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Farm Kitchen:  Weevil-ey Flour  |
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HollyG
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Holly
Hamburg
Arkansas
USA
214 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 07:35:55 AM
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What do you do about it? I purchased a bag of whole wheat flour and, of course, misplaced my sales slip, so no chance of a return is possible. Upon opening, it looked okay, but after pouring it into my canister (which was clean, by the way) a day or two later, they came to the surface and have been swimming around in there.
Question: How do you dispose of it? 5 lbs. of flour seems to be a lot to just dump in the trash. Any suggestions?
Question 2: How do you prevent them? Can you prevent them?
The bag had been in my cabinet for maybe a week and a half before I opened it. Would freezing help? I feel certain they came with the flour from the store, but how do I prevent future outbreaks. Any information will be appreciated. Groceries are too expensive these days to just start throwing out whole quantities...
HollyG
Farmgirl #2513
www.mydeepwoodslife.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 08:01:13 AM
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Uck - oh, Holly! That's awful! I just bought a 25 lb. bag of flour at the store and was worried about that happening, myself. I'm going to store it all in airtight gallon jars, though, because my freezer's full right now (thank the Lord!). I was told a long time ago that freezing is the best way to store flour long term. I'm not sure if that will be of comfort, though, when you've already got worm eggs in your flour... I mean, they'll die, but they're still there (what a thought!). Then again, I'm not sure, but, doesn't all flour come with that "potential" to go wormy? I honestly don't want to know. <<shudder>>
As far as what to do with it... Well, last year I discovered that white flour around the base of garden veggies will keep slugs and other pests off of the plants. I'm not sure if that works with whole wheat flour, OR if it's a good idea to use mealy wheat flour in your garden - you might want to check into it. But if it's an option - what a great, organic way to control pests!
Also, that bag was in your cupboard. You may want to check anything else that wasn't sealed tight, okay? Those worms may not have been in the flour - they could've been in another product in your cupboard, or they could have traveled from another product to your flour. And even though you don't have the receipt, you might want to call the grocer to let them know what happened. A similar situation happened to me with a rather large bag of whole grain brown rice. I didn't have the receipt, but called to let them know. For the next couple of weeks, there wasn't a bag of rice on the shelves. I didn't get my money back, but at least they were responsible enough to remove bad product from the shelves.
I feel so bad for you. How upsetting. Let's hope the receipt suddenly turns up. :) - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 08:01:44 AM
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I haven't had any more problems since I started storing my flour, cornmeal, etc. in the freezer.
If you can't feed one hundred people, then just feed one. -Mother Teresa
Star - farmgirl sister #1927
Master Food Preserver |
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AuntPammy
True Blue Farmgirl
488 Posts
Pamila
williamstown
wv
USA
488 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 08:05:29 AM
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Placing bay leaves in your cupboard will keep them at bay. It is an old "trick" that my mom taught me. Simply wipe out your cupboard where the little pests were and place a couple of bay leaves in amongst the flour sacks...sounds weird, but it really works!
"We were given: Two hands to hold. Two legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find."
Source Unknown |
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Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 2:13:39 PM
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I would just sift it, toss the beasties, and store in the freezer to prevent further hatching. As for returning without a receipt, always try. If they recognize you, they will probably refund or replace it.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 2:55:32 PM
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| Even if you don't have room to actually store your all purpose flour in the freezer, put it in the freezer for a few days to kill anything that might be there. Then you can store it in your pantry. Whole wheat flour lasts best in the freezer. |
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Farm Kitchen: Weevil-ey Flour |
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Weevil-ey Flour
