How I Keep Lettuce Crisp for Years (and Preserve My Garden Harvest!)

John from http://www.GrowingYourGreens.com shares how he freeze-dries his homegrown lettuce into a guacamole tomato salad that can be stored for up to 25 years—yes, you read that right! Learn more about the Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer he uses at http://www.bit.ly/stayfreshfreezedry and use coupon code OKRAW to SAVE $50.

In this episode, John takes you step-by-step from harvesting 4 kilograms of vibrant red and green lettuce from his spring garden to mixing up a creamy tomato guacamole dressing using his vacuum blender. He shows how to evenly coat and compress the salad onto industrial-grade trays, pre-freeze them, and load them into the Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer for optimal results. You’ll get an inside look at the science of freeze drying—including how the machine sublimates moisture under vacuum to preserve nutrients, flavor, and texture better than any other method.

You’ll also learn practical tips for improving freeze-drying efficiency, from using the built-in temperature probe to flattening trays for faster sublimation. John shares essential advice on how to properly store freeze-dried food using oxygen absorbers, thick mylar bags, and a simple silicone straw method to create a vacuum seal without fancy equipment.

If you’re into food security, gardening, or long-term storage, this episode is packed with hacks and how-to’s to help you turn seasonal produce into shelf-stable meals you can enjoy for years to come. Whether you're preparing for emergencies, minimizing waste, or planning portable meals for travel and hiking, John's freeze-dried salad recipe might just change the way you preserve greens forever.

Jump to the following points of this episode:
00:00 Episode Starts - Freeze Drying My Lettuce Harvest
01:18 The Shocking Way to Preserve Lettuce for 25 Years
02:10 How to Harvest Lettuce Before It Bolts
03:48 I Harvested 4 Kilograms of Lettuce (Here’s Why)
04:28 Turning Raw Lettuce into Shelf-Stable Salad
05:14 Making Guacamole Tomato Salad Dressing for Freeze Drying
07:20 Why I Only Use the Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer Tray
08:46 How to Compress Salad to Fit Freeze Dryer Trays
10:13 Save Time: Pre-Freezing Trays Before Freeze Drying
10:57 Pre-Freezing the Freeze Dryer Chamber (Here's Why)
12:20 Loading the Freeze Dryer the Right Way
13:15 Pro Tip: Use a Temp Probe for Accurate Freeze Drying
13:50 Sealing It In: 'Food In Chamber' Setting Starts the Process
14:12 What Happens During the First 16 Hours (It’s Science!)
16:35 Freeze Dryer Finished! Here's What to Do Next
17:09 Critical Step: Preheat Trays Before Opening the Door
17:38 Opening the Freeze Dryer and Seeing the Results
18:40 Unloading Trays of Fully Dried Lettuce
19:14 How the Defrost Cycle Works After Drying
20:28 This Is All the Water That Was in My Lettuce (Crazy!)
21:00 Why Freeze Drying Preserves Food Better Than Anything
21:28 Work Fast! Your Food Will Suck in Moisture from the Air
22:05 What You Need to Store Food for 25 Years (My Setup)
23:22 How I Seal Freeze-Dried Food in Mylar Bags with Oxygen Absorbers
24:50 Taste Test! What Freeze-Dried Salad Actually Tastes Like
25:36 Genius Hack: Using a Dough Scraper to Scoop Salad
27:06 How I Vacuum Seal Bags with a Silicone Straw (No Expensive Gear!)
28:30 25-Year Shelf Life: Why I Freeze Dry All My Garden Harvest
29:30 The ONLY Freeze Dryer I Recommend
29:35 SAVE $50 on Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer at http://www.bit.ly/stayfreshfreezedry with coupon OKRAW

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Referenced Episodes
Why every gardener Should grow purple vegetables
   • Why Every Gardener Needs to Grow Purple Ve...  

Full Unboxing and Set up of Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer
   • Why Stay Fresh Is the Best Freeze Dryer – ...  

A Visit to the Stay Fresh Headquarters - Why their Machine is Best
   • Dehydrators Lose 80% Nutrition. Use a Stay...  

Buy the Stay Fresh Freeze Dryer directly and use coupon code OKRAW to SAVE $50 at https://stayfreshfreezedry.com/?sca_r...

Buy John's recommended products for freezing drying on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/shop/JohnKohler

When you use the above links, John will get a small percentage of the sale, so he can continue to make his videos for you. Thank You for using my links instead of others.