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Freeze Dried Food

14 years ago

Has anyone tried freeze dried fruit? Costco offers it. I don't even know if it's considered expensive - you get 283 servings for $150 which includes raspberries, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, apples and blackberries. I don't know why I am so intrigued by this. I was cruising their website and came across it.

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Comments (14)

foodonastump
14 years ago
No idea if there's a difference between freeze-dried and freeze-dried, but I'd recommend buying a small box of Kelloggs Special K Red Berries cereal and see what you think of the strawberries. Yes, I see the appeal (as do my kids!) but IMO they resemble fresh strawberries about as closely as Strawberry Nestle Quick does.
grainlady_ks
14 years ago
I use freeze-dried fruit (and vegetables) on a regular basis since it's part of our long-term food storage, and it gets rotated from storage into the pantry on a regular basis. We purchase ours in #10 cans, but you can find lots of outlets (on-line) where you can purchase it in smaller amounts: Honeyville Grain, Augason Farms, Emergency Essentials, Funky Monkey Snacks, The Raw Food World, etc..... There is a learning curve for using freeze-dried foods on a regular basis, but the neat thing about freeze-dried is it's great as-is for snacking, toss some into muffins or other baked goods or your morning oatmeal....

Emergency Essentials has recipes on their web site (link below).

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Emergency Essentials
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Storing Freeze Dried Fruit
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Comments (4)
Are you sure she understood you were using a FoodSaver and vacuum-sealing the jars? I purchase freeze-dried food in #10 cans and rotate it from our home food storage to the pantry on a regular basis. When I open a can I immediately transfer it to canning jars and vacuum-seal the jars with my FoodSaver using the jar sealer. Another option is to add an oxygen absorber to remove the oxygen and seal the jar that way. An even better method is to add the appropriate size and number of oxygen absorbers for the size of the jar AND vacuum-seal it. 1. To insure a good seal make sure you heat process your jar lids in hot water per FoodSaver instructions: Always pre-soak new metal lids. Bring water to boil, then turn off Pre-soak lids 5-10 minutes. This softens the sealing compound so you get a better seal. Make sure the lid is completely dry before using it on the jar. 2. Make sure the rim of the jar is free of any kind of food particles. It works best to use a canning jar funnel to load the food into the jars because it helps keep the rims clean, but you will still need to wipe the rim (use a clean dry towel - cloth or paper). I've used the FoodSaver method for years (I've owned FoodSavers since 1986) and I've never had a jar develop moisture that maintained the vacuum. I DO check the jar seals once a month on all my jarred inventory that I've sealed. I just opened a quart jar of freeze-dried strawberry slices I vacuum-sealed last year and they were as good as the day I vacuum-sealed them. I've been making some of Chef Tess Bakeresse meals-in-a-jar (especially some of the single-serving ones so hubby can use them in his lunch at work). (Check out her new cookbook - "The Gourmet Food Storage Handbook" by Stephanie Petersen - aka Chef Tess Bakeresse) Those that include freeze-dried meat I'll use an oxygen absorber AND vacuum-seal it to double my chances it remains sealed. And any leftover freeze-dried meat I'll use both - oxygen absorber AND vacuum-seal. The link below at her web site will give you more information that might help you out. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Chef Tess Bakeresse
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Comments (11)
Although I have a good amount of well-organized plastic storage containers (I'm from the Tupperware Party generation ;-), I use canning jars for much of my food storage - 1/2-pints, pints, quarts and 1/2-gallon sizes. I vacuum-seal the lids on canning jars with my FoodSaver using a canning lid or a FoodSaver Universal Lid, which means no pantry pests in dry goods due to the oxygen-free environment, and foods stored this way will stay fresher and last longer. Glass doesn't absorb oils from foods or retain odors like plastic does. I use a wide variety of freeze-dried foods so this method of storage is great each time I open a #10 can. I can repackage the food in user-friendly size jars and just vacuum-seal them shut until I need to move them from the food storage room in the basement to the kitchen for use. Fresh salad greens keep longer vacuum-sealed and stored in the refrigerator. I make salads for a week and vacuum-seal them in jars in the refrigerator. When hubby takes a salad to work for lunch in a pint jar, he inserts a recycled plastic container from an individual tub of applesauce into the top of the jar (fits perfectly in a wide-mouth jar) and puts dressing in the plastic tub, then places a plastic screw-on lid on the jar. There are plastic lids available for canning jars now, so you don't have to use the metal lid and ring, as well as a plastic lid with a flip-top spout for pouring I really like. I recycle the flip-top lids from dry Parmesan &/or Romano cheese (one side for spooning from and the other side for sprinkling). These lids fit on regular-size canning jars (not wide-mouth) and are handy for things like baking soda, which I purchase in bulk