Prep Genrl How to store. . .

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I have quite a few boxes of Jiffy corn bread mix. I've put some in pint jars, that only hold one box. I've put some in a couple of plastic jugs. The pint jars are vacuum sealed, but the plastic jugs are not. I have many more boxes that need to be stored better than in their boxes (a few boxes had bites taken out of them by a critter. I have too many boxes to store one in its own pint jar. A couple of years ago I did store a bucket full of boxes with a tight lid. I've not checked the bucket to see how they faired.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Another thing I've had issues with are raisins. We get the little boxes in commodities, with six to a package. I opened one little box the other day and it had bugs all in it. It was stored on a shelf.

Again, any suggestions will be appreciated.

Any one else wanting to know how to store something could put it in this thread so other can benefit.

Judy
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
The half gallon mason jars, vacuum sealed would be my best choice. Holds enough that you don't need too many containers, but not so big that you had to transfer it from a bigger container that needed to be resealed when you opened it.
I thought about that. Just pour a few boxes in each one and just measure out what one box would be. That's a good idea thanks. I cut out the cooking directions from a box a while back and taped it inside a cabinet door, although I can include one in each jar.
 

kelee877

Veteran Member
I use paper lunch bags fill 1/3 to half full fold extra over teal tight and duck tape...date and label.. and buy those big vacuum seal blanket bags...hold lots and when I need something take out and revacuum. I do have a back up manual pump to remove air

And anything I bring in must be in the freezer for 2 weeks.. just dropped a 40lb bag of dog food in freezer so I don't get weevils
 

EMICT

Veteran Member
Just an observation... Judy, you spend more time worrying and wondering about this and that than you do 'living'. Try doing the 'living' thing for a few days and everything else will fall into place. You really don't need others to steer your life, even though you try so hard to have this occur. Listen to your husband... at least once in a while... and 'chill'.

You will be happier and less stressed. The end of the world has not arrived, and you will probably not see it due to age.

Enjoy life and quit fretting so much.
 
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nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Just an observation... Judy, you spend more time worrying and wondering about this and that that you do 'living'. Try doing the 'living' thing for a few days and everything will fall into place.

Just an observation... Judy, you spend more time worrying and wondering about this and that than you do 'living'. Try doing the 'living' thing for a few days and everything else will fall into place. You really don't need others to steer your life, even though you try so hard to have this occur. Listen to your husband... at least once in a while... and 'chill'.

You will be happier and less stressed. The end of the world has not arrived, and you will probably not see it due to age.

Enjoy life and quit fretting so much.
not that it's any of your business but I have a happy blessed life. If you can't offer a suggestion to my questions then I'd appreciate you staying off my threads.
 

EMICT

Veteran Member
not that it's any of your business but I have a happy blessed life. If you can't offer a suggestion to my questions then I'd appreciate you staying off my threads.
You apparently didn't see my admonition in the prior post...

"You will be happier and less stressed. The end of the world has not arrived, and you will probably not see it due to age.
Enjoy life and quit fretting so much."

Don't know how you missed this little 'pearl'.
 

phloydius

Veteran Member
Again, any suggestions will be appreciated.

Enjoy life and quit fretting so much.

Sounds like there is more of a back story to this conversation that I am unaware of (and sorry if I step on some toes), however I thought nomifyle's question was a good & reasonable one.

Although I probably won't do it with ones that I currently have, I'm thinking of doing my suggestion (1/2gal mason jars) for future ones that I buy. Should make them it last longer, and keep pests of all kinds (especially insects) out. Sounds like a great way to fight inflation.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Unless something comes in a sealed can, I put everything, and I mean everything in my freezers for 2 weeks, before I store it. Anything in bags or boxes probably already has nasty insect eggs in it. It's just the way it is. If you freeze everything first, it kills off all of those. If you don't freeze first, the eggs will hatch out in whatever you store, unsealed. I won't take that chance.

1/2 gal sealed mason jars will keep food for a long time and prevent any future infestation. I can store 1/2 gal jars easier than I can buckets, simply, because of the storage space issue. Jars fit under things. Buckets don't.
 
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nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Sounds like there is more of a back story to this conversation that I am unaware of (and sorry if I step on some toes), however I thought nomifyle's question was a good & reasonable one.

