How to Organize Your Freeze Dried Food & Setting Up Your Workspace

[@OvcharkaShepherd]

Suggestion … we stack the Mylar bags in clear Christmas tree bins. They are the same depth and narrower in length than the steel racks. No more slip sliding off the shelf. Love the squeaky clean floors ❤

[@DWeiss-ln6qr]

Definitely great information here! One thing I would probably do a bit differently is to get bins that fit the rolling racks to prevent non-gussetted mylar bags from falling over. It helps to keep things more neatly organized, and the bins can be labeled by food/dish/meal. By placing newer items to the back of the bins and older items to front, you can more easily keep track of when food was freeze dried and easily determine the cycling of freeze-dried food.

[@nancytyrrell8924]

I am also putting my "stash" in plastic bins with a list of what is in them with the date made and copies of any recipes that go with the food Items. (I was an accountant in life and had to do excel spreadsheets all the time!) I am working on bin #12!

[@americanbliss6279]

Great video! I use the same racks, but I put my mylar bags in banker boxes (used for storing office paperwork). I find that by staggering them right side up and upside down I can fit more bags, then I label & date the outside so I know what's in them. The boxes also keep the light out.

[@live.life.simple.]

Great tip!

[@echopapa243]

We use FDing for years of long term survival food for a large group. After bagging we stack the Mylar into 55 gal steel drums to protect primarily from rodents. Easy to move, store, stack. Only consideration once barreled is temperature.

[@live.life.simple.]

If a person has the space for them, the barrels are a great way to store!

[@JM-te6ot]

Thank you so much for the really great videos over the years, they have been exceptionally helpful. What I see here though is something that most can’t duplicate, and that is your storage area. Most will see this video and think “thats fine for the guy who has the bucks, but what about me and my small crawl space?”

[@micheletanis9973]

I also bought some file holders that hang on the walls and I put my my large bags according to their sizes in them. I love it easy to get a hold of.

[@01aikimikey]

Really like your channel. Tons of good information. I haven't seen all of the videos so maybe you've already mentioned it but I REALLY LIKE the webcam idea positioned in front of the F.D. screen. Doing this has saved me a lot of trips out to the garage to check on the machines progress. Thanks!

[@live.life.simple.]

Glad you found it helpful. Hopefully, it will be an option on freeze dryers in the future.

[@hardnackfarms1736]

Wow! Your freeze drying space is very impressive. I would love to have this. We are in the process of building a home and I am getting my dream kitchen and pantry. for now I am struggling with space and storage, plus learning the freeze drying way! I find the items needed for freeze drying are expensive! I seriously need to hit the lottery the problem is I don't play. lol Your channel is so informative I appreciate you! Have a very blessed day! Wendy

[@live.life.simple.]

That's great that you will be able to build your freeze drying area the way you want!

[@hardnackfarms1736]

@@live.life.simple. I think I will be putting it in my pantry. The house is taking forever. Have a great week!

[@wannabefarmgirl9595]

@@hardnackfarms1736 Just know the freeze dryer puts off a ton of heat and has to be in a pretty well ventilated area or it increases the drying time. We built our house and planned a space in the garage then realized it was going to be too warm in there to be ideal. Also we didn’t realize until we were sheetrocked in and our freeze dryer arrived you need a heavier gauge wiring/outlet for your freeze dryer. Luckily, we have a laundry room taht we hadn’t ordered upper cabinets for yet that had space to sit the large size HR on the countertop, next to a window (and a sink for draining!). We have to leave that door and window open when we run it and have a box fan blowing the hot air out of the window and even then still sometimes get the “too warm” warning from the machine. Hope that helps and have so much fun freeze drying! 😊

[@BubbleTeaKristin]

@@wannabefarmgirl9595 @live.life.simple This is the difficulty I'm running into. Here in the UK we don't have AC! I'd like to buy the freeze dryer machine but don't know where to put it! If I put it in a 'cooler room', where I store all my fresh veg, canned and prepped foods, will the temperature in there then fluctuate so much it ruins the long-store food items? Or keep it in the kitchen and leave the windows open, knowing it will just be really hot in there! 😅

[@TFDchief-fk2sc]

Awesome info!

[@live.life.simple.]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching

[@SilverTopMom]

Great ideas. I have a shelf in my spare bedroom and that's where I have my one mettle shelf just like yours, we love those! I'm thinking of just getting some rubber totes, and label them so they can be stacked. I should be able to stack them in the closet that way. I will be putting some bay leaves inside the totes (rodents don't like the smell of the bay leaves) and are less likely to try to get into them.

[@sura2047]

Great video!! Thank you for the wonderful tips

[@live.life.simple.]

Glad it was helpful!

[@krickette5569]

Thank you for this! I've just been storing mine in tubs and don't like that system at all.

[@WWDBlessings]

Thank you for all of the great information. Finally Moving my machine to a separate room so I get to organize it like I want!!! The stainless tables you have - How tall are they? Can you adjust the height? I am 5'9 and prefer to have my counters a little higher than normal. Again, Thank you.

[@genevievechock4086]

Which table length do you use for the extra large freeze dryer?

[@cindylittle2813]

Just a suggestion, if you turn all your shelves upside down there will be a lip all the way around to keep bags and jars from sliding off. It will take a little time to take them all apart and redo but will even hold more product.

[@live.life.simple.]

Great idea!

[@furrykidz]

One thing not mentioned about the wire racks is the direction of the wires. The racks in the video are commercial racks. The cheap racks have the shelf wiring the width (long direction) instead of the depth (short direction). This makes a big difference in how stable jars, cans, and bags are on the shelves.

