Better than Candy (How to Freeze Dry Berries)

[@LittleKi1]

Just got a freeze dryer. These videos are incredibly useful.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Glad I could help!

[@lorikrafft8197]

Are absolutely love freeze dried apples!!! I wish I could buy a freeze drier!!!!

[@gloriaroberts8963]

😢😢😢😢😢😢 18:17 18:18 18:18 18:18

[@annnelson6311]

Hi Carolyn, thank you for this video! I would love to see more content on freeze drying different kinds of foods. Thanks!

[@ShiraKaiman]

to save time try using an egg slicer to slice your strawberries on the other side of it the berries will all be the same size slice, also good on mushrooms.

[@SuziesCornerInLove]

My egg slicer is wire. It pulls and isn't best. I have my berries in freezer. I'm goung to try the slicer to my kitchen aid. Let's hope it works!

[@aaronmcclanahan3449]

We have a strawberry slicer

[@CatherineGoodrich]

My mom always did that!

[@pt8019]

Another downside is they emit heat and they are loud. Things you need to think about. We love ours too.

[@ediemurray1692]

You can get ones that are more quite now. Cant even hear mine and its not the top of the line for the most quite.

[@jbbrowneyes]

For the knock off brand bags (especially the zip top kind) before you use them open them up and look into the dark bag for light. A lot have pin holes that will let air in. Another reason to use jars is that rodents can’t chew into them. mice WILL chew through a Mylar bag…even the expensive ones

[@jeannettelavoie9829]

If you have to break the skins of blueberries the absolute best way to do it would be with a brand new dog brush! Lay your blueberries down in your tree and just plunge the brush into a bunch of blueberries at the same time

[@jeannettelavoie9829]

Sorry, meant tray lol not tree

[@dianaalderson]

Great idea, thanks for the comment.

[@robinpaulissian9]

Roller Berry? I was under the impression that this was the best method for blueberries… expensive, but the best?

[@fishnlady]

Great idea.

[@mimiashford5544]

For us, large blueberries just weren't worth the trouble, but I found that wild blueberries, which are much smaller, dry perfectly & quickly without any prep other than washing/drying.

[@cassgrimm3029]

same

[@PaPaKarl]

I purchased a meat tenderizer tool with 48 prongs to peirce the blueberries. I place the berries in a single layer on the freeze dryer trays,then pierce the berries. Works great and is fast!

[@marisab7]

This sounds like the ONLY way! Thank you ma’am!

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Great idea!

[@mattpurchase1]

Derma roller?

[@enuffisenuff24]

I just did 5lbs of Huckleberries and 2lbs of Raspberry...they really are super nice to just have in a container to throw in oatmeal or yogurt or ice cream. Whats really nice is you can bake with them without turning everything grey! Keeping them stocked is the hardest thing!

[@fdabill1]

These freeze drying videos that demonstrate the ways you use them are so very helpful. I would love to see you show freeze drying and using tomato products. Mine are still green but will be ready soon and I’m not quite sure all the ways I could use my freeze drier for them. Thanks for all you share.

[@charlenehamm]

I use our hard boiled egg slicer to slice strawberries and bananas to freeze dry to add to cereal or desserts.

[@ceepark114]

I like the idea of blending up the berries then putting in the freeze dryer then make a powder from them.

[@SuziesCornerInLove]

I've made a "blended green soup" for years now. It works perfect for freeze drying using same method. Just add hot aater. Oh, well, i love to add nutritional yeast and garlic infused olive oil to may soup mug. Yum.

[@vicky52557985]

omg you have 2 freeze dryers i am totally jealous!!! Everything looks so good

[@jessicameyer4135]

A freeze dryer is my next big goal!

[@karenhowell7850]

For powdering, I like to put the contents of the tray into a gallon zip-lock bag. Then I lay it on the counter and run my rolling pin over the bag. It powders easily. Then I empty the bag into my jar or mylar bag.

[@lauragrandgenett]

This video is so helpful. Got my first freeze dryer and really appreciate your detailed instructions for the berries. Thank you for the help.

