MASON JAR, and OXY ABSORBER CANNING SESSION

[techguy2]

Finally got my 1/2 gallon mason jars washed, dried, filled, vacuumed, and sealed.

During the process we weighed all ingredients to make sure we can accurately estimate how much dry goods to purchase in order to fill our jars:

Black Eyes Peas: 3lbs
Lima Beans: 3lbs
Kidney Beans: 3lbs
Pinto Beans: 3.25 lbs
Green Split Peas: 3.5 lbs
Rice: 3.5 lbs
Small Red Beans: 3 lbs
Light Brown Sugar: 3lbs
Lentils: 3.5 lbs
Penne Pasta: 2lbs


Now for the process:

1. Washed all jars in dishwasher on high heat, heated dry, with 1/2 cup bleach and normal dishwashing detergent

2. Dried jars thoroughly

3. Fill jars as full ass possible leaving enough room for oxygen absorbers

4. Boiled Lids

5. Dried Lids

6. Placed oxygen absorbers in all jars (we used 2 because they were very small, even though rated at 500cc, this should be MASSIVE overkill)

7. Placed lids on jars

8. Vacuum sealed all jars with foodsaver and mason jar sealer.


The last pic is of my oxygen absorber test using 2 small oxy absorbers from MRE depot and a small mason jar. We inserted 2 oxygen absorbers and tightened the lid. We will check it tomorrow to see how good the resulting seal is. So far it seems to have sucked down the 'bump' in the lid, so they appear to be working. The oxygen absorbers that we sat on the counter also got a little warm, so I am assuming they are working for lack of a more thorough test.

We will most likely not buy these absorbers again, I will buy from the LDS website in the future, as their absorbers are much larger, cheaper, and get quite warm when you open the bag. They are usually made in the US as well.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tn...Andy View Post
I like it ! Especially the photos.

Question on the foodsaver jar vacuum deal...how does that work ?

The adapter looks like the same size as a wide mouth canning lid, so I see how that would go over the jar mouth, but how do you get the jar lid on there and still hold the vacuum when you take the adapter off ?
It is really easy, all you do is place the lid on the jar, BUT NOT THE RING, then put the foodsaver attachment over it. You start the foodsaver vacuum, and it pulls the air out of the jar when the foodsaver stops, you simply unhook the vacuum tube from the attachment, which releases the vacuum between the foodsaver attachment and the jar. The lid is sucked down due to the vacuum and you are good to go.

The process is pulling the air out from under the lid essentially. As the air is pumped out, the suction of the jar keeps the lid in place, when the vacuum is released on the attachment, it does not effect the lid or the jar.

It pulls a VERY hard vacuum. It takes a spoon and some prying to get the lids back off.

Hard to explain, but does this make sense?

[techguy2]

UPDATE on oxygen absorber test:
***************************
We let the test jar of 2 oxy absorbers sit until this morning. Opened the jar and it had sealed nicely and a slight swoosh sound when we pried the lid off.

There was not a large vacuum, most likely only a couple of pounds worth.

We then resealed the jar by tightening the lid. Approx 30 to 45 minutes later, the lid ONCE AGAIN popped down. Honestly we didn't even do this on purpose, and I was very surprised to hear the tell tale 'pop' from across the room.

This tells me that these oxy absorbers at least work. I don't have a good way to tell what volume of absorption they are capable of, but I was very encouraged that they were able to pull the lid down TWICE with at least 14 hours between the initial seal.


Also, all jars still have good seals this morning.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tn...Andy View Post
Perfect sense, excellent explanation.....thank you.

I assumed it was a simple process, but I've just never had occasion to use one of the jar sealers....may have to pick one up......they would be handy to store flour, cornmeal, beans, etc that we use even on a regular basis, in addition to longer term storage.
I really think boiling the lids was unnecessary. I will try to seal an empty jar with a cold lid and see how the seal holds up.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TechGuy View Post
I really think boiling the lids was unnecessary. I will try to seal an empty jar with a cold lid and see how the seal holds up.
Unless the lids are hot when you put them on the jar, I can't see where boiling them would help with a seal ( maybe heat them in an oven for short time on low ? ), but boiling them WOULD sterilize them, which is why we do it in wet canning, and careful handling of home canned ANYTHING can't be over emphasized.

