Harvest Right Freeze Review With A Cost Analysis

Home freeze dryers, such as the Harvest Right freeze dryer are a hot topic right now in the preparedness industry.

I was debating whether to invest in one for my family, but after much research and a cost analysis, I decided not to. At least for now.

I did a lot of research and spoke to some of the Harvest Right team to get some questions answered and below are all of my findings! I hope it helps you decide if it is right for you.

What Is A Freeze Dryer?

A freeze-dryer is a machine that uses extremely low temperatures and a vacuum to remove moisture from food. A good freeze dryer may remove as much as 99% of the moisture.

Through this process and with proper packaging, food can be used for as much as 20 years!

It is a perfect way to improve your food prepping goals.

What’s Great About Harvest Right Freeze Dryers

The Harvest Right home freeze dryer, while pretty expensive, can be a great addition to your prepping life. Up until the launch of the Harvest Right, the only way to preserve food at home was by dehydrating or canning it.  

But there are so many benefits to storing freeze-dried food instead.

  • Freeze-dried food is more nutritious than dehydrated or canned food because it doesn’t require heat processing.
  • Freeze-dried food lasts longer than canned or dehydrated food.
  • Freeze-dried foods don’t require any additives/preservatives (sugar/salt).
  • Freeze-dried food is easier to use in recipes as freeze-drying doesn’t change the texture or size of the food.

The idea of being able to use the Harvest Right home freeze dryer to make your own quality freeze-dried food is exciting! It means you control what food you preserve, how fresh it is, what preservatives you use, and more.

Some Harvest Right Concerns I Have

While I personally have not purchased one yet because it is not in my budget, I did reach out to the team with some questions and they were so helpful. In the research I have done I see many happy customers noting how great the support and service have been.

But there are some concerns, besides cost, that would also affect my purchasing decision.

#1 – Warranty

The Harvest Right only offers a 1-year full warranty for US buyers.  This makes me wonder if they have product manufacturing concerns. Why so short with something that has so many moving parts?

Other appliances have much longer warranties.

I look to look at things in numbers.

As you will see in #3 below, it will take more than a year to make your money back by freeze-drying your own food. 

What if your machine breaks after one year, but before you can make your money back?

I’ve read reviews that say that when users perform the recommended cleaning after 30 cycles or so, they find a good deal of rust with black un-plated bolts and not much stainless steel. A new pump can cost hundreds of dollars. 

These things make me nervous about investing thousands of dollars in this machine.

I personal would wait to buy a Harvest Right until the manufacturer offers a warranty of at least two-three years – or as long as it would take to earn my money back from using it.

#2 – New Technology

Home freeze-drying technology is still relatively new. 

Any new technology has a “learning curve” so to speak. I’m certain that home freeze dryers will get better (and less expensive) over time. 

But there is currently no solid competition for the Harvest Right, and I’m not 100% confident in the technology yet.

I work closely with Thrive Life (affiliate) owners and executives. I know that in order for them to produce quality freeze-dried food they need to do the following:

  1. They test each individual product multiple at different settings–testing it after each run. They adjust the setting again and again until they get it perfect.
  2. The settings for each food item (strawberries vs chicken) are different. This is why they test each product individually.
  3. They are carefully monitored by the FDA in order to ensure that their food is properly preserved and safe.

I’m concerned that the lack of control in the settings combined with my user error may create food that isn’t safe for my family. 

That would be the worst possible scenario, but even if that doesn’t happen, I’m not sure the shelf life would be as long or the nutrient level as high.

Anyway, do you know the difference between free-dried and dehydrated food?

Harvest Right themselves sells a “scientific” freeze dryer that allows you to control the temperature and pressure per product. 

How can the two machines deliver the same quality in the product? The quality of the “home” dehydrator has to be different.

I get that many of these same concerns exist for home dehydrated and canned foods–you don’t have as much control, and there is far more room for user error.  However, because both of those technologies have existed for a very long time “at home,” there are lots of competitors (reasons to try and be the best), so I am more confident that the technology is sound. I can finally freeze-dry my cheese or mango fruit.

Another Concern:

Harvest Right also suggests freeze-drying whole pork chops, chicken breasts, casseroles, etc.  You can’t find these items freeze-dried commercially because they are thick and don’t always freeze-dry safely.  It makes me nervous that they recommend using these less-than-precise machines to have people try this at home.

I have had multiple people who own a Harvest Right (granted, they all own the oldest version) tell me that casseroles and large pieces of meat that they have dried have gone bad quickly.

While you could simply decide not to freeze dry such things, it makes me question Harvest Right in general that they suggest such things are okay to their customers.

So, for me, I will wait on Harvest Right (affiliate) until they have at least one solid competitor to drive up the quality of the technology and machines.

#3 – Investment Return

Many people look at the cost of the Harvest Right and think “I’ll make that money back in no time by not having to pay a premium to a food storage company to freeze dry my food for me.”

