc #10 can actually hasabout 683cc of oxygen in it. If you takea full cup of beans it takes about 0.375cups of water to bring the water levelup to the top of the cup. I've found thisto be true with most of the whole seedsI've measured including wheat and rice.

This figure is important because it also

tells you how much air is in the canwhen it is full of seeds - 37.5%. With a#10 can full of these products, you nowhave about 256cc of oxygen left in thecan. If you are canning a powder youprobably have less air than this butfoods like macaroni would have more.Already you can see that one 750ccabsorber should do the job nicely, infact it's a bit of overkill. A 300ccabsorber would also do the trick. Weuse one 500cc absorber in each of our#10 cans as we'd rather have a bit of

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overkill than a little oxygen left in thecan should the absorber becomeloaded. Actually, on the cans, this is alot of overkill as the absorbers we usenow actually have more than twice asmuch oxygen absorbing capacity aswhat they are rated for.

A 6 gal bucket holds 22,740cc. Goingthrough the above calculations, a full 6gal bucket of grain or beans has about1791cc oxygen left in the container atsea level. You will need four of ourabsorbers if you are packing up yourfood at lower elevations. Our facility isat 6,000 feet and at this altitude thereis only an equivalent of 1484 cc ofoxygen in the thinner air. Again,

because of the oxygen absorber'ssignificant under rating, we only usetwo 500cc absorbers in the buckets asthey will absorb more than twice theirrated capacity

Oxygen absorbers are over rated togive you a fudge factor if you shouldleave them out in the air too long.Generally, you have about 20 minutesbefore they reach this advertisedminimum. There are variables that

determine how fast the oxygenabsorbers work, so you shouldn't leavethem out any longer than youabsolutely have to. But why not getevery bit of absorption you can out ofthem? May I suggest you leave onlyenough out in the air to take care ofmaybe 1 or 2 minutes of operation? Seeour Packaging Your Food Using OxygenAbsorbers page for lots of other usefulinformation about the actual packingoperation using buckets.

OXYGEN ABSORBERSYour oxygen absorbers come in a

vacuum sealed bag so that the activityof the absorber does not have a chanceto work on any oxygen before you areready to use them.

We also have available an oxygenbag clip (click here to order) which willallow you to store the oxygen absorberpackets without having to worry aboutthem being exposed to the oxygen inthe air. This clip can also be used tokeep any type of bag extremelyairtight.

There are two types of oxygenabsorbers.

A. The types that we most commonlyuse that you have seen is beige. It turnsa bluish/green tint when the maximummoisture level has been reached.Blue/green is bad. Beige or white isgood.

B. There is another type which is abright pink when good. When this typegoes bad, it turns a deep dark blue.

When packaging food for long-term

storage, it would be most optimum foryou to use the entire contents of onesealed vacuum packet bag within 30 to60 minutes. We realize that this is notalways possible. We suggest that thefollowing preliminary steps be followedto ensure you are getting the most outof your products.

Before you open your bag of oxygenabsorbers:

1. Assemble your containers of foodand fill them with your food product.

2. If you need to determine thevolume of your container, do this now.(Click here for full details on how tomeasure volume).

3. Once you have the volume of yourcontainers, you will know what size ofoxygen absorber to use and how manyabsorbers you will need for the session.

4. Determine how many absorbersyou will need for this session. Note:Different sizes of absorbers come indifferent quantities of absorbers perbag. You will need to know how manyabsorbers are in the bag you will beusing.

5. Prepare a clean, small sealable jar

to store the absorbers you will not beneeding for this packaging session.

6. Now open your bag of absorbersand count out how many absorbers youwill not be needing. Place these in yoursealable jar and tighten the lid.

Tip: If your jar is a little too large,after placing your absorbers in the jar,pour a food product such as a smallgrain over your absorbers, to fill the jar.

This will reduce the residual air volumein the jar, and will minimize the amountof oxygen your absorbers will beworking on.

7. Place your oxygen absorbers inthe prepared food containers.

8. Seal your containers within 30minutes.

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USING DRY ICE TO PRESERVE

YOUR FOOD.See the dry ice info web site...

Even though oxygen absorbers areeasier, I prefer using dry ice to store myfoods because it is so much cheaper

and as a fumigant it actively kills bugsas well. All one needs is a bucket with alid that will make an airtight seal and alittle dry ice. Dry ice is a solid and looksmuch like regular ice - except that it's-110 degrees F. below zero (-78.5C).