One of the reasons you DO home canning is to control things like that......God forbid you should slide down to the level of commercially canned food .....seriously, if you've ever been around a commercial operation of any kind, you know the level of sanitation/safety is just slightly above the "get it out the door at the minimum cost and maximum profit" state.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tn...Andy View Post
Unless the lids are hot when you put them on the jar, I can't see where boiling them would help with a seal ( maybe heat them in an oven for short time on low ? ), but boiling them WOULD sterilize them, which is why we do it in wet canning, and careful handling of home canned ANYTHING can't be over emphasized.

.
Agreed, but they are coming out of bulk bags stacked from the supermarket. Between the bleach, high temp dishwasher and boiling the lids, the bottles are MUCH more sterile than the dry goods that are going into them!

I boiled them not for sterility but to make sure the sealing ring was pliable enough to form a long lasting seal. As you said, oven, hot plate, etc would probably do just as well.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Heimdhal View Post
I have a rival seal-a-meal model vacu sealer, will the Foodsaver mason jar sealer work on my machine? I dont do many dry goods in mason jars but it never hurts!

If it runs a tube, it should work. I don't know how much vacuum it will pull, but it should work. You will probably have to cut off the proprietary connector on the end of the included tube of the mason jar sealer.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottp999 View Post
Great pics. 1 question, how many inches tall are the 1/2 gallon jars?

What you did here is definitley the way I am going with all my storage of dry goods. So far I have just used rice and black beans all in many cases of quart jars. Next up is patsa, and sugar.

The foodsaver, mason jar combo is a real winner. You can use them over and over and they are such conveinent sizes.

The 1/2 gallon jars are 9 inches tall.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mightyspuds View Post
How did the dry jar experiment come out,did it make a strong vacuum?

Perfect, Very strong vacuum. So hard that the metal lid wont even flex when you push on it.

I don't foresee any issues with those seals.

My current plan is to buy another 36 jars this week or next, and can a 50lb bag of yellow dent corn.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Heimdhal View Post
when you can the corn, what kind of liquid do you can them in? Like a simple syrup(sugar and water) or just water?

I just did pears and used a simple syrup, but I dont know if it was thick enough. I added a little lemonjuice too for the acid. It was my firt time canning pears
No liquid, these will be dry pack only.

I am trying to establish an easy to use food storage program that uses readily available components that are reusable, cheap, and almost foolproof.

We will get to wet canning later, but right now the priority is effective, cheap, long lasting dry goods storage.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by RealityCheck View Post
Just curious, whats wrong with gallon sized mylar bags + O2 absorbers?
The main problem I have with mylar is that it is not foolproof.

1. care must be taken to make sure the seals are wrinkle free and airtight.

2. many items such as rice, pasta, etc. are not really suitable for mylar. Mylar punctures pretty easily, and I have seen mylar puncture with rice, spaghetti noodles, dried apples, dried onion etc.

3. Mylar does not have the storage life of glass or #10 cans due to gas permeability.

4. You cannot pull a full vacuum with mylar like you can with glass, especially with items mentioned in #2

5. Most of the mylar bags cost upwards of 75 to 95 cents each. I can get glass 1/2 masons for 1.25 each that can be used for the next 50 years.

6. Mylar is not Insect/Rodent proof (as Jonas suggested).

[techguy2]

TN-Andy And you know, if you buy a bucket and lid, and use the mylar bag, you have about 8-10 bucks in a package of 5 gallons.....about what a case of 6 1/2 gallon jars cost.

Plus, with a 1/2 gallon, you don't open as much down the road either.....a 5 or 6 gallon bucket is a lot to use up. And if you get into "trade" with the neighbors, 1/2 gallon jars don't look like you have as much as you might have either....

Yeah....you guys are starting to put on a pretty good argument for jars.

I've got a case of the Tattler "re-usable" lids....don't get excited...they are a plastic lid with a separate rubber ring, so the ring is the weak link in that theory......but I'd like to use them up on something, and this sounds like the ticket.

__________________

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gangsta99 View Post
I am in Ohio and am having a hard time trying to find the 1/2 gallon Ball Mason jars. Any good suggestions for a retail store that sells them? I can find the smaller ones everywhere just no luck with these.

Ace hardware will special order them and ship them to your local store. I did that with this batch.

