HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER

@Zimmy @kckndrgn

Yeah, I don't have much experience with the vacuum sealers but my fear is longevity. I mean, I would freeze-dry with the hope to last at least 10-years if necessary, but I sort of doubt the quality of the bags I have seen to last that long.

I do have lots of mylar, oxygen absorbers and good food grade buckets so even though more work, I'd probably use those to ensure the quality. I never thought of mason jars...we got lots with a lot of lids too. I could put them in the buckets to protect them further. I got gamma lids for my buckets which makes access a bit easier too.

 

I use a good bit of jars. It also makes the product more bug or mouse proof if needed.

 

I didn't see it which is why I was asking how you do this.

 

i have a few foodsaver vac sealers. my only gripe is having to seal the bags twice. at the end of the seal cycle if you see bubbles going past the seal do another one. adds time and you have to wait for the seal bar to cool. if your doing a couple dozen fish a year they are great. glad i didnt have to do a whole moose with one. my oldest is 10 yrs and still works good. 12v/110 too.

 

nice. i didnt think to look for 'vacuum sealing in mason jars 3dp' lots of files. thanks!

 

as much as i have used a vac sealer i have never used the mason jar attch. frankly im confused how it works. how do you seal the lid to jar after vac? do you apply vac then tighten the lid some how? im not getting how this works without a oneway valve.

 

Yeah, I will have to look up this vacuumed sealing in mason jars. Sounds like a good idea but I just don't know how to do it. I was going to simply throw oxygen absorbers in the jar...but this might be better.

 

I have just vacuumed tater chips in jars and they are still fresh after one year.

 

You can either weigh the product before freezing then weigh it after dried and that will be how much weight of water. Or just stick with 2 items till you expermint with different amounts by guess.

 

That is a really good idea, I've not thought of doing it that way. I appreciate it.

 

When vacuum sealing mason jars, I will pre-warm the lids to soften the seal, kind of like when doing normal canning. I normally put the lids in the FD when it's on the defrost cycle, that warms them up.

This is the vacuum sealer we use:
https://a.co/d/053nqTof

When you pull the vacuum then turn the device off the vacuum in the jar pulls the lid down and makes the seal. There is no ring on the jar when vacuuming. I do add the ring and leave it on, unlike traditional canning where the lid is removed when it is cooled.

When I use mylar bags I will "squeeze" out as much of the air as I can, add the O2 absorbers, then seal. 9 times out of 10 this will create a mild 'vacuum' on the bag. I have not used a vacuum sealer on my mylar bags.

 

And dont forget to freeze dry your own dog foods. My wife made up and freeze dried our Mastiffs food. He lived to 15 yrs which is long for a mastiff. She had gallon jars of it freeze dried.

 

thankyou

 

yep pikka gets salmon, halibut,cod and this year moose. she gets kibble with 1/2 can dog food or a cup of good stuff. on the side

 

I finally got everything set-up and running and have made my first batch of powdered milk. Currently, I have just started a batch of powdered eggs and after that I will do some ham (diced and sliced). I really need to have three sets of trays; #1 in the freeze/dryer, #2 loaded, frozen and ready to go, and #3 loaded and just put in the freezer. Eventually, I'm gonna have to eat some of this stuff to see if it is fit to eat. Hopefully, I won't get the sh*ts and/or die! Cost wise the food is costing about $20 per week, plus the cost of Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. For the time being I'm gonna focus mainly on milk, eggs and meat. Later, I might do some veggies, fruits and potatoes.

 

I have two sets of trays, only during peak veggie harvest so I think I need more. Right now both freezers are full so I can't prefreeze my batches. That's OK, I just a extra freeze time.
Only batch I've tossed was pepperoni and summer sausage. While you can fd them, they have a lot of fat and go rancid quick.

Good luck!

 

The ham turned out well and I have packaged everything in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Tonight, I baked some chicken breasts and ground them up in the blender (I might have ground them a little too fine, as it's kinda the consistency of sawdust, but you live and learn). Tomorrow, I'm gonna fix some of the powdered eggs and sliced ham for breakfast, just to test it out. Keep me in your prayers.
I was wondering if you could freeze-dry canned meats like tuna and salmon, also spaghetti sauce and instant mashed potatoes, and lots of other stuff. However, I'm mostly concentrating on basics like milk, eggs, and cheaper meats, like ham and chicken (beef at $10 per pound for the cheap cuts will be a rarity). Almost anything can be freeze-dried, except for high fat foods, bread, and some fruits, and I'm gonna experiment.

 

My wife made our potato flakes from mashed potatoes. Shes fd goolosh that turned out well as did her chili. I want her to try coffee but we busy right now. I have a 50 cup percolator .

 

Folger's has been selling freeze-dried instant coffee for years, so it should work.

 

Also, fd coffee should last much longer in storage than even green coffee beans. Although ground coffee in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers should last a while.