I have tried water-bath canning.
Dehydrating.
Pressure canning.
Freezing.
And by far, the BEST, easiest and most yummy way to preserve organic, whole foods has been freeze-drying with my HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER.
After spending countless hours canning, dehydrating, freezing and not having success every step of the way (like the jars of green beans that broke in the middle of pressure canning ruined my hopes of having canned green beans, not to mention wasting the hours I had already spent preparing), I was ready for something that would be easier for me and more effective in providing long-lasting results (i.e., freeze dried food can last up to 25 years!).
Then I learned that freeze drying food actually preserves the nutritional quality at a level that canning, dehydrating and freezing simply cannot do.
It also means, I cut the fruit or veggies, pop it in the Harvest Right freeze dryer and voila – that’s it! After up to 15 hours (depending on water content), you have freeze dried fruits and veggies.
You then pop them in mason jars with oxygen absorber packets and you’ve got food for the next 25 years.
Sounds pretty amazing, right?
AND, you can run Harvest Right freeze dryers at your off-grid home – solar and wind power can fuel these freeze dryers (we have a friend who has multiple Harvest Right’s all run on solar power).
So, why Freeze Dry your organic whole foods?
Here’s why:
- Skip buying the emergency preparedness kits (which are just freeze dried foods, btws) and which are NOT organic foods, and instead create your own preparedness kits with organic food (you can even freeze-dry eggs, soups, casseroles (i.e. my vegan lasagna) and more!).
- You cannot possibly eat all of the food from your garden and CSA while it’s in season, so now you can make it last – for up to 25 years, while maintaining the nutritional content so it will taste just as delicious 25 years from now (or whenever you eat it :)).
- Freeze dried foods actually taste delicious too and make great snacks for you and your family (I have to negotiate with my husband so he won’t eat all of our freeze-dried strawberries. Here’s me: “Save some for when we’re in our 60’s!” Here’s him: Eating the freeze-dried strawberries out of the mason jar while looking right at me.).
- YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN PET FOOD PEOPLE. Did I need to give you another reason? No, I know I didn’t – but doesn’t this seal the deal for you? Make your own pet food with the freeze dryer – again making it organic and long-lasting. Win-Win.
You can put your freeze dryer in your kitchen, walk-in pantry or garage – put it on a counter and get started with ease.
I’ve had mine for over a year now and had the BEST summer freeze-drying instead of previous years of intensive canning. It’s now my #1 way to preserve organic, whole foods.
Check out Harvest Right freeze dryers here.
Bless that freezer dryer & enjoy! Xo
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