You have to use a lot of caution whenhandling this product as it will burnyour skin if it makes contact.

1/4 cup dry ice in hot water is greatfun. Not to be used without adultsupervision.

Actually, dry ice can be a lot of fun.Put a cube in a glass of water and kidswill watch the thick cloud that boils off.It will compete with your TV, at least fora while. When I was a kid back in the50's we used to put dry ice in our homemade root beer to make it fizzy.

Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide.Carbon dioxide is a harmless enoughgas as long as it doesn't dissipate allthe oxygen in the air you are breathing.Unless you are doing this in an airtightcloset, there shouldn't be anything toworry about. But be aware that underunusual circumstances carbon dioxidecan kill you. I got an E-mail once from alady reading this page who said a friend"died while using dry ice during aHalloween haunted house program."

Apparently, he was under a card tablecovered with a blanket, using water and

dry ice to make a thick cloud. "It didn'ttake an airtight closet to kill him," shesaid. Counter this with the news storyof the woman who put a whole tub ofdry ice under her husband's bed tryingto 'do him in.' When she was arrestedfor attempted murder she said, "I don't

understand, it worked on Matlock!"We breath in air containing oxygen

and breath out air containing carbondioxide. There's carbon dioxide in ourhouses all the time simply because weare breathing. I've heard people sayyou have to do this outside or thefumes will get you. That's the reasonI'm making such a big deal out of this.

Just use common sense.

Carbon dioxide, in it's frozen form, ishighly compressed compared to it'sgaseous state. A pound of it containsenough carbon dioxide gas to make 8.3cubic feet of carbon dioxide gas. A sixgallon bucket contains 1.46 cubic feetof space. Fill the bucket full of beans orwheat and you have about 0.48 cubicfeet of air left in the containersurrounding your food. So, if you usetwice as much dry ice as you actually

need to displace the air in the bucket,you will need about .06 lbs, or right atone ounce of dry ice. Heck, begenerous and put in two ounces of dryice if you like. The smallest amount ofdry ice I can purchase is 5 lbs whichcosts me $5.00. At even 2 ounces perbucket, that's enough dry ice to takecare of preserving 40 buckets of food,more than I have ever done at onetime. At two ounces per bucket, this isenough dry ice to push the air out of asix gallon bucket four times. You want a

little bit of overkill or redundancy hereas it's always better to overdo this thanunder-do it and end up with oxygen leftin the container. Realize also that this isa purging operation. Even really goodpurges generally only get out 90% ofthe air. As air is about 21% oxygen, this

would still leave 2% oxygen in yourcontainer. You aren't going to get it allout, just most of it.

Where To Get Dry Ice. I get all mydry ice from a welding supply shop. It'salso often available at ice cream placesand chemical supply houses. When youget your dry ice you need to bring yourown container to put it in. There is onething you really need to watch for if you

are going to be using dry ice topreserve your foods. You must preventwater vapor from freezing on theoutside of the dry ice. This moisturewould later melt off the dry ice in thebottom of your bucket and increase thewater content of your dried foods. Asyou don't often have a lot of room toplay with as far as water content isconcerned, it is important to ensure youdon't add any moisture to your product

with your dry ice. The dry ice you buyfrom the store should be water free,and that's the way you want to keep it.

Dry ice is always giving off carbondioxide gas, so it's relatively easy tokeep the water moisture from it. Just besure you don't put it into a containerthat breaths, like a paper bag orcardboard box. I use a Tupperwarecontainer which has it's own lid. Thiscontainer is just right because it's lid istight enough to keep water vapor fromthe ambient air out, but loose enough

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to permit the carbon dioxide gas toescape as it sublimates. By the timeyou get it home, there will be a thicklayer of frost on the outside of thecontainer - exactly where you want it,on the outside - not the inside. Theinside will be moisture free because of

the continually escaping carbon dioxidegas.

There was one time I purchased dryice which had a bunch of water crystalsmixed in with it. You can tell thisbecause there is a white powder mixedin with the dry ice cubes. Ice is just atiny bit whiter than the light blue dryice. You can put a teaspoon or two ofthis powder in a bowl, wrap plastic wrap

around the top, and wait for it to turninto a gas. If it's indeed water, when itmelts you will get a little liquid in thebottom of your bowl. If it was 100% dryice, the bowl will be dry.

