This is a guest post and entry in our non-fiction writing contest by Kelly P
One of the questions I had when I first started prepping was how to transition from the food storage bucket to my on hand supply. Being single I am not uses high volumes of food and I was concerned about spoilage once I cracked the bucket or opened the Mylar bag. Once that barrier is breached time, moisture, and oxygen resumes its work on degrading your food stores.
One possibility was the Gamma Lid, which is a great item except that it doesn’t address the fact that your opened product is now exposed to oxygen. You could reseal a Mylar bag, but you would most likely need to replace your oxygen absorbers for that batch. Food Saver has a jar sealer attachment which seemed ideal. I could open a bag, divide it out amongst quart jars, and vacuum seal the jars to slow down the effects of oxygen. But what would I do if the Grid went down? No power, no Food Saver.
What I found was the “Alvin” jar sealer. I am not sure of how it got the Alvin name but it is a very easy rig to set up. The idea behind the Alvin is to use a new, and most importantly, unused brake bleeder hand pump to provide the vacuum to the Food Saver jar attachment. The brake bleeder kit linked above has a suitable tube and adaptor nozzle to work with just the attachment. I chose a plastic brake bleeder over a metal model as some of the metal ones use lead in the pump body.
Using the Alvin is very simple and requires no electricity. This storage method only works with dry goods and does not work for wet pack storage. Any dry item you wish to store, protect from the elements, and will fit in a jar can be used. Also given the multitude of uses for canning jars, it doesn’t hurt to have extras around.
After you have divided what you are needing to store into your jars you will want to clean the rims just as in normal canning and place your lids on the jars. Next you slip the Food Saver jar attachment over the top. The brake bleeder kit has plastic tubing in the kit that fits over the cone shaped nozzle on the front of the pump and a set of cone shaped adaptors that fit the other end of the tube.
After locating an adaptor that fits the hole in the jar attachment, fit it onto the end of the tube. Using one hand to steady the nozzle in the attachment, start pumping the brake bleeder to build up vacuum. The brake bleeder has a vacuum gauge that will let you know when you have hit 20 Hg. Carefully remove the jar attachment and you have a vacuum sealed jar. I usually place the rings back on the jar so I don’t lose them and protect it from accidental opening.
Using the Alvin set up runs around $50, and I have seen some specials that put a Food Saver in this price range, but I feel the Alvin is a worthwhile investment. The big upside to the Alvin is that you can use reusable jars, it requires no electricity, and you get a workout using the pump. In addition to using it on dry foods, I have started placing back up medical supplies such as bandages into jars and sealing them. One advantage of the jars over vacuum bags is that you don’t crush what you are storing.
Here is a link to an Instructable covering the Alvin. Please share your thoughts and comments below…
——————————————————————————————————————
This is an entry in our non-fiction writing contest where you could win:
First Prize) Winner will receive a Nomad – 1 Person Standard Survival Package courtesy of Shepherd Survival Supply, a One Month Food Pack courtesy of Augason Farms, a $150 gift certificate for Remington Ammo courtesy of LuckyGunner.com and a EcoZoom’s Versa Stove courtesy of EcoZoom stoves. A total prize value of over $875.
Second Prize) Winner will receive two (2) Rothco Sure Paks With Heater courtesy of Camping Survival, a Wise Food Vegetable bucket courtesy of LPC Survival and a Wonder Junior hand grain mill courtesy of Kitchen Kneads. A total prize value of over $509.
Third Prize) Winner will receive 3 – 27 Variety of Non Hybrid, Heirloom Non GMO Survival Seeds, 2 – Fruit Pack of Non Hybrid, Heirloom Non GMO Survival Seeds and 2- First Aid Kit with Sutures in a Waterproof Resealable Bag courtesy of Be Prepared Now. A total prize value of over $215.
Contest ends on March 30 2012.
{ 24 comments }
Real good info. Had same thoughts about saving food once it’s open, should the grid go down. Just when I thought I had everything, there is always a new “must have”. Good jub
A thorough and enlightening article on a product I was unfamiliar with. Thanks. I have added the Alvin to my list of equipment to purchase in the near future. I had been pondering how to keep smaller amounts of dry foods fresh. I hate eating the same thing over and over. We can cook a large variety of foods from our supplies, but would have many large buckets of dried food open at one time which would compromise their quality. Your approach seems to be the answer.
