Brandon Abel

Wow, I like some of the ideas mentioned here, thanks for posting this thread!

My post will be a little different - the simple hacks or uses I do with apples.

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SIMPLE USES FOR BUMPER CROPS OF ORGANIC APPLES:

1 ---- Fresh Squeezed Juice
- use the slow/masticating kind of juicer ( i have an Omega brand - there are a few models, mine is the horizontal one. )
- the apples should be as crisp, ripe and sweet as possible. About 5 apples for a decent drink.
- if the apples are not super crisp they may churn in the juicer a little. samples of stiff texture roots help push the apple pulp through. (carrot, beet, jicama etc...)
- add a small piece of ginger root for kick
- add your kale leaves if you also have a bumper crop of those
- do a juice first thing in the morning before you move around a little then have breakfast.
- get creative!
(***Bonus: if you are into routine cleansing, fresh apple juice can be an excellent addition to your seasonal 3 or 10 day juice fast or whatever protocol you follow.)

2 ---- Juicy Gently Salted Apples On a Stick
- a new trick I have been enjoying
- peel the apple and carefully insert a chop stick into the base of the core
- hold the apple aloft by the chop stick and sprinkle gently with salt all around.
- set it down in a bowl and let rest for a few mins (or in my case, set them down together because I can't have just one)
- enjoy!

3 ---- Simple Apple Caramel-Like Sauce (for topping on pancakes or served with wholesome muffins)
- prepare a gently simmering pot with about a cup of water
- peel and chop a couple apples, add to the pot and bring up to heat with the water
- add your spices (I prefer ginger root powder and cinnamon with a dash of salt and stevia)
- in a separate cup mix 1 heaping teaspoon of tapioca starch with about 1/4 cup water
- gradually add this white liquid to the apples pot, stirring with a whisk
- keep stirring to prevent sticking as the mixture thickens and jellies up
- turn off heat and allow flavors time to settle in as the pot slowly cools
- Enjoy!
(***I am usually finishing flipping the pancake batch or doing a few dishes while the pot cools.)

This is one of my favorite breakfasts - my wholesome gluten free pancakes, this topping and some sweet salty roasted nuts for crunch (walnuts typically)
(***A larger thicker batch of this could make a great pie filling, in fact, I will stir the the dry tapioca into sliced apples along with the spices when I make an apple pie and after baking the result is a creamy gooey appley sauce around all the apple pieces in the pie.)


Edited - Forgot to mention this super simple way to use apples:
4 ---- Frozen Apple Chunks (for using in smoothies)
- maybe the most basic idea but I've only started doing this in the last year. chop apple into chunks your blender can handle.
- freeze on a plate separated then pack tightly into jars or ziplock bags. Instant smoothie ingredient as needed. Very nice texture and flavor for bulking up a smoothie.

Chris Kott wrote:A suggestion was made early on in this thread, that it's possible to do an oven canning method with dry goods, and then seal them before they cool, creating a vacuum inside the sealed vessels. This wouldn't work with anything you want to keep below that temperature, or for anything heat would destroy, but would this work, otherwise? I mean, if I had dried goods, shelf-stable, that I wanted to vacuum-seal in mason jars to extend the freshness/longevity, is there any reason it wouldn't work?

I only ask because it's good to have a backup in the event that the plastic toys break when you have a mountain of preservation to do. Heck, I was being flippant, but really, all you need is for the seal to fail, or for a crack to develop in the seam of the plastic of the pump cylinder, and it could make it impossible to attain a sufficient vacuum.

-CK

Keep in mind this non-heat dry vacuum storage method is by no means a sterile long term food storage plan. My intention is mainly to extend the freshness of dry goods, especially those that have been ground or crushed already.

From what I've heard in the Raw Food enthusiast circles, any heat in the range of 108°F would be pushing it for altering the nutritional contents of the food you are trying to protect from oxygen. But in general terms, most dry good will have a long enough shelf life to be just fine anyways if a few seals break. If you check on them occasionally you can correct the flaws in your stores and keep everything tip top.

But yes, heat the contents in a jar then cooling with a sealed lid will create a decent vacuum. However, your food will be changed at the chemical/nutritional level.

Alexa May wrote:...I recently purchased a Pump-N-Seal (https://pump-n-seal.com/). I found it to be MUCH more effective than the Ziploc and Lasting Freshness versions...

Excellent! Thanks for the tip. I can't wait to try this new system.
Cheers!

Just a few notes about this manual mason jar vacuum sealing gear. I wound up buying all three of the pumps I posted links to earlier since they were all less than $20 each. Figured I could eliminate the risk of a potential cull plus having an extra one kicking around wouldn't hurt either.

Here's the reviews:
-The longer yellow one is the most powerful but it ships with an ineffective rubber tip. The rubber tip also stinks strongly of toxic chemicals.
-The Ziploc brand pump (which came with a few vacuum bags to use) was the best performer out of box. It has an adequate soft tip for a good seal and pumps stronger than the Lasting Freshness pump.
-The Lasting Freshness pump (which also came with it's own set of bags) fell behind in performance. Though it has the softest tip for the best seal, the body/mechanism just feels flimsy and pumps the weakest of the 3. The color is also a little off but I took what I could get.

(I have not tested the bags for performance but the Ziploc appears to be easier to use with a ready to go airlock valve to place the pump over. The Lasting Freshness bags have little plastic twist caps over top of the airlock valves, a little less convenient but it may be that the bag itself is better. They happen to be labeled Sous-Vide bags so possibly acceptable for use by chefs when cooking in a precision water bath. Also, there are Tupperware style containers available  from Lasting Freshness with vacuum ports built in to the lids.)

Conclusion:
-I left the Ziploc pump as is and put the Lasting Freshness tip on the best pump (generic yellow). The smelly black rubber tip from the yellow one went in the trash rendering the Lasting Freshness pump somewhat useless.

Side note:
The Food Saver jar lid vacuum sealers were not designed to be used with these hand pumps. They have a small hole in which they expect you to attach a hose from their electronic vacuum bag sealing devices. Their branding is printed in raised letters around the surface where we place the rubber seals to pump out the air. This is mildly disruptive to the vacuum seal when pumping. I am in the process of shaving those bumpy letters smooth.

All in all this seems like a fantastic way to store food items (dry or wet) in mason jars for extended short term storage. I found this thread on my search to find out more about how to get all this working. There was very little info available everywhere. Thank you to the OP Mike Jay and all the contributors.

These pumps are a little harder to find than I first thought they would be. I found one more option people might try:
https://www.amazon.ca/SODIAL-Yellow-Compressed-Storage-Extracting/dp/B00PXZID1A

Cheers, glad I could join in.

Here's another one by Lasting Freshness. Looks like the rubber end might be softer (John complained about the one he has).
https://lastingfreshness.com/shop/bags/5-pc-vacuum-food-storage-bags-starter-kit

From what I have seen Ziploc also has a product out that pumps the bags using the same technique.

Here's a quick demo from John Kohler. I wound up here looking for a pump like the one he uses.



This might be the little hand help pump he has:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PXHBMAW

Cheers!