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The wonder of freeze drying

  One of the first documented instances of the freeze drying process was developed several thousand years ago atop the towering Andes mountains, in the Puna grasslands of Peru. Local indigenous peoples noticed that if they allowed potatoes to freeze in the frigid mountain nights and then set them out in the sweltering daytime sun, the vegetables would dry out quickly and remain unspoiled for much longer. Thanks to this discovery, the peoples of the Andes were able to eat nutritious and flavorful food year-round. But it would be thousands of years before the rest of the world caught up.

  Today we use these same concepts and apply 21st century technology to get even better, more consistent results. What the indigenous people knew — and what has recently been confirmed by scientific researchers — is that freeze drying locks in nutrients (along with flavor) much better than other drying methods.

A nutritional powerhouse

  One key advantage of freeze drying is that the food is preserved at the peak of ripeness and nutrient content. This compares favorably with fresh produce. To ensure that produce is ripe and ready to eat at the grocery stores, it must be picked days or even weeks earlier, long before it’s actually ripe. The assumption is that the produce will continue to ripen as it travels, but the ripening of produce is an inexact process that keeps fruits languishing in the produce bin at the store. Imagine if produce was allowed to ripen on the plant, picked it at peak ripeness, and then preserved until consumers were ready to eat it? This is the benefit of freeze-dried foods.

  Freeze-dried fruit is similar to dried fruit, because it has been dehydrated, but it has a crunchy texture. The nutrients that freeze-dried fruit contains offer several health benefits, making it a good addition to a well-balanced diet. Try it on cereal or oatmeal, in trail mix or on its own. Freeze-dried fruit is available where the dried fruit is kept in most supermarkets.