I have been freeze drying for about two years. I NEVER use any paper, silicon mats or any other insert when freeze drying. I always hand wash my pans after a cycle is complete. and I have packaged the food. Using that paper added hours to your process because it acted as an insulator that the pan would have helped conduct to the surface of the food. Don't use added products just because you don't want to take five minutes to wash the trays. FB groups sometimes give you very bad ideas.
Using Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats does not add any more time to the Freeze Drying Process. The Silicone Mats & Parchment Paper will get Cool & Warm during the Cycle just like everything else does in the Chamber, so there is no issue with using them. I have Freeze Dried with & without Parchment Paper/Silicone Mats & there is absolutely no difference in Freeze Dry Time. As a matter of fact, I actually use a thin Silicone Mat under each Try on each shelf on all my Freeze Dry Cycles to keep my Trays from moving/Sliding into the Plexiglass Door & I have been very successful. (I have had issues with my Trays moving/walking into the Plexiglass Door during Cycles when I have them bear bones on the shelves). It isn't about not wanting to wash the Trays (because you still need to do that no matter what). It is about not having your Food or Candy Sticking to your Trays. Cold is Cold, Heat is Heat, Vacuum is Vacuum, so you saying that putting Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats on your Trays (under your Food) is an "Insulator" is not Correct at all & is Mis-Information.
I keep them in chopped bits, then blend them again after freeze dried. I have found that blended paste forms a layer thats hard to dry... but if diced chunks are in a tray the air can flow thru and dry it more easily. Also I use paste tomatoes, Amish paste, San marzano and Roma. Very little fluid, a lot of meat. I also use 1 qt glass jars, some w reusable lids if ill use them soon. Then I put a few in mylar. Got my harvest right in March I have 200+ quarts of FD food in jars and 13 tough totes of mylar sealed food
Freeze dried foods have such a powerful taste. It is so good. All the flavors are so enhanced. I do tomatoes in many different ways. I have powder as well. It is good for thickening sauces, or making an actual sauce. Great video. I'm glad you showed the "not totally freeze dried" too. That has happened to me too. I just put it back in.
I make tomato powder in my dehydrator it's wonderful to do every year I recommend taking the seeds out first before blending because then they are more plantable. My favorite varieties are an heirloom paste tomato like Amish paste or San marzano's. Glad you're enjoying using freeze dryer for some neat useful things! Thanks for another great video.
Does a dehydrator take longer than a freeze dried? And does the powder get as dry? I don't have the budget for a freeze dried but I might for a dehydrator
It depends on your dehydrator really. Mine I built myself and it's a cabinet style with shelves, light bulbs at the bottom and a fan at the top. 150 degrees for 24 hours. Runs on solar.
@@necromorphous Dehydrating is quicker for most foods. Definitely cheaper to dehydrate than freeze dry. I do both as well as Canning. Keep in mind dehydrating usually is peak 1 year but still good to eat for a couple years. However, As long as you don't use too much sugar, or fat, freeze drying will last 10-25 years. I do a lot of greens like kale, swiss chard, spinach herbs, onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes. Also any vegetables that you like to eat for soups or casseroles. When I Dehydrate I refer to that as my WORKING PANTRY and usually only make up enough for that next year use. I do make up some soup bases in my freeze dryer but most of my freeze dryer is used for long time storage meals or for convenient camping. Although you can do meals in your dehydrator as well. Just make your soup or your casserole, Is easy on any greece or liquids, spread it thin in your dehydrator. It takes a little longer but then you put it in a jar and it's a meal in a jar for your lazy Sunday. Also please do some research because dehydrating you will use moisture absorbers but freeze drying you will use oxygen absorbers. Hope I helped.
May I suggest taking a paper towel and spritzing it ever so lightly with water and wiping the sealing edges to prevent a compromised seal? I’m only suggesting this when dealing with powders just as additional insurance for that precious, beautiful food! I watch you every day. I learn so much. Thank you and God bless you all!
