If you just received your first 4-gallon bucket of raw Aloe and feel a little overwhelmed, you are not alone. For many, opening and pouring a heavy large bucket can be a little difficult — but help is here. The above videos and optional instructions will make the task easier. It really isn’t that difficult once you know the tricks of the trade.
The Bucket Kit
The bucket kit is made of 3 useful tools:
1. a Bucket Opener
2. a large 32 oz. BPA Free Funnel
3. a Stainless Steel Skimmer
You can see how we use similar tools in the videos above.
How To Open A 5 Gallon Bucket
The first challenge is opening the bucket. Although we ship the gel in a 5-gallon container, it actually only contains 4 gallons of gel. This allows room for expansion when the Aloe is frozen. Once you take the lid off, if the Aloe vera has thawed, you will have plenty of room at the top. Reach in and feel through the bag to see how much of the Aloe is still frozen. Once the frozen amount is less than the size of a baseball, it is time to pour.
Now that you opened it, there are two popular ways to get the Aloe into the bottles. The first way involves pouring the Aloe. It is suitable for those strong enough to lift and pour the 38-pound container:
If the bucket is too heavy to lift, the other way is to cut the top off the bag and fold it over the edges in the same way you saw on the previous video. Rather than lifting and pouring the bucket, though, use a clean container (such as a quart-size glass measuring cup) to dip into the bucket for gel to pour into the bottles. Use bottles we supply or other BPA free plastic bottles. Glass is NOT recommended since Aloe vera expands more than expected and glass is too fragile at freezing temperatures.
Once several quarts have been removed, the bucket will be light enough to lift. You can then pour the remainder out as demonstrated in the previous video.
Keep Your Empty Bottles
The half gallon bottles are recyclable. However, we feel a better use is to keep them for your next bucket. Once you have used all the aloe that was in the bottle, we recommend filling it up part way, putting the cap on, and giving it a few hard shakes. Next, pour the water out and repeat. Once you are satisfied that the bottle is sufficiently clean, fill it to the top with your chlorinated municipal tap water. Then, put the lid on and store it in a dark place.
If you have a “whole home filter”, it is likely you have a faucet outside just in front (before the water is filtered) of the unit. The pre-filter water is your unchanged municipal water.
If you are on a well, we don’t have a solid solution. Though some of our customers have used antibacterials including iodine and silver. If you are using silver, we recommend a concentrated (500 PPM) so that mere drops go a long way making this much more affordable.
After storing your bottles, the next time you need them, give them another quick rinse. The chlorine that was in the city water should have kept anything from growing in them. We have used the same bottles for a few years without any problems.
If you have any questions or difficulty, please contact us.
I placed my first order of the two jugs, I’m excited to get them my plan is to thaw one of the jugs in the sink for 4-5 hours and immediately put the other jug in the freezer to use the 2nd week. My question(s) are 1. Do I put place the jub in the sink with warm or cold water or just put the jug in a empty sink and let it thaw then place in the fridge. I will drink 8 oz per day so one jug at 58oz should last about a week which is perfect if using everyday. 2. Is it ok to put in the blender and mix with Nopal pads and fresh squeezed orange juice I currently make cactus juice using fresh Nopal I remove the needles first just by scrapping them with a sharp knife, then squeeze two large organic oranges it makes about 28oz and taste delicious you can taste ALL the health goodness and benefits of the Cactus. 3. Since Cactus and Aloe are from the same family, do you think it’s ok to add the Aloe to this recipe. Lastly, is taking ALOE good for hair growth could I also use it as a hair gel. I can’t wait to get your products I love staying healthy and have not been ill pre, post and with the continuance of COVID natural is 1000000% better than anything but you have to heal the body from the inside and the body will take care of you. Thank you I’m so happy i finally was able to become a member and order my ALOE. Many Blessings and Prosperity ALWAYS.
In Florida we put it in the sink to catch the condensation… because the air is so wet here. You can put it in water… but I wouldn’t let it go too long since it can melt and even get warm much faster in water. Regarding blending, we recommend you blend everything else first and then just flash blend the aloe… since it will foam up if you blend it too much. Yes, I know many that have mixed aloe and cactus and love it. Regarding using it as a hair gel, remember, the pulp is still in it so it will look like dandruff. When you cut a leaf and use the fillet like a bar of soap, the pulp stays in the filet and only the gel gets in your hair… so that works. But when you drink it, you are helping your skin… and scalp – from the inside out. Sorry it took so long. Blessings back at you!!!
