Oven canning preserves dry goods for years

Just read "Oven Canning Preserves Dry Goods for Years" in Countryside Magazine, (Sept/Oct 2011). The author talks about putting dry goods (grains, dried veggies, not-too-oily nuts and seeds, beans) she would like to heat-treat and keep from bugs in open glass jars in the oven at 200. After an hour (and using a hot pad to handle them), she sweeps a wet paper towel around the rim and quickly caps them with their lids (all that matters is they have a rubber seal). It is easier to handle if you put all your jars (can be big gallon jars) on a cookie sheet so you don't knock your open grains into the oven. The dry goods will last from 20-30 years and free up a lot of freezer space.

I had never heard of oven canning, and thought it was worth sharing, especially if you buy in bulk.

Oooh, thanks Suzy, today I learned more than one new thing 

I imagine that killing the grain by heating would also kill off any nutrients and it would be inert, yet still food-looking?

This was a very interesting article in country side. My Husband and I are interested in trying it....when we give it a go I will post the results.

Leila Rich wrote:

I imagine that killing the grain by heating would also kill off any nutrients and it would be inert, yet still food-looking?

I have actually heard that uncooked grains are full of lectins and enzyme blockers which make them toxic, so I am not too worried about it.

Mankind entered the agricultural revolution when they learned how to grow/treat cereals & grains.  I believe that it was the knowledge learned about cooking and/or fermenting these grains that made them a useful commodity.  Raw grains had no use in the diet.  Mankind has been utilizing processed grains since before languages were written.  The agricultural revolution is what triggered mankind to settle in communities, and thus have a need for written languages.

I totally agree about the importance of agriculture/fermentation/soaking/cooking, but surely the older and deader the food, the less nutrition it contains to begin with?
Maybe I'm totally off-track wondering about the value of eating  grains that have been heat-treated then stored for extended periods.

The current Country side Just hit the mail box and there are good reviews of the oven canning

I am interested in trying to oven can some of the produce I have dried this summer....I created a soup mix with onions, carrots, lambs quarters,peppers and carrots. I am hoping this might be a good way to keep the food tasting its best. Moisture is a big challenge here, so this could be a good thing for My area.

Also could do this to dehydrated potatoes, I want to try and not freeze so much of my food since it costs to keep a freezer going and a freezer failure is always pending.....