Kelly P,
You have provided a major breakthrough for me. With your information I can open vacuumed jars and Mylar bags after TEOTWAWKI without worry.
Thank you.
(Kelly P = Ursus)
I am glad I could pass along a helpful hint.
I made an Alvin and for me it takes too many pumps to get the air out of a jar. An easier product for me to use is the pump and seal. You can even make your own tab checks if you run out. I found it easier to slap down on the pump than to squeeze he alvin pump. Just my opinion.
http://www.pump-n-seal.com./
Here is the website, oh and its non electric.
debbieo
Debbieo, you think like me. I bought pumpnseal, too. Foodsaver minus power equals 0. Pumpnseal works for me. I use an electric iron ($2 @ s.a.) but could heat it on woodstove or in a pan on a fire. Gotta get the jar attachment so i dont poke holes in too many lids.
dh says im so frugal, i could render the lard outta $&it. lol.
I would not use this gadget to vacuum any food that is intended to be stored ‘long term’.
There are many reputable sites recommending against using pickle or sauce jars for long term food storage. Baggies, recommended for food storage by pump-n-seal are singled out as not able to provide an air tight seal by dozens of sites. They may work for food placed in your fridge and eaten within 2-3 weeks, but not for non refrigerated long term storage.
Preppers are looking for botulism free, mold free, safe methods of storing food under conditions where electricity and refrigeration are no longer available. Under those conditions, food vacuumed by that gadget may be a killer.
Kelly P, in my opinion is showing us a tool that, used properly, will serve the needs of long term preppers.
Hunkerdown? Why? Whats the difference? I use 5 mil mylar, o2 absorbers. All the tool does is remove air from a bag of beans. Or a clean mayo jar full of noodles. Am i missing some massive issue here?
arkieready,
The tool does not have a gauge to show if the vacuum pressure is too low.
Here are some sites that talk about using mayo and spaghetti jars. There are many, many more sites with the same warnings.
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/presevingfoods/f/Grocery_Jars.htm
http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_canning.html#11
I will be checking that out! Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I too had also wondered how to re-vacuum pack supplies – just assumed the use of another O2 absorber – however, in the case of no electricity, I won’t be able to reseal mylar bags either.
Excellent article – I’m going to get my brake bleeder this next week.
Hey, off topic, has anyone heard from Lint Picker lately? Is he off looking at property in NV again?
Great idea Kelly. Will look into it. Good solution when the grid is down.
Michelle:
I believe Lint said he was going to ground for a long while. Wants to dramatically reduce his footprint.
Thank you for the info. As we are only 2, we may have the same problem in the future.
Found this for you Michelle:
Lint Picker (Northern California) January 27, 2012 at 2:54 AM
My apologies to Cliff, but I wanted to say good-bye.
I’m closing out my email account and ending my computer use because I’m tired of the viruses and the spam and the increasing invasion of privacy. Besides all that, I can save some money and spend it on the little farm I’m going to buy sometime soon.
So, I just wanted to say to all of the Wolf Pack how much I’ve appreciated the kind regards, the jokes, the education, and the debates. It’s been my privilege to have gotten to know you, even if only a little bit. Some of you have been like family and I will always wonder how life turns out for you, but I trust you will do well since you are all intelligent and savvy folks who will get through whatever life has in store.
Maybe things will get better, maybe they won’t. All I know is you have all helped me learn how to prepare and how to enjoy each day. Thank you, truly, thank you for all that!
Stay alert. Stay safe. Don’t let TDL get you down – he doesn’t win in the end. May God bless each of you with wisdom and courage and laughter. And may He wrap you in good health and safe passage all the days of your lives.
It’s been fun. So long Wolf Pack.
Signing off, Mack
Thank you SurvivorDan, I missed that. Gosh, I’m gonna miss Lint. Guess I never realized how much you guys have all come to mean to me.
