I was recently asked how I store my freeze-dried food. This is my process.
My Storage Options
I have two options that I use to store the food that I have preserved through the freeze-drying process:
Mylar bags
Vacuum-sealed canning jars
My Food Storage Process
Once the food is freeze-dried, whether that is meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables, herbs, or soups, I immediately put them into vacuum-sealed storage containers.
NOTE: I use a thermal temperature gun to check for dryness. If any area of food is below 87F then I continue with more freeze-drying.
The Mylar Bags
The Mylar bags, with oxygen absorber packets, apparently will be preserve foods for 25 years, as long as the food does not have high contents of fat, which will eventually go rancid.
Because of this issue with fats, I prefer to eat the preserved meats within a year.
How do I use the Mylar bags?
Plug in my vacuum sealer (that came with my Harvest Right freeze-dryer)
Label the Mylar bag with the type of food, if it is raw food that needs to be cooked, and the date
Fill the Mylar bag, leaving room at the top for sealing. I use a wok spatula to scoop the dried foods off the trays
Add an oxygen absorber
Seal the bag
Flip the bag over and seal again .. this makes sure that I notice any folds or gaps that may have gotten missed in the seal
Store in cool dark place. I have an old freezer that I use for storage as well as plastic bins with secure lids to keep any “4-legged house guests” (aka mice) away from my preserves
Canning Jars
Clean and DRY my jars and lids, making sure that they have no moisture inside them
Fill the jars. I like to use a funnel to help with this.
Add an oxygen absorber - sometimes. Because the jars of food are for eating within the next few months, I usually don’t worry about the absorber.
Put a snap lid on top.
Using special jar attachments, (see my affiliate links), I vacuum seal the jars.
Label the jars as above
I leave the jars out for a couple of days and then give them a shake to listen for a good “dry” rattle and to make sure no food is sticking to the bottom. If so, then I either eat it right away or run it through the freeze-dryer for some more processing time. Someone suggested to put these “almost dry” items into the dehydrator to finish it up.
Store them in a cool, dark place. I keep a jar of mushrooms and a jar of kale in my fridge because I use these frequently in my daily cooking. I could keep them on the counter, but just in case moisture is getting into the jars, I just choose to refrigerate them.
Why I invested in a freeze-dryer
Because we frequently lose power during storms, I was tired of losing foods that thaw out during the power outages or just worrying about food loss. Freeze-dried is safe.
Because I usually cook in bulk and the two of us rarely eat it all before we are tired of it, I like to store the leftovers. With the freeze-dryer, I can put leftovers in the freezer until I have enough for a full load in the freeze-dryer and then preserve it all at once (and get it out of my freezer.)
Freeze-drying preserves the most nutrients of any preservation process. There is a question, now, about whether freeze-drying affects the protein molecules. Each process has its drawbacks and, so, this is my compromise.
Drawbacks to Freeze-drying
The initial investment. The freeze-dryer is a big expense. I have had my machine for almost two years and not once have I ever questioned my choice. I am so glad that I went this route.
Storage: I have a LOT of food preserved. I have an old freezer filled, a small cupboard filled, a second cupboard started, and a plastic storage bin on standby. To be honest, I haven't figured out a good system, yet. I started out strong but when my shelves filled up, I started putting things wherever they would fit. Now, it is hard to find that jar of freeze-dried shrimp that I know is in there somewhere.
Why did I choose Harvest Right
At this time, Harvest Right is the only freeze-dryer available for the home.
Some stores sell the Harvest Right but I chose to order right from the company. I think it was a good choice, having a direct line to the sales person I connected with as well as the customer service.
(Harvest Right does have a referral program. I would love to chat with you about what I’ve learned from my experience. See below)
What is my favourite thing to freeze-dry?
Although, I like all my freeze-dried foods, I think I have to say that my favourite is my kale!
Why? Because we don’t like kale. But I know it is good for us, so, freeze-dried, I can add it to eggs or potatoes or soup and we don’t know it is there = all the goodness without the kaleness.
