View Full Version : Vacuum packing and peanut butter
I have two questions for you food gurus.
First, do vacuum bags keep food fresh longer? I would guess that's the point, but how much longer? Do they make sending hard cheese in a mail drop feasible? Do they keep ants out? Can one vacuum pack 4 or 5 months of food and have it available for maildrops? Should the food be vacuum packed and frozen or is that overkill?
Second, I have this idea to mix peanut butter, wheat germ, honey and raisins (or similar ingredients), package in small plastic single serving (1 or 2 cup) containers, and have sent in a mail drop. Would the concoction keep or spoil for the mailing? Again, can one prepare 4 or 5 months of food and have it available for maildrops? Should/can it be stored in a freezer prior to sending? Would vacuum packing make a difference, with or without freezing?
Thanks in advance.
do vacuum bags keep food fresh longer?Yes.
how much longer?I've been asking experts that for 30 years. No easy answers; too many variables.
Do they make sending hard cheese in a mail drop feasible? Do they keep ants out? Can one vacuum pack 4 or 5 months of food and have it available for maildrops? Should the food be vacuum packed and frozen or is that overkill?Yes. Yes. Yes, for certain foods, mostly stuff that had a pretty long shelf life anyway; for things like cheeses the vacuum sealing adds days, maybe even a few weeks for stable cheeses and other foods but no miracles here. Freezing is frequently good for storage until the vacuum packed stuff is ready to go out. OTOH freezing changes the texture of some foods (like most cheeses) negatively.
Second, I have this idea to mix peanut butter, wheat germ, honey and raisins (or similar ingredients), package in small plastic single serving (1 or 2 cup) containers, and have sent in a mail drop. Would the concoction keep or spoil for the mailing? Again, can one prepare 4 or 5 months of food and have it available for maildrops?It would probably keep for weeks, not months.
Too many variables. If food is absolutely sterile prior to vacuum sealing, you're in good shape pathogen-wise. But some foods may chemically degrade. In very general terms: vacuum sealing can gain you some days, in many cases probably a very small number of weeks. For foods that are already very shelf stable for months, you may be able to triple the usable life.
Since any peanut butter mixture sticks to everything, freeze it slightly before vacuum sealing. Line a glass baking dish with wax paper before spooning in the peanut butter mix. Then put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, slice into measured portions, and seal while still firm. Much easier to handle and the vacuum sealer won't suck in anything.
Alligator
07-15-2012, 22:51
Check the product manual that comes with your sealer. Mine had information on the extended life of various food types.
I mainly vacuum pack homemade dehydrated foods. I freeze them and have had good results even two years out.
I have never gotten ants in my vacuum bags.
Wise Old Owl
07-15-2012, 23:06
I have two questions for you food gurus.
1st half already answered...
Second, I have this idea to mix peanut butter, wheat germ, honey and raisins (or similar ingredients), package in small plastic single serving (1 or 2 cup) containers, and have sent in a mail drop. Would the concoction keep or spoil for the mailing? Again, can one prepare 4 or 5 months of food and have it available for maildrops? Should/can it be stored in a freezer prior to sending? Would vacuum packing make a difference, with or without freezing?
Thanks in advance.
Interesting take, go ahead and make them up make two sets and then realize you are making boil bags after sealing quick boil one set and leave the other alone. In short you are bringing a pot to boil and dunking the item and pasturizing! wait a month open and compare... bet one smells better - the control group will not smell as good. Bacteria will digest the control!
Thats my guess.- Hey I spend time in the Kitchen.
Shelf life of any food with a high fat content will be relatively short. Even freezing will only help a little. Peanut butter comes in plastic jars that are light, durable, resealable--hard to improve on this. If you want to make a mix of your sealed food, I feel it is best to seal each item separately so if one is bad you can not use it and still have the rest to eat rather than throwing away the whole mix.
