If you’re lacking on any of those things, then it’s best to get buckets or other forms of long-term storage food. Just be sure to fill your pantries first.
It's so much easier to stay on a low carb diet when you have things to nibble on. I've been drying meatballs (cut them in half first), and they make a fantastic savory snack. I'll post to the Tried and True thread when I get a chance.
I thought an easier way to see what was happening would be to make a time lapse video of an entire freeze drying cycle. As I was about to prepare some apples for freeze drying yesterday, I thought it would be a good time to do that -- so out came the GoPro.
I routed the exhaust from the catch can to a home made catch can that consisted of a jar with two ports with steel wool inside. I wanted to see just how much oil would escape the newly install catch can and collect in the jar.
Most foods can be freeze dried; however, items with high fat content like avocados may not preserve as well as low-fat foods like fruits or vegetables.
While the reduced footprint of the small freeze makes finding a spot to set it up easy to figure out, the power requirements provide another distinct installation advantage. That's because the Harvest Right Small Freeze Dryer requires a standard 110-volt outlet.
1) I installed a 3/4" wide high density closed cell foam in the gap between the front of the chamber and the back of the front panel - just what Harvest Right suggested except all the way around (the first picture shows the gap). Use your fingers to push it into place. It needs to be tight against the inside panel. I then installed a vapor barrier around the entire FDer chamber. I used 7mil plastic and clear packing tape.
The system records and maintains a log of the pressure and temperature during all parts of the freeze-dry cycle.
We have a large vegetable garden, and I love that I can pick something and freeze dry it right away. I know where my food comes from and how it was treated. This gives me peace of mind in knowing I am feeding my family healthy food.
We have two freezers in the garage as well. All of these machines generate heat and humidity. Our FDer front regularly sweats up an storm and water drips off the door and from around the entire chamber perimeter down the front of the unit. It got so bad that I taped a plastic shield above the display to route the water around it. You can see the water on the door and on the stainless steel front past the 4 screws on the unit.
Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) On 12/1/2015 at 0:16 PM, Jenipher said: Tony, if you see this, I went ahead and purchased the catch can. Do you think it's okay to just purchase a reducer to go from the size of the exhaust to the size of the hose that came with the can? Hopefully I said that in a way Buy Now that makes sense! As well, does it matter which port is used as "in" and which as "out"? Thanks so much, Jen Hi Jen, Sorry to be gone so long. I did exactly as you proposed. I purchased a brass reducer and pushed the blue hose over it.
The system’s shelf heaters and adjustable vacuum pressure ensure controlled sublimation during the primary drying cycle, preserving your materials at peak quality.
The length of time on a freeze dry cycle really depends on a few factors including what food you are drying, how much weight there is, and whether or not the food was pre-frozen.
Howdy! My name is Morgan I’ve been prepping for over 10 years and teach others to be prepared for emergencies and disasters. Learn more!