Pretty excited to share this video with you which I just made: http://tinyurl.com/let49u9
I was thinking about ways I could dry pack in Mason (canning) jars if I didn't have electricity. I'd seen some using modified bicycle pumps, which seem pretty simple to make, but I don't really have the parts laying around. Then I saw some YT videos about Reynolds' hand held vacuum sealers, (1 left in stock using that hyperlink, for $24.95 BTW) which are discontinued, sealing stuff in Reynolds' bags.
I knew I had one of these, and had never used it. Really. It's a miracle I even knew where it was, and hadn't thrown it out before now. I was curious if it would work with my FoodSaver canning lid sealer thingees (yeah, I should get up and look on the box about what they are really called). I figured, rather than just "wonder about it", I ought to get up and try it.
I tried it on an empty jar....and it worked !!
So I tried it with cereal...and it worked !!! It even takes less time (10 seconds) than my FoodSaver (about 1 minute.) For me, what's great about it is it is battery operated (AA) and I will eventually replace the current batteries with rechargeable ones which I can recharge in my Goal Zero Nomad system.
Next on the list is to get one of those Ziploc Vacuum Hand Held pumps, like the one shown in this link. They run about $4, but I can't remember if I've seen them in normal grocery stores lately. It's worth it to me to spend the $4 to try it out. I hear they might be harder to manipulate (hence the reason many convert a bike pump) but it'll be fun to try.
I also want to build a multi-jar canning/sealer out of a plastic bucket and a refrigerator condenser, but that's a ways down the road. And, I have to admit, although I like the idea of doing multiple at a time, the Reynolds' sealer only takes about 10 seconds per jar, and it's not electricity dependent, as a multi-jar sealer would be (although I guess you could bike pump it, but that's a LOT of work.)
Fun times !!
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