*this post has affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase through the links below, I will make a small commission
If you’ve read my blog in the past, you know that I love freeze drying!! Here are some past posts where I’ve talked about it:
Reducing Food Waste
Strawberries
I originally bought the machine so I could control the ingredients in the food we eat when we’re out backpacking. I stay away from sugar and preservatives and the pre-made meals we would buy were expensive.
Freeze drying has allowed us to have homecooked meals out in the middle of nowhere. And the food is VERY lightweight to carry in backpacks!
In late 2022, we bought a small Harvest Right home freeze dryer. Leftovers are now eaten in the backcountry instead of going in the freezer or the garbage because we forgot to eat them.
I will often cook a meal with the intent of freeze-drying half for future meals. Often, I have leftover ingredients from meals I made and veggies are about to go bad. I freeze-dry those to use later. (Right now, I have celery, carrots and onions in the machine which is amazing to have on hand to throw into a soup in winter.)
If you’ve ever thought about getting one, now is the time to check it out! Harvest Right is running their Black Friday sale through the month of November.
A medium home PRO dryer is now the price I paid for a small 2 years ago!!!
When I was first looking at them, I did the math to see how much this could save us. When we backpack, we would take breakfasts and dinners that we bought. Breakfasts averaged $9-$13 each and dinners averaged $15-$20 each. With two of us, that adds up quickly and the store-bought food isn’t that good. The price of the machine divided by the daily cost (mind, this did NOT include lunches as we usually would eat bars or snacks instead of a meal), it would take 80 total nights to pay for itself (40 nights if we were both going)
That first summer after buying the machine, we were out 35 nights total between the two of us (Hubby had 2 backpacking trips I didn’t go on), but I also had a pantry full of food, ingredients, and snacks ready to go if/when I wanted anything.
Our machine has paid for itself in two years. And we are still going strong on freeze drying and backpacking! My husband, who was skeptical at first, has shared his praises with friends about how great the food is and how much he’s glad we got this.
If you’re in the market, take advantage of the great prices going on now!