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Show 0 Food Storage ideas numerousand varied L BOSCH M AOIC MIXER I N MAOIC MILL n. fl Give a gift for Ital ipectol mj itag. iMiveiwtet- IXy J FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT UJwt, Ae A!!L A W. VOUR LOCAL MAOIC MILL OISTRW v 'jl A tJ riii v r - lit I mJXL I i BIG BUSINESS, SUDDENLY. Food storage companies, most I with agents in the Cedar City area, are springing up quickly. Opinions on food storage still vary, experts claim many ideas are damaging or not necessary. Another source, Donna Brohamer, an agent for SamAndy storage foods, Parowan, said that when storing wheat it generally doesn't matter what is used for a container. She said she feels metal cans are more susceptible to moisture than plastic. Using dry ice as a method of preserving is also a concern for many home storers. Mrs. Brohamer said she prefers to use ethylenedichloride, a chemical, to preserve and insure her wheat against weevil. Whipple said dry ice can be harmful, if used incorrectly. in-correctly. He said a sealed long as you keep it dry and cool. A supply of sealed dehydrated food will last only two years, if kept out in the hot sun," he said. Gelatin products, sugar, salt, yeast, honey and dry milk, are also products that will keep for several years, if stored properly. Each however, are susceptible to spoilage and information should be sought before storing. And that would appear to be the key to deciding which among the many ideas and theories about home food storage is most correct-find a good book or information source and stick with it, try it for a period of time and then check your results. Home food storage, always on the "back burner" in the minds ! of many local residents, has recently enjoyed an upsurge in i popularity. Food storage has become a common item of conversation, a priority on many I budgets and big business. 1 A number of companies, the I majority having their base in ! Utah, have developed freeze-j freeze-j dried foods, dehydrated food l supplies and wheat grinders and 1 assorted accessories. The ; majority of these companies i have agents or outlets in the Cedar City area. 1 But ideas on how to store food at home are as numerous and varied as those doing the storing. Dry ice, salt, old sweat socks, ' bay leaves and prayer are all , suggested as home remedies to aid preserving stored grains against insects and rotting. ,f Grains, such as corn, wheat, oats, rice and rye, containing 12 s percent moisture or less and '' pulses (beans, lentils and peas) hours or more to destroy larvae or hatched eggs. The bag should then be left in a warm room for 24 hours to permit drying from condensation on the cold surface. But what to place the bags in for final storage is another point of concern and controversy. Some home storers swear by metal cans, while others perfer plastic cans or buckets. McAllister said it is "doubtful if mice will eat through heavy plastic buckets, but they will eat through plastic bags." Dry Wheat, he said, stored in galvanized cans presents no danger of zinc poisoning. Rodger Whipple, of Latter Day Storage Co., Cedar City, disagrees slightly with McAllister saying, "A mouse will eat through anything." He, however, recommends a good sealing plastic bucket as an adequate container in most cases. containing 10 percent moisture or less can be stored , almost ; indefinately for food purposes, " Recording to DeVere R. , McAllister, Utah State (University Extension .' Agronomist. McAllister and other extension i experts have published numerous food storage bulletins, i available from local USU ex- tension agents. A 40 to 60 degree storage I temperature is desireable but ; quite impractical in most homes t except during the winter, the , USU circulars state. Freezing or I sub-zero temperatures do not ' damage stored grains or pulses. I Grains can be stored at tem-I tem-I peratures above 60 with a I relative quicker loss of ger-I ger-I minative power but only a I slightly faster loss of food value. I "Commercially cleaned wheat is excellent for home storage," McAllister says, "but do not expect it to be completely free of contaminants." McAllister suggests a home cleaning process of dropping the I wheat slowly through the air I . stream of a home fan, into a I clean bucket or garbage can. I This will remove, he said, most I of the broken kernels, chaff, t smut balls, and smaller wheat j kernels. I Cleaned and bagged wheat can I then be placed in a freezer for 48 There is no proof that bayleaves, chewinggum, 10- penny nails or salt will prevent weevils. ! Mary Jane Vandenberghe, Magic Mill agent in the local area, said some plastic buckets give off a taste into the grains. She said plastic buckets sheuld only be used when made specifically for storage. Steve Lefevre, owner of Survival Sur-vival Commodities, Cedar City, said he recommends metal cans for anyone who plans on storing wheat for any length of time. "Plastic," he said, "is toxic. It is a petroleum by-product, and if used wrongly, plastic buckets can release gasses into the wheat." Lefevre also said a mouse would gnaw through a plastic bucket, "eventually." Nitrogen packed, sealed wheat cans are best, he added, although they are quite ex pensive.' He also recommended painting cans with a rust resistor. plastic bucket is adequate if clean wheat is used. USU bulletins state dry ice is not the most effective fumigant for controlling pests in stored grain, but if used correctly, it is one of the safer compounds avaialbe for home use. The wheat containers are fumigated by spreading two or three ounces of crushed dry ice on about three inches of grain in the bottom of the container, then adding the remaining grain. After about 30 minutes, all air is expelled and the container can be sealed, although it should be watched for bulging. "Do not use carbon tetachloride or phoxtoxin to treat home stored products," McAllister warns. "Both are highly toxic and dangerous." There is no proof, he continued, that bayleaves, chewing gum, 10-penny 10-penny nails, or salt will prevent weevil contamination. "The inclusion of these has been construed as preventing contamination con-tamination when, in reality, the produce was never exposed to weevil." Lefevre, as well as numerous others, agrees. "We tried using bayleaves and now we are eating bay leaf flavored bread." "Dry ice tends to control most adult and larval insect present," McAllister said, "but will probably not destroy the eggs or pupae. If properly treated, one treatment should suffice." Anyone who has investigated the possibility of a year's supply , of dehydrated foods knows the cost involved is quite an investment. in-vestment. Lefever said care should be given in choosing a company or brand name to deal with. "Make sure they load the cases in your car or deliver immediately," im-mediately," he said, "Companies "Com-panies have gone bankrupt while people were waiting for a delivery that was supposed to be within two weeks. Lefevre also said the use of the word "indefinite" in reference to shelf storage time is a "cop-out word." "All that means is it is good as |