I actually like most of these dried better than cooked or raw. The beans are awesome. We like to keep a bag out to snack on during the day. We also like to cook the potato slices and season them and they are like healthy potato chips.
I was wondering that very thing! I'd also add them to a salad as the crunchy topping. Great video - ty! A question for you. I notice folks are reconstituting packaged recipes before they send them through the freeze drying process (one example was a store bought sausage gravy mix). Is it possible to just send the dry packaged item into the freeze dryer, skipping the wet phase - wouldn't it actually be more efficient/effective?
Vegetables lose their crunch because on a home freeze drier like this, the freezing process is slow. When you freeze something slowly, ice crystals grow. The slower the freezing process, the bigger the crystals. The crystals break the internal cell/fiber structure of the vegetable. So when you reconstitute it, they become mushy. Commercial freezing process use rapid freezing techniques, like halocarbon immersion, blast freezing, contact freezing etc. So the veggies are frozen in seconds, before ice crystals have time to grow. That's why a bag of store bought frozen beans remain crunchier than some you froze yourself. Can you freeze dry some store bought frozen veggies and see if it fares any better?
If you can put items to be quick frozen into a freezer that is 10 below zero or colder, you avoid this problem. But you need to do it in single layers and a fan to blow the cold air over the items. Not very achievable in most homes.
You do not get ice crystals with a Harvest freeze dryer. Everything comes out crunchy. If is not crunchy you did not give it enough time in the unit. If food is not crunchy is can NOT be bagged for long term use
@@floremceranson8832 I think you misunderstood what he/she was saying. When things are frozen ice crystals form inside the cells of foods that damage the cells and when thawed can be less crisp. Yes - when foods are freeze dried they are dry and crisp - but when rehydrated they can be less crisp than a fresh vegetable. Indeed foods that are not fully dried can not be packaged.
Just want to share my experience with freeze dried zucchini...it is a bit spongy, but if you cook it, it is fine. I recommend it if you don't have a garden and end up throwing away spoiled produce you bought from a store. It happens to the best of us. We have such a hectic life, we forget what's in the crisper drawer until we notice that weird smell. Or we reach for the celery and find zucchini with white mold on it. Sometimes the carrot we buy don't smell right...I would rather buy them fresh and freeze dry them asap, so they don't get that mildew odor. Oh Lord, forget the color t.v. Please buy me a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. Amen.
I know you probably used the broccoli stalks for stock, but they are the best part! If you peel off the tough outer skin, you will have something that tastes about a hundred times better than the florets. Crunchy and sweet like carrots, except more tender. I am sure slicing them up for the FD would make awesome chips.
I love that you did kale 🥬 I’ve been sprinkling powdered kale on most is our foods for years. My sons favorite is green scrambled eggs with ham 🥳 You could even make your own vegetable stock powder that takes up less room than canned
blanch broccoli first.It dehydrates much better.I powder tomatoes to thicken up bottled sausesinstead of cooking them forever.I also use tomato powder to make tomato paste
In Oz going to make the purchase... from the states.... its double the price to buy one here in Oz... I would eat all my veggies freeze dried... no more cooking...
Great trick on the Kale. I do that with a bunch of different greens. I make my own greens powder. My Sister in Law loves mine more then store bought. I use it for smoothies, with water, baking and soups etc...... Greens are great for the vitamins, minerals & Fiber! So those of you that eat MREs and manufactured FD food, fiber is very important. So if you don't have a Freeze Drier, buy some Greens Powder.
I blanch my broccoli 1st. I have tried blanching and not blanching. I threw out all that was not blanched as I could not get it to rehydrate. Blanched rehydrated quickly and was the texture of steamed.
I am new to freeze drying, so I was glad to see in the “potato chip” video that you used seasoning. Something that is really good on vegetables is “spike”. (It’s also great on fresh tomatoes and avocados).It’s a vegetable seasoning and you can get it with or without salt. I like to buy it without salt and use my own Himalayan salt. I’ve been canning for years; pressure cooking and water bath, but I can see already the many benefits of freeze drying. Thanks for sharing so much!
freezdry kale first then grind up. Once you add water your back to that same consistency. Easier to that way. I also just add the kale dust to water ever dish I am making and it reconstitutes in the dish.
If you just going for the nutrition part of it wouldn't it be just as good to pulverise everything into powder and keep them all in bags and just sprinkle them into smoothies and would be the same as having a salad?
Thanks so much for making this video, I'm not a meat eater so freeze drying vegi's, this is a real help with deciding if I will invest in a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer.
I’ve never known how to freeze dry anything but Nowadays, it’s imperative to pre-reserve, vegetables and fruits, and even meats I don’t have a freezer to freeze dry with I know how to canned some things I haven’t yet, but I want to go into learning how because things are getting bad now and if what I heard is true we might be in total darkness for 1 year it’s getting scary now, and I would like to learn how to preserve food and stockpile it
Not surprised the broccoli was difficult. As a raw vegetable it has some water resistance. Thanks for all your experiments, you saved me a lot of time. Going to get a freeze drier and get to work.
