I get it.  They are expensive.  But owning a freeze dryer opens up a world of possibilities, blending creativity, convenience, and long-term sustainability.  Preserving your favorite fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, and even entire prepared meals is a joy and wonder.  Nutrition, food quality, and freshness are locked in with a push of a button or two and these qualities are preserved for up to 20 years with proper preparation and storage.  Whether I’m preparing for emergencies, crafting snacks like freeze-dried candy, or enhancing your pantry with lightweight, shelf-stable ingredients, the versatility of my freeze dryer is unmatched.  The satisfaction of creating high-quality homemade freeze-dried product beats anything store bought.

Which brings us to a super simple on the go breakfast.  Cold Cereal.  Sure, you could simply throw a handful of Corn Pops in a Mylar bag, maybe add a scoop of dry milk and then seal it.  It would more or less shelf stable for 5 years with little degradation of taste.  However, with a freeze drier you can make a milky cereal bar that can be eaten dry, or you can crumble it up add some cold water and the only thing missing will be some good old Saturday morning cartoons to watch as you drink the leftover sugary milk.

The process is pretty simple:

• Prepare the freeze dryer trays with silicone mats and tray dividers.
• Load about 5 ounces of your favorite breakfast cereal to each freeze dryer tray.
• Pour 12 ounces (1-1/2 cups) of milk into each tray.
• Pre-freeze the trays unless you prefer not to.
• Freeze Dry!

I put 1/4 of each tray into a 6” x 8” 5 mil mylar bag and seal it up.  Then when I’m ready to eat one I add a light ¼ of cold water and start eating. I’d also strongly encourage you to pour the milk in one the trays are in place in either your pre-freezer or in the freeze dryer itself.