# Dry canning flour, rice and beans safe?



## Alteredstate (Jul 7, 2016)

My wife and I are thinking of dry canning rice and flour. Several YouTube videos explain how. We are well versed in canning. But Several videos say it's not safe. Does anyone here have real life experience with long term dry canned rice, beans, or flour. And do you think it's safe?

P.s. moisture content is relative to temperature. How the heck can you promote moisture pockets at 200 degrees? A quick calculator on engineering toolbox at 12 percent moisture at 70 degrees, changes to .1 percent at 200 degrees.


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## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

It's fine just but a pain in the you know what. I am currently using flour that was D canned in early 2020. It's fine but it tends to clump and then you have to break it up.

I did beans rice etc.... as an experiemnt. had lots of issues with condesation after the prescribed canning times. My basmati seemed off texture wise after I cooked it.

Sticking with mylar and vacuum sealing as it is faster and easier to pack away.


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## Hancock67 (9 mo ago)

No real experience with that. I fail to see how it could be dangerous though. 200° will kill most if not all bacteria. That degree of moisture should be irreverent and I promise, if it goes bad, if you can't see it from outside the jar, you'll certainly know it as soon as you open it!! But honestly, unless you're planting small stashes in numerous places, it seems like a waste of space and energy, not to mention how fragile they are. IMO, dry goods are best in Mylar w/ o2 absorbers. Large quantities are easier and gallon bags lay flat. Just remember that o2 absorbers create a vacuum, standard buckets are porous, so Mylar is essential in them. Clean food grades do not need Mylar.


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## Pir8fan (Nov 16, 2012)

Put a bay leaf in your flour. It eliminates any bugs then just vacuum seal it in a canning jar.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

I put an oxy absorb in the jar and vac seal it.


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## Alteredstate (Jul 7, 2016)

OK, so I have an update for this. With a few items of interest.

A 20 lbs bag of long grain white rice will fit perfectly in a case of 12 large mouth quart jars.

We preheated the oven to 200 degrees with the lids and jars I. The oven to make sure they were disinfected and dry.

Placed the rice in quite snug with very minimal head space.

Allowed to heat at 200 as we noticed our stove runs 5 degrees low from our secondary thermometer.

We left the rice in the jars lids off in the oven for an hour and a half.

Took each out separately and put the lids on as tight as I can muster.

Each of the 12 jars sealed nicely. You can spin them around and look in and see that there is no condensation. Or clumping of any kind.

It is obvious that the rice shrunk quite a bit from the moisture reduction.

I feel very confident that this is a great way to store rice.

Side note, if you are careful you do not have to cut or tear the factory plastic wrap on a Mason jar case. You can pull one jar out, and after you do that you can drag each jar out. And then get them back in without damaging the factory plastic wrap on the case.

Good luck with your storage plans everyone.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

I used to think dry canning seemed like a good idea. The Amish do it, I'm told...Then I saw this video and my position has changed. Best to err on the side of caution, imho. Bottom line that changed my mind: there's still moisture in dry food. It's generally under 10%, but the heat in the oven can draw out moisture from within the food to the outside edge of the food, causing the moisture to condense. If there's a botulism spore in the jar, the spore can then go into the vegetative state and produce the toxin.






Article from University of Georgia and National Center for Home Food Preservation: https://preservingfoodathome.com/2020...

ETA: I no longer put food in anything plastic (i.e. 5 lb buckets as this lady here in the video above does), because a hungry rodent can and will smell and chew through it without any problems. Don't ask me how I kno! lol. And I really think that post SHTF, they'll be a lot of rodent infestation. A word of advice: stock up on rodent poison and baits. Hope I don't sound too preachy, just sayin'.


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## Hancock67 (9 mo ago)

Annie said:


> I used to think dry canning seemed like a good idea. The Amish do it, I'm told...Then I saw this video and my position has changed. Best to err on the side of caution, imho. Bottom line that changed my mind: there's still moisture in dry food. It's generally under 10%, but the heat in the oven can draw out moisture from within the food to the outside edge of the food, causing the moisture to condense. If there's a botulism spore in the jar, the spore can then go into the vegetative state and produce the toxin.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I wouldn't think food grade buckets or any bucket with Mylar could be smelt from the outside, unless in got smeared during packing. Although I've never had it happen, I believe with enough time and motivation, a rat could chew its way into Fort Knox!!!


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Hancock67 said:


> I wouldn't think food grade buckets or any bucket with Mylar could be smelt from the outside, unless in got smeared during packing. Although I've never had it happen, I believe with enough time and motivation, a rat could chew its way into Fort Knox!!!


Oh yeah, they can smell even through metal!


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