calirose - -I like to use canning jars for nearly all of my dehydrated food I store at room temperature. Oxygen-free (vacuum-sealed) is the best way to store these types of foods. Second best is in an air-tight container. -Not everything will store properly in a vacuum-sealed FoodSaver bag because the food is too compacted when the air is sucked out of the bag. You can't even store chocolate chips in a vacuum-sealed bag very well because they will fuse together and you'll have lumps, not chips. Same with dried fruit. A certain percentage of moisture remains in most dehydrated food and it's usually too moist for storage in the bags. Think about what would happen if you were to take a handful of prunes or dried apricots and squeeze them as tightly in your hand as possible. That's what happens in FoodSaver bags. Then there are foods that are dried until they are crispy dry. If you vacuum-seal crisp things in a bag, you'll end up with "dust" - once again compact storage isn't appropriate. Put some potato chips in a plastic bag and then roll a rolling pin over it. That's about what happens when you put crispy foods in a FoodSaver bag and vacuum seal it shut. I dehydrate zucchini slices until they are crispy dry and we use those instead of potato chips. So if I were to vacuum-seal them in a bag, there would be nothing but dust and bits of zucchini. I store them in canning jars that have been vacuum-sealed with a canning lid on the jar. -When you use a FoodSaver and the jar attachment for canning jars, the food will remain free-flowing within the jars, whether it's moist or crispy dry - but all the oxygen will be removed from the jar. So moist things don't end up a compact lump, and crispy things will remain whole AND all the air will be removed from the storage jar for longer storage. -For the jars of dehydrated food I keep in storage, I use a canning lid on them. Once the jars are moved out of storage and into the pantry, I replace the canning lid with a Universal Lid - designed to be used with a FoodSaver. Now you can easily open and reseal the jar, just like using the FoodSaver canisters. The Universal Lid will work on a wide variety of containers, it comes in two sizes (4" and 5") and is cheaper than buying FoodSaver Canisters. The container that you use a Universal Lid for doesn't have to fit the lid perfectly. It will vacuum onto any smooth rim. -You need to be careful storing dehydrated foods. If you don't dehydrate them properly, they will mold. You need to check them perodically for mold and if you find mold, throw all the food in that package/jar/container away. Don't take out a few bits that are moldy. Unseen mold spores will remain throughout the entire container of food, so trash all of it. Potato slices are nortorious for molding, so I store them in small amounts (pint jars). By doing so, I only expose a small amount of dehydrated potatoes to mold. -When you open a jar/canister, don't leave the food sit with the lid off for a prolonged period of time. Dehydrated foods quickly rehydrate from moisture in the air and it can be enough to cause mold to grow on the food. -Not all dehydrated foods have a long shelf-life, so don't expect all foods to last "forever", but if they are vacuum-sealed, they will last longer. Dehydrated foods need to be stored in an air-tight container and in a cool and dark storage area. -Grainlady

Steph the jars need 1 to 2 inches of water over the top, and a rack between them and the bottom of the pan. A round wire cake cooler will work. So will extra lid rings tied together to form a trivet. You should find 4 oz jars at W. The very tiny 2.7oz jars I had to order directly from Weck or from amazon. They are pricey, with glass lids clipped on, and reusable rubber seals. Very cool, great for adding another layer of fancy to gifts. Chris, I used a new to me pectin last night. Pomona's Universal Pectin, uses calcium rather than sugar to set the gel. So you can use low or no sugar or Stevia or xylitol, fruit juice concentrates, even dried fruit for sweeteners. Because there is less sugar, they won't last as long once opened. There are directions in the box, as well as a book, which I suppose will end up in my kindle before long. I used it with coconut sugar last night to make strawberry cocoa jam. I didn't get a stiff set, but I kind of cut cooking short, since I thought this stuff would make an excellent saucey jam for stirring into yogurt or drizzling over pound cake. I haven't seen this stuff locally, I ordered it from Amz. Oven Peach butter I believe I got about 10-12 4 oz jars. heat oven to 350F. Halve the peaches and remove the pit. Place in a glass or ceramic pan (mine fit in one 9 by 13 with a little squeezing) cut side down. Bake about 1/2 hour. Remove from oven and turn it down to 250. Let the peaches cool a little, then remove the skins, they should lift right off. Mash the peaches with a fork or potato masher and return to the oven. Continue baking, checking occasionally to mash further and stir around, 2 to 3 hours. The peaches are done when they have darkened, they are not watery and they've reached a spreadable consistency. Add sugar to taste, up to 2 cups. Stir in the zest and juice of one lemon. spoon into jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space and process 15 minutes (plus any time needed for elevation..at 4500 feet I have to add ten minutes). This could be frozen. Because of the low sugar content jars should be used within 6 months. Peaches in raspberry jam I think I got about 13 4 oz jars 3 pounds peaches. cut an X in the skin at the bottom of each peach. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and put into a cold water bath. When peaches have cooled, peel away the skin. cut the peach into about 12 slices and remove the pit. To fit into tiny jars, I diced the slices into ~ 1/2 inch sections. put the peaches in a ceramic bowl, drizzle with the juice of one lemon and stir. Put one pound of raspberries through a food mill over the bowl (or press through a fine strainer with the back of a spoon if you haven't got a mill). Add 3 cups of granulated sugar and stir well. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. Next day, pour the fruit into a colander set over a bowl. Let it drain for about 20 minutes. Pour the syrup into a non-reactive pot. Set the colander over the bowl again to catch any remaining drippings. Cook over medium high heat until a candy thermometer reads 215F, gradually increasing the heat to high ( a very strong boil that won't stir down). Add the peaches and cook until thickened and the foam has cleared and the fruit starts sinking in the gel. About 25 minutes. If there is still a little foam, stir in a half teaspoon of butter to collect the foam and leave a very clear gel. Ladle into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, wipe the rims and apply the lids and rings. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes, plus any extra needed for your elevation. This will keep on the shelf at least a year. After one year you'll start to lose color and some nutrition.

My DH and DIL gave us a 6-mo subscription to Baconfreak. Yesterday's first delivery was pkg of Cajun Bacon, and a pkg of shelf-stable smoked bacon. Don't know how they do that safely??? Must be dry cured but that is only a 90-day fix. It also came with a silly black T-shirt with "Bacon is Meat Candy" logo. We sent them a 9-mo subscription to Harry&David's Fruit & Cheese club. We also bought a 9-mo subscription for ourselves. We will be living "high off the hog" with sides of "good for you". I just have a problem with the gel cold pack. I already get them with my monthly medication. Don't know what the heck to do with them. Any ideas?

Here's what works for crowds at my store: There are the early birds who are practically standing in line at 8 when they open. They are mostly finished and in the checkout lines by 8:20 or 8:30, so I try to get there at that time, as it picks up again after 9 a.m. It also is less crowded close to closing. I raced in one time about 10 min before closing and as I checked out and commented that I almost didn't make it before closing, the worker told me that if you're in the store at closing, they don't shoo you out. They are there stocking until later anyway, so they leave you in peace to finish up. At closing, they may be out of stuff on the shelves, tho, but often it's in the back waiting to be put on the shelves. They are GREAT about checking for you and bringing what you need out of the back, if it's there.