I love SchoolReports and Phil at 4800ft on YT for freeze drying and I learned about the weight method from SchoolReports. When machine says done, take trays out and record each tray weight then put back in (rotate tray positions) for 2 hrs and then weigh again. If any tray lost more than 1 gram of weight, put back in for another 2 hrs. Repeat till zero weight is lost then you know that food is completely dry.
Always a wonderful day when I see another one of your videos :-) I also watch Brian from Retired at 40 and had purchased one of those moisture meters for testing my freeze dried food. I never even opened the package and just went by feel. In his later videos he actually doesn't recommend that type of instrument for detecting moisture. He will sometimes use a thermal camera, I believe. It sees blue for cold spots and orange for warm spots. Lots of freeze driers will use that type of method. Also, for packaging foods, somebody on another page suggested a large bucket with a spout from the dollar store. Dump all the trays in and then pour from the spout into your jars or bags. I didn't have one of those but I had a super flexible plastic bucket (also from the dollar store) and it works so amazing! My whole tray fits down into the bucket, I dump everything off, then I squeeze the bucket to make a narrow spout for pouring. Works great! Happy trailgrazing!
We used a moisture meter in the packaging world. The meter uses the moisture to "complete" the "electrical circuit" thus depending on the strength of the "current" will tell the moisture content.
I use the weigh method to know when my food is completely dry. When the freeze dryer goes into extra dry time, I cancel it and leave the screen that says defrost, no defrost or more dry time. I weigh my trays, write the weight down, then put them back in for two hours. I take them back out and weigh them, and continue that process until they lose no more weight. I think that is the only way that you’re going to know if something is completely dry… In my unscientific mind!
I put my medium trays into a large cereal keeper (it only fits about halfway in) and pour or peel my freeze dried food right into the container. It then easily pours into jars or Mylar bags. The cereal keeper needs to be wide enough to fit the tray width. I find the pliable Rubbermaid knockoffs are best. I got a three-pack at Winco.
I enjoyed the video! FYI pick up a plastic bucket from the dollar tree, dump product from trays into bucket, the bucket is pliable and will form into a funnel shape for filling jars. I hope you can get out on the trail soon.
I am so happy to see you encourage us with making healthy snacks. I too have freeze dried apples from our tree from last years harvest and they are wonderful to snack on. With the rain we have had in California, I hope to have a gorilla stock of our fruit from our trees. Another thing I snack on is freeze dried colorful bell peppers. Yummiest ever.
Love the bell pepper idea! I will be trying that one. Our trees are loaded with apples this year so I hope they make it all the way! I want more FD apples!
So they used to say that dehydrating and freeze drying pretty much took out all of the vitamin C in the fruit. I now have heard that vacuum sealing does not remove all of the vitamin C. Do you know with the level of vitamin C that remains in the fruit is?
Any time food gets over 80°F in processing the vitamin C is compromised. That is why so many commercial processors add it back in. I do not know how much remains.
You could powder the bananas/strawberries and add to you breakfast parfaits or pot in muffins or on on ice cream. You could also mix with water and make popsicles.
The ones you don't care for would be great in your parfaits. You said you are on baby food I have seen you and others powdering food and when you rehydrate it is just like baby food. I can't stand the wait for my dryer.
Love! They look delicious! I will be home in two weeks and plan on a trip to Costco. We only have one in Texas that is even close enough to drive to, so will pick these up and take home in the camping coolers.
Have you made fruit powders? I have been thinking about using fruit powder to make my own sports drinks or smoothies for my long term pantry. The drink powder could be poured into a bottle of water. Perfect for camping. A smoothie would require a blender and ice, maybe not trail friendly but doable on a house boat. By adding “green superfood powder” you could have a nutrient rich beverage. The mix you did today would be delicious in a drink. Also orange or pineapple powders.
I guess we are ordering a new pump. Had a door malfunction - the screw came somewhat loose - tightened it but still after vacuum freezing it wouldn't go to dry. We tried cleaning everything, doing the oil twice - one with fresh, one previous with the filtered oil. Still no vacuum could be achieved. Trying a different model from the Harvest Right - it gets here on Friday - I was just starting potatoes - I believe we have been through 2 pumps in 6 years . . . this will be our third.
Get some Pataday eye drops...WalMart has the best price I've found. My eye doctor told me to use them and they work better than anything I've tried. Love your videos!
I found a 4lb bag at Wal Mart of sliced strawberries, pineapple, mango and peaches and I tired the freeze dried fruit and on my stars...so good. 2 bags filled by medium freeze dryer. I will be doing this again. Total time was right at 39 hours.
