I did this method a year ago. Upon opening the first bag or two, I found they were packed into hard clumps. I tried to break it up to use with big spoon stirring it a bunch, but my sour dough bread turned out tight. I found that by sifting the flour twice after opening up each bag and before putting into a canister, that my bread turned out better then.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yes it does need to be sifted after opening!

I love your work. You are straightforward without fluff. Being prepared is all we can do at this point. Be alert, be thrifty, be Discerning. Educate family and friends about food preservation. Develop a food preparedness area even if it's small in your home or apartment. Skip the Drive through expensive coffee and buy extra rice , Dry beans , Water , xtra canned goods. No matter what God is with us. It's going to be OK.

Thank you Toni! Love the idea of pre-printing the labels. thank you for sharing!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome! I though it was easier than doing a separate hand label for each package.

Have you tried growing cassava? The flour is expensive in the store, but is incredibly easy to grow/make at home. It is a gluten free food, is a fine powder and bakes well. Tuber. Easiest thing growing in my garden. Can buy stems online for cheap too :)

I’m so glad I found this video. I’ve been searching and searching for an easy way to store flour and this video is perfect! Thank you. New subscriber 🤗

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You're Welcome!

Greetings from Ireland, Toni. Thank you for explaining this method. I had bought flour and worry about it staying fresh. I will try your vacuum sealing technique.

Makes ya feel good to look back & see it all, doesn`t it! Good job and what`s nice about doing it this way is the bags are easy to wash out & re-use. Eager to see kind of goodies ya found thrifting!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yes it does!...Thank You!!!

I thank you for this video. I am a new subscriber, and am very happy to have found you. I was at $Tree today, had I known about this earlier I would have grabbed paper bags. Good job.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome!...There is still time !!!

I do it the same way, without watching any videos, glad to see that we share common sense in this process.Thank you

Hello!! So glad I came upon your channel!! I had been searching for a way to safely secure my flour for long term storage!! I'll be buying some browm paper bags & get my flour secured!! I subscribed!! Looking forward to binge watching your videos & learn much more about food storage!! Have a great day!!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You! Welcome!!!

Excellent! Thank you, I have been trying to figure out how to store flour, this was perfect!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

Love this method. Thank you for showing!

I mill my own grain and keep my wheat berries in food grade buckets but, I’m absolutely loving this! I do a lot of baking for others and use store bought flour. I’ll be trying this! Thank you 💞

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Your Welcome!

I have done flour like this before but I find it easier just to buy 2lb or 1 kilo bags of flour and when sealing I make a very small cut in the bag at at the top of the bag, literally 1/8 of an inch and then place the bag of flour into the vacuum bag, cut side down and vacuum seal the bag. That little cut allows any air that may be in the flour package to be drawn out and having the cut side down eliminates any flour getting into your machine.

@dcwatashi

2 жыл бұрын

But it’s not economical. Especially now it’s more cost effective to buy a larger bag

@gdbynoe

2 жыл бұрын

@@dcwatashi I prefer the time savings, the hassle of portioning out a bag, the hassle of having to buy other supplies like the paper bags, etc. Just so easy to buy smaller bags. To do 6 bags my way will take less than 10 minutes total and I prefer that to a 10% or 15% saving in cost. It's not like flour is the most expensive thing in the world. Gas, electricity, etc., are where I will be looking to save.

@dcwatashi

2 жыл бұрын

@@gdbynoe oh I understand about the hassle I will probably still go ahead and buy the bigger bag. I went to buy some organic non-GMO flour a 5 pound bag was $12 and I thought what the??? Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how I try to look at things I actually do have the time to do this. Who knows maybe in a few months I can start selling off these bags for about $10 lol🤣😂🤪

I use my Foodsaver daily…..this is such an awesome method…. I will be doing this!!! Thanks.

My my! What great content! Thank you for sharing!!!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

That video was so good, amazing how they were all close to the same weight , God Bless and have a wonderful evening 🙂

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, that was interesting!

