Using nitrogen gas for long-term storage

Can one use Nitrogen gas that can be purchased local to fill airtight containers for long term storage? (seeds, wheat that is grown local, non GMO corn, “etc”).

Also are new paint cans purchased from a paint supplier viable storage containers for say powder milk, sugars, and other dry products.

Curt Richardson
Eldorado, Ohio

Rigging a nitrogen dispenser to purge your buckets of grain can get expensive for home use. I much prefer to just freeze my grains then store in gasketed 2-6 gallon plastic buckets (food grade).
Nobody will come out and say that new paint cans are food safe. Manufacturers and stores dodge the bullet by saying that they should not be used for food. Probably they could be, especially if you used a food safe plastic or Mylar liner. Personally, I like the plastic buckets (food grade) best. — Jackie

Alkaline soil

We have VERY alkaline soil which makes it difficult to grow certain things. Do you think that if I would put lots of orange/lemon/grapefruit peels in a planting hole it would create a more acid soil in that little area?

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

I’m not sure how that would work. What I did when we gardened in northern New Mexico was to use shavings from our poultry coop on row areas and work peat moss into individual planting holes. Both composted sawdust/shavings and peat moss are quite useful in lowering your alkaline soil’s pH. Spreading sulfur (Iron Sulfate or Ammonium Sulfate) over your garden soil will also help lower soil pH. — Jackie

Canning chocolate syrup

Have you ever “reprocessed” Hershey’s chocolate syrup? Everything is going up in price and since chocolate is an “essential item” in our household, I think it would be wise to have more in our stores. The #10 cans of the syrup are a bit less than $15.00. Could these be “re-canned” into pint jars and processed in either a water bath or pressure canner?

James Jackson
Knoxville, Tennessee

Sorry, but I haven’t re-canned chocolate syrup — yet. I can’t find any information on processing times. We might just have to buy smaller cans on sale until I do. — Jackie

10 COMMENTS

  2. Thank you Desiree!

    I apologize for not responding sooner…working a lot of O.T. :)

    Much obliged.

  6. (Regards the Chocolate syrup.)

    Thank you Jackie.
    We’ll keep putting the smaller ones, along with some cocoa, in our pantry.

    I know you’ll share the info when you run across it. But Boy, those big cans are sure tempting.

    Much obliged.

    • Nancy – Jackie gets so many questions we decided to post a a few each day rather than put them all in one post with her homesteading stories. This way, there’s a little Jackie each day instead of once or twice a week!

  8. No need to store Hershey’s syrup when you can make it from scratch quickly and far better tasting without anything arificial. My grandparents had a drugstore/soda fountain and this is their recipe:2 cups sugar, 1/2 cocoa powder, l cup water, pinch salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 2-3 minutes. Will thicken once refrigerated. Note–use large saucepan and watch carefully as will foam up when comes to boil and you don’t want to have to clean your stove. Everyone who has used this recipe has never gone back to Hershey’s! Recommend a quality cocoa powder but even Aldi’s makes good syrup.

  9. Two times in a row!!! No stories about your homestead! That makes me very sad. But I know you are busy so I will be like Yenta and suffer in silence…

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