Excellent advice! Thank you for teaching others. Vacuum sealing dry foods is a fairly recent option for homeowners. For generations people have dried and stored foods in the best container available at the time. Grain bins. Earthen jars. Metal tins. Glass. For many years I've used sanitized 2 liter soda bottles to store things like rice, blackeye peas, popcorn, sugar, small pasta and such. Soda bottles are heavy plastic, designed to contain carbonated beverages. To withstand the pressure and to prevent the gas from escaping. Thus, it would also slow down oxygen penetration, as well. FWIW.... I've stored the items mentioned, successfully, for more than 10 years. For example, I stored white rice in Feb 2010. In Mar 2020 opened a bottle to test it. Enjoyed it with my supper. Cooked the rest and dehydrated it for "instant" rice. Another example, is that I've stored granulated cane sugar the same way for the same length of time. Originally stored this way so I could cut off the bottle if the sugar hardened. It didn't! Opened one a few days ago, that had been in the soda bottle for 11 years!!!! One of the secrets is to pack the bottle, as tightly as you can to push out as much air as you can. Put a couple of potholders on your counter. Periodically, gently pound the bottle on the potholders, as you fill it. After the bottle is filled to the neck, use your fingers to flex the bottle along with tamping it on the counter. When as full as you can make it, tightly cap. Store in a DRY DARK and cool space. Tip: When I'm doing bulk storage, such as a 20 lb bag of white rice, if the last container is not full, the amount that's left goes into the pantry as a part of our day to day meals. It is good advice not to put 1/2 full jars or other containers into long term storage. Tip: You can make a funnel to help fill soda bottles. You'll need a bottle and 2 caps. Glue the caps together - back to back. Then cut or drill a hole through them. CAREFUL!! Make this hole as large as you can. Next, cut the soda bottle in half. Screw one side of the cap set onto the top half of the soda bottle. To strengthen, you can use a plastic glue when you screw on the cap. I used a heavy duty tape. To use, screw the other side of the cap onto the soda bottle to be filled. You no longer need to try to hold a regular funnel in place. Because it is attached, your soda bottle funnel allows you to use both hands while filling. Hope this helps someone.
New technology can make things better and easier...give us more information to do things better..and be completely useless, too :) Thanks for always sharing your sage advice.
Awesome info. I use soda bottles, juice bottles and Gatorade bottles for rice, beans, lentils and sugar. I didn't think about popcorn. I have some I bought already in jars for storage but I got spoiled with microwave popcorn. It's good to know the rice was good after 10 years. I've been storing for awhile, but rotated more frequently, keeping about a years supply. Lately I'd been doing long term storage on those products and not touch them. Then I buy my regular groceries I use. I use some quart size Gatorade bottles with the intention of giving those to people that may need them in a bad situation.
On a prepper page they reused plastic containers, not milk jug types, also. They put duct tape around the lid to seal it more. That way too you would know if its been opened.
Thank you! I agree. Before I got my jar sealers, I just made sure I screwed my lids on tight, and watched for any sign of moisture problems. I've only had to discard the contents of one jar of dehydrated goods so far, in 5 years.
Hi Darcy, you always share the most interesting and useful information!! This is especially helpful because so many folks can’t find the adapter lids or, as you said, the price can be very high!! Than you so much for being the pantry queen here on RUclips!! 🤗👑🤗Love, Mary ❤️🤗❤️
I bought a whole bunch of canning equipment and vacuum sealing stuff as soon as the world started changing. I had never canned, but always wanted to get into it. I knew that it was the best time to buy seeing as the future looked bleak. Put food back, canned goods, cash money, barter items. My wife thought I was nutso....What does she think now you ask? She still thinks im nutso...but shes glad I did those things and now we love to vac seal, can and more. God bless
So true. I dehydrated years before I had a vacuum sealer. My goods lasted me several years with just an air tight lid and were a great blessing when I had an extended illness and couldn't get to the store. Helped me physically and financially to have the dehydrated food on hand.
@@ms.anonymousinformer242 No, I always do my fruit until it's more dry and closer to brittle. I don't really do fruit leathers. I'd rather snack on fruit pieces or sometimes add to other canned fruit.
A friend made me a vacuum chamber so I can use other jars, now I'm going to try to make my old presto into a vacuum chamber 🤞😎 sending love from BC Canada
Saw them, ordered them, and got them right away from Amazon $24.04 January 20,21 thank you so much for the suggestion as I have been dehydrating like gangbusters! Since receiving my Excalibur. Everything has come out so great! Such great suggestions-I never considered the micro tearing to wrap up in brown bag, or parchment first. I purchased food grade reusable O2 absorbers that change color. Hope they work well.
I made a pvc chamber, one for me and one for my daughter.... works great and I also use a brake bleeder pump to vac the chamber... no need for electricity.
Thank you so much for this lesson. I’m very new to dehydrating a few weeks, and I’m pretty new to prepping., just a few months. I’ve been worried because I have neither the food saver nor the vacuum caps. This lesson has been very helpful for me because I have been very concerned about not being able to vacuum out that air.😊👍🏻
I just recently started dehydrating foods and found your channel. You have become my go-to expert in all things food storage! This video was particularly valuable to me because I bought the jar vacuum accessories and have had very limited success with vacuum sealing my jars. SO, you telling us that we don't HAVE to vacuum seal and other methods to ensure food quality was a life saver (well, maybe not literally my life...). Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I am literally telling you that vacuum sealing is not necessary as long as you properly dry, condition and store your food. It is a tool for insurance, not a necessity. I find moisture absorbers more useful for things (powders, fruits - things that are prone to humidity and I'm in and out of the jars often). You CAN use O2 absorbers or vacuum seal, but it isn't necessary. So go out and dry all the things well ;)
Hello Darcy, thank you so much for mentioning the commercial food jars you buy with stuff in them. Not something I have seen in other dehydration videos. Part of why I have subscribed to your channel. You are down to earth and not pushing any thing onto us. Just your own knowledge from your personal experience . I am looking forward to using many of your tips and making powders with my summer produce here in Tasmania.(Australia).
