Recommendations for Long-Term Storage
Bugs in the Grain?
Bug eggs are always present in grain, there is no way to remove them even with the cleaning process. If the grain is subjected to conditions of heat and humidity, a perfect environment is created for the eggs to hatch. However, as long as you store your grain in proper conditions, cool temperatures with low humidity, the eggs will remain dormant and should be of no concern. Signs of bug infestation include pinholes in the grain, powdered grain or clusters of grain held together with a web-like substance. Sometimes you will not even see the bugs.
Storage Life Chart
Constant Storage Storage Life
Temp in degrees F In Years
---------------- ------------
39.76 - - - 40
49.84 - - - 30
59.92 - - - 20
70.00 - - - 10
80.08 - - - 5
90.16 - - - 2.5
100.24 - - 1.25
You can expect good storage life if your storage temperature is at 60 degrees F or below. Optimum storage temperature is at 40 degrees F or less. It is important you also find a place where the temperature remains constant. Frequent temperature changes shorten storage life.
Absorb the oxygen:
Foods packed in air don't store as well as in oxygen free gasses. This is because air contains oxygen which oxidizes many of the compounds in food. Bacteria, one of several agents which make food go rancid also needs oxygen to grow.
Containers:
To get the best storage life out of your product it must have a hermetic (air tight) seal. Containers that do this well are:
- #10 Cans (Use only cans that are enamel lined, otherwise your food flavor will be tainted by the steel it comes in contact with. An enamel lined can also prevents the inside of the can from rusting.)
- Sealable food storage buckets
- Sealable food quality metal (lined) or plastic drums.
Whatever container you use, be sure it is food grade as your product can be tainted with whatever the container is made from. Plastic sacks are not good air tight containers, for even if they are sealed, the relatively thin plastic 'breathes,' allowing air to pass through. Paper sacks are of course even worse.
Proper Storage for Grain
DO NOT store your grain above 80 degrees. DO NOT store it in a hot garage or utility room with a washer and dryer. DO NOT store it in a shed. DO NOT store it directly on a concrete floor, especially in a basement.
DO use wooden pallets underneath your grain. Sprinkle Pure Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth on the floor around your containers to prevent any bugs from crawling inside.
Keep your grains cool and dry; 70 degrees or below. DO store your grain in food safe plastic or metal pails or containers with tight fitting lids. Add oxygen absorbers for long-term storage (5-20 years) and replace them every time the lid is opened. Store your grain in the darkest, coolest and driest place possible. Add a bay leaf to your grain, it is a natural insect repellent. Be sure to remove before milling or cooking the grain.
Whole grain does not lose nutritional value in storage, whereas once ground into flour, the nutrient level begins to drop dramatically. Flour also turns rancid if stored too long. Therefore, we recommend storing whole grains and grinding them on an "as needed" basis.
Barley
Hulled or
Pearled Oat
Groats
Rolled Oats
Quinoa
Rye
Soft Grains have softer outer shells which don't protect the seed interior as well as hard shelled seeds and therefore won't store as long. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures, as long as no infestation occurs.
Buckwheat
Corn, Dry
Flax
Kamut
Millet
Durum wheat
Hard red wheat
Hard white wheat
Soft wheat
Special bake wheat
Spelt
Triticale
The Hard Grains all store well because of their hard outer shell which is nature's near perfect container. Remove that container and the contents rapidly deteriorate. Wheat, probably nature's longest storing seed, has been known to be edible after scores of years when stored in a cool dry place. As a general rule for hard grains, hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 15-20 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures,as long as no infestation occurs.
Dehydrated Fruit
For some, the darker (less fluorescent) colour of organic dried fruit comes as a shock. Many of us have become accustomed to walking down our local supermarket aisle seeing nothing but brilliantly colored (almost unreal looking) bright orange dried apricots and pears. You won’t find that dried organic fruit looks this way. But it’s not meant to either. When fruit is not pumped full of sulphur dioxide it takes on a decidedly more natural, somewhat earthy hue. Don’t be disappointed; it’s just the way dried fruit is meant to look.
Fruit doesn't keep as well as many dehydrated items. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 10-15 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures. Once you’ve opened whatever packaging your dried fruit originally came in, transfer your fruit to an airtight container and store in your refrigerator.
As beans age they lose their oils, resist water absorbtion and won't swell. Storing beans in nitrogen
helps prolong the loss of these oils as does cool temperatures. Hermetically sealed in the absence
of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8-10 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored 10-20 degree F cooler temperatures. For the longest storage life, keep beans in a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lid.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts keep well in the shell. Once they are removed from the shell, they require care in storing. Since nuts and seeds are high in unsaturated fats, they are chemically more active than saturated, solid fats. This means that they will easily become rancid or pick up odors from their surroundings so they should be stored in sealed, glass or plastic containers in the refrigerator or deep freeze.
Dehydrated vegetables store well if hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen. Plan on a storage life of 8-10 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.
Dehydrated Dairy Products generally store very well if stored dry in hermetically sealed containers with the oxygen removed. Plan on a storage life of 5 to 10 years if stored at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep, probably 5 years longer, if stored at cooler temperatures.
