Sit back and grab a snack, this is a LONG post (sorry not sorry?;)
The BIG announcement I have been eluding to will be revealed here!!
ANYONE who knows me, knows that I am a total die-hard foodie! In addition to my (sometimes annoying) over-sharing of my recipes, meals and catering gigs on social media, my posts for dehydrated meals have also been a common interest with my friends. For the past several years, I have catered several events such as Weddings, Anniversary Parties and reunions. In addition, I been a personal chef for many clients, preparing a variety of weekly homemade meals and healthy meal kits which I also (perhaps over shared) with my Facebook Friends and family. Being a chef has become an integral part of my life. Preparing homemade meals from scratch, has always been something I have been passionate about. Cooking has enabled me to perfectly weave every aspect of my life that brings me joy. It allows my creativity to shine, provides a way for me to relax, and gives me a good excuse to tinker with my (albeit amateur) photography skills. Being a chef also ensures I am a forever student, constantly learning. Mistakes are a gentle reminder that there is always room for improvement in almost all aspects of life and provides the motivation needed to better myself and my skill set every day.
I first learned how to dehydrate and preserve food when I was a young child. Both sets of Grandparents lived in Utah, where food preservation and long-term emergency food storage is of high importance. I spent many Summers in Utah and for many years, my best friends were a group of elderly women who literally knew how to cook, dehydrate and preserve ANYTHING! Their homemade dehydrators were the size of a large closet! I was so intrigued by all the things that could be preserved for years to come. I looked up to them, and lucky for me, they took me under their wing and were eager to teach me everything I wanted to learn. As fate would have it, my Dad was later transferred to Utah, and my elderly lady friends and I were able to spend the next several years together. While attending 7th Grade in Utah, my Home Economics Teacher actually made learning to cook, preserve food, sew and other domestic duties super fun. Mrs. Smith (who later would ask me to call her Beth), taught me how to make meals without recipes, taught me about seasoning and started what I would later describe as “defining my palate”. Beth, and my Senior Citizen Neighbor’s were great mentors. They instilled in me a passion for cooking and preserving food that grew well into my teen years and continued into adulthood.
Since then, preparing healthy, nutritious meals from scratch and dehydrating them had become an obsession of mine. In my later years, I discovered backpacking, and to this day it’s the one hobby that fulfills my soul in a very spiritual way. Immersed in the natural beauty of the backcountry, carrying everything that is needed to survive in a backpack quickly humbles you. Being striped of all basic necessities of such as electricity, plumbing running water forces one to become acutely aware of how precious life is, and how meaningless and unnecessary material possessions become. I quickly realized the importance of preserved food during my backcountry adventures. I also learned that the availability of affordable, healthy backpacking meals were pretty much non-existent at the time. I knew that if I wanted high-quality, real food without MSG, artificial flavors, artificial colors or additives, that I would have to make them myself. I became somewhat pre-occupied dehydrating meals for our backpacking adventures. Through the years, I created some REALLY delicious meals, and some others that were a complete flop. I never mentioned this publicly, but in 2017, one of my recipes was actually printed in a popular (now award-winning) cookbook designed to provide tips for backpackers to prepare their own meals. Inga Aksamit, the author of “The Hungry Spork” A Long Distance Hiker’s Guide to Meal Planning, reached out to me and asked permission to use my recipe and photos in her book, which I was honored to share. The recipe she asked to publish was a desert I created for our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim backpacking adventure in 2016. It was a dehydrated Strawberry Angel Food Cheesecake which made it’s debut in The Hungry Spork on pages 166-168.