It might be nice to know that all your food for the duration of your hike is ready and waiting for you at the post office, but the reality is that you will want to go to town for fresh food when you get sick of stuff in the mail drops. If you are not hiking, an extended wilderness trek where you will not be near any stores for instance, then you might want to plan to use everyday staples like your kitchen at home provides--but that is a different mind set altogether. Dehydrated and freeze dried are really the way to go for long term food supply. Fats and meat protien are short shelf life items and are easier to keep when it is a cool weather hike.
It might be nice to know that all your food for the duration of your hike is ready and waiting for you at the post office, but the reality is that you will want to go to town for fresh food when you get sick of stuff in the mail drops. ...
..., then you might want to plan to use everyday staples like your kitchen at home provides--.
My thru won't be until 2020, but it never hurts to find out what works early. I hope.
I do plan to make use of towns for fresh food, but in keeping with your other point, I also plan to eat much the same diet as I do at home, only much more of it. There will be a few changes to help get more calories. The thing is, I am mostly vegetarian and have some ethnic food preferences that are not always readily available, especially if one is unfamiliar with where to go in town. Thus I suspect more than a few mail drops will work best for me. Towns will be for fresh salad and fruits, (and pizza and beer and ice cream I'm sure). I'm sure other approaches work better for other people.
I was thinking about using a plastic food container something like the one of the bottom three on this page (http://www.nashvillewraps.com/candy-boxes/plastic-food-containers/c-048831.html). Maybe then put the container in a vacuum bag for freshness? Maybe that's overkill.
Thank you and everyone else. I am picking up some helpful points.
perrymk, good to see that you are starting to gather skills and experience early, I think it will make your hike more enjoyable. Mostly I would say don't sweat the small stuff, it will all work out ok.
There are quite a few posts by vegetarians here and a search might yield some good info for you. It seems that the basic problem is getting enough calories, an astonomical number it seems, to sustain the energy level needed for hiking mountains day in and day out. Any limit you put on what you are willing to eat makes adequate calorie intake more of a problem. But people manage to do it, you are right to plan ahead for food that may not be stocked at the average convienence store. It also might be a good idea to steel yourself to either eating what you can get sometimes or planning a mid hike resupply by taking a road trip or two to a larger town where more options are available.
Since you have some time to experiment, you might like to check out dehydrated options like Harmony House foods. REI carries the backpacker sampler box for about $50 regular price but it's a good introduction to that kind of food--I like the chicken TVP though I often wonder why meat flavored substitutes appeal to people who have decided not to eat animlal flesh?? I have thought that if I were to through hike I would order the sampler every six weeks or so and send half of it ahead three weeks. But the company is very reliable, in my experience, and I think they would send your order to any post office. Mailing food drops is expensive but if it is something you can't get otherwise it is still a good deal.
One of my favorite mixes is 'moose goo'. There is probably a recipe here but basically it is peanut butter, dry milk powder, a bit of honey and oil mixed to dryish consistency and kept in a small ziplock. There are many versions but one good thing is that the ingredients are easy to get and mix up on the trail--lots of calories, carbs and protien. You can put in what you like, wheat germ would be good. It lasts a long time in my pack and isn't sticky.
Good luck and have fun planning and hiking. grayfox
you might like to check out dehydrated options like Harmony House foods....
...I often wonder why meat flavored substitutes appeal to people who have decided not to eat animlal flesh??...
...One of my favorite mixes is 'moose goo'.
A friend of mine likes beprepared.com for freeze dried vegetables. They have a mixed vegetable that I plan to try soon. I've heard of harmony house and will check them out too.
I think the fake meat stuff is mainly for new veggies. I never cared much for it. I'm not opposed to it and will eat it if offered, but I don't think I have ever purchased it.
The moose goo sounds awesome. Another thing to experiment with! In small, calorie-controlled quantities at home though (smile). It sounds similar to a prison powerbar recipe I saw in the Convict's Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Convict-Cookbook-Convicts-Washington-Penitentiary/dp/0976082500).