Food storage tips

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Peter Clements, Dec 19, 2005.

  1. Peter Clements

    Peter Clements Junior Member

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    After suffering from mice nibbling on food stored in our pantry, I would like to kick off a discussion on storing foodstuffs. I have invested in several 4 litre plastic containers, and also use an old 20 litre brewing barrel with screwtop lid for storing larger packages of rice, flour and biscuits etc. Perhaps there is something to be said for having a cat- most old time farmers had a litter or two. As Bill might say, you dont have a mice problem, you have a cat deficiency!
     
  2. heuristics

    heuristics Junior Member

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    storing foodstuffs

    Peter
    Are those 20-litre barrels made of (hard) plastic?
    Meant nuthin' to my rodents – ate right thru, no probs!
     
  3. sab

    sab Junior Member

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    I store most of my food in plastic bins to keep cockroaches and mice out. You just have to check there are no weevils in anything or they'll soon be in everything.

    We also kept clothing and books in plastic boxes - cockies and flooding were a major problem here in Manila. Nothing like coming home to find your roof leaked big time. It wasn't always from rain - we had a very laid back landlord who fixed everything as cheap as possible - funny to look back on but not so at the time. Like the bathroom tap wasn't glued on and popped off when the water pressure increased at night. Or only having running water a few hours a day and people forget to turn taps off so at 4 am the water is running full bore and inevitably the drain is blocked and overflowing. Of course the kids left books on the floor which ended up a sodden mess. Or the time the pipes burst in the ceiling right over our book shelves in the only place in the house I thought was safe from flooding or the gutters leaked above the pc or simply overflowed because they couldn't take the run-off during the monsoons from approx 400 sq meters of roof and on 4" downpipe - blocked with leaves to boot. Hearing my young son say, mama I can have a shower in the lounge room. Plastic boxes were the go!
     
  4. Peter Clements

    Peter Clements Junior Member

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    Plastic Containers

    The 20 litre barrels are made of food grade polyethylene and can be bought at brewing supplies shops. I'm not surprised that rodents can chew through such plastic though! Maybe try metal containers instead?
     
  5. Jez

    Jez Junior Member

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    Peter,

    This site has a few different ranges of stainless steel storage containers...they're expensive, but they are top quality and last a lifetime.

    Also, if you do find the plastic fermenters serviceable, just be aware you can more often than not get them much cheaper at a hardware chain than a brew shop...I used to own and run a homebrewing store and the hardware chains used to undercut us by often up to 50% on fermenters.

    It would have been much cheaper for me to buy a fermenter at retail from Mitre10 than to buy wholesale through the national brewing suppliers.

    The joys of small business... :lol:
     
  6. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    There are two things that you can add to dry food storage containers to prevent weevils: Diatomaceous Earth (it's already in a lot of flour-type prepared foods here-- probably there, too) and dry ice.

    If you use dry ice, put a piece in the bottom, then pour your dry wheat, barley, corn, etc, on top. Put the lid on the container LOOSELY, until the dry ice is gone, then seal it tightly. If you seal it too soon, the gas will either split the (plastic) container, or blow the lid right off. The gas of the dry ice replaces the air (I think), so the weevils (etc) can't survive.

    There are sites that give more explicit directions. You could probably get a lot of info by googling DRY+ICE+FOOD+STORAGE.

    Sue
     
  7. bella

    bella Junior Member

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    I like the large glass jars - preserving style, screw-on lids, anything'll do. Can get some from deli's and the like, but perhaps the lids will have the aroma of olives or similar...

    My stepmum blessed me with copious amounts of Tupperware for my 18th, engagement, wedding and 21st (which happened in that order), as well as every birthday and Xmas in between. So I have a pantry (new, walk-through, very special - built by hubby this year) and it's lined with shelves upon which sit my collection of Tupperware containing foodstuffs. I'd prefer glass, but it does keep things fresh, dry, vermin-free.

    I freeze all my dry goods when they arrive home and take them out a couple of days later and decant into storage. Small packets, like pearl barley and that expensive organic flour I like stay in the freezer.

    Can get big plastic and metal (not sure which metal) bins from bakers, pub kitchens and the like. We keep chook food and more in these. They're food grade as they're used for mayo, bread improver and all manner of things. One of hubby's professions is 'gas fitter' so he finds himself in loads of commercial kitchens where he asks/is offered these containers.

    In flood times we get loads of cockroaches. We don't have a mice problem, but there are rats in the shed and outside. There's a shed-cat, Tim, who came to live with us last year. He likes rats, rather than birds, so he's my kinda rat. Occasionally he gets a native rat and I feel sad... He leaves the head on the doorstep so I can ID the victim and remind the kids to feed their cat 3 x a day or else (they will be on rat-head duty!)...

    :lol:

    Good luck.
    Bel
     
  8. Peter Clements

    Peter Clements Junior Member

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    Dry Ice Alternative

    If you dont have access to dry ice to displace oxygen, a good tip from The Hardtimes Hanbook by Keith and Irene Smith recommends lighting a candle in your barrel of foodstuffs, then sealing the lid- the candle burns up all the oxygen preventing weevils.
     

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