Barring that, ask at hardware stores and feed stores. You can also try your local supermarket manager. I have had the VERY large chains special order for me before. They are a low volume order, so you will have to ask. If they stock the quart sizes, you can probably order the 1/2 gallon.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gangsta99 View Post
TechGuy did you just go into the store and ask them to order them? Or did you do it through the 800# and have them shipped in?

Went to the store, and asked the manager if they could order them for me.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Randall View Post
How much are the Foodsaver units? I went to Foodsaver.com and found a unit for $167.00. That's pretty steep. Any way to just seal the jars and not mess with the plastic bags? Is there a cheaper unit that doesn't require you to punch a hole in the lid?

I got mine at BassPro for $59 it is last years model. Works great, no frills

[techguy2]

Quote: Heimdhal
Originally Posted by mightyspuds View Post
Heimy,how did you process those jars?

TG is talking packing dry goods here.
I was thinking non dried corn when corn was mentioned, my bad. I didnt even think about dehydrated or anything

As far as processing the pears go. Since they are considers slightly acidic a steam presure canner is not "required". I cut peeled the pears, cut them into eights(cause i like mine a little smaller). Made a simple syrup(sugar and water) I dont remember the ratio I used, as a baker i've made a thousand simple syrups a day so its like second nature to me. But I think its like 1:4-5...i cup sugar to every 4-5 cups of water, then bring to a boil. I put the pears in a lemon juice water bath to keep from browning and when the S.S. was ready I boiled them for 5 minutes.

Im sure tech guy will get more into this but theres a bunch of things like heating the jars in a 250 oven until ready to use(hot canning) and what not. When everything was ready I put them in a water canner for 20 minutes and they sealed up just fine! Sitting in the pantry now(just finished my last 4 jars today).

mts...........

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gangsta99 View Post
Found 1 case of the 1/2 gallon jars at my local Ace Hardware. Having them order me a few more. Thanks for the info. I recommend if you are having trouble finding these locally try an Ace if you have one or have them order them.

Also TechGuy are those lbs of dry food how much you can fit into each 1/2 gallon jar? 3.5 lbs to 1 jar for example?

Yes, that is how much you will need to buy to fill the jars. That was the trickiest part for us, is figuring out how much to buy to fill all the jars will little to no waste.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by skyvike View Post
Just thinkin' out loud here...

What about pressurizing a container like a bucket and filling it with CO2 or Nitrogen.

Just happen to have a CO2 cylinder sitting around....

I've seen that done.....wasn't so much pressurizing as purging......they took the tank ( nitrogen in this case ) and had a hose hooked to a regulator with a "wand" type tip on it.....stuck the wand down in the grain in the bucket and opened the valve, forcing the air to overflow the bucket edges and be replaced by the nitrogen. After about 60 seconds of gassing, they quickly removed the wand tip, and slapped a bucket lid on.

O2 absorbers are so much easier to use, I think that method has gone away, but would still work.

mts..........

[techguy2]

Quote:RealityCheck
Originally Posted by scottp999 View Post
They were about the same price at ACE for the 1/2 gallon, but you only get 6 in a case. So you store 3 gallons with either size case.
Then it seems it would be better to use the quart jars with smaller O2 absorbers instead of the 1/2 gallon jars. That way you can use the same jars for wet canning later once you use whats in them. It would be a bummer to buy hundreds of canning jars for dry canning and then have to go out and buy hundreds more for wet canning anyway. Just a thought.

mts...............

[techguy2]

TnAndy
True enough.....And you also get 3 gallons of storage in a regular case of quart jars too.....there are 12 to a case.

mts...............

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by nickelless View Post
I've got a case of 6-gallon Mylar storage bags (I believe there are 30 in the case I purchased--got them from sorbentsystems.com) that I'm about to fill with rice, beans and other bulk grains. Is it a wise use of storage space to put beans and the like in Mason jars instead of larger long-term storage bags with oxygen absorbers? I've presently got 10 cases of Mason jars I haven't yet used, but I'm dehydrating fruits and vegetables and putting them in the Mason jars, which would seem to me to be a better use of storage containers since the bulk grains and beans would be your dietary base and would be consumed in greater quantities. I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts on this.

