Freeze Time: 13 hours
Dry Time: 15 hours
Total Tie: 37 hours
This was our first load in the freeze dryer. I put it in Wednesday night about 10 p.m. and had it set to freeze for 12 hours but at 5:30 a.m., we were seeing a lot of condensate dripping on the outside of the door so we stopped the freeze dryer, adjusted the door and restarted the process. Other than that, everything went without a hitch. One thing that kinda threw me was that I thought when I set it for 13 hours of freezing and 15 hours of drying, it would be done in 27 hours (or whatever numbers I set) but I didn’t realize there was a middle cycle set by the machine so my 28 hours turned into about 37 hours. I should have looked at the display before turning the machine off. I will put a notebook in there and write those numbers down on future batches.
Once I’m finished playing and experimenting, I will fill the machine with like items, i.e., things that take similar freeze/dry time. I had bananas mixed with pineapple. Since the pineapple takes forever, and bananas do not take forever, it was a waste of time for the bananas, which didn’t hurt them but it would be more economical to fill the trays will all pineapple and give it a long run, and next time, fill it all with bananas and run it for a short time.
Vince and I stood in the sewing room sampling everything and we were both thrilled with the results.
Freeze Dried Fruit
There were several jars of everything. I didn’t even count. I’ll do that tomorrow but I think we’ve already eaten almost a whole jar of bananas. On the left is mango. The mango isn’t as sweet as I would like but the mango going in wasn’t real sweet. Next is pineapple which will surely be a favorite. Next jar has the\ apple slices coated with powdered red hot candy. Oh, my . . this is so good. In the middle is the strawberry yogurt. I just spread it out in the tray and broke it up like you would peanut brittle. On the right . . bananas. This is where we will save a lot of money. Even though bananas aren’t expensive, Vince buys bananas every time he goes to the grocery store . . which is often. I have tried every method to keep them fresh longer and I throw away more bananas than you would believe. I don’t like banana nut bread. Even the chickens don’t like bananas.
Mango
Here’s a closeup of the mangoes. I mostly cut them into squares.
Pineapple
I love the pineapple, but I love it all. It’s very crunchy and so sweet.
Apples
The apples coated with cinnamon candy . . they’re good but more like candy than fruit.
Bananas
Of all the fruit we did in this batch, the bananas are my favorite. If you’ve ever dehydrated bananas, you will see there’s a vast difference in freeze dried vs. dehydrated.
The star of this batch . .
Strawberry Yogurt
This yogurt is so amazing! I wish I could send everyone a little sample. You wouldn’t believe how good it is! It’s homemade Greek yogurt, with a little sugar and chopped strawberries.
In the morning, the second load will go in. I’m so glad we finally got it.
Cheryl says
I bought a HR when they were first offered to the public. I should use it much more than I do but really do enjoy the results on everything I’ve tried. Wishing you luck with all of your efforts!!
Bon says
It all looks delicious.
Valerie Zagami says
This is so amazing and sort of fun!
Ranch Wife says
There you go…tempting me again! LOL
Susan Jones says
Congrats on your first batch! I’ve got mangos, cucumbers and green beans in my unit right now….I’m thinking I will use the cucumbers and green beans as snacks. The mangos are for my mom she loves all the fruit I’ve given her so far! FD victory….my son was looking for something to eat at 9:00 last night and after opening the fridge and pantry about a million times, I convinced him to try the FD’d chili I made in April….His comment was “this is so weird”…but he ate it all!
Teri says
The freeze dried fruit is very interesting…..I don’t think I have ever tried it…..
I like bananas when they are still a little under ripe…..so Instead of throwing away bananas…..I slice them and then freeze them and I use them as the ice in a smoothie…I throw frozen bananas in my blender then add what ever fruit I have on hand and voila a frozen smoothie…..
dezertsuz says
I can just imagine you standing there sampling and finding things so delicious! I’m glad it worked so well. I love freeze dried pineapple, and that yogurt sounds amazing. If you buy yogurt bites from Thrive, it’s pretty pricey, and I can eat the whole can in no time, so I don’t do that. I think I’d like the apples with just a little cinnamon on them, or a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon – or just plain apples! Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Judy Laquidara says
I had actually never had them but I hear a lot of people enjoy them.
Penny says
Very interesting but I’m confused Judy! Everything that you show in jars looks fresh & delicious but it’s frozen or dehydrated? How & where do you store finished foods? Then when you are ready to eat do you defrost, rehydrate or ?
Judy Laquidara says
It is “freeze dried”. It’s not frozen but it’s way different from dehydrated (as in a dehydrator). The food supposedly retains almost all of its nutrients, is crunchy and airy (not hard and chewy as is most dehydrated foods). Some foods, like fruits, green beans, squash, you can eat as is as a snack. Others, as chili, casseroles, eggs, you would add a bit of warm water to rehydrate and heat or cook as needed. It’s supposed to have a long shelf life – some foods if properly stored can last up to 25 years. Foods I will store for a long time, probably longer than 6 months or a year, I will store in mylar bags with an O2 absorber. Foods we’re going to use within 6 months or a year that we’re keeping here, I’ll store in sealed jars with an O2 absorber. Foods I’m taking to Chad’s or my uncle’s, that will be used within 6 months, I’ll probably store in a plastic vacuum seal bag.
Penny says
Amazing especially the shelf life! Seasonal fruits & vegetables tasty & fresh year round or whenever you want rather than paying exorbitant price for something you’re craving or needing off season! Is this method easier than canning? Will this method replace some of your canning?
Judy Laquidara says
Hard to say right now. Ask me that question in a year! 🙂
I want to freeze dry some green beans and see how they taste as a snack before rehydrating, and how they are rehydrated. I will try freeze drying some borlotti beans and see how they rehydrate. I’m pretty sure I’ll prefer freeze dried tomatoes, asparagus, okra and squash over canned. Whether I store it all in bags or jars, it will be a whole lot less weight if we do move.
Time will tell which method I prefer.
Ava says
It all looks really good and you make it seem “easy” but I’m sure there’s some work to it too.
Judy Laquidara says
Some things are more work than others. Leftovers (casseroles, soups, stews) can be spread onto the trays. Some fruit has to be peeled and sliced. Blueberries need a tiny hole poked in each blueberry! Once the food is the freeze dryer, it doesn’t require any attention for me for about 30 to 40 hours. Then, all I do is remove it from the freeze dryer, package it, defrost the freeze dryer (it has a defrost cycle or I can just leave it alone for a few hours), change the oil in the vacuum pump and go on to the next batch. It is pretty simple and it isn’t something I have to babysit all day.
Nelle Coursey says
It all looks so good!
Lisa Simon says
The banana look like they are fresh, straight off the tree!