Food Storage · Harvest Right
Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer
The machine I have run for a decade: if your family already eats it, you can store it
Options at harvestright.com
- Small, black$1895
- Medium, black$2395
- Large, black$2995
- X-Large, stainless$4995
- Stainless, small to large$2395.00 to 3395
Big ticket
Why it's on my list
If you want long-term food storage made from food your family already eats, this is the machine. Mine has run for about a decade; the only change I made was swapping the original pump for the premier pump in 2023, which now comes standard. If you can afford it, get the large; on a tight budget, get the small, and if the only space you have is a counter, the new Countertop 360 is the same machine in a box that fits one.
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- Price read from the brand's page; checked today
What it is
Load the trays and press start; the machine freezes, pulls a vacuum and dries. Food keeps up to 25 years with the flavor, nutrition and texture intact, which a dehydrator cannot do. Four home sizes, small to extra large, black or stainless, pump included in the bundle. I have run one for about a decade.
What it is
The machine I have run since 2016: long-term storage made from the food your family already eats
I bought my Harvest Right in 2016 and it has been worth every penny; after years of continual use it still works exactly like it should. The only change I made was scrapping the original pump in 2023 for the premier industrial pump, which now comes standard. My freeze dryer page has the sizes, the batch capacities and what it costs to run; what to put the output in is on the oxygen absorber and container page, and where bought freeze-dried food fits beside it is on freeze-dried foods. If the only space you have is a counter, the new Countertop 360 is the same machine in a smaller box.
Which size
A Small or Medium suits most homes; a lot of food to preserve, get the Large
Why it matters
On a tight budget, get the Small. Per batch is what you load at once; per year is what the machine can put away at four batches a week. The Large wants a dedicated 15 amp circuit and the X-Large a 20 amp one, and both are heavy, so plan the spot before it arrives. Harvest Right's current figures, from its listing:
The sizes
- Small: 6 to 10 lb fresh per batch, up to 1,800 lb a year; 4 trays; 17.4 x 21.5 x 26.8 in, 91 lb; standard outlet
- Medium: 10 to 15 lb per batch, up to 3,000 lb a year; 5 trays; 19 x 25 x 29 in, 119 lb; standard outlet
- Large: 18 to 27 lb per batch, up to 5,000 lb a year; 6 trays; 21.3 x 27.5 x 31.3 in, 143 lb; dedicated 15 amp circuit
- X-Large: 40 to 50 lb per batch, up to 10,000 lb a year; 7 trays; 24.3 x 37.4 x 35.6 in, 258 lb; dedicated 20 amp circuit
- Black or stainless; some sizes in white, pale blue, green or copper
What comes in the box
Every size ships with the pump and the packaging to start
Why it matters
The pump is the part to look at. My only complaint about my aging model was its original pump, and pump technology has improved massively since; the premier pump now comes standard, and an oil-free pump is an upgrade Harvest Right sells by phone. The trays, sealer, Mylar and oxygen absorbers mean the first batch goes into storage the day the machine is set up. Pump oil is changed every 20 to 30 batches, a two minute job.
What's in the box
- Freeze dryer
- Premier industrial vacuum pump, oil and oil filter
- Stainless steel trays
- Impulse sealer
- 50 Mylar bags and 50 oxygen absorbers
- Guide to freeze drying
- Three year limited warranty
What it does, and what keeps
Freeze, then pull the water out as vapor under vacuum
Why it matters
With the moisture gone, bacteria, mold and yeast cannot grow, so the food stores at room temperature with its color, shape, flavor and most of its nutrients, and it rehydrates more fully than dehydrated food. Low-fat foods last 25 years or more; fatty foods, meat and dairy are more like 10 to 15, because the fat still slowly goes rancid. Butter, pure fats and fatty cuts do not freeze dry well.
What goes in
- Lean meat, poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables and complete meals all freeze dry well
- Low-fat foods: 25 years or more
- Fatty foods, meat and dairy: 10 to 15 years
- High-fat foods: do not freeze dry well
Why it earns the price
Food you already eat, real savings, less waste, and it runs itself
Why it matters
Retail freeze-dried meals often run $10 or more each; home batches cost far less, and you can buy in bulk and preserve sale items and garden harvests before they spoil. You control the ingredients, which matters for special diets and for pet food. The machine runs the cycle for you. It covers more than emergencies: job loss, inflation, camping and backpacking food. My food shopping list is the pantry this feeds into.
What it buys you
- Everyday groceries, leftovers, garden harvests and full meals
- Home batches instead of $10 retail meals
- Your own pet food, with known ingredients
- Automatic cycle; about $1 to $2.80 a day in power while it runs
The freeze dryers on my list
Where it earns its place
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A month of just-add-water food in one order, and the freeze dryer that turns what your family already eats into 25-year food.