Mylar is perfectly acceptable, and I have storage in mylar, glass and #10 cans. The glass method is just another way to preserve, each has its own pros and cons.

I like the glass because it is reusable, easy to seal, and lasts longer than mylar, plus the fact that it is puncture proof.

[techguy2]

Quote: Merlin
Originally Posted by Randall View Post
So do I have to use the O2 absorbers AND Vacuum seal it? Would the vac seal be enough?
Vacuum sealing alone removes only a portion of the air in the jar. Maybe a lot, maybe a little -- depends on the quality of the vacuum sealing equipment. But whatever air remains in the jar will still comprise approximately 20% oxygen. In my opinion, I'd rather use the O2 absorbers. Removing the oxygen will reduce the gaseous content inside the jar by about 20% and external air pressure on the lid will be more than sufficient to keep it sealed. If removing exposure of your stored food to oxygen is your goal, the O2 absorbers are the way to go.

Of course if you want to vacuum seal the jars as well, I suppose that can't hurt, since there will be even less oxygen left in the jars to be absorbed and the jars will start out sealed. In my experience, the O2 absorbers alone will have your jars sealed within 30 minutes anyway.

For what it's worth, I keep my unused O2 absorbers in vacuum sealed jars because I don't want to waste their capabilities.

mts................

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Randall View Post
So do I have to use the O2 absorbers AND Vacuum seal it? Would the vac seal be enough?

The vac seal is good, but the oxygen absorbers remove any doubt as to whether or not the oxygen is gone.

Between the heavy vacuum and the oxy absorbers, it is a safe bet that you have stopped oxidation, and made it really inhospitable to critters.

Oxy absorbers can only pull a couple of pounds vacuum max. The food saver and oxy absorber should be REALLY close to a perfect vacuum.

[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mone View Post
I'm not so sure about that...




Sucked the hell out of a 5 gallon pail of fettuccini.

A 2-3 lb vacuum would do that. You have to remember that vacuum is a lb's per square inch number. Over the volume of the bucket, even a couple of lb's vacuum will pull the sides in no problem, that is a lot of force. The vacuum we are pulling on the mason jars is around 20lb to 25lb's. This would absolutely CRUSH a 5 gal bucket.

[techguy2]

Merlin Of course, if your O2 absorbers have removed all the oxygen, the remaining gases are pretty much inert so far as the food is concerned. Any pressure sufficient to seal the container is enough. If there is no oxygen present, what advantage does 20-25 pounds of pressure have over 2-3 pounds (other than making it really, really difficult to open the container when you want to eat, LOL)?

mts..........

[techguy2]

Quote: Mone
Originally Posted by LukeNM View Post
Also, are the oxygen absorbers from MREDepot individually packaged so you can use one at a time or do you expose the entire lot when opened?

New to this, so please excuse me!

Mine were from Sorbentsystems and came as 20- 750cc packages, though other sizes/amounts were available. I have to prepare an appropriate number of containers first- then I crack the bag, distribute the absorbers & seal it all up ASAP. It worked out to be about 7- 5 gallon pails fwiw. You need to figure out the size and number of packets you need when you order and prepare the appropriate number of containers per "session".

http://sorbentsystems.com/order_O2.html

Edit: I just noticed they sell "bag clips" on the link shown. Again- fwiw.

mts...........

[techguy2]

Quote: 90% Real Money
Originally Posted by LukeNM View Post
Well, I am thinking the quart Ball Mason Jars would be best for just the two of us. MREDepost has the 500cc absorbers, but from what I am seeing on the link above 50cc is adequate for quart size containers. What are the thought on this?

I will plan to jar up the rice, beans, pasta (will have to break it up to fit), noodles, sugar, salt and other such dry products that were purchased recently and are now in the original packaging.

Thanks,
Your paying twice as much for the absorbers at MRE Depot. The exact same ones at Honeyville for half the price.

mts............

[techguy2]

Do you mean these at Honeyville?

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/ind...ROD&ProdID=309
__________________
LukeNM

mts............

[techguy2]

Quote: Mone
Originally Posted by Little Ant View Post
I'm about to pack my dry food in quart mason jars and I only have 500cc O2 absorbers as well. I tried to find smaller ones online but the cost was higher than for the same number of 500cc absorbers. I'm not expecting the jars to implode due to too much vacuum. Other than being overkill do you see any problems with using them?
No. My impression is that once the O2 is gone they just stop working- no harm done.

