Making Beet Root powder with our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, more superfood on the Homestead.

In this segment we take our scrubby leftover beets from the garden and process them. We freeze dry them to make them as nutrient dense as possible. We decided to grind them down to a beet root powder to make them accessible to use in many forms. They are delicious and sweet when freeze dried.

[@Rocko6716]

I dehydrate my beets and then add to potatoes or make a warm drink 😊

[@shannonr6388]

I have been making beet root powder in the Freeze Dryer for about 3 years. Tips: Shread the beet root in a food processor, faster and you don't have to worry about your fingers.. Place (not stretch) cling wrap film on top of the blender before topping with the lid, less loss of powdered product, tip from RoseRed Homestead.

[@rlittlehomestead6397]

Omg, thank you so much for the tips. Beet root powder is such an awesome product! I add it to my post workout shake along with the other powders at the end of the video. Thank you for the feedback, it is so very nice to hear from others.

[@yvonnetaylor6326]

I made beetroot powder for the first time. No one really tells how to store it. I’ve only seen 2 videos that say anything about storing and they said keep it refrigerated.🤔 Is this correct? Other dehydrated vegetables don’t have to be refrigerated . Thank you!

[@shannonr6388]

After I freeze dry the beet root, I powder it in the food processor or in the Vitamix. Powdered beet root is then stored in pint size vacuum sealed mason jars for long term storage. I usually have one pint size jar that is not vacuum sealed but securely closed in my cupboard for daily or weekly use. Once the beet root is freeze dried all moisture has been removed and does not need refrigerated. Freeze dried vegetables can last up to 20 years, unrefrigerated, if properly stored. Dehydrated vegetables are stored differently. Dehydrated vegetables have a one year shelf life but I have kept them for longer when stored in the refrigerator. Dehydrated beet root should be okay unrefrigerated if you are using it up quickly, let's say within 3 months, 6 months tops. Be sure to shake your jars so the powder does not clump up at the bottom. Dehydrated vegetables have a very small percentage of moisture so should be used more quickly. @@yvonnetaylor6326

[@brandymarie3705]

About how many beets filled your freeze dryer? And how much powder did that produce? I have a medium freeze dryer

[@rlittlehomestead6397]

We used a medium and overall on the one run we probably had 25lbs or so. The sheer volume of powder was incredible.

[@brandymarie3705]

​@rlittlehomestead6397 oh wow! That's way more than I thought would fit! Thank you

[@eastcoastj05]

My apologies if I missed it but do you need to boil the beets to soften before deep freezing? I saw another video where someone used canned beats and then just blended them with the water in the can, which meant the beets were already cooked. I'm looking for a healthier version (fresh) so I wasn't sure if I can just slice them up and deep freeze fresh rather than cook them.

[@rlittlehomestead6397]

No, you don’t need to boil before freeze drying. But…you have to have a freeze dryer. When you FD any fruits or vegetables it is done fresh, locking in the nutrients.

[@eastcoastj05]

@@rlittlehomestead6397 Awesome. Thank you so much for the reply. Just got my first FD yesterday and still debating on what I'm going to FD in my first batch. Really appreciate the info!

[@rlittlehomestead6397]

@@eastcoastj05 I'm so sorry, I just saw your reply to my comment. Beets are so fun to do. They make great chips and of course, the powder is top-notch nutrition. If you really want to do something fun, throw a couple bags of Skittles in. Candy is fun and cheap. But of course, fresh fruits and veggies make the most nutritious treats.

[@eastcoastj05]

@@rlittlehomestead6397 I had another quick question for you guys. I was thinking about doing desiccated liver, meaning deep freezing liver, then blending into a powder and then putting in capsules. Just like the beet root powder. I'm assuming the best way to do it would be to boil the liver (since it's raw) and then freeze dry, and then blend to a powder? Trying to supplement my diet with liver but don't care for the taste.

[@lindaherring5443]

I have a death slicer! I finally bought some stainless steel gloves to protect my fingers 😅.

[@rlittlehomestead6397]

Omg! That’s a great idea. I am scared to death of the darn thing, If you watch Clarksons Farm on Prime, there is a scene in season 2 where Jeremy damn near slices half his finger off. Makes my stomach turn just thinking about.

[@DangerZone-w6y]

All parts of fresh beets can be eaten raw or cooked! So if you're making beet powder... USE ALL PARTS/FREEZE DRY ALL PARTS THEN POWDER.

[@rlittlehomestead6397]

I’m happy you are commenting on my video, I however don’t wish to use all parts of the beet. I feed the leaves to our cows and the rest of the parts we don’t use go to the pigs. They love them. I only use the best parts for my powder. And there is nothing incorrect with my methods.

[@Rocko6716]

Into beet powder