How To Store Dried Beans In Mason Jars
Storing dried beans in mason jars makes them last much longer.
I purchased a 10 lb bag of triple washed pinto beans from sams recently and noted the best if used by date. It was about 10 months later.
Planning ahead is important here.
I don't plan on eating more than 10 lbs of dried pinto beans in 10 months.
But your never know whats going to happen in the future.
Dry beans are one of the most beneficial food storage items to have in your home and one of the best ways to make them last is to store them in Mason Jars.
However, there are some important techniques to implement when storing your dry beans in Mason Jars that will guarantee their longevity. A failure to store your dry beans in Mason Jars properly can lead to a lot of different storage issues such as shorter shelf life, loss of quality, and contamination.
To store dry beans in Mason Jars, you are going to want to treat your beans for insect eggs. Next, you must ensure that the Mason Jars that you use are completely free of bacteria by sanitizing them. Lastly, you must store your beans with oxygen absorbers in a cool and dry place in your home.
When it comes to food storage items, dry beans should be at the top of every person’s list. Whether you are storing your beans to maximize their shelf life for your regular cooking or creating a sophisticated food storage stockpile to last you for months (or years), implementing the right techniques is what is going to make your beans last. One of the best ways that you can store your beans is by using Mason Jars.
However, you want to ensure that you are storing your beans in your Mason Jars correctly if you want to make them last.
The best way to store dry beans in Mason Jars is to ensure that there is no risk of contamination of any kind during the storage process.
Having an ample supply of food storage is not just a precautionary measure but a common-sense strategy to secure the safety of yourself and your loved ones.
That is why having a substantial amount of dry beans is one of the most important food items that you can keep in your home. In addition to being full of protein and other vital nutrients, dry beans have the potential to have one of the longest shelf lives of any food item out there. If stored properly, you can expect your beans to last for decades.
However, if you check the label of your dry beans when you buy them from the store, you will find that they commonly have a shelf life of just 1 to 2 years or even less, which is not nearly enough for a food storage system. While this figure is often underestimated, the shelf life of your dry beans will not last very long in this packaging.
What you are going to want to do is store your dry beans in Mason Jars to maximize their shelf life, but you want to be careful with how you do it
Before you drive down to the store and begin buying dry beans and throwing them in Mason Jars, you are going to want to ensure that you are buying a quality product. The last thing that you want to do is go through the trouble of storing your dry beans if they were not worthy of storage, to begin with.
The good thing about beans is that you can choose whichever one you please. All dry beans are fantastic for storage and you can choose as many or as few options as you like for your Mason Jars. Just make sure that they are 100% dry if you want to make them last.
By buying your beans pre-packaged, you will know that they have not come into contact with any contaminants during transport, which mitigates any chance of contamination.
Do a quick inspection of the product before moving forward to see if you can spot any loss of quality or contaminants.
As you inspect your beans, try to keep an eye out for anything that would indicate mold, moisture, or discoloration.
If you do not spot anything that would indicate a faulty product, then you should be good to go moving forward with storing your dry beans in Mason Jars.
Now, if you have ensured that there is no mold or any other immediate sign of contamination on your dry beans, then they will be suitable for storage.
However, something that is often shocking to discover for most consumers is that most dry goods that you buy such as beans and wheat will often have insect eggs inside of them.
Although this is a bit unsettling to find out about at first - I assure you that this is nothing out of the ordinary and that practically every dry good product will have insect eggs in it if not treated by the manufacturer prior to distribution (which they normally do not).
This is not an issue for most kitchen storage as you will likely have eaten your dry goods before the eggs even had a chance to hatch, but for long-term bean storage, you may want to consider treating them first.
The best way that you can treat your beans is to simply place them inside of your freezer inside of a vacuum-sealed bag or container for about a week.
Alternatively, you can always use heat to treat your beans by placing them inside of your oven at medium heat for roughly 20 minutes - 120 to 130 degrees should do just fine.
Although Mason Jars are one of the best storage containers that you can use for your dry beans, you want to make sure that they are completely clean and sanitized before you begin putting food in them.
If you are buying your Mason Jars brand new from the store then your sanitization process should be relatively straightforward, as simply washing them should do the trick.
Once you have thoroughly cleaned your Mason Jars and are confident in them being completely sanitized, you can store pouring your dry beans inside. The best way to do this is to use a (clean) funnel that has a wide spout. Simply, pour the beans into the Mason Jars through the funnel and seal the lid. Having an air-tight lid is of the utmost importance for this storage method to be successful.
A great way to guarantee this is to invest in a vacuum sealer that will suck all of the air out of the jar and optimally secure the lid.
Electric masonjar vacuum sealer (Amazon)
However, if you want to have extra assurance that your beans are going to last in there, an extra precautionary tactic is to utilize an oxygen absorber. Oxygen absorbers are very affordable and easy to use. All you need to do is take a single packet and place it inside of the jar with your dry beans.
The final step to securing the long-term storage of your dry beans is to place them in the right location(s).
The storage location of your dry beans is a very vital step in this process, as you can take all of the precautions up until this point and still end up with contaminated food. The most important characteristic that you want to look for in any storage location for your dry beans is to pick somewhere that is cool and dry.
The ideal temperature for the long-term storage of your dry beans should rarely (if ever) fluctuate above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
In addition, you want to keep your dry beans out of direct sunlight, which is why wrapping the Mason Jars can be such a beneficial bonus for storage security.
Captain Convey Note
I believe a biden regime induced FAMINE called a Depression is on the way.
If you can't see this coming just around the corner you are in denial.
Dried beans stored in mason jars properly can feed you for years.
When I say years I mean 10 years or more.
Don't fall for all the freeze dried in a 5 gallon bucket stuff that costs $100.00 and more depending on what you buy.
You must treat your dried beans before long term storage to kill - insect eggs inside the beans before they hatch when storing dried beans or dried good for long term storage.
Sealing the mason jars properly will ensure the long term storage of the dried beans.
Also be sure to include food grade oxygen absorber packet in the jars.
100pcs 300cc Food Grade Oxygen Absorbers (Amazon)
buildastash.com (The above article was produced from buildastash.com. The comments included are my own - Captain Comvey.)
Bonus Captain Convey Note
Each family has a "Joseph" that God can use to preserve life.
Genesis Chapter 37 (God's plan for Joseph and his family begins.)
Genesis Chapter 39 (God's plan for Joseph continues.)
Genesis Chapter 41 (Seven years of famine foretold.)
Genesis Chapter 42 (God's plan allowed Joseph to feed his family.)