2 liter plastic bottles, a lot of

[redhen]

OP Yes they work for DRY foods but the larger mouth 3L soda or the even larger mouth juice jugs work better.
PATCH-Be careful, if placed in the sun the heat can get to 105F inside when outside air is 45-50 F! How do I know? Sealed a thermometer in one.
WESTTXThey make wonderful overnight frost protectors, just cut off one end, and slip over the plant before nightfall. see warning to Patch above. How do I cut them? Fill with water freeze and use a power saw, hand saw will work. Empty they tend to collapse.
DD-my bugs must be smarter than yours because about 20% of mine fly back out the neck. I drill a hole in the cap for the size of bug I am after. Despite the popular saying, I catch more flies with vinegar then honey. Old beer is good bait for yellow jackets.
Bee-Careful they will sun brittle, if tightly sealed they will crack. In general sand is NOT a better heat storage media but would be for these bottles. I have used them to brood chicks when the power fails; I heat the water over propane. One bottle for 8-10 chicks they will cuddle up and keep the bottle warm without going into a heat huddle which usually results in a few deaths.
OP-again.. Those oxygen absorbers are what created the botulism risk Toxin is not produced in DRY foods and oxygen will kill them. Just another case of someone using junk science. Oxygen absorbers will protect foods from oxidation true but dehydrated foods were oxidized when they were dehydrated. Removing the oxygen just made it easy for the bacteria that produce toxin. They need moisture [why drying works] non acid [why pickling works] low oxygen [vacuum canning, this is why things must be sterilized before sealing] and reasonable temperatures to produce the toxin. The bacteria are widespread and fairly harmless. It is not the bacteria but the toxin produced that will kill.
What I use them for -watering things over an extended time where my hose will not reach. Most garden centers will offer plastic spikes that replace the caps of 2L bottles. The spikes have holes that let out water to the root zone. When that is saturated the watering stops. In fast draining soils it will start again as the water leaves the zone. I could write a short book on these as a watering device. Being cheap on my heavy clay, I just skip the spike, put a pin hole in the bottom, fill with water and cap tightly. Placed near a plant it will drip until there is a vacuum in the bottle then it stops. When it cools in the evening it will suck air back into the bottle to produce a slow leak the next day as it heats up. Sounds unlikely right ,so dont try it at home.~gd

So are you saying dont use the oxygen packs when storing dehydrated foods? (just asking because i plan to start dehydrating, and i want to store my food correctly..) THanks!

 

[westtxamber]

That is the coolest thing ever! I just love the greenhouse!

 

[~gd]

OP Yes they work for DRY foods but the larger mouth 3L soda or the even larger mouth juice jugs work better.
PATCH-Be careful, if placed in the sun the heat can get to 105F inside when outside air is 45-50 F! How do I know? Sealed a thermometer in one.
WESTTXThey make wonderful overnight frost protectors, just cut off one end, and slip over the plant before nightfall. see warning to Patch above. How do I cut them? Fill with water freeze and use a power saw, hand saw will work. Empty they tend to collapse.
DD-my bugs must be smarter than yours because about 20% of mine fly back out the neck. I drill a hole in the cap for the size of bug I am after. Despite the popular saying, I catch more flies with vinegar then honey. Old beer is good bait for yellow jackets.
Bee-Careful they will sun brittle, if tightly sealed they will crack. In general sand is NOT a better heat storage media but would be for these bottles. I have used them to brood chicks when the power fails; I heat the water over propane. One bottle for 8-10 chicks they will cuddle up and keep the bottle warm without going into a heat huddle which usually results in a few deaths.
OP-again.. Those oxygen absorbers are what created the botulism risk Toxin is not produced in DRY foods and oxygen will kill them. Just another case of someone using junk science. Oxygen absorbers will protect foods from oxidation true but dehydrated foods were oxidized when they were dehydrated. Removing the oxygen just made it easy for the bacteria that produce toxin. They need moisture [why drying works] non acid [why pickling works] low oxygen [vacuum canning, this is why things must be sterilized before sealing] and reasonable temperatures to produce the toxin. The bacteria are widespread and fairly harmless. It is not the bacteria but the toxin produced that will kill.
What I use them for -watering things over an extended time where my hose will not reach. Most garden centers will offer plastic spikes that replace the caps of 2L bottles. The spikes have holes that let out water to the root zone. When that is saturated the watering stops. In fast draining soils it will start again as the water leaves the zone. I could write a short book on these as a watering device. Being cheap on my heavy clay, I just skip the spike, put a pin hole in the bottom, fill with water and cap tightly. Placed near a plant it will drip until there is a vacuum in the bottle then it stops. When it cools in the evening it will suck air back into the bottle to produce a slow leak the next day as it heats up. Sounds unlikely right ,so dont try it at home.~gd

So are you saying dont use the oxygen packs when storing dehydrated foods? (just asking because i plan to start dehydrating, and i want to store my food correctly..) THanks!

I am saying that Some bacteria will produce toxins only when oxygen is in low supply- As allways read and follow the directions on the product you are using. Never take Internet advise without verifacition there are nuts out here!

 

[Yelhsa8642]

I really like the greenhouse made out of recycled bottles. Very creative!

 

[JuJuBean]

You can use plastic bottle tops to seal food bags. I have also seen a broom made with 2 liter coke bottles. I can't post links but just type these or similar phrases into google "plastic bottle broom" "plastic bottles to seal food bags"

 

[dipence71]

Freeze and use in with rabbits and chickens!!!!

 

[Neiklot]

I Sweden we have a deposit on bottles (most soft drinks and beer bottles). You don't have that kind of system in the US?

For every plastic bottle you recycle you get 2kr back.
For every aluminum can you get 1kr.

(One USdollar is 6,56kr)

 

[Denim Deb]

Only in certain areas of the country. We don't have it where I live, but they do where my sister lives.

 

[Boogity]

I Sweden we have a deposit on bottles (most soft drinks and beer bottles). You don't have that kind of system in the US?

For every plastic bottle you recycle you get 2kr back.
For every aluminum can you get 1kr.

(One USdollar is 6,56kr)

Each state in the United States has it's own rules and laws for many things like this. But I do think most states have a return-for-refund system for most containers.

 

[moolie]

Here in western Canada we pay a deposit on plastic milk jugs, juice "tetra pak" aseptic containers, glass wine/beer/liquor bottles, and all glass/plastic juice/pop containers--the deposit ranges for 5c to 20c.

We don't buy much in those containers, but every year or so we take in what we have stored in a couple of bins we keep in our garage (mostly milk jugs and some party leftovers like wine bottles) and get about $10-$15