Beans, Rice, Flour, Salt and Sugar Long term Storage?

[jungleexplorer]

I pretty much know that as far as rice and beans go I will store them 5 Gal pails and mylar bags. But I am not so sure this will work with wheat flour, salt and sugar. Any advice?

[bert the turtle]

Not sure about the flour, but the salt and sugar will keep pretty much forever in buckets. They may cake, but that should be the worst of it.

[Herbalpagan]

flour doesn't store as well as many items, having a relatively short shelf life. However, if you are planning to use the foods you store on a regular basis, then store flour. I have flour, but rotate it out regularly. For long term storage, I keep wheat, not the flour. Wheat, packed in a bucket will last for 30 years, but you need a grinder to make it into flour. Sugar, salt and rice will last FOREVER (properly packed).

[Boost Addicted]

Sugar lasts forever in the form of honey... That's what I keep a ton of around. Good for other health factors too, vitamins, enzymes, etc.

[UrbanWolf]

Originally Posted by Herbalpagan

flour doesn't store as well as many items, having a relatively short shelf life. However, if you are planning to use the foods you store on a regular basis, then store flour. I have flour, but rotate it out regularly. For long term storage, I keep wheat, not the flour. Wheat, packed in a bucket will last for 30 years, but you need a grinder to make it into flour. Sugar, salt and rice will last FOREVER (properly packed).

Actually, flour stored in mylar and using o2 absorbers, the LDS is now saying you'll get 10yrs.

Rice should be stored in mylar due to oxygenation.

But salt and sugar, just in freezer bags in buckets or storage totes.

[Sooner_Will_Survive]

get straight up grain and not flour. its better for you and lasts longer. you only need to invest in a hand mill.

[earthmom]

Taste wise, if you grind your own wheat into flour, is it similar to what you'd buy in the store? (So sad that I'm not too many generations away from wheat farmers - and I'm learning all this stuff fresh)

[Sooner_Will_Survive]

it will be nuttier. and oh so much more flavorful.

[Cuppycake]

Originally Posted by Boost Addicted

Sugar lasts forever in the form of honey... That's what I keep a ton of around. Good for other health factors too, vitamins, enzymes, etc.

honey can last for hundreds or thousands of years, they've found it in Egyptian tombs. However, honey can also mold if it is not sealed. It can also crystalize (but then, you just have to heat it and melt it again)

I've read that processed honey loses most of it's vitamins and enzymes during the heating and straining processes. raw honey is best for you in terms of vitamins. I suggest keeping your own bees

Granulated white sugar will last virtually forever too though. Just make sure it's sealed from moisture and insects. It might clump together if it gets moisture in it, but then you just have to break it apart again.

the same is true of salt. it never goes bad. If you're storing salt, be sure it is iodized salt. The human body needs iodine and iodized salt is likely the only way most people get it. iodized salt can turn yellow over time because of the iodine, but it is only a cosmetic change and doesn't affect the taste or usefulness.

[Postert]

In my experence beans do not store well. They seem to become hard even after cooking for days. They might make refried beans, which I haven't tried yet.

[Sierra Dave]

Can be sprouted and then become a fresh supply of greens full of vitamins. Or you can add the sprouts to a stir-fry.

I have seen youtube vids where people are sprouting wheat to feed some fresh greens to their chickens during Winter..


Sierra Dave

[MikeK]

Flour doesn't last as well as whole wheat, isn't as versatile or as nutritious.

Salt and sugar will last forever without any special storage other than keeping it dry and keeping ants out of the sugar. Don't put an O2 absorber in with them or they turn into bricks. It's not needed anyway since O2 is not their enemy like it is with foods.

[ShellbackBill]

Originally Posted by Cuppycake

I've read that processed honey loses most of it's vitamins and enzymes during the heating and straining processes. raw honey is best for you in terms of vitamins. I suggest keeping your own bees

Ditto.

Bees will survive most SHTF scenarios, and will continue providing you with honey for your own use and barter.

They are on my to do list.

[POPPALUV]

Fellas, how about grits???? Store sealed w/ o2??

[Daggel]

another thing that stores really well is dried corn (not on the cob), soybeans (which I wouldn't have personally), and a huge bucket of lard. Butter will go rancid after a short time. Forget flour of any sort. Garlic, especially dried, can last a really long time. So can dried onions.

One thing I know from experience, in a worst case scenario, let's say you are 100 miles from nowhere, and you can only carry 200 pounds of dried goods and you don't know if you are going to be able to get a moose or something similar, one thing I know for a fact is that you can live on beans and squirrels/rabbits/grouse. you could even live on beans alone. but you are not going to feel too good living on wheat berries that you are grinding up for flat bread, or a hundred pounds of pancake mix, or a bunch of rice.