and keep a user-friendly amount in a pint jar in the baking cabinet. I also pre-mill flaxseed and chia seeds and keep a pint jar in the freezer covered with one of these lids. It makes it easy to flip the lid for spooning from. I have some decorative jelly jars I keep spices in (also purchased in bulk). If I don't use the spice frequently I can place a vacuum-sealed lid on it for longer storage, or put a recycled flip-top lid from the dry cheese product for quick access of things I use frequently. I spray painted the top of canning lids with chalkboard paint and they are fun to use in the pantry for marking the contents. Use chalk or (liquid) chalk markers to mark the lid. I've maximized some storage space in the pantry by laying quart jars with dry goods like lentils, beans, rice, etc., in them on their side on a narrow shelf, with the chalkboard lids showing the jar contents facing the front of the shelf. I also have a good selection of Pyrex glass containers (in 3 sizes) with plastic lids we use daily for leftovers for the refrigerator or freezer. They stack nicely, can be placed in the freezer, and the food can be heated in the oven/toaster oven or microwave. Hubby takes them to work in his lunch and can reheat leftovers in the microwave. I store portions of leftovers in the freezer in Pyrex containers for his (or my) lunch choices. I do have a tip for anyone who needs to separate food in storage containers....(pancakes, pre-cut quick breads, etc.). I was given two packages of plastic cutting boards that I never really used (each package had 4 cutting boards in different colors in it). With my old-fashioned guillotine paper cutter, I cut the plastic sheets into sizes that fit in my plastic containers. Now those tuna patties, black bean patties, pancakes/waffles, slices of homemade gluten-free bread, etc., never stick together. I was using squares of freezer paper for this, but the plastic cutting board works much better and can be reused. -Grainlady
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Comments (29)
Barb -- Even as an instructor, I've always found home canning to be an expensive method for food preservation if you have to purchase the food, and especially if you have to purchase canning equipment. In the home canning class I teach, we do cost analysis charts so people get a better idea of the true cost. Not to mention the hours of food preparation it takes from garden to the table. I used to break down the cost of utilities, but it changes periodically, and now there isn't just one cost, it varies throughout the day, so I don't bother with that anymore. It's not worth my time and trouble to plant, care for, harvest, and process 8-10 pints of pickled beets (about the average we would use in a year) when I can purchase them for 67-cents per can. That's one of the few commercially canned foods I buy. It's expensive for the cost of the utilities to process home canning, and for the extra energy to cool your home with an air conditioner while you process it. Do you have the kind of stove you can do home canning ON? Are your burners large enough (size and B.T.U. out-put) for the size of canner you are using? For a LOT of reasons, freezing or dehydration is a less-expensive choice for home food preservation. I also believe unless you have access to fresh-picked produce in the amounts it takes to fill a canner, you are probably wasting your time AND money because it means your home canned food won't have much in the way of nutrients after the delay from picking until it's canned if you have to wait several days to get the large amounts you need. It definitely doesn't pay to only fill a canner with a few pints/quarts when it takes nearly the same amount of energy to process a canner that is full. I also think most home canned foods are inferior when it comes to nutrition due to the lag time from harvest to processing, as well as from the heat processing, and how long and under what conditions they are stored in. And not everyone likes to eat home canned food.... Most of my friends and most of my students now can a favorite family recipe or two and jam/jelly/apple butter for gift-giving. Dehydrating takes very little energy, other than what it takes for blanching (but not everything requires blanching). I place my dehydrator in the basement where the heat it produces dissipates quickly. The exception is onions, which I do in the garage because of the smell. Kale can get a bit smelly, too. Dehydrated foods takes up less space than canning. It's amazing how many dried apple slices or dried tomato slices you can stuff into a canning jar!!! The FoodSaver product you are considering is fine for what it's designed for, but I think you would be happier with one of the full-size units which are more expensive. I have one of those small units and rarely use it (purchased it at Tuesday Morning for $19 several years ago), while I use the regular one many times each day (and have been using them since 1986). I'm into home food storage and have a whole room in the basement filled with vacuum-sealed dry goods. The FoodSaver is the center of my long-term storage, so it's a must-have for me. I have a new one, still in the box, I purchased on sale, ready to go if the current one quits. My entire freezer is organized with vacuum-sealed items, because they last longer in the freezer. No more freezer-burned food! I can pull out a plastic storage basket and flip through it for vacuum-sealed fruits or vegetables, all in a single layer in the bags. Cut the bag open, remove the amount needed, and reseal the bag and put it back in the basket in the freezer. I freeze