Pasta will store longer than flour if kept dry. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 10 - 15 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. Pasta should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.
Pure Honey, Salt and Sugar should keep indefinitely if stored free of moisture.
Brown and white rices store very differently. Brown rice is only expected to store for 6 months under average conditions. This is because of the essential fatty acids in brown rice. These oils quickly go rancid as they oxidize. It will store much longer if refrigerated. White rice has the outer shell removed along with those fats. Because of this, white rice isn't nearly as good for you, but will store longer. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life for white rice of 8-10 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. It should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures. Stored in the absence of oxygen, brown rice will last longer than if it was stored in air. Plan on 1 to 2 years. It is very important to store brown rice as cool as possible, for if you can get the temperature down another ten degrees, it will double the storage life again.
All viable seeds are hibernating tiny living plants that only need moisture and warmth to sprout. Much like a chick in an egg, all the nutrients this little life needs to spring into existence is contained within it's shell. Like boiling an egg, heating a seed will kill that little life within it. However, unlike an egg, a seed can withstand cold temperatures. As seeds usually remain edible after the life within it dies, we must use different criteria when determining sproutable seed storage life. And again the big deciding factor is temperature. Plan on a storage life of 2 to 3 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures. And remember, you want to store all of these seeds in air. Packed in nitrogen, the viability of some seeds will last longer than others. This is still to a large degree an unexplored science, and therefore we recommend you store all the seeds you plan on sprouting in air.
All Purpose Flour
Bakers Flour
Unbleached Flour
White Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
Cornmeal
Mixes
Refried Beans
Cracked wheat
Germade
Gluten
Wheat flakes
After seeds are broken open their outer shells can no longer protect the seed contents and seed nutrients start to degrade. Don't try to store unprotected flours longer than a year. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 5 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.
Note: Granola is not a long storing food because of the nuts. They contain high concentrations of oil which go rancid over the short term. Expect granola to last about 6-9 months.
How To Store Olive Oil
Because of olive oil's high monounsaturated fat content, it can be stored longer than most other oils -- as long as it's stored properly. Oils are fragile and need to be treated gently to preserve their healthful properties and to keep them from becoming a health hazard full of free radicals.
When choosing your storage location, remember that heat, air and light are the enemies of oil. These elements help create free radicals, which eventually lead to excessive oxidation and rancidity in the oil that will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Rancidity can set in long before you can taste it or smell it. Rotten oils harm cells and use up precious antioxidants. Even though rancid oil doesn't pose a food-safety type of health risk, the less you consume, the better.
The best storage containers for olive oil are made of either tinted glass (to keep out light) or a nonreactive metal, such as stainless steel. Avoid metal containers made of iron or copper because the chemical reactions between the olive oil and those metals create toxic compounds. Avoid most plastic too; oil can absorb noxious substances such as polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) out of the plastic. Containers also need a tight cap or lid to keep unwanted air out.
Keep It Cool
Temperature is also important in preventing degradation of olive oil. Experts recommend storing the oil at 57 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a wine cellar. If you don't have a wine cellar, a room temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit will be fine. If your kitchen is routinely warmer than that, you can refrigerate the oil.
In fact, refrigeration is best for long-term storage of all olive oils except premium extra-virgin ones. Consider keeping small amounts of olive oil in a sealed container at room temperature -- perhaps in a small, capped porcelain jug that keeps out air and light. This way, your olive oil is instantly ready to use. Keep the rest in the refrigerator, but remember that refrigerated olive oil will solidify and turn cloudy, making it difficult to use. Returning it to room temperature restores its fluidity and color.
If you don't want to refrigerate your olive oil, keep it in a dark, cool cupboard away from the stove or other heat-producing appliances. Olive oil connoisseurs recommend storing premium extra-virgin olive oils at room temperature. If refrigerated, condensation could develop and adversely affect their flavor. Refrigeration does not affect the quality or flavor of other olive oils.
Olive oil will keep well if stored in a sealed container in a cool, dark cupboard for about one year. If unopened, the oil may keep for as long as two years or more. To our knowledge, there is no government source for the shelf life of cold pressed oils. Check any oil carefully for rancidity before using.
Freezing Olive Oil
If you need to store your oil for a long period of time, stick it in the freezer. Believe it or not, olive oil freezes well, retaining its health properties and flavor. However, the complex mixture of oils and waxes prevent it from freezing at exactly 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bright Lights and Olive Oil
Light destroys oils, and unfortunately, many olive oils are sold in clear glass containers. Most grocery stores have bright lights that beat down on shelves throughout the day, and oils sold in stores that are open 24 hours never get a reprieve from the light. In a busy store, oils sell quickly and are not subjected to all that light for very long, but that might not be the case in stores that don't get much traffic or don't rotate their stock very often.
Avoid choosing bottles covered in dust (that's a sure sign they've been on the shelf for quite a while). Bottles on the top shelf or in the front of a display are also subjected to more of the damaging rays. When shopping, grab a bottle from the back of the display, where direct light doesn't reach. Some olive oil producers use green or brown bottles to keep out the light; these are the wisest choice.