# powdered milk



## MaryV (Jan 31, 2009)

I have stored my powdered milk in mason jars and kept in the dark. do you think it will keep for a few years? also i have instant potato flakes in mason jars. i am hoping they will both store like that for a while. Problem with this is that i have a few stacks of mason jar boxes now and they seem heavy and maybe there is a better way to store these items. I have been busy the past few days putting these jars up. I also am doing the butter in jars. I am getting quite a stash in just a short time, its kinda fun...


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

according to http://survivalacres.com/information/shelflife.html "15 year old potato flakes were tested with positive and impressive results."

the chart 1/3 of the way down the page is quite impressive

Do you have a vacuum sealer usable on jars?

Dry milk products are probably the most sensitive to environmental conditions storage foods there are, particularly to temperature and moisture content. Their vitamins A and D are also photosensitive and will break down rapidly if exposed to light.

The area where your dry milk is stored should be kept as cool as possible. If it is possible to do so, air-conditioning or even refrigeration can greatly extend the nutrient shelf life.

If the storage container is transparent or translucent then it should be put into a second container opaque to light or stored in a dark room.

Dry milk will absorb moisture and odors from the air so storage containers should be impervious to both air and moisture. The drier it can be kept, the better it will keep. The use of desiccants is an excellent idea. Oxygen also speeds decomposition. Powdered milk canned with nitrogen or carbon dioxide to replace air (which contains oxygen) will keep longer than powdered milk exposed to air. Vacuum canning or oxygen absorbers will also decrease the available oxygen.

If the dry milk purchased was not packaged for long term storage then it should be repackaged right away.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Can you make dry milk at home?


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## MaryV (Jan 31, 2009)

I found a site where I can buy oxygen absorbers. I can put those in the top of each jar of milk and potato flakes, that should keep them good. mason jars are kept in the boxes they came in keeping them dark, and i do have a/c so I will keep the apt cool in the warm weather. I realise I can store a lot of food in this apartment. I would be fine for a long time now as long as there is water and electric. But I cant yet worry about that, first I am storing food.

I dont yet have one of those foodsaver vacuum sealer thingys...I was looking at them on a website here in Canada and there are many kinds of them, plus attachments for sealing lids on jars, some of these items are on sale so I am considering whether to make one more financial investment and buy it. that would make it possible to seal the mason jar lids on with an airtight seal. but wow, I am spending a lot, lol. But it is an investment. my daughter and her family they arent storing food or saving anything, so I am doing it for us all. Maybe I will ask her for a donation towards OUR food storage, since my food storage will also be theirs...


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## MaryV (Jan 31, 2009)

I dont think you can make powdered milk at home, not sure, but never heard of any way to do that.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

MaryV said:


> I dont yet have one of those foodsaver vacuum sealer thingys... I was looking at them on a website here in Canada and there are many kinds of them, plus attachments for sealing lids on jars, some of these items are on sale so I am considering whether to make one more financial investment and buy it. that would make it possible to seal the mason jar lids on with an airtight seal. but wow, I am spending a lot, lol.


You can buy the mason jar attachment for about $10 & then attach an automotive brake 'bleeder' hand pump (for $20) to vacuum out the air @ 25-30 psi (it has a gauge), if you don't feel like shelling out $100+ for a food vac.


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

The_Blob said:


> You can buy the mason jar attachment for about $10 & then attach an automotive brake 'bleeder' hand pump (for $20) to vacuum out the air @ 25-30 psi (it has a gauge), if you don't feel like shelling out $100+ for a food vac.


Blob, are you talking about something like this ?FoodSaverÂ® Wide Mouth Jar Sealer
Can I use this to seal the lid on a jar and than remove the adapter or does it become the lid and stay on the jar? The web page doesn't say. Thanks


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## MaryV (Jan 31, 2009)

as far as I know, that fits over a jar with its own lid, seals it, then you remove it and the jar is sealed.


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

Yes, thank you. I found a video on youtube that showed how to use it. They even reused regular glass jars by putting the whole jar into a vacuum canister and evacuating it. They put on the lid and left it just alittle loose. The vacuum would suck down the lid and seal. They pushed the tamper button to see if it held. Great idea! I have recycled tons of jelly and pickle jars. Now I need to keep'em


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## MaryV (Jan 31, 2009)

I just bought a foodsaver with all the attachments. I got it on sale half price so it was worth the buy. I wish now i had saved all my spaghetti sauce jars and jam jars, but I can check around my apt bldg see if others have any they dont want. plus i have lots of mason jars. I just found macaroni on sale so i bought up a bunch of it and will vacpac it all up.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

MaryV said:


> I have stored my powdered milk in mason jars and kept in the dark. do you think it will keep for a few years? also i have instant potato flakes in mason jars. i am hoping they will both store like that for a while. Problem with this is that i have a few stacks of mason jar boxes now and they seem heavy and maybe there is a better way to store these items. I have been busy the past few days putting these jars up. I also am doing the butter in jars. I am getting quite a stash in just a short time, its kinda fun...


I use my dry-milk weekly. I use some "older" TupperWare containers (Flour, Suger, Coffee, Tea) that I fill with my dry-goods. White flour in one. Brown flour in one. Dry milk in one. The fourth one I don't think that I am using. I have a large glass-jar from a restaurant that I used to work at filled with sugar (for baking) and Ikea counter-top jars for the rest of my regularly used dry-goods (noodles, sugar, etc)

Leavin' the dry-goods in the original packages is generally the best idea. The manufacture will "dry-seal" the packages with nitrogen after sucking out all the atmosphere. That is why packaged products have such a long shelf-life vs. just trying to get all the air out (which is virtually impossible with your standard "home grade" vac-sealer).


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## JW Parker (Oct 18, 2008)

When you are pulling a vacuum on a glass jar, What should the vaucum pressure gague read at the point you make the seal ???

I'm having a real problem getting the lid off the jar and the jars seem to be much easier to break. I broke two jars trying to get the lids off. Had to punch a hole in the lid to get it off the third jar.


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