Darcy, I just noticed you posting about Heather on your community page. Thank you... it was very nice of you. She can use all the help everyone can give her. My heart has been breaking since yesterday over it.
Hey ladies👋🏻. I looked for months and months for the vac seal jar attachments- then I posted on my personal FB page that I was looking for them-a friend gave them to me-she’s had for yrs and only used once-Yay me! Never hurts to ask! Ya never know who may have them🤷♀️
I got mine through Roots and Harvest, also got jars through them when I could not located any here in my home town. Finally got some at my Ace Hardware.
I have the off brand canisters that you mentioned in this video. I got them when a got my small chamber vacuum sealer that I loved (same brand). I really like them, I don’t see any difference with the food saver brand (I also have). Thank you so much for all the information that you provided us, you are an Angel!!
I really like that you keep stressing the alternative jars for dehydrated foods. I've stopped thinking that only canning jars can be used for dehydrated foods. Keep those canning jars for, you guessed it, canning. Repurpose jars for dehydrated foods.
I still use canning jars, primarily, mostly because we don't buy a ton of product that comes in glass jars, but yes...if you do, definitely use them and don't return them to the landfill!
I hope my vac seal lids hold up for a very long time. I've already replaced my first Food Saver vac sealer. That was helpful to know dehydrated foods don't hafta be vac sealed, honestly. Thanks so much!
I just subscribed to your channel, I’ve watched a few of your videos and I find them very informative and pleasurable to watch? Thanks for posting such helpful info!!
It is so nice to discover another intelligent woman (I recently discovered Rose Red Homestead) in yourself on youtube about this kind of information! I am trying to watch videos to help me decide if I should get a freeze dryer or a electric canner or just dehydrate and vacuum seal everything. I have a lot of food sensitivities (dairy, legumes, citric acid, nightshades, caffeine, nitrates, nitrites, grains, etc.) and in these days of food insecurity I feel very vulnerable. So thus the effort to decide what to do. I have a regular canner but it and my glass top stove with too low vent fan don’t get along.
Rose Red Homestead is fantastic, because of one of her videos I realized I processed quart jars of beef at the pint jar time, a mistake that could be deadly. I’m investing in a freeze dryer.
@@xanadu1jw I have the presto electric canner. And a large presto pressure canner. I love the ease of using the electric one! Rose red video on it made me feel better about using it. Love my other one too!
@@cindybonem494 wow, that is a really good point! And it’s so easy to make that kind of mistake too and we might not realize it until it’s too late...if ever!
I got canisters in 2 diff sizes last week at an estate sale with the tube...$4!!!! I find the lids to seal the jars all the time 2nd hand. They are usually still in plastic not used. Like me, when I got my first food saver that came with canisters, I didn’t use them. I now have 5 of the wide mouth and 2 reg mouth jar sealing lids and multiple tubes.
Not that you need my opinion but you are absolutely correct! You can put them on the shelf and do nothing if you wish to. Those jar sealer attachments in both sizes with the hose in a pack is on Amazon right now for $23.
I bought one of the electric sealer for jars the other day and used it for the first time this morning. It was so much fun to use, I only had 5 jars and was wishing I had more because I was on a roll Lol
Another great video - my suggestion - do not give up searching - you might find some of the vacuum sealing lids with hose at a thrift or resale shop because they are not using it any more. Try hardware stores or coops that the farmers use.
I just ordered a set of both jar sealing cups on Amazon. Delivery in seven days. The seller I bought from had three sets available. There were three other sellers who had them too.
Hi darcy, I have filled Jars of dry food and put them into a large foodsaver bag, then put that bag through the foodsaver with the Jar inside the bag. It works for me, love from Australia.
I got lucky last spring, I found a brand new set of Foodsaver canisters at the thrift store for $7.79 and a few weeks later I found a new small one with an extra hose for like $2. Keep your eye open everyone.
I agree...I have found several food saver containers for just a couple dollars a piece at goodwill and thrift shops. I don't think they know what they have when they price them!!
One thing to do on Amazon is to put the Foodsaver tops in your "save for later" section of your cart. Then keep an eye on them and when you see them back in stock you can order them. In the past I have preordered them and received them a few weeks later. I also found some Foodsaver vacuum canisters like you are talking about on eBay a few months ago. They were kind of pricey but they will vacuum seal any jar that will fit inside them.
Tracy, I do that for several items on Amazon. Usually repeat purposes. They try to fool me with a price decrease that I know they can do better. I have been buying Maxwell house coffee for $4.95.. 30 oz can. I walk right by the same can at my local grocery store for $8.99. No coffee is a SHTF scenerio for me. 😱☕
Thank you so much for caring enough to put this together! I'm still learning and you answered some of my concerns/worries with some tools being out of stock as demand is higher. Thank you for promoting peace of mind and sharing ways to accomplish food storage that we might not think of. God bless you.
I am new to dehydrating and new to your channel. I am enjoying learning about preservation and storage, and you are full of good and useful advice! Thank you!!
Great information! Thanks so much for sharing. I have been using O2 absorbers in the jars before I seal them. May be overkill, but I just want to make sure what I’ve dehydrated stays as fresh as possible, for as long as possible😊. Thanks again! I am learning so much from you.
I'm sure you're right in terms of short term storage. I live in Puerto Rico. It's always hot and mostly quite humid. So for now I'll do as you say for things I use often. But for long term I'll have to seal. God bless.