School reports is a very informative youtube channel and I really like "john in bibs" he does all sorts of things and even has recipes in the harvest right cookbook. 😊
Pam suggestion: take old bread, croissants, donuts, breakfast rolls tear them into pieces In a 9 x 9 greased pan. Take a cup of your freeze-dried fruit and place it in a couple cups of boiling water. Let it go for about five minutes. Pour that over The bread mixture and stir it in. Bake in oven at 350° F until it’s done. Usually about 45 minutes. It makes the best bread pudding with fruit you’ve ever had. The nice thing about it is you can add sugar or sweeteners or honey to taste or your diet. We do this when we’re camping all the time.
@@trailgrazers3690 Jim, check my edited version. My autocorrect has gone crazy today. My husband said you can add raisins or dried cranberries too. It’s yummy with yogurt or milk/ half and half.
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I love SchoolReports and Phil at 4800ft on YT for freeze drying and I learned about the weight method from SchoolReports. When machine says done, take trays out and record each tray weight then put back in (rotate tray positions) for 2 hrs and then weigh again. If any tray lost more than 1 gram of weight, put back in for another 2 hrs. Repeat till zero weight is lost then you know that food is completely dry.
If that way works for you, that is great! Thanks.
We use weight measurement. Moisture meters are not accurate enough for long term.
Always a wonderful day when I see another one of your videos :-) I also watch Brian from Retired at 40 and had purchased one of those moisture meters for testing my freeze dried food. I never even opened the package and just went by feel. In his later videos he actually doesn't recommend that type of instrument for detecting moisture. He will sometimes use a thermal camera, I believe. It sees blue for cold spots and orange for warm spots. Lots of freeze driers will use that type of method.
Also, for packaging foods, somebody on another page suggested a large bucket with a spout from the dollar store. Dump all the trays in and then pour from the spout into your jars or bags. I didn't have one of those but I had a super flexible plastic bucket (also from the dollar store) and it works so amazing! My whole tray fits down into the bucket, I dump everything off, then I squeeze the bucket to make a narrow spout for pouring. Works great! Happy trailgrazing!
Good ideas! Thanks. I bought one of those meters he recommended as well. But I think I will also get a thermal camera!
We used a moisture meter in the packaging world. The meter uses the moisture to "complete" the "electrical circuit" thus depending on the strength of the "current" will tell the moisture content.
The one we use is certainly not industrial, but it works!
I use the weigh method to know when my food is completely dry. When the freeze dryer goes into extra dry time, I cancel it and leave the screen that says defrost, no defrost or more dry time. I weigh my trays, write the weight down, then put them back in for two hours. I take them back out and weigh them, and continue that process until they lose no more weight. I think that is the only way that you’re going to know if something is completely dry… In my unscientific mind!
Thanks for the info!
That is the method that SchoolReports uses. (among others)
@@pattf1002 yup, that’s where I learned it, a long time ago
I put my medium trays into a large cereal keeper (it only fits about halfway in) and pour or peel my freeze dried food right into the container. It then easily pours into jars or Mylar bags. The cereal keeper needs to be wide enough to fit the tray width. I find the pliable Rubbermaid knockoffs are best. I got a three-pack at Winco.
Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
I watched a you tube that a guy had a green scoop with a funnel in the other end. A great little gadget to use. Maybe from Harvest Right???
Hmmmm...I will see if I can track that down. Sounds pretty cool!
I enjoyed the video! FYI pick up a plastic bucket from the dollar tree, dump product from trays into bucket, the bucket is pliable and will form into a funnel shape for filling jars. I hope you can get out on the trail soon.
Thanks for the tip!
Those fruit jars are so pretty, too 🤗
Thank you! I love to see our processed foods in jars like that.
I am so happy to see you encourage us with making healthy snacks. I too have freeze dried apples from our tree from last years harvest and they are wonderful to snack on. With the rain we have had in California, I hope to have a
gorilla stock of our fruit from our trees. Another thing I snack on is freeze dried colorful bell peppers. Yummiest ever.
Love the bell pepper idea! I will be trying that one. Our trees are loaded with apples this year so I hope they make it all the way! I want more FD apples!
So they used to say that dehydrating and freeze drying pretty much took out all of the vitamin C in the fruit. I now have heard that vacuum sealing does not remove all of the vitamin C. Do you know with the level of vitamin C that remains in the fruit is?
Any time food gets over 80°F in processing the vitamin C is compromised. That is why so many commercial processors add it back in. I do not know how much remains.
good one!
Thank you!
Why have you stopped using that pillow and your freeze dryer that you used to always put in there?
