Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Has anybody got one? What sort and what have your experiences been like?

I am thinking of buying one. I've done a bit of research and the main thing I seem to have found out is that it may be wise to buy one that does not require the use of special expensive bags (as opposed to the normal cyyovac type bags).

just a reverse pump, don't go electric theres no need.

You mean just buy the pump? Would I then buy the sealer seperate?

You mean a hand pump right C1?

yep heat sealers are quite cheap or use an old iron on hot

Have you done this C1 - what sort of pump do you use?

good timing VB, I was just asking the price of them at the shops yesterday, about $50.

they work very well, but you need cheap reuseable bags for them.
removing all the O2 from something makes it last like 6x longer.
mark my words - sometime soon we will all have fridges with vacuum sealable compartments.

That is for the handpumps Jaymie?

Timmy - yes, that would be good, though I expect the supermarkets would not like that. Afterall, how much food goes to wast in the fridge currently. Bloody heaps.

was out for a bit, sorry for that.
http://www.grainmills.com.au/category56_1.htm

agreed, too much is wasted. especially if your like me and don't have a family, almost everything you buy spoils before you get through 1/2 of it.
infact my inital interest in gardening stemmed from this, i would buy herbs and they would be dead the next day so i said screw this and grew my own.

C1 - yep, that's the one I came across while googling for my research.

Do you have any personal experience with it.

Timmy - preserving isn't something I've got into too much to date, but long term I've goto as it goes hand in hand with what we are doing. Vacuum packing and putting in freezer (or fridge if appropriate) seems an easy way to do compared with canning and stuff. Besides - canning is not suitable for many of the foods.

For starters, vacuum packing will be a very suitable way to pack some raw fish (in freezer) for convenient use. Will also be good to store some smoked fish for later use in making that yummy smoked fish dip. I also want to vacuum seal my fish food to try and make sure it lasts okay. I just don't want to put the food in the freezer (waste of energy) and figure that if I remove most of the oxygen, it will last heaps longer just stored in a reasonably cool place (which is kinda hard to find ).

sealing in glass is way better than plastic.
I remember Dr. Karl explaining about plastic bags and that under a microscope they are like barbed wire on a minute scale.
Stuff last for ever in glass.
And we get given glass every time we buy something in it.
Saves throwing it out or 'recycling' which kp suggests is no really viable.
We have had fruit preserves for years without adding 'preserving' chemies.

Glass won't be suitable for everything though. Just can't see whole Jade Perch sitting in glass in my freezer

VB, have you asked your "friendly" local butcher to see if he can do it if its not an "everyday" thing