One additional approach to consider that I took after having a similar concern. Instead of using the 5 gal mylar bags in the 5 gal buckets, I use 5 x 1 gal mylar bags. The upfront cost is a bit more and is of course more work sealing, but I now have 5 “unit of use” bags instead of 1 large bag that will greatly reduce any waste/spoilage I have.
I use much the same method so I can have multiple foods in one bucket. That way if I had to bug out or wanted to donate I would have a good product mix.
Lint Picker should’ve considered a Mac. I have a MacMini and never have any problems. Yes, it’s more expensive than a PC but it never crashes.
Always wanted a sealer that would work in the field..GREAT idea. Thank you….
Kelly P.
A very heart felt THANK YOU! You have just provided the answer to a question I have been concerned with for a while. What I have been doing after opening a 5 gal. is to drop another oxy, squeeze out all air I can, tightly twisting and using a tie. Works pretty good for a while, but damages the bag after a few.
Til next,
Rex
No website. just starting. I have been doing stuff for a year and a half. I now am narrowing down things for the nittygritty. I have read thru this sight three times now.I might be able to live around that guy you called lint picker.He sounds like a friend worth having.Maybe you all will see him again. Going to go. I just wanted to let you know that your helping people you do not even know. Down the road
I tried something similiar to this several years ago when I had some black raspberry preserves I wished to separate into smaller containers rather than the gallon jar it was packed in. (I had given a friend the starts for this particular berry and they repayed my kindness by giving me two quart jars of pie filling and a gallon gar of preserves) I racked my brains for some time looking at the foodsaver setup and being cheap, (or frugal) as one of my friends called it. Same friend who maintained that I was not really lazy, just conservative of my energy. Going to keep him as a friend forever. Back to the situation however so you may want to try my setup. I was stuck with a manifold guage set and a vacuum pump that I had used for years for RF12 refrigeration jobs that I could no longer use. I studied the situation carefully for a while and then a daughter who ran a candy store gave me a couple dozen of the little sample jelly jars. It took me some time to find sealable lids for them and I finally found some for five cents each. Good heavens, things are starting to get expensive. I installed one of the metal schrader valves that is held in with a nut in one of the fingers of a heavy duty rubber glove I had still in the package and never used. I filled the little jars, cleaned the threads and neck surface, put the lid on just finger tight and then clamped the glove cuff around the neck with a padded wire bundle clamp. I hooked up the vacuum pump and manifold to the fitting and started pumping it down. I had to stop and take the setup loose and insert a piece of pvc pipe down the finger I was using for suction. When reclamped and vacuum applied, I pulled it down to 28 inches which I figured was the safest I could go considering the wall thickness of the jars, (I could pull 32 inches with this pump which would have burst the jar) and left it overnight. The next day, it was still reading 28 inches so I gently opened the valve and let air bleed in. After removing the fixture, I let the jar set for several weeks and when I opened it, I got a very satisfying hiss as the vacuum seal was broken and the air entered. I finished the rest of them that way and I have only opened a couple of them since then still satisfactorily sealed. The rest were distributed to friends and family (you can only eat so much of those preserves if you are diabetic) and the daughter who sold several of them before she closed her store. When I sold out all of my tools at seventy years of age, I sold the pump, manifold set and a lot of other stuff I wish I had’n't sold at the time. This discussion brought back the memory of accomplishing something very “frugally”. Total cost was a buck and a half for the metal schrader valve and a couple of bucks for the lids. Of course I could not set a figure on my labor since I am so conservative of energy. So what I am trying to say is whatever works for you and you wind up with a sustainable seal, go for it. Dry stuff would probably seal a lot easier than the preserves as I had to open and clean the jar rims several times until I got smart enough to chill the preserves before sealing to avoid liquid intrusion in the sealing area. Harold
An addendum to the above posting, I know someone is going to ask how I knew when they would burst so I will explain that I tried some samples before hand and pumped them down until they did indeed burst. Packed with preserves or sand in my test cases, made them withstand more negative pressure. As the old saying goes, do try this at home with test jars first as all glass jars are not created the same.
Comments on this entry are closed.