In fact, the Harvest Right website says that if you freeze dry daily, you will make your money back in just one year.

Well, by my calculations*, you may not make your money back as quickly as you think.

Let’s break down the numbers a bit:

  • For the two smaller machines, the only way to make your money back in a year is to freeze dry 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Who will really do that?  Not me.
  • You would also have to get premium prices on the food you are drying year-round.  This might happen in the summer with low produce prices or by using your own garden produce, but it isn’t going to happen in the winter.  And if you are freeze drying 24/7/365, you will be freeze drying in the winter.
  • You will also need to pay for electricity, oil, cans to store the food in, and oxygen absorbers (affiliate).  These costs add up.
  • If you shop the right sales, you can get great deals on commercially freeze-dried foods.  The “make your money back” assumptions are based on you paying full price for commercially freeze-dried foods.

When you take all that into account, it will take one year, two months-three and a half years for you to make your money back, depending on which size freeze dryer you buy.  And this is still based on buying freeze-dried food at full price.

With the biggest–and most expensive machine–it would take just over a year to maybe 18 months.  This is reasonable.  But, that is only if you freeze-dry 335 cans in a year, which would be more than a one-year supply for most families of around four-six people.

*(If you want to see my detailed calculations, you can scroll down to the end of this post.)

All these estimates are beyond the one-year warranty period, and I just can’t confidently invest in something that I’m not sure will last long enough for me to make my money back, especially since I never pay full price for my commercially freeze dried foods.

I will wait on the Harvest Right (affiliate) until the warranty period increases or the time to freeze dry the food decreases.

#4 – My Time Is Money

Maybe spending time in the kitchen is your thing, but not for me!

I don’t want to be cooking, chopping, peeling, and shredding foods every day or two for 1 1/2 – 3 1/2 years in order to regularly use my freeze dryer and make my money back. 

I don’t want to spend time maintaining the machine’s pump between every cycle.

That honestly sounds exhausting to me right now with 4 young kids at home and a full-time business to run! 

My time is worth a lot. Not only financially, but also in my relationships with my family members and other things I want to do with my time (exercise, developing talents, serving, volunteering, spirituality, etc). 

I don’t have the time to prep multiple #10 cans worth of food several times each week and maintain an expensive machine.

So, I could use it just during the summer–that would decrease my production cost if I use garden produce, and I could involve the kids…but then it would take three-four times as long to freeze dry the same amount of food (because I’m only doing so three-four months of the year instead of twelve).

I can just order my freeze-dried food from Thrive Life and be done with it!

You Might Also Want to Know

  • You can put the machine on layaway to secure a sale price, so watch for sales even if you aren’t quite ready to buy one yet.  This is a FANTASTIC option!
  • Even the smallest Harvest Right (affiliate) is pretty big (over 2 ft tall and 1 1/2 feet deep).  The largest one (affiliate) is nearly 3 feet tall and just slightly deeper than my countertops. You will also need room for the pump. This is not an appliance that is going to fit nicely under the cabinet.
  • The Harvest Right is not quiet.  It isn’t crazy loud, but it’s not quite, imagine a noisy dishwasher.  So, if you are running it all day every day, you may not want it in the kitchen.  You may want to consider a utility room or garage.
  • One thing that is not very obvious on the Harvest Right site is the need for pump maintenance.  You have to drain 2QT of oil after every use.  Then, you should completely change the oil every 5-6 cycles.  Then, after 10-12 cycles, you have to do a power flush, and it can get quite messy.  At 30-36 cycles, you have to remove the pump cover and deep clean the pump.

How About You?

I totally get that not everyone will have the same opinion as I have.  Purchasing a Harvest Right (affiliate) may be a wise decision for you.

Do you have a Harvest Right?  Have you considered getting one?  Why or why not?

Why I won't be buying the Harvest Right yet?
Why I won’t be buying the Harvest Right yet?

Cost Calculations

Below you can see exactly how I calculated how much money Harvest Right might save youand how long it would take to “pay it back.”

Cost to buy commercially freeze-dried food

Below is the average cost of one # 10 can (based on costs from three different companies) for an average freeze-dried fruit, veggie, and meat. 

Each #10 can typically holds approximately 11 cups.

  • Freeze-dried strawberries: $23.76 ($2.16 / cup)
  • Freeze-dried chicken: $51.84 (4.71 / cup) each can include approximately seven-eight pounds of meat
  • Freeze dried green beans: $18.44 ($1.68 / cup)

(Average cost per gallon can: $31.35)

I have not considered sales in this pricing, which can reduce these costs significantly.

Cost to Buy the Same Food at the Grocery Store:

Now, obviously, to freeze dry your food you need to buy it first. Below are estimated costs of the same food from above in their full form. These costs will of cost vary based on location and the store you actually shop at.

I am using costs from my local Walmart – all are low-quality, non-organic foods. If you choose to buy higher quality, organic foods of course your costs will be more.

