Pesto and Packaging

[Son of a Beach]

Pesto is a great ingredient for bushwalking, in that it is concentrated flavour (but not freeze-dried-style flavour) and versatile in what it can be used for (as a spread or dip, or as an ingredient in main meals such as pasta).

However, it us usually purchased in glass jars which are not ideal for bushwalking (at least the brand we've always bought does - Leggos, I think). Re-packaging it is problematic as the oil in the pesto appears to be capable of seeping out of any plastic bag (zip locked, or tied top), or out of most snap-seal plastic containers.

Are there any other brands of pesto that come in more light-weight packaging?

Has anyone had any success with repackaging pesto for multi-day bushwalks without any leakage at all? Perhaps in those toothpaste-tube sort of things?

[Son of a Beach]

I'm just thinking to myself, and this is a good a place as any to note this down for future reference:

Spiral pasta
Pesto
Home dried sliced mushrooms
Home dried sliced tomatoes
Pine Nuts
Diced or sliced Salami

(could do with something green?)

[Macca81]

never with pesto, but the sistema snap lock containers have held oily foods for me with no problems...

http://www.sistemaplastics.com/#/details/2/3

[woka]

Look in the dips section: Wattle Valley Basil with Cashew and parmesan. It's less oily, but just as tasty as pesto and generally keeps OK for a few days, 'specially this time of year. Very nice with gnocci - but that's another food that's difficult to take walking!!

[dancier]

I've seen little plastic tubes on Safeway shelves near the fruit and vegie section, they have a range of options, not just pesto. Haven't tried it yet but will, some time back they had one serve foil satchels of pesto in the pasta section but haven't seen them for awhile, maybe Coles have them.

[Jaxter]

I'm just thinking to myself, and this is a good a place as any to note this down for future reference:

Spiral pasta
Pesto
Home dried sliced mushrooms
Home dried sliced tomatoes
Pine Nuts
Diced or sliced Salami

(could do with something green?)

I thought I was the only one who couldn't figure out a way to carry pesto (or oil) without it leaking!

I often bring the glass container for short trips or triple bag a few tablespoons in plastic bags (tied off, not ziplock) for longer trips - I once tried to "heat seal" a plastic bag using a hot screwdriver and just got a scorched leaky mess!

For greens I add dried peas, beans and home-dehydrated broccoli.

[SteveJ]

Ummm.... I must be missing something here but why not just take it in a small screw top plastic container that is lighter if you need that volume of pesto? If you top up the jar with olive oil it will keep better. I use a vacuum sealer for portion controled serves of pesto and find works just fine (granted I work in a kitchen with a commercial vacuum sealer...).

Steve

[tastrax]

I bought a wide mouth nalgene screw top jar - has never leaked - http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=972

[SteveJ]

there ya go, just the tool for the job

[Orion]

We've used that exact 4 oz. nalgene jar for pesto and it usally leaks.

The oil winds it's way through most screw top mazes and laughs at ziplock bags.
I think the answer is some kind of rubber seal, but I haven't figured it out yet.

Double bag it and expect a mess, especially if it's an oily pesto.

[Nuts]

weve used the other wide mouth nalgenes, the oil does find its way into the screw but not leaked (perhaps pack in a ziplok wrapped in paper?)
http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=958

[Nuts]

seem to recall seeing dried pesto somewhere?

[buggeriamold]

I put it in a plastic screw top container, gladwrap over the contents and then screw on the lid. Maybe the glad wrap in the threads works as a thread sealent, i dont really know, but i havent had a leak.

Maybe if you were really worried you could the ziplock the lot, to be sure, to be sure.

Mark

[SteveJ]

I reckon you could fix the leakage problem of screw top jars with a bit of plumbers tape. That stuff is food grade and very effective.

Steve

[Nuts]

Hey, thats a good idea, i havent really noticed the nalgene leaking much but should definately help.

This is a diy pesto

Picture 2.png (75.4 KiB) Viewed 27772 times

[Orion]

I reckon you could fix the leakage problem of screw top jars with a bit of plumbers tape. That stuff is food grade and very effective.