Reply With Quote

[techguy2]

Quote: SilverBlood
Originally Posted by LukeNM View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donnie740 View Post
Why is it that one would want to store beans/peas etc in mason jars rather than just leaving them in the bags they're bought in? Is it to protect against water/vermin damage or does it keep them fresher for longer periods? Also, how important is it the jars be vacuum sealed?
Quote:
Originally Posted by silverblood View Post
Did you read the whole thread? The answers to all of your questions have already been discussed.
Where? I read the entire thread and I do not see were these questions are answered. I bought 20lbs of rice in a plastic bag with a zip lock top thinking that would be better than the other porous type bags they had. Would packaging in jars prolong the storage life?

Also, are the oxygen absorbers from MREDepot individually packaged so you can use one at a time or do you expose the entire lot when opened?

New to this, so please excuse me!
I apologize to you Donnie740 and thank you LukeNM for challenging my perhaps hasty response. The answers may not be as clear as I thought after all. I've assumed some basic background information that you may not be aware of, especially if you are new to the forum. My bad.

1) Why is it that one would want to store beans/peas etc in mason jars rather than just leaving them in the bags they're bought in?

Partially answered in post 28. Post 6, among others, reveals that the subject is long term storage of foods, a very frequent topic of discussion in the Survival Prep section of the forum. The discussion of oxygen absorbers and vacuum is pertinent because oxygen causes foods to "oxidize" and spoil over time. The shelf-life of foods can be greatly increased by removing oxygen from your food packages. Whereas beans or pasta may remain relatively fresh, nutritious, and palatable for a year or two in the original oxygen-filled plastic bag they were purchased in, they can last 10 to 30 years in a dry, cool, oxygen-free environment. You usually cannot achieve that kind of environment in the original food package. Sealing foods with oxygen absorbers in heat-sealed mylar bags, often in sealed buckets, is one way that people commonly pack dry foods for long term storage. This mason jar method allows you to store smaller quantities.

2) Is it to protect against water/vermin damage or does it keep them fresher for longer periods?

Both. Heat, moisture, and oxygen are the main promoters of food decay. Time too, in the long run. There's a limit to how long you can keep food, even in the best environment you can manage. Vermin will also destroy your food if they can get to it. Glass is even better than mylar bags and plastic buckets when it comes to vermin protection and oxygen permeability. A downside is that glass is also more susceptible to breakage, and is a heavy and bulky form of packaging compared to 5 or 6 gallon mylar bag/plastic pails.

3) Also, how important is it the jars be vacuum sealed?

Post 72. It's debatable whether the additional vacuum obtained by the FoodSaver is superior to using oxygen absorbers alone, but it seems like it couldn't hurt to do it, and it probably results in a greater vacuum inside the jar, which may at least hold the lid on more tightly. We'll have to wait many years, up to 30 maybe, to find out if it is really better.

mts.........

[techguy2]

30pcsag Thanks TG for this thread and everyone for the great comments. I knew as soon as I read it that this was way cool. I am so tired of washing food saver bags.

Got several cases of regular mouth mason jars from wally world for 7.89 each since the regular mason jar sealer was all that was available locally. Unfortunately the regular jars and jar sealer combo did'nt work for me. had to beat up the jars to get a seal. Anyone else have problems with the regular mason jars?

Bought some cases of wide mouth jars (9.89 @ Wally's) when the wide sealer arrived and that combination works like a dream...no effort whatsoever. I used oxygen absorbers but am not convinced they are necessary. The sealer seams to pull all of the air out and I don't see how any air will get back into the sealed jar.

I even loaded some jars with chicken and beef and put them in the freezer. Wife thought I was crazy and they would crack. That was 2 weeks ago. So Far so good.

mts..........

[techguy2]

DupontCobb I recently obtained some old canning jars that have the wire and glass top. Does anyone know if you can use the regualr lid seals on these or do I need to buy the gaskets?

Thanks in advance.

mts.........

[techguy2]

That is all I feel like copying and pasting today, there are 8 more pages. Going to lock until I get all the content in the page.

