I recently made the largest purchase to date on my homestead:
A while back I clicked into a freeze dryer video on YouTube and became OBSESSED! A home appliance the size of a mini fridge, one that helps me with food storage—I had to have it!
The purchase process was easy: determine the correct size and proceed with purchase! Harvest Right freeze dryers come in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. The Small can handle 4 to 7 pounds of food, the Medium 7 to 10, and the Large 12 to 16.
At first, I was set on the Large—since I now have a buy-in-bulk mindset (necessary to get a better bang for my buck). BUT I researched and discovered the Large requires a dedicated, 20 amp circuit. This old farmhouse definitely has a "mysterious" electrical system, so I opted out of messing with a dedicated circuit. The next best option was the Medium—no complicated electric upgrades required, just a 110 volt plugin, which I have plenty of.
The next decision was the type of pump—a premier oil pump or an oil-less pump. I figured the non-oil pump is a better investment, but then I discovered it needs to be serviced periodically, and that involves sending off this big, bulky pump, paying for shipping, and being without my freeze dryer for a bit. No thanks! I took the premier oil pump, which comes standard and is easy to use!
I decided to take a close look at the manual to see how I'd operate it after it arrived. At first, it seemed a little daunting, but after reading through the entire manual, I felt like a pro. The general setup looked easy, adding the oil even easier!
So I bought it.
After waiting seven weeks, I received an email saying it was on the way! I was so danged excited—like a kid on Christmas morning waiting for my presents to wake up! The email said I MUST inspect the package upon arrival to ensure it was not damaged in shipping. It arrived via FedEx, and the delivery man was so kind and helped me inspect the product. We actually had a good conversation about how he had moved away from California to get escape the big city, lol. He was incredibly gracious and kind, making the experience even better!
I purchased a rolling Husky tool box to place my freeze dryer on. Not only is it the platform of the freeze dryer and oil pump, but the tool box has plenty of drawers to store the parts and accessories used with the freeze dryer: oil, oil filter, manuals, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and an impulse sealer.
My first official freeze dryer run was with a standard loaf of white bread. I made the mistake of moistening the bread with water, so the process took forever and I thought the freeze dryer was broken, lol. The second run was on bread with NO added water, and it didn’t take so long. Today, I have four fully loaded trays of mixed fruit in there! I expect the process to take a day or so. I can’t wait to try freeze dried pineapple as I’ve heard it tastes like candy!
Follow along with me on all my freeze dryer adventures to be posted on my Vlog channel - https://3speak.tv/user/gubbatv as I'll be documenting my experience—woohoo! Cheers to food storage!