[@2andrea]

This just answered about every question I had. Thanks Carolyn!

[@honeybadger5933]

You can use an onion slicing holder to prick the blueberries. That was a tip i learned from Darcy the dehydrating queen.

[@scinanisern9845]

The jar may be evacuated using the Freeze Dryer. Prepare the jar for sealing just like in canning, and after removing the tray holder, place a tray on the bottom of the FD vessel and place the canning jars on the tray. Close the valve and door, turn on the vacuum. After a minute or two turn off the pump and open the valve, letting air in. Shazam... sealed. The mylar bags may be done too, helps to have a food bag clamp. Look it up on youtube and you can watch it being done.

[@karenhowell7850]

I appreciate your thorough instructions. Thanks! I am learning a lot.

[@brendamossey9321]

I want one so bad but just not in the budget for me. But I do love watching these videos on making different things with them.

[@unicornjennie]

Same here

[@mvpdavidson45]

They have layaway.

[@joyceburton8208]

Love your videos and the information you share. You listed the jar adapter but not the make-model of the hand held vacuum tool you used -- unless of course I just missed it. Please let me know more info. Thank you so much and please keep making these informative videos.

[@mjvoigts]

How do you make a smoothie out of the powder? Great video!

[@ensabahnur7657]

Great presentation!

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Thanks for watching

[@mojoflyingsolo639]

I do a lot of eggs and when they are done I put the eggs into a zip lock bag and use a rolling pin to powder them up and the into a half gallon jar for a week before I put them into mylar bags.

[@joyfulfootprints1174]

Why in a jar foe a week?

[@janetchisolm-richard6225]

Thanks. This was very informative. I bought some blackberries and this was a gem.

[@mahahassan5365]

احببت الفيديو كثيرآ شكرا جزيلا لك

[@T4nkcommander]

Everyone says berries are pretty easy, but I've had the hardest time with them, never getting a successful run of cherries so far. Blueberries are lot of work if you want them to remain fully intact, otherwise they won't FD properly. I'm guessing that untreated frozen batch of blueberries you did here wont actually FD properly. With ver 24 and newer (at least) you can mix non-frozen and frozen food with no issue. I do it all the time. Thanks for the video!

[@SilverTopMom]

One of my grandson's absolutely loves my freeze dried apples and strawberries! I haven't tried blueberries yet, but do plan to. I do however have large bags of frozen, individually packaged (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ext.) that I bought on sale at our local store. They are 5 pound bags each and I picked up two bags each. I know it's going to take the entire freeze dryer per 10 pounds. I'm sure my grandson will love them.

[@MispelledOnPurpose]

I had a hard time with fruit too, especially berries. Then I tried extending both the freeze time and the dry time by 12 hours and it worked. I still have to rush to seal them up as soon as the machine stops because they reabsorb moisture quickly.

[@chicken-grandma]

I can't wait to do berries...I did blue berries and they were terrible...will try strawberry and blackberries soon

[@cherylpresleigh6403]

We just purchased a used Harvest Right freeze dryer from someone who upgraded to a larger size so this was a not only timely but a fabulous video, thank you! I’m wondering if when blending the berries and yogurt for a smoothie powder, if it’s okay to add a protein or collagen powder to the mix as well or if it would be better to add those types of extras when rehydrating the powder?

[@crystalclear1969]

I love my freeze dryer

[@ashleiwilliams447]

I dont know if anyone has thought of it, but for the blueberries you could use a fork and collect them on a fork then push them off. Might be faster haha

[@NanaFlea]

Question, I've had my freeze dryer for about a year now. I have never had the "pre freeze" button ? The only time mine doesn't said, pre freezing wait 15 minutes is in the candy mode (I believe). I'd go check, but I'm freeze drying some shredded zucchini. 😂

[@flintstonegirl3372]

I use a metal hair pick to prick my blueberries 🫐. Great video!

[@bmills284]

I heard that if one tray still needed more time that you would keep the others in there for the additional time too. Are you sayng you can just put the one tray back for additional time?