If you buy a bucket, how many times can you freeze and unfreeze it? I don’t have the storage to store it frozen in multiple smaller containers.
It’s not how many times you freeze and melt it, but instead, the total time it spends not frozen. As it is melted and hence warmer, it is changing faster. So the next time you melt it, you have less valuable time left… because it is closer to being “spoiled” (or fermented… depending on how you look at it).
How long is a bottle of aloe lasts in the fridge once it’s thawed?
7 to 10 days which is why many refreeze in smaller containers.
I found the bucket a little tricky to open..I was easily able to snap the ring under the lid and begin peeling, as shown in the video.
But the plastic is rather soft and there’s not a strong perforation, if any. So at a certain point in both directions a bit of the top lid got into the act. At that point there was no way to keep tearing. I was able to use the pry tool, but with the ring only half separated the lid wasn’t ready to come off.
My solution was to take a utility knife and cut along the intended seam between the ring and the lid. I’d cut few inches at a time, then tear some more. When the ring was about 80% off I was able to pop the lid off.
I know I’m not the only one who will have this problem given the nature of the plastic. So I pass along this tip in case it may help others.
My aloe is still thawing. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow.
Ugh… I just left you a message… but now I think I get it… what went wrong. OK, well, we appreciate the feedback and there IS a way to stop this from happening without using a knife… we don’t want you using a knife for this. I think it is time to make a new video showing all the problems that could go wrong and how to prevent them from happening.
I’m interested in buying the bucket of aloe. Do you have extra plastic bottles we can get to do this? If not, are there any types of plastic bottles you recommend we purchase for refreezing the aloe from the bucket?
When you visit the bucket page, you will see there are “options”. Look for an option that includes the bottles.
Dr. Haley,
I just ordered the Bucket special bundle. Do I need to wash the 64 oz bottles before pouring the aloe gel in?
I would fill them half way with chlorinated (municipal tap) water, put the lid on, give it a shake, empty it, and consider that sufficient. I’m confident that is what most people do.
Can you freeze them into ice cubes for smaller servings and store those in the freezer?
Yes.
I found this on the web: A few things are important when freezing liquids in glass jars:
The liquid should be cold.
You must leave head room at the top of the liquid — a couple inches, or to be safe don’t fill above the 800ml line (for a quart
jar). Liquid expands a lot when frozen, so you need to leave room for that expansion, or the jar can explode under the pressure (a safe-guard is to leave the lids off until the liquid is completely frozen — good to do if you have a level freezing surface).
Don’t freeze liquids in jars larger than a quart. Something about the liquid expansion and the size of the jars makes half-gallon and gallon-sized jars much more likely to break.
Just read in an Urban Garden magazine that using straight-sided (i.e., wide-mouth) jars is safer than using jars w/ shoulders, as the curved glass is weaker.
The problem with these guides is that they don’t account for aloe expanding more than water.
I did freeze my aloe in glass containers and allowed plenty or expansion space. I then placed those small glass containers in a bubble wrap bag and make sure to freeze them slanted on their side to allow for expansion near the narrow necks of the bottles. They all froze fine and I had none of them burst on me. 😉
So glad to hear this worked for you.
I am thinking like leaving a 1/2 inch or inch of space to allow the expansion of the glass
Can I use glass mason jars if I leave plenty of room for expansion?
I wouldn’t. Aloe expands more than other liquids. I’ve had many customers get upset that we didn’t warn them even though it is all over our website.
Do I just refreeze the containers it came in? After I get them?
You can. Some people pour it into smaller containers and refreeze to take out as needed.
Greetings,
Why do you discourage using glass bowls, bottles to freeze?
We’ve had too many people ask us to replace their aloe when it broke their glass from expanding when freezing.
I learned and understand that thawing and freezing again is not a good thing. What do you say?
We had an independent laboratory test our product after re-freeaing. The results were excellent. Refreezing will preserve the integrity of the product much better than keeping it in the refrigerator. Furthermore, it preserves without using chemical preservatives.
Is there a way to use the solids at the bottom of the bucket?
We drink everything that comes out of the bag that is in the bucket.