# Long Term Storage Sunflower Seeds



## Murby (May 24, 2016)

Anyone ever try storing shelled sunflower seeds long term?

I was wondering how much time I could store them if I put them in a canning jar with an oxygen absorber and pulled a hard vacuum on it.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

*Sunflower seeds have a high percentage of oil; how about freezing and rotating them? Do you grow them or buy them?*


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## Murby (May 24, 2016)

ldc said:


> *Sunflower seeds have a high percentage of oil; how about freezing and rotating them? Do you grow them or buy them?*


We do both.. but this is for my long term food preps. I'd prefer not to have to worry about rotating anything on a short term basis. I have my system set up to store food for 15 to 20 years.. with that in mind, we plan to start rotating at 5 year intervals. 
If it doesn't last five years, I don't even consider it as a prepping supply. That said, that doesn't mean I'm not willing to purchase ten pounds of the shelled seeds when they're on sale.. but I need them to last for at least a couple years.. and using a freezer is not practical.. they're already packed full...


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Raw or roasted? Raw sunflower seeds have bugs in them, shelled or unshelled. They have to be frozen for a few days to kill the bugs. And they are good for 6 months to a year at best and that's when stored in a cool, dry area. Roasted sunflower seeds won't have bugs and won't go bad as quickly but still are good for only a couple years at most.

If it has to have a 5 year shelf life forget storing any type of nut. They get rancid too quickly unless frozen.


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## Murby (May 24, 2016)

Danaus29 said:


> Raw or roasted? Raw sunflower seeds have bugs in them, shelled or unshelled. They have to be frozen for a few days to kill the bugs. And they are good for 6 months to a year at best and that's when stored in a cool, dry area. Roasted sunflower seeds won't have bugs and won't go bad as quickly but still are good for only a couple years at most.
> 
> If it has to have a 5 year shelf life forget storing any type of nut. They get rancid too quickly unless frozen.


But if I vacuum pack them in a canning jar and add an oxygen absorber, wouldn't that solve both problems?

Bugs need oxygen to live
Rancidity is the process of oxidation of the oil. 

Is there some other process that make the oil go rancid that doesn't involve oxygen?


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## Murby (May 24, 2016)

Looks like the oxygen is inside the oil itself.. air is only part of it.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Truthfully I never tried either of those methods. I don't have a vacuum sealer. Just haven't got the $$$ for one yet and don't have room to store it. Usually nuts and sunflower seeds don't last long around here so I just store them in the fridge or beside my bed.


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