I guess me being a ‘conspiracy theorist’ and ‘prepper’ payed off, lol! Wonder how many are panicking while still in denial? Great content. Found your channel recently and we love it!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Good question! :-) Thank You!!!

This sounds like a good idea I think I would try that. I was getting ready to vaccum seal my flour yesterday and I didn't feel well and I didn't feel good this morning, so I will try it this evening. Thank you

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

Thank you for this video. I am a new prepper. I am going to try this very basic thing to encourage myself and build up to the next things. I appreciate how you explain things.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

I slip an oxygen absorber outside of the brown paper bag when I vacuum seal flour. This removes the last trace of oxygen left in the bag after vacuum sealing. Staleness or rancidity occur with fats only in the presence of oxygen (lipoperoxidation).

@kreneeward

2 жыл бұрын

How long can it last once you do that?

@nursecheri62

2 жыл бұрын

I do not put an oxygen absorber with flour. It will cause the flour to cake up in hard lumps. I do use a moisture absorber, instead. If you remove the extra oxygen by vacuum sealing, the flour will be good for many years. It will also stop any insects from being able to procreate. The moisture absorbers will also help with insects as well, as it keeps everything dry.

Thank you for sharing. I will definitely use this method for storing flour for long term storage.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Great!!

Thanks for the video. Last winter we bought 4 bags of flour, we used one. So I have 3 to pkg up. We use vacuum bags for meat n veggies from the garden. The veggie bags we wash n reuse. My husband had a great idea, those large vacuum bags for clothes from dollar tree for flour, then put in a bucket, and you can easily reseal bag after you take some out. We are going to do that this week. Im even thinking for bags of beans and other food you want to store. Just thought it might help people on a budget and without a vacuum sealer. God Bless

So happy I came across this video. Thank you

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

Definitely trying it! God bless you 🙏

Great vid Toni. Used the same method month ago then put into buckets. I have a suggestion from years of having a food saver….. consider putting a 2nd seal after your first seal for added protection in case your first seal fails. Occasionally I’d find a failed seal, since adding the 2nd, I haven’t experienced a failed bag. Cheers 👍

@nancyhowell8697

2 жыл бұрын

I also double seal vacuumed bags

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Great tip! Thanks

@inke4306

2 жыл бұрын

Can I keep it like this for 5 years? Because when you keep in mylar bag with oxygen absorbers it stores for 5 years.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

@@inke4306 perhaps not, but I am not trying to keep this for 5 years!

@johannab8491

2 жыл бұрын

How do you do that? With another bag or just another seal on the same bag?

This looks great and I plan to do it with many food items. Thx! One suggestion.... first put the plastic container with a paper bag on the scale and set it to 0. Then decide how much you want in each bag and measure it by weight as you're putting it in. This will save a step and probably allow for more even package weights.

Thank You, I've also been doing this. God Bless.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Great!!!

Very appreciative of this video Toni!! I’ve about 200lbs of flour and about that much in beans that I have to put up. I do have 3 , 10 gallon buckets with gama lids and 3, 5lb buckets with regular lids….. I’m kinda at a place where I’m sorta overwhelmed with all the organizing and such that I have to do! Made a little more stressful as I’m starting our seeds this week 😐🤪 My granny used to say “a woman’s work never ends”…. Isn’t that the truth!! So I’m extra grateful for your video ❤️💕🙏🏼

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Trina, take a deep breath and...one job at a time!!! I have to get caught up before next week too..the weather is finally turning and I want to get into the garden.

@trina7274

2 жыл бұрын

@@HerHomesteadSkills thank you Toni! I agree, I do need to just take a deep breath and relax a spell! We all do for sure. Rest a little, relax, recharge and go at it when well rested! 💕🙏🏼

@snookie65

2 жыл бұрын

How long can you extend the shelf life of flour when storing in buckets with gamma lids?

@dr.rlellis3871

2 жыл бұрын

Make sure that you buy some bay leaves they will kill any bugs or bug larva in your beans or rice... layer 4-5 leaves between each layer like lasagna in your 5 gal buckets.

