Freeze Drying Digest

[TJAnonymous]

I need to do some ground beef too...

 

[WthrLady]

I cook mine first. But u don't have to.

 

[WthrLady]

Sunday morning - vanilla pudding, butterscotch pudding, banana pudding with wafers and bananas, a tray of peaches, and a tray of neopolitan ice cream sandwiches.
Wed/Thursday will be ground beef and two trays of rice (son requested some for quick rice use)

 

[troyer]

We won't be doing whole mulberries again. They lose most of their flavor and become soggy in an airtight container.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I cook mine first. But u don't have to.

I was reading that you should cook it to help render out the fat which will reduce the chance of spoilage...

I am in the process of freeze drying 5 lbs of ground beef at the moment. Trying to figure out the best way to store it long term. I don't have any 10# cans. So it would have to be in either canning jars or mylar bags. Any thoughts on pros/cons?

 

[TJAnonymous]

I did a bunch of ice cream sandwiches and some iced cinnamon swirl cake. I used Great Value ice-cream sandwiches. Probably should have bought name brand. They weren't terrible but not as great as I was hoping for...

DH asked me how you rehydrate them without them melting everywhere.

Uh, good question...

 

[WthrLady]

I was reading that you should cook it to help render out the fat which will reduce the chance of spoilage...

I am in the process of freeze drying 5 lbs of ground beef at the moment. Trying to figure out the best way to store it long term. I don't have any 10# cans. So it would have to be in either canning jars or mylar bags. Any thoughts on pros/cons?

I'm using both. My jars are in the dark cave in the deep basement, otherwise it would be mylar. You just have to make sure whatever doesn't get popped by whatever you put inside and break the seal.

 

[WthrLady]

I did a bunch of ice cream sandwiches and some iced cinnamon swirl cake. I used Great Value ice-cream sandwiches. Probably should have bought name brand. They weren't terrible but not as great as I was hoping for...

DH asked me how you rehydrate them without them melting everywhere.

Uh, good question...

You don't, you just eat them like a candy bar.
I think the cheap bars taste FAR better than the expensive ones. Blue Bunny and Kemp here are my go to.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I'm using both. My jars are in the dark cave in the deep basement, otherwise it would be mylar. You just have to make sure whatever doesn't get popped by whatever you put inside and break the seal.

Sadly....and to my constant consternation.... I don't have a basement and storage space is few and far between. Currently I'm vacuum-sealing everything and then putting it in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Everything I'm doing lately is getting placed in heavy duty utility tubs under a bed. The room is always dark and heated/cooled, of course. It's currently my best option.

For the ground beef, though, I'm leaning towards putting it in canning jars with oxygen absorbers. They will still go in the tubs with everything else but I'd feel better about their usability...

FWIW, I have done other meats and just stored them in the mylar bags (vacuum sealed inside). So I guess I'll have tried it both ways so we'll see what works out best.

 

[Sammster]

My house will smell of garlic for days.

6 pints (R) of minced, uncured garlic. I used a new mincing tool, and the pieces are on the large side.

2 pints + 1 quart (L) garlic breadcrumbs - from the bread used to cover the garlic during freeze drying.