Freeze drying the harvest

[Sally PB]

I looked up how much they cost to run.

Harvest Right says:
"Our small and medium freeze dryers use a standard 110 volt outlet.
At peak, the freeze dryer draws about 15 amps, but on the average about 9 to 11 amps (990-1210 watts) of power per hour. A dedicated 20 amp circuit is recommended. Your freeze dryer will cost an estimated $1.25-$2.80 a day, depending on power costs in your area."

Hmmmmm....

 

[Sammster]

Ah, but don’t let the ‘burbs stop you! Check out @BReeder! posts. He’s in Chicago suburbs and has quite the garden, plus greenhouse.

Nice haul for the freeze dryer

Will do, thanks!

 

[Sammster]

@Sammster Our neighbors have deemed us "urban farmers". We are on a 1/3 acre suburban lot with a backyard measuring roughly 85'x 85' - I'm not a fan of the fact that I'm forced to have such a large front lawn, but it is what it is. In that backyard I put a garden fence 24' from the back fence nearly all the way across the yard side to side. Our shed is at the far right end and doubles as chicken coop and run (teeser: new shed nearly finished. pics to come soon). Anyway, that allows us a garden that measure a total of 24' x ~65'. We have an 8'x10' greenhouse, a fountain and sitting area, 9 large raised beds (6-4x8,1-3x8 and 2-2x10) and two 10x~24 spaces for in ground planting. I'll get pics later - it's a bit weedy right now I'll admit.

Looking forward to the pictures!

 

[Sammster]

@Sammster, what kind of freeze dryer did you buy? I keep thinking I want one, then thinking I don't need it. Then wanting one again.

One thing I really wonder about... how loud is it when it runs?

I have a Harvest Right. I went with the medium with the premium oil pump. It's a bit loud, but I'm used to it. It puts off some heat. Runs best in a cool area. A dry basement would be ideal. Unfortunately, I don't have a basement, so... kitchen it is! If you do get one (or want to learn more about them), check out the YouTube channel "Retired at 40". It's all about freeze drying. Same man also has community sites on Facebook and MeWe. Lots of helpful tips and advice

 

[Sammster]

I dry/can/freeze a fair amount of food. How long would it take to freeze dry, say, apple slices or green beans?

I'm wondering if I'd be sorry if I bought a smaller unit to save money. Or a larger, more expensive unit, and didn't need the capacity.

For those foods, expect about 24 - 30 hours. Room temperatures can affect the length of drying times. The machine does not indicate when the food is done. You check it after its cycle, and determine if more time is needed

 

[Sammster]

I just went to Harvest Right's website. They're on sale, $300 off. $2900 for the medium one, on sale.

It's a bit of an up-front investment, for sure. Boy, I tell ya, though ~ I have lots of eggs in storage. And you'll stop wasting leftovers.
There are certain foods that are best not freeze dried. Fatty, oily, very high-sugar foods are not recommended. This is where those freeze-drying communities are so helpful.

 

[BReeder!]

It's a bit of an up-front investment, for sure. Boy, I tell ya, though ~ I have lots of eggs in storage. And you'll stop wasting leftovers.
There are certain foods that are best not freeze dried. Fatty, oily, very high-sugar foods are not recommended. This is where those freeze-drying communities are so helpful.

Interesting that high sugar foods are not recommended. I see freeze dried candy all the time.

 

[Sammster]

Interesting that high sugar foods are not recommended. I see freeze dried candy all the time.

It depends on the candy. Some will foam up. And, because the freeze-drying process includes some heat in the vacuum cycle - you can't do chocolate. It melts. You can do chocolate flavored things, like cakes, etc. I've done cubed-up ice cream bars as snacks, and they worked. Very yummy

 

[Sammster]

Interesting that high sugar foods are not recommended. I see freeze dried candy all the time.

Oh, I just learned that there is a specific "candy mode" in the manual set-up of the harvest right. But you have to be careful about spacing because of the expansion that occurs with very high sugar foods. I've never done candy, myself.

My favorites so far:

eggs - blended and freeze dried raw - then stored as a powder.

berries (those with a solid skin should be sliced or crushed to allow moisture to escape). Grapes do not freeze dry well - even when sliced.
Citris segments bubble up - but slices work. Peach slices are yummy. Apples are good. Bananas are good. I add freeze-dried fruits to my oatmeal and yogurt all the ttime. I'm about to try doing watermelon for the first time.

Cheese cubes or shreds that are not too hard or oily are yummy snacks when freeze-dried. And of course, the ice cream bars

I've added freeze dried veggies to soups. I've also freeze dried mushrooms, peppers, herbs... My freeze dried meals are in long-term storage. I haven't reconstituted any of those, yet. But, this guy Retired at 40 - apparently now/also goes by Live.Life.Simple has tons of videos experimenting with foods - and reconstituting them. Shows you the hits and misses. Shares lots of recipes. The zucchini parmesan crackers are delicious!

https://www.youtube.com/@live.life.simple.

 

[HeritageFan]

My medium Harvest Right freeze dryer can do 40 eggs in a session.
Raw, whisked, and I use the dividers from the guy that runs this channel
https://www.youtube.com/@live.life.simple
Re hydration is super easy.
Cold water straight into the mylar bags, stir until it’s “raw” consistency, and cook like a scramble or omelette.

When you buy from harvest right, you get a package- pump, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and (when we bought ours) many other accessories.

We use it all the time.
Eggs.
Candy. Fruit. Veggies. Prepared meals. Soups and stews. Bone broth. So much more.
It is.... maybe 1.5x as loud as our incubators.

I am allergic to corn and soy, so can’t but the freeze dried foods off the shelves at the local camping/ adventure stores. But I can make us easy meals to take when we go backpacking, camping, etc... that won’t kill me.... literally. My reactions are anaphylaxis, not just....Feeling gross.

Properly dried and stored, most foods last about 25 years.
It is SO nice to go camping/ backpacking with a small cook stove, water or a filter setup, and food that weighs nothing and needs no cooler!

It’s also nice to not waste eggs. And know that you have food stored that will last way longer than anything canned or dehydrated!

We still also can, and use our dehydrator and smoker for different applications.

But we LOVE our Harvest Right freeze dryer and tbh, if I had to pick only one- I’d pick my Harvest Right!

....and no. I’m not a salesman or on their payroll I jist love this company and their USA made product!