Stale popcorn?

[Ruth]

I was at Sam's the other day and was tempted to put a 50-lb bag of popcorn kernels into my shopping cart.

The expiratation date said April 2011. That's less than 5 months away. I'm sure we won't have it eaten then, or even come close. Especially since I already have a few lb's in storage
Anyone have any ideas on how long I could keep the popcorn even after the expiration date? I'm thinking if it would still be good another year or so from now, it would be worth it to me.

To me, popcorn is as much a staple as beans and rice.

[methemom]

Seal it up tight right now, it will last quite a while after the "sell by" date. should be OK...
if you want to use it as pop corn, take some out of storage and put a slice of bread with it in a sealed container like a mason jar or some tupperware for a night or 2. The bread will add just a bit of moisture and make it pop better.

[bulrush]

I assume you are talking about unpopped corn. As popcorn ages, less and less of it pops. I've had 3 year old popcorn pop but only about 70% of it popped. So yes, it will pop, but not all of it will. But it should still taste fine when popped. (70% was my worst experience. Your Mileage May Vary. YMMV)

[tortminder]

Originally Posted by Ruth

I was at Sam's the other day and was tempted to put a 50-lb bag of popcorn kernels into my shopping cart.

The expiration date said April 2011. That's less than 5 months away. I'm sure we won't have it eaten then, or even come close. Especially since I already have a few lb's in storage
Anyone have any ideas on how long I could keep the popcorn even after the expiration date? I'm thinking if it would still be good another year or so from now, it would be worth it to me.

To me, popcorn is as much a staple as beans and rice.

As mentioned in previous posts, as popcorn ages it loses moisture and a larger percentage of kernels will not pop. However; unpopped popcorn can be ground into corn meal for use in cornbread; polenta or processed with food lime for hominy. Depending on the price, this would be a good addition to your LT food storage.

Making hominy;
* 3 cups dry corn kernels - (coop, health food store, etc.), organic is best CAUTION: make sure you're buying edible corn NOT seed corn, which is treated with poisonous fungicides. Popcorn fits this criteria.

* 6 cups water
* 2 heaping tsp. pickling lime (try your local supermarket in during canning season)

If you can find a farmer who's growing organic field corn, you may be able purchase some at a very reasonable price. You'll have to remove the thoroughly dried kernels from the cob, but it's an easy job - just rub them off. Think twice before using non-organic corn. Most of it is genetically modified to include a pesticide (Bt toxin).

To proceed, put the corn in a cast iron, stainless steel, or Corningware pot (Don't use aluminum - it will corrode and contaminate the corn.), add the water and lime, stir to mix in the lime, and boil for about an hour, or until the skins begin to slip off the kernels when rubbed. Turn off the heat and let cool. You can allow it to rest for up to 24 hours. I often let it sit for only an hour before grinding.

Pour the cooked kernels into a large dishpan and run cool water over them. "Smoosh" them between your fingers to loosen and remove the husks, then rinse, allowing the husks to float away in the rinse water. and smoosh some more, until the water is clear. This will take about 5 min. Drain in a colander.

Now, you can grind the kernels to make tortillas, tamales, or grits, or leave them whole to cook more thoroughly, either alone (great served hot, with butter), or as an ingredient in soups, stews, etc. The grinding can be done in a grain mill; food processor or with a traditional metate, (stone mortar and pestle)... in a pinch you can use a meat grinder or blender

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by tortminder

As mentioned in previous posts, as popcorn ages it loses moisture and a larger percentage of kernels will not pop. However; unpopped popcorn can be ground into corn meal for use in cornbread; polenta or processed with food lime for hominy. Depending on the price, this would be a good addition to your LT food storage.

Making hominy;
* 3 cups dry corn kernels - (coop, health food store, etc.), organic is best CAUTION: make sure you're buying edible corn NOT seed corn, which is treated with poisonous fungicides. Popcorn fits this criteria.

* 6 cups water
* 2 heaping tsp. pickling lime (try your local supermarket in during canning season)

If you can find a farmer who's growing organic field corn, you may be able purchase some at a very reasonable price. You'll have to remove the thoroughly dried kernels from the cob, but it's an easy job - just rub them off. Think twice before using non-organic corn. Most of it is genetically modified to include a pesticide (Bt toxin).

To proceed, put the corn in a cast iron, stainless steel, or Corningware pot (Don't use aluminum - it will corrode and contaminate the corn.), add the water and lime, stir to mix in the lime, and boil for about an hour, or until the skins begin to slip off the kernels when rubbed. Turn off the heat and let cool. You can allow it to rest for up to 24 hours. I often let it sit for only an hour before grinding.

Pour the cooked kernels into a large dishpan and run cool water over them. "Smoosh" them between your fingers to loosen and remove the husks, then rinse, allowing the husks to float away in the rinse water. and smoosh some more, until the water is clear. This will take about 5 min. Drain in a colander.

Now, you can grind the kernels to make tortillas, tamales, or grits, or leave them whole to cook more thoroughly, either alone (great served hot, with butter), or as an ingredient in soups, stews, etc. The grinding can be done in a grain mill; food processor or with a traditional metate, (stone mortar and pestle)... in a pinch you can use a meat grinder or blender

Wow, that's a lot of work. I'd be happy with just a large bowl of hot buttered popcorn for my dinner ;-)

I'm with ya on that genetically modified junk that's out there. Seems I can't avoid it when buying commerically. I do have a non hybrid organic garden, but I live in town and am limited on space. I'm paying someone to clear a tree (keeping for firewood)for me this month and hope to use that new "sunny" cleared spot to plant extra this spring. Maybe I'll do a row or two of corn. I DID grow some corn in a pot on my deck. I used some organic kernels I had picked up at an Amish store.

I really appreciate all the ideas. I'm headed to Sams this weekend to buy that jumbo sack of popcorn kernels (and more cooking oil.) =)

[eternal.scholar]

The older kernels don't pop as much because they are dried out. I read that it's best to rinse and drain the kernels. Only rinse the amount of kernels that you're going to use at a time and make sure to drain them well. Hope this helps.