  • One 1 pound container strawberries (approximately 2 1/2 cups when sliced): 
    $3 ($1.20 per cup-$13.20 per gallon can)
  • 7.5 pounds of chicken @ $3 per pound
    $22.50  ($2.05 per cup-$22.55 per gallon can)
  • 1 pound green beans (approximately 2 cups when trimmed)–
    $1.50 ($0.75 per cup-$8.25 per gallon can)

Yes, during the summer, you could likely get some produce for less, but I’m going with averages here.  If you are using your freeze dryer all year, you won’t be paying rock-bottom prices for your produce for seven-nine of those twelve months.

You may garden and use that produce, but that still isn’t no cost; gardening does cost money (soil, water, seeds, plants, time, etc), and you will only be able to use fresh garden produce a few months of the year. In order to run your freeze dryer all year, you will need to buy some of what you freeze dry.

As for the chicken though, if you buy it at Zaycon like I recommend, you will likely play closer to $1.89 per pound bringing your cost for chicken down to $1.29 / cup and get much higher quality chicken.

I might consider buying a Harvest Right just to freeze dry my own meat as the savings there is greater than produce, but I will wait until the technology is a bit more advanced.

(Average cost per gallon can: $14.67)

Additional Costs When Using Harvest Right

Not only do you have the cost of the food, now we have other costs to consider.

Electricity
The Harvest Right uses electricity.  According to Harvest Right, it costs around $1-$2.80 per day to run ($1.90 average) for the small and medium sized machines.

Oil
One thing that is not very obvious on the Harvest Right website is the need for pump maintenance. You have to drain 2T of oil after every use. 

Then, you should completely change the oil every five-six cycles.  Then, after 10-12 cycles, you have to do a power flush, and it can get quite messy.  After 30-36 batches you are to completely remove the pump cover and deep clean the pump.

Various estimates I’ve found from online reviews put this cost at around $1 per cycle.

Supplies
If you are going to freeze dry your own food, you will need to store it properly – which means no oxygen or light.

Storage options include:

  • Mylar bag (shorter shelf life of three-five years)
  • #10 can (25+ year shelf life)
  • Food grade bucket with a mylar bag (25+ year shelf life)

Now what are the costs of each of these?

Cost to store in mylar bags
This will obviously vary depending on where you shop, but mylar bags are quite inexpensive. But, you may lose much of the shelf life and risk rodents getting into your food if you choose this method.

  • 50 1 gallon (same size as a #10 can) mylar bags plus oxygen absorbers:
    $15.99 ($0.32 each) 
    (Total cost per gallon if using mylar bags alone: $0.32)

Cost to store in #10 cans
These can be hard to fin, but after a bit of searching, I found this source for lined #10 cans at a reasonable price:

  • Cost for the cans and metal lids: $2.15 each (must buy in bulk)
  • Cost for plastic lids (to be used once you open the can): $0.43 each (must buy in bulk)
  • Cost for the machine to seal the metal lid to the metal can:  $1,491 (I will add this to the cost of the Harvest Right Freeze dryer in my final calculations, but you could also share a sealer with multiple people in your neighborhood).  I don’t know of anywhere you can rent these anymore.

(Total Cost per gallon if using #10 cans: $2.58 (plus the cost of the sealer)

Cost to store in buckets
Each 5 gallon bucket will hold the equivalent of five #10 cans.  When storing in buckets it is best practice to store with a mylar bag as well.

(Least expensive cost per gallon if using buckets: $2)

Which Storage Method is Best?

At first glance, it seems like using buckets would be the best idea, but there are a few issues you’d want to consider.

You can only freeze dry one gallon of food at a time and each gallon takes 24-48 hours.  That means that by the time you get the fifth gallon freeze dried, the first one will have sat there, improperly packaged and exposed to oxygen and moisture for seven-nine days or so.  It will no longer be as crisp or as fresh.

When you open a package of freeze dried food, it will immediately start taking up moisture and becoming “sticky.”  It could take months (or even years for some families) to get through one # 10 can of green beans!  This means that by the time you get to the end of that bucket, your food won’t be as fresh.

Both of these issues can be mitigated a little by using the gamma lid instead of the regular lid, but that will increase your cost.

Last, there may simply be some foods that you don’t even want five full gallons of!

So, you could go with the mylar bags, but then you face issues with rodents and a much shorter shelf life.

If it were me, I’d go with the #10 cans. For this reason, this is what I’ve based my price comparisons on.

Comparing the Costs

So, if we add the average cost per #10 (gallon) can for the food ($14.67) and the #10 cans ($2.58), we get $17.25.

Compared to $31.35 that you’d spend on the same commercially freeze dried food, that is QUITE the savings!  You are saving around $14.10 PER CAN!

But you need to add the cost of the sealer, freeze dryer, oil and electricity into the mix.