You can use dry ice with powders,such as flour, powdered milk, eggs,cheese and things like this. But youneed to be a little careful because ifyou pack it too tightly the expandingcarbon dioxide gas will push whatever it

is you are packing, up and out the topof the container. I always put the dryice on the bottom of the containerbefore I add the product. You could putthe dry ice on the top of the food whenpowders are being stored, but thiswould do nothing to get the oxygen outthat is mixed in with the powder. Athome I use dry ice to preserve all myseeds. This includes all the grains andlegumes. As long as it is a food whichair can freely circulate around, dry ice

works great. Dry ice will work fine withall the pastas as well.

Before you ever buy it, plan onhaving your packing operationcomplete 5-6 hours after you'vepurchased the dry ice. Otherwise, itmay 'sublimate' away on you until it'sgone whether you are finished packingyour buckets or not.

So, how do you do it?

Materials Needed: A food scale, ameasuring cup, dry ice, the food youare planning on preserving, and storagecontainers.

The process: Zero your food scalewith the measuring cup sitting on top of

it. Open the container with your dry icein it and take out about 1/3 cup andmeasure it. Depending on how your dryice cubes are shaped, you should haveabout 2 ounces. (Remember, if youwant to be stingy, one ounce will do thetrick, that's 28.5 grams.)

Two ounces of dry ice in the bottomof a plastic bucket.

Pour this into the bottom of the

bucket in a neat little pile and place apaper towel over the top. Why thepaper towel? It keeps the dry ice awayfrom the food, not that it's thatimportant. Now place your productinside the bucket, filling the bucket upto within a 1/2 inch of the top. Set thelid lightly on top and wait. Recently, Ihave been sealing the lid all the wayaround except for one small side.

Leave at least part of the lidunsealed until the dry ice hasdissipated.

You DO NOT want to seal the lidcompletely as the carbon dioxide andair must have a place to escape. If thelid makes an airtight seal, theexpanding carbon dioxide inside thebucket will continue to increase inpressure until something gives - eitherthe lid will pop off or the bucket willsplit. Either way you are going to havefood all over the place. How do youknow when all the dry ice is gone andit's safe to seal the lid? Simply pick upthe bucket and feel the bottom. If it isstill icy cold there's still dry ice in the

bottom. You may need to be a littlepatient here. My experience has beenthat it takes 1 to 2 hours for all the dryice to change into a gas. I've had othersE-mail me saying they had to waitaround for 5- 6 hours! So you may wishto plan in a cerain amount of time forthis in case it takes a while. You want toseal the lid just as soon as this hashappened, however, because if youdon't, air will start circulating back into

the container.After 15 or 20 minutes, I start

checking my buckets, and then recheckthem every ten minutes or so. After youseal your buckets, it's always a goodidea to keep an eye on the lids for thenext hour or so. The lids will startbulging up if you sealed them a bitprematurely. If this happens, use abucket lid remover to crack open the lidon one side to let the excess gasescape, then seal the lid back down. I'mnot sure why, as my logical brain tells

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me it should be otherwise, but over thenext several days there will usually be asmall vacuum created inside the bucketand the side will pop in a little bit. Don'tconcern yourself with this. Your bucketwill store just fine.

Amaranth Rose, with an advanceddegree in Biology and a person whounderstands these things answered theperplexing question why the bucketspreserved with dry ice develop a partialvacuum after a few days. She says,"I've used dry ice and liquid carbondioxide in electron microscopy work.Liquid carbon dioxide is used todehydrate samples, as it is miscible inwater in all proportions. I suspect the

CO2 left in the atmosphere of thebucket is dissolving into the very smallpercentage of water in the food. It canalso slip in between starch moleculesand lipids, effectively dissolving intothem. This will have the effect ofreducing the pressure and volume ofCO2 in the exclusion volume of thebucket, until an equilibrium is reachedbetween the pressure of the CO2 in thebucket and the concentration of CO2 in

the food stored in the bucket. Thiswould account for the denting of yourbuckets. Be aware that this is not achemical reaction and won't affect thefood in any way." Mystery solved.

MYLAR BAGS- Strong like an egg. When one of

the customers told me these bags fullof air would support a person, I had totry it to believe it. Yes, it's strongenough to stand on, but a pin will gothrough it with no trouble at all.

All plastic breaths a small amount. Ifyou want the best, use mylar bagswhich cut this air transfer down toalmost nothing. These 4 mil thick bagshave an outer layer of aluminum and 3different plastic layers on the insidedesigned for a wide range of products

including long term food storage. For allpractical purposes they are light proof,air proof and water proof.

