Freeze Dryer Fun, Seeds, Studio Light - Thursday
Over 37 hours it took for the pumpkin to finish the process. It was 5 trays full and with the water content of it I was not surprised it took as long. I got the door opened and pulled the trays out to feel the weight and every piece was perfect. Super light and airy feeling.
The pumpkin was 20 pounds and I got about 14 pounds of it on the trays which when out of the freeze dryer now weighs less than a pound. Incredible difference in weight with ZERO loss of nutrients or flavor when rehydrated. It filled a 2 gallon ziplock bag.
While I was organizing in the pantry I found a box with the glass bulb covers from a ceiling fan. In the box was also the rings that screw down on the lights to hold the shroud in place. I have been in need of one for months now for the studio.
The outside light by the slider came with a nut that did not fit the light so I was unable to install the shroud pieces until now. I tried one of the four nuts and it worked perfectly. I was super stoked to find the piece I needed.
It's nice to finally have the light together.
I had a box still sitting with the Flat Of Egypt beet seeds that needed to get stripped from the stems and stored. I ended up with a bunch of chaff in it with the seeds but they are much more storeable now. I got far more seeds than I could ever use though so I will have some available if anyone wants.
So after pulling the pumpkin form the freeze dryer I had to drain the vacuum pump oil and filter it. The filter that they sent is a bit janky and I will be coming up with a better one. While the unit defrosted I let the oil filter through but I found the filter sucked up a bunch of the oil and I did not have enough to refill the pump. I went online and looked locally and found Oreilly autoparts carries it, so I bought 2 quarts and @stryeyz picked it up after she got off work.
In preparation for the oil arriving I had pulled 4 chubs of ground beef from the freezer and set them on the counter to begin to thaw while the unit was defrosting. By early afternoon they were ready to start cooking.
In order to remove most of the oil from the meat as I could used our Tupperware stack cooker in the microwave. It has a layer that has slots to allow for the grease to drain. I chopped it up with the masher then spread it out in the trays.
Each tray holds 2 packages or 3 pounds (raw weight) of cooked ground beef.
While the ground was cooking I got the leftover chicken and a bit of the roast out and filled one tray with the pair. The roast I cut into strips and the chicken was all chopped to smaller pieces.
With time still before the oil arrived I took the rest of the pumpkin and chopped it into chunks and filled the last 2 tray with it.
As soon as @stryeyz arrived home I filled the vacuum pump oil and kicked the machine back into processing. I'm expecting this batch to take at least 30 hours since the pumpkin alone took 37. I think the oil and grease in the meats will make it take a bit longer but the water content of the pumpkin will likely contribute to the extended time.
It is snowing today and we expect a couple inches. It is right on the edge of freezing so it may be a gnarly day.
I found the 6 spot breaker box for the studio is available at North 40 about 10 minutes away. I will get that this weekend so I can get the electrical finished up on the inside of the studio.
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Gab
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Right on that is absolutely amazing and killer!
definitely that is how you preserve foods for the long term and save space at same time.
It's SICK! I put some roast sliced into strips in and now that it is done I snapped a piece off and put it in my mouth and let the saliva soak in. After about 20 to 30 seconds it was like I had a piece of regular room temp roast in my mouth. The texture and taste both return.
Sweet yeah I'd love to get one one day. Get all the extra salmon deer elk moose and such I get from family and dehydrate it all and stockpile it.
Killer advise man.
It's always nice when part you need just shows up unexpectedly! That freeze dryer is certainly impressive. Glad it is working out so well for you.
I'm quite impressed with it myself. It's something we have dreamed of and now that we have it it is starting to sink in. The meat today was the best show of how well it works.
I am super duper jealous!!!!! Omg how cool is this!!!!!!!
I think you would probably love one. It is amazing how everything has come out and it is going to get one hell of a workout in our possession.
I have only heard great things about them! Maybe in the near future :)
Let me know if you do, there is a referral thing they have that would benefit us both. For some reason I feel like you could use this for your cosmetics line somehow, or just to add items to your offerings? They aren't cheap but they will pay for themselves over time.
I like this for my kitchen pantry! Omg it would be a life changer. I will certainly let you know when I’m ready! Thank you!
Dam, everything looks so appetizing.
Egyptian beet seeds, I have never grown this type of beet before, I usually stick with the Detroit Dark Red seeds.
Being that beets are one of my favorite veggies, and I've had so much success with them, I'm a little apprehensive to try a different kind.
I went with the Flat of Egypt beets as they do well in rocky soils, which is my entire property. When it comes to beets I am not sure you can go wrong with just about any variety. They always seem to grow amazingly for me. I let mine go too long this year and they got a it huge...
Likewise with having so much success growing beets.
Loving all the different things you are trialing in the dryer. It does take a long time to run a full load, though....