On the Harvest Right site, they provide estimates for how many #10 cans worth of food you can do for each batch.  

However, these estimates assume you run your Harvest Right all day every day for 365 days.  I know I won’t do that.

I have kids, I’m busy, it may take me an hour to two between each batch (if I’m not sleeping when one finishes).  Heck, it may take days between each batch. We will take vacations; we will get sick.  I will want a break (it is noisy).  I know myself and my life, and I know I won’t run it 100% around the clock.

So, if I am realistic with myself, I may run it 50% of the time.  And honestly, even running it every other day (or six months of the year) is going to be a stretch for me.

The Smallest Harvest Right:  (affiliate)

It costs around $1.90 per day to run this machine. It takes 24-48 hours to freeze dry one batch (about one gallon can).  This means that each batch costs $1.90-$4.80 or an average of $3.35.

Each batch also costs $1 in oil, which for this machine = one can.

So, the cost for the food ($14.67) plus the can supplies ($2.58), plus the electricity ($3.35), and the oil ($1) is $21.60 (on average) per #10 can. A commercial can is $31.35 on average.  So, on average, you are saving $9.75 per can, which is still pretty significant!

But remember, you first have to use that savings to pay back the cost of the freeze dryer ($2795) and can sealer ($1491).

The Harvest Right site says you can freeze dry 240 cans per year, but as mentioned above, I’m not going to run it 100% of every single day. So, if I am more realistically freeze drying 120 cans per year, that is $1170 per year in savings.

If I don’t share the can sealer, it’d take about three years and eight months to earn back what I spent.  If I share the sealer, with three neighbors it’d take closer to two years, ten months.

The Standard Harvest Right:  (affiliate)

Electricity, food, and supplies are the same for this size machine and each batch still takes an average of 36 hours.  But you are getting around two gallons per batch instead of just one, so this lowers your electricity and oil cost per gallon can to $2.17 total making your savings per can around $11.92

The Harvest Right site says you can freeze dry 380 cans per year with this size, so I would more realistically freeze dry 190 cans per year, which is a $2265 per year in savings.  This machine costs $3495, and the cost of the can sealer is the same.

If I don’t share the can sealer, it’d take about two years and two months to earn back what I spent.  If I share the sealer, with three neighbors it’d take closer to one year and nine months.

The Largest Harvest Right:(affiliate)

Electricity, food, and supplies are the same for this size machine and each batch still takes an average of 36 hours.  But you are getting around three-three and a half gallons per batch instead of just one or two, so this lowers your electricity and oil cost per gallon can to $1.34 total making your savings per can around $12.76.

The Harvest Right site says you can freeze dry 670 (WOW!) cans per year, so I would more realistically freeze dry 335 cans per year, which is $4274 per year in savings.  This machine costs $4495 and the cost of the can sealer is the same.

Suggested Read: Home Freeze-Drying and Harvest Right At-Home Freeze Dryer Review

If I don’t share the can sealer, it would take about one year, or three months to earn back what I spent.  If I share the sealer, with three neighbors it would take closer to one year and two months.

I hope this can be a helpful guide as you do your own calculations! In alignment with this, you should also know how to rehydrate freeze-dried food.

Final Thoughts

I think the idea of the Harvest Right freeze dryer is fantastic! 

I’m excited about the technology and find it interesting. I love the idea of freeze-drying my own food, but don’t love the amount of work that is required.

However, I will wait to invest in a Harvest Right until:

  1.  It has a longer warranty
  2. The technology has been around a bit longer and there is some solid competition
  3.  I can make back my investment more quickly
  4.  I don’t have to invest hours and hours of time freeze drying year round because I feel pressured to make my money back

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Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.

105 thoughts on “Harvest Right Freeze Review With A Cost Analysis”

  1. Your comments and analysis are right on. Even with an oil-free pump, the cost of the unit, the shortness of the warranty, and the other factors you discuss are enough to cause most who might be interested to pause to see what develops, rather like not buying an electric car before the prices really began to come down and the battery capacity began to increase to decent levels.

    I know many who are very interested in food storage, especially storage that will be quality food with a long shelf life. Buying freeze-dried food from a source the quality of whose output can be verified decently makes lots of sense even with such a superficial price disparity as might appear to make do-it-yourself attractive.

    If a person wants, say, a three-month increment of storage food, that would take quite awhile to develop with a home unit. With all of the ancillary expenses (mylar bags, electricity, etc.), the cost comes up significantly even if it is still much less expensive than off-the-shelf products. But, as you indicated, work time must be figured in even if not in dollar terms, not to mention the hassle involved.

    For now, I will look for a quality freeze-dried food supplier, one that can demonstrate quality by independent third-party evaluations and which also has a decent variety of selections. Maybe later, when there are some competitors to Harvest Right, it will be time to take another look.

    Reply
    • Nothing wrong with buying commercial freeze dried if you have more money than time. You do realize it’s going to cost at least $2000 per person for a three months supply, right? Not to mention having a very limited food selection.