@@headfirst6227 Power consumption is modest. Check the #10 FAQ harvestright.com/faqs/ I don't have the spec on the oil less pump but it's a 3/4 hp motor The large dryer requires a dedicated 20 amp circuit to run. I'm an electrician so I ran my own twin circuits to my work station for all my other power needs. The medium is the most popular because of this reason alone. Also why Brian chose a medium. But if you want to do a lot of food in a years time - the large is the best value. The large will have longer cycle times simply because it holds more food. My biggest load to date is 22 pounds of meats - took 64 hours, but it all dried well. I try not to over load my trays as much any more I stay between 15 and 18 pounds of wet foods. Currently have 10 pounds of carrots and 6 pounds of cooked ham going. I try to keep it running almost 24/7 If you do the math and compare with commercial FD foods a Harvest Right, it will pay for itself in less than a year based on 3 batches per week. Been running mine since Dec 2018 - best prepping tool I own. And a wise investment.
Moral of the story all your freeze dried vegetables go great in a stew! Baked casseroles . Roman noodle soup ! The list goes on and on ! What a great prepping Tool!🥰
To help minimize the mushy veggies Try the quicker freezing options BUT- Weight 1 group of the same veggies before and after freeze drying and try adding that same amount of water as the weight that was lost from the freeze dryer. That should bring them back to almost normal (Don’t just dunk them in a bowl of plenty water). Nice video tho👍
I have been thinking to create a freeze dried green drink. I have a juicer and like to drink it but doesn’t last long time. Creating a powder would make it so much easier to bring to work.
North Texas NEED INFORMATION WHERE TO STORE FREEZE DRIED FOOD? Ran out of space in house. Do have metal building that is insulationed ? Thanks for all the information you provided.
We moved out of Colorado too, to expensive to live but I miss it, glad you did too. Love your channel we will be moving to Ecuador in springtime, so cheap and great living there and I will get a harvest freezer dryer
Would it come out differently if all where cooked before freeze drying as that would be better for prepping so only have to boil and add water not rehydrate then cook?
Is it absolutely necessary to peel home grown carrots before hand? Wondering if a soak in vinegar and maybe baking soda and scrubbing would be enough prep
I actually like most of these dried better than cooked or raw. The beans are awesome. We like to keep a bag out to snack on during the day. We also like to cook the potato slices and season them and they are like healthy potato chips.
have you tried cilantro? I buy FD cilantro in little glass jars..not cheap. The reason I do that is to get the fresh flavor of it for salsa. haven't tried to reconstitute any of it as yet..it is in my long term storage. I guess I need to crack one open and see what it does
@@leoyolandawattel1873 AS Jerry says, that is simply freezing them. It is not removing the moisture. You can't store them outside of the freezer and if allowed to thaw, you must use them quickly.
we just did a soft release of our cookbook. Cycle times are included on most recipes and some recipes that include our tray dividers have suggested rehydration amounts. www.freezedryingcookbook.com
I chose a large dryer because of the fact it will do more foods. It does require a dedicated 20 amp circuit though. I also chose the oil less pump. I did have to have it rebuilt after only 8 months - but under warrantee and it's been running almost 24/7 for the past 18 months and doing just fine. I don't want to mess with any oil changes or filtering - too messy. I don't have to do any thing with the oil less pump.
Thanks for your idea, i will put it on my to do video list. In the meantime, I have a killer chili recipe th-cam.com/video/ffeI6dPFKlo/w-d-xo.html and i will be releasing a really good split pea soup video March 6.
@@live.life.simple. I make slices out of larger ones scooped out seed middle and sliced) and sprinkle with that popcorn seasoning and it is a zero calorie, yummy snack, with tons of goodness! Did plain slices to add to lasagna and to grind up for a flour/dust to add to cookies and other dishes.
This is an older video so likely this question will not get answered … but … I was just getting ready to fd some cauliflower when I decided to do a little research. It seems, many people blanch cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage etc. A bit of a downer as that adds more time and work to the project. If it’s better in the end it will be worth it … but is it worth it? Thanks
I've seen what appears to be freeze dried green beans as snacks at the health food store. Ingredients are the beans, tapioca flour, and spices. You eat them dry. Have you tried to make something similar? Any suggestions? Store bought ones are crunchy and tasty. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
Have you tried rehydrating the veggies in a steamer instead of soaking in water? It might make them a bit crispier. I will try that with the peas, broccoli, & cauliflower that I have freeze-dried and give an update on your newest video.
How do you keep the veggies, or anything for that matter, from getting moist when the pan forms condensation so quickly after taking out of freeze dryer?
I wish I would have seen this video when my garden had all that produce, especially the beans. Next year I will try this. Maybe freeze dry them and then turn them to powder and put in smoothies?
To Pat Cavanaugh: Harvest Right has a lay-away program. Pay what you can. I had mine on lay-away for 3 years(made one payment per year even) and ended up with the latest model! Just got mine delivered this past week. Go for it!
Lacinato Kale tastes great. I prefer to just freeze dry the stalks of Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens and then grind it into a powder. Easier, quicker and easy to add to smoothies or soups.
Hi, have you Freeze Dried Garlic? If yes how did you go about it? We set our Harvestright up yesterday and are looking forward to using it. Great videos very informative.👍🏻
garlic needs minced to FD well. i if you just remove the paper and try to FD whole cloves, they never dry out. I have a costco tub of preminced garlic that just went in tonight to compare to my home minced one.
