New to freeze-drying...so far raw eggs are my favourite...I powder them and they fry up just like fresh...couldn't get eggs for a while last year and I love eggs!
I like to freeze dry my extra spaghetti sauce that wouldn’t fit in the canner (typically 1 or 2 quarts) and add it back to my next batch of spaghetti sauce. It thickens it much better and quicker than tomato paste! It save HOURS on cooking it down! I also freeze dry my garlic, onions, and peppers that I add to my spaghetti sauce.
Freeze dried watermelon is like candy, love it. Use parchment paper on trays for sticky things. I have those stacking clips, love them. I use them to freeze my trays first to save dryer time.
I got the stacking lids and now my stacking clips are gathering dust! The stacking lids are lids that have the stacking corners built in....all in one piece....just one piece to put on your tray to cover and stack! Got the actual Harvest Right ones with the stacking "clip" corners built in. Other lids don't have the stacking corners. If you try them, I bet you'll retire your clips too!
I love getting frozen veggies (peas or green beans or corn, etc) when they are on sale and freeze drying them and storing in half gallon jars. Then when I want to make soup I can quickly grab the veggies I want and throw them in…no rehydration necessary. I also freeze dry onions and celery and rotisserie chicken so I can whip up a vegetable or chicken veggie soup. When we were down with Covid I was able to make soup for us with no effort and it was wonderful.
I much prefer re-hydrated freeze dried mushrooms over canned or frozen any day. Basically freeze drying is a superior way to preserve any produce that gets slimy when you can it or just blanch and freeze it. i also don't make tomato powder out of my tomatoes, but my tomato skins - I prefer to can diced skinned tomatoes or make sauce without the skins, the texture is just much better. Tomato skins have a lot of the beneficial lycopene that we are supposed to get from tomatoes, so freeze drying and powering the skin and then adding it back in whenever you want tomato paste I think is better. Just my two cents.
I make powders all the time. They are great and take up so little space. Powdered pumpkin turns right into pumpkin puree when hydrated. Powdered carrots become mashed carrots for souffle. I could go on and on! I'm a one ingredient freeze dryer person, too. With the one ingredients, I can make meals in jars for convenience. I have a lot of FD dairy, too. When you compare the amount of money you are saving against the FD foods you can buy, your freeze dryer will be paid off in no time. Besides, your garden produce is practically free!
My category is freeze dried meals, the only difference is when we eat a meal, we always have a little extra. Now that there is only 2 of us, down from 6. So we put whatever we have leftover in silicone molds, freeze it until it's frozen solid, then freeze dry the left overs. This way we have not lost any food due to, "I don't want to eat that again tomorrow." Then, when we have a day we don't want to cook, we pull from our left overs and reconstitute for quick meal. We do some long storage things, but right now this is the best way for us to get the most out of our freeze dryer. However, garden vegetables are coming soon. Thank you for your videos, I was glad to see someone do watermelon, that's on our today's plan.
Dehydrated watermelon tastes like cotton candy. I can’t wait to try to freeze dry watermelon in our freeze dryer. I’m sure it will taste just as good! You can powder it. Great for smoothies!
I've done both, and while I like both, I prefer dehydrated. Its crunchy versus puffy. Cantaloupes freeze dried is very good! I do not rehydrate most fruit...expect it to be how thawed frozen fruit is.
I did cheesecake and pumpkin pie both are tasty snacks, but will not put away for long term storage. I will never do lemons or oranges again I could not get the moisture out, I had to put into my dehydrator for 3 days to get to a point I could powder them. I have had great success with apples, pears, peaches, pineapple, celery, mozzarella cheese, peppers, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, banana slices, carrots dices, and mushrooms. Will be doing eggs next, I purchased my FD to do eggs because I got overzealous and got 15 chicks this last summer and there is only the 2 of us. I will be mailing FD eggs to my mother in Canada and sister in Oregon. I could be looking at 5 to 8 dozen eggs a week when they all start laying. I don't know what I was thinking. My husband is now calling me the chicken lady, I guess he should be happy it chickens not cats. lol
I am ready for winter soup making. I have freeze dried chopped bell peppers, onions, celery and small diced potatoes. I store them in mason jars in my pantry.
The best advice someone gave me about freeze drying different items is if you wouldn't eat them together don't freeze dry them together. Hope it helps.
@@clarey3631 No I think different kinds of candy together wouldn't be a problem. Different types of food together in the machine would be a problem. Lasagna and blackberries as a good example.
I have heard that high fat foods don’t do well. Afterall, it’s the water that is removed rather than the fat. I suspect that commercial cheese powders aren’t made with the same cheese that people use fresh.
I've freeze dried raw aged cheddar, in thick hand-cut slices. It comes out perfectly preserved, yet swimming in it's own oil. I just let it sit on a cloth for a few minutes then store for snacks (doesn't last long this way - too yummy!) or powdering. Works dandy. The hardest part is getting the stuff powdered before your food processor motor gets hot and re-activates the oils. I've found I have to powder in small batches to avoid turning everything into a sticky ball.
