Freeze Drying Digest

[WthrLady]

The pineapple strawberry pie batch took 38 hours. I was going to put sweet potato chips tomorrow, but all the sweet potatoes I bought last week for the purpose SPROUTED in a week. COME ON! Grrrrrr.

I do have 4 trays of berries that can go in so maybe I'll just do a load of those. They are QUICK.

 

[troyer]

We recently got a freeze dryer. This is part of what we’ve done.

From left to right, chocolate flavored protein drink, strawberries, pineapple, goats milk, lemons and asparagus.

 

[WthrLady]

DS came by tonight and I loaded him up with onions, spring onions, pie, strawberries, and pineapple, and cereal bars.
He's a happy camper.
Tomorrow I'll put in 3 trays of strawberries, and a tray and half of bananas and half a tray of mulberries- those are a test.
DS came by before our 60mph wind and rain storm to shake out some fresh mulberries. He's going to make syrup. I just want to see how they go in the FD. I'll have more ripe by next weekend.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I've got a load of sweet peppers (red, orange, yellow) in right now...

I still have apples, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, and eggs to do...

I've got an easy 4 days of FD bliss ahead of me still...

 

[TJAnonymous]

Just blanched some cauliflower and broccoli to put in the FD. They were kinda big pieces so I had to really squish them down to get the trays in... Hoping that doesn't turn into an unexpected problem

 

[WthrLady]

Just blanched some cauliflower and broccoli to put in the FD. They were kinda big pieces so I had to really squish them down to get the trays in... Hoping that doesn't turn into an unexpected problem

Well the shelves do get warm during the drying process, maybe discoloration on bits that touch?

 

[TJAnonymous]

I need to rethink my storage system. Currently I have a 4 tier shelving unit in a closet to store excess food. It's jam packed full with stuff I've collected on sale, stuff I've canned from the garden, etc... And now my FD items. I started out with an organizational system that no longer works with as much as I have crammed in there.

So I'm thinking about buying a lockable metal cabinet to put in my garage. Not ideal because my garage is not heated or cooled but it's the only space I've got for extra storage.

Do you think FD, vacuum sealed food would be OK out there? In the hottest part of the summer, it's probably in the mid-80s in the garage. Heat is what I'm most worried about...

 

[WthrLady]

Too hot.
How about shelves behind doors?
Containers under the bed?
Stuff you've already bought, repackaged?
Stuff that you have that can handle the heat, moved to the garage, like soaps, laundry supplies, cleaning....

 

[Sally PB]

Look for space up high. The stuff you rarely use can go where you need a step stool to get it.

Under things, as @WthrLady said, are good places too. We made a pantry under the stairs down to the basement. Several years ago, hubby built a bookshelf/wall to enclose the stairs to the second floor, so that we could close it off in the winter to save on heat.

Make a list/map of where things are if they're out of sight in odd places.

"Now where the heck is my thermoschnook? I know I put it away, but I can't find it anywhere!"

 

[TJAnonymous]

Too hot.
How about shelves behind doors?
Containers under the bed?
Stuff you've already bought, repackaged?
Stuff that you have that can handle the heat, moved to the garage, like soaps, laundry supplies, cleaning....

Great idea about the supplies, soaps, etc...

We have a little breakfast nook area that has a farm table in it. We don't eat there and it acts as a catch-all for stuff as we come in from outside. I went looking for some cabinets that would fit underneath as a space idea but didn't find much. Most cabinets are built for 36" height and I've only got 25" of clearance. I DO have some of those bed frame lifters which I can use to raise the table another 6" or so. So that's an idea....

Repackaging.... You mean like canned goods? I do have some boxed goods too but most is canned or stuff I've canned.