@trina7274

2 жыл бұрын

@@dr.rlellis3871 thank you so much for the tips!! I really appreciate it!! 💕🙏🏼

I really like the paper bag idea👍🏻 ☺️ Thank you.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome 😊

Love the label idea. You can reuse bags. Thanks for sharing 🙏 😎 🏖 🏝

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

Another way is to label the bags on the outside of the sealing line. When you cut off the seal to open the bag, any writing goes with it. Leaves the bag ready to be labeled again for the next batch.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yea I like that, no writing on any of the bags...my hand-writing sucks too!

Hi Toni, I've been using this method , freezing, brown bag then vacuum sealing. In some cases I weigh the cups rather than use measuring cups and label the bags as such for the different flours and recipes. AP, self rising, cake, bread flour ect. Makes it much easier on me to grab a pre measured bag. Be well and keep making these great videos.

@chasinglife43

2 жыл бұрын

I love this idea, thank you for sharing it. I do a fair amount of baking as well and I am excited about the thought. I’m going to go make up few 4 cup packages of flour and see how it works out. Many thanks!

Hello Toni. 👋 You did a great job at packing the flour and I have learned a lot from watching your videos so far. Im just starting my Prepper Pantry so any and all tips are so helpful to me. Thanks for sharing 👍. Take care and all the best from the UK 🇬🇧 😀 😊

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You will be a pro in no time at all!!! Welcome!!

Hi Toni. Brilliant idea. I am trying this method. It is so nice to have a place to come and learn and share knowledge. Cheers 🥂

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

@The_Healing_Facilitator

2 жыл бұрын

@@HerHomesteadSkills how long past the best buy date will your flour last sealed this way?

Thank you so much for the video. Your videos are very motivating.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

I use this method for flour, sugar, cornmeal, etc. I use a marker to write on the paper bags. I also seal most of mine into 1 pound packages since that's the best size for the container I use for what I'm currently using. that size also came in handy when we had a big freeze here and my neighbor called to borrow some sugar since he couldn't get to the store. I met him in the yard and literally tossed him the small oackage. this has worked great for me. thanks for sharing.

This was very informative, thank you!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

New here. Definitely going to do this. Thank you.

Just what I needed, many thanks. Uk

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped

Wonderful idea Toni, Thanks for sharing. I just purchased 2 50# bags of APF and 2 50# bags of Bread flour along with all my wheat berries and other grains hopefully we will be good for a while. God Bless

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Connie, You're doing good!!!

Ty for sharing! Just happened upon your video and have subscribed.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank and Welcome!!!

I really like this idea. Thank you so much

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

Thank you for this video. I put away 20kg using this method. Hit the business center and picked up 40kg which goes into 5gal buckets with gamma seal Lids which will be used for everyday needs.

Glad you like this method, as well. It is the way I vacuum seal flour, too. I found white paper lunch bags at our local Food Lion (grocery chain in SE US). I've bought extra flour, too. Self-rising, all purpose and bread flour since we have a bread machine. Recently started using it again. Loaf bread prices seem to have gone through the roof. Paying $3.00/loaf, now. I can buy bread flour from Sams Club for $11.08/25 lbs. That will yield approx 25 loaves of bread. Made a fresh loaf yesterday. It's good! For flour that I know I'll be using before reaching the Best Buy date, I don't bother to vacuum seal it. That saves time, expense of double bagging, plus wear & tear on the machine. As always thank you for sharing. I'm sure some of your viewers are new to this process and your video will be of great use for them. Thank you for teaching!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

I purchased one loaf of bread for the first time in a while and it was $4...nope I can do so much better than that..white paper bags would have been nice...

@mafirearmsafety

2 жыл бұрын

By vacuum sealing, about how much after the best by date does it keep?

That is wonderful, I will be using this method in the future. 😊

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful!

This is exactly how I process my flour! In the beginning, I would freeze my flour for three days and finally had to stop because I didn't have any room in the freezer! I have 25 lbs to process between today and tomorrow! I cannot wait to see the goodies you bought! Have a fantastic day Toni!

@kathygenovy3893

2 жыл бұрын

When you freeze it, do you need to bring it to room temperature before you bag it?

