Harvestright Freeze Dryer for Provisioning

[rfe3]

Hi everyone,

Well, I made it back to the US about a month ago and have started the provisioning. In Nov. I pre-ordered a Freeze Dryer from Harvestright to do the bulk of my provisioning, it was waiting on me when I got here last month and I jumped right in. I must say the thing is great...At the moment I'm only concentrating Raw Meats for the bulk of my meals and when I have a sufficent quantity I'm going to start on Pre-cooked Ready to eat meals for passages and such.



The weight savings is phenomenal...I've FD'd 40lbs./18kgs of Ground Beef (lean 90/10 from Sams Club) and the total weight is about 13lbs./6kgs. I package them in 1lb./450g portions and then vacuum them down, the packages get very small also. I've also done about 40lbs./18kgs of sliced Smoked Ham (Smithfield, Walmart) in thin 3-4mm slices and thicker 10mm slices, packaged these also in 1lb./450g portions, 12lbs./5,5kgs of Cube Steak in packages of 4, 10lbs./4,5kgs of Whole Skinless Chicken Breasts in packages of 3, 20lbs./9kgs of Shredded Cheese (Mozzerella and a Chedder Mix)in 1/2lb./200g packages, and about 4lbs/1,8kgs of frozen Sliced Strawberries (unsweetened). I've done about 140lbs./63kgs of food so far and the total weight is about 45lbs./20kgs so far....I'm really amazed with this thing.



The FD'er is the Med. model and will process 10~12lbs./4,5~5,5kgs per cycle. The cycles are averaging about 26 hours with pre-freezing the food before starting the cycle (non-frozen food can take about 6~8 hours longer if the unit has to freeze the food). The exception to the rule is the Walmart Frozen Chicken Breasts, because of the thickness if the breast it took about 32 hours to completely dry them, next time I'm going to buy fresh breasts and flatten them a bit with a Tenderizing Hammer to thin them out a bit. It seems that about 3/4"/20mm thickness is best to keep the cycle in the 26hr. range.



I've got 4 test trays in the unit at the moment, 1 with Whole milk, 1 with Sour Cream, 1 with Cream Cheese and the last with some pre-cooked Yellow Rice. it'll be interesting to see how they come out tomorrow.


The Unit wasn't cheap, I got it on the Black Friday Sale with free shipping for $3100. It's expensive but I'm sure it will pay for it's self in the weight and space savings, not to mention the almost endless supply of meats I'll be able to carry onboard.


I've tested all of the stuff after it's FD'd and it reconstitutes wonderfully, the Chicken and Ham looks and tastes like fresh, the Beef looses some of it's Pinkish tint when rehydrating because it eaporates the Blood as well as the water so it looks a little darker but tastes normal.


I'll post some pictures and will eventually release some Videos on YT showing the process and results. This is going to be fun to see what all I can do with it. I've ordered about 40lbs/18kgs of Pulled Pork from my favorite BBQ joint in Georgia to do next week...Oh baby...Pulled Pork in Paradise....

[GordMay]

Interesting.
Can you further describe the reconstitution process, and results [texture, taste, etc]?

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Interesting.
Can you further describe the reconstitution process, and results [texture, taste, etc]?

Sure, No Problem.
The reconstitution process is really easy, just add Water.... Seriously it's almost that simple. For the raw meats I simply put the Beef - Chicken - Pork in a pan and pour cold water on it (usually until the meat is covered and wait about 15 min. and then pour off the excess and it's fully re-hydrated. For things like the Milk, Rice, Cream Cheese, Shredded Cheese etc...You can calculate the water loss by weighing the full tray before sarting the process and then again afterwards and the difference is how much water you need to re-introduce to the food for re-hydration.



An example is (sorry I work in Metric), I have 1kg/2.2lbs. of cheese before FD'ing, or five 200g / 1/2lb. portions, the weight after the process is 400'ish g / 1lb. so the evaporated water was 600g / 1.3lbs. total. For Five portions of 80g / 3oz. I would need to add about 120g / 4.2oz. of water per portion. Again it takes about 15 min to fully reconstitute. You can always add a little more water if it's still a little crunchy (the dried shredded cheese makes a really nice crunchy Cheese snack as well, the flavor is concentrated because of the water loss). The same goes for any "Critical" foodstuffs (Milk, Cream Cheese, Rice etc..) that you don't want to get too soupy . I write the amount of water to add on each packet as a base line and can then add a little more if necessary to get the desired texture.


As to taste...wow...I find absolutely no difference in taste and texture as fresh and FD'ing (unlike Canning) preserves all of the nutrition. Like I said previously the color of the reconstituted Beef is not the rosy red that we're used to seeing but the taste is the same. I'm going to try some cooked Steaks in the near future but I'm going to Sous Vide them first as I've seen from a Prepper friend that it preserves a little more of the color.


