How to properly store the harvest?

And what is the best way to store fresh or dried herbs or food? Today's article answers these questions. You will find out how to hermetically seal and perfectly preserve anything natural when you need to retain its original properties for a year or longer — whether that is active compounds, nutrients, aroma or flavor. We will also explore a patented technology that monitors optimal humidity for you so your dried treasures remain practically endlessly “fresh.”

There is no point beating around the bush. The answer to the question of what to store herbs, fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea, flour, tobacco — in short anything you desire — in is: Tightvac.

Growers have come to appreciate these practical vacuum containers, also suitable for any kitchen, as a reliable solution for storing freshly harvested produce and preserving intense aroma as well as valuable or health-promoting compounds.

Most growers buy several airtight Tightvac containers at once, since they are available in a variety of options. You can choose from many volumes ranging from 60 ml up to ten liters, and also between transparent and opaque variants. Our customers most prefer the 1300 ml opaque size. All products in the Tightvac range are made from durable, food-safe plastic.

Containers and small jars open and close simply by pressing a button or by pushing, which automatically extracts air from the interior so the precious contents, whether hidden or visible, end up in a vacuum. Tightvac stores, conserves and keeps the harvest dry. No mold or other types of spoilage of the precious yield will occur. Another advantage is easy handling.

How to protect the harvest from drying out or becoming too moist?

That's exactly what the patented, simply brilliant technology we mentioned at the start of this article is for. It comes in the form of smart pouches with an indicator card — Integra Boost — and works as follows...

The pouch absorbs excess moisture from the plant, regulating humidity inside any sealed container to the desired 62% or 55%, and once its capacity is full you will recognize this by the blue dot on the indicator. At that point simply replace the pouch with a new one, which you can repeat practically indefinitely, giving you absolute certainty that, for example, dried herbs will never dry out or become overly moist.

These products meet strict standards for safe food storage, so you don't need to worry about placing Integra Boost two-way humidity packs into any sealed container where you store dried herbs, food or spices. The durable pouch is also hard to tear or damage. In any case it contains only non-toxic substances and no salts.

Pouches are available in different weights, depending on the size of the harvest and the container. It is most helpful to list typical examples of harvest size relative to the size of the Integra Boost pouch. Both values are given in grams:

• 4 g pouches are ideal for a smaller harvest up to 12 grams or less.
• 8 g pouches are among the best sellers and maintain perfect humidity for harvests in the range of 12 – 28 grams.
• 67 g pouches will take care of dried herbs weighing up to 450 grams.

How to read the indicator card?

• Pink indicates the optimal relative humidity of 62%.
• Lavender indicates the optimal relative humidity at the desired value of 55%.
• When fresh air enters the container, humidity regulation occurs and is shown by a changing color that gradually turns blue, which we have already explained...

Crop degradation is also prevented by Boveda products. Their functional composition is achieved by a combination of potassium citrate and an acetate. These two-way humidity regulators also have their fans among growers and offer similar practical benefits as Integra Boost. A characteristic difference is 58% humidity, instead of 55% in the case of IB. The other variant remains at 62%. Here the indicator card is replaced by a gel content that hardens once the pouch's capacity is exhausted.

You now know how to smartly store your harvest so it will remain for many months in the same condition as when you enclosed it in the container. And thanks to two-way humidity control you can say goodbye once and for all to worries about crop degradation. One final tip: remember that the more often you open containers, the sooner the regulating pouches will be exhausted. If you would like to ask us anything, feel free to write to us at info@higarden.cz.

- TightVac - vacuum containers in various sizes
- Integra Boost - pouches for optimal humidity