[techguy2]

CODGER Techguy, do you have a volume measurment for rice similar to the ones for beans etc.? I working with 10 cases of 1/2 gallon jars (60) and 2 cases (24) of quart jars. We go through a lot of pasta and rice medium amounts of split peas and black beans and very little other beans (which I'll put in the quart jars.
I'm guessing it will be three to 4 lbs of rice per jar.

Again, great thread.

mts.............

[techguy2]

Jazzy FL_RacingGal,

your gonna love your all american canner--ive had a couple of others but this one is my favorite. get the hang of canning and pretty soon you will have shelf after shelf of your home made foods.

stock up on the cases of canning jars as soon as your able as the prices will be rising soon.

i went to ebay and found a source for bulk canning jar lids and bought several cases, so i have a few years worth. Very Important.

mts..............

[techguy2]

MOUSE I did my first vacuum packing session today with the foodsaver. Let's just say it was a complete failure. I have the V2840 machine that works fine for frozen stuff. I purchased small and largemouth attachments for jars and set up several buckets and my jars. It is probably just this model, but there is more vacuum on a jar as shipped from ball than you can get using this machine, and each jar takes about 1.5 minutes to process. I tried every setting, hot lids, cold lids etc. It doesn't work. Barely any vacuum. I ended up just tossing the oxy absorbers in and packing the stuff up. Waste of time and money IMHO. I would be curious to see others results and which machines you are using.

Still works great for freezer packing, so I am not out any money other than the two lid attachment thingies. I have a manual vacuum pump for automotive use that I could try with the cans and see if it works. I think the 2840 is weak sauce on vacuum.

mts.............

[techguy2]

mouse Oh, and I checked my jars that I didn't use vac on and used one 500cc oxy in each jar (quarts). After three hours they are all clamped down really, really tight. Popped in as should be. So I guess the oxygen absorbers win and leave the foodsaver to the art of making frozen chicken breasts and steaks.

The jar method of storage rocks with absorbers. You don't need the vacuum thing at all. Very good idea, I am out to get a lot more jars. I also have a canner and stuff anyways, so a lot of this stuff is already useful and many uses.

Thanks for all the info's. : )

..................................

[techguy2]

AMforPM The added advantage is that after you eat what you first stored you have all those good canning jars. I have food stored in foodsaver bags, but I may start doing this for additional food storage. My cans are getting full.

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[techguy2]

JcarvingBlock For what it is worth (I didn't read this thread) it has been my personal experience that the Kerr lids with the gray colored rubber seals better than the Mason lids with the red rubber.

The Mason red rubber sealant is too soft and creeps under heat. I have experienced seal failure close to 10% which is far too high. Just too much work involved to accept this.

The Kerr lids on the other hand can often times be reused if they are not distorted when opened.

I canned up sixteen pints of apricot preserves yesterday.

c

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[techguy2]

Originally Posted by Tn...Andy View Post
Funny JC.....I've heard people say ( on the net ) just the opposite.....avoid the Kerr lids.

!
I heard the same when doing my research. In the end I think it is easy to get the lids TOO hot by boiling them or leaving them in hot water too long and thus causing the seal failures. People take the warning to heat the lids WAY to literally.

[techguy2]

William C I'm going to start dry packing some food this weekend. I'll start out with stuff I already eat on a daily basis for breakfast; grits, farina, and oatmeal. Looks like Wal-Mart and Sams Club have cheaper or just about as cheap prices as honeyvillegrains and I don't have to purchase an entire 50lb bag at once. As I learn to cook a bit I'll start adding rice and beans and flour as well. I hate to thing that I'm not buying any PM's at these absurdly low prices but I have a little of those, so for now I'll concentrate on food.


I can get 1 quart mason jars from a local supermarket but I asked about the 1/2 gallon jars and they won't order them. I'll check with the local Ace Hardware and farm coop today. Also, I don't have the oxygen absorbers yet but I do have a food-saver. In searching for oxygen absorbers and their use I came across this site:

http://www.drypak.com/oxygenAbsorbers.html

They have a guide for the size of absorber needed for specific containers and I thought I'd share the information in this thread.

Looks like for a 1/2 gallon mason jar a single 100 or 300 cc absorber is sufficient depending if the food is tight or loose packed.