I'm thinking of doing big wild blackberries. They are all over her. My grandkids love them in cobblers. I was told they would end of size of BBS. I just got jar sealer from food saver. 24.95. yay
Thank you for this. I’m in the UK and started dehydrating last year and bought a roll Foodsaver and the upright sealer with some square containers. You can’t find the lid sealers here without buyers BG and shipping from the US which is expensive. I did manage to buy a set of round canisters but didn’t realise I could pop a Kilner jar inside one and seal it this way. You are a star ⭐️ !
I am trying to find those tops. Was HORRIFIED to see that here in the UK from Amazon UK, they are asking upwards £80 for them. Whilst in the US, Amazon is asking $27.
@@MysteStorm Try eBay, but check every seller as the prices are all over place. Yesterday 10th Oct, I ended up paying £30 less than those on Amazon. That included P&P and import duty.
Thank you for such a detailed and sensible presentation. Your video answered my questions about vacuum sealers in general and it summarised information about the importance of buying one or not.
I order both the wide month and regular from Food Saver site for $20 something last week. They came yesterday. I am going to use the regular tomorrow. As an experiment I am going to vacuum pack some of my dried herbs as well as some fresh made jerky. Wish me luck.
I use the containers you showed at the end for years now and they work really well. Because i life in Belgium (Europe) it is very hard to find mason jars . I always use the jars from spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise i buy from the store. I put the lid hand tight on the jar, put the jar in the container and use my machine to vacuum seal the jars. Always works :)
@@ThePurposefulPantry ... Your channel has a special offering. Many don't want to preserve food, just buy it. But the fact that you offered to answer questions means the world to me. I hope not to be a pest. 🙄. Marcia
Luckily finding the vacuum sealing tops is no longer an issue. I do vacuum seal my jars because I dehydrate enough to fill a half gallon jar for long-term storage. I don't have room for a season's worth of smaller jars and I don't have a big freezer. This is my MAIN method of keeping winter's food put by. I don't vacuum seal dried foods I'm going to use over the next couple of months (unless they are fatty foods). I find it especially necessary for foods that can become rancid if not vacuum sealed, such as cooked meat, raw eggs, nuts and seeds, and any flours and grain not in buckets. I don't use oxygen absorbers. I try to keep my costs very low. To vacuum seal, I use a brake bleeder pump and the white vacuum sealing lid. That's it. It's easy and I don't have jars that suddenly unseal. Works great. The little white plastic pump is okay but sometimes my jars unseal with that. I don't have an electric sealing machine.
I thoroughly appreciate this video, I appreciate your calm demeanor. I am new to this and I was worried about not finding these. Really, this is appreciated :-)
Thanks, I've seen more and more about adding packets lately but had never used and had no issues in my jars. Then again a good amount of good are for dog and don't last beyond a month, or herbs in jars. I just started more fruits/veggies but its winter so dry here. Summer is the issue.
You are so welcome! You can add moisture absorbers to deal with humidity. I find them tremendously more useful than anything. I use them with fruit powders, and some other fruit/veg that I'm in and out of a lot that are prone to moisture issues.
Darcy great video! I have a burning question. I have been dehydrating a lot, I mean a lot, of cherry tomatoes, and I conditioned them following your directions. They snap but some are sticky. Not raisin sticky, but a little sticky to touch. They will shake off bottom of far with a vigorous shake. I feel like it's because they were super juicy and sugary ripe. But the question is, is it safe to vacuum seal them? Since we eat them as snacks, I don't want to cause botulism. I hope you respond as I have many half gallon jars and I feel like they would last longer vacuum sealed. I do have the jar attachments and a little stand alone hand sized food saver. I was lucky last year to get both of those on your advice. You have been a life saver and I am truly grateful to you, thank you!
You are NOT going to cause botulism vacuum sealing your tomatoes. There's misinformation floating out there. Sticky is not the same thing as moist since it's sugar, not moisture that causes stickiness. Get them fully dry for storage, and you're fine. If it is requiring a vigorous shake, I'd dry them a little more. If they are too dry for snacking, pull them out, let them sit for a while to reabsorb moisture before snacking on them.
I'll probably regret saying this but at our local recycle center, there's a bin for glass. Whenever I go up there (usually at least once a week) I'll look in that bin to see if there are any jars that I can "rescue." (I don't take any that are icky looking!) When I get them home, I just wash them, then fill them with a solution of a tsp Clorox per quart of water, and turn them upside down for a day or so. The bleach takes away the food smell on the lid (dill pickle jars are the worst!), and I get a nice sanitized jar!
Hi Darcy, I have a canning request. Can you make a series on dry canning and vacuum sealing store brought dry goods like rice, beans, oatmeal etc. Including different methods of sanitizing & preparing the jars beforehand. And I'm so glad I saw your video about the lids. I went on Amazon to find some, they were out of stock. So I waited until the demand went down, then boom, found a combo lid kit.
It's not any different than what I've already shown in how to use a vacuum sealer. I do not support dry canning at all when it is done in the oven. But vacuum sealing I've already covered in how to use the machine. But you want me to go through more items and show how to do it? Why Dry Canning is Unsafe: www.thepurposefulpantry.com/dry-canning/
To steal mason jars a DIY idea that works I put a rubber ring around a gatorade bottle cut in half and the vacuum tube in the top lid unscrew the lid to remove pressure to get it off and it seals mason jars just fine you have to push on a little hard but it works great saved me 30 40 bucks whatever it cost for mason jar sealer
In Georgia USA if i dehydrate foods and dont remove all air then i get mold. We have such high humidity that its near impossible to get something dehydrated completely dry. If you do its going to be cooked dry or burnt LOL; Just because its airtight the air is so full of moisture here in georgia. Ive tried and ive filled the jars like you mentioned. I may be a special case as not every one will have the humidity that we do here but thought i should mention it.