Our neighbors have shared some freeze dried foods with us, Skittles, green chilis, sliced apples, and sweet corn off the cob. Everything was really good. Have fun on your adventures! TFS
`I freeze dry apples and pears with apple pie spice, banana's and pineapple. I just vacuum seal them in quart jars. Then I will open the jars for snacks. I will also take them on trips by putting the different items in pint jars. Put them in the car, then when I fly back I have something to snack on on the 2 hour drive home in the middle of the night. Need to make sure to take water to drink, not to re-hydrate.
Thank you for doing this. We want to buy a freeze dryer because we currently buy freeze dried vegetables for our pantry and want to do it ourselves. This is so helpful, and I can’t wait to see your results on other foods!
I had no idea you guys had a freeze dryer!! I'm so excited 😊😊. I watch your vids a lot! ❤️❤️ You are correct that the texture changes, including meals. It's just another way of eating the food. For example, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, FD'd potatoes. The best thing I love it for is knowing the nutrients are there. Most things just don't come back the same way as fresh, but there is always a use for it. The broth is genius, scrambled eggs turn out great, noodles are amazing. Potatoes are good for powdering to thicken up canned foods or frying, but not so much boiled. Also items like squash, prepared pumpkin pie mix including milk, pureed tomatoes sans seeds all turn out fabulous! I encourage you to consider cutting pieces smaller and using a spray bottle for items like watermelon, zucchini, etc. Some things need warm water. Other are okay with cold water but may take over night to rehydrate and mix well to reconstitute properly, like milk (unless using in a recipe). I love you guys! I'm working on growing onions based off your video. Going to rewatch it again!
I’m new to freeze drying and I love the zucchini. I snack on it while I’m bagging it up. Just took out the last of the garden zucchini and I’m thinking about all the dishes I can use it in. So far I’ve only done fruits and veggies. No meals or grains yet. I love my FD so far, it’s added another dimension to my food preservation.
Milk is another option. When the stores discount best before date. Powdered milk is great to have when snow or iced in. This way you also known what's in it. It's recommended to pull your trays out just a bit to fill liquid instead of balancing to slide in to avoid spillover.
Refried beans and any other "convince foods" like what if you cooked mushrooms and then freeze dried them? Also your own drink mixes like flavored lemonade. Or powdered Chi or cider.
I really respect your honesty. So many RUclipsr's tell you how great everything is so I will try it and it's a flop! You have a new subscriber! Thank you...
we're freeze drying to reduce cost after retirement.That's our prep reason. We don't throw out any of leftovers anymore. I even freeze dried the rine from our watermelons to supplement our feed for our chickens. use the white/pink of your watermelon for powdering.
I would take the watermelon and purée it then pour on to a tray then freeze dry it, when done you could turn into a powder and put in smoothies. I use my freeze dryer mainly for eggs which I powder for long term or when the hens aren’t laying.
I have been looking at getting a freeze dryer, but they are so expensive. I would like to see freeze drying milk or cream and turning into powder. Also freeze drying pumpkin or apples and turning it into powder and making your own flavored creamers.
We have had our freeze dryer 4 years. My go to items are lean cooked ground beef, shredded cheese, eggs. We enjoyed turkey soup and clam chowder too...though I probably would not keep them very long term due to having butter in them. Rehydrating certain things (cheese for instance) takes a little finesse. Mine comes out exactly like fresh. My daughter tried it and hers came out goo, lol. You will find what you like best with trial. Have fun!
Thanks for you honesty you two. I'm not sold on a product that is that expensive, even if I had the money. I don't care how good it tastes. I still prefer canning for preserving, they did it yester year and today its still being done. Besides it is less expensive to order from Mother Earth all the dehydrated stuff like peppers, onions in bulk, the list goes on that I need, and it lasts a long time. Just saying...
Definitely agree with Rachel, that watermelon looked so gross rehydrated. I'm sure it was yummy just freeze-dried because dehydrated its so good. I would love to see a whole meal dried and rehydrated. Regardless, I'll follow whatever you share. God Bless ~Lisa
I love your videos. Thanks! My new favorite thing is freeze dried pineapple!! Yummy. And Big Hunks and Bit-o-Honey. I also love taking pumpkin and adding spices in it and freeze drying them in dollops. Super tasty treat. Sour cream is a must. Can't wait for the next video. I made your Chili Soup Base last month. A new favorite!
I can only just imagine Rachel’s face before eating the rehydrated watermelon. Mine was screwed up/gaggy just looking at the texture. Not sure I could have eaten it so well done. That cap is great Todd. I saw you show it it the other video but i didnt really get to see it well. Happy freeze drying:)
Thanks for sharing everything your doing.. My 2nd freeze dryer is finally arriving tomorrow first one had freezing issues.. Im excited and have things already to go. Have a blessed day..
I heard you refer to pumpkin butter at the end of your video. While I have not freeze dried pumpkin butter, I have freeze dried pumpkin with great success. I cooked sugar pie pumpkins in the oven, then removed the skin and seeds. Pureed the pumpkin and poured the puree on the freeze dryer trays. Rehydrated, it makes the best pumpkin desserts. As long as your not using any real butter in your pumpkin butter...I don't see why it wouldn't work!
