# Storage Crackers



## OldCootHillbilly

So six months ago I vac sealed some ritz crackers in a mason jar (an a jar fer 1 year and another fer 1 1/2 years). So tonight I opened em up an they was just as good as the day I sealed em up.

Now we gotta wait another 6 months ta try the next jar.

I got some left over corn flakes I'm gonna seal up fer the next test.


----------



## Geek999

OldCootHillbilly said:


> So six months ago I vac sealed some ritz crackers in a mason jar (an a jar fer 1 year and another fer 1 1/2 years). So tonight I opened em up an they was just as good as the day I sealed em up.
> 
> Now we gotta wait another 6 months ta try the next jar.
> 
> I got some left over corn flakes I'm gonna seal up fer the next test.


I wish you'd sealed up a few for up to 20 years. I'd like to know how they hold up!


----------



## Dixie

I "can" all of my cereals and crackers in 1/2 gallon jars. I can't help you with 20 years, but I know they stay good for 5 years at least. As long as they stay sealed and in a cool place.


----------



## Caribou

Do either of you use an O2 packet in the process?


----------



## Dixie

I don't. I just vacuum seal them.


----------



## nightwing

*Make your own oxygen absorbers*

Should anyone want to make their own oxygen absorbers

salt and iron filings or steel wool in equal amounts (size proportional)
in muslin cloth as it is very tight weave 
use their sizing for cubic inch and feet use wire ties to close.

the salt converts the oxygen by trapping it as rust on the iron filings
or steel wool.

for short term a year I keep crackers in a vacuum storage bag 
put them in use the vacuum cleaner to seal not so tight as to
crush the boxes but it does suck them in when I need a box 
open it and reseal.

I like the long term mason jar method just got to stack them well 
to use all the space.


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

From what research I've been a doin, this seems ta be perty much the same thin they do with the old civil defense crackers cept they was in a metal container. I tried some a them once what was forty plus years old. Still tasted fine an were nice an crispy. This ain't no different other then it be a glass jar stead a metal can. I thin as long as the seal be maintained, kept in a cool an dark place, they should last almost indefinitely. 

I don't use o2 absorbers much. My vac sealer does a good job an my storage area be nice an dry. We run a dehumidifier down there year round.


----------



## Country Living

We oven-canned our saltines and Ritz crackers. It gets the moisture out as well as seals the jars.


----------



## Caribou

Country Living said:


> We oven-canned our saltines and Ritz crackers. It gets the moisture out as well as seals the jars.


Interesting. Temp & time?


----------



## JayJay

Caribou said:


> Interesting. Temp & time?


Unless your oven requires less electricity than mine, it may be cheaper to use a vacuum sealer(cheap one for $35 from HSN ).
I have ritz, saltines, and animal crackers sealed using the accessory hose and the jar sealer from Amazon.

*I don't use o2 absorbers much. My vac sealer does a good job an my storage area be nice an dry.*

Me too--what he said. Never used an absorber.


----------



## Country Living

Caribou said:


> Interesting. Temp & time?







*Dry Pack Canning Crackers*

Put crackers in a clean jar. Put on lid and ring. make sure to wipe rim before putting on lid.
Use a cold oven. 
Put jars in the cold oven and do not let the jars touch.
Set oven to 225 degrees
Start timing when oven reaches temperature.
*
Timing*

20 minutes pint
30 minutes quart
45 minutes half gallon

The shelf life is supposed to be about 10 years if stored in a cool dry place.

We put a sleeve of saltines in a quart jar. One bag of soup crackers went in six jelly jars. The Ritz crackers were five sleeves for seven pint jars.


----------



## VoorTrekker

Check the ingredients of your cracker. If they have any vegetable oil in them the crackers will go rancid after 2-3 years. 

Crackers without veg. oil will last decades.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I did a test run last year vac packing Keebler and Nabisco saltines. The Keebler were rancid within 6 months. The Nabisco fared better. The Ritz are still fine after 1 1/2 years.


