Of the nearly 100,000 different species of weevils, only about 3 of them are interested in eating your food. Naturally, that is of little comfort when you find them in your breakfast. Fortunately, weevils present absolutely no health risks. They’re safe to eat and carry no diseases. But we still would just rather not eat or see them. Or think about them.
The weevils that infest our food—granary, rice, and maize—all operate in about the same way. The females eat their way into a kernel or corn or wheat or grain of rice, lay an egg, exit, and seal up the hole. Rinse and repeat. The egg inside hatches, eats the inside of the grain as it grows, and emerges to do more damage. Unfortunately, the weevils do not limit themselves to just these grains. They’re pretty happy to nosh on beans, cereal, pasta, and nuts, as well as all kinds of flours.
As we build up our food supplies, we increase the risk of bringing weevils in. In reality, we probably can’t prevent weevils from coming into our kitchens—they’re in the food and in the packaging. But we can keep them from gaining a foothold by killing them when we bring them home. But we have to be diligent.
Weevils don’t just live in and eat our food. They like the glue in cardboard packaging and will eat through plastic bags and cardboard to get to the food. And that’s how we get a lot of them in our pantries. So the first order of business is to remove everything from the cardboard boxes. All the cereals, grains, pastas, oatmeal, etc., should be transferred to airtight plastic or glass containers. Empty the loose contents into canning jars, including any seasoning packets. Cut out the instructions and label, if needed, and place them in the jar or tape them to the outside. Then freeze at 0°F or below for at least three days. This approach works well for the little boxes of mixes, scalloped potatoes, Hamburger Helper, and such. Some take the extra step of adding an oxygen absorber or using one in place of freezing. Others use FoodSaver bags.
So what about the large bags of grains and beans?
One approach is to freeze the bags for three days, remove from the freezer for two weeks, then freeze again for three days. The rationale is that the initial freezing will kill the bugs, while the subsequent time at room temperature will allow the eggs (which aren’t killed by freezing) to hatch and mature. Then the second freezing kills those bugs.
Using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers is more reliable and doesn’t necessitate having to make room in the freezer. Simply pour the grains or beans into the Mylar bags, add the requisite number or capacity of oxygen absorbers, and seal the bag. Food grade buckets with gaskets may be used in place of Mylar bags.
If we do happen to find weevils in our food (remember, they won’t harm you), we’ll have two options—the same two options our grandparents had. Food was expensive then, and it’s getting expensive now. When moms found bugs in the soup, they could throw dinner out or turn up the heat. Flour with bugs in it could be thrown away or sifted out (and you thought those sifters were just for aerating the flour!). Most of the time it was the latter. And when bugs are in the breakfast cereal? Well, just pour the milk on. As the bugs swim, tell the kids it’s dinner and a show!
Links to related posts:
The Ins and Outs of Oxygen Absorbers
Amounts of Various Foods That Buckets Will Hold and How to Store Them
How and When to Use Oxygen Absorbers
Are Mylar Bags and Oxygen Absorbers Really Necessary?
Everything You Need to Know About Mylar Bags for Food
Storage
In your post on 30 September 2021 you mentioned "Because plastic is not completely impermeable, the buckets should not be stored directly on concrete. If necessary, put some 2x4 boards underneath to raise them above the concrete." It certainly seems like a good idea but I can't seem find any references or studies that identify the risks and effects of storing buckets directly on concrete. Any ideas? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure studies have been conducted. The following address is to information on the topic. https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information-center/packing-your-own-food-storage/properly-storing-then-opening-your-food
DeleteI will note that when we stored our buckets on the concrete floor of our basement in Missouri, moisture accumulated underneath those buckets. In Nevada, I never saw it happen. Also, have you ever noticed that older commercial plastic water bottles lose water? Or that plastic bottles of soda eventually lose their fizz? That's because plastic is not completely impermeable. Water vapor can penetrate. Is it a huge concern? Only you can decide.
It depends on the type of plastic. Some are better at water or air permeability and others break down faster.
DeleteAt work we get certain chemicals in plastic totes that are dangerous and react with metal.
