Anyone freeze dry at home?
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Yes. It goes out in the garage in part because it’s a bit loud. We also have a window AC unit in the garage because it was struggling in the heat.
Burt Gummer
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We have a medium on the way. @noway2 was kind enough to show us there’s and share some things they have freeze dried. After Diana talking to @hp468 and @Barbie in length about there’s, and seeing Matt’s in person and trying some of the stuff that came out of it, we decided to pull the trigger on one. Hopefully it’ll be here in a couple more weeks
Tagging this thread to get a little edjimicated.
OP
I was thinking garage, but when there is cheap produce it’s hot as balls out there and no easy way to add air conditioning. The office would be free power, but lots of other challenges. Maybe in the guest room.
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Here’s a link to a place where we got tray stackers and a few other things. I’ll be getting bags from Amazon most likely
Retired at 40's Freeze Drying Supplies
At freeze drying supplies we offer many supplies and accessories for the Harvestright Freeze Dryer. Supplies include freeze dryer tray stackers, teflon tray liners, pre-cut parchment paper, the infamous NO SUCK kit, oxygen absorbers, mylar bags, Retired at 40 live life simple t-shirts and stickers.
www.freezedryingsupplies.com
Really needs to be in a climate controlled area, if it gets hot you’ll have prolonged freeze drying cycles.
The oil pumps work fine, no need to buy the expensive oilless pump. Get a Britta or similar water pitcher and use toilet paper rolls as filters to filter the oil. The oil lasts a LONG time.
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OP
Is it loud like an air compressor or table saw? Do you need hearing protection around it?
If not, I can probably put it at the far end of the house in the spare room and just start it early in the morning to run all day.
I think the premium compressor is a bit quieter than the old compressor they used to sell with them. The dryer itself is no louder than a mini fridge, the vacuum pump is similar to a JB/robinair vacuum pump like what’s used for a/c work if you’ve ever been around one. If not, closest thing I can compare it to is one of those little tire inflater air compressors that plugs into a cigarette lighter.
No hearing protection needed, it ain’t THAT loud.
Check out https://www.topmylar.com/ for the Mylar bags. They are out of Sanford NC. I have ordered quite a bit from them.Here’s a link to a place where we got tray stackers and a few other things. I’ll be getting bags from Amazon most likely
Retired at 40's Freeze Drying Supplies
At freeze drying supplies we offer many supplies and accessories for the Harvestright Freeze Dryer. Supplies include freeze dryer tray stackers, teflon tray liners, pre-cut parchment paper, the infamous NO SUCK kit, oxygen absorbers, mylar bags, Retired at 40 live life simple t-shirts and stickers.www.freezedryingsupplies.com
You want to get 7 mil. Some stuff you do will have sharp points and could cut 5 mil.
Chriselalto
Well-Known Member
Could one feasibly run 2 vacuum pumps in tandem on the unit? I have a commercial HVAC vacuum pump, and if we bought a freeze dryer, use the one it comes with.
Does running 2 lower the FD time?
Does running 2 lower the FD time?
DrPhudd
Joe thinks I'm clever
All two will do is pull it down initially a little faster. Not worth it
In addition to that, it introduces an extra variable/point of failure into the system that it wasn’t designed for.
The vacuuming isn’t really the slow part, the freezing/warming cycle is what takes the longest time.
Chriselalto
Well-Known Member
How much time does pre freezing the items decrease the process.
Upwards of 12 hours, but it depends. One of the things to remember is that toy can’t over freeze dry items, but you can add additional time to cause them to finish the cycle at a convenient time.
I'm planning on making one at some point once I finish up the garage. Plans:
hackaday.com
A Freeze Dryer You Can Build In Your Garage
What do trail mix, astronaut ice-cream, and cryogel have in common? This may sound like the introduction to a corny riddle, but they are all things you can make in your garage with a homemade freez…
hackaday.com
1 gallon vacuum chamber
2 quart vacuum chamber
2 gallon stainless steel cooking pot
1/4" flare union
5/8" barb splicer
foam sheets
Glue (spray adhesive is ideal but most will work)
Dry ice
Denatured Ethanol
Svg2 field piece vacuum gauge
2 stage rotary vane vacuum pump - cheap models likely won't work. Invest in a decent pump
2 quart vacuum chamber
2 gallon stainless steel cooking pot
1/4" flare union
5/8" barb splicer
foam sheets
Glue (spray adhesive is ideal but most will work)
Dry ice
Denatured Ethanol
Svg2 field piece vacuum gauge
2 stage rotary vane vacuum pump - cheap models likely won't work. Invest in a decent pump
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backwoodsshooter
there’s always a method to the madness
i’ve had mine for a few years now and love it.
