When it comes to grains for long-term storage, corn is often
pretty far down on the list, except for popcorn, which will be discussed
later. And there are two main reasons
for this. First, whole dent corn is not
something you just go to the store and buy.
Emergency Essentials doesn’t sell it, even in their super pails. It’s not hard to find, but you do have to go
looking for it. Honeyville Grain carries
it in 50-pound bags. That might be more
than you want. And the second reason is,
why store the whole corn, which then has to be ground, when you can just store
cornmeal? We’ll get to that. Let’s first define the different kinds of
corn.
Sweet corn. This is what we grow in gardens and what we
eat fresh all summer long. It’s sold in
the frozen food section and is canned alone or with peas and carrots and beans
for mixed vegetables. Sweet corn is also
freeze-dried. When we talk about eating
corn, we’re talking about sweet corn. It
comprises about one percent of all the corn grown in this country. And it is eaten as a vegetable, so it won’t
be discussed further here.
Dent corn comprises ninety-nine percent of the corn grown in
the US. It is also known as field corn.
It is low in sugar and high in starch content. A
small percentage of dent corn is processed into cornmeal, corn oil,
corn syrup, corn starch, tortilla chips, masa, and breakfast
cereals. The vast majority of dent corn is
grown for livestock feed and ethanol, but it’s also used in manufacturing
thousands of other products, including toothpaste and crayons. Almost all dent corn grown in the US is
genetically modified. (Blue dent corn is not genetically modified, and it is higher in protein.) It is stated to
have a shelf life of eight to ten years.
I’ve been using ten-year-old corn and it’s perfectly fine. Some
people suggest boiling dent corn in soup. We added some of our
ten-year-old whole dent corn to soup last week. While it was fully
cooked after three hours, it was still really firm. We didn't enjoy it
that much, so I probably won't do it again.
Flint corn, also
known as calico corn or Indian corn, is preferred for making hominy. It can also be popped like popcorn. Flint corn has a very low water content,
which makes it more resistant to freezing.
Reportedly, it was the only corn species to survive the infamous “Year
Without a Summer” in Vermont in 1816. It
is grown primarily in the Northeast and is favored for making johnnycakes and
polenta.
Popcorn comes in
many different varieties. The mushroom
variety is favored by industry for making caramel corn. It’s also way more expensive than the
snowflake kind, which is what Jolly Time, Orville Redenbacher, et al.,
are. Japanese hull-less popcorn isn’t
truly hull-less. It’s just that the hull
is much thinner and thus more brittle, and so when the corn pops, the hull is
shattered, rather than split in two. Popcorn
varieties are not genetically modified. Popcorn
also has about a ten-year shelf-life when properly stored. I recently opened a #10 can of popcorn sealed
ten years ago with an oxygen absorber.
It pops up huge and fluffy and is quite tasty.
Flour corn is
grown more widely in the southwest area of the US, and used, shocker, for
making flour.
Cornmeal sold in grocery stores is either steel ground or stone ground. Steel ground cornmeal has had most of the
husk and germ removed, and along with those, many of the nutrients. But it has a longer shelf life without them. This type comprises most of what is sold in
stores. Stoneground cornmeal retains
more of the husk and germ, and thus more of the nutrients. So, of course, it has a shorter shelf life. In general, cornmeal has a shelf life of 6-18
months.
So what do you want to store? I don’t bother with cornmeal. The shelf life is too short and the boxes are notorious for bringing weevils home.
It’s more practical to store the whole dent corn and run some through
the grain mill every few months. Flint corn,
due to its resistance to freezing, will be something to be able to grow in the
garden for these years of the grand solar minimum.
Links to related posts:
For further reading:
https://www.iowacorn.org/media-page/corn-facts/
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dent-corn.htm
https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/guide-to-corn-styles-shopping-types.html
14 feb 2020
Kudos, again, Jennifer, for covering a subject that is ignored by most preparedness blogs. So many blogs revert to the 10th iteration of bug out bag articles or the 10th iteration of "Which is better, the .45 ACP or the 9 mm?" (Of course, the conclusion is, 9 times out of 10, "It all depends."
ReplyDeleteWhat you say about the availability of corn in its raw grain form is true. It is not generally found in the offerings from survival food companies. Therefore, it takes more effort to acquire and to store it properly.
Corn is, however, commonly sold in animal feed stores. While this grain is fine for livestock, it is not clean enough for human consumption. Because the outer shell of a kernel is so hard and durable, however, it is easily cleaned.
I have bagged it in my mylar bags with oxygen absorbers after twice immersing it in a pot of water, and then placing it in a sink in a colander under running water. After that, I placed the kernels onto large cookie trays and let them dry out for a couple of days. (Perhaps in more humid climates that step might take longer in order to be safe.)
