Last night our ward had a Preparedness Fair. I manned the Vacuum Sealer table. There were a ton of stations, both inside the gym and outside. Some of the topics covered: FEMA Emergency Preparedness info which included info on earthquakes and floods and the like, sprouting, solar ovens, gluten-free eating, how to make tortillas, flat bread, sanitary needs, water, emergency heat and cooking sources, tents, dutch oven cooking, 72 hour kits, pet care preparedness, wheat, fire building, first aid kits, and rotating food storage. Since I manned my station, I didn't really get around to talk to the others, but I sure brought home a lot of handouts. My handout is as follows:
Vacuum Sealers (ie Foodsaver and Seal-a-Meal)
Air, heat, and light are lessen food quality. The vacuum sealer will help with the air, then just keep your items in a cool, dark place and your food will have a much longer shelf life than it would have otherwise.
The sealers are used with special plastic bags (remember you can reuse the plastic bags if they are in good condition). With a Foodsaver, you can also use the special attachment and seal items in your Mason jars (and your lids are reusable as long as they aren’t dented and the rubber seal is in good shape). Please note, you must use real canning jars…mayonnaise jars won’t form a seal. There are also special canisters you can buy, but I‘ve heard mixed feedback as to how well they work.
If you use canning jars for your storage, just remember that jars let in light and also, being made of glass, they can break…and we do live in an earthquake zone. So please remember to store them with that in mind.
Traditional Uses for Vacuum Sealers:
Marinate foods Seal foods for freezing (eliminates freezer burn)
Seal for long-term pantry storage Keep fresh produce fresher longer and leftovers, too
Nontraditional Uses (non-food items):
Sealing oxygen absorber packs for later use.
Saving paper documents that need to be protected from water--certificates and even maps. If it’s an heirloom item you might want to put it in an acid-free protective sleeve first.
Sealing clothes or matches for your emergency kit or a camping trip. Ammunition can be sealed against moisture, too (just don’t use the vacuum part). Batteries can be protected in this manner as well.
Make your own icepacks: If you add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to your ice pack then you will have slushy, soft ice packs just like the more expensive ones from the drug store. The alcohol prevents the water from freezing completely. [I made an icepack and then forgot to bring it, of course]
Seal items you don’t want leaking into your luggage (that will get you to your destination, at any rate).
Silverware and silver jewelry won’t tarnish…remember to first wrap anything that might poke holes in the bag.
For Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Purposes:
Great for 72 hour kits…both to pack your food as well as to seal off things like soap that might flavor your food.
The sooner you can transfer things from a cheap paper box or plastic bag into a mason jar, the better. This will greatly increase the shelf life of the food. In fact, the shelf life of foods stored in this way usually lasts 3 to 6 times longer than your original expiration food information.
If you have something finely powdered such as cocoa, cornmeal, or Kool-aid, put it in a bag first, squeeze out the air, and then put it in the jar. You don’t want to just seal a powder substance without a barrier as the dust might clog your unit. With granola bars, candy bars and the like, simply poke a small pin prick in the wrapper, put them in the jar and seal them.
Items you might consider vacuum sealing:
* Dried fruits * Chocolate Chips * Nuts
* Cookies * Candy bars * Bacon bits
* Cheeses * Cereals (warm or cold) * Pasta
* Beef jerky * Dried Beans * Soup mixes
* Dried herbs and spices * Grains (wheat, rice, brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc)
Current Prices at Walmart:
Foodsaver V3020--$99.98 V2220--$109.98 V3425--$149.98
Rival Vacuum Sealer $49.98 (but it has no port for use with canning jars)
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