Steve

You mean Teflon tape? I suspect it will not help much as the threads on that container are very coarse. And the fit is poor. There is a lot of free play in the lid.

I often carry just oil in a 250ml platypus. I notice that the caps get tighter and tighter as I screw them on whereas the lid of that nalgene container is really loose up until the final bit of twisting.

Surely there is a small, lightweight wide-mouth container that seals well?

[Jaxter]

The platypus sounds like a good idea - I would love an oil container that could be opened and closed without leaking so that I could use oil on multiple days. I've found that Nalgene sometimes works, but once oil is poured out and gets into the threads it leaks. The same applies to jelly carried in Nalgene!

Nuts - how could you make pesto without the most important ingredient - garlic?! (it must be an American recipe)

[Nuts]

Hey, true, no Garlic! (some dried tomaytos would be in my recipe also)

'Portion' sized nalgenes?

[Liamy77]

never with pesto, but the sistema snap lock containers have held oily foods for me with no problems...

http://www.sistemaplastics.com/#/details/2/3

I use a couple of these too.... havnt had a leak yet either...

[Orion]

Thanks for the tip about the Sistema container. I'll pick one of those up and give it a try.

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks for all the replies so far. In summary, it looks like I need to do one or both of:

1. container with a rubber seal and tight clamps
2. screw top container, with cling wrap between the lid and body, wrapped in absorbant kitchen paper, placed in a zip lock bag

[karenk]

Hi there,

I've used a domestic grade cryovac machine and it works a treat with pesto - no leaks. I make it fresh, pack it ASAP then freeze the sachets.

Cheers!

KK

[Nuts]

Yer, vaccum sealing does work well. I tried those systema snap lok's and they leaked both times, maybe i was doing something wrong?

[Orion]

Yer, vaccum sealing does work well. I tried those systema snap lok's and they leaked both times, maybe i was doing something wrong?

Probably not. I went to the store the other day to check them out. Couldn't find them at first. Then I saw them up high, on the top shelf. I found that if I stood on my toes I could just touch them. I thought, I'll nudge them over the edge and then catch all six of them (nested) as they fall in a group.

Well, they fell in a non-group. And I caught exactly... zero. They bounced all over the floor and one seperated into it's two pieces. As I turned around there was the smiling salesman, bending to collect them, and politely informing me that there were many more at chest level right there, basically in front of my nose. Errr, thank you. Sort of embarrassing.

Anyways, when I examined one I found that I could get air to "puff" in and out of it like a bellows just by lightly squeezing it. No way, not a chance, would it hold an oily pesto like I make and carry.

Oh well, too bad. Vaccum sealed bags, eh?

[Liamy77]

mine kinda clamps down like a grolsch beer top..... I have reemade the rubber seal with aquarium (vinegar based) silicon and glad wrap (to stop it sticking to the lid when wet before it set) run a bead around the tub top and lightly cover with clingwrap gently put the lid on but dont squish it down hard. remove lid and let silicon dry / set. remove clingwrap when set and test that the lid will fasten.

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks for all the replies so far. In summary, it looks like I need to do one or both of:

1. container with a rubber seal and tight clamps
2. screw top container, with cling wrap between the lid and body, wrapped in absorbant kitchen paper, placed in a zip lock bag

SUCCESS!!!

I used a very basic container that didn't have a great seal, but put cling wrap over the container before putting the lid on, which may (or may not) have helped a bit. I then wrapped the container in a couple of layers of absorbent kitchen paper, and then put the whole thing in a small zip-lock bag.

I carried this on a 7 day walk, and we used the pesto for dinner on night 4 as part of a fantastic meal so it was very much worth carrying. Some oil did leak from the inner container but was entirely soaked up by the kitchen paper and none at all escaped from the zip-lock bag, so the packaging was also worth all the trouble.

I now have to confidence to carry pesto again, and will definitely do so, as it is a worthwhile ingredient in some great bushwalking meals.

[Liamy77]

I just bought two bottles for rehydrating food while i walk and a smaller one for sauces or ... pesto ? etc... still have to test them out but they feel great and have a wide lid...
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 6581531006