Last week, I posted about the many ways I use our vacuum sealer (and that my husband was right that it was worth it). Here is a continuation of how we use it.
Hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening and storing
This was the number one reason for purchasing our vacuum sealer. And we definitely use it for the fish and the venison. When the boys go ice fishing they may eat some of their catch there, but they often don’t bring home enough for a meal. So we fillet and freeze it. If they don’t go again for a few weeks the fish get freezer burn. Or they used to, not anymore with the vacuum sealer. I just found some that had slithered down to the bottom and they look as fresh as if they were put in a week ago (but were Dec ‘23). The venison stew I made this weekend was from this fall’s hunt, but I often end up using the stew meat just before the next hunting season a year later. With the vacuum sealer it’s fresh and tender with no ice crystals!
Ever have a bumper crop of tomatoes and no idea when you can get to canning them? We’ve all blanched and froze a bumper crop to deal with later, I think. The vacuum sealer gives you an even longer grace period since you don’t have to worry about freezer burn. Or, even after you’ve created that amazing vat of salsa and just can’t process any more jars tonight. Go ahead and vacuum seal a couple gallons and freeze it (or portion and freeze it instead of canning) for another day. There is no rule that you can’t process salsa in December. Just thaw it out, reheat it, and process the jars as normal.
I don’t grow my own mushrooms, it’s on the future list, but I do buy them sometimes when on sale, saute, and freeze them in usable portion sizes. The vacuum sealer means I can do a huge batch and not worry about freezer burn. The same for freezing bulk homemade fries, tater tots etc.
Dehydrating can use the vacuum sealer too. I love the look of jars of dehydrated snacks and veggies, but honestly they are bulky and I sometimes fear the jars falling. No reason you can’t vacuum seal those delightful dehydrated goodies. You may still want a moisture absorber with some foods, just like you would in sealed jars. Oh, and if you get an expensive sealer like mine, you can vacuum seal the jars too, whichever your preference!
Meal prep snacks
Each week I break family pack snacks into individual packs. I buy large boxes of crackers and large bags of chips and individually portion them for our lunches. Note, chips take about three seconds of vacuum. If you accidentally forget and do 30 seconds you have some salty breadcrumbs to use while cooking this week.
I also slice salami, pepperoni, and cheese into little snack packs (and send with the crackers). My husband and kid love those. For myself I slice green apples and cheese. I can slice the apples on Sunday and they’re still awesome on Friday. However, if you go into the next week with a leftover pack the apple starts to get a little soft and unappealing. Still, I can portion and seal it Saturday or Sunday and have it for M-F. There is nothing so awesome as packing lunches in the am by just grabbing portion bags out of the baskets on the fridge and on the counter.
Sometimes, I do baked goods like banana bread and muffins, portion, and freeze these. They thaw out by lunch. The downside to this is that the muffins sometimes stick a little to the bag, but they both taste great and there’s no freezer burn like just sealing them in a sandwich bag.
I don’t usually eat breakfast until about 9 or 10, when I’m in school I just have my yogurt or apple/cheese slices when the kids have their snacks. But every once and a while I’m starving in the morning and know I want a quick healthy breakfast. I have omelets portioned, sealed and froze. I’m not sure how long they last but more than 6 months anyway. However, I can grab one of these meals as I walk out the door and pop it in the microwave when I get to school, to eat while I’m prepping for the day which is far easier than making an omelet in the morning rush.
Leftovers are meal prepped
Usually I’m the only one who really likes soup, so I can flavor as I please. I generally have a bowl of it on the weekend, then I portion and freeze it. This is one of the ways that we use our vacuum sealer the most, meal prepping our lunches. By vacuum sealing them I never get freezer burn, so I can make up a pot of soup each weekend and keep a variety in the freezer so I don’t have to eat the same thing each day.
Last night, I made pork chops, mashed potatoes, and gravy. I have one chop left, plenty of gravy, and mashed taters. So I made up a portion of mashed potato, the pork chop cut into bite size portions, and a little gravy over it all. Then it’s frozen. Either the teen boy will have it for a snack one day or my husband will have it for a work lunch.
This weekend I made venison stew. Everyone ate their fill, but we had about three servings left over. It’s now individually portioned and froze for after school snacks or if someone doesn’t feel like the meal I make for dinner. Microwave meals that go from the freezer to our belly in about 5 minutes.
Pasta was another weekend meal. The only leftovers was some sauce. So I added zoodles (I’m the only one who eats them), cooked it down, portioned and froze 2 servings for my lunches. Yes, I had to add to the leftovers to make a meal, but only one ingredient and so what. Nothing was wasted.
It used to be that the chickens got a lot of leftovers from our fridge. Not a terrible solution, but not ideal. Now that I can portion a meal and vacuum seal it, thereby avoiding freezer burn, I don’t have as many leftovers. Add to that, I can take the little bits and bobs and turn it into soup then portion and freeze for my lunches, we have almost no “wasteful” leftovers. We’re not perfect by any means about waste, but the chickens have to forage for themselves a lot more now.
Sales
The last way that I use our vacuum sealer is something I never expected. It has nothing to do with food at all. I wrote a children’s book, Growing Up As Fairies. One of the add-ons I sell are craft kits for fairy houses and their accessories. I place the instructions and supplies in a bag and then seal it. I don’t vacuum seal it, just seal it. These bags are more secure and stronger than a gallon ziplock bag and it looks far more professional. It’s perfect. I need to expand more of this, honestly.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not vacuum sealing yet, give it a try! There are cheap ones that do the job for about $50. Or, you can go all in like we did and get one for several hundred dollars. Your future self will thank you when you pull out perfectly fresh food months down the line. Plus, there’s something ridiculously satisfying about seeing neatly sealed bags of food lined up in your pantry and freezer.
Do you buy in bulk and vacuum seal? What’s your go-to bulk purchase? Let’s swap tips in the comments!
#HomesteadingLife #BulkBuying #VacuumSealingMagic
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