[@SuziPoozi]

Its kinda funny you are talking about organization, I've been wanting to comment on your shelf storage for a while. LOL If you put your mylar bags sitting upright in baskets or clear totes like mentioned below, you can create sooo much more storage space and it will be easier to see what you have. If you can bag them more evenly and flat in the bag (think bookish shape) rather than having the food settled on the bottom, it will store easier. Having the vacuum sealer is perfect for doing this, especially since the bags lay flat. You could have it like a file box and have the oldest up front for easy rotation, if that makes sense. Just a thought. : )

[@glorytogodhomestead3495]

Where is your workspace? Is it at your house? And would you put your own stuff in?

[@Jackiehostetler-y8b]

Ahhhhh a vegan shelf love it

[@kellycarlton7250]

Those fabric clothes storage bags with a zipper work great and very inexpensive

[@DavidKimbrough-s1r]

Where do you find the stainless-steel tables for "not very much money"?

[@frenchfry4310]

You could use baskets to organize them further, less chance for the bags to slip off

[@live.life.simple.]

Definitely. You could also label and sort baskets

[@KG-ee8cf]

Beautiful set up. Unfortunately, living in the country as I do, the mice would have a hay day in there. I believe everything should be in rodent resistant containers.

[@RoseFelton]

I have the same problem. My FD food are in mason jars now because the mice started getting into what I had the food in. I keep them on the metal shelves like in the video, but I need more room and more shelving!!

[@mountainmom3773]

Yep. Those thick black and yellow storage bins from Costco are a lifesaver. Stackable, lockable and pretty much rodent-proof.

[@beverlylowry6731]

I do have one question about storing the quart jars in the totes that will hold2 layers. In water bath and pressure canning you are advised not to stack the canned jars because it might contribute to breaking the seal in the jars that are stacked on. I was wondering if that would be true also for freeze dried food stored in glass jars since the food in the top layer of jars is so much lighter than canned food?

[@EricVermeer]

Great tips, and we loved seeing the jar of FD peas (they are my daughter's favorite). What material did you use to make your shelf liners?

[@live.life.simple.]

We est fd peas by the handful 😁 our liners were plastic sheets from the hardware store

[@cookingwithsugarcanechef]

Does XL size of freeze dry Can I use for the small enterprise?

[@peggythomas2103]

Do you need special electrical hookups for this freeze dryer? Or can it just be plugged into a regular socket?

[@live.life.simple.]

medium will go into a 110 outlet, large and XL require a dedicated 20 amp 100 outlet

[@beckym5730]

All the food on rack why don’t you put all them bags in bins to get more room all the sleeves?

[@jenn9579]

Do you put oxygen absorbers in your Mason jars or just vacuum seal it?

[@live.life.simple.]

For short term, it may not be necessary. For maximum length, add an oxygen absorber and make sure your seal is good and seated properly.

[@Nalanismusic]

What size tables do you buy your extra large freeze dryer on? I am being told that stainless steel tables will not hold the extra large, but I’ve seen yours on a stainless steel table.

[@katiemast9031]

Where can we buy your bags?

[@live.life.simple.]

Www.freezedryingsupplies.com

[@jackiesnowflake2255]

How tall would you stack the tubs with the jars in them. I literally have no more room. I have no basement no garage and my house is over 100 years old. What size are your tubs. I would have never thought of using tubs for the bottles. I will be implementing the peg board system soon. Can i use a paper punch to put a hole in the mylar above the seal? The walls to the old part of the house are solid like cinder block and its useless to put nails or screws in. The newer part which is probably over 70 years i can put nails or screws. All the inner walls i can put nails or screws. So i can use my walls with the peg boards. I really like to watch your channel, ive learned some things, like the bottles in the tubs.

[@bilezmom11]

They sell long plastic bins on wheels. You can put them under beds and just slide them in and out!

[@Bowkowsowman]

Not sure if you live in an earthquake prone area, but I'd love to hear from yourself or any others with freeze dryers in the comments about how you potentially prepped your freeze dryer to survive a quake. I have the same stainless steel tables you do and a medium sized freeze dryer. I strapped it to the table with a ratchet strap and then ran some steel cable through the table legs at the highest possible point and through an eyelet bored into the house foundation. It's a little janky, and i'm not 100% sure it would prevent it from falling in an earthquake - anyone else do anything differently?

[@mkfelsted]

6:01

[@aurorahornbuckle2899]

Can you sell some of your goodess? I would love to buy

[@davekintz]

Totes. And meticulous record keeping.

[@stzookster]

Wait .. why can't you have food near light? I just ordered a stayfresh mega and i was totally planning on storing all my mason jars on a shelf in the (!!)sunroom(!!)

[@live.life.simple.]

It will bleach the color and nutrients right out of the food

[@echopapa243]

Your pumps should be higher than the FD outlet to allow moisture and debris to flow down back to the FD. It will prolong the pump and oil life.

[@SilverTopMom]

Actually, according to the support people at HR, level or below work fine, you just can't have them higher than the FD. It also say it in the installation instructions that came with the FD. Ours is on a Stainless steel table, much like his, and it's on the bottom shelf as well because that's where it would fit the best. it's working fine and we haven't had any water issues in the pump. Just some fyi, not criticism so please don't take offense.

[@davekintz]

Why would you want debris to flow down back to the FD? When it's the pump that you drain to change the oil, that "debris" may not make it all the way up to the pump drain hole.