Vacuum Sealer

Virginia and Mike got me a vacuum sealer food saver for Christmas a couple of years ago. I finally decided to try to figure out how to use it. YouTube was a tremendous help. There was a detailed video with the same model. One of the comments said, "I was about to return this to the store because the instructions were so bad."  Thank goodness for YouTube.  But even with that, there was still a learning curve. 

My first attempt was with broccoli.  I had 3 1/2 heads from the garden.  I cut it up and rinsed it all.  I only had a couple of worms.  

Next came blanching, 

followed by an ice bath.  

Then after drying, I packaged and vacuum sealed them. 

Normally, I use freezer zip lock bags and suck the air out with a straw.  Once I got the hang of it, the vacuum sealer is the way to go.  After the broccoli, I grated 6 zucchinis and froze that too.  I might have to do some blackberries soon.