The mold only comes from the food not being fully dried, or you are in and out of a jar a lot. If that's the case, moisture absorbers will work better for you.
I found with using store bought jars to make sure the rings that the lids screw on to the jar are the ones that are broken up and not one solid grove all around. This seems to insure a more 'tighter seal'.
If your solid lid (as opposed to the canning lid/ring combo) has a silicone ring on the inside, it seals usually pretty well. Many of the solid jar screw-on tops don't.
Hi! I’ve watched a few of your videos and they are very helpful as I am just starting out! My question is about foods cooked with olive oil. I am preparing meals for backpacking. I cooked vegetables using olive oil and added them to cooked pasta. They didn’t dry as expected. Well, the pasta did (crisp/breaks) but the veggies got small but are oily. My plan is to vacuum seal them and eat them within 14 days after rehydrating. There was no meat involved. Refrigeration is not an option. Should they last at least that long?
It will depend on the kind of climate you're going into. Likely, they won't, but next time, don't use the oil. I know it takes a little taste away, but you do run the risk of rancidity down the road, especially if you're going to be in a very hot climate the whole time. Likely not...but keep it in the freezer/fridge right now until your trip.
Thank you! I'm in Ireland, I do have an inexpensive (but it works!) dehydrater but I can't get those lid vacuum things here. (I've just bookmarked your blog for more info, thanks for sharing your knowledge)
Heidi at “Rain Country” RUclips channel has a few videos about making a homemade one. Her husband makes them and sells them but they know the shipping isn’t cost effective and they want to help people so they show how to make your own !!! Very kind of them 🥰
Darcy, this was so helpful. I have watched your channel for awhile and I thought I had subscribed. Now I have. Of course, any friend of Leisa, is a friend of mine. 🎃
Everything i read about dehydrated black currants says to store in fridge,or freezer. Can you vacuum pack them in glass jar and keep them on shelf like other fruits?
If they are dry, there's no reason to store any food in the fridge/freezer unless it is a protein or contains fat. There is also no reason to vacuum seal anything if it's properly dried, conditioned and stored.
Excellent advice! Thank you for teaching others.
Vacuum sealing dry foods is a fairly recent option for homeowners. For generations people have dried and stored foods in the best container available at the time. Grain bins. Earthen jars. Metal tins. Glass. For many years I've used sanitized 2 liter soda bottles to store things like rice, blackeye peas, popcorn, sugar, small pasta and such. Soda bottles are heavy plastic, designed to contain carbonated beverages. To withstand the pressure and to prevent the gas from escaping. Thus, it would also slow down oxygen penetration, as well.
FWIW.... I've stored the items mentioned, successfully, for more than 10 years. For example, I stored white rice in Feb 2010. In Mar 2020 opened a bottle to test it. Enjoyed it with my supper. Cooked the rest and dehydrated it for "instant" rice. Another example, is that I've stored granulated cane sugar the same way for the same length of time. Originally stored this way so I could cut off the bottle if the sugar hardened. It didn't! Opened one a few days ago, that had been in the soda bottle for 11 years!!!!
One of the secrets is to pack the bottle, as tightly as you can to push out as much air as you can. Put a couple of potholders on your counter. Periodically, gently pound the bottle on the potholders, as you fill it. After the bottle is filled to the neck, use your fingers to flex the bottle along with tamping it on the counter. When as full as you can make it, tightly cap. Store in a DRY DARK and cool space.
Tip: When I'm doing bulk storage, such as a 20 lb bag of white rice, if the last container is not full, the amount that's left goes into the pantry as a part of our day to day meals. It is good advice not to put 1/2 full jars or other containers into long term storage.
Tip: You can make a funnel to help fill soda bottles. You'll need a bottle and 2 caps. Glue the caps together - back to back. Then cut or drill a hole through them. CAREFUL!! Make this hole as large as you can. Next, cut the soda bottle in half. Screw one side of the cap set onto the top half of the soda bottle. To strengthen, you can use a plastic glue when you screw on the cap. I used a heavy duty tape.
To use, screw the other side of the cap onto the soda bottle to be filled. You no longer need to try to hold a regular funnel in place. Because it is attached, your soda bottle funnel allows you to use both hands while filling.
Hope this helps someone.
New technology can make things better and easier...give us more information to do things better..and be completely useless, too :)
Thanks for always sharing your sage advice.
Awesome info. I use soda bottles, juice bottles and Gatorade bottles for rice, beans, lentils and sugar. I didn't think about popcorn. I have some I bought already in jars for storage but I got spoiled with microwave popcorn. It's good to know the rice was good after 10 years. I've been storing for awhile, but rotated more frequently, keeping about a years supply. Lately I'd been doing long term storage on those products and not touch them. Then I buy my regular groceries I use. I use some quart size Gatorade bottles with the intention of giving those to people that may need them in a bad situation.
On a prepper page they reused plastic containers, not milk jug types, also. They put duct tape around the lid to seal it more. That way too you would know if its been opened.
Thank you!! Great info!! God bless
Thank you for sharing, how do you sanitize the soda bottles?
Thank you! I agree. Before I got my jar sealers, I just made sure I screwed my lids on tight, and watched for any sign of moisture problems. I've only had to discard the contents of one jar of dehydrated goods so far, in 5 years.
Hi Darcy, you always share the most interesting and useful information!! This is especially helpful because so many folks can’t find the adapter lids or, as you said, the price can be very high!! Than you so much for being the pantry queen here on RUclips!! 🤗👑🤗Love, Mary ❤️🤗❤️
Glad it was helpful!