There is a lot to be said about the old "bullets and beans" survivalist mentality. The good stuff like canned peaches and beef jerky and sugar will be long gone when you still have a real food like beans. corn and wheat and rice are just fluff.

[Sooner_Will_Survive]

things like herbs and sugar can be left out. keep seeds instead. fresh herbs go farther. also items with low nutrional value should be left out. you want high calorie high protien foods stored. things with good nutrion. so check your stores and start using up those with very little nutrional value and start increasing those with good nutrional value.

[jhumphrey]

Originally Posted by Daggel

another thing that stores really well is dried corn (not on the cob), soybeans (which I wouldn't have personally), and a huge bucket of lard. Butter will go rancid after a short time. Forget flour of any sort. Garlic, especially dried, can last a really long time. So can dried onions.

One thing I know from experience, in a worst case scenario, let's say you are 100 miles from nowhere, and you can only carry 200 pounds of dried goods and you don't know if you are going to be able to get a moose or something similar, one thing I know for a fact is that you can live on beans and squirrels/rabbits/grouse. you could even live on beans alone. but you are not going to feel too good living on wheat berries that you are grinding up for flat bread, or a hundred pounds of pancake mix, or a bunch of rice.

There is a lot to be said about the old "bullets and beans" survivalist mentality. The good stuff like canned peaches and beef jerky and sugar will be long gone when you still have a real food like beans. corn and wheat and rice are just fluff.

I totally disagree with what you're saying. While beans are a good source of protein, wheat (ground into flour and made into flatbread, etc) and rice are also needed to help balance out your diet and give you nutrition. Beans are classified as a vegetable and that falls into the 3-5 servings per day category. Flour/rice is the base of the pyramid, at 6-11 servings. Simple math shows you are to eat twice as much flour/rice than veggies per day. It's the base of the pyramid and that should say something.

Im not saying that beans shouldnt be considered, we all know how good they are, but you shouldnt discount the other items. Why not add rice to your beans and have a good meal? Besides, rice is a good source of carbohydrates and enriched rice (mostly what we buy in the US), has had a lot of its nutrients lost during the milling process, but is re-added, per FDA requirements. Pasta will keep for a long time and should be considered as well.

While flour may only keep a few years if stored properly, wheat will store 10-15 years (some say longer), if stored right. With a hand mill, you can create flour, which in turn, makes bread, cereal, etc., further helping you eat properly and will fight malnutrition. I supplement my emergency food rations with a supply of Centrum vitamins, just to be safe. Plus, Ive heard of people planting their wheat and making their own crops. With this and an emergency seed bank, you can start to get yourself back on track, if its a prolonged SHTF or EOTWAWKI event.

Eating a "beans only" diet is going to lead to malnutrition. Im sorry, but your "beans and bullets" only advice could get someone in a serious predicament during a SHTF moment and anyone reading this post should take what you said with a grain of salt (and salt is its own topic....)

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by POPPALUV

Fellas, how about grits???? Store sealed w/ o2??

Grits store fairly well with O2 absorbers. They don't have any oils to go rancid. But being a cracked product, don't store as long as the whole grain would. I have some I put away 10 years ago or so and they taste fresh. Who knows about the nutrition level. But they're plenty edible.

Originally Posted by Daggel

One thing I know from experience, in a worst case scenario, let's say you are 100 miles from nowhere, and you can only carry 200 pounds of dried goods and you don't know if you are going to be able to get a moose or something similar, one thing I know for a fact is that you can live on beans and squirrels/rabbits/grouse. you could even live on beans alone. but you are not going to feel too good living on wheat berries that you are grinding up for flat bread, or a hundred pounds of pancake mix, or a bunch of rice.

The reason for the bean/grain combo is nutrition and protein. When you combine beans and grains, their different amino acid makeups form to combine complete proteins. They also each contain different nutrients and grains are higher in calories. There's a reason that some grain was always the staple of the local diet, whether wheat, barley, rice, corn or whatever. "Bread is the staff of life."

You'll live better on a bean/grain combo than just beans along. Ask the native Americans.

[POPPALUV]

Thanks Mike!

BTW, being from N.O., I have no problems eating red beans and rice!! Ate some for the past 2 days!!! MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-GOOD!!!

[Hick Industries]

Originally Posted by UrbanWolf

Actually, flour stored in mylar and using o2 absorbers, the LDS is now saying you'll get 10yrs.

Rice should be stored in mylar due to oxygenation.

But salt and sugar, just in freezer bags in buckets or storage totes.

After a year or so you will need to fluff up your flour so your yeast bread will rise properly. A flour sifter should work. Other wise your bread will lay flat like a tortilla.