(NaturalNews) Two years ago, I was trying to purchase a long-term storable freeze-dried, non-GMO, certified organic corn and I was shocked to realize there isn't any sold at retail!
As you probably already know, freeze-drying is the No. 1 best method for preserving foods. It pulls the water out but leaves the taste, texture and nutrient content almost 100% intact. All freeze-dried fruits and vegetables are technically "RAW" because freeze-drying occurs at below-zero temperatures.
That's why freeze-dried fruits and vegetables taste better and store better than anything else: spray-drying, drum-drying, sun-drying, etc. But when I tried to find freeze-dried organic blueberries, I was out of luck, too: nobody offered them in a long-term storable format.
It turns out that finding non-GMO, certified
100% organic, non-CHINA-grown foods for long-term preparedness was all but impossible. So I realized we were going to have to come up with this solution here at Natural News.
We are now the only producer and retailer of 100% organic, non-GMO, non-China storable freeze-dried fruits and vegetables
Fast forward two years to late 2012: We nailed down a certified organic (USDA-audited) food facility in central Texas. I schooled myself in food safety and handling, receiving state-required certifications for overseeing food production facilities, so now I'm the supervisor for all production runs at the facility.
We acquired food packing automation equipment, including labelers, weighers, mixers and fillers. And then we began sourcing organic, non-GMO freeze-dried foods. My criteria were very strict:
1) NO CHINA. Nothing from China, period.
2) NO FILLERS. No flow agents or hidden ingredients, period.
3) Must be certified organic, with USDA certification.
4) Must be non-GMO.
5) Must have a minimum two years of shelf life (or longer).
With this in mind, we set out to locate the best sources in the world for whole corn, whole blueberries, mango pieces, strawberry slices and so on.
It turns out there is a very limited supply of organic, non-GMO, non-China, Freeze-Dried fruits and vegetables available, and we weren't able to buy the quantities we had hoped for. But we did get several thousand pounds of some items, and we've been busy packaging them into pouches and #10 cans for our customers.
All of this eats like candy! Even the corn eats like a sweet corn candy. It's truly amazing. The blueberries are incredibly sweet, crunchy and delicious. You can eat these like a snack! All of these reconstitute to approximately
four to ten times their dried weight, meaning that when you buy 1 lb. of freeze-dried fruit, you're actually getting roughly ten pounds of original fruit. (For corn, it's a lower ratio of 4:1)
Very limited quantities, available now
Here's what we have available right now, in limited quantities:
Organic Freeze-Dried Non-GMO Whole Corn (USA) (2.5 oz pouch)
Organic Freeze-Dried Non-GMO Whole Corn (USA) (18 oz storable can)
Organic Freeze-Dried Whole Blueberries (USA) (2 oz pouch)
Organic Freeze-Dried Whole Blueberries (USA) (15 oz storable can)
Organic Freeze-Dried Mango Pieces (Mexico) (2 oz pouch)
Organic Freeze-Dried Mango Pieces (Mexico) (15 oz storable can)
Organic Freeze-Dried Blackberry Halves (Serbia) (2 oz pouch)
Organic Freeze-Dried Blackberry Halves (Serbia) (13 oz storable can)
You can find them all in our freeze-dried category page:
http://store.naturalnews.com/Freeze-Dried-Organics_c_54.htmlIn addition to this list, Organic Freeze-Dried Whole Raspberries are coming in 1-2 weeks. Plus, we'll be adding more fruits and vegetables to this list as supplies are available (strawberries will arrive in 2-3 months).
Why freeze-dried is the No. 1 best preservation method
Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables have 98% of their water removed, leaving a very lightweight, almost "crunchy" pop-corn type of texture.
They rehydrate to approximately 4-10 times their dry weight.
Freeze drying makes foods extremely light and easy to store, easy to transport, and they can be eaten raw like snacks or reconstituted with water to use in soups and other recipes. They also work great in baking recipes (freeze-dried blueberries work wonders in blueberry pancake recipes).
These are the healthiest office snacks imaginable!
You can eat them right out of the pouch as a healthy, delicious and nutritious snack. (Be sure to drink lots of water because they need water to rehydrate.)
There are many methods of drying foods: sun-dried, drum dried and spray dried are the most common. Only freeze-dried fruits and vegetables are "raw," as all other methods subject them to high heat, with sun-dried being the least heat of the heating methods. Freeze-dried foods look better, have better color retention, better nutrient retention and better taste and texture than any other method of preserving foods.
Our certified organic, non-GMO, non-China, Freeze-Dried foods are
the BEST of the best. This is the highest premium quality storable fruits and vegetables grown on our planet. The only thing better than this is growing you own and picking it fresh out of the garden (or getting it from a local neighbor who grows it).
Some companies offering freeze-dried foods won't tell you the country of origin. Others use hidden fillers and flow agents (this is very common in dried fruit and vegetable powders). But here at Natural News with our "Storable Organics" product line we use no fillers, no flow agents, no hidden ingredients and of course no materials from China.
This is the best of the best. Compare it anywhere. There is nothing else like this. I'm actually buying several hundred pounds of this myself because I want to store freeze-dried non-GMO corn for emergency preparedness.
More affordable than it seems
If these foods seem expensive, that's only because 98% of the water has been removed. For example, if you're buying one pound (16 oz) of freeze-dried organic corn from us, it may sound really expensive for just 16 oz. But remember: You're actually buying nearly 4 - 10 pounds of original corn, blueberries, mangos, etc. that has been freeze-dried into just something weighing a lot less.
Once you realize what you're actually getting in terms of original material, the prices for these items aren't bad at all. Plus, it comes to you in a storable format (in the #10 cans) or in a convenient stand-up pouch, depending on your choice.
Check out our ever-expanding lineup of storable organic freeze-dried foods at:
http://store.naturalnews.com/Freeze-Dried-Organics_c_54.htmlImportant! Freeze-dried foods will absorb water like a sponge
Once you open these bags or cans, you must
seal them in an air-tight manner. Otherwise, they will absorb water like a sponge, right out of the air!
This doesn't hurt the food, but it does make them less crunchy and more "solid." So be sure to store these in an air-tight container after opening.
The official claimed shelf life of these items is two years, but I still have a small personal supply of freeze-dried (conventional) fruits I bought in 1998 that are still completely edible in an emergency. So actual "street" shelf life will often extend way beyond two years if you keep them sealed in the #10 cans.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, March 07, 2013
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