Mary I love watching your videos!
@@kmalone90 I do too!
@@dddd7934 i
Mary I love your channel
I bought a whole bunch of canning equipment and vacuum sealing stuff as soon as the world started changing. I had never canned, but always wanted to get into it. I knew that it was the best time to buy seeing as the future looked bleak. Put food back, canned goods, cash money, barter items. My wife thought I was nutso....What does she think now you ask? She still thinks im nutso...but shes glad I did those things and now we love to vac seal, can and more. God bless
So true. I dehydrated years before I had a vacuum sealer. My goods lasted me several years with just an air tight lid and were a great blessing when I had an extended illness and couldn't get to the store. Helped me physically and financially to have the dehydrated food on hand.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Did you also jay up fruit leather and stuff that had moisture still inside it? I cannot seem to get fruit all the way dry to make into a powder.
@@ms.anonymousinformer242 No, I always do my fruit
until it's more dry and closer to brittle. I don't really do fruit leathers. I'd rather snack on fruit pieces or sometimes add to other canned fruit.
A friend made me a vacuum chamber so I can use other jars, now I'm going to try to make my old presto into a vacuum chamber 🤞😎 sending love from BC Canada
i am so happy i bought my vacuum sealer 2 yrs ago. I use it all the time and so thankful i have it; especially now !
Thank you so much, it is hard to find anyone telling how to seal jars of dehydrated foods without a machine. Thank you again.
I bought my vacuum sealers years ago , so glad I did
Saw them, ordered them, and got them right away from Amazon $24.04 January 20,21 thank you so much for the suggestion as I have been dehydrating like gangbusters! Since receiving my Excalibur. Everything has come out so great! Such great suggestions-I never considered the micro tearing to wrap up in brown bag, or parchment first. I purchased food grade reusable O2 absorbers that change color. Hope they work well.
I made a pvc chamber, one for me and one for my daughter.... works great and I also use a brake bleeder pump to vac the chamber... no need for electricity.
Could you send us the directions? Please and thank youv
Thank you so much for this lesson. I’m very new to dehydrating a few weeks, and I’m pretty new to prepping., just a few months. I’ve been worried because I have neither the food saver nor the vacuum caps. This lesson has been very helpful for me because I have been very concerned about not being able to vacuum out that air.😊👍🏻
I just recently started dehydrating foods and found your channel. You have become my go-to expert in all things food storage! This video was particularly valuable to me because I bought the jar vacuum accessories and have had very limited success with vacuum sealing my jars. SO, you telling us that we don't HAVE to vacuum seal and other methods to ensure food quality was a life saver (well, maybe not literally my life...). Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I am literally telling you that vacuum sealing is not necessary as long as you properly dry, condition and store your food. It is a tool for insurance, not a necessity. I find moisture absorbers more useful for things (powders, fruits - things that are prone to humidity and I'm in and out of the jars often). You CAN use O2 absorbers or vacuum seal, but it isn't necessary. So go out and dry all the things well ;)
Hello Darcy, thank you so much for mentioning the commercial food jars you buy with stuff in them. Not something I have seen in other dehydration videos. Part of why I have subscribed to your channel. You are down to earth and not pushing any thing onto us. Just your own knowledge from your personal experience . I am looking forward to using many of your tips and making powders with my summer produce here in Tasmania.(Australia).
Darcy, I just noticed you posting about Heather on your community page. Thank you... it was very nice of you. She can use all the help everyone can give her. My heart has been breaking since yesterday over it.
She sure can.
Hey ladies👋🏻. I looked for months and months for the vac seal jar attachments- then I posted on my personal FB page that I was looking for them-a friend gave them to me-she’s had for yrs and only used once-Yay me! Never hurts to ask! Ya never know who may have them🤷♀️
That is awesome!
I got mine through Roots and Harvest, also got jars through them when I could not located any here in my home town. Finally got some at my Ace Hardware.
I have the off brand canisters that you mentioned in this video. I got them when a got my small chamber vacuum sealer that I loved (same brand). I really like them, I don’t see any difference with the food saver brand (I also have). Thank you so much for all the information that you provided us, you are an Angel!!
Great tip! I'm glad it works for you!
If you don't have a food savor you can use a brake bleeder with the tops.
Yep. Last year I bought two when they were on sale, so I would have 1 back up.
Yep. I live off grid. I use brake bleeder to vacuum seal jars.
What does a brake blender look like
@@ruthdoyle3572 Harbor Freight has them. Just put the words brake bleeder in search
@@ruthdoyle3572 is it a pump or what does it look like
They are in stock at Amazon for $22.08 . I just checked it a minute ago. Everytime I have looked they are available.
And I checked while watching this video 5 days after you and Amazon is out of stock! They are going fast!!
I just ordered a set.
I really like that you keep stressing the alternative jars for dehydrated foods. I've stopped thinking that only canning jars can be used for dehydrated foods. Keep those canning jars for, you guessed it, canning. Repurpose jars for dehydrated foods.
I still use canning jars, primarily, mostly because we don't buy a ton of product that comes in glass jars, but yes...if you do, definitely use them and don't return them to the landfill!
I hope my vac seal lids hold up for a very long time. I've already replaced my first Food Saver vac sealer. That was helpful to know dehydrated foods don't hafta be vac sealed, honestly. Thanks so much!
Make a vacuum pump out of a bicycle pump works extremely well
I just subscribed to your channel, I’ve watched a few of your videos and I find them very informative and pleasurable to watch? Thanks for posting such helpful info!!
