Originally Posted by hoosierbanana
The food saver bags are gas impermeable and don't let the cuttings breathe, they will eventually "pickle" the cuttings during storage. The small amount of oxygen in the bag will be used the cuttings and they will suffocate, then bacteria that do not need oxygen (like the type used to make yogurt and pickles) will begin to digest the cuttings and causing the bag to puff up with CO2. It is a no-go, cuttings are alive and still need a small amount of oxygen for biological function for their metabolisms: respiration

The solution to the condensation comes from understanding the different facets of the issue:

1. Condensation forms due to a differential in temperature, it is a simple concept but becomes complex when talking about cuttings. Think of a cold drink on a hot day, condensation forms on the outside of the cup from water vapor in the air contacting the cold surface and turning back into a liquid. That is simple.

2. Now think of cuttings in a bag, when the bag is put in the fridge the bag itself becomes colder than the air inside for a time, causing condensation on the inside surface of the bag (like condensation sometimes forms inside windows in winter). Next, when the temperature of the air inside the bag gets warmer from opening and closing the fridge, adding warm foods, taking the bag out, the fridge cycling etc. any more humidity given off by the cuttings will condense on their surface because they are colder than the air.

3. The cycle repeats until there is a pool of water collected in the bag (which will also cause mold and bacteria that do not use oxygen to grow) and the cuttings have dried out. 

The solution: to stop water vapor from leaving the cuttings, and condensation from forming on their surface they need to be wrapped tightly in a gas permeable plastic (plastic wrap or normal plastic bags). Now, when the air inside the bag warms condensation can only form on the outside of the plastic wrap, because there is no air in contact with the cuttings themselves. And without the cuttings giving off water vapor less condensation will form inside of the bag overall, and the cuttings do not dry out. It has been done by members here for many years because it works, it is just not explained often. Wrapping cuttings individually is best, but the small amount of air left when wrapping a small bundle will only cause a small amount of condensation to form and still prevent the cuttings from drying out.

p.s. If you don't want to wrap the cuttings... leave the bag open when you first put it in the fridge, then close it after the cuttings have cooled. This prevents most condensation from forming during initial cooling, but the air inside of the bag will still allow moisture to escape from the cuttings and condense when the bag warms/cools as described above. Keeping the bag in the crisper will help minimize that because it stays a more constant temperature than the rest of the fridge. You should periodically remove water from the bag if it builds up enough to be getting the cuttings wet, take them out and quickly wipe them and the inside of the bag down dry (setting them on the counter when they are still cold will cause them to become wetter, like a cold drink on a hot day) and then put back in the fridge (with the bag open at first remember).

Originally Posted by hoosierbanana
Thanks Chuck, sorry to hear about your cuttings, I know the feeling.