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WAXING CANS AND
BOXES FOR STORAGE
| Dipping
a can of tuna in melted wax for long-term storage. |
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Due to space limitations, privacy, etc, many cans
of food will be stored under less-than-ideal conditions - the crawl
space under a home, a damp basement, etc. These obscure locations
also offer diversification, so that not all of your food is stored
in one place, thus ensuring safety. To get maximum shelf life for
my stored canned foods, I wax all the cans prior to storage. I also
wax cardboard containers of food, such as rolled oats.
Melting wax in a stock pot over a kerosene stove.
Note the drip tray filled with water, which not only moderates the
heat but also keeps any drips away from the stove.
Waxing cans and boxes is not very difficult. Wax
melts at 150 F, but burns easily, so it should be melted in a stock
pot or similar that is in a larger pot of water. Any wax, be it
candle wax, paraffin, or beeswax, will work, but at least 30 pounds
is needed to have the depth necessary to dip cans and replenish
the wax used in coatings
I dip one half the can into the molten wax, swish
the can back and forth a half-dozen times, then set it on the uncoated
end on newspaper to dry. After coating a few dozen cans, the other
end is coated with wax. The cans are then ready to be placed into
a cardboard box for moving to the place of storage.
As a trial, I coated one half of an empty can and
set it outside on a fence post. After a month in the Oregon coastal
rains, the uncoated side was severely rusted, while the side of
the can coated in paraffin was pristine! Coating cans with wax prevents
rust, ensuring safe, edible cans of food for the "seven lean years."
My thrifty, God fearing wife has been purchasing
cases of canned food (at good sale prices) for 10 years now. In
the past we did not wax the cans, but lost a few to "rusting through"
as they were stored in an outside larder. She opened a gallon of
peaches last week as the top of the can was showing rust - after
7 years of storage! The peaches were in perfect condition and quite
delicious. Thank you God for your kindnesses to us as we had not
waxed the cans until the threat of potential starvation became a
reality...may God bless the little children and give us the wisdom
to feed them!
REASON FOR WAXING
BOXES
The reason for freezing dry mixes and cereals is
because they almost always contain a few eggs from bugs such as
weevils, wax moths, etc, that do no harm and are not even noticed
when the products are consumed as intended, but...when stored for
long periods of time, they can become fouled with larvae and moths.
By sealing the box edges with paper tape (if needed), then coating
with wax, the contents are protected from infestation via infiltration
from other contaminated cereals or grains, and the contents are
protected from moisture while freezing, while the freezing itself
kills any larvae present.
Coating boxes with wax and freezing is a bit of
a boring job, but as many of the items we are now stockpiling are
for long term storage and use under conditions when those products
might not be commercially available, it is worth the effort.
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