It is so nice to discover another intelligent woman (I recently discovered Rose Red Homestead) in yourself on youtube about this kind of information! I am trying to watch videos to help me decide if I should get a freeze dryer or a electric canner or just dehydrate and vacuum seal everything. I have a lot of food sensitivities (dairy, legumes, citric acid, nightshades, caffeine, nitrates, nitrites, grains, etc.) and in these days of food insecurity I feel very vulnerable. So thus the effort to decide what to do. I have a regular canner but it and my glass top stove with too low vent fan don’t get along.
Well, I can't recommend an electric canner (because I don't), but anything else you need help with, just ask!
@@ThePurposefulPantry don’t, recommend one, have one, what, lol? Thanks for replying to me so quickly!
Rose Red Homestead is fantastic, because of one of her videos I realized I processed quart jars of beef at the pint jar time, a mistake that could be deadly. I’m investing in a freeze dryer.
@@xanadu1jw I have the presto electric canner. And a large presto pressure canner. I love the ease of using the electric one! Rose red video on it made me feel better about using it. Love my other one too!
@@cindybonem494 wow, that is a really good point! And it’s so easy to make that kind of mistake too and we might not realize it until it’s too late...if ever!
Hi, brake press bleeder. Great talk. Just keep storing as much as possible. Thanks! Darcy
I find the lid sealers all the time at the thrift shop i buy them when i see them i have plenty to share with my family and friends.
Great tip on using several freezer bags for smaller quantities in a larger jar.
Glad it was helpful!
I got canisters in 2 diff sizes last week at an estate sale with the tube...$4!!!! I find the lids to seal the jars all the time 2nd hand. They are usually still in plastic not used. Like me, when I got my first food saver that came with canisters, I didn’t use them. I now have 5 of the wide mouth and 2 reg mouth jar sealing lids and multiple tubes.
Not that you need my opinion but you are absolutely correct! You can put them on the shelf and do nothing if you wish to. Those jar sealer attachments in both sizes with the hose in a pack is on Amazon right now for $23.
I bought one of the electric sealer for jars the other day and used it for the first time this morning. It was so much fun to use, I only had 5 jars and was wishing I had more because I was on a roll Lol
Another great video - my suggestion - do not give up searching - you might find some of the vacuum sealing lids with hose at a thrift or resale shop because they are not using it any more. Try hardware stores or coops that the farmers use.
Great tip!
I have bought some good stuff from thrift stores at a fraction of the cost ..... always looking
Thank you! I feel bad not vacuum sealing but everything I have been doing will be eaten within six months. Hopefully we can get our hands on one soon.
Don't feel bad - that's what I'm trying to say! You don't need it - you're good!
I just checked Amazon and they have them in stock for under $23. As of 2:30 mountain time.
Just bought them on Amazon for the set two weeks ago. Very decent price
I love my food saver. I've been sealing up flour that my granddaughter buys on sale
I just ordered a set of both jar sealing cups on Amazon. Delivery in seven days. The seller I bought from had three sets available. There were three other sellers who had them too.
It's August 2022. I went to their website & ordered 2 sets. I'll go back & seal the dehydrated items I've jarred over the last few months.
Hi darcy, I have filled Jars of dry food and put them into a large foodsaver bag, then put that bag through the foodsaver with the Jar inside the bag. It works for me, love from Australia.
I got lucky last spring, I found a brand new set of Foodsaver canisters at the thrift store for $7.79 and a few weeks later I found a new small one with an extra hose for like $2. Keep your eye open everyone.
That is awesome!
I agree...I have found several food saver containers for just a couple dollars a piece at goodwill and thrift shops. I don't think they know what they have when they price them!!
You call it luck, I call it God smiling on you. 😇
Just checked Amazon. They’re now $55.00 and delivery is March 24. Glad I got mine early December.
Yeah - that's an individual seller vs Amazon fulfilling it normally.
One thing to do on Amazon is to put the Foodsaver tops in your "save for later" section of your cart. Then keep an eye on them and when you see them back in stock you can order them. In the past I have preordered them and received them a few weeks later. I also found some Foodsaver vacuum canisters like you are talking about on eBay a few months ago. They were kind of pricey but they will vacuum seal any jar that will fit inside them.
Great tip!
Tracy, I do that for several items on Amazon. Usually repeat purposes. They try to fool me with a price decrease that I know they can do better. I have been buying Maxwell house coffee for $4.95.. 30 oz can. I walk right by the same can at my local grocery store for $8.99. No coffee is a SHTF scenerio for me. 😱☕
I got mine from Amazon just this week.
Thank you so much for caring enough to put this together! I'm still learning and you answered some of my concerns/worries with some tools being out of stock as demand is higher. Thank you for promoting peace of mind and sharing ways to accomplish food storage that we might not think of. God bless you.
I'm glad you found it helpful!
I am new to dehydrating and new to your channel. I am enjoying learning about preservation and storage, and you are full of good and useful advice! Thank you!!
You are welcome!
Great information! Thanks so much for sharing. I have been using O2 absorbers in the jars before I seal them. May be overkill, but I just want to make sure what I’ve dehydrated stays as fresh as possible, for as long as possible😊. Thanks again! I am learning so much from you.
Oh. I'm so glad you said that because I can't get mine to work. Not sure what I'm doing wrong!
Look at my channel, I have a couple of ideas to show you how to use it. There's a search feature on the home page
I'm sure you're right in terms of short term storage. I live in Puerto Rico. It's always hot and mostly quite humid. So for now I'll do as you say for things I use often. But for long term I'll have to seal. God bless.
Moisture absorbers will be your friend in humidity since it's the opening of jars that introduces so much more to your food.
I'm thinking of doing big wild blackberries. They are all over her. My grandkids love them in cobblers. I was told they would end of size of BBS. I just got jar sealer from food saver. 24.95. yay
I got the lids/vacuum/seal tube at my local IFA store.