When I dehydrate tomato sauce and apple sauce in my Excalibur dehydrator, I spread the puree onto non-stick sheets that are on the drying racks and then make a two-inch diameter hole in the center of each layer of puree. This seems to help each layer of puree dry a lot faster and more evenly. You may want to try this with the pans of tomato puree you put inside your freeze dryer machine.
I once used my Vitamix to blend my tomatoes for spaghetti sauce. The Vitamix totally liquidated the tomato seeds. The seeds made the sauce bitter. I now deseed my tomatoes before preserving sauce. My friend's mom always put the seeds on paper napkins. Then she planted the seeds the following year attached to the tiny pieces of the napkin. We've never saved and planted seeds. We should start doing that.
Nice video Thank You.! After freeze-drying we vacuum seal our products for long term storage, in mylar & glass jars. I don't think O2 absorbers are for long term storage...I could be wrong though...
Your farmers market looks lovely. The farmers markets in central NC are ridiculously over priced. Cheaper to get the produce at ALDIs or Costco. Need to get a tomato knife. You guys have so much energy . Ty for all your informative videos.
So cool because you can use the tomato powder for EVERYTHING! soups, etc. I have been doing this for years but with a dehydrator, then blend to a powder...works really well. Would love love love to get a freeze dryer...not in the cards right now...thanks for showing the process....you guys are loved in Minnesota! Great family and great info.! Shalom! :) Dawn @ Rich & Dawn in MN :)
I like smaller serving sized mylar bags so when you open them you don't have left over product that will need to be used right away. Also, other brands have ziplocks so double seal is nice. Thanks for the video. Just made salsa which turned out awesome.
Hats off to you..but given the cost of tomatoes, the investment into a free dryer and not to mention the time invilved? The way I see it Imbetter off buying canned tomatoes products
If you have the latest firmware, it automatically determines the time. It make it so much easier. Set it and forget it. Also I set the "Extra" dry time to 12 hours and that way if the batch finishes in the middle of the night it just keeps drying.
How has the roller cart been working out as you now use the Dryer? Is it still convenient to keep the unit ON the cart while it's freeze drying? Can you do a freeze drying video on butter or cheese? I bought some pre-made freeze dried sample pkgs from Nutrient Survival and had THE WORST nut-allergy skin outbreak response for a week after eating them. I cannot use Nutrient Survival.
The cart turned out to be a perfect investment. It sits perfectly on it, is not wobbly or unstable, and rolls around easy to where we want it. I'm sure we will do a cheese video later, but not sure about butter.
I love freezedrying to save our home grown vegetables for winter or for use in the future. However there has never been a shortage of tomatoes. it is sad that just because you like to freezedry food everyone assumes you are a doomsday prepper.
Tomato powder is one of my favorite products. I no longer purchase tomato sauce or paste. When I make chili I use beef broth and add tomato powder until it tastes the way I like. I do the same with vegetable soup. Chicken broth with tomato powder makes delicious tomato soup. I usually purchase #10 cans. After opening the can I fill ziplock snack bags then repack the can. After several months go by any unused bags go into the freezer. Humidity will harden the tomato powder into a brick if in a humid climate. Summers in Ohio are very humid.
Please use glove every time food comes out of the freeze dryer, because your fingers naturally have MOISTURE, oils and micro bacterium. Unless Ofcourse you wash your hands like a surgical doctor and don't touch anything. years down the road when you open it up, bad news. Recommended by Commercial freeze drying companies. I use gloves when I take the food out of the freeze dryer to test it to make sure everything is dry before I remove it from the freeze dry area. then at the baging area I actually change gloves because I might have touched something. Your trays are sterile from your freezer to your freeze dryer so it is NOT recommended to put it in any other bowl before bagging. If you noticed when you were bagging, you not only touched the mylar bags but you also put your entire hand inside the mylar bag AFTER touching the plastic that your bags came in from an outsourse. " When you wash your hands did you wash them all the way up to your elbows? Also, I don't Blanch the tomatoes but I do cook the sauce and add my seasonings. That way it allows them to simmer and marry into the sauce and ensures that you have cooked out any bacterium in the processing of your tomatoes. Add a little vinegar and a little citric acid. squeeze the juice of an orange or zest a little organic orange. You never know when you open these if you will have the luxury of simmering your sauce for hours. Nor do we know if we will have electricity to reseal. So you might also consider putting it in smaller portion. I've been freeze drying and canning for a while now and have learned something new every harvest. I grow 24 different heirloom tomatoes and peppers every year. I make a puree then I add the seasoning for pizza or chili or Italian Marinara sauce, etc. Sometimes I even roast my butternut, pumpkin, acorn and delicata squash from my garden and mix it in for a great fall soup base. Happy freeze drying.