      Reply
  2. How to get a better ROI (return on investment)

    1. Buy it on a credit card that gives 1-5% cash back than pay it off.
    2. For the entire first year freeze dry meats/cheese
    3. Forget the #10 cans use 7 mil Mylar and totes/buckets (still should last 25 years)

    FYI harvest right just released an oiless scroll pump upgrade it defiantly elimates the weakest point in the system. And saves you time from doing maintaince. But the price is $1,600 upgrade ouch(wich is actually cheap for a scroll pump)

    Reply
  3. I have owned a HR freeze dryer for over a year now. I love how I can save leftovers, store produce when it’s on sale and dry our own farm-raised meat. I do NOT love changing the oil. We have had numerous problems with our pump getting rusty so finally the HR people told us to completely change the oil after every batch of food. That is not acceptable as it makes the food very expensive. They will not accept returns of their product either. So I’m stuck with it. They did send us a brand new pump which we haven’t tried out yet but I’m disappointed in the water getting into the pump and rusting out the components. If anyone knows how to avoid this with our new pump, I’d love to hear about it.

    Reply
      • You could change the hardware to stainless or brass, but if you just filter the oil and then freeze it, pull out the ice and re use then your not wasting oil. do this with one quart of oil and use a second in the pump and switch.

        Misty, you very will could have joined one of the many facebook groups to get much better first hand info, plus get a better understanding of the many other non typical uses of the freeze dryer.

        Reply
    • Apparently you don’t realize you can filter the oil, you don’t have to completely replace it. Also their new Premier Pump is fantastic.

      Reply
  4. Great post! Thank you for presenting more information. I agree we need a competitor! And I have seen prices drop so that’s good.
    I don’t own a freeze dryer but have looked into it quite a bit. I think there are different settings (both on freeze time and dry time) so you would be able to control for the different moisture contents of foods. Of course you would want to do separate batches with differing foods.
    Also I’m wondering about the safety issue. Could we eliminate those concerns about casseroles and such by just cutting it up into smaller chunks? That’s what I would do.
    But overall, great analysis! Maybe by the time I’ve saved up enough to get one the price will have come down and the warranty gone up!

    Reply
    • Prices have actually dropped since I wrote this! Too quickly to keep up with, so that is good. ANd yes, Harvest Right does sell a machine that you can adjust freeze and dry times, but it is far FAR more expensive than the ones mentioned here. Not sure about the casseroles. My concern is that it hasn’t been well tested – to my knowledge at least. Mixing ingredients does weird things to shelf lives. FOr example, single ingredient cans of freeze dried foods are sold with a 25+ year shelf life. But when you start mixing those into multiple ingredient “just add water meals,” you either see a huge shelf life drop (like 5-7 years instead of 25+) or the addition of a BUNCH of preservatives. So…..I dunno?

      Reply
      • Rerun your price analysis with things like meat and chicken. You can pay for a Harvest Right in months, not years, and you can stockpile exactly the food YOU want.

        Reply
  5. Thank you for doing the math. I was on the verge of purchasing but, as always, I have very little honest information. I will wait. I have been using my Excalibur Dehydrators for well over 20 years. The first one was a hand-me-down and second one was a dream tax refund purchase. If I get 1/2 the life out of a freeze dryer I’d be happy. We enjoy our jerky, dried apples and strawberries,etc. I dry herbs that I grow, cat nip that I sell and various bits for the dogs such as hearts/livers from harvested lambs. I rather expect I won’t need to store foods for 25 years nor even 5 years. If I have another peach harvest like I had this year maybe I would have 5-25 years worth.They sell bushels and gamma lids where I work. I lost more than I saved. I gave away bushels. I will wait another year and maybe another nice tax refund will come along and help finance it for me. Thank you so much for the info.

    Reply
  6. Thank you for the break down. I reallllllllly want the freeze-dryer because I have children with multiple food allergies and can’t buy, for any price, freeze-dried foods without some unacceptable allergen cross contamination warning. I agree with you on wanting a better warranty, the allegy-safe ingredients I would be using are already expensive, I definitely will wait for more field testing before shelling out 1700.00. Thanks for the little shove that put the CC back in the freezer lol.

    Reply
    • Most of THrive’s foods are allergen free Carla. Have you checked there? They have a completely gluten free room and the only nut they process is a coconut.

      Reply
      • I have been doing some label reading and Thrive does use modified food starches in some of the bakery goods, their sauces, and some of their meals. We do our best to steer away from modified food starch due to allergies.

        Reply
  7. HI Misty, right now Harvest is offering such a great price reduction to those that put on on layaway. Have you decided yet to get one or not? I have looked at the pricing of freeze fried foods at thrive and augason and the prices are higher of course than if you did it your self, wouldn’t you say?

