Freeze-Dried Harvester Farms Review

As a software developer by trade, I like to promote self reliance and independence. When moving into a new job, the initial period is a learning experience where you learn as much as you can from the rest of the team. The bigger the team/project, the longer the ramp up time. Eventually, you're off on your own.

Prepping is another form of self-reliance and independence. In the event of some kind of disaster, you want to be prepared to survive through the event. I am not a hard core prepper myself, but my wife really wants to have a stash available for that time. Nothing major but we live in New England and big snow storms and power outages are the norm. Typically, no hurricanes, but flooding isn't out of the question either.

That is where Brothers-All-Natural comes into play. We've been big fans of their freeze-dried fruits for years. We previously did a review and giveaway of them earlier this year. I recently discovered that they started doing freeze-dried veggies, too. They don't offer the single-serve packaging of veggies like they do with the fruits. Instead, you get large cans that offer around 50 servings. The thing that I think makes this big to the prepper community is they have a shelf life of 25 years, or 18 months once opened.

The freeze-dried veggies are branded with the Harvester Farms name. There are four vegetables available: peas, broccoli, potatoes, and sweet corn. Like the freeze-dried fruits, if you look at the ingredients, it is 100% that item, with no additives or preservatives. In addition to freeze-dried veggies, they've also repackaged their freeze-dried fruits to be in the larger container, too. No difference in product there, but you can also get the larger cans of asian pears, bananas, fuji apples, and strawberries.

The one negative I found with the product is you need a can opener. It would have been great if there was a pull-tab on it to open. Apart from that, after opening, you have your freeze dried product. With the broccoli, for instance, you have a really light weight product. The 45 servings weighs a whopping 4.59 ounces. The others weigh comparably, though not as light.

Cooking is another story. You need to be careful here and not throw them in butter or oil to cook up. It will just soak up all the fat. You need to rehydrate them in water, then either add to a side dish or season up to be eaten on its own. Unlike the freeze-dried fruits, you typically don't eat it in a freeze-dried form.

I first tried to go the quick route and rehydrate them in a microwave. Short answer. Don't try it. It is too quick. It is best for them to sit in water for a few minutes first. Even better is to rehydrate them in boiling water and then add them in with the rest of your side. 

The nice thing about freeze-dried foods is as soon as they hit the water, their bright colors come back, and nutritionally, you're better off than frozen, which is better than canned.

I love the idea behind the product and sense they will be a popular product with all the preppers out there. The 25 year shelf life is hard to beat, and for those extended storm outages, we'll have some real food to eat. Great job.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions stated are my own and may differ from yours. See my disclosure policy for more information.