Thank you for this. I’m in the UK and started dehydrating last year and bought a roll Foodsaver and the upright sealer with some square containers. You can’t find the lid sealers here without buyers BG and shipping from the US which is expensive. I did manage to buy a set of round canisters but didn’t realise I could pop a Kilner jar inside one and seal it this way. You are a star ⭐️ !
That should read “buying and shipping from the US-predictive text on my iPad.
Glad it was helpful!
I am trying to find those tops. Was HORRIFIED to see that here in the UK from Amazon UK, they are asking upwards £80 for them. Whilst in the US, Amazon is asking $27.
@@MysteStorm I found the same problem earlier this year, it’s ridiculous that they are this hard to find and so expensive in the U.K.
@@MysteStorm Try eBay, but check every seller as the prices are all over place. Yesterday 10th Oct, I ended up paying £30 less than those on Amazon. That included P&P and import duty.
Check thrift stores, I found brand new vacuum sealer for the jars. Still in the bag.
Thank you for such a detailed and sensible presentation. Your video answered my questions about vacuum sealers in general and it summarised information about the importance of buying one or not.
I order both the wide month and regular from Food Saver site for $20 something last week. They came yesterday. I am going to use the regular tomorrow. As an experiment I am going to vacuum pack some of my dried herbs as well as some fresh made jerky. Wish me luck.
I use the containers you showed at the end for years now and they work really well. Because i life in Belgium (Europe) it is very hard to find mason jars . I always use the jars from spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise i buy from the store. I put the lid hand tight on the jar, put the jar in the container and use my machine to vacuum seal the jars. Always works :)
Thank you for this information. I always learn so much for you.
You are so welcome
You're videos are incredibly informative! I learn so much each time.
Amazon has them . I just purchased the set for 25.00 total
So helpful! How do you not have a million followers?
LOL - got me...but I'm okay with not having a million followers ;)
@@ThePurposefulPantry ... Your channel has a special offering. Many don't want to preserve food, just buy it. But the fact that you offered to answer questions means the world to me. I hope not to be a pest. 🙄. Marcia
I vacuum seal because it makes a more compact package for storing. The lid sealing is good for liquids (aka not dehydrated)
Luckily finding the vacuum sealing tops is no longer an issue. I do vacuum seal my jars because I dehydrate enough to fill a half gallon jar for long-term storage. I don't have room for a season's worth of smaller jars and I don't have a big freezer. This is my MAIN method of keeping winter's food put by. I don't vacuum seal dried foods I'm going to use over the next couple of months (unless they are fatty foods).
I find it especially necessary for foods that can become rancid if not vacuum sealed, such as cooked meat, raw eggs, nuts and seeds, and any flours and grain not in buckets. I don't use oxygen absorbers. I try to keep my costs very low.
To vacuum seal, I use a brake bleeder pump and the white vacuum sealing lid. That's it. It's easy and I don't have jars that suddenly unseal. Works great. The little white plastic pump is okay but sometimes my jars unseal with that. I don't have an electric sealing machine.
Just been talking about vacuum sealing jars glad its not necessary or dehydrated Good.Thanks for the info x
I thoroughly appreciate this video, I appreciate your calm demeanor. I am new to this and I was worried about not finding these. Really, this is appreciated :-)
You are so welcome!
Thanks, I've seen more and more about adding packets lately but had never used and had no issues in my jars. Then again a good amount of good are for dog and don't last beyond a month, or herbs in jars. I just started more fruits/veggies but its winter so dry here. Summer is the issue.
You are so welcome! You can add moisture absorbers to deal with humidity. I find them tremendously more useful than anything. I use them with fruit powders, and some other fruit/veg that I'm in and out of a lot that are prone to moisture issues.
Darcy great video! I have a burning question. I have been dehydrating a lot, I mean a lot, of cherry tomatoes, and I conditioned them following your directions. They snap but some are sticky. Not raisin sticky, but a little sticky to touch. They will shake off bottom of far with a vigorous shake. I feel like it's because they were super juicy and sugary ripe. But the question is, is it safe to vacuum seal them? Since we eat them as snacks, I don't want to cause botulism. I hope you respond as I have many half gallon jars and I feel like they would last longer vacuum sealed. I do have the jar attachments and a little stand alone hand sized food saver. I was lucky last year to get both of those on your advice. You have been a life saver and I am truly grateful to you, thank you!
You are NOT going to cause botulism vacuum sealing your tomatoes. There's misinformation floating out there. Sticky is not the same thing as moist since it's sugar, not moisture that causes stickiness. Get them fully dry for storage, and you're fine. If it is requiring a vigorous shake, I'd dry them a little more. If they are too dry for snacking, pull them out, let them sit for a while to reabsorb moisture before snacking on them.
Just got my sealers this week. I've been trying to get them for a year.
Cool name ☺
I found the vacuum seal jars attachment on Amazon for just under $25.00. Hope this helps someone💜
I'll probably regret saying this but at our local recycle center, there's a bin for glass. Whenever I go up there (usually at least once a week) I'll look in that bin to see if there are any jars that I can "rescue." (I don't take any that are icky looking!)
When I get them home, I just wash them, then fill them with a solution of a tsp Clorox per quart of water, and turn them upside down for a day or so. The bleach takes away the food smell on the lid (dill pickle jars are the worst!), and I get a nice sanitized jar!
If it works! I wouldn't use them for canning, but certainly would for food storage.
Hi Darcy, I have a canning request. Can you make a series on dry canning and vacuum sealing store brought dry goods like rice, beans, oatmeal etc. Including different methods of sanitizing & preparing the jars beforehand.
