freeze-dried & dehydrated explained

I’m pretty sure they are more expensive than one could be worth to an individual. But I hear you.

I would love to have a freeze drier but the numbers are against it. With the advent of places like Packit who have professional chefs prepping food that is farm fresh and freeze drying it at sort of reasonable prices I'd have to have a small farm and sell my freeze dried produce to justify the purchase. There is no farm in my immediate future.

High vacuum pumps will probably always be expensive just because of the way they need to be made. Also you might want to check out what is involved with maintaining the freeze dryers. I don't remember exactly but I do remember thinking when I read one's manual that this is a pain in the butt.

Again you need a small farm and the ability to sell your output to have one of these units make $$$ sense.

Also there is the freshness factor to consider. Freeze drying when picked right off the vine at max ripeness and you get something great. Freeze drying something at home that was maybe picked a touch early and has spent some time off the vine in a truck and at the store before you process it might not be so special. At least not $2000 special

If I had nothing better to do with my time, I might play around with this idea. You would need some sort of seal-able chamber....A metal box and lid, with a good rubber seal would work.

You would also need a vacuum pump similar to this and a vacuum switch

The only other requirement would be a small heating element.

The process would look something like this.

1. Freeze the item in a regular freezer.
2. Place the frozen item in the box, apply the vacuum and allow the item to come to room temperature.
3. Apply heat.

The time involved in steps 2 and 3 would require some experimentation, as would the amount of heat required.

If one could salvage a suitable box, I think the whole thing could be built for around $500.