Although I probably won't do it with ones that I currently have, I'm thinking of doing my suggestion (1/2gal mason jars) for future ones that I buy. Should make them it last longer, and keep pests of all kinds (especially insects) out. Sounds like a great way to fight inflation.
nothing really except instead of him offering a suggestion to my question he told me to stop worrying and live my life. I didn't say I was worrying and I do live my life.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Something else I thought of. Most cornbread mixes, pancake mixes, etc. will go bad if not stored in a sealed container or frozen after a short period of time. I can't get regular cornmeal to last longer than a year without it being frozen or in sealed containers. I either keep it frozen or seal in glass jars with o2 absorbers. It also keeps the nasties out. Others might not have this problem, but in our climate, I can't just store it as is.
 

EMICT

Veteran Member
nothing really except instead of him offering a suggestion to my question he told me to stop worrying and live my life. I didn't say I was w

nothing really except instead of him offering a suggestion to my question he told me to stop worrying and live my life. I didn't say I was worrying and I do live my life.
How long will my food last, what happens if it rains and my road get's wet, why won't my husband listen to my suggestions, what will happen during the 1/4 moon, can I go to town if MAGA is running rampant, why does my water taste like french fries, can I be happy if I'm not, why do the bugs always come in the summer, and on and on.

My suggestion was to 'don't worry... be happy', however your inquiries suggest something other than happiness... or excessive worry. I'm not sure which... I was just suggesting that you take a chill pill.
 

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
mixes of just anything in the bakery category don't store well - it's one of the items on the retail shelves that's not that far off the stupid "expiration date" .....

bothering to re-package them doesn't make any sense - just protect them from the rodents in metal containers and call it a day >>> prep to bake from scratch using the old fashion methods & recipes
 

hd5574

Veteran Member
I take the jiffy package out of the box cut the box front and directions....cut a big slit in the top of the package....put it all in a vacuum seal bag ...suck out the air...no oxygen no bugs and seal
They take less space to store also...
 

EMICT

Veteran Member
How long will my food last, what happens if it rains and my road get's wet, why won't my husband listen to my suggestions, what will happen during the 1/4 moon, can I go to town if MAGA is running rampant, why does my water taste like french fries, can I be happy if I'm not, why do the bugs always come in the summer, and on and on.

My suggestion was to 'don't worry... be happy', however your inquiries suggest something other than happiness... or excessive worry. I'm not sure which... I was just suggesting that you take a chill pill.
Judy, I'll throw this in for you as I was being an ass earlier tonight (sorry)...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKv7mB1j80c
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
I take the jiffy package out of the box cut the box front and directions....cut a big slit in the top of the package....put it all in a vacuum seal bag ...suck out the air...no oxygen no bugs and seal
They take less space to store also...
This is second only to vac packing AND freezing for longest storage. Although IW is right... due to their fat (shortening) content, their storage life is somewhat limited, and highly temperature dependent. Freezing is best (as above, vacuum packing AND freezing is the ultimate... I have had the fat on pork loin chops go rancid in (supposedly) good freezer bags, despite the subzero temps. Vacuum packing solved the problem.

But otherwise vacuum (or O2 absorber) packing in mylar or glass, and then stored as dark and cool as possible. And store extra baking powder in small unopened containers, because the baking powder often goes flat in mixes over time.

I used to do a lot more baking, so I didn't buy the small cans of baking powder... I bought the 3# can at food service places. But when I opened a new one, I'd immediately decant it into straight walled jelly jars. They were then sealed immediately, and put into our cool cellar. It was like fresh 2 years out... and I once lost a jar, discovered it 8 years after packing, and it still fizzed up instantly in warm water.

These days, with baking powder coming in foil covered cardboard, I think I'd consider putting all newly purchased baking powder in glass jars for any sort of storage.

Summerthyme
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
mixes of just anything in the bakery category don't store well - it's one of the items on the retail shelves that's not that far off the stupid "expiration date" .....

bothering to re-package them doesn't make any sense - just protect them from the rodents in metal containers and call it a day >>> prep to bake from scratch using the old fashion methods & recipes
I have a recipe that I used when I was raising my sons that everyone ate, but my picky DH didn't like it, probably because it had healthy ingredients in it, but he does like the Jiffy mix. I need to dig out my recipe and make sure I have all of the ingredients.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
This is second only to vac packing AND freezing for longest storage. Although IW is right... due to their fat (shortening) content, their storage life is somewhat limited, and highly temperature dependent. Freezing is best (as above, vacuum packing AND freezing is the ultimate... I have had the fat on pork loin chops go rancid in (supposedly) good freezer bags, despite the subzero temps. Vacuum packing solved the problem.

But otherwise vacuum (or O2 absorber) packing in mylar or glass, and then stored as dark and cool as possible. And store extra baking powder in small unopened containers, because the baking powder often goes flat in mixes over time.

