Bulk freeze-dry food

[Wandering Daisy]

A surprise find! Our local ACE hardware store (on Madison Ave in Orangevale) has a selection of #10 tin cans of freeze dry food. The price is comparable with internet prices when shipping is included. I bought the cubed chicken yesterday.

Has anyone also found unlikely places that sell bulk freeze dried food?

[oldranger]

Daisy

Walmart, I am big on adding freeze dryed fruit to my breakfast cereal (after smashing the fruit up to reduce volume. Bought two big containers of raspberries and blueberries this year rather than the small bags I was picking up in health food stores. I was hoping to find mixed veggies but they don't seem to carry mixed veggies in bulk.

Mike

[freestone]

I know that I can dry or dehydrate my apricots at home, but will freeze drying make them even better and lighter? These must be two distictly different processes, but not sure what advantages they have over each other.

[longri]

I don't know about apricots specifically but the freeze-dried fruit I've had is significantly lighter than dried fruit but has a very different texture and mouthfeel. Fruit can be dried to different moisture levels of course; I like dried apricots to be a little on the soft side which makes them even heavier. Some of the freeze dried fruit I've had, like strawberries, is a bit like styrofoam versus the chewiness of dried strawberries. Also it has a tendency to become a fine, sticky powder. Remember pixie sticks, those straws full of flavored sugar? So for me, freeze-dried fruit is just a way to save some weight with the cost being reduced eating pleasure. Your mileage may vary.

[sparky]

I just noticed Winco is carrying them now too!

[Wandering Daisy]

Each Walmart is different. My local one does not carry bulk fd food, only the small packets. It does carry Nido (dry whole milk). I also notice that certain items come and go. My favorite miso soup left the shelves two years ago, never to come back! Do you mean that bulk fd food is available on Walmart internet site?

[oldranger]

Daisy

Haven't looked at online Walmart for bulk freeze-dried food. It is in my store. By the way some time back when you first mentioned the availability of Nida at Walmart I could never find it until a PCT thru hiker I met at Glen Aulin told me to look in the Hispanic foods section.

Off topic but interesting tidbit. We hosted "Prophet," the PCT hiker, a couple of nights at our house in August when he got near Bend. Then in Late September he returned the favor when we were in Vermont on a two month cross country road trip.

Mike

[maverick]

Freestone wrote:
These must be two distictly different processes, but not sure what advantages they
have over each other.

Read this Freestone: http://www.wildbackpacker.com/backpacki ... hydration/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gary c.]

I really enjoy the dehydrated refries that Winco Foods sells in there bulk section. They are spiced and taste better than I make at home. They also carry bulk Tortilla Soup mix that I mix 1 to 4 parts with the refries that puts them over the top with great flavor.