Then God said: “Here I have given to you every seed-bearing plant that is on the entire earth and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. Let them serve as food for you And to every wild animal of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving on the earth in which there is life, I have given all green vegetation for food.” And it was so
I am going to FD some yellow beans.Should I blanch them first? I have done green beans in the past, and it takes a long time to get the bean part fully dry.
Great video. Vegetables turn out so well in the freeze dryer. I can't believe we ever bottled/canned. When we rehydrate and cook them, the flavor and texture is sooooo good. One thing we want to do more is meat/protein. Have you done meat yet?
@@live.life.simple. I was surprised at how fast fish rehydrates - and the texture is perfect. I have done both raw and cooked ground beef and both rehydrate perfectly. Stew meat, chicken, trimmed pork chops, ham slices, eggs, whole milk, my own home cooked meals, vegetables, ice cream, fruits, soups, stews, sauces, gravy, all shelf stable for up to 35 years. My plan is to have a 5 year supply for SHTF. I'm always open to ides of what to do next. My motto is to never FD anything I don't like to eat like Kale or liver. (YUK!!)
I scanned the video so I might have missed your eval of the green beans - I'm at the beginning of the learning curve so my first observation has to to with peas in their pods, kind of like green beans. What I noticed is an almost water proof skin created by the dried pod that seals the moisture inside. The peas inside were still wet. The machine ran thru its final freeze to completion but the peas in the pods were not dry. Everything else including yogurt and shredded cheese were perfect but the peas in the pod failed. Maybe more time next time? Or should veg like this be cut open before drying?
Its not required but the first few hours of freeze drying is a deep freeze of the food. If you prefreeze, the fd will get to required temp much faster. It will make your cycle times shorter and put less wear on your machine.
Hi! You were talking about the texture that seems not so great, but what about the taste? Freeze drying veggies is the main reason why I want to buy a machine, so I’d like to know if it is worth it. Thank you!
Dehydration works much better on greens than does freeze-drying. It also preserves shape which is nice when it's added to a dish where it is an accent.
@@lynnesward3154 Is Harvest Right a business concern? If so, their claim -- without peer review by at least one bona fide scientifically-qualified party -- has about as much weight as kindergartener Billy McCorkendale's claim that Missy Tollent has Koodies.
If this video doesn't sell the freeze dryer, nothing will. I want one so bad, but I'm on a tight budget and pretty much maxed out with my credit accounts. Darn. Maybe later, God willing. This is a fantastic investment. I love fresh produce and soup is the most frugal and yet the most delicious and nutritious meal you can if you want to live a long, healthy life...as long as you don't forget the ice cream at night, before bedtime. That is the perfect formula for me. I used to eat an apple every night, but then became addicted to ice cream. Hopefully, I will start eating an apple a day if I get tired of the ice cream. Thanks for your great video.
How do you know how long to set the timer for? If something is not dried enough can you 'put it back in' for another cycle? Can you 'over' freeze dry something?
With the latest models it really isn't necessary to manually adjust the times - the newest software makes it almost fully automatic. You still have the option of manually entering times if you like. I never do override adjustments - just push start and let the machine figure it all out. My batches always cone out very dry.
Pro and cons of freeze dried vs dehydrated. I ask because somethings just look better dehydrated. Have you tried doing coffee to have freeze dried coffee like in the store for emergencies etc.
This Video goes over quite a few of the pros/cons: th-cam.com/video/t3vsXRpLprM/w-d-xo.html Here is my freeze dried coffee video: th-cam.com/video/s3nEfpOaBV4/w-d-xo.html
I appreciate your videos! Just want to make sure I heard right: You did not blanch any of the vegetables, and you froze them in a regular freezer before you did the freeze-dryer. Right?
Awe, I was hoping the consistency of the vegetable would stay the same. Have that crunch. I'd like to have the tomatoes and lettuce all year round, to make salads. So with the potatoes, can you then make mashed potatoes? What about root vegetables? So they have that crunch after freeze drying? Like carrots, radishes? Thank you.
Most all vegetables will have the consistency of a steamed veggie. The potatoes work well for mashed potatoes. We freeze dried tons of leftovers from T-giving and the mashed potatoes were the best. Have you tried tomatoes yet?
It seems to me there is an advantage by using your method of blending kale with a little water first then freeze drying. You should be able to do much more kale in one batch that way. Do you think the nutritional value would remain the same as fd kale whole then making into powder?
Yes. We cooked potatoes and then seasoned them. They are not quite as good as a potato chip, (because they are not fried in oil) but still get a crunch and some flavor. Do you grow microgreens?
Red beets are very good fd. First they are boiled until tender, next cut into slices a little less than quarter inch thick than place on tray single layer we use a food grade screen for second layer,best not to exceed the height of the tray. You can season them but we don't, we dip them into different flavor sauces or eat plain, they come out super crunchy . Great way to introduce kids to different veggies. They have a shelf life of 25 yrs. when bags properly in mylar bags. Children tend to overindulge in fd. fruits & veggies, make sure they drink plenty of water with them.
"Something that comes out the garden spoils much faster than something you buy at the store" Hmmm not where i am from, picking it fresh and storing it correctly means it lasts much longer than supermarket produce! If you grow produce in deficient soils or store incorrectly i agree they don't last long.
I love how you said in the beginning while naming off the vegetables "Greens, beans, potatoes, tomatoes" That's a line in the Thanksgiving rap song haha.
