Shelf life of beans

by Marsha (again)

I was also wondering how long the beans will last in the jars. I am preparing for long term use. I do have 5 gal. buckets but no Mylar bags or oxygen absorbers yet. Should I just wait and do it that way instead of the jars? It's just me no other family to help eat it and I don't know if it would actually be a benefit for me to use the buckets.

ANSWER

You can use either the 5 gal. buckets or the jars. Three keys to long term storage are:

1) the beans must be dry;

2) the lower the temperature in your storage area, the longer they can be stored and retain their nutritional value; and

3)the oxygen absorbers (and airtight lids) in either the buckets or jars will greatly prolong the storage time.

Adhering to these 3 conditions, the beans should last about 20 years.