Silly question about food storage

[Guest guest]

Hi! I have had your problem, and ended up putting everything in freezer Ziploc

bags, and then storing them in the refrigerator on one shelf. I didn't keep any

of the infected foods, but got rid of them, and when I brought in the new foods,

I labeled my bags, and put the date on the bag with a Sharpie marker, and then

put the items in the food storage bags, and closed them well, squeezing out all

the air, and then into the refrigerator they go. I try to pat the bags down into

flat pancake style, so that more can sit in there, one atop the other, flat.

That is the only way I know to keep the bugs out. Then I sprayed insecticide in

my cupboards (saying a " sorry, and I hope you have better luck next time " - in

case there is reincarnation), and waited a day, and then sprayed again, and then

wiped them out with paper towels, and a clean soapy rag, which I threw away

afterwards. Because the bugs can leave their larvae anywhere, and I wanted them

OUT of my cupboards. They can get into ANYTHING! Except metal cans, and I

wouldn't be surprised if they could find a way to get into those! I have huge

clear glass canisters, and I keep them full - I put a Ziploc bag in each of

them, the largest I can find, and dump my flours into the bags, zip them shut,

and then put the lid on the canister, and so far, so good. They've been in there

for over a year now, with no bugs in them.

Annie Littlewolf

 

-

itshotinjt04

Saturday, December 12, 2009 12:31 PM

[veg_grp] Silly question about food storage

 

 

 

As I was going through my cupboards looking for all of my baking staples, I

came across a bag of dill weed that had found it's way buried under things and

in the back. There were holes in it and at closer inspection, I saw that bugs

had gotten into it. Ugh. Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of

cornmeal. Other than putting the spices into spice jars, how do I keep the bugs

out of these things? They apparently eat through plastic bags and find cracks in

boxes. Do I have to put them into plastic or glass containers? Would paper bags

work (because my flour still seems fine)? I'm just glad they didn't get into my

other baking supplies beacuse almost everything comes in plastic these days!

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Glass containers are the only thing I've found that works 100% of the

time, but I think bay leaves and little muslin bags of dried lavender

on cabinet shelves are also helpful. I know some people like cayenne,

too, but I worry about forgetting and getting it in my eyes or on one

of the cats. I also keep a fair amount of things like sugar in the

refrigerator, esp. at buggy times of the year, and periodically take

everything off the shelves, inspect it, and wipe down the jars and

shelves with vinegar.Hope this helps! Peace, Mo

 

itshotinjt04 wrote:

> As I was going through my cupboards looking for all of my baking staples, I

came across a bag of dill weed that had found it's way buried under things and

in the back. There were holes in it and at closer inspection, I saw that bugs

had gotten into it. Ugh. Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of

cornmeal. Other than putting the spices into spice jars, how do I keep the bugs

out of these things? They apparently eat through plastic bags and find cracks in

boxes. Do I have to put them into plastic or glass containers? Would paper bags

work (because my flour still seems fine)? I'm just glad they didn't get into my

other baking supplies beacuse almost everything comes in plastic these days!

> Thanks in advance!

[Guest guest]

Glass containers will keep the bugs out.

Mae Jean

[Guest guest]

A also use glass containers. They are a sure bet.

 

Buck

 

, " Granny Mae Jean " <gran_mae wrote:

>

> Glass containers will keep the bugs out.

> Mae Jean

>

[Guest guest]

I get those types of bugs (my mother called them 'mealy bugs') all the time. I'm

thinking even that they are in the store before you bring home the items and

they simply multiply. You say they eat through the plastic, I can imagine that.

I use containers that have the hinged lids where they fold down and it's hard

for anything to fit into these things. :-) I got mine at JC Penney's, but you

can get them almost anywhere now. They are usually square and have very tight

fitting lids. Just a thought. Of course, the thing that REALLY keeps them away

is the refrigerator. Cindi

 

 

 

 

________________________________

itshotinjt04 <itshotinjt04

 

Sat, December 12, 2009 12:31:48 PM

[veg_grp] Silly question about food storage

 

 

As I was going through my cupboards looking for all of my baking staples, I came

across a bag of dill weed that had found it's way buried under things and in the

back. There were holes in it and at closer inspection, I saw that bugs had

gotten into it. Ugh. Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal.

Other than putting the spices into spice jars, how do I keep the bugs out of

these things? They apparently eat through plastic bags and find cracks in boxes.

Do I have to put them into plastic or glass containers? Would paper bags work

(because my flour still seems fine)? I'm just glad they didn't get into my other

baking supplies beacuse almost everything comes in plastic these days!