You don't have to. If you have the freezer space to freeze it first, it will save the running time on your freeze dryer, which will save on electricity and wear and tear on the machine. When you start a batch in the freeze dryer, it asks you whether or not the food you are putting in is frozen. A lot of people set their trays up, stick them in the freezer overnight, then start their freeze dryer and move the trays to the freeze dryer the next day. I don't have the freezer space for that. I just bought my freeze dryer, and I will be letting the freeze dryer freeze my batches.
If my lemons come out sticky, do they need more drying? Also, the small FD does not seem to have the FROZEN OR NOT FROZEN option, is it in there somewhere and I am not pushing the right button??
Carson, some things with a 'tough' skin will not dry inside unless pierced or sliced first before FDing. Have seen some youtubers who freeze blueberries, for example and then very very briefly run them in a blender or food processor to 'scuff' (removing bits of the outer skin.) Some youtubers take a multi-prong utensil and stab at a bowl of them to pierce the skin. Good luck!
I actually like most of these dried better than cooked or raw. The beans are awesome. We like to keep a bag out to snack on during the day. We also like to cook the potato slices and season them and they are like healthy potato chips.
I was wondering that very thing! I'd also add them to a salad as the crunchy topping. Great video - ty! A question for you. I notice folks are reconstituting packaged recipes before they send them through the freeze drying process (one example was a store bought sausage gravy mix). Is it possible to just send the dry packaged item into the freeze dryer, skipping the wet phase - wouldn't it actually be more efficient/effective?
I like most FD foods dry.
Makes healthy snacks.
@@MaN-pw1bn I have wondered that as well. Good question. 👍
Vegetables lose their crunch because on a home freeze drier like this, the freezing process is slow. When you freeze something slowly, ice crystals grow. The slower the freezing process, the bigger the crystals. The crystals break the internal cell/fiber structure of the vegetable. So when you reconstitute it, they become mushy.
Commercial freezing process use rapid freezing techniques, like halocarbon immersion, blast freezing, contact freezing etc. So the veggies are frozen in seconds, before ice crystals have time to grow. That's why a bag of store bought frozen beans remain crunchier than some you froze yourself.
Can you freeze dry some store bought frozen veggies and see if it fares any better?
thanks for your comments
If you can put items to be quick frozen into a freezer that is 10 below zero or colder, you avoid this problem. But you need to do it in single layers and a fan to blow the cold air over the items. Not very achievable in most homes.
They lost there crisp because he didn't blanch them
You do not get ice crystals with a Harvest freeze dryer. Everything comes out crunchy. If is not crunchy you did not give it enough time in the unit. If food is not crunchy is can NOT be bagged for long term use
@@floremceranson8832 I think you misunderstood what he/she was saying. When things are frozen ice crystals form inside the cells of foods that damage the cells and when thawed can be less crisp. Yes - when foods are freeze dried they are dry and crisp - but when rehydrated they can be less crisp than a fresh vegetable.
Indeed foods that are not fully dried can not be packaged.
Just want to share my experience with freeze dried zucchini...it is a bit spongy, but if you cook it, it is fine. I recommend it if you don't have a garden and end up throwing away spoiled produce you bought from a store. It happens to the best of us. We have such a hectic life, we forget what's in the crisper drawer until we notice that weird smell. Or we reach for the celery and find zucchini with white mold on it. Sometimes the carrot we buy don't smell right...I would rather buy them fresh and freeze dry them asap, so they don't get that mildew odor. Oh Lord, forget the color t.v. Please buy me a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. Amen.
Praying that the Lord does bring you a freeze dryer🙏🤓
I would recommend saving all the scraps and freeze drying them to use for a veggie stock.
Or just make the veggie stock and dehydrate/ freeze dry that..
Always save our scraps for stock.🥕
I know you probably used the broccoli stalks for stock, but they are the best part! If you peel off the tough outer skin, you will have something that tastes about a hundred times better than the florets. Crunchy and sweet like carrots, except more tender. I am sure slicing them up for the FD would make awesome chips.
Thanks for the tip!
Retirement doesn’t exist.
We go until daisies grow.
Kidding
Great show my friend
I love that you did kale 🥬 I’ve been sprinkling powdered kale on most is our foods for years. My sons favorite is green scrambled eggs with ham 🥳
You could even make your own vegetable stock powder that takes up less room than canned
Veggies loose their crunch when canned too. No big deal. 😁👍🏼
blanch broccoli first.It dehydrates much better.I powder tomatoes to thicken up bottled sausesinstead of cooking them forever.I also use tomato powder to make tomato paste
We love the powdered tomatoes!
I make a greens powder , pull out of freeze dryer put in grain grinder .
In Oz going to make the purchase... from the states.... its double the price to buy one here in Oz... I would eat all my veggies freeze dried... no more cooking...
Decided to make the investment and now have one backordered. Should arrive in 4-10 weeks. Super excited to start preserving food.
Look at local stores that carry the Harvest Right like a Scheels or Home Depot. You can get one a lot quicker! We bought ours at a Jax Farm and Ranch.
@@earlrobinlay3206 theybdont sell them like that in canada. I have the machine. Works great
@@benson733 Sorry to hear they don't sell them that way there.
