I use Mason jars for storing dehydrated food I use on a regular basis.
I love to use Mason jars to store my dehydrated fruit and vegetables for a couple of reasons:
They are airtight—and store easily on your pantry shelves in the kitchen, and behind closed doors.
This keeps direct light off them also, which is a good thing!
I keep my actual dehydrated goodies in one of my kitchen cupboards! :-)
Plus, they look great on your shelves. Impress your friends and family!
You can use smaller air-tight jars (half-pint) for items that you don't use a lot of—such as garlic, and spices.
I use air-tight jars for storing dehydrated food for everyday use.
When I'm ready to
make a quick soup or need to add some dehydrated vegetables to a
recipe, I can quickly add some dehydrated vegetables without having to
mess around preparing fresh vegetables. Please see the Mason jar links farther down the page!
Now don't get me wrong, I'll take fresh vegetables over dehydrated any day, but we're all about doing this for long-term storage.
Keeping the dehydrated vegetables in different-sized mason jars, means I'm not opening up my Mylar bags all the time to retrieve a vacuumed packet and having to re-seal the Mylar bag afterward.
This way, I can easily and quickly grab a jar to make a quick vegetable soup.
Shown in the photo are carrots, celery, and sliced garlic in the front.
I like the fact they're made of glass; not only can you see the contents in the jar, but you can see at a glance how much of the contents remain!
When you're ready to refill your jars from your stock, just go pick out one from your stash of stored Mylar bags.
Open it, take out a packet (or two), reseal the Mylar bag, and refill your jar!
Important: Do not forget to sterilize your jars before use.
If you're planning on canning or preserving food at home, it's important to sterilize your Mason jars before use. This will help to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold and will keep your food fresh for longer.
There are a few different ways to sterilize Mason jars. One method is to wash the jars in hot, soapy water, and then rinse them well. Next, place the jars upside down on a clean towel and let them air dry.
Once the jars are dry, you can sterilize them by placing them in a preheated oven (200°F) for 10 minutes.
Another method is to sterilize the jars in a dishwasher. Simply place the clean jars on the top rack of your dishwasher and run it on the hottest setting.
Another option is to boil the jars in a large pot of water for 10 minutes.
Once you've sterilized your Mason jars, they're ready to use. Be sure to fill them with food while they're still hot to prevent bacteria from growing.
Click the RED WORDS to see these Mason jars on Amazon.com
Mason Jars Regular Mouth Quart Jars
Mason Jars Wide Mouth Pint Jars
Mason Jars Wide Mouth Half Pint Jars
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase.
The Mason jar was named after its inventor, John Landis Mason. He patented the jar in 1858, and it quickly became a popular choice for canning and preserving food.
As you know, Mason jars are made of glass, and they have a screw-on lid that creates an airtight seal. This makes them ideal for storing food for long-term storage.
We also need to have a 100cc oxygen absorber in the jar, and an easy way to tell if the oxygen absorber is 'worn out' is when you take the lid off. If the lid opens without a popping sound, you will need to replace the old pack with a new one.
NOTE: I'll keep the 'old' 100cc oxygen absorber and put that in the smaller jars (the jars I use for the elephant garlic and spices).
Even though they may not have much 'life' left in the old oxygen absorber, there's probably enough life left in them for the small jars until you cannot feel any air pop resistance at all!
Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010.
Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."
She is featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It! (SBI!) who hosts this site. Read her first SBI! interview and her second SBI! interview.
Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create ePubTechReviews which reviews a variety of products related to the publishing industry - if you're at all interested in AI and self-publishing. The website is also hosted by Solo Build It!
Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It! that showcases the books she has written since 2012.
Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!