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Now you made me think, Annie. I put flour in the freezer. Is that wrong? (for

the flour I mean...will it hurt anything about the flour?) Also, I just want to

mention that IF the bugs are reincarnated, I hope they are forgiving or don't

know you ... no, only kidding. :-) I don't believe in reincarnation so that

doesn't particularly bother me when I kill them. Better them than me I figure.

[Guest guest]

What kind of lids do your glass containers have?

 Diana

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I keep baking staples and everything else that weevils can get into in plastic

containers, in glass jars or in the fridge or the freezer.

Nancy C.

East Texas

[Guest guest]

Hi Cindi! No, freezing won't hurt the flour, but do let it come to room temp

before trying to make yeast-rising bread with it.

Annie

 

-

Cindi Waters

Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:11 PM

Re: [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage

 

 

 

Now you made me think, Annie. I put flour in the freezer. Is that wrong? (for

the flour I mean...will it hurt anything about the flour?)

 

.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

________________________________

Annie Littlewolf <mkdebord

 

Sun, December 13, 2009 11:08:57 AM

Re: [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage

 

 

Hi Cindi! No, freezing won't hurt the flour, but do let it come to room temp

before trying to make yeast-rising bread with it.

Annie

[Guest guest]

re: Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal.

 

Actually the bugs were in there to begin with......as eggs.

 

The gov't allows a certain amount of " filth " in our food because to

absolutely sanitize our food supply from insects would require so much

pesticide that the consumer would be poisoned.

 

IMO - The best way to make sure the bugs don't infest your spices, flour and

baking supplies (by hatching) to put them in the refrigerator.

 

Regards

 

Scott

[Guest guest]

The only reason I assumed they came from the outside was because some of the

cornmeal was leaking out of the corners of the box and I taped them shut to keep

a mess off my shelf. When I pulled the box out, I noticed a bug stuck to the

tape on the outside that wasn't taped down. There was no way this one could have

come from the inside and it was the same bug as the others. I am sure you are

right, though, about them being in our food as well. I can't imagine what I have

eaten in the past, nor do I want to!

 

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. I just wish I had room in my fridge!!

 

, Malabar Scott <malabar.scott

wrote:

>

> re: Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal.

>

> Actually the bugs were in there to begin with......as eggs.

>

> The gov't allows a certain amount of " filth " in our food because to

> absolutely sanitize our food supply from insects would require so much

> pesticide that the consumer would be poisoned.

>

> IMO - The best way to make sure the bugs don't infest your spices, flour and

> baking supplies (by hatching) to put them in the refrigerator.

>

> Regards

>

> Scott

>

[Guest guest]

Hi. I try not to obsess about what I'm eating re: the pathogens that might be

there. Because they're going to be there regardless of whether I obsess or not,

case in point is when the e-coli episode happened due to spinach some years ago

and people died. do you know that thousands upon thousands of deaths occur

annually because of hospital borne infections? (A place you'd think would be

sterile, but it's not.) I do agree that I've eaten my share of bugs unknown to

me. invisible little creatures. I am no longer overly surprised when I see

little bugs on my shelves -- I know they're going to be there no matter how hard

I try to keep them away. When I do find them, however, I clean the counter and

yes, I agree with the poster who said that the eggs are probably in the meal we

buy, they just don't hatch in the refrigerator. :-) Don't worry about it -- too

much

[Guest guest]

Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the

bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy.

Ciao k.t

[Guest guest]

lol you sound like my boys when they ate trying to gross me out!

-Tee

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

 

Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the

bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy.

Ciao k.t

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I remember a routine from George Carlin - he never caught colds, flu, etc

because he had been well exposed as a child - swimming in the Hudson!

 

There is some truth to it, we need bugs to keep us healthy.

 

Sam

 

 

 

 

 

Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the

bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy.

Ciao k.t

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Good grief - have a few boys, that will teach you the ONLY time you smell

ANYTHING is when you are going out in public - I used to do that before them. 

As for the tasting, when the smells are scary it's best to leave the tasting

alone! LOL  You won't ever catch me doing that. I totally get you on the

germaphob, I knew people like that and it made me crazy.  My mom thankfully

wasn't too bad.  I prefer having fun with my kids and with boys things get messy

quick! lol  We have had rollypolly roundups, roach rodeos, digging for worms, we

all love looking at moths and butterflies, and we are always on the look out for

new bugs.  This year alone we have found a rare lunar moth right on our deck,

and a wheel bug on our window screen.  That sucker was HUGE!  So the only

" critters " that gross me out are yes the roaches, and snakes.  I don't like them

at all.  So far the feral cats have kept them away fairly well the past couple

of years.  One year

they caught almost all of them and we CONSTANTLY had snakes in our

yard. Moccasins and Rattlers among them.  I was not happy and begged them to

leave some of the cats from now on. lol

~Tee

 

 

 

 

________________________________

 

 

 

 

This will really gross you out.  I taste everything and my sister smells

everything.

