How to Can Flour for SHTF
Have you ever considered canning flour? I hadn’t considered it to be honest, until someone brought it up to me the other day. I looked into it, and it makes sense.
First, using flour in our household goes in waves. Some months we are using it several days a week and go through quite a bit of it. Then, we go through a dry spell and it can sit in the cupboard for quite a while. So, I really never know how much to have on hand, because it might not be any good the next time we get into a baking frenzy.
Second, I know I can store it in airtight containers, which will help boost the shelf life. However, airtight containers can be bulky, especially if you have an abundance of flour to store.
Canning it in individual jars that can sit all together on a shelf, or spread them out to fit your space issues, makes a lot of sense for our household. And, it just might for yours as well. Please note that this method provides shelf life for at least 5 years, depending on how cool and dry your storage space is during that time.
A side tip before we begin: freezing flour will also help in killing off weevil eggs that may, or may not have entered a bag of flour before you even purchased it. Do this before you can it, or even if you don’t plan on canning.
Supplies
The supply list is a simple one, with many of the items probably already on hand. Take a look:
- Flour
- Canning jars and lids
- Funnel
- Clean paper towel to wipe the jar rims
- Oven mitts or towel
- Marker to date the jars.
You can do this method with any size bag or bags of flour as you want. The size of jars needs to make sense to your particular needs. If you go through a lot of flour, then larger jars would be best. However, if you don’t use it that often but came across a good sale on flour, then smaller jars would work.
For this particular project, I am using small jars, and not as much flour as I normally would work with, due to a shortage of flour in our area at this current time. All the more reason to buy in bulk and can it when the opportunity comes up!
Instructions
This process is so simple, you will wonder why you haven’t done this before now! Before beginning, make sure to sterilize the jars and lids, and thoroughly dry them before adding the flour. Any moisture in the jars or lids at all, and you could ruin the batch.
Preheat the oven to 215° Fahrenheit. Fill each sterilized jar, using the funnel, to the rim.
Tap down the jars to settle the flour so you can get more in each one. Fill it to the rim again. Repeat this step until you are sure the flour is settled down as much as it will go.
Place the filled jars on a baking tray or pan so they don’t tip, then place in the oven WITHOUT lids. Heat for 90-120 minutes.
Once time is up, carefully remove each jar from the oven, one at a time. With a paper towel, wipe just the rim, so there isn’t any flour residue that could prevent a good seal.
Place the lid on and tight it. Leave them out on the counter for several hours or overnight to cool completely, and the lids should seal.
Let it cool before placing in a cool and dark storage space. Once they are cooled, you can also use a marker to write down the date you canned this batch. This will help to know when the shelf life is nearing its end.
And, that is it! You can safely keep your abundance of flour for a few years, without taking up so much bulky space that airtight containers can bring.
