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Storing Weed - Vacuum Seal & Freezing ???

Discussion in 'Marijuana Stash Box' started by whylogic, Mar 31, 2010.

  1. Anybody know if it's ok to use a FoodSaver Vacuum sealer on some weed / buds? Will it hurt it? Will it preserve it longer, like food?

    Also, somebody told me that freezing weed makes it go bad; something about the moisture and/or the ice crystals destroying the weed crystals (to speak scientifically). Kind of like freezer burn but worse.

    Which leads me to my second question:
    What if I vacuum seal (remove ALL air) the weed / buds, and then deep freeze it. Would it keep the weed / buds from getting stale?

    Ultimately, what I'm looking to do is buy a good sized quantity, divide it up into smaller lots, and freeze all but one lot at a time. I don't want my weed to go stale... I only plan on vape-ing (is that a word? it is now!) a couple times on each weekend.

    Sorry if this is a newb question. I did do a search, but nothing popped out at me as being directly on topic.
     
  2. Hi, great question and something I researched a bit. See my thread about it here:

    http://forum.grasscity.com/stash-jar/565446-great-storage-method-buds-bubblegum-pics-attached.html

    Vacuum sealing in the foodsaver canisters, then storing them in a cool, dark place is the best approach IMO. Freezing can cause all kinds of problems, especially if there is air present, and if vaccing using the foodsaver bags, you end up crushing the delicate buds. Better to vac into the canisters and store in a cool place . . . weed holds up great over time using this method. One suggestion, if you want to vac into smaller canisters, use the foodsaver 25oz, 5" wide canisters. They are the smallest size they make but hold up very well over time (i.e., keep their seal). Best method is to keep enough out for a month or so (weekends for you), and seal the rest. I think you'll find it holds up great over time. Good luck! :smoking:
     
  3. Superchiller: Thanks so much for the information. I have a couple of replies for you to consider.

    #1: How would crushing the buds in a vacuum seal bag be a problem? I'm going to grind it up a lot so I can vape it, so crushing it a bit seems tame compared to the violence done when grinding.

    #2: If you vacuum seal (either bag or can) freezer burn CAN NOT take place. It's like having fire without oxygen. So not freezing due to freezer burn is bunk in my opinion. There may be other reasons, but freezer burn can't be a reason, if vacuum sealed properly.

    #3: I'm wondering if I can put my stuff in a sturdy yet intentionally leaky box. Maybe a plastic box with small holes drilled here and there. The air would be still sucked out, but the structure of the box, inside the bag would keep the buds from being crushed.

    I'm going to do some more research on freezing weed in a vacuum... I really can't logic it hurting it... yet I'm a newbie at this, so maybe I'm wrong.
     
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  4. Sure no problem. As for your points:

    1: - When you smash the buds flat, you really do damage them. Believe me, I've used the vac bags in the past, and though it technically keeps the buds away from air, they end up being sad and super flat when they come out, UNLESS you can figure out an internal shell in the vac bag to prevent crushing. I prefer the canisters, since they allow the buds to stay perfectly fluffy and undamaged.

    2: - The vac canisters are not meant for freezers at all, so you're left with the vac bags only for that purpose. There has been some information pointing to freezing as damaging to the trichromes (bursts them), which could reduce potency, and if a leak should occur in the heat seal (it happens), you could have freezer-burned weed after some time. If the sealed items are kept in a very cool place (i.e. 50s-60s) this would slow deterioration without worry of freezer burn.

    3: - I've thought about exactly that approach regarding the vac bags. But you should be aware, the vac seal is so strong that it can crush many containers. I once put small and medium pyrex glass containers (2cup and 4cup) into a sealing bag, with holes punched in the lids, and the 4cup pyrex lid caved in from the pressure, over time (not immediately). The 2cup container held up, but it still concerned me (and it doesn't hold much anyway), so I eventually gave up on that approach.
     