Great trick on the Kale. I do that with a bunch of different greens. I make my own greens powder. My Sister in Law loves mine more then store bought.
I use it for smoothies, with water, baking and soups etc......
Greens are great for the vitamins, minerals & Fiber! So those of you that eat MREs and manufactured FD food, fiber is very important. So if you don't have a Freeze Drier, buy some Greens Powder.
I blanch my broccoli 1st. I have tried blanching and not blanching. I threw out all that was not blanched as I could not get it to rehydrate. Blanched rehydrated quickly and was the texture of steamed.
You are right. Blanching helps with quite a few veggies.
I am new to freeze drying, so I was glad to see in the “potato chip” video that you used seasoning. Something that is really good on vegetables is “spike”. (It’s also great on fresh tomatoes and avocados).It’s a vegetable seasoning and you can get it with or without salt. I like to buy it without salt and use my own Himalayan salt. I’ve been canning for years; pressure cooking and water bath, but I can see already the many benefits of freeze drying. Thanks for sharing so much!
Good comment my friend
I’m seeing that as well.
Anything dry (+ph levels) reduces bacterial growth.
freezdry kale first then grind up. Once you add water your back to that same consistency. Easier to that way. I also just add the kale dust to water ever dish I am making and it reconstitutes in the dish.
Thanks for your tip Gary!
How do you prep the kale leaves before FD? Slice thinly and have lots of layers? They don't take up too much precious tray space?
If you just going for the nutrition part of it wouldn't it be just as good to pulverise everything into powder and keep them all in bags and just sprinkle them into smoothies and would be the same as having a salad?
We do plenty of that as well. Its also nice to have cut raw ingredients for recipes
Thanks so much for making this video, I'm not a meat eater so freeze drying vegi's, this is a real help with deciding if I will invest in a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer.
We dont eat much meat and do lots of Indian food, soups and stir fry
I’ve never known how to freeze dry anything but Nowadays, it’s imperative to pre-reserve, vegetables and fruits, and even meats I don’t have a freezer to freeze dry with I know how to canned some things I haven’t yet, but I want to go into learning how because things are getting bad now and if what I heard is true we might be in total darkness for 1 year it’s getting scary now, and I would like to learn how to preserve food and stockpile it
Not surprised the broccoli was difficult. As a raw vegetable it has some water resistance. Thanks for all your experiments, you saved me a lot of time. Going to get a freeze drier and get to work.
Great! We have a large community!
FYI - the large dryer will process more food than the small and medium dryer....combined.
@@jerrysmith372 That’s the one I’m interested in. Likely that the power consumption doesn’t go up as quickly as the capacity.
@@headfirst6227 Power consumption is modest. Check the #10 FAQ
harvestright.com/faqs/
I don't have the spec on the oil less pump but it's a 3/4 hp motor
The large dryer requires a dedicated 20 amp circuit to run. I'm an electrician so I ran my own twin circuits to my work station for all my other power needs. The medium is the most popular because of this reason alone. Also why Brian chose a medium.
But if you want to do a lot of food in a years time - the large is the best value. The large will have longer cycle times simply because it holds more food. My biggest load to date is 22 pounds of meats - took 64 hours, but it all dried well. I try not to over load my trays as much any more I stay between 15 and 18 pounds of wet foods.
Currently have 10 pounds of carrots and 6 pounds of cooked ham going. I try to keep it running almost 24/7
If you do the math and compare with commercial FD foods a Harvest Right, it will pay for itself in less than a year based on 3 batches per week. Been running mine since Dec 2018 - best prepping tool I own. And a wise investment.
Moral of the story all your freeze dried vegetables go great in a stew! Baked casseroles . Roman noodle soup ! The list goes on and on ! What a great prepping Tool!🥰
veggies work great!
Indeed - it's the best prepping tool I own. A great investment.
Mines been on backorder. I’m ready for it to get here.
Wish you woulda done some celery, but I still learned something today. Thanks.
To help minimize the mushy veggies
Try the quicker freezing options BUT-
Weight 1 group of the same veggies before and after freeze drying and try adding that same amount of water as the weight that was lost from the freeze dryer.
That should bring them back to almost normal
(Don’t just dunk them in a bowl of plenty water).
Nice video tho👍
I have been thinking to create a freeze dried green drink. I have a juicer and like to drink it but doesn’t last long time. Creating a powder would make it so much easier to bring to work.
I have a green protein smoothie every morning using fd'ed greens. This next weekends video may give you some ideas or tips....It's a protein smoothie
@@live.life.simple. great. Thanks 🙏
The kale was the most impressive. Homemade super greens powder.
Thanks for the fabulous idea my kale is going crazy and I am going to make a bunch of kale and beet green powder when my freeze dryer finally arrives.
North Texas NEED INFORMATION WHERE TO STORE FREEZE DRIED FOOD?
Ran out of space in house. Do have metal building that is insulationed ? Thanks for all the information you provided.
Do you have a cellar/basement? If the metal outbuilding gets hot in summer, it will shorten the shelf life (and nutrition.)
We moved out of Colorado too, to expensive to live but I miss it, glad you did too. Love your channel we will be moving to Ecuador in springtime, so cheap and great living there and I will get a harvest freezer dryer
Would it come out differently if all where cooked before freeze drying as that would be better for prepping so only have to boil and add water not rehydrate then cook?