I think freeze drying is great for those of us who just don't have an entire family to feed. I just can't eat a whole pot of tomato soup or an entire jar of sauce by myself. And then it goes to waste. Also, that watermelon would be good in smoothies or something
I love freeze drying meat. I freeze dried turkey and when I rehydrate to make a sandwich it is just like I carved from turkey out of the oven. I also made creamed turkey with it. Hamburgers cooked and raw can't tell the difference when rehydrated. Shredded cheese is good, peas, potatoes, cabbage. I don't have a lot of space for garden so I am working on doing a lot vegetables. I will be freeze drying all my canned green beans too. Have done some soups too for a quick meal. loving my freeze dryer, Thanks for the video, watermelon will be on bottom of my list!!
Living Tradition Homestead (here on YT) has a freeze dryer like yours. They did soups and pinco de gyo (spelling?) and rabbit meat. They did eggs also. They said, (and it makes sense), pre-freeze things in your freezer so it's faster in the freeze drier. Great video on what they did. Zucchini is not so good canned, same for broccoli, cauliflower and such. We're planning on getting one very soon. Freeze drying eggs, during the times the chickens are laying alot. I want to do broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, green beans, bell peppers, celery and on an on and on. Less canning lids needed. Just started watching you 2 a few days ago and you have a lot of really good stuff. Now to find time to watch all of the videos, LOL. Thanks for sharing. God bless.
Looking at those watermelon bits, if you crush them you could use a sieve to extract the seeds and the powder would be amazing in shakes or added to your morning oats.
Our freeze dried favorites : Veg broth powder, green bean, zucchini and carrot "chips", apple and pear slices, onions and green onions. I've done a few meat and rice dishes and the rice absorbs the fats from the meat ( like ground beef) and lets it freeze dry better. My husband did a couple gallons of ice cream lol
Pepper chunks are good. Nice snack or throw them in recipes. I'd like to try the watermelon and just pop in my mouth like the peppers. You can also use frozen fruit but can't mix fresh with frozen. I'm looking at it for eggs and stocks. Turning items that takes up freezer or shelf space after canning.
Mmmmm! I was thinking garlic powder, onion powder, a mixed spice Cajun powder… and maybe try cutting smaller, snack sized cubes of watermelon to get the seeds out first. I just wish you could measure the nutrients before and after.
Great video. Side note: eating edible seeds in seeded fruits & veggies is good for you. You should eat & pulverize any watermelon seeds you don’t intend to save for gardening.
I've really been considering a freeze dryer. For anyone that has a history with one, how quickly do you have to get the food into containers and or the mylar bags before they start reabsorbing moisture from the air? Are we talking minutes or hours after removing them from the machine?
I'd say it depends on your humidity. Deep south Homestead tries to pick days with lower humidity to run the machine and take things out as the humidity in Mississippi is so bad it can ruin batches inside an hour(I think it was that short a time their machine is out in their canning kitchen not temperature controlled like their inside kitchen) if your home is ac controlled and dryer I bet you've got a little time to package it. But I do not have inside info as I've only purchase freeze dried foods not made them-but its on my wish list. Whilst out camping/hiking freeze dried stuff once opened does get kinds gooey/soft after a few days if you are not sealing it up really well.
@@Emeraldwitch30 I know someone with a dehumidifier which can lower both humidity and temperature. Maybe this might help the packing problem, and aid the freeze drier.
@@Emeraldwitch30 I think they moved their FD into the room with the freezers and just package things up right there so they don't have to take it outside.
I find that different foods start absorbing moisture at different rates. Apples are pretty quick to get less crispy right away while banana chips take a long time. Either way I make sure I have everything ready before I take a tray out of the freeze dryer, I work with one tray at a time and close the door to the freeze dryer while there are still trays in there. I don't know if that makes a difference or not, but it is what I do. Mylar bags and/or jars are labeled, oxi absorbers are at the ready, vacuum sealer is ready. It goes pretty quickly when you have everything right there.
Hi Rachel, and Todd. What a way to freeze dry fruit and zucchinis. Thank you two for sharing this awesome video. God Bless you Rachel and Todd. Stay safe and healthy. Maria. 👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😘😘😘😘🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
I think that the way it ends up after freeze drying depends a lot on how you process the vegetables. I mean would zucchini slices have a good texture for what you want to use it for or grated zucchini. I know for myself after watching so many of these freeze dry videos that we wouldn't use it the way it could be used. There's only two of us, we aren't hardcore preppers, and I just really could not justify the cost of the machine. Many of these things could be done well enough through just a simple drying method to satisfy our needs although it is more time consuming.
I agree I cannot afford $3500 freeze drier….I’ve seen someone bought one for $500 but I can’t find that video….I am using my $100 dehydrator along with a good $80 vacuum sealer and I’m vacuum sealing my meats before freezing them to keep ice out. I need to get over my fear of canning meats, lol, they look so ugly in a jar when you do….😂 But Patara from Applachian Homestead makes it look so easy…..
Put parchment paper under sticky and it will help with the texture powder the Watermelons for other Citrus drink mix. The zucchini looks fabulous though and I like the idea of seasoning it for snack chips. I'm a big powdermaker for storage and for using in cooking
I prefer to run 4 (all) trays of the same "species" so I can sample one tray for moisture content/drying success and move on (time saving). Great video! Thank you!
