July 16, 2018 - 6:06am
Bugs in my berries :-((
I found a few bugs in my favorite berries. I am not making plans to trash them.
I have a retarder that is capable of at least 32 degrees (F) below freezing. If I freeze the lot will I have a problem with humidity when I put the berries back into storage? I use pails with sealed Gamma lids.
Your help is appreciated.
Dan
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As long as you don't open the bags until they're completely thawed to room temperature, the moisture won't get in.
Fanastic, I just got off the phone with the merchant and he pretty much confirmed what you said.
Any idea how long I should keep the grain frozen in order to kill any living things?
Thanks
Dan
Oxygen deprivation will also kill off the little beasts and it has the advantage of not producing condensation. It can be accomplished by using an oxygen absorber in a sealed, airtight container. The 'lead time' will probably be a little longer than freezing but it is very energy and space efficient. I purchase bulk grain in 25-50 lb. bags and buckets and one vendor packs their product for long term storage, 30 years or so of shelf life, by using the absorbers in sealed buckets. I buy the absorbers from PackFreshUSA online and use them when repacking the grains in sealed buckets that I purchased in bags or unprotected bulk containers. If you use a thick enough bucket you won't even hear the little pests gasping as they expire. : )
Thanks, I need to look into this.
Dan
Increase the protein content of the flour?
Even if you do find an efficient way around this Dan do you still want them in your flour?
Before I even read your post, I guessed your responce <LOL>
Yea, the merchant told me to freeze the grain for 3 days and then sift out the bugs. I replied, “and lose all the protein”.
Dan
Read an article a few years ago that claimed retail flour should be frozen for three days as it will kill the parent bugs & the eggs that were probably laid in the product. I have used this method for the KA/Publix BF that I buy and it has been successful. Regarding dead bugs in the flour... here in the US most food products are allowed so many parts "of stuff"per pound/ounce,etc. Since I grind all my WW, am more concerned about small pebbles in the grain than bugs.
I do freeze grain on occasion and then grind it after all moisture is gone.To be on the safe side, I place it on a sheet tray and leave on counter - away from the cooking area - for a few days and also risk teeth by biting into a few grains.
FLBaker, you said - “I do freeze grain on occasion and then grind it after all moisture is gone”.
How do you remove the miosture and how do you know when it is gone?
Dan
Dan, I usually order various wheat berries from Amazon and rye berries, too. I almost always freeze some or all. About 2/3 day before grinding, I remove the amount I need and place them on a sheet tray or cookie sheet ( spread the berries out so no clumps) - away from the stove or sink or pressure cooker - and just let my air conditioning do its thing. It seems to work with my Komo just fine. Hope this helps.
I also have a KoMo. Love that machine... I may be lucky, I’ve ground for years and never had the stones clog.
I probably had the mill fot 10 years or more and just a month or so, I took a look at the stones for the first time. Did I say, I love me KoMo ;-))
Thanks for the input.
Dan
First few times using defrosted berries, once they were no longer cool to the touch, I put them in a slightly warm oven preheated to 200 degrees -which was then turned off and waited until I could touch oven shelves, then put berries in for a few hours and then put on the counter for 2/3 days. But now just leave on counter.
Nancy
I ground my first batch of rye today. There were some bugs in the berries. Not a lot, I saw about 3 bugs in 1.5 cups of berries. Any reason I can't grind and use in bread immediately, I mean, the bugs don't destroy the flour do they unless there is a lot of them... right?
I am worried about infestations long term, so, I am going to look at all y'alls advice to figure out how to handle the remaining berries. But, just curious about the short term problem.
Thanks!