So today I opened up a 5 gal bucket that had 3 vacuum sealed mylar bags filled with lentils and dessicant packs. These bags were sealed 13 years ago in 2011.
Visually, the lentils looked great. They didn't pass the smell test though. The bag had a sweet smell like mangos. I cooked a handful of the lentils in water so I could taste test and they were quite bitter. I assume that sweet mango smell means the lentils had gone rancid.
The packaging method was sound - the lentils were dry and bug free. But lentils apparently don't last 13 years in the pantry.
I need to check on my other buckets and see if anything did survive this long. I should have developed a rotation schedule for using and replacing the emergency stash periodically.
Visually, the lentils looked great. They didn't pass the smell test though. The bag had a sweet smell like mangos. I cooked a handful of the lentils in water so I could taste test and they were quite bitter. I assume that sweet mango smell means the lentils had gone rancid.
The packaging method was sound - the lentils were dry and bug free. But lentils apparently don't last 13 years in the pantry.
I need to check on my other buckets and see if anything did survive this long. I should have developed a rotation schedule for using and replacing the emergency stash periodically.