Fast forward to January 2018, as I am beginning to plan meals for my husband and I for our three-week through hike of the John Muir Trail (JMT). I figured I would get a jump-start during the Winter, as the Spring and Summer months would be spent hiking. Coincidently, I had several hiker friends reach out to me during this time for advice on dehydrating backpacking meals. I also had a few practically BEG me to sell some of my meals to them. Dehydrating meals is very time-consuming and tedious. Dehydrating meals for multiple people with a home dehydrating unit is pretty much a full-time job. As much as I have wanted to help my friends, I just didn’t have the time and energy necessary to do so. As I was delving into my own backpacking meal planning, I realized that it was going to be necessary to invest a significant amount of money purchasing Freeze Dried food items. There are many food items that are either not possible or safe to dehydrate at home. Freeze-dried Food is vastly different from dehydrated food. Dehydrated food is basically heated at low temperatures with a fan until most of the moisture is removed. Freeze-dried food in contract, is frozen and slowly thawed in a vacuum chamber where moisture is removed through a process called sublimation. For several years, my Husband and I dreamed of owning a Freeze dryer. We researched extensively and learned how much a Freeze dryer would compliment our lifestyle and desire for healthy, nutritious backcountry meals as well as long-term emergency food storage. Freeze-dried foods retain their nutritional value, unlike other food preservation methods such as dehydrating and canning which can often deplete many foods of their vital nutrients. Up until recently, Freeze driers averaged between $30,000-$100,000 for commercial units. Historically, these units were utilized by large Government Agencies, Pharmaceutical Companies or other larger corporations such as NASA and the US Military. My husband and I were keenly aware that the price of home units were becoming more and more affordable. The unit we have been drooling over was actually on sale. We also discovered that the units now come with the option to buy an oil free pump which was another factor that kept us pulling the trigger on purchasing our own unit. The thought of having to perform daily oil changes was daunting. We started doing the math. Having the ability to prepare our own Freeze Dried food for all our hiking and backpacking adventures year after year, coupled with the notion that we can also Freeze Dry foods for our family and friends that have previously reached out, prompted us to drink the Kool-Aid.
Once we purchased our freeze dryer I couldn’t help but to share my excitement with like-minded people. I posted to a popular JMT hiking Facebook page, and within hours, I received over 250 inquires for orders of Freezedried food items and backpacking meals. Due to the popularity of our custom freeze-dried food items, and the gentle nudging and support of other hikers, we started a small business catering to outdoor enthusiasts seeking healthy, nutritious, lightweight meals to fuel their adventures. Our company “Adventurous Foodie” had a “soft launch” in March nd our freeze dryer has been going non-stop ever since. During the last couple of months we have been creating and testing new, innovative and unique food items. Our primarily role has been field testing our menu items in the backcountry to ensure we provide a high-quality, delicious product to our customers. We have completed several orders for hikers who are currently hiking in excess of 28 days. We created a network of “Adventurous Foodie taste testers” who were given the option to purchase menu items during this soft launch phase. In doing so, these customers agreed to provide feedback based on the survey we provided. These “testers” will also take notes regarding hydration times, altitude, and photograph their meals as much as possible. Business has been booming, solely based on word of mouth and that single post I made on a Facebook page in February. Our goal is to officially launch Adventurous Foodie in February 2019. This will allow us one full year to test the shelf life of the food we have preserved back in February, in addition to tweak any recipes and menu items based on our personal backcountry field testing as well as feedback provided by the Adventurous Foodie Field Taste Testers Commitee currently in progress. Our Current Logo Thanks to a Graphic Design Artist on Fiver
Most households have either not heard of a Freeze Dryer or had no idea they were now available for home use. I realize that most of my readers are not in a position to need or justify such an extreme purchase. Trust me I get it. The unit itself is quite expensive and it requires a dedicated 20 amp circuit, in addition to the electrical costs required for each batch which runs approximately 30-40 hours. My hope is to continue to inspire others to preserve their own food. I will continue to provide ideas on how to make meals by substituting homemade or pre-packaged dehydrated and freeze-dried items. You can also purchase freeze-dried items from companies who offer this online with a quick Google Search. If you are looking for more affordable ways to prepare your meals for outdoor adventure, or long-term storage, I recommend a dehydrator. I have almost 40 years experience dehydrating. I am currently updating all the recipes I have developed or acquired over the years and will be posting them in the dehydrating section of this blog.
The freeze dryer I own (pictured above) is the Harvest Right Standard-Medium sized unit. I purchased this in January 2018 and I paid almost $4k for it as I upgraded to the oil free pump. You can purchase the smaller unit with the standard pump for just under $2k at the time of this post. I have also signed up to be an affiliate with Harvest Right. If you are looking to purchase a unit, just click on the image here and you will be directed to Harvest Right. I will receive a small commission from Harvest Right Directly. I can help ensure you receive the lowest price on your purchase. If you have any questions just reach out. I am happy to help.
In the meantime, now that I have finally made the announcement that we have started a Freezedried food business, you can expect the usual, (possibly annoying) over sharing to commence. Hence the launch of this blog will give my poor social media friends, family and followers an option to “opt out” by NOT clicking the blog link (you’re welcome 🙂
If you are interested in learning more about Freeze Dried Food or to get on our waiting list for custom Freeze Dried Foods, please email us at info@adventurousfoodie.net. Our AdventurousFoodie.Net Website will be launched in February 2019, in the meantime, updates will be posted here so check back if you are curious.
For those who stayed with me during this whole blog, you deserve an award!
XOXO Hugs and Love, Tracy
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