Comments on: The Storage Life of Grains – Major and Minor http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/ Finding the keys to the future…and trying not to lose them in the mess. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:58:35 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: penny http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7090 penny Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:08:11 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7090 Hi, I am going through my grains and updating, and found some random things I placed in a bucket...in 1999....before we began using grains etc., every day as a usual ingredient...what can I do with old dry beans, small and large. Also some dry split peas... Should I sprout some to see if they are fine, using a percentage as a guide, or can I process as for us and give them in small doses to my chickens?? They were stored the same way I do all my food, dark, cool, constantly dry basement....or should I just compost the lot? Love the site! Thanks for the information...by the way, we switched to grains other than wheat because of allergies, and wished we'd know long ago about wheat and corn being so allergic!! penny Hi, I am going through my grains and updating, and found some random things I placed in a bucket…in 1999….before we began using grains etc., every day as a usual ingredient…what can I do with old dry beans, small and large. Also some dry split peas… Should I sprout some to see if they are fine, using a percentage as a guide, or can I process as for us and give them in small doses to my chickens?? They were stored the same way I do all my food, dark, cool, constantly dry basement….or should I just compost the lot? Love the site! Thanks for the information…by the way, we switched to grains other than wheat because of allergies, and wished we’d know long ago about wheat and corn being so allergic!!
penny

]]> By: anne fallas http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7089 anne fallas Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:25:38 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7089 What brilliant info. Anne What brilliant info. Anne

]]> By: Chris Apple http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7088 Chris Apple Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:16:01 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7088 I am confused about hulling buckwheat. I love kasha and I have easily grown buckwheat in my NY state garden as a cover crop. But I always thought that buckwheat is very difficult to hull and requires specialized hulling equipment. Can you just put the unhulled grain through a grain grinder for flour? Also, does anyone have a source of home-size grain dehullers? I would like to grown wheat, rye, oats, etc. on my land. Lastly, hulless oat groats can easily be made into delicious hot cereal by placing 1 cup of oats with 4.5 cups of water in a crockpot (low) overnight. I am confused about hulling buckwheat. I love kasha and I have easily grown buckwheat in my NY state garden as a cover crop. But I always thought that buckwheat is very difficult to hull and requires specialized hulling equipment. Can you just put the unhulled grain through a grain grinder for flour?
Also, does anyone have a source of home-size grain dehullers? I would like to grown wheat, rye, oats, etc. on my land.
Lastly, hulless oat groats can easily be made into delicious hot cereal by placing 1 cup of oats with 4.5 cups of water in a crockpot (low) overnight.

]]> By: vikas http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7087 vikas Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:01:13 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7087 theres a kind of millet called ragi in india n africa.this can store upto 50 years.check it out. theres a kind of millet called ragi in india n africa.this can store upto 50 years.check it out.

]]> By: mulewagon http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7086 mulewagon Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:19:56 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7086 I've ground a lot of popcorn in my electric grinder - it makes great cornmeal! My grinder (a Nutrimill) can't handle the large corn kernels, but takes popcorn just fine. I’ve ground a lot of popcorn in my electric grinder – it makes great cornmeal! My grinder (a Nutrimill) can’t handle the large corn kernels, but takes popcorn just fine.

]]> By: Tovah http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7085 Tovah Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:37:06 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7085 Olympia - Not all quinoa is created equal. Quinoa from Trader Joe's or Ancient Harvest brands that is bought in a box does NOT need to be rinsed - it is pre-rinsed. Bulk quinoa usually does need to be rinsed, but not always. Eden quinoa specifically says it is to be rinsed. So it varies, but it's always better to rinse than not, if it's not from one of the boxed brands I mentioned. Olympia – Not all quinoa is created equal. Quinoa from Trader Joe’s or Ancient Harvest brands that is bought in a box does NOT need to be rinsed – it is pre-rinsed. Bulk quinoa usually does need to be rinsed, but not always. Eden quinoa specifically says it is to be rinsed. So it varies, but it’s always better to rinse than not, if it’s not from one of the boxed brands I mentioned.

]]> By: HFE http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7084 HFE Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:56:17 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7084 I'm sorry, I can't help it, but as a nursing mama, I can't help but think that lactofermentation is what happens after a 10 hour workday when I've left my breastpump at home! Um yeah... I love that you are offering all of this food preservation info on your website. I'm learning a lot, and I enjoy your writing style. This may be the summer I learn to can! I’m sorry, I can’t help it, but as a nursing mama, I can’t help but think that lactofermentation is what happens after a 10 hour workday when I’ve left my breastpump at home!

Um yeah…

I love that you are offering all of this food preservation info on your website. I’m learning a lot, and I enjoy your writing style. This may be the summer I learn to can!

