DE in grains for storage?

[sufficientforme]

Yes there are two types of DE, one is food grade which is clearly marked on the bag and the other is used in pool supplies and is poisonous to use. I get my Food grade DE from my local feed store. I use it for the chickens etc.
I sealed the mylar by putting my broom handle under the bag and using my clothes iron (which is nonstick) on top, then turned it over and did the same thing on the other side to be sure it was completely sealed and it sealed beautifully. Just make sure you do not overfill the bag. I put the bag in, then filled, pressed out the excess air, added oxygen absorbers, then used the rim of the bucket as my work surface to set the broom handle on, then sealed from there.

 

[freemotion]

Boy, I sure don't want to go through all that trouble if I don't have to. How long are you planning to store your grains? I figure on using most of them up in a year, maybe 1.5 years, and rotating my stock. Can't I please just use a bucket with a tight-fitting lid? No? Yes?

 

[sufficientforme]

Other than storing it in the freezer, which will last forever. I do not have room in my freezer for it all. I already had those supplies. It really was easy and went quick. I bagged up everything at once since the oxygen absorbers need to be used immediately upon opening original packaging. The leftovers I stuffed until no air in the smallest container that would hold them and put them in a dark place. I enjoyed the process. I filled my 1/2 gallon jars at the same time, most went in the freezer.
*About the lids, the most helpful instructional web pages I could find on the subject stated that unless you have a gamma seal (which if you are getting into it often is the best choice) or rubber lined lid, it was not considered a good option for long term storage due to air leakage.

 

[freemotion]

But what is "long term storage?" Does that mean a year or two, or a decade or two? So, do I need to upgrade my storage plans? I will if I must, but (whining) I don't waaaaant toooooo!

 

[sufficientforme]

Personally as much as you plan on refilling containers out of your bucket, for you it does not really matter. I would get gamma seals for easy access. I am trying to have an approximate 5 year shelf life on the wheat that I did not plan to use within the next 6-12 months only half went into the long term bucket, the rest was put in jars in the freezer. This is really a trial run for me on the wheat berries.

 

[freemotion]

THANK you!!! Whew! All this discussion of gamma mylar oxygen doohickies.....right now I just have glass jars on a shelf!

 

[sufficientforme]

If you are not able to put in the freezer, they should be sealed tight with as little air as possible (possibly even a food sealer or baggie in a jar) and put in a cold dark place or they will go rancid from what I have read up on the subject. I really do not have first hand experience with it, I am just a researching fool when I need information.

 

[patandchickens]

Stupid random question, not really planning on doing it myself, just always kind of wondered.

If you wanted airtight storage using a regular 5-gal bucket, how bad would it be to just run a bead of silicone caulk around the outside of the crack after you put the lid on as tight as you could. I know it offgasses acetic acid but a) that's what vinegar is, and b) how much of that would really get into the bucket o' grain?

Anyone ever tried it?


Pat

 

[Beekissed]

The metal cannisters that my wheat is sealed into have a bead of some kind of caulking around the lids, Pat. Then they painted all the cans a real pretty red and marked the dates, wts, contents and shelf-life expectancy on the sides.

These are square metal cannisters with a lid sort of like a paint can, that you have to tap into place and pry off again. I don't know where one would even get something like this! What with the edge of the lid overlapping the mouth of the cannister I don't expect any of the caulking could leach into the contents, but merely lay on the outside edge. Imagine a paint can lid with a wide, flatter lip on it, instead of a round and rolled edge.

These cannisters hold up to #40 of wheat and the side was marked for 50 years of storage capabilities. They were sealed for Y2K, so its been 10 years already and the wheat is as fresh~no, fresher! ~than the wheat my mom buys at the health food store. Mom prefers mine.

 

[freemotion]

You know, they aren't so fancy at the warehouse or where-ever they are keeping the grains we are buying. Probably in big bins, grain silos, or in paper sacks on pallets. Until the next year's crop comes in.

That being said, I would certainly whine loudly if I lost 50-100 pounds of grain because I was too lazy or cheap to store it properly in my house, where the humidity is high in the summer and the temperature fluctuates throughout the year.

But I guess we also don't know how old the grain is by the time it lands in our kitchens in the first place. I would hope that the wheat I buy this week was harvested in '08.

Boy, is it nice to be able to work these things out with y'all, instead of just obsessing all by my onesies!