I have been freeze drying for about two years. I NEVER use any paper, silicon mats or any other insert when freeze drying. I always hand wash my pans after a cycle is complete. and I have packaged the food. Using that paper added hours to your process because it acted as an insulator that the pan would have helped conduct to the surface of the food. Don't use added products just because you don't want to take five minutes to wash the trays.
FB groups sometimes give you very bad ideas.
Using Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats does not add any more time to the Freeze Drying Process. The Silicone Mats & Parchment Paper will get Cool & Warm during the Cycle just like everything else does in the Chamber, so there is no issue with using them. I have Freeze Dried with & without Parchment Paper/Silicone Mats & there is absolutely no difference in Freeze Dry Time. As a matter of fact, I actually use a thin Silicone Mat under each Try on each shelf on all my Freeze Dry Cycles to keep my Trays from moving/Sliding into the Plexiglass Door & I have been very successful. (I have had issues with my Trays moving/walking into the Plexiglass Door during Cycles when I have them bear bones on the shelves). It isn't about not wanting to wash the Trays (because you still need to do that no matter what). It is about not having your Food or Candy Sticking to your Trays. Cold is Cold, Heat is Heat, Vacuum is Vacuum, so you saying that putting Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats on your Trays (under your Food) is an "Insulator" is not Correct at all & is Mis-Information.
I dehydrated Potato slices and made Potato powder. I use yesterday in stew as a thickening agent and wow! A spoonful thickened up my stew perfect!
That is what I use mine for. Perfect stew.
@@Milliegs I never did this before, and wow! It thickened it up good, almost to good. I had to add broth back in it..😂😂
I keep them in chopped bits, then blend them again after freeze dried.
I have found that blended paste forms a layer thats hard to dry... but if diced chunks are in a tray the air can flow thru and dry it more easily.
Also I use paste tomatoes, Amish paste, San marzano and Roma. Very little fluid, a lot of meat.
I also use 1 qt glass jars, some w reusable lids if ill use them soon.
Then I put a few in mylar.
Got my harvest right in March I have 200+ quarts of FD food in jars and 13 tough totes of mylar sealed food
Freeze dried foods have such a powerful taste. It is so good. All the flavors are so enhanced. I do tomatoes in many different ways. I have powder as well. It is good for thickening sauces, or making an actual sauce. Great video. I'm glad you showed the "not totally freeze dried" too. That has happened to me too. I just put it back in.
I make tomato powder in my dehydrator it's wonderful to do every year I recommend taking the seeds out first before blending because then they are more plantable. My favorite varieties are an heirloom paste tomato like Amish paste or San marzano's. Glad you're enjoying using freeze dryer for some neat useful things! Thanks for another great video.
What temp, and for how long(average) in the dehydrator?? I have a dehydrator, but I also have a dehydrator function on my oven.
Does a dehydrator take longer than a freeze dried? And does the powder get as dry? I don't have the budget for a freeze dried but I might for a dehydrator
It depends on your dehydrator really. Mine I built myself and it's a cabinet style with shelves, light bulbs at the bottom and a fan at the top. 150 degrees for 24 hours. Runs on solar.