Is it absolutely necessary to peel home grown carrots before hand? Wondering if a soak in vinegar and maybe baking soda and scrubbing would be enough prep
I eat raw, unpeeled, organic carrots all the time when I know my source.
Would have rather seen more about what they taste like dry than reconstituted. Are any of them good dried or not?
I actually like most of these dried better than cooked or raw. The beans are awesome. We like to keep a bag out to snack on during the day. We also like to cook the potato slices and season them and they are like healthy potato chips.
On Broccoli, can you just take it from freeze dry bag and put it in the ninja foodi on steam for 3 mins and your done.
have you tried cilantro? I buy FD cilantro in little glass jars..not cheap. The reason I do that is to get the fresh flavor of it for salsa. haven't tried to reconstitute any of it as yet..it is in my long term storage. I guess I need to crack one open and see what it does
the question is ,if the nutrients is still present to that finished products?
My husband likes tomato chips. I slice and top with seasoning and freeze dry. I didn’t like them reconstituted
I have been freeze drying for a few hours in a regular freezer and it works grest
How are you freeze drying in a freezer?
I lay them in a single layer and freeze them for an hour then ag them
bag
@@leoyolandawattel1873 Hate to brake it to you - but that's not freeze drying. That's just freezing.
@@leoyolandawattel1873 AS Jerry says, that is simply freezing them. It is not removing the moisture. You can't store them outside of the freezer and if allowed to thaw, you must use them quickly.
If you peel the stems of the broccoli, they are delicious. It is softer inside.
What would they turn out like of you used the steamer to reconstitute?
My thought as well. I think he did some a while back this way
Is there a book that's out there that has recommendations on freeze drying times, and how how much water to reconstitute food.
we just did a soft release of our cookbook. Cycle times are included on most recipes and some recipes that include our tray dividers have suggested rehydration amounts.
www.freezedryingcookbook.com
I have just purchased my harvest right where do I find the area where I can show I froze food already?
This video is an older one with an old version of software. The FDer will no longer ask if your food is pre-frozen
If you had a choice between capacity (Medium to Large) vs Oil-less pump which would you choice and why?
I chose a large dryer because of the fact it will do more foods. It does require a dedicated 20 amp circuit though. I also chose the oil less pump. I did have to have it rebuilt after only 8 months - but under warrantee and it's been running almost 24/7 for the past 18 months and doing just fine. I don't want to mess with any oil changes or filtering - too messy. I don't have to do any thing with the oil less pump.
Blessings 💗
Have to thought about doing videos on your favorite stews, soups or leftover meals that you've freeze dried ?
Thanks for your idea, i will put it on my to do video list. In the meantime, I have a killer chili recipe th-cam.com/video/ffeI6dPFKlo/w-d-xo.html and i will be releasing a really good split pea soup video March 6.
You mentioned blanching the potatoes prior to freeze drying. Would you do this prior to slicing? Thanks and keep these videos coming! Love them!
i think with a potato it needs to be blanched after it is cut. It's so big and dense that a quick dip isn't going to do what it needs to.
Freeze Dried Fridays! from now on. Thanks for your comment.
why not powder after fd. then you don't have to add any water. just a thought, Id love to hear if you have tried that. love the FD videos1
I do powder some vegetables and other things. The powder is also very compact. But we do like bigger pieces for snacks, stew/ soups.
I use fruit fresh on my potatoes. I soak the potatoes in fruit fresh. Instead of blanching I steamed them.
Cool. good tip. Does that give any off tastes? The steamer works well with the FD for lot of things.
Have you tried zucchini chips? Salted, raw slices, eat dry. Really good, I think.
I have tried cucumber but the zucchini sounds good. I will have more than I know what to do with pretty soon out of the garden.
@@live.life.simple. I make slices out of larger ones scooped out seed middle and sliced) and sprinkle with that popcorn seasoning and it is a zero calorie, yummy snack, with tons of goodness! Did plain slices to add to lasagna and to grind up for a flour/dust to add to cookies and other dishes.
This is an older video so likely this question will not get answered … but … I was just getting ready to fd some cauliflower when I decided to do a little research. It seems, many people blanch cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage etc. A bit of a downer as that adds more time and work to the project. If it’s better in the end it will be worth it … but is it worth it? Thanks
I would recommend blanching most veggies
Definitely worth it if you want to store them rather than eating soon. Blanching first gives you far longer shelf life and better quality.
I've seen what appears to be freeze dried green beans as snacks at the health food store. Ingredients are the beans, tapioca flour, and spices. You eat them dry. Have you tried to make something similar? Any suggestions? Store bought ones are crunchy and tasty. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
The plain freeze dried ones are very similar to the store bought. You could easily add spices and maybe a bit of sea salt.
Have you tried rehydrating the veggies in a steamer instead of soaking in water? It might make them a bit crispier. I will try that with the peas, broccoli, & cauliflower that I have freeze-dried and give an update on your newest video.
How do you keep the veggies, or anything for that matter, from getting moist when the pan forms condensation so quickly after taking out of freeze dryer?
If it gets moist that fast, your food is not done. Working times for packaging should be easily done without any form of rehydration.
I wish I would have seen this video when my garden had all that produce, especially the beans. Next year I will try this. Maybe freeze dry them and then turn them to powder and put in smoothies?
