History of plastics (part 1 of 2)

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This information should be used as a general guide only, and should not be followed "as the gospel truth" because your results may be different.

Soft grains

Barley, hulled or pearled oats, groats, rolled oats, quinoa, rye
Soft grains have softer outer shells that don't protect the seed interior as well as hard-shelled seeds and therefore won't store as long. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Hard grains

Buckwheat, dry corn, flax, kamut, millet, durum wheat, hard red wheat, hard white wheat, soft wheat, special bake wheat, spelt, triticale
The hard grains all store well because of their hard outer shell which is nature's near-perfect container. Remove that container and the contents rapidly deteriorate. Wheat, probably nature's longest storing seed, has been known to be edible after scores of years when stored in a cool dry place. As a general rule for hard grains (hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen) plan on a storage life of 15-20 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Beans

Adzuki, blackeye, black turtle, garbanzo, great northern, kidney, lentils, lima, mung, pink, pinto, small red, soy
As beans age they lose their oils, resist water absorbtion and won't swell. Worst case, they must be ground to be used. Storing beans in nitrogen helps prolong the loss of these oils as does cool temperatures. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8-10 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored 10-20°F cooler temperatures.

Dehydrated vegetables

Barley, hulled or pearled oat, groats, rolled oats, quinoa, rye
Soft grains have softer outer shells that don't protect the seed interior as well as hard-shelled seeds and therefore won't store as long. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Deydrated dairy products

Cheese powder, cocoa powder, powder eggs, butter/margarine powder, powder milk, whey powder
Dehydrated dairy products generally store well if stored dry in hermetically sealed containers with the oxygen removed. Plan on a storage life of 5-10 years if stored at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep, probably 5 years longer, if stored at cooler temperatures.

Flours and cracked/ground seed

All purpose flour, bakers flour, unbleached flour, white flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, mixes, refried beans, cracked wheat, germade, gluten, wheat flakes
After seeds are broken open their outer shells can no longer protect the seed contents and seed nutrients start to degrade. Don't try to store unprotected flours longer than a year. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 5 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures. Note: Granola is not a long storing food because of the nuts. They contain high concentrations of oil which go rancid over the short term. Expect granola to last about 6-9 months.

Pasta

Macaroni, Noodles, Ribbons, Spaghetti
Pasta will store longer than flour if kept dry. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 10-15 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. Pasta should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Dehydrated fruit

Fruit doesn't keep as well as many dehydrated items. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 10-15 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Honey, salt and sugar

Honey, Salt and Sugar should keep indefinitely if stored free of moisture. Watch out for additives in the honey. It is possible to buy honey with water and sugar added. This honey generally doesn't crystallize like pure 100% honey does when stored for a long time. If there are additives, there is no saying how long it will last.

Peanut butter powder

Peanut butter powder will not store as long as wheat flour. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 4-5 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. It should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Brown and white rice

Brown and white rice store very differently. Brown rice is only expected to store for 6 months under average conditions. This is because of the essential fatty acids in brown rice. These oils quickly go rancid as they oxidize. It will store much longer if refrigerated. White rice has the outer shell removed along with those fats. Because of this, white rice isn't nearly as good for you, but will store longer. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life for white rice of 8-10 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. It should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures. Stored in the absence of oxygen, brown rice will last longer than if it was stored in air. Plan on 1 to 2 years. It is very important to store brown rice as cool as possible, for if you can get the temperature down another ten degrees, it will double the storage life again.

Total vegetable protein

Total Vegetable Protein, made from soy beans, has an unusually long storage life. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 15-20 years at a stable temperature of 70°F. Meat substitute should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.

Yeast

Yeast, a living organism, has a relatively short storage life. Keep yeast in the original metal foil storage containers. If the seal remains intact, yeast should last 2 years at 70°F. However it is strongly recommended that you refrigerate it, which should give you a storage life of 5 years. Frozen yeast should store for a longer time.

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