I read that some people no longer use it because they say it really doesn't do much. I quite enjoy watching the food through the glass!
Harvest Right discontinued it. I asked them when I bought them
I’ve seen people powder their freeze dried fruit and make fruit juice drink mixes.
That would be one way to do it!
👍👍👍👍👍
I see a Costco membership in my future, lol.
LOL! We love Costco!
Costco, Sam’s Club… even Winco if you have one.
Nettle is supposed to help with allergies 🤷🏼♀️
I have heard that.
You could powder the bananas/strawberries and add to you breakfast parfaits or pot in muffins or on on ice cream. You could also mix with water and make popsicles.
Thanks for the tips!
How do you powder them? Just blend after you freeze dried them?
@@bobsmith8124 that’s how I do mine. They turn out well
The ones you don't care for would be great in your parfaits. You said you are on baby food I have seen you and others powdering food and when you rehydrate it is just like baby food. I can't stand the wait for my dryer.
Yes, that was a couple of weeks ago. But a good idea!
What should I buy for a freeze dryer I’m new to this!
I would make a double crust pie from those leftover jars of fruit. They might taste pretty good that way.
I bet they would!
Love! They look delicious! I will be home in two weeks and plan on a trip to Costco. We only have one in Texas that is even close enough to drive to, so will pick these up and take home in the camping coolers.
Hope you enjoy them like we are! Thanks for your comment.
can you dehydrate these I don't own a freeze dryer!
Have you made fruit powders? I have been thinking about using fruit powder to make my own sports drinks or smoothies for my long term pantry. The drink powder could be poured into a bottle of water. Perfect for camping. A smoothie would require a blender and ice, maybe not trail friendly but doable on a house boat. By adding “green superfood powder” you could have a nutrient rich beverage. The mix you did today would be delicious in a drink. Also orange or pineapple powders.
No, only veggie powders. Thanks for your ideas.
I guess we are ordering a new pump. Had a door malfunction - the screw came somewhat loose - tightened it but still after vacuum freezing it wouldn't go to dry. We tried cleaning everything, doing the oil twice - one with fresh, one previous with the filtered oil. Still no vacuum could be achieved. Trying a different model from the Harvest Right - it gets here on Friday - I was just starting potatoes - I believe we have been through 2 pumps in 6 years . . . this will be our third.
We are on our second in 2.5 years. No fun.
Try the bag hack with red wide mouth funnel for canning
Will do--with smaller size food chunks!
No need for an oxygen absorber in this fruit? I know sometimes you do both absorber and seal.
I only do both with our freeze dried eggs. I mostly vacuum seal when I put food in jars. In larger containers I use oxygen absorbers.
Always a pleasure to see you all! Good health and good food!
Thank you! And to you as well.
Just don’t use the funnel
Right on!
👍
Get some Pataday eye drops...WalMart has the best price I've found. My eye doctor told me to use them and they work better than anything I've tried. Love your videos!
Thanks for the tip!
I found a 4lb bag at Wal Mart of sliced strawberries, pineapple, mango and peaches and I tired the freeze dried fruit and on my stars...so good. 2 bags filled by medium freeze dryer. I will be doing this again. Total time was right at 39 hours.
Fantastic! We love ours as snacks when we travel.
School reports is a very informative youtube channel and I really like "john in bibs" he does all sorts of things and even has recipes in the harvest right cookbook. 😊
Interesting!
Brilliant for sure... Lochness Scottish Highlands..
Thank you.
I love Brian!! His channel is great, he does a lot of collaboration with the folks at Harvest Right.
Yes, he does. He certainly has taught mea lot!
Does your freeze dryer need to stay in an air conditioned room? I do not have a basement. I have a Sun porch
Yes it does. If the room gets too hot the freezer will give you a warning an it could damage it.
Pam suggestion: take old bread, croissants, donuts, breakfast rolls tear them into pieces In a 9 x 9 greased pan. Take a cup of your freeze-dried fruit and place it in a couple cups of boiling water. Let it go for about five minutes. Pour that over The bread mixture and stir it in. Bake in oven at 350° F until it’s done. Usually about 45 minutes. It makes the best bread pudding with fruit you’ve ever had. The nice thing about it is you can add sugar or sweeteners or honey to taste or your diet. We do this when we’re camping all the time.
Mary, you are a wonder! That sounds fantastic. You can bet I will be trying that!
@@trailgrazers3690 Jim, check my edited version. My autocorrect has gone crazy today. My husband said you can add raisins or dried cranberries too. It’s yummy with yogurt or milk/ half and half.
The fruit looks soooooooooo good!
Thank, Mary.
Perfect
Thanks.