Harvestright Freeze Dryer for Provisioning

[rfe3]

Well, back at it today... I've got 3 trays of Chicken Breast Filets and a tray of Meatballs that are going to be finished in the next hour or so. I've got 8 lbs./3.6kgs of sliced Pork Loin (about 15mm/1/2") frozen and ready to load up. I've done a little more experimenting with Ready to eat Meals as well for the load after next. I'm trying some Breakfast foods. I made some Hash Browns with Sausage, Eggs and Cheese. I pre cooked all of it and drained/soaked almost all the Fat from the Pork Sausage so it will FD better. I'll be interested to see how it will come out. The Chicken Tika with Kurcuma Rice came out great so I have high hopes for this as well.

[LeighWebber]

Do you have to keep freeze-dried meat frozen afterwards, or can you just store it at room temperature? If the latter, why doesn't the meat decompose?

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by LeighWebber

Do you have to keep freeze-dried meat frozen afterwards, or can you just store it at room temperature? If the latter, why doesn't the meat decompose?

Hi Leigh,
No, you don't have to keep the Meat frozen, after it's sealed in the Mylar Bags it has a "Room Temp." shelf life of 10+ years. The Freeze Drying process preserves the food by removing all the moisture from it through a process called Sublimation. The Unit is basically a Vaccum chamber with freezer coils around it. The temp in the chamber is reduced to about -25° and then the internal air pressure is reduced to about 200 mt /.003psi.



The tray rack holding the food is then heated to 125°F and because the air pressure is so low the moisture "Boils out of the food" at a much lower temp. bypassing the liquid stage and the "Steam" then freezes to the interior walls of the chamber.


Basically, with no moisture and no Air there can be no bacterial growth and no spoilage.

[rfe3]

Here's a Video of some Ready to Eat Passage meals I'm experimenting with. They came out really nicely. This was Hashbrowns, Sausage, Egg and Cheese.


https://youtu.be/0TOEM4wz0No

[Rumrace]

Interesting stuff. I’m kinda 5 days out and into town for ice cream boater.

I have a relevant question though. Travelling between Canada and US which is easy to do at Niagara on the lake or the thousand islands entering the US up until Covid is just something we do. Oswego NY is nice place to visit ya know.
So meat crossing international borders on land yachts seems to be an issue either way? Have you dealt with any entry laws on meat and vegetables?
I watched a film of 4 weary ppl crossing the Atlantic for 4 weeks. They had dried food and freeze dried food stuck in every corner. Cockpit full of water jugs Fuel. Two light wind sails no main. Amazing stuff

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by Rumrace

Interesting stuff. I’m kinda 5 days out and into town for ice cream boater.

I have a relevant question though. Travelling between Canada and US which is easy to do at Niagara on the lake or the thousand islands entering the US up until Covid is just something we do. Oswego NY is nice place to visit ya know.
So meat crossing international borders on land yachts seems to be an issue either way? Have you dealt with any entry laws on meat and vegetables?
I watched a film of 4 weary ppl crossing the Atlantic for 4 weeks. They had dried food and freeze dried food stuck in every corner. Cockpit full of water jugs Fuel. Two light wind sails no main. Amazing stuff

Hi Rumrace,
As far as I know there is no difference legaly between Freeze Dried and the normal Provisions onboard (with the exception of New Zealand, they have some funny rules but I'm not going there anyway). None of the Cruisers I know who have or are currently in the So. Pac. have had to throw away any Canned or packaged provisions. It's mostly the fresh stuff they seem to care about.

[Frank 101]

Originally Posted by rfe3

No, It's not going to be a Circumnavigation, but a 2 year meander to Australia. The boat will have refridgeration but not nearly enough. The single and 2 meal portions are along with the weight savings are a big draw.


The MAIN reason for taking so many provisions from here are my dietary needs. I am/was a Type 2 Diabetic. I was Diagnosed when I was living/working in the UK. My Dr. who was way ahead of the standard Diabetes treatments/lifestyle offered by the mainstream medical establishment steered me towards the Low Carb/High Fat and Ketogenic Diets. Her patients that were able to use these methods were twice as likely to go into remission/no Medications. Needless to say I followed her advice and within 2 years I had lost 60lbs. and my HB1Ac went from 14% at diagnosis to 6% and has averaged between 5.5% and 5.7% over the last 3 years.


My basic dietary needs require meats as a basis and other Low Carb and Fatty foods. I eat lots of Butter and such and have already ordered (very expensive) Canned Butter and Butter Powder and lots of alternative Low Carb. Bread Mixes and such.


I dearly love trying local foods but I've spent time in various places in the Pacific and they tend to eat very starchy and high Carb foods (as shown by the Diabeetes epidemic that is prevelant across the Islands). Meats other than Frozen Chicken and Fish are also way more expensive across the So. Pac. region as well. I plan on (hopefully)catching lots of fresh Tuna and Mahi-Mahi along the way.

