Keeping produce in a vacuum can prolong the storage time considerably. This is happening because most of the airborne contaminants such as fungal spores or bacteria will have been extracted along with the air and the exclusion of air eliminates food degradation by oxidation.
The vacuum-packing method has been used to store produce by the food processing industry for many years, but now is used in the home as well. You have two choices: you can use an inexpensive hand-operated vacuum pump to remove air from plastic bags after the produce has been bagged up, or you can buy a domestic vacuum food sealer which is an electronic counter-top device, using special bags, which pumps out the air and heat-seals the bag. This way you can store your crops for longer and more effectively in the freezer, in the fridge or at ambient temperatures.
There are also some containers with special valves on top, made of polycarbonate in the shape of jars and pots, useful to keep nuts or dried fruits or even biscuits and crisps. From this type of container air on be removed either by a hand-operated or by an electric pump.
