I am dehrydrating peaches and apples and figs this year for the first time. I would like to store them in the the suction/seal bags, like I have done with pecans. You can place the pecans,once in the sealed bags,in the freezer until use and the nuts are just right for eating once opened. I do not want to place the sealed bags of fruit in the freezer and my concern is that by leaving them out in the climate that we have here in Arkansas, whic is very humid, that the fruit might spoil in the bags. What is the best way to store these items here in the deep south?

Thanks, Lynne/BuckBoard Acres

-- lynne stewart (deallen@cei.net), July 04, 1999

Answers

I've dried a lot of fruit over the years. Storing in the vacuum seal bags is good, but I didn't have those for a long time. In addition I place them in gallon glass jars. Such jars are easily obtained from restaurants, catering companies, etc. I especially like the brown glass jars that I obtained from the university (they originally contained chemical reagents and were washed clean and put up for adoption by "Central Stores" in the univ I went to. These help to keep the light away from the fruit. Once you have the jars full of dried fruit it is best to store them in your root cellar to keep the temperature as low as possible without refrigeration. This way I have held dried fruit for up to 5 years, but it is better to use it before then. But then I cannot speak about high summer humidity as I live in N. Calif. Here our winter humidity is high, but I think keeping the storage temps as low as possible and excluding light is as important.

-- Nick (nikoda@pdqnet.com), July 05, 1999.

Can't answer the high humidity part, i live in the extreme north west corner of MT. I did learn a very important lesson a few years ago. Store your dehydrated food in small quanities. If one piece is not totally dry and spoils, it won't ruin the whole container full of food. As long as the jar or container is air tight I don't see how humidity would effect it.

-- marci shaffer (ajourend@libby.org), July 13, 1999.

in order to keep dried foods in high humidity areas, you will need to vacume pack them in jars or bags, they will last on the shelf, but if you are using bags put them in plastic containers to keep the mice from getting to them. Last year was my first in a high humidity area, and lost the first of my efforts within a week to spoliage, went through boxes to find the vacume packer that hasn't been used in years and vacume packed the rest. when the bags or jars are opened contents are just as when placed in. I am also vacume packing my salt, flour, rice ect. to keep out moisture and bugs.

-- cynthia hale (hale@ria.net), August 27, 1999.

I live in humid North Alabama & have had success using dessicant in the closed bags & jars I've stored dehydrated items in. Learned this trick with spices & bouillon which sogged up after opening, so I hated to open new bottles. I make my own dessicant packets using coffee filters & the silica gel found in craft stores used for drying flowers. I take 3 filters & layer them with 3 more filters, sew a 3-sided pouch the size I want, scoop in the silica gel & sew up the 4th side. you want to be sure the silica gel can't escape into your food. Works very well for me--oh yeah, I've been in my house 20 years without air conditioning! so I really experience the humidity.

-- Al (alleycat8it@usa.net), September 22, 1999.