How To Use and Freeze Dry Carrots

 

One of the great things about using freeze dried food is the convenience and time it saves on meal prep.  After freeze drying the carrots are ready to rehydrate and use with no peeling, dicing, shredding or slicing.  It's a huge time saver plus freeze dried food properly packaged and prepared stores long term. 

Another important benefit is that since freeze drying does not use heat nutritional value is preserved.  Carrots having many health benefits making it an important pantry item to have on hand.  Freeze dried carrots can also be powdered and snuck into or added into batters, breads, smoothies and shakes.  

Sliced carrots ready to blanch.  I sliced them in my Ninja food processor.

 

Preparing Carrots for Freeze Drying

• Wash and peel carrots.  Wash again after peeling to remove all dirt.
• You can slice, shredded, julienne, or cut into veggie straws
• Blanch for 4 minutes.  Bring water to a boil.  Add carrots, bring back up to a boil and then start timing.  This is important because it stops enzyme activity and makes for a better textured product
• Place on freeze dry trays.  I have a medium Harvest Right Freeze dry and 8 lbs of carrots seems to fill 4 trays.  That's a Costco size bag of  organic carrots.
• Pre freeze for 12 hours. 

Blanch carrots slices for 4 minutes and shreds for 3 minutes.

Carrots blanched on the trays ready for freeze drying.  The carrot slices are seasoned.  
Use you favorite seasoning.

 

Freeze Drying 

• Start your freeze dryer.  I don't change any settings.
• After the 15 minutes chamber cooling, load trays into the freeze dryer and hit start.
• When the freeze dryer is done you can do a test to ensure the moisture is all removed.  Weigh and record weight of each tray. Add 1-2 hours of extra dry time then weigh again.  If the weight is the same the carrots are done.  If the weight is less they still have moisture that needs to be removed so add more dry time..  

Packaging

 

You can store FD foods in canning jars with oxygen absorbers and then vacuum sealed  or you can use mylar bags with oxygen absorber.  

Freeze dried carrots ready to package.  The purple carrots are Purple Dragon.  

Using Freeze Dried Carrots

• Use FD carrot slices in soups or stews add to soup or stew the last 10 minutes of cooking.  No need to rehydrate.
• Rehydrate carrot shreds in hot or cold water, drain and use in muffins, breads or cakes.
• Powder carrots to add to smoothies or sneak nutrition into pancake batters etc.
• Rehydrate shredded carrots and use in a raw carrot salad or in coleslaw mix.
• Eat as snacks.  Homegrown carrots are really good as snacks.  Store bought don't seem to be as sweet.

Favorite FD Carrot Recipes

Bran Flax Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 c flax seed meal

3/4 c oat bran

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (rehydrate shreds in cold or warm water drain and then add)

2  peeled and shredded apples (try freeze drying apple shreds so you have these on hand)

1/2 c raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients.  Add carrots, apples, raisins, and nuts.  Combine wet ingredients in a seperate bowl and add to dry  and mix until just moist.  Do not over mix.  Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes.  Make approximately 15 muffins.

(Recipe from Bob's Red Mill)

Glazed Carrots

Mix together equal parts water, butter, and sugar.  I use 2 Tbs of each

Add carrot straws or slices and sauté til tender and glazed.