Quick questions re mason jar storage

[oldiebutgoodie]

I've read thru all the threads I could find re how to best store herb for intermediate-to-long lengths of time, and the most common appears to be glass mason jars, sometimes in the refrigerator (veggie section). I've read that the jars need to be opened regularly (to combat any tendency to mold) along with of course replenishing one's short-term stash, but that when closed the jars should be vacuum sealed. Additionally, they should be stored in a dark location. But 2 questions I didn't see answered . . .

1. If you are storing the jars in a refrig or on a shelf, what do you do about the light exposure? My understanding is that artificial light also degrades the herb, not just direct sunlight. I'm unaware of any light shielded mason jars. So how are you protecting the herb in the jar from the light? Or do you feel that opening the refrig (which turns on the light) or the pantry doesn't expose enough light to be concerned about?

2. What about re-creating the vacuum after each time the jar is opened? I've seen the few posts about devices and methods of doing this, but don't get the impression that many users do that. I would think that this would be important over time.

Thanks in advance for any advice, esp given that these questions loudly advertise my limited experience in this area. I know that light and air are mj's major enemies, and I have to change how I've been buying/storing, so I want to be sure I understand this correctly.

 

[lwien]

I've kept bud in mason jars for a very, very long time (up to a year) and the bud was as good as the day I put it in there.

Here's my take on it.

I have never vacuum sealed my jars. But what I have done is to make sure that the jar is no bigger than the amount of herb I put into them. If it is, and I can't find a small enough jar, I'll but the bud in Space Case containers and put those in the mason jars.

Regarding opening them up periodically, the reason for doing this is not to combat mold, but to combat anarobic bacteria from getting into your bud, which causes that ammonia smell. Only need to do this with freshly cured bud with opening them a few times a day to once a week. Once the bud is well cured, there is no need to open the jars other than to access your bud.

Main thing to remember regarding mold if you keep the jars in the fridge and that is to make sure that you leave them open for a bit till the temp levels out. You can look at the condensation on the outside of the jars. Once that condensation is gone, they're good to get sealed up again and go back into the fridge.

Regarding light, I keep my jars in the bottom vegetable drawers where there is no light.

 

[Vicki]

I've kept bud in mason jars for a very, very long time (up to a year) and the bud was as good as the day I put it in there.

Here's my take on it.

I have never vacuum sealed my jars. But what I have done is to make sure that the jar is no bigger than the amount of herb I put into them. If it is, and I can't find a small enough jar, I'll but the bud in Space Case containers and put those in the mason jars.

Regarding opening them up periodically, the reason for doing this is not to combat mold, but to combat anarobic bacteria from getting into your bud, which causes that ammonia smell. Only need to do this with freshly cured bud with opeing them a few times a day to once a week. Once the bud is well cured, there is no need to open the jars other than to access your bud.

Main thing to remember regarding mold if you keep the jars in the fridge and that is to make sure that you leave them open for a bit till the temp levels out. You can look at the condensation on the outside of the jars. Once that condensation is gone, they're good to get sealed up again and go back into the fridge.

Regarding light, I keep my jars in the bottom vegetable drawers where there is no light.

Everything lwien said, but I do vacuum seal my mason jars.

 

[Lo]

I follow most of Lwien's protocol but I do seal my mason jars and do not refrigerate due to a son in house lol. I store them in darkness though. Wrapped in dark, heavy cloth and boxed to avoid light degradation. If I planned to dig into one and then go back into long term storage I would reseal it. I have stored stuff for between 1-2 years so far like this with no problem.

Course we are talking properly dried, cured material

 

[weedemon]

yep, just gotta make sure it's dry to begin with. I also have jars of really old stuff. no mold no problem. (with the exception of cannabinoid breakdown due to time)

 

[Silver420Surfer]

I also use the power of mason jars, no vac sealing here. lwien pretty much summed it all up very nicely, but one thing I will add on is that your mason jar contents are only as good as the "cure" they receive. Garbage in = Garbage out. IMHO. the "curing" process is about equally as important as strain/ genetics are. Nothing worse than poorly cured nugs. But if you have some nice tasty nugs, using jars will definitely help them stay that way. I also keep a pair of tweezers with my jars so I minimize handling of my "girls".

