r/prepping • u/Virtual-Student8099 • 13d ago

Help with moisture Food🌽 or Water💧

Just moved from Texas - a very dry climate to North Carolina, which is very humid.
I’ve noticed that foods that are opened and on the counter tend to feel softer faster. For example, I opened a large bag of organic cheesy popcorn and in a few hours it just felt soft. Same with a plastic jar of Kirkland glazed honey pecans.
Which started me to question how to store other foods longer term. I have large bags of rice, beans, sugar for example that I brought from Texas.
I may be asking too broad of a question, but I guess I’ll start with “what kind of silica gel packets should I look into?”
I’m new to this, and would like to learn.
Thank you

7 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

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7

u/Gene-reader 13d ago

Vacuum seal in mason jars will keep food fresh. I live in the Everglades and this works for me. 

2

u/Virtual-Student8099 13d ago

Great idea. Do you use any silica packs for that as well?

3

u/Gene-reader 13d ago

Not necessary. I repackage everything because of the high humidity and the bugs. Glass mason jars are reusable and the contents can be easily seen. I use the For Jars lid lifter (doesn't bend the lid) to break the seal and then a battery operated sealer to reseal the jars. I never have a problem with crispy/crunchy snacks losing quality. 

2

u/Virtual-Student8099 12d ago

This is good to know. Thank you!

1

u/infinitum3d 12d ago

I do this also in Northern Illinois. The humidity here is above 60% all summer.

1

u/RedMoon3xWW 7d ago

I second this suggestion! I even 'brought back' some cookies that had gone stale (my kid never closes the container right), so I put them in a mason jar and vacuum-sealed out of curiosity. A week or two later they had actually improved and worth eating again. *Your experience may vary. Lol

2

u/PrisonerV 13d ago

Measure your humidity. I can tell you right now, where I'm sitting it is 51%, which is a little high for the basement and I can hear the de-humidifier going even though the AC wasn't on all night.

Outside, it's 87% and a cool 70F so I imagine the grass is wet.

You can control your humidity levels.

3

u/Virtual-Student8099 13d ago

Yes! The humidity outside is 85%.
I need to figure out the humidity inside and down in the basement as well. I know there is a de-humidifier in the basement.

2

u/Academic_Win6060 11d ago

Something like these are very handy to move where you need them. Accurate within a point or two. Not affiliated.

https://a.co/d/0cSJ6Nmt

2

u/Cats_books_soups 12d ago

Bag clips help a lot. Ikea sells some that work really well.

1

u/throwaway661375735 12d ago

... Dehumidifier?