My wife has the same type of freeze dryer. She LOVES it. I like because when shes uses it, it keeps the breeze way warm.... LOL... Be blessed in Jesus name...
My freeze dryer is here!! YAY ii just have to go into town and buy some bread to do the test run and then Im gonna FD the heck out of all the frozen veges and fruits in my freezer :) I am unlikely to make meals and FD because I still would have to wait for them to be rehydrated and then heated, so for me Canning works better for me in terms of convenience. However, how cool will it be to throw FD onions, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and peas into a frypan with my chicken , top off with wine and or bouillion and simmer till cooked. No mess no fuss....and OHHHHHH the vege snacks!!! If on a Keto diet, then how cool to be able to eat freeze dried peas and beans and onions straight from the jar.? :) xxx
My family loves the zucchini sliced thin and sprinkle dry ranch dressing over it,,,YUM! It’s better than potato chips, but much more healthy for you. I use my FD watermelon for ice cream, smoothies and milkshakes. The watermelon powder is also great on icings, pretty, too. My all time family favorite is FD apples-especially Ambrosia apples and Granny Smith.
For the "veggie straws" have you tried soaking them in a salt solution so that way when you freeze dry them they end up with the salt embedded in them for seasoning? Perhaps even experiment with other things that can soak into them! I bet you could also use a standard potato french fry cutter to quickly make them! As for rehydration, remember that you are freezing the items, so if the items wouldn't be great after a freeze/thaw, they also won't be great after freeze drying / rehydrating. On second thought, you may have to limit the salt concentration in a zucchini brine soak, since salt lowers the freezing temperature. May just be a sprinkle on top situation?
We have freeze dried meat and would like to see you do it as well. We have found that it rehydrates best when it is cut thinly or pulled pork or pulled chicken. We did the meat from rotisserie chicken and it turn out really great. Fajita steak did really well.
You can get hands free storage bag holders to make it easier to fill them. I have seen other youtubers using them for their gallon bags etc. I wonder if they would work with the mylar bags, especially when you are filling them solo.
I think I’d freeze dry cream of tomato soup so I could make a mug quickly as a snack. Also dried smoothie.
New to freeze-drying...so far raw eggs are my favourite...I powder them and they fry up just like fresh...couldn't get eggs for a while last year and I love eggs!
I like to freeze dry my extra spaghetti sauce that wouldn’t fit in the canner (typically 1 or 2 quarts) and add it back to my next batch of spaghetti sauce. It thickens it much better and quicker than tomato paste! It save HOURS on cooking it down!
I also freeze dry my garlic, onions, and peppers that I add to my spaghetti sauce.
Great idea
Great tips--thank you!
Freeze dried watermelon is like candy, love it. Use parchment paper on trays for sticky things. I have those stacking clips, love them. I use them to freeze my trays first to save dryer time.
I do the same with the stacking clips. Saves time to pre-freeze.
I got the stacking lids and now my stacking clips are gathering dust! The stacking lids are lids that have the stacking corners built in....all in one piece....just one piece to put on your tray to cover and stack! Got the actual Harvest Right ones with the stacking "clip" corners built in. Other lids don't have the stacking corners. If you try them, I bet you'll retire your clips too!
One of my new favorites is refried beans, sometimes you just don't need a whole can opened. Plus you can make them to your taste.
Great now I want watermelon when I get off work thanks guys 😆 🤣
I love getting frozen veggies (peas or green beans or corn, etc) when they are on sale and freeze drying them and storing in half gallon jars. Then when I want to make soup I can quickly grab the veggies I want and throw them in…no rehydration necessary. I also freeze dry onions and celery and rotisserie chicken so I can whip up a vegetable or chicken veggie soup. When we were down with Covid I was able to make soup for us with no effort and it was wonderful.
I much prefer re-hydrated freeze dried mushrooms over canned or frozen any day. Basically freeze drying is a superior way to preserve any produce that gets slimy when you can it or just blanch and freeze it. i also don't make tomato powder out of my tomatoes, but my tomato skins - I prefer to can diced skinned tomatoes or make sauce without the skins, the texture is just much better. Tomato skins have a lot of the beneficial lycopene that we are supposed to get from tomatoes, so freeze drying and powering the skin and then adding it back in whenever you want tomato paste I think is better. Just my two cents.
Do you blanch them first or put them in raw?
Kris at “City Prepping” recently did a Mirepoix. A fantastic thing to keep handy in a jar in the pantry!
I make powders all the time. They are great and take up so little space. Powdered pumpkin turns right into pumpkin puree when hydrated. Powdered carrots become mashed carrots for souffle. I could go on and on! I'm a one ingredient freeze dryer person, too. With the one ingredients, I can make meals in jars for convenience. I have a lot of FD dairy, too. When you compare the amount of money you are saving against the FD foods you can buy, your freeze dryer will be paid off in no time. Besides, your garden produce is practically free!
Do you cook the carrots before for powdered mash?