These bags are strong enough tohold a partial vacuum, the main reason,in my opinion, you need them if you aregoing to use oxygen absorbers andplastic buckets. This is because as theoxygen absorbers absorb the oxygen inthe container they don't put anything

back in, but rather create a partialvacuum. If you didn't use the bag, yourbucket would collapse instead of thebag. The buckets just aren't strongenough to hold this vacuum withoutbeing seriously deformed. But themylar bags can, even though they arethin. For those wanting the very best,these bags will protect your food insidethe bucket even if for some reason thelid on the bucket didn't make an airtight

seal which seldom happens.Several people have ask me if they

can store food in these bags withoutputting them in a protective bucket.

The answer is no. And that's becausethey are not in the least punctureresistant. They really need that bucketfor support. The bags we sell fit a 6gallon plastic bucket perfectly. Beforeyou start your operation, you may wishto cut a bag into strips beforehand totest making a few seams in order to getthe temperature set correctly on your

iron. You want to get the temperatureof the iron set so after the bag is ironedclosed you can't pull the bag openwithout destroying the bag. It is alsoeasy to get the temperature set toohigh which destroys the strength of thebag. It is also possible to set the iron

temperature too cool, where the baglooks like it is sealed but the seam canstill be pulled apart fairly easily. Withour clothes iron at home, the woolsetting works just great. But as not allirons are the same, you ought to makea test strip or two to be sure. Eventhough I have not tried the Eurosealermyself, I've been told it also worksgreat in sealing these bags. To seal thebag shut, place a planed or smooth

board across the opening of the bucket,lay the bag across it, and iron the bagshut. More on this later.

STORING WITH NITROGEN OR

ARGONFor the person who is just preserving

a few buckets, this is the mostexpensive way to go as there is somuch equipment involved. However,the gas itself is cheap, and if you are

planning on preserving hundreds ofbuckets of food, this method willbecome the cheapest. This method willalso prove to be less of a hassle thandry ice as you will be able to seal thebuckets immediately after inserting thenitrogen and won't have to wait for thedry ice to melt.

Equipment needed:Nitrogen Bottle

Pressure reducing valve and gauges

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Hose

Wand (a hollow, rigid tube connectedto the end of the hose which is pushedto the bottom of the bucket for theactual nitrogen purging.)

Hand held valve at the top of the

wand (optional: You could use the valveon top of the bottle but this would be areal pain).

You should be able to get themajority of the equipment you need ata welding supply store.

After you get your nitrogenapparatus set up, adjust your outputpressure to between 60 and 70 PSI. Fillyour bucket with the product, set the lid

on top, off-centered just a bit so thereis access for the wand, then stick thewand to the bottom of the bucket andopen the valve. Stick a lit match,cigarette lighter or candle over the topof the bucket where the gas willescape, then open the valve, startingthe purging operation. Its' a pretty goodindication that most of the oxygen hasbeen removed when the flame goesout. If you time this, you should only

have to use this flame technique forfour or five buckets until you get apretty good feeling for how long youwill need to leave the nitrogen on foreach bucket. After you have insertedthe nitrogen, immediately remove thewand, slide the lid over onto the bucketand seal the lid. If you want the best jobyou can get, you can always seal oneoxygen absorber inside the bucket tocapture any residual oxygen left in the

container. In my opinion, a mylar bagisn't needed as there will only be such a

small amount of oxygen absorbed thatthe vacuum created by this will beminimal.

SPECIFIC FOODS - STORAGE

STORING EGGS

CELLAR EGGS KEEP 6 MONTHSMy mom sells eggs to friends. They

last at least 6 months. Mom tells hercustomers not to wash them. There is acoating on the eggs that will keep themfresh. Then keep them in the basement,which is a dark cool dry cellar. She saidthat was the way they did it growingup.

EGG STORAGE

The incredible, edible egg can bestored in the basement or fridge. Theeggs need to be turned once a week.

Just keep them in a carton and turnthem over once a week. Mother EarthNews did a test years ago and I believethey kept eggs for 6 months in a cellar

just that way. To check and make surethe eggs are good put in water. Goodeggs lie on the bottom, they do notfloat. I store eggs with Sodium Silicate.

