I Bought a Freeze Dryer - Harvest Right

[Michael]

I did another quick load of candy. I’ve found that candy batches are quick, so when I don’t have time for a “normal” 24+ hour batch (like when we leave for a weekend), the candy makes a good filler. Plus, my kids and grandbaby love them!




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[Pedernal]

I know you mentioned the possibility of having a real stake type meal on the trail without the need for ice as one of you goals. A side from that, what are your over all thoughts as far as just having something to store food in case of a prolonged food shortage? Obviously it’s a lot bigger expense over canning and dehydration, but in your opinion is it worth the expense??

[Michael]

I know you mentioned the possibility of having a real stake type meal on the trail without the need for ice as one of you goals. A side from that, what are your over all thoughts as far as just having something to store food in case of a prolonged food shortage? Obviously it’s a lot bigger expense over canning and dehydration, but in your opinion is it worth the expense??

Honestly, I think the fastest ROI (return on investment) will be for those who are primarily using a home freeze dryer for long term emergency food storage. It’s probably also easiest to forecast and measure.

The demand for and price of bulk freeze dried foods has increased significantly post Covid. As an example, a #10 can (780g) of Auguson Farms ground beef currently retails for $65 on Amazon. Similarly, 540g of diced chicken is $60 and 525g pulled pork is $65.

As of today, I’ve FD about 4000g of meat (venison, chicken and pork) in the last 3-4 weeks. That equates to over $400 worth of the bulk canned meats (and that doesn’t begin to account for quality and nutrition differences.) I’ve also FD 1500 additional grams of fruits, veggies, milk and eggs.

Note that almost all of the meats I’ve FD so far have been other than store bought (the pork was leftover from a work event I cooked for), so I haven’t incurred or accounted for additional cost of the ingredients in this example.

The significant differences in nutrition retention and shelf life of FD foods are also advantages for FD over traditional canning and dehydration. (I do think having a pressure canner (AND a large inventory of jars/lids) is a good plan in case of extended power outages where running a freezer (or freeze dryer) on a generator may not be an option. )

If I was purely planning for only long term food storage, I would consider investing in a FD machine with the goal of freeze drying as much food as I think I’ll need, and then sell it to recoup most (if not all) of the capital investment. Used freeze dryers have retained value pretty well over the last couple of years due to supply/demand. I predict that trend will continue for the foreseeable future.


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[Michael]

I just finished up a load of fruit, including grapes, blueberries, pineapple and a small batch of leftover watermelon chunks.

This was a 50 hour batch! I knew that these fruits would all take awhile, so I planned it over a weekend where I had other projects and wouldn’t have to (or need to) check on it much.

The grapes and pineapple are fantastic! The watermelon has a great flavor, too. The blueberries are good, but I don’t think they were particularly sweet going in.

I keep bb’s, banana chips, strawberries and now pineapple and grapes in jars on the kitchen counter and find myself snacking on them (and sweet potato chips) more than I do less healthy snacks, or even fresh fruit in the refrigerator.

I have a load of asparagus and cut green beans going in now. Those supposedly also make great, healthy dry snacks.

I’m planning to do a few full meals this week. I’m open to suggestions (think backpacking foods.)


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[Michael]

I Bought a Freeze Dryer - Harvest Right

I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel discussing some of the reasons why I purchased a freeze dryer. (I used the original post here as a template for the video! )

https://youtu.be/z-RpOiNQIfs

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[flywise]

I just finished up a load of fruit, including grapes, blueberries, pineapple and a small batch of leftover watermelon chunks.

This was a 50 hour batch! I knew that these fruits would all take awhile, so I planned it over a weekend where I had other projects and wouldn’t have to (or need to) check on it much.

The grapes and pineapple are fantastic! The watermelon has a great flavor, too. The blueberries are good, but I don’t think they were particularly sweet going in.

I keep bb’s, banana chips, strawberries and now pineapple and grapes in jars on the kitchen counter and find myself snacking on them (and sweet potato chips) more than I do less healthy snacks, or even fresh fruit in the refrigerator.

I have a load of asparagus and cut green beans going in now. Those supposedly also make great, healthy dry snacks.

I’m planning to do a few full meals this week. I’m open to suggestions (think backpacking foods.)


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That all sounds wonderful. For back packing how about chicken thighs in a tomato type sauce ( similar to a picante ). In my military MRE’s there’s a meal like that and I really like it. Or maybe meatballs in sauce, meat loaf, omelette!!!!
Also, before I google it, have you tried fish? Wondering how they would reconstitute

[Michael]

That all sounds wonderful. For back packing how about chicken thighs in a tomato type sauce ( similar to a picante ). In my military MRE’s there’s a meal like that and I really like it. Or maybe meatballs in sauce, meat loaf, omelette!!!!
Also, before I google it, have you tried fish? Wondering how they would reconstitute

I have not yet tried fish, but it's on the "agenda." Supposedly, it freeze dries and reconstitutes well. I have some salmon, shrimp, tuna, mackerel (from Cabo) and imitation crab that I intend to do sometime in the next week or so. I want to try plain fish fillets, as well as chunks to use in other dishes (like chowder, gumbo, w/risotto or maybe something like shrimp and grits.)