[@jenniferschmitt7938]

When I freeze dry my frozen blueberries that has 30 or 40 needle-like Sticks on it. I use that on the blueberries just like I would a piece of steak. It will pierce all of the blueberries. I only do this when the blueberries are frozen because if you try to do it with the non-frozen it will mash them

[@SuziesCornerInLove]

I cannot picture what you're saying. I'm curiousthough.

[@stacey7540]

​@@SuziesCornerInLoveThey just mean to freeze the blueberries then take a meat tenderizer (one with the pins to poke meat) and poke the berries. This way the berries aren't mashed because they are frozen.

[@hollie99]

For the blueberries i watched another video and they used a hair pick to poke lots of blueberries at one time .

[@leslieunderwood1429]

Do you have a link to the hand held sealer? The link you provided is for the jar attachment. Thank you so much!

[@motleydigger]

You can freeze dry using a regular freezer at the lowest temperature. I think people would find a video how to about that more useful.

[@joyfulfootprints1174]

That seems like it would be a different product - one that would still have moisture??

[@motleydigger]

I do know it's possible if you get your deep freze to the right temperature

[@Joie-de-Vivre33]

I have the jar adapter, but what is the hand held vacuum sealer that you use? I use my adapter with my cabela’s sealer and would like something more convenient for the jars.

[@marniebryce8922]

We also have two freeze driers but have them spaced on either end of the room in our basement. We still struggle with too much heat in the room for the machines to work proper. Do you have air conditioning?

[@melodyreeder9762]

Use a fan that blows on the freeze dryer

[@suzysuzannesuzy]

Transfer the blueberries to the tray with a fork. That will quickly move and pierce a bunch at a time.

[@HelpYouToOrganize]

Awesome video Thanks! I have a few questions~ Can I send the children off with the fruits in a zip lock bag? How long will they be good for? And if fruit is in a jar we open daily, do we vacuum seal each time the jar is opened? Thanks in advance!

[@marlaherrington5320]

I would love to get a freeze dryer but it's just not in my budget

[@denbrei9112]

I have a food saver vacuum system minus the jar part. Can I use those bags instead of the mylar ones? Great video, very informative

[@HomesteadingFamily]

The mylar bags will not only store longer, but keep the light off the food with helps, as well.

[@SusanHenshaw]

Hello, love your videos. Would you vinegar and water wash your berries before freeze drying?

[@Dee.G123]

Thank you for tge excellent video. Do you have a link for the hand held vacuum sealer/pump?

[@robingirven4570]

My son traded me 10 lbs of cherries for 1/2 gallons of FD strawberries today!! Lol Frozen Right has a tool that will poke all those in quick time!

[@bmills284]

I heard you say dont mix prefrozen batches with fresh batches but can you put cooked and uncooked food trays in the same load?

[@caryreprogle6445]

Hi Carolyn, just have a question, with your machines so close together, how do you operate the drain valve on the right one and do you have a problem with heat transfer? love your videos, keep up the good work.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

We talk about heat transfer with the freeze dryer here at 11:45 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHKuqYNmgLRgiqc&lc=UgyYyBHc4eL5TL4j8Rt4AaABAg

[@spillman1569]

I would like to know how they handled the drain valve as well!

[@patrickmiriamgallaher8698]

Since only one tray was incomplete and had to go back to the freeze dryer, do you have to add 4 more trays if something else or can you just continue drying with that one tray alone. Thanks for your wonderful videos.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

You can run it with just the one tray if needed, for more time.

[@shadownightshade9125]

What would be the best place to put a freeze dryer. Could you put outside on a covered enclosed deck. I know there is a hose for draining. I really have a lot of room in my kitchen.

[@JanineMJoi]

They ARE LOUD. We freeze everything first, so it takes less time to freeze. Otherwise, it takes hours more to freeze dry

[@SuziesCornerInLove]

"Retired at 40" has a rolling brush that pricks the blueberries while in the tray. I don't remember what type of brush.

[@beccasue2067]

Could you give me a little information if you have done green beans and the freeze dryer? I've watched a few videos. They seem to be great as snacks, right from the jar. However, it Seems to be more work to rehydrate for meals. Do you have any experience with this? I currently pressure can our green beans.