It's the same stuff you get at the autoparts store or pharmacy. I found mineby the quart jar (much cheaper thisway) for about $6 at the localpharmacy. We bought it to seal theengine of an old truck....and by theway...it worked great. The couple thatwe gave the truck too are still driving ita year after we did that seal thing withthe sodium silicate. They've had noproblems! P.S. I have a friend that got

the WalMart pharmacy to special orderher some...also they special ordered

her citric acid for cheese making and itwas much cheaper than anywhere wecould find it!

STORE EGGS WITHWATERGLASS - #1

Waterglass (liquid sodium silicate)

has several uses, one of them is forstoring fresh eggs for extended periodsof time. Here is a quote from Lehman'sad: "Preserve eggs for months withWaterglass. Mix one part Waterglasswith ten parts cooled, boiled water andpour into a large, stone crock. Wipe offfresh eggs with a flannel cloth andplace in solution (eggs should becovered with 2"). Cover crock and storein a cool, dry place. (From "The Boston

Cooking School Cook Book" by FannieFarmer, c. 1886) Waterglass (liquidsodium silicate) - One gallon bucket willpreserve 50 dozen eggs. Nonhazardous; fumeless. $21.95"

STORE EGGS WITHWATERGLASS - #2

We are the stewards of a flock ofapproximately 50 muscovy ducks. 35are just chicks but we know we have 4

drakes and 11 hens of the matureducks. They lay between 100 and 120eggs a year per hen, if we end up with20 hens that we keep that means about2,000 delicious eggs.

Naturally I am concerned aboutstoring eggs. So here is some of my eggresearch. Lehman sells waterglass,enough to preserve 40 dozen, thatmeans by my recipe they are sellingabout a 1/2 pint for approximately $21.

I bought 1pt 14 oz (almost 2 pints) for$8.19 at the pharmacy. I simply asked

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for Sodium Silicate Solution. They canorder it if they don't have it. This brandis made by HUMCO out of Texarkana TXand will expire on Feb of 2003.

1 gallon of the solution (1 pint ofsodium silicate solution to 9 or 10 pintsof water yielding a little more than agallon) should preserve 75 to 100dozen eggs (900 - 1200 eggs)according to Carla Emery's anEncyclopedia of Country Living OldFashioned Recipe Book (Page 346).

Here are the details of the methodreferred to as the Water-glass method.Pack them between 24 hours and 4 dayold eggs. Older eggs don't keep as well.Eggs with no roosters or drakes around

will keep longer than fertile eggs, but ofcourse you then have to cope withunhappy roosters or drakes. 20 yearsago when she wrote the book it wasabout $1.05 a pint now its $4.10 a pintstill a bargain. Again, check thepharmacy first and I was told that manycar parts dealers also have it. It is a 1:9ratio if you want smaller quantities justkeep the ratio intact. 1 cup to 9 cups orin my case 1 pint to 9 pints of water.

Have your crock scaled clean to startwith she used deep plastic cans. I usedplastic for the few eggs I had. Boil thewater and let it cool before you add thewaterglass. Then pour the mixedsolution into the crock. Remember notto fill the crock or container too full ofthe solution because you will be addingeggs so no more than a third full.

Add the eggs. Make certain there is

an extra 2 inches covering them. In hotweather it evaporates pretty fast so

watch it carefully. Earthenware,enamel, glass or plastic all work fine.

Cover the container as tightly as youcan. Don't let it freeze but store it in acool dark place. It starts out clear liquidbut gradually turns cloudy into a milkcolor sort of jelly. The book says it isn'tharmful but the container had all these"be carefuls" on the labels so I askedthe pharmacist and he said in a 1:9ration it has no harmful effects.

It won't hurt you if you get it on yourhands after it is mixed but I wore glovesto mix it. Make up enough solution asyou go to handle any new eggs you putin. So if you are putting ten eggs makeenough to cover them leaving 2 inches

over the eggs. If it gets low due toevaporation add some more solutionthat is mixed 1:9.

To use the egg you will have to washthem so the goop doesn't fall into thefood or if you hard boil them you shouldprick the small end so they don't pop.

The sodium silicate works by sealingthe eggs and should keep them for upto a year. Here is a neat tidbit - don't

wash the egg before preserving itbecause the egg is actually covered bya natural sealer and without it it is moresusceptible to bacteria andevaporation. Any particularly dirty eggswash and use right away. Don't usecracked eggs.

Carla says that eggs harvestedbetween March and May keep bettershe is guessing that its because of themilder temperature.