----------



## JayJay

Country Living said:


> *Dry Pack Canning Crackers*
> 
> Put crackers in a clean jar. Put on lid and ring. make sure to wipe rim before putting on lid.
> Use a cold oven.
> Put jars in the cold oven and do not let the jars touch.
> Set oven to 225 degrees
> Start timing when oven reaches temperature.
> *
> Timing*
> 
> 20 minutes pint
> 30 minutes quart
> 45 minutes half gallon
> 
> The shelf life is supposed to be about 10 years if stored in a cool dry place.
> 
> We put a sleeve of saltines in a quart jar. One bag of soup crackers went in six jelly jars. The Ritz crackers were five sleeves for seven pint jars.


Ouch--I left my jars in the oven at 125 for 2 hours. Uh--oh!!


----------



## JayJay

UPDATE:
I just found a pint widemouth jar of oven sealed crackers dated October, 2014 mixed with other quart jars of crackers.
Well, you could never tell they are 20 months old!! 
I will now be assured that I can save crackers for 20 months using the oven seal method.

Peanut butter--you now have a necessary home on those shelves!


----------



## terri9630

I "can" all my cereal and crackers. A few years ago, when we had lots of rain, we had a HUGE mouse problem and started putting everything they might be able to get into in jars. Everything came home and came out of packages and into jars. We found that things last much longer vacuum sealed in glass.


----------



## midwestmom

Ummm.....what else can I do this with????


----------



## terri9630

midwestmom said:


> Ummm.....what else can I do this with????


Cookies, cereal, crackers, pancake mix, sugar, rice, beans, home made or store bought mixes of every kind, marshmallows, pasta....... Absolutely everything that comes in a box, package or bag goes into a jar and gets vacuum sealed at my house. I don't vacuum seal things with "packets" unless I cut a slit into them as the vacuum sealer will/can cause them to explode. Found that out with a package of jello pudding mix.


----------



## readytogo

I started to stored crackers sometime ago but after a while they got in my way of space and the flavor deteriorated somewhat ,the time and materials involved also was not worth it so I make my own from my basic supplies of stored goods;flour,sugar,lard,salt, they are fresh and they will last a few days in a tight container ,also a flour tortilla can be turn into a cracker by just drying in a hot oven over night.


----------



## midwestmom

I'm learning as fast as I can, but please be tolerant of some more questions. Is vacuum sealing in glass better for those things than storing them in the sealed mylar bags? I'm not having a lot of luck with the oxygen thingys. They don't seem to be working (if the bag is supposed to collapse closed), but I am squeezing as much air out as I can before sealing the mylar and the stuff inside the mylar is inside a zip lock with all the air squished out. Can you seal meats (like jerky/salami) inside mylar or is it better to vacuum seal? Sorry for bugging everyone, but this seems like the ones place I can ask questions without folks trying to sell me stuff.


----------



## JayJay

terri9630 said:


> Cookies, cereal, crackers, pancake mix, sugar, rice, beans, home made or store bought mixes of every kind, marshmallows, pasta....... Absolutely everything that comes in a box, package or bag goes into a jar and gets vacuum sealed at my house. I don't vacuum seal things with "packets" unless I cut a slit into them as the vacuum sealer will/can cause them to explode. Found that out with a package of jello pudding mix.


I do this also, but my oven-canned saltines are lasting 2 years in storage compared to 1 year only vacuum sealed. And I am guessing oven-canned crackers will last much longer; haven't had them canned longer than 20 months so far.
I was told the heating in the oven makes the process better for crackers.


----------



## HardCider

Nice thing about dry canning beans or rice is you can presoak them right in the jar before you cook them if you use smaller sized servings like pint or quart jars


----------



## Caribou

midwestmom said:


> I'm learning as fast as I can, but please be tolerant of some more questions. Is vacuum sealing in glass better for those things than storing them in the sealed mylar bags? I'm not having a lot of luck with the oxygen thingys. They don't seem to be working (if the bag is supposed to collapse closed), but I am squeezing as much air out as I can before sealing the mylar and the stuff inside the mylar is inside a zip lock with all the air squished out. Can you seal meats (like jerky/salami) inside mylar or is it better to vacuum seal? Sorry for bugging everyone, but this seems like the ones place I can ask questions without folks trying to sell me stuff.


