September 16, 2020

Make Your Grains Survive the Apocalypse.

Things You Will Need:

Mylar Bags

Flat Iron

Bulk Bag of Flour or Other Grain

Sharpie Marker

Freezer Space

Oxygen Absorbers

The Problem with Flour:

Around eight months after I purchased my bulk bags of flour I noticed something had gone terribly wrong. There were moths flying around in my pantry, and other little buggies infesting the bags. I’d put them in plastic storage bins thinking that would be all I needed to do to store them properly, but I was forced to throw out our entire first batch of flour.

Have you ever noticed the warning printed on flour bags, “Do not eat raw. Only eat cooked?” Well, there’s a reason for that. There are tiny eggs in flour that with the smallest amount of humidity will hatch into whatever little buggies they’re supposed to be. You don’t want those hatching in your gut. Furthermore, once hatched in your grains their waste can turn the product rancid. So, make sure you store your flour properly, to eliminate this problem from the get-go.

Types of Flour:

While we are on flour, you must decide what type of flour you want to buy in bulk. What will you be using it mostly for? If it’s bread, you may want to consider purchasing bread flour. If it’s pasta, there are flours that are best for pasta, the same goes for pizza crust. The difference between the flours is in the protein content. Bread flour is higher in protein which gives bread it’s chewiness. If you’re unsure, I recommend purchasing all-purpose which can be used for bread, pasta, and pizza dough. I purchased organic bread flour for bread, and organic all- purpose for baking and other needs.

I chose organic because non-organic flour is made from wheat sprayed not only with pesticides, but also grown using genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). Due to the fact the wheat has been altered from the way God made it, our bodies have a hard time digesting genetically modified food products. As a result, the GMO’s in foods increase inflammation in our bodies by 500 percent. Hence why we’ve seen an increase of gluten allergies which have been attributed to the rise of inflammatory diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Organic does cost a bit more, so that’s something to consider when examining your budget. Finding a good supplier who sells in bulk may take a bit of price comparing. I will include a few that I know about in links below. When we ordered our second batch of flour it was during Covid-19, so we paid a hefty price for shipping and for the flour itself, but all baking products had been depleted from the grocery shelves at the time forcing me to find it online from bakery companies and flour companies direct. Shipping prices have since been reduced so it’s a good time to get your flour orders in. If you feel the shipping prices are still high, keep in mind 50 pounds is pretty heavy.

How to Store Your Flour:

You will need to purchase Mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and a cheap flat iron (yes the kind you use on your hair) to seal the bags. Some use a clothing iron, but I found the straightening iron to work better. All of these items can be purchased on Amazon. (links below)

You begin storing by writing the date and what type of grain product you are storing on the Mylar bag, with a Sharpie marker—before filling the bag, leaving about two inches at the top. If your oxygen absorbers came in one unit, (meaning you will have to open the entire batch at once), you want to fill all your flour bags before opening the oxygen absorbers. These packets will begin to heat up once exposed to air and will lose their effectiveness 20 minutes after being opened. I recommend purchasing these sealed, five to a packet.

After all your flour bags are filled, push one oxygen absorber down into each Mylar bag. For a one-gallon size Mylar bag you will need 1 packet of 500cc’s oxygen absorber. Bang the flour bags on the counter to force the flour down, removing air pockets. Then, roll the top of the bag down and seal it by running it through the flat iron.

Keeping Flour Free of Bugs:

Now that grain is properly stored in bags, there is still the matter of killing the eggs inside. I place our bags in the freezer for a week before storing them on the pantry shelves alongside the other food. A week in the freezer is sure to kill all the little critter eggs and prevent them from hatching. If you lack freezer space you can do this one bag at a time until you complete your entire stock just make sure you are keeping your flour in a dry, cool, place awaiting its time in the freezer.

Another friend of mine puts her flour in mason jars before baking them in the oven. After cooling, she pours them into the Mylar bags. So, there are alternative ways to kill the eggs in your grains.

Make it a Family Project:

Properly storing your flour and other grains doesn’t have to be difficult and can be quick if you involve other members in your family. It can be a fun activity to involve your children in. Line them up and give them each a task they are capable of doing. I hope this helps you in your home preparation.