@CcDecember-yq1nf

2 жыл бұрын

@@kathygenovy3893 yes I would leave it on my kitchen table for 2-3 days you can feel the difference from frozen to room temperature!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

I like the idea of the smaller packages that are only opened as needed!

@lizadayaram9121

2 жыл бұрын

Hello, do you still have to freeze the flour?

@CcDecember-yq1nf

2 жыл бұрын

@@lizadayaram9121 no I don't the lack of oxygen kills anything the may try to grow.

I just subscribed to your channel when I seen you country roses pattern lol I have a 12 person setting myself and I freeze my yeast also

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

awesome!!!

Appreciate the advice :-) ! My wife and I here in the states placed our flour in food grade buckets that are sealed (air tight). I also bought 150 pounds of wheat berries (red and white), placed them in mylar bags along with oxygen absorbers, heat sealed the bags and placed them in food grade air tight buckets. Hopefully, if one method doesn't work, the other will. Yes, we do have a wheat grinder too :-). Cheers!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds great!

@kieranh2005

2 жыл бұрын

I heard a way of keeping flour that involves putting a little flour in the bottom of the bucket, putting a paper tower in, dropping a chunk of dry ice on the paper towel and putting another paper towel on that, sandwiching the dry ice, then dumping the rest of the flour in. Then you sit the lid on for a time while the CO2 sublimates and displaces all of the air (being heavier it fills from the bottom up). Then clip the lid down. With the bucket devoid of oxygen, it keeps much longer.

That's exactly the method I use and its been very successful. I don't bother with the bb date, but I date the package when I seal it, also weigh it and add that data because this could become a barter item at some stage. I agree, you can smell it if the the flour is off.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Whatever date you use IS your reference point...It all works!

The brown paper bags work awesome! I weighed mine too…..the bags held 5 lbs. I then used the gallon food saver bags (the ones that have a bottom in them) and vacuum sealed. I did freeze the flour before storing the flour in the brown paper bags. I only folded over the paper bag once and placed a piece of tape down the middle so that the food saver could take the air out of the paper bag.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

That is awesome! It works!!

@loisbriggs5675

2 жыл бұрын

If I understood properly, you froze the flour before vacuum sealing. If you did this to kill any critters in there, then it is an unnecessary step because they cannot survive without oxygen. Someone correct me if I am wrong. Enjoying the videos. thank you.

Thanks for your video ...

I put my flour up just the way you are doing your flour. I thank it will be just fine 🙂 🙏 God bless you and yours

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

I think so too...Thank You!

I had never seen the brown bag method before. When I vacuum packed some flour last year I just used the slow vacuum button and an extra two inches of bag and had no problem with flour sucking up to the edge.

Looks like a good way to process in bags. I am going to try gallon mason jars as we have a few of them left over from when grandparents canned tomato juice. Anyway I am making a vacuum chamber from a small cooler and using a brake bleeder pump. I will put a tissue in the top of the jar to deal with the dust problem. I have bags that I will do using your tested method when I run out of jars. Thanks!

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

Be careful with powder!! I use a FoodSaver and 1/2 gal mason jars to vac seal many things. When needed, I cover the contents of the jar with a paper cupcake liner. But I don't do flour. IMO, the risk is too high to use the jar sealer attachment, IMO. I vac seal flour doubled bagged, as it was done here. Your way with a vac chamber and a brake bleeder may work. I have one of those and some of the large Tilia smoke canisters. But I'd still be hesitant even if switching to that. Just some thoughts, FWIW. Would hate for you to damage either style pump without giving a note of caution. If you try it, hope all goes well.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yes the bags work well!

I did all my flour just like you did, except some I did put in Mylar bags. I’ll go thru the brown bags first, then deep storage.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Mylar is a great alternative for longer term!!

Great video! Can't wait to try this!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, It works!

@debbilynd310

2 жыл бұрын

@@HerHomesteadSkills I did try it last night. 10 lbs AP flour, 2 lbs ea bag, worked beautifully! Thanks for the great tip!