To freeze eggs you should separateany that will need to added to recipesseparated or only needs egg whites.When we do this we put the extra yolksin the egg mixture we make. Thefreezer life is 8 months (even enoughfor Minnesota winters). Wash the eggs

thoroughly, use very well cleanedutensils (not just something out of adrawer).

You will have to use them within 12hours of thawing them, so keep yourfrozen packages small to avoid wasteunless you are a family of 10, thatshould mean no more than 6 eggs at apop. She uses baby food jars. Simplybreak the egg into a jar and label it as

whole egg. If you do whites only formeringues or other recipes then bevery careful that not even a speck ofyolk gets in with them. Don't addanything to the whites. To do the yolksas 1 tsp. of honey per 1/2 cup of yolksor 1/4 tsp. salt per 1/2 cup of yolks becertain to label what you have done tothe yolks.

1 1/2 TBSP. of thawed yolk equals 1egg yolk 2 TBSP. of thawed egg white

equals 1 egg white 3 TBSP. of wholeegg equals 1 egg more or less. Onerecipe also allowed for lightly mixedeggs as if you were going to makescrambled eggs with just a dash of salt.

GOOD RECIPE

Ice cream mush (call it sorbet andpeople will think it's suppose to be thatway)- It is nutritious but hard to gaugethe hardness exactly. 1 cup of whipping

cream, 6 eggs, 1 cup of crushedpineapple, 1 mashed banana, and diced

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section of orange. Whip cream andeggs separately. Add 1/4 tsp. vanilla.Fold the mixed fruit into the egg, theninto the whipped cream. Put it in thefreezer occasionally lifting it to keep thefruit from staying at the bottom. If youuse blueberries or raspberries add a

little honey to sweeten it. We usedapples and added some honey and itwas so goooood.

Crepes and French toast and friedegg sandwiches can all be made whenthe eggs are plentiful and be frozen. Aslong as we have electricity I plan onfreezing things and in MN the winter willtake care of it. I am not going to worryabout fat/ cholesterol when my work

level is increased and my stress level isincreased.

The feed for 50 ducks costs about$6.50 a month. I love the muscovyducks we have they are friendly, polite,the hens are pretty and they like thesnow and don't need a pond. The don'tquack and they are wonderful mothers!

POTATOES

Harvesting and StoringCurtis E. Swift, PhD, Area Extension Agent(Horticulture)Colorado State University Cooperative Extension

Tri River Area Mesa, Delta, Montrose and OurayCounties

The keeping quality of white ("Irish")potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.)increases greatly if tubers areharvested after vines are killed by thefirst fall frost. Potatoes intended forlong-term storage should not be

harvested until the vines have beendead for at least ten to fourteen days.

This permits the proper thickening ofpotato skins, which increases the lengthof time potatoes can be stored.Potatoes harvested too early easily`skin' during the harvesting andhandling period and do not store well.

Potatoes are best dug when the soiltemperature is above 45 degreesFahrenheit and the soil is not wet.Digging when the soil is cold and wetoften results in splits and cracks.Potatoes harvested from cold wet soilsare also more susceptible to bruising,more difficult to cure and more prone tobreakdown during storage.

Potatoes should never be allowed tofreeze in the ground, but since many of

the soils in the Tri River Area do notfreeze until mid-December, gardenersin this area have sufficient timebetween the first frost and the groundfreezing to allow for the harvest ofthese tubers. If the soil is frosty or theair temperature is near or belowfreezing, it would be best to beginharvesting later in the morning orafternoon when temperatures haverisen. Soil temperatures would be

warmer from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.Commercial growers often harvest intothe evening hours to take advantage ofthis warmer soil temperature.

Bruising can occur when the tubersare being dug or during any of theoperations involving moving the tubers.Internal black spots often developwithin six to eight hours after bruisingor may not appear until a day later.

Consequently, care should be taken to

avoid dropping the tubers during any ofthe steps from harvest through storage.

Despite precautions taken to preventinjury to the skin of a potato, somedamage is likely and a curing process isnecessary for any wounds to heal. Thisprocess is facilitated by a curingprocess.

The Healing ProcessA cut in a potato tuber undergoes

two steps when it heals. Suberization isthe first of these steps and involves thedevelopment of a waxy, fattycompound called suberin which isproduced by cells just below the cutsurface. This seals the woundpreventing water loss and invasion by

pathogens. This process occurs one tothree days after wounding and istypically complete within four to sevendays.