If in the U.S, Michaels craft stores have a nice, cheap, and wide variety of mason jars and other glass type storage jars. Look for the 40% off coupon that seems to be in every Sunday newspaper advertisement. I also have heard other folks here use Bed, Bath and Beyond, but I don't.

 

[charliedontsurf]

Just to chime in, I've got a scout-type grinder now and LOVE the idea of a machined, metal container which is 100% light impermeable. I don't know if these would do well in a fridge but if they would, they might be better than glass. My lifestyle keeps things from getting too stale if you know what I mean, but it just seems like a good storage solution. If I remember right, Momofthegoons uses SC-made containers which are similar.

 

[Lo]

I use the Space Case containers regularly but haven't tried them for long term storage. I absolutely love them though for storing my ground herb They are really well made.

 

[OldGuy]

I'm curious if anyone has tried purging the oxygen & moisture laden air in their storage container with an inert gas? You can buy a small (but pricey - $10 to $14) can of pressurized argon gas called Bloxygen http://www.bloxygen.com. It's available online and at local woodworking stores like Rockler and Woodcraft. The intended application is to extend the life of opened cans of wood finishing products by replacing the air in the partially used can with purified, heavier-than-air argon. The manufacturer claims that "Each can will provide 150 seconds of gas. That's enough gas for 75 uses in quarts." It sounds okay to me in theory for long term herb storage (after proper curing), but I have never used the product myself in either application.

 

[lwien]

^^ I just never found a need to do that, OldGuy. I figure that if my method of doing this keeps my bud fresh and potent for over a year, there's no need to go any further.

 

[OldGuy]

^^ I just never found a need to do that, OldGuy. I figure that if my method of doing this keeps my bud fresh and potent for over a year, there's no need to go any further.

Oh, I totally agree lwien, and I essentially use the same storage method as you. But, there are some who like to store under partial vacuum and (many) others who cannot store such stuff in their refrigerator. I felt it might be a convenient alternative to vacuum storage, and potentially beneficial for room temperature storage.

 

[lwien]

^^ Good point.

I wonder if purging oxygen and moisture would make up for the deterioration due to temperature.

Interesting.

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

Thanks a lot for the replies, all of which are quite helpful.

What I gather bottom line is that you do all take extra steps to protect your storage from light and air. Your comments re your particular methods, filled in the gaps. Some of you are a bit more or less rigorous (e.g., vacuum re-sealing vs sizing the container to the contents for less air volume); the intent is essentially the same, the difference one of degree.

So fwiw - and this may sound hokey - I've tested a 6-oz wine bottle sealed with a Vacu Vin stopper, and it works. This is only a cold vacuum so the seal is not indefinite, but since I'll need to open the bottles weekly for replenishing the daily stash anyway this method should do fine. And the glass is also already dark for protection against light (as it was for the wine). If these bottles don't work, I'll modify the Vacu Vin method to work with a mason jar.

I would be more rigorous if the herb was high quality, but in my location the tops I can get is better seedless mids, and that's only occasionally (hence my need to buy/store 6 months worth). Unfortunately, I don't need to worry about extra delicate nug's handling. Or that it is sufficiently cured; this stuff is plenty cured already.

Thx again, all.

PS. I apparently was confused about the mold. I had thought it was created by the anaerobic bacteria that causes the ammonia odor.

 

[djonkoman]

I keep it simple, I put it in mason jars wich I fill up but there isd still plenty of air(I don't want to really push it down, only lightly) and the jars I keep in a box so it's dark, altough probably not completely dark
but it's still god, and what I have roght now is from last harvest in september last year