My category is freeze dried meals, the only difference is when we eat a meal, we always have a little extra. Now that there is only 2 of us, down from 6. So we put whatever we have leftover in silicone molds, freeze it until it's frozen solid, then freeze dry the left overs. This way we have not lost any food due to, "I don't want to eat that again tomorrow." Then, when we have a day we don't want to cook, we pull from our left overs and reconstitute for quick meal. We do some long storage things, but right now this is the best way for us to get the most out of our freeze dryer. However, garden vegetables are coming soon. Thank you for your videos, I was glad to see someone do watermelon, that's on our today's plan.
Dehydrated watermelon tastes like cotton candy. I can’t wait to try to freeze dry watermelon in our freeze dryer. I’m sure it will taste just as good! You can powder it. Great for smoothies!
I've done both, and while I like both, I prefer dehydrated. Its crunchy versus puffy. Cantaloupes freeze dried is very good! I do not rehydrate most fruit...expect it to be how thawed frozen fruit is.
When I saw your seeded watermelon , it peaked my curiosity . I just watched a video on freeze drying seeds and they do germinate.
I did cheesecake and pumpkin pie both are tasty snacks, but will not put away for long term storage. I will never do lemons or oranges again I could not get the moisture out, I had to put into my dehydrator for 3 days to get to a point I could powder them. I have had great success with apples, pears, peaches, pineapple, celery, mozzarella cheese, peppers, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, banana slices, carrots dices, and mushrooms. Will be doing eggs next, I purchased my FD to do eggs because I got overzealous and got 15 chicks this last summer and there is only the 2 of us. I will be mailing FD eggs to my mother in Canada and sister in Oregon. I could be looking at 5 to 8 dozen eggs a week when they all start laying. I don't know what I was thinking. My husband is now calling me the chicken lady, I guess he should be happy it chickens not cats. lol
I am ready for winter soup making. I have freeze dried chopped bell peppers, onions, celery and small diced potatoes. I store them in mason jars in my pantry.
The best advice someone gave me about freeze drying different items is if you wouldn't eat them together don't freeze dry them together. Hope it helps.
do you think that works with candy as well? or do you mean different food vettori ed
@@clarey3631 No I think different kinds of candy together wouldn't be a problem. Different types of food together in the machine would be a problem. Lasagna and blackberries as a good example.
Do you mean on the same tray or in the same load? (My FD arrives next week so I'm learning!)
I pressure cook chicken and freeze dryed the chicken and the stock both were amazing
The broth works out very well and it actually condenses down to a point that you’re not taking up space that you could be using for something else
I want to see how cheddar cheese dehydrates... cheese powder is useful for all kinds of things, but I like it on popcorn and on a baked potato.
I have a tray of grated cheese in the freezer ready to go in the freeze dryer. I hear it works out well, will see.
So do I!!
I have heard that high fat foods don’t do well. Afterall, it’s the water that is removed rather than the fat. I suspect that commercial cheese powders aren’t made with the same cheese that people use fresh.
I've freeze dried raw aged cheddar, in thick hand-cut slices. It comes out perfectly preserved, yet swimming in it's own oil. I just let it sit on a cloth for a few minutes then store for snacks (doesn't last long this way - too yummy!) or powdering. Works dandy. The hardest part is getting the stuff powdered before your food processor motor gets hot and re-activates the oils. I've found I have to powder in small batches to avoid turning everything into a sticky ball.
Eggs are awesome! Just be sure to give it AT LEAST 5 minutes to rehydrate . I have about 75 dozen in mylar bags.
Wow!
Our neighbors have shared some freeze dried foods with us, Skittles, green chilis, sliced apples, and sweet corn off the cob. Everything was really good. Have fun on your adventures! TFS
`I freeze dry apples and pears with apple pie spice, banana's and pineapple. I just vacuum seal them in quart jars. Then I will open the jars for snacks. I will also take them on trips by putting the different items in pint jars. Put them in the car, then when I fly back I have something to snack on on the 2 hour drive home in the middle of the night. Need to make sure to take water to drink, not to re-hydrate.
I love Rachels honesty. So funny, "wet toilet paper." So cute.
She’s real
Thank you for doing this. We want to buy a freeze dryer because we currently buy freeze dried vegetables for our pantry and want to do it ourselves. This is so helpful, and I can’t wait to see your results on other foods!
Love how you are actually are giving us a food review, most people just show it freeze dryed but no after thoughts on the foods. Thank you
Cold water to rehydrate fruit and vegetables.
I had no idea you guys had a freeze dryer!! I'm so excited 😊😊. I watch your vids a lot! ❤️❤️
You are correct that the texture changes, including meals. It's just another way of eating the food. For example, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, FD'd potatoes. The best thing I love it for is knowing the nutrients are there. Most things just don't come back the same way as fresh, but there is always a use for it. The broth is genius, scrambled eggs turn out great, noodles are amazing. Potatoes are good for powdering to thicken up canned foods or frying, but not so much boiled. Also items like squash, prepared pumpkin pie mix including milk, pureed tomatoes sans seeds all turn out fabulous! I encourage you to consider cutting pieces smaller and using a spray bottle for items like watermelon, zucchini, etc. Some things need warm water. Other are okay with cold water but may take over night to rehydrate and mix well to reconstitute properly, like milk (unless using in a recipe).
