In the News - September 2009
Homespun advice from a veteran county agent
Aunt Sally's answer to pantry pests
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The large wooden flour bin in Aunt Sally's kitchen could
hold 100 pounds, or two small boys brave enough to hide there on occasion of it
being empty. Large sacks were a common unit of purchase at the time and the bin
size was made to match.
After dumping its contents into the bin, the sacks would soon be converted
into some needed garment. I suppose everyone has family stories or old photos
illustrating relatives wearing matching shirts or dresses made from flour sack
patterns.
Fortunately, Aunt Sally's flour bin was seldom empty, and then only during
lean crop years, or when a trip to town had been delayed.
The thought of flour bins emerged following the recent occurrence of grain
moths here in the Benton County extension office. I posed a question to the
younger staff members, "How do you think your grandparents handled pantry moth
infestations?"
I remember that one side of Aunt Sally's flour bin was made to hold essential
utensils that included a measuring cup, large spoon, bread board, rolling pin,
flour sieve and sifter. Her homemade bin was certainly not airtight, allowing
flour beetles, weevils or grain moths to easily set up residence.
By current standards that thought could make a few folks squeamish, but in
the real world, especially for those who detest the use of pesticides in the
kitchen, you learn to deal with problems. In Aunt Sally's era, the flour sieve
was a way to extract any wanna-be pest post haste.
Pantry insects, like head lice, are perceived by many to be a social stigma.
However, any kitchen, whether back street or Main Street, is subject to invasion
where prolonged storage of grain products occurs in anything other than airtight
containers.
In homes that ran over with sons, nephews or grandsons on a frequent basis,
shelf-life of grain products was, and is, seldom a problem. Truth of the matter,
had insects been present, boys rarely notice since the speed of consumption
overshadows speed of detection.
Such was possibly the case in Aunt Sally's kitchen, but just to be sure, she
kept the flour sieve handy. ‘Til next week!
A copy of the "Pantry Pests" factsheet, FSA7024, may be obtained by
contacting your county extension office, or by downloaded from the web with a
search for, "Control Pantry Pests in Arkansas."
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
September 11, 2009
By: Robert Seay
Benton County Extension Agent Staff Chair
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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