soup/stew/chili in serving sizes. Pop it out of the freezer container, stack the "cubes" and vacuum-seal them a FoodSaver bag. Take out what I need and reseal the bag. I have all our breakfast meat in serving amounts and vacuum-sealed. I divide bulk amounts of chicken, and other meat products, into several bags and vacuum-seal it - both raw and pre-cooked. My pantry shelf is lined with foods in canning jars of various sizes. Instead of standing them up-right on the shelves two and three deep, and having to move them to see what's in the back, I lay the jars down on their side with the lid to the front. I have my shelves adjusted so they are the distance apart of one 1/2-gallon jar space (which is the largest jar I use). I spray painted the lids with chalk board paint, and I use a chalk board pencil or liquid chalk board markers (in fun electric colors) to mark the chalkboard lids. Some jars are covered with plastic Ball jar lids and you can write on them with liquid chalk markers. Not all of these are vacuum-sealed, but many are (especially those that contain freeze-dried foods). So my pantry is lined with canning jars filled with dry gluten-free pasta, dried and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, baking aids like cacao nibs, chocolate chips (several kinds and sizes), chia seeds, palm sugar, arrowroot, whole grains and homemade cereal products, crispy nuts (soaked and dehydrated), pinto bean flakes, dried parsley..... And even more in the food storage room. You will have to determine whether a FoodSaver will meet your food storage needs and goals. -Grainlady
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tishtoshnm -- As with many gluten-free books, they use more high-glycemic starches and all-purpose gluten-free flour mixtures than I care to consume. I tend to use more almond and coconut flour for baked goods. You are right, my "shoestring" is definitely much smaller than the author's (LOL). To give credit where credit is due, she does the math with many of the recipes in the book to prove her "shoestring" theory - based on making her recipe or buying a g-f frozen version. Personally, I can live without a gluten-free baked pretzel - at any price. Some foods you just can't make a good gluten-free substitute, so I don't waste my time/money. There are a lot of meat-related and vegetable recipes, but most people who are gluten-free don't need a recipe for glazed carrots or pot roast. The only recipe I've tried was for Arepas: (makes 10-12) 1 c. precooked cornmeal flour (P.A.N.) 1 c. grated mozzarella cheese 1/8 t. kosher salt 1 c. plus 2-4 T. tepid water 1/4 c. vegetable oil (I use coconut oil) In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal flour, cheese, and salt. Add 1 cup of water and stir to combine and incorporate the water into the flour mixture. Add more water by the tablespoonful if necessary for the dough to come together. Once the dough has come together, cover the towel with plastic wrap and allow it to stand at room temperature for 3-4 minutes. The cornmeal flour will continue to absorb water, and the dough will stiffen as it stands. After the dough has stiffened, wet your hands and divide the dough into 10-12 portions of about 3 T. each. With wet hands again, form the first piece of dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk about 1/4-inch thick and 2-1/2-inches wide. Repeat with each piece of dough. Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet with at least 2-inch high sides, and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. While the oil heats, prepare the first portion of dough for frying. Wet your hands again and press all around the edge of the disk, eliminating any cracks. Flatten along the side, smoothing as you go. When you fry the Arepas, if you have successfully eliminated all the cracks, steam will build up inside and they will puff and swell. It takes some practice, but it's well worth the effort. When the oil is ready, place each portion of dough carefully in the pan, and fry until golden brown, turning over once during frying and frying for 4-5 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Fry in batches. Drain Arepas on towels before serving. With a wet serrated knife, slice the Arepas in half horizontally and serve warm or at room temperature. (Grainlady note: I slice them open before wrapping the leftovers for the freezer. In fact, I use my English Muffin "fork" for the task. I like to toast the inside on a dry griddle after they are thawed, apply the filling of choice - we often make ham and cheese - then grill the outside to melt the cheese inside and warm the ham. I also use them with poached eggs (using one-half of an arepa, toasted), shredded pork/beef/chicken sandwiches, egg salad, tuna salad...... I always wish I would have know this recipe for my mother, who had Celiac disease. She would have loved these little beauties. :-) -Grainlady
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bcskye
14 years ago
I bought my DH a week's supply of freeze dried food for Christmas. I wanted him to try the entrees before his Appalachian Trail hike around the end of March so he could decide what he likes and we can stock up on them. He will be carrying about a week's worth at a time and I will meet him at different trailheads to restock with his favorites. By the way, there is a new egg product put out by Nutriom called OvaEasy that they recommend. It comes in crystalized whole eggs or cystalized egg whites. Its supposed to be extremely good and comes in different sizes of containers starting with a twelve egg envelope. You might want to check out their blog.