I love you guys! I'm working on growing onions based off your video. Going to rewatch it again!
I’m new to freeze drying and I love the zucchini. I snack on it while I’m bagging it up. Just took out the last of the garden zucchini and I’m thinking about all the dishes I can use it in. So far I’ve only done fruits and veggies. No meals or grains yet. I love my FD so far, it’s added another dimension to my food preservation.
Milk is another option.
When the stores discount best before date. Powdered milk is great to have when snow or iced in.
This way you also known what's in it.
It's recommended to pull your trays out just a bit to fill liquid instead of balancing to slide in to avoid spillover.
I ordered one last week. I can't wait to use it! Looking forward to doing eggs, shredded cheese and cooked ground beef
Refried beans and any other "convince foods" like what if you cooked mushrooms and then freeze dried them? Also your own drink mixes like flavored lemonade. Or powdered Chi or cider.
I freeze dry raw mushrooms, but you could cook them first. Just don't use much fat to cook them.
Thank you for being honest, I love that about you both🙏🏼❤
I really appreciate your honesty in reviewing the finished product and uses. I just purchased a freeze dryer, so this input is incredibly helpful!
Glad it was helpful! They really are great, you just gotta put in the right foods to get something good out.
I really respect your honesty. So many RUclipsr's tell you how great everything is so I will try it and it's a flop! You have a new subscriber! Thank you...
Dehydrated meals would be interesting. Bone broth. I don’t have a freeze dry yet, but I am very interested in learning more from you.
we're freeze drying to reduce cost after retirement.That's our prep reason. We don't throw out any of leftovers anymore. I even freeze dried the rine from our watermelons to supplement our feed for our chickens. use the white/pink of your watermelon for powdering.
My first free dry ingredient was eggs because i live in the city and I have them to cook with as needed. And love them not to keep for 20 years .
Cool! Thanks for the honesty, it’s one of the most important things to me.
She got me cracking up..I like her
I pre-freeze things also I have a small freeze dryer so freezing them first definitely saves a lot of free time and saves a lot of energy also
Thank you, I am waiting for delivery of my freeze dryer. I found this video very helpful.
We moved before I could try to freeze dry salsa. Right now I can around 125 pints a year. I have seen it done and think it would be so nice.
I would take the watermelon and purée it then pour on to a tray then freeze dry it, when done you could turn into a powder and put in smoothies. I use my freeze dryer mainly for eggs which I powder for long term or when the hens aren’t laying.
I love doing eggs!!❤
I have been looking at getting a freeze dryer, but they are so expensive. I would like to see freeze drying milk or cream and turning into powder. Also freeze drying pumpkin or apples and turning it into powder and making your own flavored creamers.
Retired at 40 has a video on that
We have had our freeze dryer 4 years. My go to items are lean cooked ground beef, shredded cheese, eggs. We enjoyed turkey soup and clam chowder too...though I probably would not keep them very long term due to having butter in them. Rehydrating certain things (cheese for instance) takes a little finesse. Mine comes out exactly like fresh. My daughter tried it and hers came out goo, lol. You will find what you like best with trial. Have fun!
The broth turns out excellent. Love watching you guys.
Thanks for you honesty you two. I'm not sold on a product that is that expensive, even if I had the money. I don't care how good it tastes. I still prefer canning for preserving, they did it yester year and today its still being done. Besides it is less expensive to order from Mother Earth all the dehydrated stuff like peppers, onions in bulk, the list goes on that I need, and it lasts a long time. Just saying...
I believe if they're dehydrated they lose a lot of nutrients, did you mean to say the ones you bought are freeze dried?
Definitely agree with Rachel, that watermelon looked so gross rehydrated. I'm sure it was yummy just freeze-dried because dehydrated its so good. I would love to see a whole meal dried and rehydrated. Regardless, I'll follow whatever you share. God Bless ~Lisa
I love your videos. Thanks! My new favorite thing is freeze dried pineapple!! Yummy. And Big Hunks and Bit-o-Honey. I also love taking pumpkin and adding spices in it and freeze drying them in dollops. Super tasty treat. Sour cream is a must. Can't wait for the next video. I made your Chili Soup Base last month. A new favorite!
I greatly appreciate this video just ordered my freeze dryer Very glad to hear your comments
I’ve wanted to try veggies that have been freeze dried. Especially the watermelon. Thanks for taking us along! ❣️🙏🏼♥️🙏🏼❣️
I can only just imagine Rachel’s face before eating the rehydrated watermelon. Mine was screwed up/gaggy just looking at the texture. Not sure I could have eaten it so well done.
That cap is great Todd. I saw you show it it the other video but i didnt really get to see it well.
Happy freeze drying:)
I just freeze dried cooked garbanzo beans. They're crunchy, like peanuts. They're really good.
Can't wait for the eggs and broth!! Thank you for all of the work you put into sharing your lives with us. Thanks for being honest!
Thanks for sharing everything your doing.. My 2nd freeze dryer is finally arriving tomorrow first one had freezing issues.. Im excited and have things already to go. Have a blessed day..