  5. Hey, thanks a lot for your help.

    I think I'm going to try a couple ways just to see for myself. If I loose a gram or two, I chalk that up to a valuable learning experience.

    I'm going to try

    1) Vacuum sealing in a jar, and just keeping it in a cool dark cabinet,

    2) Vacuum sealing in a bag, crushing the weed, and just keeping it in a cool dark cabinet,

    3) Vacuum sealing in a bag, crushing the weed, and freezing it in a deep freezer,

    4) Vacuum sealing in a bag, NOT crushing (internal leaky box), and then freezing it in a deep freezer.

    I'll try to update this thread with my results.
     
  6. Good info on the last post.

    I think throwing it in a freezer after sealing is tempting because it's a very safe storage place: no one would think to look there, and if drug dogs came, it would probably be dismissed that the dogs were smelling food. Got away with putting my herb bag in a Big Mac once while the dogs and po searched my car.

    With that said, from experience, freezing always reduces potency, even with vacuum seal. I don't know the science behind it, I just know that it does.:(
     
  7. Sounds like a good idea, be sure to report back when you have some results! FYI for the custom made foodsaver canisters, there are rectangular ones and round ones. The Rectangular ones are very nice, but they do have a much longer rubber "seal" than the round ones, and so there is more of a possibility that they will lose their seal. The 1qt rectangular canisters will hold at least an oz of (fluffy) buds, more if the buds are more compact. The small 25oz canisters will hold less, but again it depends on how compact the buds are. Here are a few pics of them:
     

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  8. Ok after harvesting your bud from the plant dry your bud

    Then Cure your bud

    every week open the jar for 24 hours drying your bud in a cool dark location

    like beer light damages the weed (trichomes in the weed to be specific)


    cure it for about 3 - 6 months in jars, every week dry your bud out for a full day until the stem snaps cleanly

    If you would like to freeze it after 3 - 6 months of curing then you may do so but you should put it in the fridge for a 24 hours before putting it in the freezer and you may want to defrost slowly before smoking

    I would suggest moving it to the fridge after the freezer when your ready and be carful not to shake it or move around to much as the trichomes are weekend by the freezing process and are easy to damage

    slowly freezing and slowly defrosting reduce the amount of damage that can happen

    also every month your bud is in the freezer you should check to see if there is frost in the jar (if in fridge you should check for due (water due) on the inside) you'll want to dry the bud again and re vacuum seal to avoid future damage.

    be sure to slowly defrost b switching it to the fridge for 24 hours before drying the bud

    this si best to reduce potential damage vacuum sealing can preserve marijuana when placed in a cool dark place between 55 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit can preserve marijuana for up to five years making it as fresh as the day it was put in the vacuum sealed JAR. vacuum sealed bags cause trauma to the plant and will definitely destroy trichomes causing decreased potency
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
  9. You can freeze bread and soft foods first to prevent crushing when you vacuum seal, but I'd probably avoid that with pot. I'd use the canisters, too.
     
  10. good link :D
     
  11. Dude don't freeze or vaccum seal it. Just put it in a mason jar. Way more legit.
    Freezing it would work but not vaccum sealed. It would ruin the quality IMO.
    If you were to freeze your buds over like a days period you would make the thricomes able to fall off they would be really keify when you took them out. I guess you could then just grind it up and vape it. I'm not sure man. I wanna know how this goes.
    :smoking:
    Im high
     
  12. Mason jars are fine for the short term, but not long term. Over time, air in the jars will break down the buds, dry them out, and deteriorate them. Air is the big problem for long term storage, that's why vacuum-sealing helps so much, it removes all the air.

    Freezing IMO is not a good solution at all, too damaging to the buds.
     

  13. If you fill the jars about 75-80% full the amount of air is perfect. I would say months would be fine. Vaccum sealing it will make it look like some mexi-schwag! Hahah
    but to each is their own.
     
  14. Actually no, you don't know what you are talking about. I've vacuum sealed buds for long periods of time, and if stored in a cool dark place, they come out almost exactly as they went in . . . very fresh. Why would you say vacuum sealing will make them like "mexi-shwag"? The lack of air stops the buds from deteriorating, and they remain very fresh and stable.