@@necromorphous
Dehydrating is quicker for most foods. Definitely cheaper to dehydrate than freeze dry. I do both as well as Canning. Keep in mind dehydrating usually is peak 1 year but still good to eat for a couple years. However, As long as you don't use too much sugar, or fat, freeze drying will last 10-25 years. I do a lot of greens like kale, swiss chard, spinach herbs, onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes. Also any vegetables that you like to eat for soups or casseroles. When I Dehydrate I refer to that as my WORKING PANTRY and usually only make up enough for that next year use. I do make up some soup bases in my freeze dryer but most of my freeze dryer is used for long time storage meals or for convenient camping. Although you can do meals in your dehydrator as well. Just make your soup or your casserole, Is easy on any greece or liquids, spread it thin in your dehydrator. It takes a little longer but then you put it in a jar and it's a meal in a jar for your lazy Sunday. Also please do some research because dehydrating you will use moisture absorbers but freeze drying you will use oxygen absorbers. Hope I helped.
I have been harvesting 5 gallon buckets at a time.
44 quarts of fresh salsa freeze dried
Now I'm Freeze drying tomato powder.
It's a learning curve
May I suggest taking a paper towel and spritzing it ever so lightly with water and wiping the sealing edges to prevent a compromised seal? I’m only suggesting this when dealing with powders just as additional insurance for that precious, beautiful food! I watch you every day. I learn so much. Thank you and God bless you all!
I would never clean it with a damp towel. a dry towel is okay. You don't want any moisture around the dry foods at all.
Hehe!! ASMR... smooshing tomatoes. Looks and sounds awesome!
I use an infrared thermometer to test. If any section/piece is still cold/frozen you need to add more time.
Great idea!
I am FDing the last of my garden tomatoes. Thanks for the video!!
Yes, I love my tomato powder!
Me too...
I freeze dry ground beef. Cook it, drain it good and pack it on the trays.
When I dehydrate tomato sauce and apple sauce in my Excalibur dehydrator, I spread the puree onto non-stick sheets that are on the drying racks and then make a two-inch diameter hole in the center of each layer of puree. This seems to help each layer of puree dry a lot faster and more evenly. You may want to try this with the pans of tomato puree you put inside your freeze dryer machine.
I once used my Vitamix to blend my tomatoes for spaghetti sauce. The Vitamix totally liquidated the tomato seeds. The seeds made the sauce bitter. I now deseed my tomatoes before preserving sauce. My friend's mom always put the seeds on paper napkins. Then she planted the seeds the following year attached to the tiny pieces of the napkin. We've never saved and planted seeds. We should start doing that.
Just make sure your tomatoes are organic before you save seeds.
Nice video Thank You.! After freeze-drying we vacuum seal our products for long term storage, in mylar & glass jars. I don't think O2 absorbers are for long term storage...I could be wrong though...
Your farmers market looks lovely. The farmers markets in central NC are ridiculously over priced. Cheaper to get the produce at ALDIs or Costco. Need to get a tomato knife. You guys have so much energy . Ty for all your informative videos.
I freeze dry my maters in my garden, I bought the mill you have
So cool because you can use the tomato powder for EVERYTHING! soups, etc. I have been doing this for years but with a dehydrator, then blend to a powder...works really well. Would love love love to get a freeze dryer...not in the cards right now...thanks for showing the process....you guys are loved in Minnesota! Great family and great info.! Shalom! :) Dawn @ Rich & Dawn in MN :)
I like smaller serving sized mylar bags so when you open them you don't have left over product that will need to be used right away. Also, other brands have ziplocks so double seal is nice.
Thanks for the video. Just made salsa which turned out awesome.
I bought two big bags of this a few months ago when I heard there may be a tomato shortage. We eat a lot of tomato based pasta dishes
would a potato masher work better?
I love tomatoes ,l thought better than anyone,lol.
Any idea who much your electric bill will increase using your freeze dryer. Same question about a food dehydrator.
about 3 dollars a batch for me on my fd
Hats off to you..but given the cost of tomatoes, the investment into a free dryer and not to mention the time invilved? The way I see it Imbetter off buying canned tomatoes products
Do you not cook the tomatoes first? Or potatoes or whatever it is you are freeze drying?
Can you do this with a dehydrator?
yes you can!
If you have the latest firmware, it automatically determines the time. It make it so much easier. Set it and forget it. Also I set the "Extra" dry time to 12 hours and that way if the batch finishes in the middle of the night it just keeps drying.
it is never exact. I have the new firmware and I still need to add extra dry time. especially with liquids
I'm having sticky areas on top of my pureed freeze dried tomatoes. What do I do?