Roasted squash with onions and peppers is yummy. We love red raspberries and mulberries are outstanding!!!
Broth and eggs are the best ingredients I've freeze dried so far. So handy and space saving!
I heard you refer to pumpkin butter at the end of your video. While I have not freeze dried pumpkin butter, I have freeze dried pumpkin with great success. I cooked sugar pie pumpkins in the oven, then removed the skin and seeds. Pureed the pumpkin and poured the puree on the freeze dryer trays. Rehydrated, it makes the best pumpkin desserts. As long as your not using any real butter in your pumpkin butter...I don't see why it wouldn't work!
I think freeze drying is great for those of us who just don't have an entire family to feed. I just can't eat a whole pot of tomato soup or an entire jar of sauce by myself. And then it goes to waste.
Also, that watermelon would be good in smoothies or something
why tf do you make so much then? you dont make sense
I think subbing fruit powder in baked goods for some of the flour could make incredible desserts. Or veggies into breads
I love eggs dehydrated! 2 tbsp powder plus 2 tbsp of water is one egg. Can be cooked or baked with! I have 10 dozen in mylar bags
Using the freeze tier for storing up your cabin
Once we learn things well, we will!
I appreciate the freeze dried testing. I'm on the fence still. I think making a batch of spaghetti then rehydrate it to see if the pasta turns out.
I love freeze drying meat. I freeze dried turkey and when I rehydrate to make a sandwich it is just like I carved from turkey out of the oven. I also made creamed turkey with it. Hamburgers cooked and raw can't tell the difference when rehydrated. Shredded cheese is good, peas, potatoes, cabbage. I don't have a lot of space for garden so I am working on doing a lot vegetables. I will be freeze drying all my canned green beans too. Have done some soups too for a quick meal. loving my freeze dryer, Thanks for the video, watermelon will be on bottom of my list!!
Living Tradition Homestead (here on YT) has a freeze dryer like yours. They did soups and pinco de gyo (spelling?) and rabbit meat. They did eggs also. They said, (and it makes sense), pre-freeze things in your freezer so it's faster in the freeze drier. Great video on what they did. Zucchini is not so good canned, same for broccoli, cauliflower and such. We're planning on getting one very soon. Freeze drying eggs, during the times the chickens are laying alot. I want to do broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, green beans, bell peppers, celery and on an on and on. Less canning lids needed. Just started watching you 2 a few days ago and you have a lot of really good stuff. Now to find time to watch all of the videos, LOL. Thanks for sharing. God bless.
Looking at those watermelon bits, if you crush them you could use a sieve to extract the seeds and the powder would be amazing in shakes or added to your morning oats.
I'm freeze drying my home made mushroom tincture. To make it into a powder. Excited to see how much remains after it's done.
Our freeze dried favorites : Veg broth powder, green bean, zucchini and carrot "chips", apple and pear slices, onions and green onions. I've done a few meat and rice dishes and the rice absorbs the fats from the meat ( like ground beef) and lets it freeze dry better. My husband did a couple gallons of ice cream lol
Best video so far, thank you for rehydration process!! I learned more here then the last 20 videos I watched!
Powdered zucchini goes well in soups, smoothies, etc. Also a thickener. A little goes a loooong way. Also grinds up to replace flour cup to cup.
Pepper chunks are good. Nice snack or throw them in recipes.
I'd like to try the watermelon and just pop in my mouth like the peppers.
You can also use frozen fruit but can't mix fresh with frozen.
I'm looking at it for eggs and stocks. Turning items that takes up freezer or shelf space after canning.
Mmmmm! I was thinking garlic powder, onion powder, a mixed spice Cajun powder… and maybe try cutting smaller, snack sized cubes of watermelon to get the seeds out first. I just wish you could measure the nutrients before and after.
Great video. Side note: eating edible seeds in seeded fruits & veggies is good for you. You should eat & pulverize any watermelon seeds you don’t intend to save for gardening.
Rachel looks none too pleased in this episode 😁
Seems a little upset today
I've really been considering a freeze dryer. For anyone that has a history with one, how quickly do you have to get the food into containers and or the mylar bags before they start reabsorbing moisture from the air? Are we talking minutes or hours after removing them from the machine?
I'd say it depends on your humidity. Deep south Homestead tries to pick days with lower humidity to run the machine and take things out as the humidity in Mississippi is so bad it can ruin batches inside an hour(I think it was that short a time their machine is out in their canning kitchen not temperature controlled like their inside kitchen) if your home is ac controlled and dryer I bet you've got a little time to package it.
But I do not have inside info as I've only purchase freeze dried foods not made them-but its on my wish list. Whilst out camping/hiking freeze dried stuff once opened does get kinds gooey/soft after a few days if you are not sealing it up really well.
@@Emeraldwitch30
I know someone with a dehumidifier which can lower both humidity and temperature. Maybe this might help the packing problem, and aid the freeze drier.
@@Emeraldwitch30 I think they moved their FD into the room with the freezers and just package things up right there so they don't have to take it outside.
