How to store flour for two years...

[British Red]

I know that some people here, like us, enjoy growing & cooking with grains (wheat, barley). For those who do, tonight's video covers storing flour and, briefly, storing and grinding whole grains.

I hope its of interest

 

[Woody girl]

Thanks BR that's massively useful. Would you say it works for gluten free flour aswell?I imagine it would, but as it's not cheap like normal flour, (about £3 a kilo bag, as against just a bit less than £1 in my only shop)I'm wondering whether to commit a few bags to this or not.

 

[British Red]

Thanks BR that's massively useful. Would you say it works for gluten free flour aswell?I imagine it would, but as it's not cheap like normal flour, (about £3 a kilo bag, as against just a bit less than £1 in my only shop)I'm wondering whether to commit a few bags to this or not.

Hi & Happy New Year! When you say "Gluten Free Flour" do you mean wheat flour? If so absolutely it works fine. Almond flour & Cornflour too.

 

[Woody girl]

You too!
It's a blend of rice, potato,tapioca, maize, buckwheat.
By Doves farm.

 

[British Red]

Hmm. Flour weevils won't be a problem with that mix. Spuds should be fine (instant mash lasts forever dry, as does maize & rice). I've no experience of storing buckwheat or tapioca though...

 

[Woody girl]

Thanks, I'll give it a go.
I'm storing it in kilner jars at the moment, but I realy dont have a lot of shelf space, or enough jars, so it would be good to free up some jars, and shelf space.
I'll have to repackage it in paper bags, and seal and label them I guess, or there could be a bit of a mess!

 

[santaman2000]

Hi & Happy New Year! When you say "Gluten Free Flour" do you mean wheat flour? If so absolutely it works fine. Almond flour & Cornflour too.

Wheat flour is never gluten free. Gluten free flours are made from various gluten free grains and other plants: oats, buckwheat (not really a wheat) rice, potatoes, yucca, quinoa, etc.

 

[British Red]

Wheat flour is never gluten free. Gluten free flours are made from various gluten free grains and other plants: oats, buckwheat (not really a wheat) rice, potatoes, yucca, quinoa, etc.

Interesting. I only know one coeliac so am not well informed on the subject

 

[TLM]

Wheat, rye, barley contain a version of gluten proteins, pure oats does not but apparently there exist some crosses with other grains and those are not gluten free. People who react to gluten need such small amounts that it is difficult to clean machinery to the degree required for no gluten certification and I remember hearing that bakeries have lines just for non gluten products.

 

[Paul_B]

Is this a thread for the serial hoarders who strip the supermarket shelves of flour every lockdown?

 

[Woody girl]

Is this a thread for the serial hoarders who strip the supermarket shelves of flour every lockdown?

Where I live, we have one small supermarket. I can't get to the nearest tesco etc, so as I have been isolating for the best part of a year, and only going out when nessasary, it makes simple sense to have a few bags of flour on standby.
My gluten free options are limited to a couple of choices of biscuits and wraps, one variety of pasta, and sometimes, if I'm lucky a packet of fish fingers, all at massively inflated prices. So I make my own stuff.
Examples: 4 wraps for £3.50,
bread: £2.50-£3.50 for a small loaf,
Pasta: £1.80 a packet.
Biscuits: £2.50 for a packet containing between 6-12, depending on whether I buy plain ones or fancier ones. You can get pretty sick of jammy Dodgers after a while!
It makes sense to keep 3 or four bags of each on standby
Am I forgiven?

 

[Paul_B]

I was only joking. Cereal hoarders I should have put.

I hope you're doing well with this. I believe you're self isolating because of high risk reasons and being strict with it. We're not at high risk so are not in your situation so really can't imagine how hard it could be. It's good you're doing what you need to do to get through. There's nothing to forgive!!

 

[Woody girl]

It's not been easy, but by keeping myself one step ahead of Gov advice I'm doing ok.
The worst bit is my "bubble" broke down quite spectacularly early on, so I've been on my own ever since.
Luckily, I do have two friends also isolating in a similar fashion to me, but who dont live close by, so we do keep in contact, and try and help each other as best we can.worst bit, is lack of proper face to face conversation.
It's quite lonely at times.
Foodwise, I've always had a garden where I can grow veg, and I have enough skills to preserve some of it.
My problem is space, ... availability of things like Kilmer jars, shelf, and freezer space.
Plus health isn't quite as it once was, so that has been a strain.
Other than that, I'm as cosy as I can be, with no other worries.
Panic buying shows how unprepared we are for anything, most people only having enough to get by week to week.
I tend to buy two of everything I need then store one, which cuts out my need to go out and interact with the lurgey seething masses much as possible. It adds up over time and I've been doing it all summer so I was all set for this inevitable explosion over xmas.
I can stay inside for months, should I have to, and I walk at night when everyone is tucked up inside.
It's not the best way to live though.

 

[santaman2000]

I had never even heard of it until my daughter was diagnosed. Since then another distant family member has also been diagnosed and several friends, including one in England. I don’t know if the disease itself is increasing or merely our awareness of it.

Interesting. I only know one coeliac so am not well informed on the subject

 

[British Red]

Is this a thread for the serial hoarders who strip the supermarket shelves of flour every lockdown?

Hardly. We buy our flour from a local windmill! Its better for them and us to buy a reasonable amount at a time (this lowers already low food mileage even further). Traditionally wheat would often have been harvested only once or twice a year by type and I very much doubt each grower would have travelled frequently, but they absolutely did get their flour ground.