The thing about putting your crackers in jars is that they should be better protected. If you vacuum seal in mylar the crackers are far more likely to be damaged physically.

You might want to double check your O2 absorbers. I have had O2 absorbers go bad in their original unopened package because the package was a permeable plastic. The other potential problem you might be having is not getting a good seal.


----------



## Country Living

Caribou said:


> You might want to double check your O2 absorbers. I have had O2 absorbers go bad in their original unopened package because the package was a permeable plastic. The other potential problem you might be having is not getting a good seal.


I lost a couple of bags of oxygen absorber packages early on because I left them in their original packaging so I started putting them in pint canning jars as soon as I receive them. I prefer the pints because I usually don't need that many oxygen absorbers at one time.


----------



## weedygarden

midwestmom said:


> I'm learning as fast as I can, but please be tolerant of some more questions. Is vacuum sealing in glass better for those things than storing them in the sealed mylar bags? I'm not having a lot of luck with the oxygen thingys. They don't seem to be working (if the bag is supposed to collapse closed), but I am squeezing as much air out as I can before sealing the mylar and the stuff inside the mylar is inside a zip lock with all the air squished out. Can you seal meats (like jerky/salami) inside mylar or is it better to vacuum seal? Sorry for bugging everyone, but this seems like the ones place I can ask questions without folks trying to sell me stuff.


I didn't learn about mylar when I first learned about food storage. I bought myself some bags and am not as in love with them as many others are. I find they get holes in them easily and then they are serving no good purpose. I use my food sealer to seal them, but if food has too many sharp points, like garbanzos, there are holes. If you store food that is too powdery, it gets in the way of sealing it. But that is me! Many people are very happy with mylar. They are not mouse proof either.

I have lots of things in quart canning jars. What I do varies. Sometimes I vacuum seal them, other times I use oxygen absorbers.

Oxygen absorbers need to be stored in air tight containers. I bought some that came in a plastic bag that was sealed. I used some, sealed the bag, but they eventually lost their effectiveness. Now I keep them in canning jars.

I think dry canning in the oven is a fabulous way to go, but I have never done it.

I have come to like storing food in quart canning jars the absolute best. Now that I have so many cases of them, they stack up easily. I print out a label for what jars is in each case and put it inside the original plastic so I can tell what I have. When I have an empty jar, I can re-use it for so many other things. I like that I can keep a narrow shelf of these jars in my kitchen and always have some there. When it is gone, I can get another jar or open a larger container, such as a bucket or #10 can and refill it.

I realize your question is about how to best preserve your food, but a quart jar can easily be sealed with a food saver or even in the oven, what ever strikes your fancy or works at the moment.


----------



## jazzy12

i like to do this dry canning method with nuts. almonds and walnuts especially. when they are on sale around the holidays i buy as much as i can then dry can them. i have some almonds and walnuts at least 4yrs old and they are as fresh as can be. i keep the jars in the basement where it is cooler and dark. 

ive done alot of different dry goods and heard of canning crackers but have not tried it yet, cant wait to get to the store to buy some.

ive also dry caned loose leaf teas and tea bags with very good results.


----------



## pmondo

why waste canning jars when you can vac seal 2 whole boxes at a time in a vac bag


----------



## terri9630

pmondo said:


> why waste canning jars when you can vac seal 2 whole boxes at a time in a vac bag


Mice.

WHY must we have 10 characters?


----------



## weedygarden

pmondo said:


> why waste canning jars when you can vac seal 2 whole boxes at a time in a vac bag


There is difference between using and wasting. Using a canning jar is not wasting it. It is using, and it can be reused many times over.

