Packin' deez nuts!!!

[technique]

It never fails, whenever I need some good ideas, the collective minds of the SP community
are always spot on-

I'm looking at ways to pack and store nuts for the long haul. I hear because of the oils with nuts, there may be some particulars with storage.

Ideas, experiences, resources? Please fill me in. I'm working on a project and this is a topic I'd like to explore.

Thanks!

[thatGuy]

I'm looking into it... Couple if questions, bulk or single serving? Any kind of nut in mind?

[technique]

So not really particular on type- brazil nuts, almonds, macadamia, walnut, etc.
I think I may have to pressure can them and that's okay, I just don't have a pressure canner or associated equipment. I think I will have to.

I've been on the Paleolithic kick and I don't see my diet changing anytime soon, I'm not saying that my current preps are no good any more, I'm just saying that I don't consume beans, rice or dehydrated potatoes (or any potatoes) on a daily basis- that's the bulk of my preps you know!?!

So, now, I want to start getting the edible seeds, nuts, and meats I do eat. I'd also like to start canning the game I harvest, possibly the veggies from the garden too. I realize this means shorter shelf life on some items.

[technique]

So, bulk? Glass jar pint size?

[JohnyMac]

I just asked my brother this question (he is here for deer season) and he said, "vacuum sealed."

He told me that the last time he was in the Asian market; they had 1 kilo blocks of vacuum sealed nuts. Peanuts, Brazil nuts, Cashews, etc. He went on to lecture my wife and I that oxygen is the cause of most vegetable matter to break down.

Hope that helps.   

[technique]

I agree that oxygen is a key-
Most people say canned meats are edible for much longer that the 2 year expectancy we are told.
I recently read that some people were eating canned meat from 30 years ago... I mean, I wouldn't do that, and the nutritional value is a whole other story, but yeah. People have basically said that in jars, if the lid still makes a dah-dink sound it still has
seal and if it still has seal it will still me good, no matter how long. I think dsarti1 did a 2-3 year update on his canned meats.

Looking at similar prepacked goods like nuts, dried fruits and jerky all vacuum sealed and available for purchase, I was given
shelf life expectancy anywhere from a year or less depending on product.

I think I'll give both pressure canning and vacuum sealing a try...
I may seal up a bunch of stuff and then seal that into buckets...

[Kentactic]

I think using oxygen absorbers to remove 100% of the 21% oxygen in the sealed bag will work better then sucking out 99% of the oxygen through vacume sealing. The bag still has gases in it but its pure nitrogen. This is how i understand it. Unless theres something in nutts i dont know about it should be good forever. Smart people will surely answer this thread shortly.

[thatGuy]

I've been flipping though the books I keep on the subject and so far I am seeing lots of information that suggests nuts are hard to store....

I will be putting together a set of sources and doing some copy/paste action later today maybe.

[Grudgie]

The problem is fats. Fat can't be stored very long no matter how you keep it. And nuts contain a lot of fat.

I would recommend planting some kind of walnut tree instead of finding ways to keep nuts. Or whatever grows around your area. For my fat source I would rely on fresh animals, fish, chicken eggs, and nut trees.

[Colombo]

http://www.food-skills-for-self-sufficiency.com/growing-nuts.html

[JohnyMac]

Grudgie,
in fact many cultures store fat for long periods of time. For example:

India - Ghee
Italy - Olive oil
Asia - Peanut oil
American Indians - Buffalo, Deer, Elk tallow
the farmers wife across the road from the BOL - Pork lard sealed in Mason jars

...to name a few.

I don't want to bust on ya' just saying...

[Grudgie]

You know more than me. I'm not saying it's impossible to extend the shelf life of certian fats, but don't expect fat and oil to keep for 25 years along with your grains and dehydrated foods.

Canning nuts and things to last until next years harvest is a good idea but I wouldn't rely on it to last you through SHTF. Because in SHTF terms, a year could be a very short time period and you would have to quickly find other sources of fats. That is why I recomended planting a walnut tree which can give you fresh nuts for the rest of your life.

[JohnyMac]

I agree Grudgie that it makes sense growing nut producing tree's/bushes/plants.

The company that Colombo's posted looks interesting.

While we are at it, plant some fruit trees too.