Freeze drying is more than astronaut ice cream: it’s a multi-billion-dollar global industry. And the biggest player in North America is in Oregon.
Learn how Mountain House became a powerhouse brand in freeze drying, and meet some small batch Oregon producers who are experimenting with the science of shelf stability.
Learn more at https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/23/freeze-drying-food-oregon-backpacking-meals-prepping/
Chapters:
00:00 Intro to freeze drying. It’s more than astronaut ice cream
00:37 Freeze-drying at scale at Oregon Freeze Dry: 30lb sour cream buckets
01:46 Welcome to the freeze-drying capital of North America
02:20 Mountain House is like the “Coca-Cola” brand of outdoor meals
03:23 What is freeze drying? How freeze-drying preserves food: history & science
04:23 Freeze-dried snacks are trending. Inside Glacier Gourmet’s Redmond kitchen
06:03 Luxefly Basecamp in Eugene makes meals for trail cooking
06:59 Freeze drying for disaster preparedness
07:52 Freeze drying fails
08:39 Freeze drying can be done beyond food
09:15 Credits
For more stories like this visit OPB online at https://opb.org
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#superabundant #freezedrying #freezedried #foodpreservation #backpackingfood #hikingfood #trailfood #snacks #prepared #preparedness #preparedfood #OPB #Oregon #PacificNorthWest
10 Comments
What your headline should say is "Despite high taxes and expensive employment rules and generally anti-business Government priorities, Oregon Businesses produce most freeze dried meals".
Lots of good food from the emerald valley. Mountain house is #1 for being ready for The Big One.
We love Luxefly Basecamp!! Seriously good camping food, or food for when you're too lazy to cook. Highly recommended.
I'm pretty much an old man and I can still remember going on a backpacking trip as a kid and having the beef stroganoff. It's the best beef stroganoff I've ever had!!!
Speaking of freeze-dried foods! The "Superabundant" recipe of the week is Strawberry Explosion marshmallows, perfect for s'mores season. They are filled with Oregon-grown strawberry flavor from both fresh and freeze-dried berries: https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/23/recipe-superabundant-strawberry-marshmallows-freeze-dried-foods/
And more plastic to deal with . . .
+1 !♡ PROPER 🤌 ❤
There is a freeze drying place right out side Dallas Oregon. Just stopped there last week to see if they sell to the public
As my grandparents got older, some needed in-home care. The caretakers that came could only make a sandwich or open a can of soup. I often wondered, and still do, if freeze-dried meals could create a better experience – something warm, comforting, hearty, and could be tailored to the nutritional needs of seniors while only requiring hot water and time to make. Even for seniors that live alone and maybe can't cook. Understanding their sitaution, sometimes food went bad because they didn't eat it or forgot about it – this could also help with food waste and maybe trade off some of that cost.
Thx OPB, interesting video.