Author Topic: Expired beans... to store or not to store?  (Read 1367 times)

Offline southernr

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Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« on: May 31, 2015, 07:57:24 PM »
Hey guys! First post here. Not a hard core prepper (yet) but my interest has been growing the more I read and see in this country and I'm trying to take baby steps (aka budget friendly steps) to build up some inventory. If for nothing else it will be good to be prepared in the case of a hurricane or some other natural disaster (I live on the MS Gulf Coast). Anyway, the question I have is, this evening we were cleaning out some of our cabinets and came across some unopened bags of various types of dried beans and rice that expired in June of 2014 and December respectively and I want to know if I was to open these and store in mylar bags if they would still be ok at least in a survival situation. Hate to just throw them away and I'm not sure what makes an expired bean or rice any different than an unexpired one/s. Looking forward to what your opinions are. Thanks fellas.

Offline Kbop

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2015, 09:55:57 PM »
Howdy and welcome! - still learning myself.
Here is a good place to start.
http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/dry-beans

(1) When we asked our site's Advisory Board scientists how long dried beans last, Dr. Regenstein said, "Forever.  Because they hold up so well at room temperature, it makes no sense to freeze them. "
Dr. Bowser also emphasizes the durability of beans: "Uncooked, dried beans can last for years if they are of good initial quality and are kept in a cool, dry, insect-free environment. Frozen, dried beans can last much longer."
(1) http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/if-you-dont-know-beans-about-beans

Rice is a bit more complicated.  White rice keeps for years but brown rice not as long.


Offline southernr

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2015, 10:03:09 PM »
Kbop, thanks for the info. Looks like they should still be edible after years of proper storage but that they start to lose nutritional value, which is important.


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Offline Kbop

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2015, 10:26:17 PM »
they also loose texture and flavor over time too - same slow oxidization process.

Offline Nemo

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2015, 10:29:31 PM »
My thoughts, when you do the next grocery shopping, replace them.  Then have them for dinner soon.  That will let you know real fast how well your storage method is working over 18 months or so.  Look at them carefully.  Mold, fungus, bad smells, unusual texture and such, trash them.  Bugs and such, cook well.  Thats protein in dinner. 

As to them for dinner, I would eat/use/cook them in a heartbeat.  FDA basically requires everything to have a one year maximum expiration on them.  Recently there was reports that that was being extended and recommended that people use things beyond that date.

My methods are basically, canned stuff is good as long as the can is still sealed and not bulging.  Taste and such is less than optimal in the stuff but otherwise, no problem.  Tomato soup may not be real good in 10 years but it will be edible.  Other home sealed stuff is vacuum sealed in bags, about 1 pound of beans or rice or such each, with small O2 absorber.  From there to buckets.

I store mine in 5 gallon food grade buckets.  Easily obtainable at most local restaurants.  That bucket is lined by a polymer bag large enough to take everything and seal up.  Basically, bucket gets bag, bag gets towel or such in bottom, covering chunk of dry ice.  Content gets put in and bag is sealed up all but last couple inches.  That gets clothes hanger clips holding it closed so dry ice melts and fills bag, pushing atmosphere out.  Bag blows up, gets squeezed down and clipped again.  Blows up, squeezed down, clipped.  After it is about all blown out from all dry ice melting, a couple larger O2 absorbers go in, along with a one pound cardboard container of salt.  That has a half dozen small holes punched into it to absorb an leftover or frozen moisture.  Sealed down to 1/4 inch which gets vacuum pump to suck out everything it can, then bag sealed, dry ice outside bag in bucket and lid put on.  Touch of leak to let pressure out of bucket outside so CO2 pushes out atmosphere and when that stops it gets sealed.  Just before sealing gets couple more O2 absorbers

Each bucket gets foodstuffs, pair of socks, underwear and such, plastic forks, few strike anywhere matches and such.  Some buckets are also set up as grab/go supplies, others are basically food/eating stuff.  Each bucket planned before packing it starts.

Each bucket gets a contents list in envelope on outside and numbered for entry into each copy of master supply book.

Yes I imagine my methods are probably triple what is really necessary, but I want it be there if/when I have to rely on it.

Also look into the Mormon Church food storage centers.  You can buy #10 cans or big bags of stuff there for most excellent prices. Look all over that Provident Living website.  You will learn more than you think you ever could learn.  See link below.

Nemo

http://providentliving.org/self-reliance/food-storage/home-storage-center-locations-map?lang=eng

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Offline special-k

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2015, 11:13:51 PM »
IMHO...

Don't waste time, effort & resources (storage supplies) on storing questionable food. 

Eat the food soon, or throw it out.  Buy fresh, and store fresh.
"It wouldn't do any good.  I've had the shit beat out of me a lot of times.  I just replenish with more shit."  - Billy McBride

Offline Reaver

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2015, 03:10:53 AM »
You could always do a demonstration on how to cook them.....make sure you leave the can sealed  :popcorn:
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Offline JohnyMac

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2015, 10:02:11 AM »
Welcome Southernr to the forum. When you get a chance don't forget to intro yourself in the section provided.

All good advise. I tend to agree with Special-K. Eat them and replace with new.

The Bishop House's with the LDS church has great prices on bulk buy of beans, rice, wheat, etc. They sell with a smile to Gentiles. Just do yourself a favor and pay cash as the FBI has been visiting Bishop House's of late asking for info on people who buy large amounts of food. I wrote about this awhile back (Check the archives).

What Nemo wrote certainly works and that is how we use to put stuff in 5 gallon pails. Now we just use O2 absorbers and Mylar bags. Before we close up a bucket I throw in a handful of hard candies just for kicks and giggles. This is part of the archives too or just scroll through the Sustenance board.

Anyhow, use what ya' gotz and buy a 25# bag of beans from the Bishop House in your area. Follow Nemo's link to the one closest to you.   
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Expired beans... to store or not to store?
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2015, 02:01:00 PM »
Until a number of years ago, vegetables in a can did not last very long.
The government, along with the producers made the canneries put expiration dates on the labels of everything, even tooth paste.
If you go by what the label says and you throw away everything past its expiration date, if TSHTF you are going to die or be dead in about 6 months, so basically I am peeing in the wind here.
As I said to the manager of a food pantry last month, there is no expiration date on eggs.
They had a truck load of free eggs and were giving them away to anyone that wanted some and were advising to put them in water and if any of them floated - they were no good.
I told them of an easier way.

Take an egg and crack it open and put it in a bowl.
If it is the right color, put it into another bowl, if it is the wrong color, throw it away.
You can freeze eggs!
As long as they are kept refrigerated, they will keep 6 to 9 months!

Dehydrated food - geesh, give me a break!  You people gots to be the dumbest people I ever saw!
They found seeds and food inside of King Tut's tomb and those dried vegetables were still editable - although they didn't know if there was any kind of disease that they might have - means to being that they were so old.

People have found elephants and prehistoric animals frozen in ice in glaciers and they thawed out the meat and ate it and said it was still good!

If the world comes to an end, and there is no more food available, you need to be adaptive.
Even if it means eating canned dog food..

Planting gardens might supplement your home budget, but if you have to BUG OUT =- you aren't gonna be able to uproot your crop and take it with you!
If you have to BUG OUT - you probably aren't going to be able to plant a crop this year!
So that means that you will have to survive until sometime next year, where you can plant a new crop, hope it grows and live until your plants produces.
That is a very big IF!

If you don't realize this - then what the heck are you doing hanging out on a Preppers Forum?