I even taste my face creams, if they are bitter then I won't use them.

I feel alll materials, if it's  soft it has priority and I will wear it, itchy

no way.

My Mom was a germaphobe and I'm not.  I'm careful and wash my hands but I don't

run around the house with Lysol spray,  Pinesol and bleach like she did.

I have too many other things to do than to stand and scrub and wash things off

day and night. 

Donna

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I was just thinking that because a cream is sour tasting doesn't mean it's no

good. Some solutions are probably nasty tasting. But maybe good for the skin? I

don't know -- I use very little cream, some foundation, haven't smoked for years

and my skin looks pretty good for my age. But -- that being said -- the shelf

life of opened cosmetics is not very long. They DO attract nasty bacteria.

[Guest guest]

LOL  Has to pass the taste test with me no matter what.

Donna

 

One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. And the ones that

mother gives you don't do anything at all. Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet

tall. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit

 

--- On Mon, 12/14/09, Cindi Waters <clean_boost wrote:

 

 

Cindi Waters <clean_boost

Re: [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage

 

Monday, December 14, 2009, 5:38 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was just thinking that because a cream is sour tasting doesn't mean it's no

good. Some solutions are probably nasty tasting. But maybe good for the skin? I

don't know -- I use very little cream, some foundation, haven't smoked for years

and my skin looks pretty good for my age. But -- that being said -- the shelf

life of opened cosmetics is not very long. They DO attract nasty bacteria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

<<LOL Has to pass the taste test with me no matter what.

Donna>>

 

:-) OK.

[Guest guest]

Hi! I once watched a segment on some talk show about the bugs that live ON us -

they showed an extreme close up of our eyelids, down at the eyelash level, and

talk about BUGS! Holy Cow! There were all sorts of bugs that live in our

eyelashes! I was horrified! But they are there, and I wash my face like crazy

now, trying to get rid of as many as I can, although I guess some of them are

good bugs. But I'll never forget the microscopic view they had of those bugs

living in our eyelashes. YUCK!!!!!!!

Annie Littlewolf

 

-

Samatha Lea

Monday, December 14, 2009 7:14 PM

RE: [veg_grp] Re: Silly question about food storage

 

 

 

I remember a routine from George Carlin - he never caught colds, flu, etc

because he had been well exposed as a child - swimming in the Hudson!

 

There is some truth to it, we need bugs to keep us healthy.

 

Sam

 

Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the

bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy.

Ciao k.t

 

[Guest guest]

I don't mind the bugs I can't see so much. Out of sight, out of mind. But, when

I am baking treats and can see bugs or what is left of them, that's where I draw

the line. Those bugs aren't helping me!! They aren't supposed to be there.

BTW...I once made brown rice with bugs in it, not realizing that the brown

things were bugs (thought they were just darker pieces of rice!). It sounds

silly and I feel stupid now for not realizing it at the time. When the next bags

of rice I made didn't have them, I realized what it had been. Didn't kill any of

us, but made me more aware of what I am cooking with.

[Guest guest]

I was surprised one time to see how many (ok, hold your stomach) WORMS were in

an 'organic' box of dates ... and I didn't realize it until I ate a few, LOL!

I'm still alive, this happened many years ago. And from a health store, yet. :-)

I suppose they were more nutritious than the regular stuff, that's why the worms

liked them.

 

itshotinjt04

<<BTW...I once made brown rice with bugs in

it, not realizing that the brown things were bugs (thought they were

just darker pieces of rice!). It sounds silly and I feel stupid now for

not realizing it at the time. When the next bags of rice I made didn't

have them, I realized what it had been. Didn't kill any of us, but made

me more aware of what I am cooking with.>>

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Oh ... My ... Goodness! I will never again be able to pour chopped dates onto my

cereal without an inspection. Back in olden days of sailing ships when I was in

the Navy a new sailor was occasionally heard asking about weevils and such in a

dish. He was assured that they were high-protein and harmless. None of us were

ever sick so I suppose that's proof in the pudding so to speak. WigglyWorms in

dates might have been a hard sell even to hungry sailors.

Raymond

 

, Cindi Waters <clean_boost wrote:

>

> I was surprised one time to see how many (ok, hold your stomach) WORMS were in

an 'organic' box of dates ... and I didn't realize it until I ate a few, LOL!

I'm still alive, this happened many years ago. And from a health store, yet. :-)

I suppose they were more nutritious than the regular stuff, that's why the worms

liked them.

[Guest guest]

For a long while after that incident I inspected all my dates. I haven't thought

about for a while until the subject of bugs came up. I haven't inspected them

for years ... but now I probably will start looking again. :-) Cindi