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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Leslie wrote:

> He stores wheat, corn, rice, etc. in 5 gallon pails.............. 2" 
> of grain on the bottom of the pail, then dry ice, then fills the rest
>  with grain,,,, sets the lid on top, waits 2 hours, then seals them
> up tight.  Said something about the dry ice killing off any pest eggs
>  that may be present.....  That way the food keeps for long periods
> of time.  I dragged my dad with me, and my dad asked him about
> getting larger containers (keg size) for food storage.  He said no,
> because once the container is open, it takes too long to eat it and
> food spoilage/bugs can become an issue.  He told me where to get the
> 5 gallons pails locally; they sell them "cheap" as the crop pickers
> use them.  (He told me the price, which is defintely cheaper than I
> used to pay in the city when I owned a business which required me
> buying those pails by the truckload to produce some things we sold.)
>
> BEV - Can you explain the chemical process of this dry ice thing to 
> me?  Clueless here...

It is carbon dioxide, which is heavier than air.  It simply displaces
the air in the bucket, pushing it out.  Less air, less spoilage.  Less
air, living, air breathing critters (even eggs) suffocate.   In a bucket
of say rice, there are air spaces between the kernels of rice.  The dry
ice pushes out all that air and displaces it with carbon dioxide, so it
works throughout the bucket, not just in the airspace on the top.
I've found that the gamma seal lids were worth the price(I paid about $5
each for them) to keep food fresh.  I store my flour in 5 gallon
buckets, and the gamma seal (plus some bay leaves) keeps out weevils and
bugs.

> Other things I observed,  He had tons of tires along the fence lines 
> filled with soil.  I asked if for potatoes,,,, no it was to divert 
> flood water around his property away from his gardens.

Interesting idea.


> (He gave me this tip to start potatoes - put whole potato in a paper 
> sack with either one whole apple or one whole banana.  Close up the 
> sack.  Wait until the eyes sprout, then cut into pieces, let those 
> pieces dry out - then plant.)  Does that sound about right?

Apples produce ethylene gas, which ripens fruit and makes potatoes and
other crops 'sprout' eyes.  Yes.


> He told me that 2 years ago all the mice have disappeared from the 
> area, and says that the little animals leave before a volcano.... 
> LOL.
>
> Anyway, it was sure fun to meet these two - although mostly it is the
>  husband's projects, as the wife doesn't do much,,,, she doesn't even
>  cook or wash dishes (claims allergies....)

Perhaps the woman is chemically sensitive, but perhaps she uses that to
avoid work?  I'm glad you found a kindred spirit, Leslie.  You can learn
a lot from someone like that.

B


--
"The world is my country, all mankind are my
 brethren, and to do good is my religion."
 Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809)