[Homesteadingfamily] Storage of grains (or beans and rice)

This post will deal with preparing grains for long term storage.
I will begin with fumigation.

Wheat and most grains may be purchased in pails already vacuum sealed with nitrogen or oxygen absorbers. This is by far, the easiest method. If you chose to do it yourself, I will give you several options here of how to, from the easiest to the most difficult. The fumigation process in and of itself will not hurt the grains long term, but will reduce the infestation of critters in your food. Most commodities such as grains, will be air washed, blowing away chaff, debris, small pebbles and BUGS. However the EGGS of most of these bugs are microscopically tiny! Even though the adults are cleaned out(in most cases), the eggs can and do attach to the grains, thus surviving the cleaning processes and into your bag or pail. If the environment in the pail is devoid of oxygen, the eggs cannot hatch. This is the sole purpose for fumigating the grains.

DRY ICE METHOD:
Dry ice may be purchased even locally these days...Ingles Markets have it as well as most ice companies. Prices will vary from 50cents - $1+ per pound. You will need approxiamtely 1/4 pound per 6-7 gallon pail.
Place the grain into the pail...fill to within 2" from the top of the pail. Cut a 6-7" square of brown paper bag or a small paper towel will work, and place it onto the top of the grain. Place the gasketed lid on top and seal with a rubber mallet about half way around. LEAVE THE LID PARTIALLY OPEN for about 10 minutes, until the ice begins to raise the oxygen to the top to exit the pail. This allows some of the carbon dioxide gas to escape because it is heavier than the oxygen. Watch the
container every few minutes to make sure that it is not pulling too strong of a vacuum...it can and will concave the pail to the point of cracking it! Before sealing the lid down all the way, "burp" the lid a time or two, then hammer down all the way. Label and store.
When you open the pail for use, just remove the paper and discard.

OXYGEN ABSORBER METHOD
Fill the pail to within 2" of the top of the pail. Place the required amount of O2 absorbers on top of the grain. Seal the pail immediately!
These absorbers begin to work as soon as they are exposed to the atmosphere. So, work fairly quickly here, but not at a frantic pace! We get all of our pails ready...then place the absorbers inside, then come back and begin hammering the lids into place. Label and store. When ready for use, discard the O2 absorber. O2 absorbers may not be reused.

NITROGEN METHOD
This is the method preferred by most vendors. However, unless you are used to working with gases, it may not be the choice for home sealing.
First, you must obtain a tank of nitrogen or see if a local welding gas company will do it for you for a small charge.
You will need a metal tube about 1/4" in diameter about 10" longer than the tallest pail you intend to use. Bend the bottom 4" of the tube slightly to make a "J" shape, but do not crimp the tube. This tube must be hooked to the line on the regulator on the nitrogen tank. After filling the pail, run the J tube all the way down to the bottom of tha filled pail and release the gas for about 10 seconds. Pull the tube up as you slowly stop the gas. Place the lid on and hammer down all the way around. Label and store