And I'm so glad I saw your video about the lids. I went on Amazon to find some, they were out of stock. So I waited until the demand went down, then boom, found a combo lid kit.
It's not any different than what I've already shown in how to use a vacuum sealer. I do not support dry canning at all when it is done in the oven. But vacuum sealing I've already covered in how to use the machine. But you want me to go through more items and show how to do it?
Why Dry Canning is Unsafe: www.thepurposefulpantry.com/dry-canning/
I use the vacuum sealer on sm jars for sm amts for anything over 9 mo. other wise I just put a good lid on them .
I just got them delivered from Amazon on February 22, 2021. I've been looking for them for close to a year.
YAY!
To steal mason jars a DIY idea that works I put a rubber ring around a gatorade bottle cut in half and the vacuum tube in the top lid unscrew the lid to remove pressure to get it off and it seals mason jars just fine you have to push on a little hard but it works great saved me 30 40 bucks whatever it cost for mason jar sealer
I needed that information. Thank you a gazillion times!!!
Thanks for all your knowledge, you're great.
Amazon still have them I just got mine today
Hour 3 done binge watching lol...you're awesome😊
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@ThePurposefulPantry yup every single one...you're officially my fave
In Georgia USA if i dehydrate foods and dont remove all air then i get mold. We have such high humidity that its near impossible to get something dehydrated completely dry. If you do its going to be cooked dry or burnt LOL; Just because its airtight the air is so full of moisture here in georgia. Ive tried and ive filled the jars like you mentioned. I may be a special case as not every one will have the humidity that we do here but thought i should mention it.
The mold only comes from the food not being fully dried, or you are in and out of a jar a lot. If that's the case, moisture absorbers will work better for you.
I have those vacuum seal containers they work really well🥰
Good to know!
Roots and harvest carries the vacuum sealing lids also
I’m so so so glad you did this video!! THANK YOU
You are so welcome!
Wow crazy prices. I got mine for 13 to 15 dollars each Canadian 5 years ago.
You put a lot of thought into this video! Thank you for all the wonderful information.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you. You answered my question
Thank you it gets overwhelming
Keep the great info coming. 🙏❤
I didn't think so either... thanks
Another super awsome video. Thank you! So helpful!
I found with using store bought jars to make sure the rings that the lids screw on to the jar are the ones that are broken up and not one solid grove all around. This seems to insure a more 'tighter seal'.
If your solid lid (as opposed to the canning lid/ring combo) has a silicone ring on the inside, it seals usually pretty well. Many of the solid jar screw-on tops don't.
Hi! I’ve watched a few of your videos and they are very helpful as I am just starting out! My question is about foods cooked with olive oil. I am preparing meals for backpacking. I cooked vegetables using olive oil and added them to cooked pasta. They didn’t dry as expected. Well, the pasta did (crisp/breaks) but the veggies got small but are oily. My plan is to vacuum seal them and eat them within 14 days after rehydrating. There was no meat involved. Refrigeration is not an option. Should they last at least that long?
It will depend on the kind of climate you're going into. Likely, they won't, but next time, don't use the oil. I know it takes a little taste away, but you do run the risk of rancidity down the road, especially if you're going to be in a very hot climate the whole time. Likely not...but keep it in the freezer/fridge right now until your trip.
Today, Amazon has the Regular & Wide Mouth w/Hose kit for $22 on sale. I got mine.
They've been back in full stock for about ten days. Glad you got yours!
Do I need to sterilize the jars and lids before vacuum sealing or just wash wash with hot soapy water?
Hot soapy water is enough
Thank you! I'm in Ireland, I do have an inexpensive (but it works!) dehydrater but I can't get those lid vacuum things here. (I've just bookmarked your blog for more info, thanks for sharing your knowledge)
Glad I could help!
Heidi at “Rain Country” RUclips channel has a few videos about making a homemade one. Her husband makes them and sells them but they know the shipping isn’t cost effective and they want to help people so they show how to make your own !!! Very kind of them 🥰
@@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123 That is very kind of them indeed! Thanks so much for the info, I'll search out their channel and have a look. Thanks again. :)
@@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123 ... I love how she always says "God is good". She never misses a beat. 🙏
I can use Quatro Staglini jars on the FoodSaver (Mason) lids?
No - it really needs the 2 piece system. You can do a chamber vacuum with them, though.
@ 0:12 ...."...there, I said it." LOL 😂 Great intro! God bless you, darling! ...and thank you for the video.
Brilliant ideas. Thank you.
Amazon is 22.08 in stock on March the 6th.
Darcy, this was so helpful. I have watched your channel for awhile and I thought I had subscribed. Now I have. Of course, any friend of Leisa, is a friend of mine. 🎃
Wonderful! Subscribed or not, glad to have you here!
I’m just now getting into this . Thank you for the information.
You got this!
Cant get these sealers in the UK. Else I probably would buy one. I have to make do with moisture absorbers and short term storage.
You can get O2 absorbers, though, which do the same thing for long-term storage.
Thanks I can get oxygen absorbers from amazon uk I will get some of those. 😁
I got the sealing lids on Amazon uk, they were 47 pounds for both sizes, I use them with a vacuum sealer and a brake bleeder.
Hello Darcy! What do you think about the 3/4 gallon Vlasic Pickle jars for long-term storage? Thanks so much!
Use'em! You'll need to clean the lid really well since that's where the majority of the pickle smell s, but for dry goods, they'd be great.
Everything i read about dehydrated black currants says to store in fridge,or freezer. Can you vacuum pack
them in glass jar and keep them on shelf like other fruits?
If they are dry, there's no reason to store any food in the fridge/freezer unless it is a protein or contains fat. There is also no reason to vacuum seal anything if it's properly dried, conditioned and stored.