My Freeze-Drying Journey: Taking the Leap into Preservation

For the past two years, I’ve been eyeing a freeze dryer. They’re an investment, both financially and in learning how to use them, and honestly, they looked intimidating. But last week, with a little encouragement from a friend, I finally took the plunge and ordered a Harvest Right Medium 5-Tray Black Freeze Dryer. Now, two batches in, I’m here to share what I’ve learned so far!

Setting Up My Freeze Dryer

One of my biggest concerns before purchasing was figuring out the setup. I opted for a stainless steel table with wheels, which I found on Amazon. It’s easy to clean, doesn’t mind getting wet, and allows me to move the unit around when needed. The freeze dryer itself came with clear instructions, but there was one detail I missed: your first batch should be a “bread batch” to season the machine. Oops. I learned that after I had already done my first load of fruit!

First Batch: A Lesson in Fruit Freeze-Drying

Excited to dive in, I started with a batch of fruit—bananas, mango, and strawberries—using the default settings. Everything turned out great, though I made a rookie mistake: I spaced the fruit out like I would with a dehydrator. Turns out, I could have packed the trays with significantly more produce. Lesson learned!

Second Batch: Experimenting with More Fruit

For my second run, I freeze-dried kiwi, raspberries, and pineapple. The pineapple didn’t turn out quite as I expected. It lacked the crisp consistency of the other fruit. I followed a trick I learned on YouTube: weigh the fruit before freeze-drying, then weigh it again when the cycle is done. If it stops losing weight, it's fully dried. After an additional two-hour dry time (on top of the default extra two hours), the weight remained unchanged—so it was done!

The verdict? My family devoured everything over the weekend! Between my kids, my husband, my friend, and myself, the freeze-dried snacks barely made it to Monday.

A Mango-Peeling Revelation

A bonus lesson from this adventure? How to efficiently peel a mango! The first two mangoes took me 30 minutes (ouch), but then I discovered a game-changer: peeling a mango with the rim of a drinking glass. The remaining five mangoes? Done in just 10 minutes!

What’s Next?

Now that I’ve gotten my feet wet, I’m planning to experiment with different foods, including meats, dairy, and full meals. I’ll also be testing out proper storage techniques and figuring out the best ways to rehydrate freeze-dried foods.

If you’ve been thinking about investing in a freeze dryer but felt overwhelmed, stay tuned! I’ll be sharing my successes (and failures) along the way.

• Have you tried freeze-drying before? What’s your favorite food to preserve?

• What foods should I experiment with next? Let me know in the comments!

Buying a freeze-dryer was a big step, but so far, I have no regrets. If you’re considering one, do your research, plan your setup, and just go for it! I’ll keep sharing my experiences as I explore this new adventure in food preservation.

If you found this helpful, don’t forget to check out my other DIY and homesteading adventures at www.rootednred.com. Happy freeze-drying!