To Pat Cavanaugh: Harvest Right has a lay-away program. Pay what you can. I had mine on lay-away for 3 years(made one payment per year even) and ended up with the latest model! Just got mine delivered this past week. Go for it!
sweet!
Welcome to the freeze drying community - I hope you enjoy it for many years.
Lacinato Kale tastes great. I prefer to just freeze dry the stalks of Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens and then grind it into a powder. Easier, quicker and easy to add to smoothies or soups.
Agreed. An easy way to get some greens
Hi, have you Freeze Dried Garlic? If yes how did you go about it? We set our Harvestright up yesterday and are looking forward to using it. Great videos very informative.👍🏻
I have not done garlic yet. I will have a whole bunch this year though. I just noticed it starting to poke up the other day.
garlic needs minced to FD well. i if you just remove the paper and try to FD whole cloves, they never dry out. I have a costco tub of preminced garlic that just went in tonight to compare to my home minced one.
Then God said: “Here I have given to you every seed-bearing plant that is on the entire earth and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. Let them serve as food for you And to every wild animal of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving on the earth in which there is life, I have given all green vegetation for food.” And it was so
mmm cucumber stirfry
I am going to FD some yellow beans.Should I blanch them first? I have done green beans in the past, and it takes a long time to get the bean part fully dry.
Yes most vegetables should be blanched. Just as if you were prepping them for your freezer.
Great video. Vegetables turn out so well in the freeze dryer. I can't believe we ever bottled/canned. When we rehydrate and cook them, the flavor and texture is sooooo good. One thing we want to do more is meat/protein. Have you done meat yet?
Yep. Pretty much everything. It actually rehydrates better than almost anything else. An "all meat" video is on the to do list. Any suggestions?
@@live.life.simple. I was surprised at how fast fish rehydrates - and the texture is perfect. I have done both raw and cooked ground beef and both rehydrate perfectly. Stew meat, chicken, trimmed pork chops, ham slices, eggs, whole milk, my own home cooked meals, vegetables, ice cream, fruits, soups, stews, sauces, gravy, all shelf stable for up to 35 years. My plan is to have a 5 year supply for SHTF.
I'm always open to ides of what to do next. My motto is to never FD anything I don't like to eat like Kale or liver. (YUK!!)
Do you have to rehydrate the food before cooking in a soup or stew? Thanks.
Usually if you are going into something that will.cook for awhile, it will just rehydrate while you are cooking
If you buy veggies from the store do you buy organic or regular? Does it matter?
I scanned the video so I might have missed your eval of the green beans - I'm at the beginning of the learning curve so my first observation has to to with peas in their pods, kind of like green beans. What I noticed is an almost water proof skin created by the dried pod that seals the moisture inside. The peas inside were still wet. The machine ran thru its final freeze to completion but the peas in the pods were not dry. Everything else including yogurt and shredded cheese were perfect but the peas in the pod failed. Maybe more time next time? Or should veg like this be cut open before drying?
How do pears do? And what do you think makes the most bulk food for survival?
Why do you deep freeze before deep freezing? Is that a requirement? I'm a newb so be gentle.
Its not required but the first few hours of freeze drying is a deep freeze of the food. If you prefreeze, the fd will get to required temp much faster. It will make your cycle times shorter and put less wear on your machine.
Hi! You were talking about the texture that seems not so great, but what about the taste? Freeze drying veggies is the main reason why I want to buy a machine, so I’d like to know if it is worth it. Thank you!
Taste is always there. Sometimes even intensified. Freeze drying keeps 95%+ of the nutritional value as well
after freeze drying. i wonder how they would all perform if you were to steam them all back into original condition.
The veggies do not have a crunch but will all do well with the exception of the leafy greens.
Dehydration works much better on greens than does freeze-drying. It also preserves shape which is nice when it's added to a dish where it is an accent.
You lose more nutrients with dehydrating, as the freeze drying doesn't lose the nutritional value.
@@lynnesward3154 Do you have one single peer-reviewed study, or ANY other piece of bona fide evidence, that backs up this claim of yours?
@@adamchurvis1 Harvest Right is one place that states this.
Also, dehydration uses heat to dry tho the FD also uses heat to dry. I don't know!!
@@lynnesward3154 Is Harvest Right a business concern? If so, their claim -- without peer review by at least one bona fide scientifically-qualified party -- has about as much weight as kindergartener Billy McCorkendale's claim that Missy Tollent has Koodies.
What if you spray the cucumber with water just a little instead of drowning in it on water?
Could you roast any of the vegetables after they're rehydrated?
Have you ever freeze dried purple hull peas? We have a ton in the garden right now.
How about cucumbers? Could you still make pickles afterward?
No you can freeze dry the pickles though
If this video doesn't sell the freeze dryer, nothing will. I want one so bad, but I'm on a tight budget and pretty much maxed out with my credit accounts. Darn. Maybe later, God willing. This is a fantastic investment. I love fresh produce and soup is the most frugal and yet the most delicious and nutritious meal you can if you want to live a long, healthy life...as long as you don't forget the ice cream at night, before bedtime. That is the perfect formula for me. I used to eat an apple every night, but then became addicted to ice cream. Hopefully, I will start eating an apple a day if I get tired of the ice cream. Thanks for your great video.