I really think this is a Game changer for Provisioning, not only in the terms of weight savings, and boosting the variety of foods available for long term Cruisers, but also in the ease of prepration of "Ready to Eat" (MRE's) meals on Passage...Just add hot Water...The cost savings over commercial Freeze Dried meals (Mountain House, Augstone Farms etc... is incredible). One portion of Mountain House Spagetti costs between $6 and $8...1kg/2.2lbs og Ground Beef, 2 packges of Spag. noodles and 2 bottles of Ragu sauce (or make your own) would cost under $15 and make 16 meals of 250g/8.8oz...That's a huge savings, plus you know exactly what's in your food (if you made your own Sauces and stuff).


I plan to make some Videos on the process but am currently "getting some film in the can" as the say...


I am open to any questions etc... about this process so feel free to ask. I'll gladly share what I know and what I'm learning as I go along.

[Bill O]

As a scientist, we freeze dried many plant samples (for extractions) and the high vacuum tended to pull the essential oils from them. We occasionally tasted them (fruits) and they were basically a piece of desiccated foam w/most of the taste gone. Never tried meat and maybe it could work ok.

On long hiking or paddling trips we took commercial freeze dried meals. They were again just ok to eat them for a few days, but IMO not for long term. Could see a place for some of them on board if the weather is too rough to cook and all you could do is boil water.

I hope you purchased the oil-less pump option w/your freeze dryer. If you didn't, try to let the vacuum come down slowly to avoid oil fumes going back up into the food chamber.

Just my 2 cents.

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by Bill O

As a scientist, we freeze dried many plant samples (for extractions) and the high vacuum tended to pull the essential oils from them. We occasionally tasted them (fruits) and they were basically a piece of desiccated foam w/most of the taste gone. Never tried meat and maybe it could work ok.

On long hiking or paddling trips we took commercial freeze dried meals. They were again just ok to eat them for a few days, but IMO not for long term. Could see a place for some of them on board if the weather is too rough to cook and all you could do is boil water.

I hope you purchased the oil-less pump option w/your freeze dryer. If you didn't, try to let the vacuum come down slowly to avoid oil fumes going back up into the food chamber.

Just my 2 cents.

The Fruits (strawberries and Peaches) I've done so far have been great...I actually like them more than normal ones. They are light and chunchy and the flavor is more intense, It's like Strawberry or Peach Chips... Everyone I've let try them have loved them. The leeching of oils may be of greater significance when trying to extract materials for research but for eating...not a a problem.



The Freeze Dryers have been around the Prepper Community for years and are proven for Long term storage. I know guys that have 10 year old FD'd meals that still reconstitute easily and taste great. I've personally eaten 10 year old Ground Beef and Pork Chops as well as Chilli's and Soups (from a friends "Zombie Apocalypse stash") and they were Normal...That's what pushed me into getting a FD'er for Provisioning. The difference (IMO) is the commercial products for Camping etc...are just that...commercial products. It tastes like the pre cooked frozen meals you buy in the Grocery Store that don't taste very good in the first place. I've tried many of the offerings from Mountan House and Augason Farms and found the Mountain House is garbage (and expensive), the Augason Farms stuff is better but also more expensive and packed in Nr. 10 Cans. The FD meals I've had that were "Homemade" were far, far superior.


I didn't buy the Oil less Pump because of Heat and Noise issues but I do know about releasing the pressure slowly from the chamber as well as installing a valve on the hose between the pump and Vac. chamber to isolate the pump and fumes.


The following is not aimed at you Bill...just a general statement.



I've been around the Sailing Community for 25+ years and I know new Ideas and thought are met with a lot of resistance because "that's not the way it's been done for the last hundred years" mindset that permeates the Sailing Culture. Just look at the 10 year battle over Dyneema Rigging or Alternative Nav. Systems like Open CPN and Raspberry Pi etc... vs the Commercial alternatives. These things fought a hard uphill battle for acceptance (and it still rages today) but they have proven themselves.


Freeze Drying in the Sailing Community is a relativly new thing...I only know of one other Sailor who actually has a Freeze Dryer, but they have been around for years in the Prepper / Homesteader communities and are viable.

[Bill O]

In my career, we did a lot of freeze drying (plants, pharmaceuticals and foods). Some of it was USDA where they developed the dried puffed fruits found in cereal.
At the same facility, there was a drive to gamma irradiate meat (chicken and pork) to provide a foil wrapped, shelf stable product. While it was shelf stable for years, it changed the taste profile and wasn't acceptable.