[@melissabeecher828]

What settings do you use when doing the fresh fruit. Do you need to change temperatures in settings?

[@Chill_6263]

Hi I was just curious what your settings were set to? The temp and dry time? Thank you

[@michaelkatdonaldson9234]

I'd like to know also

[@lindasteenhuis2639]

Is it OK to put a mixture of freeze dried fruit together in a storage jar and then vacuum seal it?

[@cathydavis9259]

Yes

[@propheticsignificance6921]

A pizza dough docker to pierce your berries quickly.

[@tammynevil2422]

Can you make jelly from freeze dried fruit???

[@genevievepresseault5108]

I freezed dried lime wedges a few days ago. I put them in a vacuum mason jar. But I took one and it’s sticky…can or should I put them back in the freeze dryer??

[@jonnaenck1570]

I just bought a freeze dryer. Do you have a link to pre-order your book?

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Not yet, but we will let you know as soon as we do.

[@BobBob-g5y]

Did you do 12 hours freeze 12 hour dry? Or 24 hour dry time?

[@FatemaYousef-h7q]

At what temperature do you set the freeze dryer?

[@julienasett499]

Could you let me know how much your electric bill goes up when using the freeze dryer.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

More on it here: homesteadingfamily.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-run-a-freeze-dryer/

[@rubyspencer6435]

How can i purchase your salves? I need some comfrey oil or salve but I want organic?

[@HomesteadingFamily]

We do not currently sell our salves. You can purchase the ingredients here: www.farmhouseteas.com/collections/salve-ingredients-homesteading-family

[@LibertyOrDeath7230]

Hows the texture of freeze dried smoothies?

[@robingirven4570]

My freeze dryer doesn’t ask me if it’s pre-frozen or not. I’ve got sweet cherries, bananas and strawberries in the FD right now.

[@susanjordan2130]

Mine niether

[@sister_num7516]

Thanks. I have fruit going in soon! Too have a creepy basement

[@nats6579]

What do you do with the berries once the jar is opened? Do you have to vacuum seal it again or add another fresh oxygen absorber each time you open them? If not, how long is it good for on the shelf?

[@HomesteadingFamily]

With the oxygen absorber, you can just close the jar again. If store out of direct light in a temperate area, they will store up to 25 years.

[@jennbrooks3589]

Have you freeze dried butter?

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Unfortunately, you can't freeze dry butter due to its high fat content.

[@mzlibertyrose8586]

Can you freeze dry milk?

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Yes! homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-freeze-milk/

[@salemthorup9536]

I was told by someone that owns a freezedryer that raspberries and blackberries need to be punctured to be properly freeze dried. I think i also saw it on another channel. Do you have any idea why that's what a lot of people have been saying? Obviously your experience looks to be different.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

We talk more about freeze drying several types of berries here: homesteadingfamily.com/freeze-drying-berries-easy-snack-stores-for-years/

[@JVsNorthwoodsHomestead]

QUESTION: About freeze drying temperature. Will the vitamins in freeze dried foods degrade at the pre-set 125°F, like they do with dehydrating? I'm currently freeze drying my first ever batch (after the moist bread) and I lowered the temperature to 115°F because I don't want vitamin loss but it's taking forever! Thoughts on this, please? Thanks in advance!

[@VictoriaPerreault]

No ma'am, they do not lose nutritional value like dehydrating. I am currently making baby food for our second Great Grandchild, and that is what her parents like about it; maintains it's nutrient dense state, is transportable without needing refrigeration, weighs less, can be rehydrated with water or formula, maintains it's color, and is all around better for the baby.

[@JVsNorthwoodsHomestead]

@@VictoriaPerreault Are you sure about that? Foods exposed to 120°F lose vitamins and vitamin C starts degrading at 86°F. I don't see how the vitamins are preserved in such high heat. Is it possible that maybe because the foods are frozen first and then exposed to the heat that they may be preserved? I find this topic really interesting to think about and I'll have to do more research! Thanks for your response!