I would think of they’re raw going into the freeze dryer, you would still need to cook the tomatoes after you reconstitute the powder?
Yes, indeed you will need to cook.
Opps, the seeds out of a blender will be chopped up, good luck with planting them.
I dont all of them will grind up? Idk.....
There will be plenty that are not compromised. You talk like we've never done this before!
Do you find if your house has high humidity? Your freeze dried anything will absorb the humidity?
Time is of the essence when packaging, but for powdered products, spices, etc, I tend to use a food grade desiccant packet to be on the safe side.
How has the roller cart been working out as you now use the Dryer? Is it still convenient to keep the unit ON the cart while it's freeze drying?
Can you do a freeze drying video on butter or cheese?
I bought some pre-made freeze dried sample pkgs from Nutrient Survival and had THE WORST nut-allergy skin outbreak response for a week after eating them. I cannot use Nutrient Survival.
The cart turned out to be a perfect investment. It sits perfectly on it, is not wobbly or unstable, and rolls around easy to where we want it. I'm sure we will do a cheese video later, but not sure about butter.
I love freezedrying to save our home grown vegetables for winter or for use in the future. However there has never been a shortage of tomatoes. it is sad that just because you like to freezedry food everyone assumes you are a doomsday prepper.
Use a canning funnel!.....you dont want to ato dust interfering with the sealing process!🤔🤔🤔
How much in electric cost does an hour of the freeze dryer time.
It depends on your rate...where I live depending on how long the batch takes to dry. It costs me any where from $3 to $4 a batch.
consider weighing everything you FD, like schoolreports channel does, to see then they stop losing weight they are dry.
How do you use tomato powder?
Tomato powder is one of my favorite products. I no longer purchase tomato sauce or paste. When I make chili I use beef broth and add tomato powder until it tastes the way I like. I do the same with vegetable soup. Chicken broth with tomato powder makes delicious tomato soup. I usually purchase #10 cans. After opening the can I fill ziplock snack bags then repack the can. After several months go by any unused bags go into the freezer. Humidity will harden the tomato powder into a brick if in a humid climate. Summers in Ohio are very humid.
Delicious in meatloaf.
What size oxygen absorber is needed for that size mylar bag?
300cc
Please use glove every time food comes out of the freeze dryer, because your fingers naturally have MOISTURE, oils and micro bacterium. Unless Ofcourse you wash your hands like a surgical doctor and don't touch anything. years down the road when you open it up, bad news. Recommended by Commercial freeze drying companies. I use gloves when I take the food out of the freeze dryer to test it to make sure everything is dry before I remove it from the freeze dry area. then at the baging area I actually change gloves because I might have touched something. Your trays are sterile from your freezer to your freeze dryer so it is NOT recommended to put it in any other bowl before bagging. If you noticed when you were bagging, you not only touched the mylar bags but you also put your entire hand inside the mylar bag AFTER touching the plastic that your bags came in from an outsourse. " When you wash your hands did you wash them all the way up to your elbows? Also, I don't Blanch the tomatoes but I do cook the sauce and add my seasonings. That way it allows them to simmer and marry into the sauce and ensures that you have cooked out any bacterium in the processing of your tomatoes. Add a little vinegar and a little citric acid. squeeze the juice of an orange or zest a little organic orange. You never know when you open these if you will have the luxury of simmering your sauce for hours. Nor do we know if we will have electricity to reseal. So you might also consider putting it in smaller portion. I've been freeze drying and canning for a while now and have learned something new every harvest. I grow 24 different heirloom tomatoes and peppers every year. I make a puree then I add the seasoning for pizza or chili or Italian Marinara sauce, etc. Sometimes I even roast my butternut, pumpkin, acorn and delicata squash from my garden and mix it in for a great fall soup base. Happy freeze drying.
Is a home freeze dryer worth the cost and time? Is looking for a used one worth it or is it best to go with new ( or refurbished from the company)?