None of these preserving attempts are new and I'm retired now. Probably for good reason, most of these haven't hit the main stream.

If you find everything acceptable, then it works for you.

[rfe3]

I'll agree with you that I don't think the FD'd stuff will last 25 years like they claim but like I said I've had 10 year old stuff and it was Ok...Planning and Provisioning for a 2 year journey shouldn't bring any of the longevety issues into play...IMO it's better to have the avaiaability of the Meats and Diary even if minimally tase compromised than doing with out...

[Bill O]

Just out of curiosity, are you planning a 2yr. non-stop circum nav. and need to stock up on food for the whole term?

Will you have refrigeration on your boat? A bonus will be that FD items will not need refrigeration and if packed in single serve units, there will be no leftovers to refrigerate.

We find it more fun to try/eat new local things and augment land meat with fish, etc.. This maybe out of the comfort zone for some, but is part of the adventure of visiting new places.

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Just out of curiosity, are you planning a 2yr. non-stop circum nav. and need to stock up on food for the whole term?

Will you have refrigeration on your boat? A bonus will be that FD items will not need refrigeration and if packed in single serve units, there will be no leftovers to refrigerate.

We find it more fun to try/eat new local things and augment land meat with fish, etc.. This maybe out of the comfort zone for some, but is part of the adventure of visiting new places.

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.

[Bill O]

Thanks for sharing your needs and this makes more sense now.

[rfe3]

Just finished another load...Strawberries, Chicken Breasts and a test load of Chicken Tika with Kurkuma Rice as a MRE and a couple of Sausage Patties.
The Sausage Patties came out well, usually really fatty stuff doesn't FD well but these were really nice and dry. I made a Video of them before I added water to reconstitute them but somehow I deleted it from my phone. I have a Video of them after 10 min in hot water reconstituted and the obvious aftermath....


Here's a link to the short Video of the reconstituted Sausage:

https://youtu.be/A6ozcORMHwY

[rfe3]

I just reconstuted some of the Chicken Tika and Kurkuma Rice that I finished yesterday. It turned out great. Here's a Video link:


https://youtu.be/N-7kwJs1cW8

[SV_FlyingTigress]

I have the same machine and am using it for the same thing. Did you get the large or medium unit.

[Mike OReilly]

Nice . I've been dehydrading (not freeze-drying), for decades now. Started with canoe/kayak tripping. There it was mainly for weight and volume savings. But I've continued on with doing it with the sailing life. Weight is not an issue anymore, but long-term storage and ever-freshness is great.

The big advantage of freeze drying is that you retain more of the food nutrients. But drying food is dead easy, and doesn't require any fancy equipment, so is dirt cheap. You can buy a dehydrator for like $60, or you can make one for less. An oven or toaster oven, or even just a sunny day, is all you need. And you can dry just about anything; meats, veg, fruit, sauces, or various complete meals (stews, thick soups, chili, etc.).

Not trying to suggest IN ANY WAY that the freeze drying isn't great. It is! Just offering an alternative to those of more frugal means .

[rfe3]

Originally Posted by Stephen_MO

I have the same machine and am using it for the same thing. Did you get the large or medium unit.

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Nice . I've been dehydrading (not freeze-drying), for decades now. Started with canoe/kayak tripping. There it was mainly for weight and volume savings. But I've continued on with doing it with the sailing life. Weight is not an issue anymore, but long-term storage and ever-freshness is great.

The big advantage of freeze drying is that you retain more of the food nutrients. But drying food is dead easy, and doesn't require any fancy equipment, so is dirt cheap. You can buy a dehydrator for like $60, or you can make one for less. An oven or toaster oven, or even just a sunny day, is all you need. And you can dry just about anything; meats, veg, fruit, sauces, or various complete meals (stews, thick soups, chili, etc.).

Not trying to suggest IN ANY WAY that the freeze drying isn't great. It is! Just offering an alternative to those of more frugal means .

Hi Stephen,

I got the Med. unit. Are you also in Brians MeWe Group? If you are the same person then we spoke a few months back in the group, and you were the person I was refering to in an earlier comment where I said I knew of one other Sailor with one.


Hi Mike,

I've done some Dehydrating as well in the past to preserve some foods but Dehydrationg tends to leave a lot more moisture in the product (especially Meats and Dairy) that aren't as condusive to Long Term Storage as Freeze Dying. I'm going to try some partial Freeze Drying with some fruits and such (maybe a 1/2 cycle or something) to see if they are comprable to Dehydrated fruits. I love the crunchy fruits from the FD'er but the softer are nice as well.


I agree it's much more expensive than a Dehydrator but for me it's worth it.