    Storing in Mason Jars is OK for the short to medium term, but in the long term vacuum sealing will keep them fresh much longer. Air is the enemy of these buds over time (causes them to dry out and break down), and if you remove the air you remove the main source of deterioration. Obviously they must be kept away from light and heat as well, thus the suggestion for a cool (50s-60s) dark place.
     
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  15. Cause the mexicans vaccum seal their schwag and it becomes brick. You know 50 for an ounce? Hahah I was just playing man. :p
    I think you should chill out. I say mason jars are the best method. Idk why there's any reason to save your weed for a long time.
    You need some help I'll hold on to it. :smoking:
     
  16. #16 mzkushy420, Apr 8, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 9, 2010
    hi I'm new!
     
  17. SUPERCHILLER IS RIGHT ..... BAGS ARE BEST FOR LONG TERM VACUUM STORAGE, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT PLANNING TO HOLD YOUR WEED FOR LONG (and NO it doesn't mean that if you are holding it for long you are taking too long to smoke it, it just means, you have ENOUGH to store ;) I THINK BAGS ARE THE BEST CHOICE AS LONG AS YOU VACUUM SEAL PROPERLY. LIKE MAYBE LOWER THE VACUUM TIME OR PRESS "SEAL ONLY" ON THE MACHINE SO IT STOPS VACUUMING BEFORE "CRUSHING" UR NUGS.

    FEELS COOL TO BE A GIRL AND KNOW THESE THINGS :hello:

    BY THE WAY, FOODSAVER BRAND BAGS, THEY ARE EXPENSIVE! :eek:

    I RECENTLY FOUND THIS SITE:

    http://www.sorbentsystems.com/longtermvacuumsealing.com


    THEY MUST BE NEW BAGS BECAUSE I REMEMBER BUYING THEM A WHILE BACK AND THEY DIDN'TWORK WITH MY FOODSAVER BUT THEIR NEW "CHANNEL SPECIAL SURFACE" BAGS WORK EVEN BETTER AND ARE ALOOOTTTT CHEAPER.
     
  18. Hey, thanks for the link. Although it was a 404 Error, I just went to the parent website and drilled down manually till I found the food saver bags.

    I've book marked the page with the bags for later.

    Speaking in general to this thread, there seems to be no general consensus as to if vacuum sealing in a bag, or a jar, or freezing, or freezing in a vac bag or vac jar is good or bad. Every other post is a vote for the other vantage point.

    Seems like some experimentation is in order here.
     
  19. The foodsaver jar containers would probably be best. I'd store in those in a dark cool place, and check the seal periodically. Make sure not to put those clear plastic containers in the freezer, or they'll break way too easily.
     


  20. Although I agree that the vac bags are the best method, crushing of the buds is a big problem unless you can devise a crushproof "leaky" internal shell, which holds the weed and sits inside the vac sealed bag (as suggested by whylogic in this thread). Vac bags are great, but keep in mind that if you just want to check the buds, you have to cut the bag open, whereas with a foodsaver canister you just release the seal, check the buds, and reseal.

    The foodsaver canisters are great, so far I've only had one lose a seal since starting to use them. But I agree with the above that you not only need to periodically check the seals, but it is also a good idea to occasionally unseal the canisters and check the buds to make sure there is no strange odor or problem. Most mold requires oxygen to grow, so vacuum sealing the buds avoids that issue . . . but other problems can occur. Better to be careful, and occasionally check the canisters (unseal, take a big whiff and make sure there are no bad odors, then reseal).

    Generally speaking, if the buds have been well cured, and are stored in a dark very cool place (not too humid either), they will sit in the vacuum without any changes. But if they are still moist and not totally dried/cured, you could have a problem. Having said that, the buds should never be dried to the point of being brittle and crumbly, if they are the potency is greatly reduced.
     

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