]]> By: villabolo http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7083 villabolo Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:19:10 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7083 Pat, in my experience no one should ever store anything whatsoever, whether it be food or chemicals of any kind anywhere the temperature exceeds room temperature. I had 500 lbs of wheat packed in nitrogen sealed cans with 20 year shelf lives and honey with a supposedly indefinite shelf life. Everything was fine until five years before expiry when I decided 'temporarily' to transfer it to the garage. I live in Southern California where it was getting to 100 often time (We've had 110-120 in recent years). To make a long story short by the time I needed it it should still have been good but the honey had turned from light creamy brown to something resembling asphalt and the wheat-well let me say this. No job, no welfare or unemployment, easy to feed and beginning to look like something out of Dachau. Could not eat it. I highly recommend you bury your food 10 feet underground were the temp is stable (In case of prolonged electric outage) and discovery by thiefs minimized. Taking the trouble of packing them in 'Food Saver' bags could also extend their shelf life at small cost. Pat, in my experience no one should ever store anything whatsoever, whether it be food or chemicals of any kind anywhere the temperature exceeds room temperature. I had 500 lbs of wheat packed in nitrogen sealed cans with 20 year shelf lives and honey with a supposedly indefinite shelf life. Everything was fine until five years before expiry when I decided ‘temporarily’ to transfer it to the garage. I live in Southern California where it was getting to 100 often time (We’ve had 110-120 in recent years).
To make a long story short by the time I needed it it should still have been good but the honey had turned from light creamy brown to something resembling asphalt and the wheat-well let me say this. No job, no welfare or unemployment, easy to feed and beginning to look like something out of Dachau. Could not eat it.
I highly recommend you bury your food 10 feet underground were the temp is stable (In case of prolonged electric outage) and discovery by thiefs minimized.
Taking the trouble of packing them in ‘Food Saver’ bags could also extend their shelf life at small cost.

]]> By: Pat Meadows http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7082 Pat Meadows Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:03:01 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7082 Hi Sharon, I've had both millet and flaxseed go rancid. They were not stored in ideal conditions, they were in a fairly warm garage. But they sure went rancid, and within less than two years. Pat Hi Sharon,

I’ve had both millet and flaxseed go rancid. They were not stored in ideal conditions, they were in a fairly warm garage. But they sure went rancid, and within less than two years.

Pat

]]> By: villabolo http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/comment-page-1/#comment-7081 villabolo Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:12:00 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/17/the-storage-life-of-grains-major-and-minor/#comment-7081 Sharon, thank you very, very much for the brown rice advise. I have 85lbs for one person and was planning on purchasing up to 6 months worth (1lb a day) with the understanding that this time period was at room temperature not frozen. I then proceeded to vacuum pack it in a food saver (It's supposed to extend shelf life of grains by 50 to 100% then and only then did I put it in the fridge where info on food storage in general led me to believe that it's shelf life would be extended another 3 fold. Later I placed the vacuum packed bags of brown rice in the freezer where similar info allowed a calculation of 8 fold increase over room temperature storage life. I thus thought, with trepidation, that I had a long time to worry about it. I also feared that humidity in the freezer would allow mold to grow which is why I considered the vacuum packing crucial since the regular packaging it comes in is not air tight. Yes, I know what you're probably thinking about freezers and mold but I have personally witnessed mold grow in a freezer so darn slowly that it took me several eyeballings throughout the months to make sure that it was mold. I thought it was corrosion till I decided to clean the fridge. Anyway, please let us know if you have any experience with 'Food Savers' or vacuum packing in general. Sharon, thank you very, very much for the brown rice advise. I have 85lbs for one person and was planning on purchasing up to 6 months worth (1lb a day) with the understanding that this time period was at room temperature not frozen. I then proceeded to vacuum pack it in a food saver (It’s supposed to extend shelf life of grains by 50 to 100% then and only then did I put it in the fridge where info on food storage in general led me to believe that it’s shelf life would be extended another 3 fold.
Later I placed the vacuum packed bags of brown rice in the freezer where similar info allowed a calculation of 8 fold increase over room temperature storage life. I thus thought, with trepidation, that I had a long time to worry about it.
I also feared that humidity in the freezer would allow mold to grow which is why I considered the vacuum packing crucial since the regular packaging it comes in is not air tight. Yes, I know what you’re probably thinking about freezers and mold but I have personally witnessed mold grow in a freezer so darn slowly that it took me several eyeballings throughout the months to make sure that it was mold. I thought it was corrosion till I decided to clean the fridge.
Anyway, please let us know if you have any experience with ‘Food Savers’ or vacuum packing in general.

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