Freeze Drying Foods 101

The process all begins as the name implies - by freezing the food. However, this isn't like your home freezer. Freeze dryers remove all the air from the chamber and can take foods all the way down to -50 F.

Once the food is frozen, it begins the "drying" cycle. The food is warmed, and because it is in a vacuum (with no air), the water in the food sublimates (i.e., goes directly from ice to water vapor). Given sufficient time, the moisture in the food is removed through the process of sublimation. Because low temperatures are involved, there is little change to the food's flavor, texture, and nutritional value.

Freeze drying retains more of the food's nutritional value than any other method of preservation.

Oxygen, light, and moisture are the enemies of food storage. Freeze drying takes care of the moisture, removing 98-99% of it from the food. And so long as they are stored properly (in vacuum sealed bags/containers with oxygen absorbers), oxygen can be eliminated too.

But....

While we already know that freeze drying is a technique for preserving the structure of foods by removing water from it, freeze drying candy works a little differently. The resulting sweets look similar to the candy you started with, but they usually expand in size, sometimes drastically, and are lighter in color. Freeze dried candy has a more intense and sweeter flavor, as once all the water is removed the sugar and flavor are exceptionally concentrated making for a delicious sweet taste explosion. This gives it a crispy, crunchy, foamy texture that quickly dissolves when it touches your tongue. Not all candy comes out the same.

Most freeze-dried food is meant to be stored long-term and then rehydrated. And it’s excellent for this purpose because it doesn’t change anything about the food. In fact, it rehydrates much faster than dehydrated food. But freeze-dried candy is meant to be eaten without rehydrating it. Your saliva does that, which is a big part of the experience. This makes it an effortless and quick snack that you can eat anywhere.

We prefer to use glass jars that are vacuum sealed. If you plan on continuing to be a long time customer, we recommend buying a $30 jar vacuum sealer to prolong longevity of the product. They can be easily found online. Please keep your product in a cool, dark, dry area and seal after every use.

Cottage Law Information

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We operate in the great state of Texas and therefore operate under the Texas Cottage Food Laws. As such, some rules apply that some people may not be familiar with:

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- We cannot ship any products to you unless you purchased the product from us in person (such as at a farmer's market or similar event).

- We must conduct all business "in person". Meaning if you do business with us, we will have the pleasure of meeting you face to face at some point.

- We are not subject to licensing nor inspections by the State Health department or any local health department. We do, however, have our food handler’s licenses.

- We can only sell certain types of food, known as non-TCS (Temperature Control for Safety). Since we freeze dry all of our foods, this allows us to sell most any food since the freeze drying process can convert a normally TCS food into a non-TCS food.

- We cannot, under any circumstance, sell any meat products. This includes beef, poultry, pork, fish or shellfish. Meat products are tightly regulated by the USDA.

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If you'd like to know more information about Texas cottage food laws, you can visit the Texas Department of Health and Human Services website here or a more user-friendly website about Texas cottage food laws here.

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Thank you for your interest!

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