I used to do a lot more baking, so I didn't buy the small cans of baking powder... I bought the 3# can at food service places. But when I opened a new one, I'd immediately decant it into straight walled jelly jars. They were then sealed immediately, and put into our cool cellar. It was like fresh 2 years out... and I once lost a jar, discovered it 8 years after packing, and it still fizzed up instantly in warm water.

These days, with baking powder coming in foil covered cardboard, I think I'd consider putting all newly purchased baking powder in glass jars for any sort of storage.

Summerthyme
That's exactly what I did with my baking powder, and I've always used the aluminum free one. I've always kept the opened container in the freezer, I have never done much in the way of baking.
 

Wildwood

Veteran Member
How long will my food last, what happens if it rains and my road get's wet, why won't my husband listen to my suggestions, what will happen during the 1/4 moon, can I go to town if MAGA is running rampant, why does my water taste like french fries, can I be happy if I'm not, why do the bugs always come in the summer, and on and on.

My suggestion was to 'don't worry... be happy', however your inquiries suggest something other than happiness... or excessive worry. I'm not sure which... I was just suggesting that you take a chill pill.
This is the kind of thing women try to take care of...I think it's a good question. If Judy finds comfort getting feedback (and so do I), I want her to get that feedback. We all learn something when anyone asks questions. If it bothers you, scroll down to the next comment but don't be hurtful. There's enough hurt in this old world right now to go around without us heaping it on each other in a place we come to for help, advice and the company of like minded people.
 

Wildwood

Veteran Member
I have quite a few boxes of Jiffy corn bread mix. I've put some in pint jars, that only hold one box. I've put some in a couple of plastic jugs. The pint jars are vacuum sealed, but the plastic jugs are not. I have many more boxes that need to be stored better than in their boxes (a few boxes had bites taken out of them by a critter. I have too many boxes to store one in its own pint jar. A couple of years ago I did store a bucket full of boxes with a tight lid. I've not checked the bucket to see how they faired.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Another thing I've had issues with are raisins. We get the little boxes in commodities, with six to a package. I opened one little box the other day and it had bugs all in it. It was stored on a shelf.

Again, any suggestions will be appreciated.

Any one else wanting to know how to store something could put it in this thread so other can benefit.

Judy
How about pouring each package into a zip lock sandwich bag, removing as much air as you can. You can then fill a quart or half gallon wide mouth jar with the little bags and then vac seal. You could put a tiny hole in each bag if you have trouble vac sealing it with the bags inside. This way, you wouldn't have to measure out the mix when you need it.

Sometimes I put the full vac sealed jar in the freezer for however long you leave it in there. So far I haven't had a problem with this method but I'm sure if there is a reason not to do it that way, someone will let us know.

Edited it to add: DH saw a video on YT for mixing jiffy and baking soda to kill mice.

I'm trying to make everything in my pantry mouse proof so I'm using large empty plastic canister/jars animal crackers from Sam's came in years ago, to stuff all kinds of packaged small things in to keep the mice out. One has instant potato packages, another ramen noodles, ritz cracker rolls, graham cracker packets, packages of pasta, packages of pecans, assorted hard candies, packages of chocolate chips, even plastic cutlery and straws in one. I lay them on their side on the shelf with the lid facing me and I don't even have to move the canister, just unscrew the lid, grab what I want and put it back on. I have an antique pie safe in my kitchen and the top three shelves have these lined up with supplies protected. The canisters are square. instead of round. I just bought a smallish tub for chips in my pantry...to keep mice out. We live in the country and some years are worse than others. I believe they are 2 or 3 gallon jars.
 
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SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I used to do a lot more baking, so I didn't buy the small cans of baking powder... I bought the 3# can at food service places. But when I opened a new one, I'd immediately decant it into straight walled jelly jars. They were then sealed immediately, and put into our cool cellar. It was like fresh 2 years out... and I once lost a jar, discovered it 8 years after packing, and it still fizzed up instantly in warm water.

Can you freeze unopened cans of baking powder for long term storage? I've always thought it ruined it by freezing it, so I've never tried storing any.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
If you are baking with old baking powder, test it by dropping a pinch into *warm* water. If it's still good, it will bubble vigorously.

I've had enough go bad (usually just the last inch or so in the can) that I devised the jar system. These days, I'd probably use 4 oz jelly jars, to minimize the amount that goes stale.

Summerthyme
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
If you are baking with old baking powder, test it by dropping a pinch into *warm* water. If it's still good, it will bubble vigorously.

I've had enough go bad (usually just the last inch or so in the can) that I devised the jar system. These days, I'd probably use 4 oz jelly jars, to minimize the amount that goes stale.

