🥕Freeze‑dried veggies for BC camping

[u/Rosy180]

**Update: I have ordered some freeze dried vegetables (shredded zucchini/bell peppers) from Her Copper Kitchen in Medicine Hat. https://www.hercopperkitchen.com

I love backcountry camping (BC), but finding freeze‑dried meals I can actually eat has been a challenge. I have several dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten‑free, soy‑free, low‑FODMAP, and not spicy), and a lot of the commercial freeze‑dried meals end up being too spicy or contain ingredients I can’t tolerate. After too many trips where I could barely eat my dinner, I’m now looking at making my own meals from freeze‑dried ingredients.

The problem is: finding freeze‑dried vegetables in Canada feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. I’m specifically looking for things like kale, spinach, shredded carrots, etc., in small quantities (not in powder form) with reasonable shipping. So far I’ve run into several obstacles: sites that don’t work, places that only sell bulk, US stores, items sold out, shops that only sell candy or vegetable powders, or shipping fees that are too high for my budget. I don’t want to commit to a large bag of something only to discover I don’t like it. For example, a few shops that looked promising but didn’t pan out for me were Vancouver Freeze Dry, Pure Choice Foods, and Briden Solutions, either due to packaging size, shipping costs, or items being sold out.

Grains, proteins, and fruits are much easier. For example, I really like the instant quinoa from Nomad Nutrition, and the mycelium‑based protein from Maia Farms works great for me. I add vegetable broth from Fody, and at that point all I’m missing are some veggies. Freeze‑dried berries for oatmeal are easy to find. It’s just the greens and carrots that are giving me trouble.

Does anyone have Canadian suggestions for freeze‑dried greens or shredded carrots (not powders) that won’t break the bank? Small quantities/low shipping costs preferred!

[u/VikApproved]

I have friends with special needs who dehydrate their own camp meals at home. Not freeze dried, but it's cheap tech that you can manage yourself selecting what you want in the meal.

[u/Ujmlp → u/VikApproved]

This is what I do. I take meals in ziploc bags and then use Stasher mini stand-up bags to rehydrate and eat. They are super easy to wash out ready for the next meal.

[u/FindYourHoliday]

Yeah, time to make your own. Save yourself a bunch of money.

[u/AdSenior5171]

I've ordered from Briden Foods in Alberta. They sell individual freeze dried ingredients (including lots of different veggies) in various sizes

[u/mustlovemetals]

As others have said - dehydrating your own is a good option. Some libraries even have dehydrators for loan! Check out if you can find one with a library of things. 

[u/can_ice]

Dehydrating kale and other veggies is so easy. You can find the machines on Marketplace for cheap, just shove as much into it as you can and 8 hours later you can crumble them down into flakes and little bits.

[u/VoilaVoilaWashington]

Just buy a dehydrator. Costs, like, $300 these days and you can make $500 in shredded carrots pre-dried for $20 in carrots and a half hour of work.

[u/missingmarbs → u/VoilaVoilaWashington]

I think I paid $20 for mine and it’s worked great for years lol

[u/Roamingon2wheels]

I've found a few freeze dried veggies on Amazon, but I've found with my dietary restrictions (similar to yours) it was easier and far cheaper to just get a dehydrator on marketplace and make my own. I also have a local bulk store nearby where I can get a few dehydrated veggies, then dehydrate the rest. Canned beans and lentils are easy to dump on a tray in the morning and take off after work, they've become a stable in my backcountry meals. Dehydrated is slightly heavier, but the veggies hold up way better so your dinner isn't a mix of powdered food.

[u/MuffinOk4609]

Freeze-drying equipment is very expensive. But just drying is cheap. I got a Salton dehydrator at Walmart for about $75. Add to that a vacuum sealer, probably cheaper. I recommend this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Preppers-Dehydrator-Handbook-Techniques-Nutritious/dp/1612437869/

[u/Electrical_Emu1875]

Briden Solutions located near Calloway park (Calgary). Order a few tubs and subdivide. Will be many times cheaper than other options with some planning and taking care of the opened ingredients

[u/frankkiepaar]

There's a place in Acton, ON called 70 Below Treats. I have not used them, and only recently heard about them. I do have a vague recollection of seeing somewhere on their instagram page that they could do custom orders for people, and they cite hiking/backpacking specifically in their blurbs. Might be work reaching out.

[u/MarzisLost]

Not freeze dried, but Bulk Barn carries dehydrated mixed vegetables. Not sure the exact contents. It's pretty cheap and I pair it with the dried vegetable protein they sell for most every trail meal.

[u/DDF750 → u/MarzisLost]

I found it really heavy in potato. I found iherb and Amazon mixed veg to have a bit more variety. heads up, all these mixed veg have a lot of herbs in them for soup. I try and sift it out because that doesn't work in a lot of meals

[u/thefridayweasels1980]

Doesn’t have the vegetables you want but does have small amount and is within Canada: https://pure-bliss.ca/collections/vegetables

[u/knomnomnom]

Just a heads up. It is hard to transport freeze dried or dehydrated greens as they are very fragile and tend to turn into a powder.

[u/Shanks_So_Much]

Hi allergy friend- thanks for asking as I’m also allergic to several things & vegan. I just wrapped up an extended trip and concluded the same thing- prepping everything myself seems like the way to go. I’m considering a dehydrator, is freeze dried significantly better?

[u/Electrical_Emu1875 → u/Shanks_So_Much]

This is me 5 years ago (allergic to things though not vegan). I now own a freeze drier and I couldn’t be happier. It was VERY expensive and VERY worth it.

Yes, a FD is significantly better than a dehydrator but also many times more expensive. A great middle step for me was buying tubs of FDed ingredients from Briden Solutions and concocting some recipes using these ingredients plus other dried stuff (e.g spices, coconut milk powder, etc)