Welcome to Australia (in future). But just so you’re aware, we do have food here that you can eat, even as a diabetic

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by Frank 101

Welcome to Australia (in future). But just so you’re aware, we do have food here that you can eat, even as a diabetic

Hi Frank,

Lol...Yeah, I've been to Oz several times, I'm not worried about finding stuff to eat there...Just the couple of years inbetween...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by rfe3

Hi Leigh,
No, you don't have to keep the Meat frozen, after it's sealed in the Mylar Bags it has a "Room Temp." shelf life of 10+ years. The Freeze Drying process preserves the food by removing all the moisture from it through a process called Sublimation. The Unit is basically a Vaccum chamber with freezer coils around it. The temp in the chamber is reduced to about -25° and then the internal air pressure is reduced to about 200 mt /.003psi.

The tray rack holding the food is then heated to 125°F and because the air pressure is so low the moisture "Boils out of the food" at a much lower temp. bypassing the liquid stage and the "Steam" then freezes to the interior walls of the chamber.

Basically, with no moisture and no Air there can be no bacterial growth and no spoilage.

EXCELLENT explanation!!!

[JanetGroene]

Thanks for a very helpful report. Keep the resorts coming as you learn more about shelf life of each product. Also, never forget that the most essential emergency supply is drinking water. Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods rely on water and fuel to make them edible.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by JanetGroene

Thanks for a very helpful report. Keep the resorts coming as you learn more about shelf life of each product. Also, never forget that the most essential emergency supply is drinking water. Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods rely on water and fuel to make them edible.

Actually, a lot of dried, and I assume freeze-dried, foods can be consumed directly without the need for water or fuel. All sorts of fruits and fruit leathers are eaten directly. Jerky needs nothing added. I even like to snack on dried ground beef. Dried tomatoes are an easy addition to sandwiches. They add a nice crunch, and are a real zinger for taste.

Of course, most dried foods can also be added directly to the pot/pan while cooking. Here you will likely need to increase the water content of the meal, but it's easy to toss in a handful of zucchini or mushrooms when making stews, soups or pasta dishes.

You can certainly reconstitute them separately, and then use them in other dishes. The water used to soak the dried food can then be used in the cooking process. Or in some cases it makes a refreshing and nutritious drink.

[slugsgomoo]

I've been getting freeze dried stuff from Thrive for a couple years, partly because it's very handy if you're making soups and the like, but also because my kids love freeze dried veggies as a snack.

I appreciate the insights from someone who's gotten one of the harvestright machines, as we're looking at getting one as well. Freeze dried foods (especially cherries and strawberries) are super expensive, and making our own would be awesome.

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by slugsgomoo

I've been getting freeze dried stuff from Thrive for a couple years, partly because it's very handy if you're making soups and the like, but also because my kids love freeze dried veggies as a snack.

I appreciate the insights from someone who's gotten one of the harvestright machines, as we're looking at getting one as well. Freeze dried foods (especially cherries and strawberries) are super expensive, and making our own would be awesome.

Hi slugsgomoo,
I haven't done any soups and the like yet, I'm stll trying to get most of the raw Meats done and I've started doing some pre-cooked stuff as well. I did 10lbs. of Pulled Pork from my favorite BBQ joint yesterday and it came out awesome. I'm going to do some Chilli con Carne, some Goulash, and some Pasts Sauces as well in the future.

I have 8lbs of Strawberries in the unit as I write this. They are soooo great and a 4lb. bag of sliced, frozen Strawberries only costs about $8 at WallyWorld...They had a 3oz. bag of FD'd Strawberries for $6...you can save lots doing it yourself. Peaches are awesome as well....

I've been pleased with the Harvestright machine, I had a small problem with the Vaccum Pump, the Check/Ball Valve in the unit wasn't sealing properly and when you'd shut the FD'er off at the end of a cycle it would create a vaccum in the pump Oil reservoir and it sucked the oil level sight glass into the reservoir (I could still use it but had to release the pressure very slowly). One phone call to Harvestright and they shipped me the new pump within a day. Customer service was really good.
I'm putting together some more Videos of the different foods I'm doing and will post some more here when I get the chance to edit them.

[rfe3]

Here are some Video Links to some of the Stuff I'm Freeze Drying.


Strawberries & Cheese:https://youtu.be/Xi2E8TuSUV8
Chicken Breast Strips & Italian Meatballs: https://youtu.be/m4orNbFPJAk
Cube Steak: https://youtu.be/yJue7y2yvKY

[Wayne187]

Have 2 HarvestRight freeze dryers for 4 years now, large and medium. No problems mechanically, the food is great either dry or reconstituted. I like the fruit better dry, no loss in taste. The FD food tastes just as good as fresh and it will last 25 years when packaged with oxygen absorbers. Some say the meat is better cooked or partially cooked rather than raw when it comes to taste. I have processed several hundred loads of food and it's pretty easy. The oil less pump is quieter and not as much heat production. I use the HarvestRight Mylar bags which I find superior to others. Only hard food is blueberries and grapes as they sometimes require prolonged drying because of the thick skin. You will find dairy products turn out great as well as ice cream . For large pieces of any food just cut into smaller portions and you can shorten the drying process. Also freezing the food prior to placement in the FD saves a lot of time. Only problem with HarvestRight is a long wait period for a freezer!