Hey Toni ! This is how I package my flour, in fact that is what I am doing today ! ! I so enjoy your videos tho I don't comment much. I sure enjoy having french fries on the shelf, so handy ! ! ((hugs))

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! Thank you 😊

Nicely done, Toni. Unfortunately, I just recently realized that the hundreds of pounds of flour I had sealed in buckets with O2 absorbers had all gone rancid. So now I have to start all over with my flour preps, at the worst time possible..... with high prices and shortages. Bucket lids are NOT airtight.... prove it to yourself by filling a bucket with water, and lay it on its side. You MUST use Mylar or vacuum seal as you have done. In any case, I'm done with flour. It's going to be wheat berries from now on, and I will grind my own. Apparently the berries last longer, as the clock starts the minute the kernel is cracked, and the oil inside is exposed to air. Love your channel.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

ouch, yes It does need to be kept oxygen free, and no those lids are NOT air tight!

Ive used bags from the dollar store as well. Be careful of them. I had 2 packages that on the bottom, never connected where folded/glued. Also remember, if using smaller bags, you can just vacuum seal those.

Great method. I bought a 25 lb bag and put it in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber and threw it in a 5 gallon bucket. I'm worried too if I'll have enough. Good video. I used your method for long storage for coffee. It worked great! Thanks!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yup, I bought more today too!

@denisegirmer4550

2 жыл бұрын

How long will coffee last for pkg this way?

@lynntomk

2 жыл бұрын

@@denisegirmer4550 I imagine, since roasted coffee beans have oil released when roasted, maybe a year longer than the date. Just my guess, maybe, Toni knows.

Ooooo, that was an excellent idea! 👍

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!!!!

What a GREAT idea! Now I know what to do with all the flour I've been getting! I've been just putting it in gallon ziploc bags. . lol

You can skip the step of putting it into the freezer first as long as you follow the steps below. Studies show that insects in all stages are killed when they are kept in an environment of less than 1 percent oxygen for at least 12 days. You can use Oxygen absorbers or vacuum sealing and if the containers are not air permeable, like metal cans, and Mylar pouches this will kill everything.

Greetings from Western Australia, I broke my bag of flour into 500g bags, that way if others wanted some flour or other items I wouldn’t be giving them a huge amount and there would be more to go around. I have a large family and of that, only one sister is gathering food for her large 13 person family, the rest think we are being silly and we just don’t mention what we are doing anymore, but I’m sure they will be asking if we have some of this or that later. I’ve also done sugar the same way, I figured it would keep the moisture out and stop it from going like a rock like it does if it was in jars. So far when i open a bag of sealed sugar, once you break the seal the sugar runs smoothly out,

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

I may seal my sugar as well without too much vacuum action!

Just re-upped today with 50 lbs. Kyrol flour, 50 lbs. AP flour, 25 lbs. sugar, 25 lbs. cornmeal, 25 lbs. small red beans, and various other staples. Clearing out the deep freeze later to re-up on meat, emphasizing individually-wrapped frozen chickens. Tonight I made "Breakfast for Dinner" with all prepped goods: vacuum-sealed frozen whipped raw eggs from the deep freeze over a year, bacon from the deep freeze for about two years, sausage for about a year, dehydrated hash browns. It was all delicious, indistinguishable from all fresh goods. Folks, build yourselves a solid food store like the lady says. Then eat what you store in a constant cycle. Even if the excrement never impacts the fan, it's a great source to always have at hand.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

HA! Yes even the "News" outlets are reporting the possibility of food shortages!!! there will be more that become concerned and stock up...

I keep my yeast in the freezer. It has been stored in the freezer for 15 years and as good as the day that I put it in the freezer.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Ok, great Idea!

@anjistar3

2 жыл бұрын

I worry we will have power cuts that will result in our freezer food spoiling so think of other ways to preserve just in case

I have liked this method as well

I purchased wheat berries, storing them in Mylar bags buckets. No freezer space plus grid might go down! Also waiting for milling device. Great video

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds great!

@juneasnider9992

2 жыл бұрын

What are Mylar bags and how do I use them?