At the end of the process, the kernels showed no sign of water damage and they felt and looked to be very clean to the touch. I cannot imagine how they could be anything but food grade after this process is completed.
A grain mill that is modestly priced and one that gets excellent reviews is the Victoria Grain Mill. https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Commercial-Manual-Grinder-Hopper/dp/B00JZZKLHI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2DD1MH2A0X698&keywords=hand+grain+mill&qid=1643997298&sprefix=hand+grain+mill%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-3. I have heard that it is a workhorse in Hispanic countries where corn tortillas are a staple. (With the proper setting, I understand that it will also grind other grains like wheat, but not to the level of producing a really fine flour.)
I have a new-in-the-box Victoria mill as a back-up to a couple of other grain mills, but I will (sheepishly) admit not to having used it yet. From its looks, I see no reason why a 1/2 inch power drill cannot be attached to it in place of the mill's hand-powered arm if power was available. Doing this should save a great deal of "elbow grease."
Popcorn, of course, requires no grinding. 25 and 50 lb. bags are available at restaurant supply stores. Besides being used to produce cornbread, if hard times arrive in a big way, popcorn will serve very well as comfort food long after kettle chips are a distant memory.
Thanks for the thoughts on cleaning livestock grade corn. Have you ever opened any that you have cleaned this way? I'd love to hear reviews of the Victoria grain mill. And only barbarians would grind popcorn for cornbread. ;)
Deletedon't worry about cleaning the bulk corn - OK if you just happen to see something foreign or a bad kernel >>> you can wash the corn you selected for use - you then need to nix it for most uses and that's another cleansing session ...
Deletethe dent corn that is bagged for retail sale is the same that goes to the food plants - your home cleaning process will be more exacting than at the factories ....
when you talk corn you need to mention nixalization >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFFLn6O3Q5s
ReplyDeletebesides the corn you need to decide on stocking lime or baking soda >> don't be relying on wood ash if you prep in advance
It's hard to cover everything in a single post. ;) However, I should have at least provided links to the related articles. Thank you for the reminder. I've added links for posts on nixtamalization, making masa, a recipe for corn tortillas, as well as recipes for using cornmeal, which I became in desperate need of when a friend gifted us with 135 lbs of it.
DeleteI suggest buying a black light wand to check your feed corn for fungus that can lead to mycotoxin issues. Yes, nixalization does reduce mycotoxin by some 90% heavily contaminated dry corn (like a lot of the Deer Corn) is still hazardous.
ReplyDeleteMy Horse vet has recently found some issues with feed corn that was of lower grade than usual, causing horses to have lung and gut issues. She suspects that Deer Grade corn is getting mixed into normally excellent whole corn feed.
Seems "Supply Issues" is encouraging short cuts in quality?
Black light wand has many other useful uses.
You know, I have seen so many suggestions over the years for people to buy feed grade grains instead of those meant for people as a money saving measure. I haven't been convinced that it's a good idea. I have long believed that when things start collapsing that shortcuts (or worse) will happen with our food supply. I was reading just today of grocery stores "wrapping" discolored brown hamburger with freshly ground beef (that is also short-dated) and selling it as fresh. People are seeing the brown meat inside and not happy about it. I'm sure shortcuts are being taken in other areas as well.
DeleteJennifer many "good ideas" float around the prepping world. That's why I enjoy your site. You actually research and DO not just repeat.
ReplyDeleteThe one that really crisps me is the 1 gallon of water per day per person idea. That's recycled from 1950's Civil Defense bunker stuff. They were talking about Bare Minimum Survival, resting in a bunker awaiting the Radiation to decay enough to get outside and start salvaging.
I was responsible for soldiers' health in many environments, and I would get busted if they fell to simple dehydration or heat issues. A gallon of water isn't enough for anything aside from sleeping in the bunker. My bare minimum is 3 gallons a day as cooking eats up a gallon, bare helmet wash up's eats up a gallon. Basic sanitation starts with washing hands and other critical points of wash ending with your behind. Bad health issues from staying dirty after a few days.
But back to feed corn, if a good grade, checked by black light I'd have little worry about it. Ate it processed various ways in South America.
LOL another reason having a little electricity Jennifer :-)
Truth be told, I do a heckuva lot of research. But, time for true confessions: I also repeat a little. My own stuff. There are times when I just can't pump out a new article, so I reprint one from the past. Of course, that's always the case on Sundays, but it sometimes happens during the week, too.
DeleteI shudder at the thought of what happens in this country when people don't have clean water after a few days. I really like using baby wipes to take the place of a shower. They work surprisingly well. And then the water is saved for other needs.