    I am debating on whether to get the standard of the Large because I think with the standard it will take a lot more of my time and work, so the extra $1,000 might be worth it if they last 15 years. Thoughts?

    And thank you, Michele

    Reply
    • Lower pricing certainly helps Michele – as the lower the price, the sooner you can make your money back! But it isn’t my only concern. I still have concerns about the very short warranty and about the quality of the food that is freeze dried. It just seems really fishy to me that one setting will get everything right and the food will truly last for 25 years. So, for the moment, I’m still wiling to pay for freeze dried food from a source that I know I can trust (it is far less over Black Friday or other big sales). But I tend to be overly cautious sometimes. 🙂

      Reply
  8. I’ve owned a unit for 4 yrs…a second (good sale) for 2 yrs. I use them year round. I grow lots of veggies and fruit-can’t beat it. I have my own goat milk, make cheese,yogurt, ice cream etc. no other good way to preserve it. Freezing destroys cheese quality…my opinion. I don’t do much meat, ham diced small for omelets, shredded chicken for lots of things. I use a homemade t-paper filter for the oil, cheap and very effective. I have an onion allergy and I have milk allergies and celiacs in my family-these machines are priceless. I seal all my product in jars, I didn’t like my product crushed, and honestly I had problems with the mylar bags. I still can some things, I dehydrate others-whatever we like best. I have had NO problems with my machines, nor have I lost any product. For me, it is worth every cent, a few people have bought them after seeing what I can do. It’s a personal preference, but one I am sure glad I tried. Thank you for allowing opinions.

    Reply
    • Well of course your opinion is allowed Carol – especially since you expressed it so clearly and kindly. I appreciate your perspective and I’m sure others will too!

      Reply
    • Thanks Carol. I really want to get the standard machine. I am trying to do my due diligence. I can, dehydrate and freeze. I have tried the Thrive foods and they were excellent. I plant a garden every year and always produce more than I can deal with. Takes a lot of time to can. Although I give a lot away I end up buying come December. So I was hoping I could prevent that and be able to control what is put in my food. Thanks for your comments. Still trying to make up my mind. It is not always about breaking even, but eating heathier.

      Reply
  9. I appreciate you breaking down the cost factor. I’m considering one, but my plan is to be able to freeze dry shredded cheeses and meats, and also vegetables that don’t can well, I always have my freezers stuffed full and this would be a better option than buying another freezer, and the food would store longer. I looked up shredded cheddar and mozzarella and priced them at $44.95 for a #10 can, I can buy a 5# bag for around #12, so I’m seeing a huge savings there. Also am able to get boneless skinless chicken breasts for around $1.00 a lb, compared to buying freeze dried also at $44.95 a can. So I guess it depends on what you plan to freeze dry. I agree with waiting a little bit, and hopefully the warranty will get better or at the very least reviews will tell you if they hold up. And of course we’re all hoping for price decreases.

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    • Yes, the savings is much greater when you consider meat / cheese – those are two freeze dried items that get crazy expensive. And fyi – i haven’t updated the post yet – but the cost of the freeze dryers has gone down since I wrote this!

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  10. A freeze would be perfect for you! You would love one. We have had a Harvest Right for 3 years now and have loved it. A great thing is that you filter your oil…in fact, we have used the same oil for over 70 batches. So, oil is less than $.05 per batch. Just filter and reuse as recommend by the manufacturer. Typically we find that power is about $1 per gallon of food. The cost of food is minimal for us because we have a garden and freeze dry left overs. So, we probably pay $2 per gallon of food (including packaging and power) if it is from the garden and $7-8 if we buy the food. We figure our freeze dryer paid for itself in under a year and the savings has obviously been huge ever since. Most important to us is the quality of the food and knowing where it came from. We used to bottle/can a lot, but don’t really do that anymore because this has been much better. It was definitely an investment, but worth it for our family.

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    • Thanks for the input Melody! I’m so glad to know it has been a good investment for your family. Good to know you can filter the oil – how big of a job is that? And I completely agree that if you grow your own garden produce you will earn back your investment quickly (though there is a cost to gardening as well – especially if you are just starting). Do you only use the freeze dryer in the summer then? Or do you freeze dry meats / etc that you buy in the winter? And how do your leftovers work out? That is a big concern for me. Do you eat them within a few weeks / months? Or have you been able to see if they will actually last years and years? Same thing with your produce etc? How quickly are you using it? Or are you storing it long term? I’m concerned that if there is any extra moisture it won’t last long term…what is the longest you’ve left something stored and then opened it and tried it? I love getting first hand experience and thoughts!

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  11. I have been wanting one, but knew it wasn’t in the budget and would have to wait a couple years. After reading this article, it’s probably a good thing to wait a couple years. Hopefully prices will go down, and some kinks in the product will be improved to allow for a longer warranty.