Summerthyme

That's good to know. I use my small containers up pretty quickly making so many biscuits and cornbread, but if I think it's getting too old, I now know a way to check it!
 

L.A.B.

Goodness before greatness.
I had an issue with a type of tiny black beetle looking bug in organic brown rice in left in the very strong but vented synthetic bag.

I know brown rice is said to have a six month shelf life due to the fat content creating oxidation; but this problem was less than 90 days after purchase.

Online I found a few people showing dry-canning in the oven at 225 degrees for two hours.

I did a 15 lb bag of sweet brown rice between 4 1/4 full large Bell jars in the oven on convection for at 225 for the recommended 2-hours. There was a slight toasting color to the formerly beige looking sweet brown rice. I have done a previous batch slightly lower at 215 degrees and never experienced the color change.

After pulling out of the oven with mitts, and setting the 225 degree F jars on a dry towel, I placed the metal caps. As they cool, it creates a slight vacuum, and you hear a light click of the top as the convex center sucks down onto the vacuum.

I stored the large jars and dumped the 1/4 full jar into a working quart sized plastic jar for use.

I did notice some of the these grains of rice cooked out tough / hard, whereas the rice cooker has always cooked it perfectly any other time.

The next oven canning I will attempt 200 degrees instead. I mean come on man. If a bug egg can survive 200 degrees F, I’m just gonna have to put Sigourney Weaver on my phone in speed dial.
 
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Wildwood

Veteran Member
Recipe? I stock baking soda, but not cream of tartar.
I'd have to find my recipe in a tub of prep info so I did a quick yt search and found this recipe. Mine does not include the corn starch/arrow root powder. Basically she says 2 parts cream of tartar and one part baking soda. I bought my pound of cream of tartar on Amazon. You mix a small amount at a time because once mixed, it has a shelf life. I'll try to find mine to confirm.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GucjUk7cjM&ab_channel=OFFGRIDwithDOUG%26STACY

I'm also adding Rain Country's recipe. She adds a little more info and starts right off with the recipe she uses.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzCJIoLCFI&ab_channel=RainCountry
 
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SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'd have to find my recipe in a tub of prep info so I did a quick yt search and found this recipe. Mine does not include the corn starch/arrow root powder. Basically she says 2 parts cream of tartar and one part baking soda. I bought my pound of cream of tartar on Amazon. You mix a small amount at a time because once mixed, it has a shelf life. I'll try to find mine to confirm.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GucjUk7cjM&ab_channel=OFFGRIDwithDOUG%26STACY

Thank You. I like having ideas for backups.
 

John Deere Girl

Veteran Member
This is second only to vac packing AND freezing for longest storage. Although IW is right... due to their fat (shortening) content, their storage life is somewhat limited, and highly temperature dependent. Freezing is best (as above, vacuum packing AND freezing is the ultimate... I have had the fat on pork loin chops go rancid in (supposedly) good freezer bags, despite the subzero temps. Vacuum packing solved the problem.

But otherwise vacuum (or O2 absorber) packing in mylar or glass, and then stored as dark and cool as possible. And store extra baking powder in small unopened containers, because the baking powder often goes flat in mixes over time.

I used to do a lot more baking, so I didn't buy the small cans of baking powder... I bought the 3# can at food service places. But when I opened a new one, I'd immediately decant it into straight walled jelly jars. They were then sealed immediately, and put into our cool cellar. It was like fresh 2 years out... and I once lost a jar, discovered it 8 years after packing, and it still fizzed up instantly in warm water.

These days, with baking powder coming in foil covered cardboard, I think I'd consider putting all newly purchased baking powder in glass jars for any sort of storage.

Summerthyme
Can you tell me how to store walnuts please?
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Can you tell me how to store walnuts please?
If you have freezer room, heavy bags and freezing is the simplest. However, I've oven canned many, many pounds of nuts, and they stay fresh on the shelf for decades, as long as the seal stays intact.

I heat them at 300 degrees on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes (you want them thoroughly dried, but not browned or toasted), then put in sterile jars and seal. I've tried it two ways... put the sealed jars back into the oven for 15 minutes, or pressure can at 5# pressure (sea level... up to 9# at 6,000 feet above sea level) for 10 minutes.

Both techniques worked well. The oven method is NOT approved, and probably does have a *tiny* risk of botulism, especially if the nuts fell on muddy ground and weren't thoroughly washed *and dried* before shelling. I personally doubt the moisture level is high enough in a jar of nuts for botulism spores to break dormancy and grow.

Summerthyme
 
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