Our family went gluten free several years ago and have enjoyed great benefit from it. If you need all this flour, this video is excellent.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!

Thank you! I don't have excess room in my freezers so just put FOOD GRADE diotemaceous earth mixed well with flour or cornmeal, etc, in separate bags, vacuum seal or using oxygen absorbers then all in buckets or totes. Works for me.👵🙏💐

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

I never would have thought of that, and if it works for you...GREAT!!!

@heidikrol5594

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Melody, this is a great idea can you give me the ratio flour etc with diotemaceous? Thank you.

Hi Toni…I just finished 12 pounds of Folgers coffee yesterday. I just put them away in a large tote. I used Mylar bags and 02 absorbers. I drink a lot of coffee, pretty much all day, every day. It’s important to me to have my coffee…🥰☕️

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

Stock up on Folgers Instant Freeze Dried. While I have ground and Folgers bricks, instant is what I drink, each morning, while waiting for ground to brew. So, instant is on the back of the pantry shelf for longest term storage. Coffee is my beverage of choice, as well. Everyday!

@cbass2755

2 жыл бұрын

@@oldtimerlee8820 Agree! I have jars of instant too. They are in glass, so I’m not going to repackage those. But I had to remove the coffee out of the plastic containers. So…in the mylar they went with O2 and I sealed them and marked them. I bet I drink that all up within the year!! Lol….to bad we didn’t know each other. Would be great to sit around a fire or porch and enjoy coffee in these dark times. Oh well….I raise my mug to you Oldtimer….cheers…..✝️

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

@@cbass2755 Cheers! Back at you! ✝God Bless.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! I used to be like that with coffee too...Now I'm down to 1 cup in the morning!

@The_Healing_Facilitator

2 жыл бұрын

@@cbass2755 I love my coffee as well. It isn't just the caffeine. I always say I have a relationship with coffee. It's like a warm hug every morning.

What a smart idea

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!

Good morning everyone!!!

Definitely gonna give that a try. I’ve got the flour but I just can’t seem to get the get up and go to do it.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

It starting that hard, once you start, the rest will go quickly enough!

What I do to store my flour I pour it in half gallon wide mouth mason jars, I use a wood mallet to pound it pack it down tight pour more and pack it down tight up till the inch head space. I put a bay leaf and a dry clean coffee filter then the lid. I use my wide mouth jar sealer adapter. And my Gamesaver silver Foodsaver vacuum sealer and vacuum away. I never suck in flour. Then add the ring. My mason jars are still sealed 5 years later. I prefer using mason jars rather than bags due to rodents.

Thank you for the videos! I was just thinking about this since I am concerned about Putin's War on flour supply issues. As you might know that Russia and Ukraine combined are very large suppliers of flour for the world. I have a couple of suggestions. 1.) Have a large tub of water to hold your vacuumed bag of flour to remove any doubts of air within. 2.) Get some food preservation desiccants that absorb any oxygen left within your vacuum sealed packages. ( The can be reused over and over by baking them in the oven at low temperatures. ). I hope this will help your food preservation adventure. 😁

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

well that tub of water would destroy any packet of flour quicker than air would, so nope, I would not do that!

I have done this and works great; I put enough in bag for 2 loaves of bread and add a little extra.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

You were more precise with your measurements than I was, but I just plan to open a package and put it into my gallon jar when it runs empty.

If you have the option on the food vacuum to seal canning jars you can do this. Put the flour in a half gallon canning jar. Lay a coffee filter on top of the center of the flour. I haven’t done this with flour but have done it with powdered white cheddar powder, powdered cream cheese, etc. it does take room to store but the bonus is you can reuse the jar where the vacuum bag is pretty much a one time deal unless you can store something smaller in it.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip!

@debbiewulfhorst8355

2 жыл бұрын

I am confused as to where the coffee filter is placed. inside the jar? or over the lid?