[@JVsNorthwoodsHomestead]

I guess there's something that I'm missing about the freeze drying process because foods are frozen, then the drying process at a high temperature occurs but if the food isn't completely dried (as Carolyn's whole strawberries) it is still cold in the non-dried part! How is it still cold if exposed to 125°F temperatures for so long during the drying process?!?! Lol

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Freeze drying preserves 97% of the nutrients compared to other food preservation methods.

[@1165slugman]

Herbs and anything your worried about i go to 90⁰ setting and dry a little longer. You don't have to end cycles at 120⁰.

[@SilverTopMom]

I don't currently have fresh berries, I do however have large bags of frozen, individually packaged (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ext.) that I bought on sale at our local store. They are 5 pound bags each and I picked up two bags each. I know it's going to take the entire freeze dryer per 10 pounds, What I'm wondering is, can I just add the frozen blueberries to the trays, or do they still need to be poked?

[@EddieChadwick]

Hello 👋

[@stacey7540]

You need to poke them or blanch them like she showed in the video because you have a lot.

[@SilverTopMom]

@@stacey7540 Ok, but here's my question. These things are all blanched before they are frozen in most cases aren't they? Just trying to cover all bases.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Blueberries, Elderberries, and Cranberries (and grapes): Wash and dry the berries. Then process them by either slicing them in half or piercing the skin with a toothpick. Or, quickly blanch them in boiling water, strain them, and allow them to dry.

[@SilverTopMom]

@@HomesteadingFamily Thank you!

[@diannenutt5891]

Try putting liquid in bags ànd prefeeeze like that

[@stephaniewilbur9748]

I envy the owners of freeze driers … and all those delicious freeze dried food! But for now as a single woman, I can’t see this being a worthwhile investment. I just wouldn’t need this kind of volume.

[@melodyreeder9762]

You do need one if you want to save on your groceries . I'm sure you found out this past year that what you spent a month ago on food is now costing you higher prices, as well as you most likely noticed that there are food products that are not available on grocery store shelves . And if you have a garden you can now be able to preserve foods from your harvest. And with the possible war coming out the stores might be closed due to the grid going down. As well as you can freeze dry left overs and portion it out to eat later. One way to save is all your stores for soon to be out of date products that you can take home and freeze dry at a great savings , once food is freeze dried you have years on the shelf to eat that soon to be out of dated product that you extended the life on I got my freeze dryer and love it

[@mahahassan5365]

أتمني ان يصبح لديا مجفف للفواكهة والخضرات 😊❤

[@cathydavis9259]

FYI-mice will eat through the mylar bags. They need to be stored in a food grade plastic bucket with a lid. I had this happen to me. I love my freeze dryer but I'm having issues with vacuum error about every 3rd batch. Even after I defrost and clean it. I'm always calling Harvest Right for help. They keep sending me upgrades to download but the problem isn't fixed. Is anyone else having this issue.

[@sherrywilbourn4605]

We just had the software update for that very reason...so far so good. We also put a gas valve on to replace the valve that came with it...recommended from watching you tube videos.

[@melodyreeder9762]

I sent my machine back and they repaired the issue on that. Never had a problem after they fixed it .

[@micheletanis9973]

Go for you Florida now for all 50 states to the same. We don’t want that crap on our tables!

[@Angela_Alaimo]

Why would you have to wash the berries? They're not the least bit dirty

[@keithbelz2346]

Trust me if you freeze fresh blueberries,the skin will crack ,, frozen stuff expands,,so the piercing skins is a not needed waste of time

[@unicornjennie]

Whats the difference between freeze drying and using a dehydrator?

[@HomesteadingFamily]

More on that here: homesteadingfamily.com/freeze-dried-vs-dehydrated-foods/

[@carolestewart2867]

The best freeze dryer is the Canada one the harvest is junk

[@1Preston11]

Just found you today. Your presentations are so fun . Have learned so much already. Just must have your freeze dryer. Tried dehydrating- Booo. 😅😅😅 Will be saving up for a bit but so excited about the day its possible. 😊