Another holiday, already! It’s mid-summer… time for parades, fireworks, swimming, family get-togethers, vacations, and all sorts of recreation.
It doesn’t matter what YOUR plans are; freeze dried foods will fit right in. Pack the babies, pack the cooler, and pack the freeze-dried snacks. Fruits and vegetables for the littles are always a hit, but remember to grab a few bags, since everyone around you will be sampling the treats.
If you are headed to a picnic, consider the ease of rehydrating some pulled pork for sandwiches. You won’t be worried about how long it sat out without refrigeration when you prepare it as needed. Food poisoning is a real threat this time of year, and two hours is the maximum time recommended without refrigeration. Take that worry off the table. Just add water to your pulled pork shortly before serving. In addition, take a side or two. Put your dried baked beans in the crock pot, travel with no danger of spills in the car. When you get to the party, add water, stir, plug in the pot, and let it do its thing until time to eat. You may want to consider some coleslaw, as well. Rehydrate your cabbage, and stir in a freshly opened jar of slaw dressing. Planning your day around freeze-dried foods will give you plenty of time to visit with all those people you see once or twice a year.
Are you planning a family vacation? Pack the travel trailer with all sorts of meals and snacks. Have a busy day of hiking? Omelet mix with freeze dried eggs, veggies, and ham will be a hit for breakfast. Put a pasta or rice dish in the crock pot on low, and go enjoy the day. It will be ready to eat when you get home. Throw some freeze-dried ice cream or fruit in the pack for the hike.
Freeze dried food works well in any situation, but it really seems to work during the hectic summertime. Parents who are running children to sports practices, dance class, and cheer group sometimes wonder how to get a good meal in, and it feels like every meal is eaten in the car. Using freeze dried food for quick meals is helpful at home, and having all sorts of snacks that won’t spoil in the car is a great help when someone is hungry.
While many like to focus on healthier eating, there is plenty of room for the fun foods as well. Ice cream, as mentioned above, is always a hit. Who doesn’t love crunchy space food? Cheesecake, pie, cake, cookie dough bites, candy, cobblers, and so many other similar things are fun to eat, and fill the void until everyone can sit down for a family meal.
We have found that the more families use these foods, the more natural it is to grab them and use them often. If you haven’t discovered for yourself how useful a Harvest Right freeze dryer can be, give us a call.
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Unless i just missed it and of course that is quite possible, while you say a lot about your product, I see no where an explanation on how to use once it is freeze dried….other than grab and go or it will be there when you are ready. But how to re-hydrate, how long does it take to re-hydrate and what is needed in these situations to prepare meals which have been freeze dried?
Most foods can be brought back to fresh by just adding hot/cold water. Start with less water and slowly add a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. Foods that can be drained, for example, carrots, peppers, etc., just soak them until they are soft, then drain off the excess water. Other foods, like lasagna, you might want to add a bit of water, cover it in foil, and put it in the oven to rehydrate (kind of steam it back to fresh). Vegetables will also rehydrate just fine on their own when you toss them in a soup, for example. Breads require a little more care (you wouldn’t want to just dunk them in water, necessarily.) But, you can spritz them with water and let them rehydrate in the fridge in a sealed plastic bag. So, there are a number of ways to rehydrate, it mostly depends on the foods you are freeze drying/rehydrating. There are lots of videos online, info in our blog and in our Starter Guide (that comes free with each freeze dryer purchase), and a lot of great resources out there in our Harvest Right community.