@AspenGlow2027

2 жыл бұрын

@@debbiewulfhorst8355 inside the jar on top of the grounds. It keeps the grounds from being sucked up into the vacuum. You can use this idea if you want to do anything that is powdered. I get the filters that have the round flat bottoms. I have to trim around the edge to get it pretty even with the sides of jar. I’ve never gotten that part perfect but also haven’t had any issues. I lay it so the edges are pointed down.

@debbiewulfhorst8355

2 жыл бұрын

@@AspenGlow2027 thank you so much!!

Been doing all this for over 15 years now and I got rice and flour for 5 years now still good from my oven canning

I measure 4 cups or 6 cups into bags. That way I have what I need for most recipes I do.

I did up 70 plus pounds of flour just like this a couple of years. I recently made banana bread with the 2 year old flour and you could not tell - I have switched over last year to buying just wheat berries and then grinding it myself - but i still have the flour and use it,

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Having a grinder and wheat berries would be awesome, the grinder is not in my budget yet!!!

@2012spacetraveler

2 жыл бұрын

@@HerHomesteadSkills uea the grinders are not cheap. I originally but a hand crank one $100 than about 2 months back bought the flour grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid, they're only $160

I think I will try this method.

I weighed my flour out into 1.5kg bags using a stainless bowl on my scales, then used a widemouth cardboard funnel I made for the job to empty it into the bag.

Goes rancid if exposed to light and heat. That’s why I put it in brown bags as well ash saves my food saver machine. I mark the brown bag no the food saver bag, so it can be washed and used on something else. Using washed perused bags I always use brown bags, as added protection

I've been storing flour in mylar bags placed in totes. I'm putting O2 absorbers in each bag to kill any possible insects. I'm starting back up again this weekend. My wife doesn't understand the possible issues coming this year.

Have you tried the "Impulse Sealer" it is so awesome, you use mylar bags with it and super good for flour , ect.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I do own one...used it for other purposes!

Good idea

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😊

Hi Toni, great video, the paper bag seems to work well. Freezing before storing in a cool place does take care of bug eggs. When you are ready to use your stored flour, open the package and fluff the flour, wait 24 hours before using. This re-oxygenates the flour and brings back its fresh odour

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

Vacuum sealing also takes care of the pests, from what I understand. Not enough air left in the bags to sustain the critters. I haven't had any insect problems with dry foods that I've vacuumed sealed, so far. Been doing this quite a while. I do freeze rice and such that I don't vacuum seal because I store that in 2 liter soda bottles.

@harrietmartens742

2 жыл бұрын

@@oldtimerlee8820 - yes vacuum sealing will work on its own as long as there is absolutely no oxygen left in the bag - it is a very effective method. But there is always the chance that a seal is not perfect so if I have enough freezer space I will put flour and grains in for 3 days just as an extra measure. I’ve never had bugs hatch, but I have found some packages where I thought it was a good seal and weeks later there was air in the pack - regular checking of food storage. You can also do a double seal if you don’t want to pop the package in the freezer, this is extra insurance. There is always more than one way to ensure a successful long term storage. I just like to suggest different methods and let people choose their preference. I have been doing and learning food storage and preservation since I was a kid visiting my grandparents off grid farm, now I’m teaching my grandkids. We have new technology available today that wasn’t available when I started, vacuum sealers, freeze dryers, Mylar bags, #10 canners. I have all of them and some food in my pantry is 10 yrs old and still good and edible. Yes I do rotate . One old timer to another

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

@@harrietmartens742 🙂 I grew up on a farm and now have great nieces and nephews. Have passed the three quarter century mark. Been preserving food since I was old enough to shell peas and peel taters. It doesn't take a complete vacuum to inactivate critters in a bag of rice. Think about how some climbers of tall mountains take along an oxygen cylinder to assist with breathing. There's still air with oxygen up there, just approaching the lower limit of survival. Proper vacuum sealing reduces the oxygen volume to just below the threshold needed for insects to live and reproduce. The rest of your comment is like preaching to the choir. Each person has to make the choice of what works best for them in their own circumstances. If people want to freeze rice and double seal bags, there's nothing wrong with it, if done correctly. If they don't have freezer space and want to make their sealer last as long as possible, there's nothing wrong with that either. I know how to butcher hogs and salt cure hams. Do I do it? No. I know how to render lard. Do I do it? Yes. It's a by product of canning pork. You have the equipment to process #10 cans? Good for you. You have a freeze dryer? Same thing. In my case, I can't justify the expense of either, which is fine, too. Each old timer does what works best for him or her. That's the main thing.