I bought some mylar bags and tried to seal up lentils and other legumes. Not a fan of mylar! Nope! My food sealer has an attachment for canning jars that removes the air and seals them.

Now all of my small batch legumes and similar type items are in canning jars. When the jars are empty, they can be reused. If mylar gets a hole or two in it, it is worthless.

http://orangejeepdad.blogspot.com/2013/10/our-first-country-problem-rodents.html
I am not copying all his photos, but you can see all the waste on his blog.
Our First Country Problem: Rodents Attacked Our Food Storage



> Rodent damage to our Hard White Wheat bags.
> Having lived in the city for the last 21 years, we have had to deal with ants, roaches, spiders, and noisy crickets. Never once did we have to deal with a rodent problem and likewise never had to defend our plentiful food storage.
> 
> In 2010, we constantly bought as much food storage as we could afford. I was working the equivalent of two jobs and we were lucky enough to pack away a year's worth of food for our family of eight. That was no small accomplishment.
> 
> We proudly displayed it on our kitchen loft for many months until a SurvivalBlog article got me to thinking "Maybe I shouldn't make this public knowledge." Some strategically placed cutouts turned our kitchen loft into a nice hidden cache. I found work lockers to be another great place to store additional food and put up a good 30-40 cans of soup there.
> 
> Another food storage casualty.
> So our food storage had been safe...until now. When we packed up our food storage to relocate to northern Arizona, I made a great score in finding a DAILY discarding of big, wide meat boxes from our local Walmart butcher. These boxes held a ton, had nice notches for handles on the sides and were very sturdy. Before I returned from my Oklahoma journey, Wifey had packed 117 boxes with the help of the girls.
> 
> The food storage we bought in #10 cans was still in it's original boxing. The rest of our food storage was packed in mylar bags with oxygen eaters courtesy of our local LDS Cannery. We packed hundreds of these mylar bags in boxes from Walmart and lugged them north. Little did I know, field mice were on standby, waiting for our arrival...and the handy little handle holes on the side of each box meant INSTANT ACCESS for our new friends.
> 
> They got several rice bags.
> I also didn't know that mice would chew right through our cardboard boxes to get to our powdered milk. Even the mylar bags proved no barrier for their little nibblers. We discovered tragedy today when we were looking through boxes for handles to add to the little girls' clubhouse wall. There they were, plain as day...mouse turds, all over the inside of the box.
> 
> As we began moving boxes away from the wall, the horror became more clear. They had chewed through the cardboard on several boxes and contents were spilled out onto the floor. We've been here three weeks and today we pulled 21 mylar bags aside that had holes in the bags.
> 
> So we spent half of our Sunday, which was very enjoyable up to this point, taking food storage out of cardboard boxes and putting them into home depot buckets and plastic boxes with secure lids.
> 
> Our question now is: "What do we do with the damaged items?" Do we have to throw it away? Some bags have such small holes in them that it seems hardly large enough to squeeze a rice grain through it. Having worked so hard to save up the money AND bag it all ourselves, I'm hoping somebody can tell me how to save this stuff. I guess the worst case scenario would be to feed it to chickens, once we get some more.
> 
> Besides the rice, we also lost: (PHOTO)
> 
> All these bags have tiny little holes in them ranging from the large ones I imaged at the top of this post to little bitty holes only big enough for one grain of rice to slip through. So, are any of these salvageable? Should we dump them out and sift it for rodent feces to see if the bag got contaminated? Can we make the powdered milk and boil it or something to make it safe to drink?
> 
> I hope it's not all wasted.


----------



## JayJay

_*why waste canning jars when you can vac seal 2 whole boxes at a time in a vac bag*_

Good luck with that--be sure to taste them in 9-12 months --YUK!!
My oven canned, sealed crackers will be great tasting for a long time.


----------



## LastOutlaw

You know the title of this thread would be a good name for a tv show about white guys who buy storage lockers at auction.

"STORAGE CRACKERS" tonight at 8 on A&E!


----------