The formation of a specialized tissuecalled wound periderm is the secondstep in this healing process and resultsin the development of a permanent,protective layer of cells that replacesthe `skin' that was destroyed by the

wound. This corky layer is a finalprotective coating which preventsinfection and water loss. Thedevelopment of this wound peridermbegins shortly after suberization and iscomplete within one to two weeks.Ideally, potatoes should be cured forthis entire period, but many homegardeners will move their tubers intopermanent storage after the four toseven day suberization period.

When potatoes are first dug theyshould be placed in piles and allowed to

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go through a sweating (curing) period.During this period a temperature of 70degrees Fahrenheit hastens the healingof bruises and cuts helping to preventrot. If the crop is relatively free ofwounds, a curing temperature of 57 to60 degrees Fahrenheit can be safely

maintained. Potatoes can be left in thefield during this curing process andcovered with burlap or some othermaterial to prevent sun scald. Potatoescan also be cured in a warm room.

Tubers to be stored should be clean,firm and free from disease. Rains duringthe curing process will inhibit thishealing process and piles left outsideshould be protected from fall rains bypiling the tubers under a makeshift

shed roof. The piles should not becovered with a tarp, however, as airmovement through the pile isnecessary to promote healing and atarp will cut off this necessary airsupply.

StoragePotato tubers should be stored in

sacks, bins or crates or in piles in areasthat are free of disease organisms.

Washing storage containers and areasdown with a disinfectant several weeksprior to storage will help reduce storagerot problems.

Immediately following the sweatingperiod, tubers should be stored in ahumid area ( 90 to 95 % relativehumidity) at a temperature near 40degrees Fahrenheit if the tubers are foreating or to be used for seed potatoes.Processing tubers used for french friesare typically stored at 45 degrees

Fahrenheit; tubers for potato chips arestored at temperatures of 50 to 55degrees Fahrenheit. If stored attemperatures below 36 degreesFahrenheit, potatoes may becomesweet. If potatoes become sweet,exposing them to ordinary room

temperature for a few days tends torestore natural flavor.

Potatoes held in storage for too longor at the improper temperature orhumidity may break dormancy. Thetubers will start to shrivel and sprout.

Tubers in this condition should be usedas quickly as possible to preventbreakdown and decay.

to the Vegetable Home Page

Placed on the Internet September 11, 1996 Lastupdated: 11/11/2002 18:32:10Comments on this page should be addressed toDr. Curtis E. Swift, Area Extension Agent,HorticultureColorado State Cooperative Extension2775 US Hwy 50, Grand Junction, CO. 81503voice: 970-244-1834fax: 970-244-1700Posted by AZ GRAMMY (Member # 3) on

November 17, 2002, 03:34 PM:

STORING SWEETENERS

There are a wide number of sugars tobe found for purposes of sweeteningfoods. Fructose is the primary sugar infruit and honey; maltose is one of thesugars in malted grains; pimentos arefound in olives and sucrose is what weknow as granulated or table sugar.Sucrose is a highly refined productmade primarily from sugar cane thoughsugar beets still contribute a fairamount of the world supply. Modern

table sugar is now so highly refined asto be virtually 100% pure and nearly

indestructible if protected frommoisture. Powdered sugar and brownsugar are simple variations ongranulated sugar and share its long life.

Liquid sweeteners do not have quitethe longevity of dry sugars. Honey,cane syrup, molasses, corn syrup andmaple syrup may crystallize or moldduring long storage. These syrups arechemically not as simple as table sugarand therefore lose flavor and otherwisebreak down over time.

D.1 TYPES OF GRANULATEDSUGARS

Buying granulated sugar and itsclose cousins is really a very simplematter. Buy a brand you know you can

trust and be certain the package isclean, dry and has no insect infestation.

There's very little that can go wrongwith it.

GRANULATED: Granulated sugardoes not spoil, but if it gets damp it willlikely cake up or get lumpy. If it does, itcan simply be pulverized again until itregains its granulated texture.Granulated sugar can be found in

varying textures, coarser or finer."Castor/caster sugar" is a finergranulation than what is commonly soldas table sugar in the U.S. and is moreclosely equivalent to our super fine orberry sugar.

POWDERED, CONFECTIONERS, ICING:All names refer to the same kind ofsugar, that is white granulated sugarvery finely ground. For commercial usethere is a range of textures from coarseto ultra-fine. For home consumption,

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food storage essentials

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