Oxygen Absorber Recommendation Guide
Cans, Jars, Bags, Pails & Drums:
Size of Container-Product Recommendation / Tightly Packed / Loosely Packed
1 oz. / FT-20 / FT-20
2 oz. / FT-20 / FT-20
5 oz. / FT-20 / FT-20
Pint / FT-20 / FT-50
Quart / FT-50 / FT-100
Liter / FT-50 /FT-100
1 gallon / FT-100 / FT-300
5-6 gallon / FT-500 / FT-750

5 cubic inches / FT-20 / FT-20
10 cubic inches / FT-20 / FT-20
15 cubic inches / FT-20 / FT-20
30 cubic inches / FT-20 / FT-30
60 cubic inches / FT-30 / FT-50
90 cubic inches / FT-50 / FT-100
120 cubic inches / FT-50 / FT-100
250 cubic inches / FT-100 / FT-300

100 cc / FT-20 / FT-20
150 cc / FT-20 / FT-20
250 cc / FT-20 / FT-20
500 cc / FT-20 / FT-30
1000 cc / FT-30 / FT-50
1500 cc / FT-50 / FT-100
2000 cc /FT-50 / FT-100
4000 cc / FT-100 / FT-300

Tightly packed assumes less than 10% of void airspace inside the container

Loosely packed assumes 25% or more of void airspace inside the container

Oxygen constitutes 20% of the void airspace within a containerized
environment

All recommendations are based on average use during normal temperature and humidity conditions. If you have any questions regarding the proper use of our products please consult Dry Pak Industries.

1 oz. = 30cc
1 liter = 1000cc
1 qt. = 946cc
1 pt. = 473cc
1 gallon = 3785cc
1 cu. In. = 16.4cc
1 cu. ft. = 28,300cc




Anyway thanks for the good prep info on this and many other threads; it's nice to know I'm not the only person worried about SHTF. Most everyone I come in contact in the real world is more worried about who will win the current college football game or what they will do for entertainment on weekends. Me, I want to take some kind of action so as to stop feeling helpless.

...........................

[techguy2]

tothemoon Hi,

This is a great thread!

I just purchased the Foodsaver Mason Jar vacuum attachment. I tried it and it seems to work very well.

I wanted to ask how long I should expect dried foods to last once sealed in 1.2 litre jars?

I'm planning to start with a variety of beans, pasta and peas. What else can I safely seal with it?


Thanks,

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[techguy2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tothemoon View Post
Hi,

I wanted to ask how long I should expect dried foods to last once sealed in 1.2 litre jars?

I'm planning to start with a variety of beans, pasta and peas. What else can I safely seal with it?

Thanks,
Most items such as pasta, beans, etc should last well in excess of 10+ years if sealed well and stored in a cool, dark, dry place. You want to look for low moisture and low oil items. I.e. flour will not store VERY long term, but it fine for shorter term storage.

Other items you can store:

Sugar (may turn into one large brick of sugar, but is still usable, do not use oxy absorber or this is guaranteed.)
Salt (no need to vacuum or oxy absorber)

Dehydrated apples
Dehydrated onions
Dehydrated carrots
Powdered Milk
Wheat, red or white (stored properly will outlive you)
Oats, rolled or quick
Potato Flakes (not pearls or instant mashed potatoes, this is potato only, no milk or other ingredients in the flakes).

A quick note about oats:

This is a very versatile item to store, it can be cooked easily, is very nutritious, and can be used in a large variety of cooking needs...

Filler for meat dishes (meatloaf, meatballs, etc)
Breakfast
Cookies
Bread

It is also much easier to use than wheat for those purposes simply because it is lighter and does not have to be ground to be used.
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[techguy2]

William C
Quote:
Originally Posted by mouse View Post
I did my first vacuum packing session today with the foodsaver. Let's just say it was a complete failure. I have the V2840 machine that works fine for frozen stuff. I purchased small and largemouth attachments for jars and set up several buckets and my jars. It is probably just this model, but there is more vacuum on a jar as shipped from ball than you can get using this machine, and each jar takes about 1.5 minutes to process. I tried every setting, hot lids, cold lids etc. It doesn't work. Barely any vacuum. I ended up just tossing the oxy absorbers in and packing the stuff up. Waste of time and money IMHO. I would be curious to see others results and which machines you are using.

