How to Freeze Dry Thanksgiving Leftovers
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Hi guys, welcome back to Freeze Drying Mama! I hope you’re feeling as stuffed as I am after Thanksgiving. I’m so grateful that we were able to provide wonderful meals for our family and friends. Today, I want to share how to freeze dry Thanksgiving leftovers. This is especially useful for my son, Bodhi, who’s in Brazil, where Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated.
Sending a Taste of Home
Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and in Brazil, my son Bodhi won’t get to enjoy turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. So, I promised him that by his next birthday in June, I would have a special delivery of these freeze-dried Thanksgiving goodies ready for him.
Preparing Thanksgiving Pucks
We start with mashed potatoes mixed with gravy, turkey, and stuffing into what I call “Thanksgiving pucks.” This method keeps everything together and freeze dries much better since gravy alone is tough to freeze dry. This dense mixture goes on the third tray from the top of my Harvest Right freeze dryer.
Turkey and Sweet Potatoes – The Details
Next up is the turkey tray. I’m using white meat because it has less grease than dark meat, making it better for long-term storage. I also have sweet potatoes on this tray. These aren’t your typical yams; they’re Jersey sweet potatoes, which are only grown in California and shipped to a few states. They’re not as starchy and have a more subtle flavor. I used monk fruit sweetener and a smaller amount of butter to keep it keto-friendly, topped with marshmallows. This tray goes on the second shelf from the top.
Stuffing – Bodhi’s Favorite
Bodhi loves stuffing, so I made sure to include it. It’s not just boxed stuffing; I add sautéed celery and onions in butter, chicken bouillon broth, and follow the water recommendations on the box. This fluffy mixture is the least dense, so it goes on the bottom tray.
Pumpkin Pie and Whipped Cream
Pumpkin pie with no sugar added freeze dries phenomenally. I paired it with a dairy-based whipped cream, which also freeze dries well. This tray goes on the top because it’s the least dense.
Monitoring and Completion
After 61 hours in the freezer, I check each tray. Everything felt warm and done, but I gave the pumpkin pie a few extra hours just to be sure. Once everything is properly freeze-dried, it’s time to package.
Packaging and Reconstitution
I pack these goodies in Mylar bags, ensuring they’re organized and ready to ship to Bodhi. Here are some reconstitution tips:
- Stuffing: Add hot water to your liking, either moist or dry.
- Pumpkin Pie: Pour hot water slowly over the top and let it sit in the fridge to avoid a soggy crust. Add the reconstituted whipped cream.
Final Thoughts
Sending a bit of home to your loved ones is easy with freeze-drying. It’s a perfect solution for those long distances where traditional shipping might not work. Whether it’s for Thanksgiving or any other occasion, freeze-drying preserves the flavors and memories of home.
HOW DO I FREEZE DRY THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS?
Many people think it’s next to impossible to do the freeze drying for themselves. This is far from factual. Freeze drying at home is made easy by Harvest Right. They sell three different sizes of freeze-drying machines that do everything in the machine – except prep and package.
That’s up to you.
For all intents and purposes, here at Freeze Drying Mama we use the medium sized freeze dryer. You can check out the sizes offered at Harvest Right here.
What this machine does is first freeze the items on stainless steel trays to -41 degrees or lower. This takes about 10 hours or so.
Then a vacuum pump turns on and creates a vacuum inside the drum. This is the drying stage and will vacillate the heat of the tray up and down to a pretty warm temperature. This makes the frozen items release any water in them in vapor form. The vacuum sucks the moisture to the drum. This collects in ice form on the inner circle of the drum.
Then there’s the final dry which is essentially the same thing, but with a time associated with it and an end in sight!
WHAT SETTINGS DO I USE TO FREEZE DRY THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS?
On the Harvest Right freeze drier – this works on all sizes – after putting the trays inside the drum on the shelves, I put in the drum cover (if you don’t have a drum cover, no worries) and then tighten the handle as I lock it shut. On the computer touch screen, I selected START > LIQUID > NOT-FROZEN > CONTINUE. After inputting the settings and making sure my drain tube is closed, I walk away. Let the machine do the work. You’ve got a family to feed.