it has already paid for itself
wifey and i made some chili mac to take hunting and tasted just like the day i made it the month before.
i’ll be moving my in to the down stairs as my garage gets hot in the summer time
it has already paid for itself
wifey and i made some chili mac to take hunting and tasted just like the day i made it the month before.
i’ll be moving my in to the down stairs as my garage gets hot in the summer time
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I'm planning on making one at some point once I finish up the garage. Plans:
A Freeze Dryer You Can Build In Your Garage
What do trail mix, astronaut ice-cream, and cryogel have in common? This may sound like the introduction to a corny riddle, but they are all things you can make in your garage with a homemade freez…
1 gallon vacuum chamber
2 quart vacuum chamber
2 gallon stainless steel cooking pot
1/4" flare union
5/8" barb splicer
foam sheets
Glue (spray adhesive is ideal but most will work)
Dry ice
Denatured Ethanol
Svg2 field piece vacuum gauge
2 stage rotary vane vacuum pump - cheap models likely won't work. Invest in a decent pump
If your doing this as an experiment, cool. If your doing this with the intention of putting away a lot of food for long term storage/preservation I suspect you will be largely disappointed. You simply cannot get a lot of food into a 1 gallon chamber. You will have very small, time consuming batches. Not to mention having to fiddle with alcohol and dry ice anytime you use it.
The HR units have heaters under the food trays that aid in drying, the chamber is surrounded by the freezing coils, it will both freeze and defrost itself. It has integrated controls for the vacuum pump. Just press start and wait for the buzzer to go off when the final dry is complete. Yes they are pricey but they pay for themselves quickly and are painless to use. Basic cleaning and changing/filtering the pump oil are really the only maintenance items.
Yes the oil gets food particles and moisture in it. Dump the oil into a plastic jug, toss it in a freezer for a bit, the water freezes on the bottom and you can pour off the oil on top. Filter it through a roll of toilet paper in a britta pitcher and its good as new.
We're over 1 year with ours now. They are amazing machines. The only issue we have had was the power switch on the back of the unit took a crap, HR had a replacement at our door in a couple days. Been very happy with their customer service/tech support.
@hp468 Yeah I'm only going to do it for occasional camping. Could probably deal with the dry ice and size problem by switching to a few modified refrigeration units though.
edit: yup it's doable but idk if the cost savings is there. diy would definitely be a novelty project
edit: yup it's doable but idk if the cost savings is there. diy would definitely be a novelty project
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What a cobbled together mess.
You’d be better off just buying mountain house or somthing like that for occasional camping.
How many freeze dried meals can you buy for the cost of supplies to build one?
Now factor in your time, your most valuable possession next to your health. Time spent on building, testing, tuning, etc just isn’t worth a DIY setup IMO.
Again, if your just doing it for a little science project or for fun, I’m all for it.
If the gov/fda wasn’t so blame restrictive on selling home made foods, these things would be money printers.
Have you seen how much people sell freeze dried skittles for? Crazy.
You’d be better off just buying mountain house or somthing like that for occasional camping.
How many freeze dried meals can you buy for the cost of supplies to build one?
Now factor in your time, your most valuable possession next to your health. Time spent on building, testing, tuning, etc just isn’t worth a DIY setup IMO.
Again, if your just doing it for a little science project or for fun, I’m all for it.
If the gov/fda wasn’t so blame restrictive on selling home made foods, these things would be money printers.
Have you seen how much people sell freeze dried skittles for? Crazy.
backwoodsshooter
there’s always a method to the madness
only issue i’ve had with mine is that cheap ball valve was leaking under vac. replaced it and everything was golden.
wife is also on board with us upgrading to a large so maybe i’ll be getting another one soon
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Mandarin oranges are awesome too, far better than pineapple IMO.
Oohh, I think I might have to try that one. Do you use the canned ones?
Yeah that's what I'm talking about. Seemed like a neat project/hobby/learning opportunity so time isn't really part of the cost factor for my purposes. I'd definitely not recommending DIY to anyone for this kind of thing cause it's gonna be a task for sure!
We did. That was the only thing we had at the time.
i tried them (friend out here has one of them fancy machines), and i wasnt a fan
edit: reminded me of the mre skittles that were 10yrs old
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Well, they are skittles.. that have been... wait for it....
Freeze dried.
They expand and become crunchy. 🤷🏼♂️
OP
How do you guys consume freeze dried pineapple and oranges, don’t they just crush to dry powder and suck all the moisture out of your mouth as you chew?