Just hit the payment button!!!
I am super excited!! Just purchased a freeze dryer!!! What a hard decision to make considering the price of them. I have been saving my egg money and the bit of payment a neighbour gave me once in awhile for looking after her place and horses when she goes on vacation. (Pre Covid)
Counted it up and was amazed to see it added up to almost cover the cost!
I feel confident about using it but the thing that has me a bit worried is how to rehydrate the dried food into recipes. Any hints and suggestions would be very much appreciated!
Now to wait for delivery!
Comments
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That's awesome! Now you can make astronaut food lol!
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@soeasytocraft Congratulations! A friend of mine just got one. The dehydrated fruit is so good! Eat as is for a snack. Powdered berries to add to smoothies or other desserts. The powdered tomatoes are excellent for rehydrating to make a fresh tomato sauce. She hasn't tried any meals yet. Meat was the next thing on her list to try.
I found this website that has some very good suggestions and recipes. https://www.thepurposefulpantry.com/
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Congrats! I’ve looked into them but personally am not ready to invest at this point.
I bet that it will be quite an adventure!
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I have been looking at these for awhile. But it will take me a long time to save up for one. Won't stop me from trying though.
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My sister bought one last year. She likes it a lot better than just regular dehydrating. Vegetables and fruit turn out really good. She is experimenting with different types of meat.
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When struggling with making the investment I thought of the future when I won't be able to work as hard growing our own food.Since food preserved this way can retain its nutrition for over 20 years and the fact that freeze dried foods take up less space and are lightweight I decided this certainly will give food security for the future.
I'm sure it will pay for itself fairly quickly and make the workload somewhat lighter. Must say I'm very excited and looking forward to emptying at least one deep freezer.
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Hi @soeasytocraft freeze dried herbs are wonderful too! A friend has one, we share parts of the harvest. Wow the freeze dried goods are so bright and make the best teas. Basil and chives are also great. Congrats!
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@Hassena thanks. Good to know that herbs fair well with freeze drying. I”m sure they will last much longer too. This knowledge makes me all the more excited!
I’ll plan my next years herb garden accordingly. I have some under grow lights that just came up. Hmmmm maybe I can start sooner!!
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Good for you! Please post updates on how all your freeze drying is turning out. I've been considering one myself.
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Yes, please post pictures and write down everything you learn about your new toy. I've wanted one for a long time, but haven't pulled the trigger. Please share your experiences with those of us who are drooling while reading.
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That is so exciting! I too would be interested in how you use it and how well you like it. It made me realize maybe I could assign a new purpose to my milk money I've been saving. It was supposed to be for a trip but per recent events as well as being a dairy farmer who normally doesn't get to travel, might be more fun to get a freeze dryer.
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A quick search for cookbooks or recipes for freeze dried foods really did not turn up much that was useful, I can see why the question was asked!
@soeasytocraft let us know how you like your purchase and take us every step of the way through your journey of freeze drying. Let us know the successes, the surprises - both good and bad!
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I am sure there is a pretty big learning curve ahead of me and I'm looking forward to it. nice to have a challenge during this time of staying home so much. I will do my beat to share my progress. Next week if all goes as planned!
@marcy_northlightsfarm I'm looking forward to freeze drying milk to have my own powdered milk on hand. Hopefully it will beat having to put it in the freezer to have a reserve in case I don't get to town to purchase. Do you have a continuous supply of milk? My egg money helped me reach the financial goal. 😃
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@soeasytocraft I'm jealous and will definitely follow your adventures and learnings. I think it will help a lot of us to decide whether such an investment is right for us. Thanks for taking the lead!
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@soeasytocraft Oh my, after reading your posts and the responses, I looked up freeze dryers and now have an "I want" list! I have only had freeze dried elderberries and did not realize (or consider) all of the things that could be done. Thanks for posting this and congrats on getting one. Can't wait to hear about your experiences as I save!!
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Still waiting for my new purchase to be shipped! I've started to prepare so it can go right to work.
My tomatoes are badly in need of being used so I made a gallon and half tomato soup. Hoping it won't be long or it will have to be frozen as I wait. Have a 2 quarts squash soup ready to go too. Several bags of cut up frozen tomatoes ready to freeze dry once the soups are take care of.
Waiting is hard! Just please don't arrive on Wednesday! I have to be the one to receive the shipment when it arrivse at my home. Hubby has a long waited for medical procedure so absolutely have to be gone that day. Holding my breath!
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@soeasytocraft , YAY! So exciting! We love freezer dried foods. My kids love to just eat them as is. They LOVE freeze dried corn! Gummy bears, skittles and marshmallows are fun too. We love pretty much all the vegetables freeze dried, meats, dairy..... almost everything! We don't have one, but had a friend and a sister that would freeze dry everything. Congratulations!
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@soeasytocraft the couple down the road have one and i have chickens so i trade fresh eggs for them to freezedry things for me
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@Brindy and @nksunshine27 thanks for the encouragement and ideas. As I’m waiting for it to come I’ve started to get afraid I’ve made a mistake in buying it. I like the bartering idea. 🤔 Maybe next year I can find someone to wash my windows in return. That’s one job help would be appreciated with.
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@soeasytocraft No mistake! You are just second guessing yourself as you wait. You will love it when you get started. You could barter with people to dry their foods for them for a portion of the end product. Might give you more variety for your personal storage.
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Curious, what are the advantages of freeze dried over dehydrated?
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Wow! Awesome investment. What all are you planning to freeze dry? Does everything retain its nutrients? I'm intrigued!
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@annbeck62 Good question, I was wondering the same thing. Honestly, this is the first I've heard of such a thing.
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@annbeck62 and @JennyT a freeze dryer is an amazing appliance to preserve food that will keep its nutrients for over 20 years. Regular dryer foods loose their food value in a year or two. Once freeze dried and stored in sealed Mylar bags it is light weight, portable and takes up far less space then canned goods. (Canning jars can be sealed with a vacuum sealer instead of using bags.) No need to rely on a deep freeze that could have a risk of power outages.
Once rehydrated these foods taste pretty much the same as they did prior to being freeze dried.
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@torey thanks for the encouragement! I like your idea of bartering to get variety of goods.
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@happy-trails my list of things to dry is very long! Besides fresh produce I’d like to do cooked meals. Powdered milk and bone broth too! Also eggs. Maybe meats. Not sure I’d do it but frozen desserts like ice cream can also be freeze dried! It’s amazing what can be done!
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Just got notification it’s shipped!! That got me very excited!!! Not sure how long it will travel and having a weekend in there might slow it down.
Once it’s in place it needs to sit for about 48 hours for all it’s insides to settle down. Maybe it'll have travel sickness. 😂 Needless to say this waiting. Impatiently I might add.
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Brilliant, @soeasytocraft! This reminds me of a story in the Tightwad Gazette about people who invest their money wisely vs those who just use it up on disposable stuff. Great use of your egg money! :)
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@soeasytocraft I saw a unit in a Menard's store and started drooling awhile back; SO excited for you!!
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Yay! Keep us posted. Have you finalized what you're going to do first?
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