I've done a few basic meals (like spaghetti and meat sauce), but I'm starting to put together some other recipes that I want to test for a trip to Colorado in a few weeks. In fact, I just cooked a Stouffers Lasagna that I'll freeze dry next week. Chicken thighs in tomato sauce sounds pretty good. I'll see if I can put something like that together.

[flywise]

Lasagna, now that will be good I’m sure. Looking forward to updates

[Pedernal]

I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel discussing some of the reasons why I purchased a freeze dryer. (I used the original post here as a template for the video! )

https://youtu.be/z-RpOiNQIfs

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Awesome video as usual! Very informative!

Did your unit come with the standard vacuum pump? Curious on the vacuum pump oil changes: how much of a pain is it and is the oil easy to find?

Have you done any thicker pieces of meat? Perhaps a burger patty or a salisbury steak?

I am fairly certain I will be getting one soon. Like you I feel it will pay for itself fairly quickly. In addition to the back country purposes, it seems like a great way to save both time and money when traveling.

[Michael]

Awesome video as usual! Very informative!

Did your unit come with the standard vacuum pump? Curious on the vacuum pump oil changes: how much of a pain is it and is the oil easy to find?

Have you done any thicker pieces of meat? Perhaps a burger patty or a salisbury steak?

I am fairly certain I will be getting one soon. Like you I feel it will pay for itself fairly quickly. In addition to the back country purposes, it seems like a great way to save both time and money when traveling.

The unit i have now came with the standard pump. I change the oil after every 4-5 cycles. It's pretty simple to change. I have it positioned on a grated shelf below my machine. I put a container under it when the 4th batch is complete and open the valve on the front (while the oil is warm.) I also elevate the back with a block of wood to help drain. It's pretty much completely drained by the time I finish packaging the finished product. I typically refill it with another batch of filtered oil, and then start filtering the oil I just drained.

While I was waiting to get my used machine, I ordered an extra couple of bottles of oil from HR. I was surprised when the used unit came with three bottles of oil already, so now I have 5 bottles worth, which should last quite a while (you can reuse the filtered oil several times.) I don't think the oil is hard to come by, currently, but that could certainly change.

I actually ordered a new one from HR, with the Premiere Pump, a couple of weeks ago. My brother wants to buy my current one. Current ship times from HR seems to be 6-8 weeks, but I'll let you know how long mine takes.

I haven't done thicker pieces than the venison backstrap that I did in the previous video. I have done some pre-formed raw burger patties, but they were pretty thin. I haven't attempted to rehydrate or cook them yet.

I want to do some thicker raw cuts (or maybe even a whole backstrap or tenderloin) and see if it's possible to rehydrate them and either grill or chicken fry it. I think thicker cuts (over about 1/2") will require at least 24 hours to rehydrate.

[Michael]

Lasagna, now that will be good I’m sure. Looking forward to updates

I think it will be. I sliced it into thin strips that I think will rehydrate better. I may even crumble it up after it’s dried. It won’t be the classic layered lasagna, but the flavors will be there. I cooked it for a little less time than indicated by instructions, hoping the noodles won’t be too soft when rehydrated.




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[flywise]

I think it will be. I sliced it into thin strips that I think will rehydrate better. I may even crumble it up after it’s dried. It won’t be the classic layered lasagna, but the flavors will be there. I cooked it for a little less time than indicated by instructions, hoping the noodles won’t be too soft when rehydrated.




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I’ll buy bag when it’s done…….think I might have the wife convinced. A sample
Might take her over the edge

[Pedernal]

I think it will be. I sliced it into thin strips that I think will rehydrate better. I may even crumble it up after it’s dried. It won’t be the classic layered lasagna, but the flavors will be there. I cooked it for a little less time than indicated by instructions, hoping the noodles won’t be too soft when rehydrated.

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That looks good! What does the rehydration process entail??

[Michael]

That looks good! What does the rehydration process entail??

Boiling water and time!

Most of the commercial backpacking meal brands have some form of lasagna, and they rehydrate in about 10 minutes. Most are broken up into small pieces.

I’ve seen a few home freeze dryers that have complained of lasagna not rehydrating well, but I think most of them cut the lasagna in traditional layered squares and attempted to rehydrate whole in a bowl or pan of water. Evan Rowell has a pretty good video of using the thin strips (and a better vessel) to get better rehydration. I still think crumbling it up while it’s dry and rehydrating in a Mylar meal pouch will yield best results, especially for backpacking meal.

I’ll try rehydrating a couple of different ways next week.


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[SaltwaterSlick]

Kinda wish I had not started following this thread! Y’all got me wanting one of these things bad!!