Homegrown Cooking with a Freeze Dryer - Ep 745

Drying herbs and flowers this week, particularly rose petals and red clover (explain why)
Packaging up dried morels
Meal planning from the freezer
Getting ready to be gone for five days - meals here and on the road
Have not restocked since the spring workshop and probably will not for a bit if at all
Next week is home canned good audit week

Weekly Shopping Report, May 13

Dollar Tree was first. They've added a couple of cases of Monster to the rear drink coolers. In addition to my usual caffeine-delivery mechanism, I noted a decent stock of plastics while picking up a few other items. The food aisles seemed a little less haphazard, and there were a couple of people in there stocking shelves. The health aisle had a lot more stuff on it.

Next was Home Depot. There was no tag on the stacks of 2x4x8 studs, so I looked online and found the price still at $3.35.

Last on this trip was Aldi. We found everything we wanted. Eggs are down another dime, to $1.87. Whole milk was $3.50/gallon

I did notice that people were friendly with no one seeming tense or worried. I think I only saw one muzzled sheep, during the second trip. Untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.999/gallon.

Frugality Tip from Margot

Hey all. I'm going to tell you to spend some money. But this is a frugality tip....yes it is. Sometimes you need to spend money to get something of value. We just got back from our first LFTN workshop and the ticket price was well worth the value we received. The price of the ticket can not buy the connections we made. The bonus was all of the things we learned. If you feel like you can't afford a ticket to a workshop, grab a can, and everytime you break, let's say a $20, put the change in a jar. Before you know it you will be able to "afford" things you didn't think you could. I can not stress how important community is, and without going to workshops that follow your interests, you will not find your most important community members. (You have almost a year to save up for the next LFTN)

Operation Independence

Nothing to report

Main topic of the Show: Homegrown Cooking with a Freeze Dryer

Why I got a freeze dryer (originally)

What I learned getting started

Noise and heat
Oil changes, deep cleaning, resources for how to freeze dry what
Gloves
Alternative trays: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C1XX7NH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Pre freezing versus using the FD to freeze
Load to load smell and taste transfer

Frequency of using the machine year one versus now

Every time I could run it, I did
- Left overs
- Surplus garden things
- Surplus milk and eggs
- Candy experiments
How I use it now
- Goal to use the food within 2 years (why, resilience = regeneration)
- Keto travel snacks (cold cuts, etc)
- Targeted surplus
- Herbs, herbs, herbs, garlic, onion
- Frequency of use: Once a week when not pressed for time

Is it worth it?

Quality
Convenience
Longevity
Business ideas: candy, whole meals, load rental

There is a webinar on getting started in the membership portal for those who decide to get one this year. A word on Harvest Right and customer support. (Keep calling)

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.

Community

Follow me on Nostr: npub1u2vu695j5wfnxsxpwpth2jnzwxx5fat7vc63eth07dez9arnrezsdeafsv
Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Resources

Membership Sign Up

Holler Roast Coffee

Harvest Right Affiliate Link