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  12. Hi Misty, I am seeing a lot of info online about freeze drying in a chest-type freezer using dry ice or in a freezer with a very low temp. We have a small chest freezer that goes down to -20. Have you had any experience with this method? We are going to experiment first with fruits and vegetables.

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    • I have not heard anything about that method Annie. Personally, I would be very nervous about it – just seems like you wouldn’t have much control. How do you vacuum the water out? I know the Harvest Right brings it down to -40. I believe that is the same for other options as well. But if you want to, give it a go and let us know what you find!

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  13. I appreciate your perspective, but to be clear, this is not a review as the comments mention. As you mention in the article, you do not own a freeze dryer and have never used one so you aren’t in a position to actually review the product.

    That being said, you are voicing the opinions of everyone who doesn’t own one. I know that you are just sharing your concerns, so I don’t mean any disrespect, however it would have been more credible if the article were written by someone who owned one, used it and was unhappy with it.

    I know you have many many followers who will come to support your opinion because they love you and think I am just being mean. That is not my intent. I just want to provide some additional considerations.

    I chose to freeze dry my own food when I could not find a provider of organic or non-GMO freeze dried food. Everyone else can eat whatever they want but for me and my family, we try to avoid all food that has been treated with pesticide. A year later, Thrive still only offers 3 organic items: peas, quinoa, raspberries. Even non-GMO food can be treated with pesticides so whenever possible organic is the way I go.

    The other big consideration for me was the origin of the food. Did it come from China, India or Puerto Rico? Who knows? Very few , if any, companies that freeze dry food put it on the label. China is so polluted that organic still isn’t good enough so I avoid all food from China. Did you know a lot of frozen food is from China? Check out the country of origin the next time you aren’t buying fresh. I want to know where the food I eat comes from.

    I don’t grow all my own food. I’m not betty homemaker. I’m not better than anyone else. I do know what I want and that is clean food. A freeze dryer helps me get closer to that goal even if I miss it from time to time. Until all food is organic a freeze dryer helps me bridge the gap. It allows me to buy fresh and local from people I know and store it long term.

    Food prep isn’t hours on end. If you follow the Facebook group for Harvest Right you will see that most people find strawberries on sale and buy 8lbs to go throw in the freeze dryer. They saved money and it didn’t take hours to prep. Throw them in turn it on and walk away. When you make dinner, make a little more, then run the leftover’s through the machine.

    I won’t argue the purchase price, it’s expensive. So if saving money is your only goal this isn’t for you.

    I won’t argue food safety. However, if you would eat it raw then what safety concerns could you have? Strawberries, blueberries, apples, pineapple, carrots, broccoli….you see where I am going. What about the items you would cook once rehydrated? Again, to each their own on this one.

    The dreaded pump. I was worried about this too. My husband is in A/C and already had one of these pumps on his truck. He said for A/C it is the best on the market. I asked him if he would help me out with this before I bought it because it was intimidating. Turns out, it isn’t near as bad as you would think. I have the pump sitting on a high shelf with one underneath. Turn the knob and the oil drains into a jar. Close the knob, pour in more oil and done. Takes 2 minutes and it isn’t a dirty job it’s like working with vegetable oil.

    I know it isn’t in Misty’s best interest to endorse a home freeze dryer when she sells freeze dried food. I just wanted you guys to hear from someone who has one. I just hope Misty allows this to be posted and shared.

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    • Of course I will allow it Amber! You aren’t the first one to disagree with me and I’m totally fine with that – in fact I’m grateful for differing opinions – as long as they are respectful, which yours obviously is!

      In fact, the last statement in the post says: “I totally get that not everyone will have the same opinion as I have. Purchasing a Harvest Right may be a wise decision for you. Do you have a Harvest Right? Have you considered getting one? Why? Why not?” I want this post to be a place where people can come and read my opinion AND others!

      In response to a few of your concerns about this post

      1 – I get that I have not personally used one – you have a point there, but I don’t ever say or imply that I am reviewing the use of it – only stating my personal reasons for why I will not buy one (yet). I have also had MANY readers and friends who own one tell me about their experience. Some, like you, love it. Others are very disappointed with their purchase. A few have returned it.

      2 – You are completely right that food prep isn’t always hour on end – but that depends on the food. My point with that was that I’d have to spend time every 1-3 days prepping something in order to run my machine often enough to make the money back quick enough. But if you aren’t concerned about making the money back, then your’e right – no big deal. Just do it when / if you find a sale!

      3 – You have pointed out a lot of reasons why it might be RIGHT for some to purchase this – if they want 100% organic, then yes, this could be a very smart purchase. But you can get non-GMO, non-China food from Thrive. For me, that is good enough (but not for everyone!)