Still works great for freezer packing, so I am not out any money other than the two lid attachment thingies. I have a manual vacuum pump for automotive use that I could try with the cans and see if it works. I think the 2840 is weak sauce on vacuum.
My 2480 Food Saver does a good job on vacuum sealing 1 quart wide-mouth mason jars. Make sure you are using the cannister button.

The trick is that it takes two cycles to get a hard enough vacuum for the lid to "pop" down, and sometimes I have to twist the adapter a bit on the top of the jar to get the inner lid to set.

After the first cannister cycle simply release the vacuum with the lever and re-close the lever. Don't move the adapter. Then push the cannister button for a second cycle. You should hear the "pop" of the inner lid being sucked down over the noise of the machine.

The seal get is hard enough that I have to use a (dull) kitchen knife blade to push against the inner lid to remove it, and even then it takes some effort especially if you don't want to bend the lid and render it unusable.

Hope this helps!

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[techguy2]

Mouse

Quote:
Originally Posted by TechGuy View Post
Most items such as pasta, beans, etc should last well in excess of 10+ years if sealed well and stored in a cool, dark, dry place. You want to look for low moisture and low oil items. I.e. flour will not store VERY long term, but it fine for shorter term storage.

Other items you can store:

Sugar (may turn into one large brick of sugar, but is still usable, do not use oxy absorber or this is guaranteed.)
Salt (no need to vacuum or oxy absorber)

Dehydrated apples
Dehydrated onions
Dehydrated carrots
Powdered Milk
Wheat, red or white (stored properly will outlive you)
Oats, rolled or quick
Potato Flakes (not pearls or instant mashed potatoes, this is potato only, no milk or other ingredients in the flakes).

A quick note about oats:

This is a very versatile item to store, it can be cooked easily, is very nutritious, and can be used in a large variety of cooking needs...

Filler for meat dishes (meatloaf, meatballs, etc)
Breakfast
Cookies
Bread

It is also much easier to use than wheat for those purposes simply because it is lighter and does not have to be ground to be used.

Ah hell. I think I actually put up about 10 pounds of instant mash potato flakes about a month ago into ball jars. If they are the type that has milk or other goodies in them are these absolutely no good to store? The boxes they were in had an expiration date like 18 months out though. I believe they are the type that you have to boil water and add butter and milk to them though so I think I am ok.

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[techguy2]

Mouse
Quote:
Originally Posted by gangsta99 View Post
Ah hell. I think I actually put up about 10 pounds of instant mash potato flakes about a month ago into ball jars. If they are the type that has milk or other goodies in them are these absolutely no good to store? The boxes they were in had an expiration date like 18 months out though. I believe they are the type that you have to boil water and add butter and milk to them though so I think I am ok.
Absolutely they are good! We keep a decent stock of those ourselves... nothing beats quick and relatively tasty taters when cooking is limited!

Just be warned that they do have a limited shelf life when compared to the potato flakes and other dry goods.

Non-fat dry milk... good.
Anything that has dry milk as an ingredient... no so good.

[techguy2]

William C
I had a question...I read somewhere that if you plan on using beans, seeds etc for sprouting that you should just vacuum seal them and not add the O2 absorbers since they require O2 to remain viable. Has anybody read this before? I can't remember where I saw it.
Thanks!

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[techguy2]

Amelia I would love to store dried apples, figs, etc., as was mentioned a couple of posts back. However, I'm concerned that the residual moisture in these items would cause them to mold. Does anyone have knowledge about this?

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[techguy2]

SilverCity
Quote:
Originally Posted by diversified2 View Post
I had a question...I read somewhere that if you plan on using beans, seeds etc for sprouting that you should just vacuum seal them and not add the O2 absorbers since they require O2 to remain viable. Has anybody read this before? I can't remember where I saw it.
Thanks!
Yes...J. Michael Stevens Group says the same thing. No nitrogen-packing of sprouting seeds. Apparently it diminishes their sprouting ability.

http://www.efoodsdirect.com/

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[techguy2]

Quote: SilverCity
Originally Posted by amelia View Post
I would love to store dried apples, figs, etc., as was mentioned a couple of posts back. However, I'm concerned that the residual moisture in these items would cause them to mold. Does anyone have knowledge about this?
I live in a dry climate and have never had a problem with mold. Try vacuum sealing them in canning jars with a Food Saver...

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