Some decanted some into the wrong type of plastic jug ( we have different ones for different chemicals). The chemical began sweating through the jug.
I looked up and found online a few articles on permiability of different plastics.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Oxygen-and-water-vapor-permeability-of-some-common-plastic-films-used-in-packaging-17_tbl1_225207929
Exile1981
Hahaha dinner and a show! Thanks for the laugh, I needed that!
ReplyDeleteOn a similar vein, today I was annoyed to find several multi-packs of canned soups of the good by 2016 range. Rotation is important even though my soup stash is more for mercy uses. Learn how long in YOUR Area under your storage situation you can safely store canned goods. Made me sigh knowing I bought a 12 pack of house brand chicken noodle soup for 8 dollars back then. Now that store doesn't DO house brands and so each replacement can is closer to $1.80 + each.
ReplyDeleteI have a nice cool (48-62 degrees F), dark, dry place for mine so no rust, no bulging and the two opened as a test no spurt of badness.
But still I set them aside until I buy replacements and move the rest into a more visible spot.
High acid like tomatoes are hard on the lined cans so two years past best by is my toss, rest 5 years past.
Obviously when foods too hard to get we have to as this article says look to eating less than perfect foods. BUT Food Safety is Important.
Eggs for example Grandmom ALWAYS cracked the eggs one by one into a small Egg Bowl. That way if a bad egg is found the whole dish wasn't ruined.
During the Great Depression folks did sell Lime Water as "Milk", sold bad eggs knowingly and as a Family story from Weimar Germany sold a Billy Goat as a Milking Doe to a not so farm related neighbor of theirs. When they had to bring it to a butcher to make into meat the butcher charged them half the meat as his fee.
I expect much the same when the Greater Depression shows up in America.
I've seen the goat account a few times; perhaps it was a common occurrence then. Pineapple eats through cans as fast or faster than tomatoes. But if canned in glass there is no problem. Soup's too expensive to buy and too easy to make, so we don't store any of it here.
DeleteAs my grandmother told the story it was for baby milk as breast feeding wasn't keeping up. Seems shortages of baby feeding isn't new.
ReplyDeleteFood a critical need, didn't Esau sell his inheritance over a "mess of pottage"? Fraud is also as old as time when critical needs are not met.
But for mercy feeding using canned soups as almost a gravy over white rice makes a pretty acceptable emergency meal. I love making soup, that's why the canned stuff stayed in storage.
I so wish people would learn the alternatives for feeding a baby before a crisis develops. I dread thinking about what parents in the challenging times that lie ahead will do.
DeleteWe like to think that a hundred years ago people were honest and decent and didn't take advantage of others, like with the goat story. My grandfather told me of going to the World's Fair in St. Louis when he was four years old. His mother was taking him and his brothers to Oklahoma and they stopped off at the fair for a bit. The boys were thirsty, and there was a man selling some very inexpensive lemonade. Unfortunately, as my grandfather said, the lemonade was spiked with epsom salts, and she was forced to pay a lot of money at the hotel/restaurant (can't remember which--I've got it written down, but not at hand right now) for some water for her boys. Grandfather strongly suspected that the lemonade peddler and hotel/restaurant dudes were in cahoots.
I am against using 'hone made' foods for mercy feedings. If someone with kids shows up at your door looking for food for their kids are they actually looking for food or are they scouting out for people intent on figuring out who to raid?
DeleteA can of old expired soup can be handed out and they sent on their way quickly without them getting much info about you or your stores. A couple bowls of homemade soup say you have multiple ingredients and a way to heat it, that makes you a much more enticing target. Plus the time it takes to eat the soup gives them more time to scout out your weak points.
I prefer pilot crackers or the survival biscuits from life rafts. Both will keep you alive both neither will give them enough energy to get upto trouble.
Exile1981
in regard to freezing - forget it - more likely to add damaging moisture >>> grains are silo stored for months in the northern climes in below freezing temps and Mother Nature provides for their survival - go with the professional food packer tried & true and use the mylar & O2 absorber method of long term food storage .....
ReplyDelete