Choice and sources of Jars

[jennyjj01]

I'm planning to seriously ramp up my dehydrating of veg and I'm weighing up cost effective storage solutions.

Currently I use a mix of vac bags, coffee jars and tupperware and most stocks seem to be fine for a year of storage, but I'm thinking that vac sealed jars will give a much longer shelf life. I hope to lay down over a years worth of veg.

But I do baulk at the idea of spending two or three pounds per 500ml mason jar to hold about £1 worth of food in each, especially when I can already buy 500ml jars full of sauce for 50p.

So. Can anyone recommend a source of inexpensive mason jars in quantities of about 50.

Also, has anyone tested a FoodSaver jar sealing adaptor with a non-FoodSaver, cheapie, ASDA vac sealer?

And what about re-use of cooking sauce/pickle jars which I could vacuum seal to some extent? Any disadvantages?

Or should I just stick with tupperware and not stress about vacuum sealing?

[redskies]

I don't know if this will help - we get through about a kg of coconut oil a month, and the stuff we buy comes in mason jars. It's not any more expensive than buying it in a binnable container, about a tenner a kg, but the jars are resuseable, and will hold 1L.

Not as easy as just buying the jars you want, but at least they're a buy the coconut oil, get the jar free type deal!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

[jennyjj01]

I don't know if this will help - we get through about a kg of coconut oil a month, and the stuff we buy comes in mason jars. It's not any more expensive than buying it in a binnable container, about a tenner a kg, but the jars are resuseable, and will hold 1L.

Not as easy as just buying the jars you want, but at least they're a buy the coconut oil, get the jar free type deal!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for that. Sadly I don't have a use for coconut oil.
It does raise the interesting question about the effective difference between Kilner jars and Mason Jars with screw lid. I don't think kilner jars like that can be vac sealed?

[Lemne]

I get almost all my jars from Home Bargains. They do the two part lid Mason jars for 59p for the pint and 99p for the 750ml. I've never found cheaper. They freeze and can be water bathed as well. Cheap as chips.

[jennyjj01]

I get almost all my jars from Home Bargains. They do the two part lid Mason jars for 59p for the pint and 99p for the 750ml. I've never found cheaper. They freeze and can be water bathed as well. Cheap as chips.

Thanks Lemne
I was just going to post that I've just returned from my local Home Bargain after snapping up their remaining stock.

69p for 500ml
99p for 1000ml.

Which to me is a spectacular find being less than a third of the price from Wilkinsons.

[jennyjj01]

Soooooo. Now I have 12 Litres worth of Mason Jars and I've placed an order for a FoodSaver Jar adaptor from the US. Jeez. Those are expensive what with shipping and duties. Couldn't find one in the UK !

Now I have to decide what I dehydrate down into them for Max bang for my Buck. Max volume reduction. Max utility.
Watching some fool on Youtube vacuum jarring oats and flour. What the heck was the point of that if it doesn't shrink at all? I vac bag those sorts of thing.

First candidate will be a sack of pony carrots at £2 from the local farm shop.
Then, I think something I've never tried: Home made dried and flaked mashed spuds at £6 a sack.....

That's two of the jars planned Struggling for another dozen ideas!

Might try some mushroom powder. And some chunks of fruit. Beetroot?

I can see that dehydrator and vac pump running 24/7 till the crisis is over

[Bosworth]

Slight tangent but I’ve just had a rummage on home bargains website and it kinda does what it says on the tin. Quite good value for lot of stuff!

[jennyjj01]

Slight tangent but I’ve just had a rummage on home bargains website and it kinda does what it says on the tin. Quite good value for lot of stuff!

Indeed. Didn't everyone know?
If you're not familiar with it and have one locally, pop in. Pretty good as a core discount supermarket: A poor man's wilkinsons. Indeed it's one of only 3 stores open in my local shopping mall.

They sell lots of stuff that is not shown on their web site. especially food, laundry and generic meds.

I only just realised that they do delivery to some extent.

[jansman]

Home Bargains ( and B&M too) are excellent shops. I buy all my work gloves, screws, zip ties etc. from whichever is priced best.We also pick up a lot of canned and jarred foods there too.

[tarmactatt]

Really useful thread! Thanks!

My day-to-day ingredients are kept in the lever type kilner (and kilner style) glass jars. I'm deeply unimpressed with the Kilner brand jars, I've had quite a lot of flakes of glass from the rim where the metal lever makes contact.

Ironically, I've found the Ikea ones much better...