Eating Healthier in Today's World

How to Treat Wheat for Long Term Storage

In our last post we discussed how to store your grain and wheat to store it in.  In this edition I will discuss how to fumigate or treat the grains so that your wheat will not get infrested.  No matter how many times the wheat is cleaned, it will still have microscopic insect eggs on it, that are too small for our eyes to see.  To keep wheat for a long term, you must insure that if these eggs hatch for any reason (too warm a storage room for example) that the insects will die immediately.  There are 4 basic method that I will present and I would like to thank James Talmage, the author of Making the Best of Basics book for these tips.  I will also include at the bottom what not to do with your storage grains.

Dry Ice Methods:  Carbon dioxide released from evaporating dry ice will kill all animal life in the container.  There are two different ways to fumigate wheat with dry ice. 

Basic on-top method: 

• on top of almost full 5 gallon container, place 1/4 lb of dry ice on a non-conductive (insulating) material such as kraft paper  (I use a paper bag)
• press lid down gently so some air can escape
• after 20 to 30 min., check to see if dry ice has completely evaporated
• if not, wait another 5 min,then check again
• when dry ice completely evaporated, remove material and seal container

Basic on-bottom method:

• on bottom of 5 gallon metal (or plastic) storage bucket, place 1.4 lb. of dry ice under non-conductive material, such as kraft peper, that can be left in the bucket
• fill the bucket with grain and press lid down gently, leaving only a small outlet for escaping air (lid will bulge and will eventually blow off if air can't escape.)
• after 20 to 30 min., check to confirm if dry ice has evaporated by closing the lid;  if it bulges, loosen lid and wait another 5 min., then check again
• when dry ice is completely evaporated, seal container

Freezing Method:  The freezer will kill all live bugs--but not necessarily the eggs--over an extended period of time.  The advantage of the freezer is its simplicity.  Its major disadvantage is that the eggs are not usually killed by freezing--that's what makes it difficult to have foolproof storage conditions.  It's always best to refreeze the previously frozen wheat after 30 days to assure that any eggs hatched since the last treatment are killed.

Basic freezer method:  place small quantities of the grain in either a chest or upright freezer (not the freezer section of the refrigerator) for 72 hours at 0°F or lower.  I have one customer that tells me they put the grain in the buckets then freeze the buckets for the 3 days.

Heating Method:  The heating method has the advantage of killing all forms of animal life in the wheat including the eggs.  The disadvantage is that it will also kill the wheat when overheated or left in the oven too long!

Basic heating method: pour infested wheat in shallow baking pan to depth of 1/2 inch.  Place in preheated 150°F. oven for only 15-20 min.  Wheat will scorch if it gets too hot for too long.  Oven door may be left open to allow moisture and heat to escape.

Organic Method:  Diatomaceous earth is an organic method to eliminate the hungry little critters feeding freely on your storage supply.  It will rid the container of all bug and critter life.  This organic treatment is not harmful to man or animals.  It's also very cheap and simple to use and available at garden or feed supply stores.

Basic organic method: for each 5 gallong container, put in 1 1/4 cup diatomaceous earth, shake vigorously or roll container until all the wehat grains are dusted.  To use wheat after treatment, rinse grain before using, then blot dry with towel with massaging action to wipe off powder.  Or use it with dust on it--it's treated with an organic compound!

WHAT NOT TO DO WITH STORAGE WHEAT

• Do not pack wheat tightly into any storage space that is not optimal for storage
• Do not store wheat directly on dirt or cement floors, as wheat draws moisture from these surfaces
• Do not store wheat in a container which holds more than 2 bushels (100 lbs.)  Large containers are difficult to move and any infiltration, infestation, spoilage, or exposure will contaminate the entire contents
• Do not store wheat near cold or hot water pipes, heating ducts nor steam pipes
• Do not store wheat in a room with the washer or dryer
• Do not store wheat where you hang clothes to dry
• Do not store wheat in an unheated garage or unsulated space, in a basement or crawl space that is not completely dry, nor in any uninhabitable space
• Do not put salt in wheat when storing it.
• Do not use aluminum garbage cans for wheat storage since an airtight seal is generally impossible to achieve.  Even with food-grade plastic liners, garbage cans are not designed for storing edible food.