Dry-pack canning helps people follow the advice to store a supply of life sustaining foods, especially in these uncertain times. Shabbat School provides dry-pack canning equipment and the cans for packaging bulk, dried foods that are brought in to the cannery.
 

Advantages of Dry-Pack Canning

• Airtight (hermetically sealed) #10 cans that are flushed with carbon dioxide or with the provided oxygen absorber packs to protect products from moisture, insects, and rodents.
• Number 10 cans, 7" high by 6" diameter, one gallon in volume, are easy to handle, move, and store. Cartons, sized to hold 6 cans for easy transport and storage, are provided by the cannery.  A standard plastic 1.1 kilo coffee can lid fits on the top of opened cans to preserve the contents until they are used up. However, containers other than #10 cans may be used to store the foodstuffs they have brought if members choose.
• Foodstuffs recommended for dry-pack canning have been selected based on their ability to retain flavor and nutritional values. Grains are fairly stable over time as whole grains, but they begin to develop stale flavors soon after the seed coat is broken by milling or cracking. For example, wheat kernels 10,000 years old have been successfully planted and sprouted. Whole grains and legumes can be sprouted as a substitute for vitamin supplements. Products with a high oil or moisture content should not be dry-packed.

 

Storage
 

• Store dry-pack items in a cool (approximately 70F) dry location, away from sunlight.
• Store on shelves or on raised platforms rather than directly in contact with concrete floors or walls to avoid moisture damage.

Shelf life varies according to product and storage conditions. Although the nutritional value will last longer, for best results, under normal conditions, the products listed below should be used as follows:
 

Wheat, Corn, Sugar	- 8 years	Macaroni, Spaghetti, Soup Mix   Onions, Carrots	- 3 years
Beans, Lentils, Peas	- 5 years	White Rice, White Flour, Non-fat Dry Milk,   Rolled Oats, Juice Mix	- 2 years

 
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