North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>]

1.  No, Thomas, the electric bag sealers will not work with regular
plastic bags; they will just melt the plastic and make a big mess.  The
bag sealers require a special plastic (possibly mylar) that comes on a
roll.  We used these for a number of years, even though they are
arguably more difficult to use than the regular ziplock type bags,
because you can get a very good seal, and the plastic is very tough and
durable in the freezer.  Eventually, however, we got tired of trying to
use them because of their cost (ziplocks are a lot cheaper), their
limited availability, and the fact that they cannot be reused, while
ziplocks often can.  Thus our electric bag sealer lies a-mouldering
somewhere in the basement, along with everything else.

2.  When using ziplocks, fruit quality is preserved best when you try to
squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag as you make the seal.  A
half cup of sugar in the bag for fruit like pitted sour cherries will
also add months to freezer life in good condition.  We keep cherries,
peaches etc. for up to one year without much loss of quality.  Sugar is
a natural preservative, and helps prevent browning and oxidation.

3.  We never found a cheaper source of those bags-on-a-roll Del.

Rgds, Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA






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