@harrietmartens742

2 жыл бұрын

@@oldtimerlee8820 - yes the equipment is expensive, but it has come in handy and gets used not only to provide for our family, but also to support our local community pantry. Last year the community was able to donate/grow enough staples, vegetables, meat and fish that was all processed and preserved - the pantry has enough supplies to last until the end of June this year. We are currently working on getting a winter greenhouse to provide fresh greens and cool weather crops through the long winter months. A few more people every year are getting involved - hunters, trappers, fishers, canners, foragers - children, teens, adults are being exposed to lost skills for self sufficiency. We aren’t all there yet, but with what has been going on the last few years, and food shortages in stores and food banks etc there has been increased movement. We are not the only group doing this, there are others further North that are getting back to basics in a community setting.

@oldtimerlee8820

2 жыл бұрын

@@harrietmartens742 You are fortunate to have access to this expensive equipment, in a community setting. Unfortunately many of us, do not have that type of access.

that is a very good idea with the paper bag. am going to do that with my white rice and flour. also by putting in a paper bag it cuts out the light.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

It does!!!

How I came across this YT Channel I do not know but the times we are in reminds me of Joseph in Egypt and the 7 year famine was to come. Thank God I came across this channel ma’am you have a new subscriber here. My wife and I were recently talking about growing our food and raising our own chickens, pigs and whatever else animals we can get because the way the world is going. Prices here on island have gone up about 3 times within less than half a year it’s ridiculous. Ma’am, what is the name of the machine you are using to air seal your food products please? Thank you in advance and God bless you 🙏🏾

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!!!!

Helo beautiful vlog

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😊

I simply vacuum seal the 5 pound bags directly then put in the freezer for a few days to kill off any bugs. I have been using regular clear bags but just purchased rolls of mylar vacuum seal bags and will be using those along with oxygen absorbers for long term storage.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

well yes, if you buy flour in 5lbs bags that would work very well!

@kjjosker

2 жыл бұрын

@@HerHomesteadSkills Yeah, 5lbs of flour is currently only $1.50 at walmart so it is worth it for the convenience factor. Also, when I am vacuuming the bags, I pat the sides flat to form a nice stackable brick.

I am going to try that way

Hoarding is THE WAY.

My yeast is over 10 years old in freezer. It works great.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

Great!!!!

The army will be grateful for your efforts as they raid all the homesteads on their way through. Julias Ceaser

Very valuable video - many thanks Toni! After seeing your food saver, mine looked like an antique. Could you tell me the type/model you have, please? Time for a new one! Thanks in advance!

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

mine is an old one too... FoodSaver® 2-in-1 Automatic Vacuum Sealing System with Starter Kit, v4440, Black Finish

Thank you for the video. I like the way you vacuum sealed your flour in paper bags. Did you freeze the flour first? I was going to put flour in mason jars and then vacuum seal them but they take up a lot of room. Perhaps I will do the flour in paper bags and vacuum seal. I also want to do rice and oatmeal. Best wishes

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

the paper bags are a must when vacuum sealing flour to prevent flour from getting in and destroying your vacuum sealer mechanism.

I just purchased a grain mill and also wheat berries. Apparently you can store wheat berries in a plastic tub/bucket and will keep forever. I purchase my wheat berries from 1847 Flour in Fergus Ontario. Prepping like mad these days.

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

oh thanks for that...I can go to Fergus...will keep that in mind!!!

New to your channel and loving it! Question for ya. Should an oxygen absorber be used along with the flour when vacuum sealing? I know not to use one with sugar or salt, but thinking it may be a good extra step. Looking for some advice from experienced peeps. I'm new to the game 😁❤

@HerHomesteadSkills

2 жыл бұрын

you could of course, I didn't !