www.livingoverland.com
triciae
14 years ago
I also use freeze-dried fruits/veggies on a regular basis as part of our long-term food storage program. Hardly a meal is made that some part isn't prepared with a freeze-dried ingredient. Like grainlady, we purchase in cases of #10 cans but Emergency Essentials (see grainlady's link) now offers some of the same products in their new MyChoice line that would be good to try as a starter.

In many cases, I prefer freeze-dried to fresh because they are prepared when at peak freshness/ripeness. Not always true from my local grocery stores. Consistency of product is another advantage. Freeze-dried foods retain more nutrients than canned. They weigh less and are less bulky for storage. They are always available in your pantry when desired. Lots of reasons to make freeze-dried part of your meal planning.

Their freeze-dried blackberries are just stupid good, IMO. I like them right out of the can...sort of like blackberry popcorn. Yum.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Emergency Essentials - MyChoice
partst
14 years ago
Me too I use freeze-dried fruits & veggies on a regular basis. I buy most from emergency essentials I keep a 2 year supply on hand in case of any kind of emergency that may come our way plus as tricia and grainlady said you always have a full pantry.

In the last catalog I received I noticed they have peanut butter powder and wondered if anyone here has tried it?

Claudia
grainlady_ks
14 years ago
Another positive endorsement for OvaEasy egg crystals. I've used regular powdered eggs for many years when they were less expensive per egg than fresh shell eggs (normally each winter when egg production goes down), but I loved OvaEasy so well when I tried them I donated the powdered whole eggs I had in storage to a local mission who feeds the homeless, and replaced them with cans of OvaEasy.

OvaEasy last longer in storage than traditional powdered eggs, mix up easier (powdered eggs tend to clump and you have to sift it before measuring it) and taste better. The #10 cans contain 6 packets and each packet contains a dozen eggs. Once opened, the egg crystals will last a long time if kept air-tight. I wish they would have been available when my mother-in-law was alive because she wasted more eggs....

But back to freeze-dried fruit... If you have a Sam's Club membership, go to their web site and check prices for Augason Farms freeze-dried fruit if you are in the pricing stage. They will delivered to your door. It's usually less expensive through Sam's Club than through Augason Farms.

Honeyville Grain just had a 20% off sale, and have them several times a year (get on their e-newsletter list to receive notice when they have a sale). They also ship your entire order for $4.49, something else to consider. I order #10 cans of vital wheat gluten to use for making "wheat meat" (aka seitan or gluten to use as a high-protein meat extender), 5# bags of almond flour and hi-maize resistant starch, along with freeze-dried fruit, veggies and meat from Honeyville Grain.

-Grainlady
cookie8
Original Author
14 years ago
I am looking into freeze dried as I have no room left in my freezer in fridge so it's a storage issue. Good idea to try out smaller portions as I'm sure it can go stale upon opening. The Costco route probably isn't the best start up point. Thanks. I am guessing that the Costco cans are #10.
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=10353586&whse=BCCA&topnav=
triciae
14 years ago
Claudia, yes I use peanut butter powder. Some things that come to mind are stir fry sauces, granola, cookies, cake icing, and I make a peanut mole sauce using powdered peanut butter. I think regular is messy to use. Powdered is easy. The only ingredient in Emergency Essential's is peanuts. No sugar, salt, preservatives, etc. Also a huge plus, IMO.

/tricia
partst
14 years ago
grainlady..

Where is the best place to buy OvaEasy? Amazon has 2 # 10 cans for $65.64 and free shipping. Is that a good price?

Claudia
cookie8
Original Author
14 years ago
I posted pretty much the same time as you Grainlady so I missed your post. I have to ask - do you ever make your own almond flour? I have been making my own and find it is rather "chunky" and would like something a little more on the powder side. Is this how the almond flour from Honeyville grain is? Do you use the eggs for a scrambled egg also? Next thing to research, chickens - I really want two.
grainlady_ks
14 years ago
partst-

"Best" place for OvaEasy is where I find the lowest price. I got them on sale from Honeyville Grain, but they quit carrying them when they got their own brand of powdered whole eggs back in stock. I've also ordered them from Nitro-Pak where the #10 can is on sale for $29.99. See the link below.
cookie8\- I started by making my own almond flour, then I ordered some from King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill, and when I got Elana Amsterdam's book "The Gluten\-Free Almond Flour Cookbook", she suggested almond flour from Honeyville, and it is much finer than any of the others and I've ordered it for a couple years now (I stock\-up when they have a 20% off sale). OvaEasy work very well as scrambled eggs. \-Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: [Nitro\-Pak \- OvaEasy Eggs](http://www.nitro-pak.com/ova-easy-whole-eggs-in-10can)
partst
14 years ago
Thanks grainlady..

I checked out Nitro-Pak and wow they wanted $17.00 shipping to my zip code so the Amazon price with free shipping will get my order.
Claudia
centralcacyclist
14 years ago
I was told (source now forgotten) that hydrated foods cause "gassiness." I was in the habit of taking dehydrated soups (Nile Spice brand) as lunch meals at my work place. I stopped when I was told this. Has anyone else had this experience?
bcskye
14 years ago
OvaEasy Eggs can be purchased at Nutriom.com. That's where Living Overland got them from. Don't know what size package or can you were looking for, but they do offer them in different amounts from a one dozen egg pouch for $4.99 on up. Try http://www.nutriomstore.com/.

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