Why We Love Freeze Drying Foods!

Freeze drying has been such an awesome addition to our homestead and I want to share all the things I’ve learned so far with you!

Our family loves freeze drying because it makes for super healthy on the go snacks and we can enjoy fruits and veggies that might be out of season once they're stored and preserved properly. They can last up to twenty years if stored in mylar and oxygen absorbers which really helps with things like inflation since prices of food are constantly going up. 

The freeze dryer I have is the Harvest Right size Large with the oil free pump.We use the Harvest Right silicone mats, green cube trays. an extra set of base trays with a set of lids. I went with the large size because it does 5 trays instead of 4 or less with the other models and can run on the oil free pump. It's more sustainable, less maintenance required option which works better for our family.

Click the button below to use my link to purchase your own Harvest Right Freeze Dryer with my discount! 

5 Reasons We Love Freeze Drying 

1. Insanely Long Shelf Life: Hands down freeze dried foods properly stored, last longer than any other preservation method. They maintain peak quality for decades. If stored properly freeze-dried food lasts 20 to 30 years (depending on what you store.)

2. Retains Nutrition: Freeze Drying is amazing because it retains over 90% of the overall nutritional value of the food - unlike other forms of preservation such as canning and dehydration. 

3. Less Waste: Freeze Drying can help you reduce waste. Throw your herbs, fruit, meat, eggs, or veggies on a tray and into your freeze dryer before they go bad. Then just reconstitute with water or bone broth to enjoy. 

4. Shelf Stable Storage: Freeze dried foods no longer require refrigeration making this the ultimate storage hack, clearing up freezer space and removing the need for power to preserve. 

5. Enjoy Fruits and Veggies Out of Season: Freeze drying makes it possible for you to enjoy seasonal produce all year long. For example if you have an abundance of berries in the summer you can freeze dry them and still enjoy berries in the winter! 

Freeze Drying Q&A

Q: Thoughts on selling what you freeze dry? 
A: You absolutely could sell what you freeze dry, there's a great market for it! Would I sell what we freeze dry right now? No simply because our goal is to not depend on outside resources as much, meaning I want to have eggs year round from our farm, so until we have that built up enough to feed our family I wouldn't consider selling. 

Q: Compared to canning, is the expense of the machine worth it? 
A: I haven't done a dollar for dollar break down but a time break down freeze drying lasts longer than canned foods for the same amount or less prep time. 

Q: What can't you freeze dry? 
A: Foods high in oil such as Butter, Honey, Jam, Mayonnaise, Peanut Butter, Pure Chocolate, Syrup. These foods don't freeze dry well because they leave behind oil. Freeze drying works by pulling moisture (water) from foods through low-temperature dehydration and then removing the ice through sublimation. This process doesn't work well with oil based foods. 

Q: How long does freeze drying take?
A: 1-2 days depending on what you're freeze drying. Pre-frozen foods take a little less time because you save the machine from doing a step. You don't have to freeze first but I think it's a great way to maximize the life of your machine. 

Q: How old of items have you eaten? 
A: We've been freeze drying for over a year so our "oldest" items aren't that old. But the fact that I can reconstitute milk from a year ago by just adding water, then use it and it's not sour is pretty awesome especially since I can't leave fresh milk in the fridge for a week without it turning. 

Q: How much nutritional value is lost when freeze drying? 
A: Freeze dried foods retain the majority of their vitamins and minerals, freeze dried food typically retains 97% of its nutritional value because of the cold vacuum process that is used to extract the water. 

Q: How to freeze dry milk? 
A: Do it the same way I did the eggs!