When I vacuum seal my dry goods like she did with her flour, I make the bag about three or four inches longer than I really need it to be. That way I can open one end and take out what I need and still have plenty of bag left to re-seal. I can do this quite a few times before I have to start with a fresh bag.
That’s a great point!! I use as little plastic bag as I can to conserve. As I use the flour there is less in the flour bag and I could reseal it if need be. However, we use a bag of flour in two weeks so no need for me to reseal. 🌻
I love to divide and vacuum seal my bulk meats I buy from Sam’s. I also pressure can a good bit. I had no idea I could use my vacuum sealer on my jars for dry goods. I’ll have to buy the jar attachment. Another great video!! Thanks!
I haven't watched the whole video yet so I don't know if she covers it but I've found that quite a few "grocery store jars" can be resealed with my food saver and cap. My favorite is my Steinfeld sauerkraut jars- a good size and the wide mouth sealing "cap" fits right over the top of the original twist lid. The jars do have a pretty strong vinegar smell but I just put a couple drops of bleach and some hot water and let them sit for about 10 minutes, rinse them out and they're ready to go. Before you recycle jars, see if you can re-seal them first. Why buy new jars when you've already bought them ? 😉 *** I just watched her sealed potatoes- she probably could have vacuum sealed the first jar she showed, I think it had a pink lid? If her vacuum seal cap fit over that jar, that would have vacuum sealed. Obviously this is only for "dry sealing" - NOT canning. (In today's world I always make sure I am extremely clear in all of my comments- I don't need someone injuring themselves because they misunderstood me lol.) *** You'll know you have a good seal when the "button" on the lid doesn't pop when you push it. It should feel tight like it does before you first open the jar.
Excellent points!! I have reused jars from the store for dry canning and wet canning. Now I don’t share that because it’s a personal choice and I want to share the USDA recommendations which say to never reuse lids. But a good wash and sterilizing the lids with a seal works to use them again as long as it supple and not cracking. But it’s not recommended so I don’t share in my videos when I do that. We just had canned black beans from a reused jar I canned a year ago and they were great! But alas, we must be safe examples so I wouldn’t advise others to do that. 😅
I’ve never stumbled upon your channel until yesterday, the two videos I’ve seen I was thinking, wow, a woman after my own heart! This kind of stuff isn’t common in wives my age, so it can feel a little lonely being interested in this- but it’s really cool to see others doing it in videos !!
@home.and.handmade curious what kinda stuff you are into? It can be very lonely in this modern day to have the ideas and lifestyle that we do. So many think our habits are strange (home birth and consuming organ meat) 11 years ago I was more like your average person. Becoming a mother has changed my world view and my lifestyle to what it is today. I’m thankful the path I chose because my children and I are so much healthier than the alternative. 😅 Thank you so much for watching! I’m so glad you are here and I can’t wait to chat more with you!!
Would you share the model of your food saver you are using. ? I have had one for years that i love but it is not as reliable as so I need to purchase a new one. Thank you !!
Thank you so much for this tutorial on preserving! It is greatly helping me as a first timer. I do have a questions- the bag of flour that you sealed in the plastic bag, will you store that in a freezer to kill any bugs or just leave it on a shelf? Thank you
I already had that flour in the freezer for a few days and it sat out a few days. Then I vacuum sealed it to put on the shelf for 6 months to a year or so. :) thank you for watching!
any advice for storing alternative flours like almond, cashew, coconut etc we are a grain free household due to allergies- right now we freeze, but was thinking I could jar= we are not storing for 20- years maybe 2 0r 3 at most - and do you think we need an o2 absorber thanks in advance for any help (can't find anyone on youtube so far with some info on this)
Is it necessary to freeze dry ground coffee that comes in a plastic can (Folgers)? I was told that ANY plastic container will breathe to some extent. If you do vacuum seal it in a mylar bag would you still use an 😮 OA?
Yes I stress this a lot and folks cannot believe their flour and rice has eggs. Freeze it!! No matter the quantity freeze it to prevent infestation. Thank you!!
Interesting you mentioned the motor and pestle for flour in emergency. I used it to grind almond flakes turn into flour with bread recipe since it is very expensive $14.99 for 1.5 lb. bag just for a few tablespoons.
Just thought I’d share a tip from Laura Ingalls Wilder: you can grind wheat berries into flour fine enough to bake bread using a manual coffee grinder!
Something the kids can help with. I’ll keep my eyes out for that. We are currently reading through the book set- I’ve loved LIW since I was a toddler- begged to watch it on TBS every morning- flash bulb memories of that.
@@RowesRising if you can find a copy of ‘A Family Collection’, I highly recommend it!! It contains a host of essays by both her and Almanzo and is wildly educational and insightful-a true necessity for any homesteader!
Love all the info you're sharing. Do jars have to be sterilized before storing dried beans, flour, etc. in them and vacuum sealing them? If so, how far in advance can they be sterilized before being filled... days or weeks maybe?
@JerrySmith-cj5eu I prefer ball or Kerr lids too. I would wash all in soapy water. Then before you go to can, put them in the oven at 200’f for 20-30 minutes to sterilize.
Overkill is always good. It needs to be stored in an oxygen free and light free environment for longest lasting potential. Do what you can with what you have. I have it stored both ways and i honestly don’t have a personal preference. I use what’s available. 🌻🌻🌻
Great vid, thanks. So, I gather you don't freeze dried goods before vacuum canning, to kill critters? I see some people do that. Overkill (no fun intended)?
I do freeze all my grains and beans when I get them home prior to this process. I have said it in a previous video but I reckon it’s worth repeating. But also- no oxygen no survival.
so at the end , you vacuum sealed the flour with the coffee filter on top but you ALSO recommend using an o2 absorber as well? Why is that? I thought vac sealing removed all the air.
It does. But when we store them with the rims on- if there happens to be a leak the O2 absorber will catch it and reseal. Or if I need to use the some of the product down the road after it’s been vacuum sealed, the O2 absorber will then seal it that time as it’s already there and I don’t have to get my machine out. It’s overkill but not necessary. 😅
Vacuum sealer pulls most of the air out of the package, but not all of it. The air left inside still has enough oxygen to provide a reaction. So you use both an oxygen absorber as well as vacuum sealing it as a first step.
I sterilized in the dishwasher and then to dry them really well I put into a 200’f oven then let them cook in there always before I use them to can anything. The oven sterilizes too.