I find that different foods start absorbing moisture at different rates. Apples are pretty quick to get less crispy right away while banana chips take a long time. Either way I make sure I have everything ready before I take a tray out of the freeze dryer, I work with one tray at a time and close the door to the freeze dryer while there are still trays in there. I don't know if that makes a difference or not, but it is what I do. Mylar bags and/or jars are labeled, oxi absorbers are at the ready, vacuum sealer is ready. It goes pretty quickly when you have everything right there.
Hi Rachel, and Todd. What a way to freeze dry fruit and zucchinis. Thank you two for sharing this awesome video. God Bless you Rachel and Todd. Stay safe and healthy. Maria. 👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😘😘😘😘🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
I think that the way it ends up after freeze drying depends a lot on how you process the vegetables. I mean would zucchini slices have a good texture for what you want to use it for or grated zucchini. I know for myself after watching so many of these freeze dry videos that we wouldn't use it the way it could be used. There's only two of us, we aren't hardcore preppers, and I just really could not justify the cost of the machine. Many of these things could be done well enough through just a simple drying method to satisfy our needs although it is more time consuming.
I agree I cannot afford $3500 freeze drier….I’ve seen someone bought one for $500 but I can’t find that video….I am using my $100 dehydrator along with a good $80 vacuum sealer and I’m vacuum sealing my meats before freezing them to keep ice out.
I need to get over my fear of canning meats, lol, they look so ugly in a jar when you do….😂 But Patara from Applachian Homestead makes it look so easy…..
Put parchment paper under sticky and it will help with the texture powder the Watermelons for other Citrus drink mix. The zucchini looks fabulous though and I like the idea of seasoning it for snack chips. I'm a big powdermaker for storage and for using in cooking
I prefer to run 4 (all) trays of the same "species" so I can sample one tray for moisture content/drying success and move on (time saving).
Great video! Thank you!
My wife has the same type of freeze dryer. She LOVES it. I like because when shes uses it, it keeps the breeze way warm.... LOL... Be blessed in Jesus name...
My freeze dryer is here!! YAY ii just have to go into town and buy some bread to do the test run and then Im gonna FD the heck out of all the frozen veges and fruits in my freezer :) I am unlikely to make meals and FD because I still would have to wait for them to be rehydrated and then heated, so for me Canning works better for me in terms of convenience. However, how cool will it be to throw FD onions, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and peas into a frypan with my chicken , top off with wine and or bouillion and simmer till cooked. No mess no fuss....and OHHHHHH the vege snacks!!! If on a Keto diet, then how cool to be able to eat freeze dried peas and beans and onions straight from the jar.? :) xxx
How exciting for you! YaY - we'll get to travel along on this journey together ♥
Have you tried rehydrating watermelon then freezing it (or close to frozen)? Curious how it would taste and if it recreates a bit of the crispness.
What if you pureed the watermelon and strained the seeds out then pour in the trays?
I just saw someone freeze dry bone broth. It turn out great. When it was finished, she blended it into a powder and stored it in a jar.
Great video,I’m glad your honest ,watermelon would be so good for smoothie,or icing
Given a chance, I would cold press them into juices, and then freeze dry. I will definitely do this when I get my freeze dryer
I like doing watermelon but I take out all the seeds since those don’t freeze dry well. It would probably be ok for short term use.
How did you slice up the rinds like that?
I read where watermelon does better as a purée in freeze dryer. I don’t have one yet but love these videos.
Oh yes - would like to see if you can freeze dry pumpkin butter. That sounds yummy if it works out! Hope you'll try it and take us along for the ride.
Can you FD herbs and lettuce greens?
I think meat,butter,eggs,and milk in case of powder outages and I have a freeze dryer on the way can’t wait ☺️
I like to dehydrate watermelon, it shrinks, the flavor is awesome
My family loves the zucchini sliced thin and sprinkle dry ranch dressing over it,,,YUM! It’s better than potato chips, but much more healthy for you. I use my FD watermelon for ice cream, smoothies and milkshakes. The watermelon powder is also great on icings, pretty, too. My all time family favorite is FD apples-especially Ambrosia apples and Granny Smith.
For the "veggie straws" have you tried soaking them in a salt solution so that way when you freeze dry them they end up with the salt embedded in them for seasoning? Perhaps even experiment with other things that can soak into them! I bet you could also use a standard potato french fry cutter to quickly make them!
As for rehydration, remember that you are freezing the items, so if the items wouldn't be great after a freeze/thaw, they also won't be great after freeze drying / rehydrating.
On second thought, you may have to limit the salt concentration in a zucchini brine soak, since salt lowers the freezing temperature. May just be a sprinkle on top situation?
Maybe tossing the veggies in ranch dressing powder before freeze drying?
We have freeze dried meat and would like to see you do it as well. We have found that it rehydrates best when it is cut thinly or pulled pork or pulled chicken. We did the meat from rotisserie chicken and it turn out really great. Fajita steak did really well.
Oh, that watermelon looks so good!! 🍉😋
I don’t have a freeze dryer, but that zucchini looked awesome. You can add it into so many recipes.
You can get hands free storage bag holders to make it easier to fill them. I have seen other youtubers using them for their gallon bags etc. I wonder if they would work with the mylar bags, especially when you are filling them solo.