I appreciate that. If you ever have questions, let me know.
Can you freeze vegetables clod perss juice
How do you know how long to set the timer for? If something is not dried enough can you 'put it back in' for another cycle? Can you 'over' freeze dry something?
With the latest models it really isn't necessary to manually adjust the times - the newest software makes it almost fully automatic. You still have the option of manually entering times if you like. I never do override adjustments - just push start and let the machine figure it all out. My batches always cone out very dry.
Doing carrots today 😀❤️🥕
What is the black thing that you put in front of the trays before you close the door?
It's an insulator.
very informative, good job
Pro and cons of freeze dried vs dehydrated.
I ask because somethings just look better dehydrated.
Have you tried doing coffee to have freeze dried coffee like in the store for emergencies etc.
This Video goes over quite a few of the pros/cons: th-cam.com/video/t3vsXRpLprM/w-d-xo.html
Here is my freeze dried coffee video: th-cam.com/video/s3nEfpOaBV4/w-d-xo.html
I love you!!!! Awesome skill
Can you freeze dry vegetables that have been previously dehydrated?
I appreciate your videos! Just want to make sure I heard right: You did not blanch any of the vegetables, and you froze them in a regular freezer before you did the freeze-dryer. Right?
Yep - you heard it right. I agree it's a mistake. Some things you don't need to blanch but for most you do.
So you can't make kale chips in the freezer dryer?
Awe, I was hoping the consistency of the vegetable would stay the same. Have that crunch. I'd like to have the tomatoes and lettuce all year round, to make salads. So with the potatoes, can you then make mashed potatoes? What about root vegetables? So they have that crunch after freeze drying? Like carrots, radishes? Thank you.
Most all vegetables will have the consistency of a steamed veggie. The potatoes work well for mashed potatoes. We freeze dried tons of leftovers from T-giving and the mashed potatoes were the best. Have you tried tomatoes yet?
What about parsnips and turnips?
Lovin all the info and science your doing. Ill be mentioning you in my unboxing first use video on my channel if thats ok?
It seems to me there is an advantage by using your method of blending kale with a little water first then freeze drying. You should be able to do much more kale in one batch that way. Do you think the nutritional value would remain the same as fd kale whole then making into powder?
I would think as long as they are not cooked the nutritional value would stay the close to the same either way
Interesting. I like the idea with the powder out of leafy greens or even microgreens. Have you ever made potato chips or crunchy beet chips?
Yes. We cooked potatoes and then seasoned them. They are not quite as good as a potato chip, (because they are not fried in oil) but still get a crunch and some flavor. Do you grow microgreens?
Red beets are very good fd. First they are boiled until tender, next cut into slices a little less than quarter inch thick than place on tray single layer we use a food grade screen for second layer,best not to exceed the height of the tray. You can season them but we don't, we dip them into different flavor sauces or eat plain, they come out super crunchy . Great way to introduce kids to different veggies. They have a shelf life of 25 yrs. when bags properly in mylar bags. Children tend to overindulge in fd. fruits & veggies, make sure they drink plenty of water with them.
"Something that comes out the garden spoils much faster than something you buy at the store" Hmmm not where i am from, picking it fresh and storing it correctly means it lasts much longer than supermarket produce! If you grow produce in deficient soils or store incorrectly i agree they don't last long.
It really depends on what it is. Storage is key, you are right!
@@cristallaprade5487 My favorite is the oily wax coating they put on cucumbers!
I love how you said in the beginning while naming off the vegetables "Greens, beans, potatoes, tomatoes" That's a line in the Thanksgiving rap song haha.
I thought I was the only one who noticed lol Not sure if it was on purpose or not!
Can you eat them freeze dried without rehydration?
Yes. We like sweet potatoes, apples, peas and carrots raw
so you put them in the regular freezer first?
You don't have to. If you have the freezer space to freeze it first, it will save the running time on your freeze dryer, which will save on electricity and wear and tear on the machine. When you start a batch in the freeze dryer, it asks you whether or not the food you are putting in is frozen. A lot of people set their trays up, stick them in the freezer overnight, then start their freeze dryer and move the trays to the freeze dryer the next day. I don't have the freezer space for that. I just bought my freeze dryer, and I will be letting the freeze dryer freeze my batches.
Wouldn't it make more sense to FD greens whole then powder? Alot less mess.
If my lemons come out sticky, do they need more drying? Also, the small FD does not seem to have the FROZEN OR NOT FROZEN option, is it in there somewhere and I am not pushing the right button??
Can you eat the veggies without rehydrating-as a veggie chip?
yes, one of my favorites
I think this is going to be my strategy; will also be trying powdering and adding to breads.
have you tried mushrooms? green onion chopped up? refried pinto beans? thank you😊
How were the green beans?
Have you tried to dry cherries.. I have a full unit and it has gone for 3 days.. Is this normal?
Carson, some things with a 'tough' skin will not dry inside unless pierced or sliced first before FDing. Have seen some youtubers who freeze blueberries, for example and then very very briefly run them in a blender or food processor to 'scuff' (removing bits of the outer skin.) Some youtubers take a multi-prong utensil and stab at a bowl of them to pierce the skin. Good luck!
How long can you store the freeze dried kale?
Can you make kale chips with a freeze dryer as opposed to a dehydrator
Did you blanche the brocolli first?