Could your food storage make you sick or even kill you?
It seems there has been some confusion about the safety of grain from the feed and seed store. Sure it is readily available and cheap but is it safe to eat? After all what good is having five hundred pounds of whole grains, if you end up dead from aflatoxin poisoning (a type of fungal mycotoxin) or other nasty?
Is feed grain safe for human consumption? That depends on how it was processed and stored before reaching the consumer (you). I buy most of my wheat and corn from the local farmers co-op and having eaten this stuff for years, have never been made sick or obliviously killed from it’s ingestion.
Seed grain vs feed grain
My number one rule is never buy ”seed” grain, seed grain is often treated with insecticides and fungicides. Don’t buy seed grain if you intend to eat it! It is not intended to be eaten but planted. I use only untreated whole grains sold as animal “feed” that was meant to be eaten.
Field run
Look for “field run grain” not only is it cheaper because of fewer processing steps it is also less likely to be infected with mold or contaminated by other things that could make it unsuitable for human consumption.
Field run will have dirt and detritus that will need to be removed before use, but this is no big deal. I clean all of my grains before use anyway and buying it this way insures I get the best possible price. As with anything the more processing before reaching the consumer, the higher its price will to be.
Cleaning
First sort the grain by laying it out on a clean surface and pick out any chunks of dirt, rocks or darker grain, after sorting you need to wash the grain. Place the grain on a sifter or screen and pour clean water over it until the water coming out the bottom is as clean as that being poured in from the top.
Drying
Set it aside for about ten minutes, after it stops dripping spread it out on a cookie sheet about ¼ inch deep, preheat the oven to two hundred degrees and put the grain in to dry, which usually takes about an hour, if drying takes longer then an hour that’s fine, just keep watch that it so doesn’t burn.
Or you can dry the grain outside under the sun, this is better and cheaper but is dependent on the weather and time of day and year. Just spread the grain out in a thin layer on newspaper or other suitable material in direct sunlight. A solar oven could also be used, but I have never tried this method myself.
Grind and use as normal.
Don’t be afraid to stock up and use grains from the feed store or farmers co-op, with a little precaution and common sense such grains are as safe or safer than the “foods” you get from the local supermarket.
And at this point, we open the floor to comments. If you have any further tips, share’em so we can all learn together!
Keep surviving.
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There is a genetically modified corn called starling, it was real popular about 15 years ago for animal feed. It produces a natural insecticide, and is somewhat toxic to humans. I suppose in an apocalyptic situation eating questionable food is better than starving. Many grains are edible, I would be careful.
It is a pertinent discussion on the topic every one is interested in to be cleared off the doubt if any. As per the discussion, it is cleared that with a little precaution and common sense such grains are as safe or safer than the “foods” we get from the local supermarket. Accordingly, we should not be afraid to stock up and at the same time, we can use grains from the feed store or farmers co-op. for safe consumption. Thanks for the information.
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