![]() The dryer unit does come with a starter amount of desiccant packets as well. In theory this gives full life storage for the items. We did put a desiccant packet into each jar before hand. With the mason jars, we use a Food Saver accessory hose and the toppers that pull the air out of the jar. I recommend wearing food grade disposable gloves.įreeze-dried carrots, sealed for storage. That is definitely where having us work together works well. Sliced bell peppers and slivered carrots.Ģ4 or so hours later, we pulled it and got it quickly into mason jars and mylar bags. Their tenders don’t often give them the good parts so even better. No wasting here! It was perfectly freeze-dried. What a shame to throw away! It smelled fine, so the chickens got to enjoy it. The recommend bread, because it’s normally cheap, but hey, the broccoli was cheaper! We popped in 3 pounds of broccoli florets as I had scored it for $1.99. Once the unit is setup, Harvest Right recommends doing a first run, of something you can run through cheaply, to pick up any “odors” from manufacturing. You might need an electrician to add more boom. So before you commit to a Large unit, check out your power is right for it in your home, garage or shop. But if you are not inclined that way, the Medium and Small units do not need this. For him, this was easy enough, just a visit to Home Depot to get the items and a few minutes work. This meant Kirk had to install a new one in the place we have the unit set up. To do the setup, since we bought the largest unit, it required a 110 volt (NEMA 5-20) outlet. The small unit won’t be as big, so there is that. So keep that in mind should you want the large unit. Kirk met them on the road with our tractor, and used the pallet forks we have – as it was delivered on a wood pallet. It was delivered via FedEx Freight, and we live on a rural road (so they wouldn’t back up to our house down our long driveway – many times freight companies will, but FedEx will never do that). Again, the smaller models are far easier to move! So keep that in mind. And you would need a couple adults to do this (2 at least, 3 is better). If you lived in town, they would put the pallet on your driveway, and you’d need to unpack it to carry it in. The large freeze dryer ships in one package with a total weight of 253 lbs – so yes, that is why we used the tractor to unload it, and carry it up our driveway. So for us, not a huge enough issue to spend the extra money. We did not buy the upgraded oil-free unit as it cost around an additional $1,500. It weighs in at 138 pounds, and the detachable vacuum pump that sits outside the freeze dryer. I am sure someone has that big of a kitchen, but mine is not. And not in the kitchen, unless your kitchen is massive. Harvest Right would tell you this is “perfect for the countertop, I’d say no, it isn’t. The freeze dryer dimensions are 20.25″ W x 23.75″ D x 30.75″ H. But Kirk was right: We needed the biggest due to growing food. I didn’t quite realize how big it was, till it showed up. When we bought ours, we went for the largest home unit….and be forewarned: This is not a small unit. This time of year I am often canning food in mason jars a couple times a week, if not daily. Suddenly we needed to get it ready to use. But if all you want to do is get out a few times a year, then buying the ingredients might just be a better investment (and no shame in that!).īeing busy, we only got it set up recently, which was timed with the harvest on our homestead. Do you enjoy/want to put up items for prepping on a large scale? Do you have a very limited diet due to allergies or you follow a strict diet such as keto? Then it can be worth it. If you have the money, the time and the products to freeze-dry, then it can be worth it. I am often asked if it is worth getting one. They range from $2,600 to $3,600 depending on the sales offered. The home freeze-dryer units are not affordable – at all. It’s not like buying a dehydrator for your counter, where you might spend $65 to $500 dollars. And I DO buy a lot of freeze-dried ingredients for recipe development. ![]() I’d think to myself “ for the initial cost we could buy a lot of already freeze-dried food“. ![]() When at home freeze-dryer units started showing up a few years back I really questioned if it was worth buying one. After a lot of talking it over, and justifying it, we picked up a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer awhile back.
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