      4 – As for it not being in my best interest to endorse a freeze dryer, it actually would be (at least financially) – which is why you’ll find a LOT of preparedness bloggers who do. I would make a significant commission from anyone who bought one on my recommendation. I just have a standing policy on my site that I will not recommend anything I would not personally buy – to me that is just integrity. However, if someone feels it is a good purchase for them, I’m totally fine with that. In fact, the links to the Harvest Right above are my referral links. But I don’t want to push people into buying it just so I can make a (very) large commission off such an expensive product. I don’t want to lose my readers trust. Losing their trust is not in my best interest.

      So, in summary, THANK YOU for adding a different perspective here. I appreciate it and hope that those who are considering the Harvest Right will read it in order to decide if it is right for them.

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      • Oh, I forgot the safety. You asked why I would be concerned. If you store something with an oxygen absorber and it still has too much moisture in it, it will go bad – and even possibly cause botulism. I have had some Harvest Right owners tell me that some things they have freeze dried have gone bad very quickly (mostly large pieces of meat and / or casseroles) which to me says it isn’t removing all the moisture it needs to. That concerns me. Maybe it’d be okay most of the time, but who knows? I want to be SURE my food is safe to eat – I don’t want to waste the investment.

        But even if it does remove all the water (as it seems to in smaller fruits / veggies etc), the fact that you can’t dial in the settings make me concerned that the nutrient preservation may not be as good.

        So, hopefully that clarifies my concerns there.

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    • The lousy warranty did it for me, clearly they don’t believe in their machine. I have researched this freeze dryer and have seen more bad reviews than good. I will wait for another company to come along with a good warranty. I am a prepper, would rather purchase my freeze dried food from a reputable company and know that what I’m eating is safe.

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  14. I have one of the very first Harvest Right Freeze Driers and have no regrets about my purchase. I have found that even years after my purchase I can call Harvest Right and one of their people will answer any question help with any problem I have. I have Thrive products on my shelves but I find I reach for my own first because the size of the pieces of onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, etc. are larger than the tiny bits of Thrive products. I am also able to freeze dry my own recipe favorites of soups. casseroles, etc. Sorry to disagree with you Misty but this is one of the best purchases I have ever made.

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    • I totally respect your opinion Laurie and I’m grateful to you for sharing it and thrilled your purchase has worked out well for you! I have heard the Harvest Right has excellent customer service – which is HUGE, right? I too would love to be able to choose the size of my freeze dried veggies! I really am excited for the technology. I don’t know that I will ever trust freeze drying entire casseroles though – just too risky for me. (-:

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  15. Thank you so much, Misty, for all the time you put into your review on the Harvest Right HFD & the extra information about freeze drying. I can’t believe your kindness & efficiency; you have blessed so many!

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    • Ahhhh….thanks for your kind comment Sharon! I love what I do because of kind people like you! I’m so glad you found this helpful!

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  16. I, too, was so inclined to buy one, even thought about buying on layaway. But then watched a lot of videos and realized this was not for me at this time. The clincher for me, was the oil thing. The pump, then changing the oil, etc. just seemed like a LOT of work and not real productive for me, anyhow. The capacity is not real appealing either. The cost, the maintenance, and the output/size just don’t justify my purchasing at this time.
    When there is competition, the cost and all the other “cons” will soon help the consumer…monopoly is not a good thing.

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  17. Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to calculate then share this information with us, Misty! I, too, have been dreaming of purchasing one of these machines. I must confess, I never even considered all of the “elephants” lurking in the background!

    I will definitely be re-thinking this “dream”, which now seems would end up being more of a nightmare in real life 😉 .

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    • Hopefully you don’t have to give up the dream entirely! I really am excited about the possibilities eventually!

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  18. Fantastic article. Very helpful. Gives significant insight into aspects I could not have foreseen. I will certainly follow your advice on the purchase. But you also gave great insight into buying freeze-dried foods. I feel I now know what to look for…and I should be stashing some away until I do purchase a freeze-drier or the SHTF. Either way, thank you so very much. Prepare On!

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    • Let me know if you have any questions about freeze dried foods Jerry! My favorite place to get them is Thrive Life!

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  19. Thank you for your review of the harvest right. I have thought of buying one but the cost was prohibitive. I will follow your recommendations and wait.

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  20. Thanks for this comprehensive review!
    I’ve only skimmed it so far and plan to return for a full read, but the main points are already clear.
    Much appreciated.

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  21. Misty,

    Wow! I was impressed by this article. Why? Because this is the only article on the Harvest Right system that voices all of my concerns. I started looking at these when they first came out and couldn’t get answers to many of these questions. Then, I saw other bloggers righting about how great these machines were, yet, no one was willing to address the elephants in the room.
    So, I decided (as you have) that the time is NOT right to buy into this system. Yes, need more competition, better warranty, and maybe even a “safer” process.
    Thanks for calling all these things out.

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    • Yes, I could make a LOT of commission by telling people to buy it, but my conscience just won’t let me. The “elephants in the room” are just too real.

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  22. I agree with you totally and went through the same questions, calculations and reached the same conclusions that you did. I commend you for putting it out there in such a easily understandable and concise post!

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