Flour/Pancake mix storage?

[sgtredleg]

I have just bought a foodsaver and am planning to vacuum seal All-purpose flour and Pancake Mix in some Kerr/Ball jars. Do any of experts on board know about how long these items would store for?
I should be able to keep them in an environment averaging 68 degrees and they will be packed with oxygen absorbers.
Additionally, I will be storing pinto beans and white rice the same way after freezing them for a few days. How long should they be able to be stored?
Great site all, thanks in advance.

[BrowserCat]

If I may suggest, use the bags that come with the Foodsaver, not the jars. The jars will hold about 2 1/2 - 3 cups worth, what you'd use up in one batch of biscuits and some pancakes. You'd need a lot of jars to do any volume of flour or mix. If you have a decent container in your cupboard [e.g., a good glass one or a plastic one, either with a tight lid, that will hold several meals worth], pack your flour/mix in amounts that will fit in that container or one similar.

This isn't by any means scientific, but I have used Bisquick mix that was from 2001 with success; I found biscuits from scratch taste better, however, and are just as quick to mix up.

[Bizarro]

You could probably get away with bag sealing your own mix for around 6mo. no problem. Make up how ever much you will use in that time, split them into bags for say 2 weeks worth at a time to keep the other fresh and see how it works.
When using a vacuum sealer and flour or powdered items do you have to do something to prevent the material from getting sucked into the vacuum pump?

[survivalmama26]

Just want to add that before you store any flour products you should freeze them for four days to kill the weevil eggs. Nothing worse than opening a package of cookie mix and finding black four bugs in them!

I buy premixed sugar cookie dough (come on, you know you still want to be able to treat your kids even when TSHTF) and throw the boxes in the deep freezer for a week before I put them on the pantry shelves. I am still trying to work out how to order bulk white flour and get it frozen (no room for that quantity in my freezer) before storage.