Could have saved us some bucks if we would have known. As long as you can get oil, and don’t mind changing it, we thought the oil pump worked just fine. We really didn’t see much difference between the two pumps. They told us to just keep the oil pump at no cost when they returned the oil-free pump. Harvest Right had us send it back but sent us an oil pump, oil and filter to use while they checked out the oil-free pump. We bought the oil-free pump and those berries messed it up. They were frozen in chunks and I think I just didn’t break them down enough.Īlso wanted to mention the customer service is very good. I have had success with raspberries and strawberries, but the ones that caused the problem were mixed blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. The only items that have caused a problem for me were store bought frozen berries. ‘Hermit Us’ recommends to always cook meats before hand which I agree with, and I always freeze the trays at least overnight which cuts the cycle time down. Then I will freeze dry the second item as well as any left overs from casseroles and such. When we do our shopping every two months, I always purchase at least two of everything we have in our meal plan. I have freeze dried lean beef, pork, chicken and turkey that will provide us for at least two years if needed. The freeze dryer has given me peace of mind in having a long term pantry. I am not a canner nor do we have any type of livestock, so long term storage had been expensive buying freeze dried meats and dairy. I freeze the vegetables from the garden that will last us a year, the rest has all been freeze dried. It was DH’s idea and I was hesitant because of the cost, however I will admit it was a wise decision. We have had our medium size Harvest Right since July of 2020. The fat will be vacuumed up under the tray holder and be a bi atch to clean off. Oh and do not Freeze Dry any fatty meat like hotdogs or kielbasa. I can Freeze Dry some cooked Rice a Roni with added chicken and extra veggies of my choice and get 16 one cup servings for around 6 to 10 dollars. A #10 can of good Mountain House, Rice and Chicken cost around $27.00 (as of this post date) with 9 servings, which is cup each. I have posted about Freeze Dried Rice a Roni, but here are specs. You can save ($) when freeze drying meat. Don’t want your food to be ready at 1:00 am! The only issue with the dryer was a door adjustment and operator error. Have a filter too, but found that the oil will settle and can be used several times. I have several large plastic peanut butter jars I let the used oil settle in. You will want to use Robinaire oil, less water in it. The included pump will spray oil, but I fixed that with 2 paper towels, a sandwich bag and 2 clothes pins. Occasionally the oil gets trapped in the vacuum hose, but is easy to fix by unplugging from the dryer and turning it on. Consider the premier pump or the oil-free pump if budget allows, they will be extra. I have an older pump which is a bit noisy, but okay. I like my Harvest Right a lot, and have a medium with 4 trays. They’re the apparent “go to” brand for home freeze dryers so that’s why they’re named here. I have no affiliation or advertising arrangement with HarvestRight at this time. And more affordable freeze dryers than in the past. The availability of more home freeze dryer choices. I believe that’s due to several things… An increase in preparedness awareness. Home freeze dryers have become very popular among the preparedness crowd. However the benefits and rewards can be significant. That’s because the process is relatively expensive and time consuming. As you all know, purchasing freeze dried food can be expensive. I’ve purchased a variety of freeze dried foods which are added to my overall long term diversified food storage. However I do have a storage of freeze dried foods in #10 cans. Just so you know, I don’t have one (yet) :=) So I decided to capture some of that conversation here and establish a sort of “place holder” for owner discussion (tips and tricks) for this home freeze dryer. I noticed a conversation thread about the HarvestRight in the open-forum. Do you own a Harvest Right freeze dryer? Apparently a fair number of you on this blog have one.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |