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| Grains For Storage & Use; Whole Grain How-tos | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 31 2010, 07:03 AM (166 Views) | |
| Mommacat | Oct 31 2010, 07:03 AM Post #1 |
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In a long-term food storage plan, whole grains should be seriously considered. Whole grains will have a longer shelf life than milled grains, such as flour, cornmeal and oatmeal. But, storing several hundred pounds of red wheat, for instance, is pretty useless if you don't know how to turn it into food you can eat. If you plan to store whole grains, you should invest in a good hand-crank grain mill. I don't have much experience with them, but you can check them out at Lehman's for starters. They have an online store and also they do a pretty good job of comparing different models they offer. They do have a model that can either be hand-crank or electric (it has a large wheel to hook up a pully to an electric motor). Prices of grain mills vary from very reasonable to very expensive, and its a tough call in deciding to buy something based on price alone as the quality and durability is certainly a factor in the price. It would be up to the indificual to decide if they want to spend a weeks wages on something they may never have to use. But the flip side of that is if you get the cheapest and it only lasts for 3 months, you may wish you'd have gotten a better one. As I said, its a personal decision. After the first of the year I plan to buy one - I'm just undecided about which one. I would also urge anyone that buys a grain mill to buy the repair kit and extra grinding plates as they can afford to do that. If anyone has expereince with grain mills I'd like to hear your take on them and maybe some other places you know of that sell them. I know that different grains require different methods of processing, but I don't what they are and I don't have any experience with cooking with home-ground grains. Any information in that regard would be appreciated. Long term storage of whole grains: Protection from moisture and insect infestation would be my main concern. 5-gallon gasket seal buckets and desciccant packs seem like an ideal storage system to me. But gasket seal buckets are expensive, so I think, sealed Mylar bags inside regualr 5-gallon buckets might be more practical. Whichever container you use, do use the desciccants - bugs can't hatch out and grow without oxygen. I mentioned it in another post, but I'll also add it here, your local feed store may be a very good source for whole grains. They can probably order them for you and just be sure to let them know its for human food, not animal. If they have to do a larger order than you want, ask around to some prepper friends and do a group buy. Raven has already done the group purchace with her group and I was very interested in getting in on that, but distance and time didn't allow it. It's certainly somethng worth checking into. |
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| Raven | Oct 31 2010, 07:37 PM Post #2 |
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When we started storing whole grains, we did so in 5 gal buckets using argon. Argon gas will displace oxygen. My husband got it at the welding shop and we put the nozzle at the bottom of the bucket full of grain and gave it a good shot. I believe that we counted to 5 slowly. This should displace the oxygen, for the most part, in the bucket and then quickly slam on the gasketed lid and seal. Argon is more dense than air so the argon will stay at the bottom of the bucket for a second or two while you get the lid on. One thing to be careful of is that even though Argon is an inert gas, you can suffocate if you use it in an closed room. It will displace the O2 in the room and you can't see, smell or taste it you may not know you are being deprived of oxygen. We have also used DE (diotomaceous earth) to dust the grain. This will kill any emerging larva. This can also cause problems with your lungs, so wear a mask as you put it in the bucket. Once you have dusted the grains, put the lid on and seal. Then either roll the bucket or using the handle bang the bucket on the ground a couple of times to distribute the DE. When opening the bucket, do so in an open room or outside for the first time. This stuff will not kill you, I have eaten it when I have tasted my animals feed (long story). You can use it to worm your animals and it is made from pulverized shells. We now store our grain in mylar bags made for buckets and throw in an O2 absorber. Use a household iron and a wooden yardstick to seal your bag, and a rubber mallet for the lid. Keep your grains whole until you need the flour. Many nutrients are rapidly depleted in air when they are ground. They will store for much longer as whole grains rather than flour. If you store small grains for eating (and you should store several varieties), you will need a mill if you want to make flour. We own a Diamant from Lehmans Hardware www.lehmans.com It is an expensive heavy duty mill that you can use either stone or metal burrs for. We chose it because it is one of the heaviest duty ones that we could find with a great rating. Use steel burrs for grinding oily grains like beans or flax. Use the stone burrs for dry grains, wheat, barley etc. You can use the grains whole if you soak them overnight and in the morning cook them up like a cereal. A grain mill is not an option in my opinion. Get the best that you can afford and a lesser quality, but still good quality, for a back up. One is none and two is one for this "must have". To use the grains there are several websites that will help you and there are cookbooks dedicated to whole grain cooking if you look. Two websites that are very helpful are www.foodstoragemadeeasy.com and www.wholegrainscouncil.org Try this before you need to as your body will not adjust to a new way of eating, especially under high degrees of stress, easily. You will need to adjust gradually. It will be worth it! Mommacat, I can still get you the grain and keep it here until you are in the neighborhood if you wish
Edited by Raven, Oct 31 2010, 07:42 PM.
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