# Drink mix from freeze-dried fruit?



## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I've been pretty frustrated by the lack of canned (non-frozen) juice concentrates and the limited flavors of commercial powdered drink mixes (which are mostly sugar and artificial color anyway). Really, there is only so much Tang and Countrytime one person can stand!! Storing ready-to-drink juice in single-serve bottles/boxes (no fridge here!) is expensive and space-consuming.

I do make and can my own berry juices since those grow here. But not that many other fruits do, except extremely hardy grafted dwarf varieties grown in high tunnels. So I rely on commercial canned, dehydrated and freeze-dried fruit for variety. I wonder if I put the FD fruits (maybe even some veg for V8 powder) through my grinder and made fine powder, would it make a decent powdered drink mix? Would it dissolve or just clump up? I'm sure I could probably rehydrate it and then process through a steam juicer, since you can make jam with reconstituted FD fruit; but that just seems like extra steps that might not be necessary... Anyone ever tried it?


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

I have never tried it but I think it might clump. What I would try is grinding it and adding water, heating until well blended to make a concentrate to freeze. I hope someone has a better answer for you


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Relying on fridge or freezer is an issue since we're off-grid and 4 hours away from the nearest grocery store. We can freeze all we want during the winter by just leaving things out in the shed, but in the summer we only have a tiny solar chest freezer that we dedicate primarily to meat. Ideally, I'd want some juice/drink mix that would be shelf-stable but would also be freeze-safe in case we get a frost snap (like we did last July!). 

That's been our biggest problem with canning our homemade berry concentrates... we absolutely have to make sure that we have enough room to store them inside in the pantry to keep the jars from freezing and breaking and I don't trust non-breakable plastic containers and bags to be shelf-stable unrefrigerated for wet goods. With a dry powder, it would keep on the shelf and be freeze-proof.

I've got a #10 of peaches that is getting low and there's some powder at the bottom, so I might just have to check it out soon. If it clumps up, I might need to steep or brew the juice out of it like coffee or tea and then use the spent pulp in muffins or something. Just another one of my little projects  Living out in the bush is at least putting me a few (thousand!) steps ahead in my SHTF preps.


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## Strange Bear (May 13, 2002)

Can you try putting a little water in the powder and make it into a paste then add more water to it?
Just a thought.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

OK, so I tried just stirring the powder left in the bottom of the can (about 1 Tbsp) with a cup of room temp water. It sort of dissolved and sort of clumped. I set the cup on the woodstove to warm up for a couple of minutes, and with some additional stirring it mostly dissolved but the larger particles are still floating like pulp. That's ok, I can live with a little pulp. It's about the right flavor for me, maybe a pinch of sugar and some more water since it's a tad potent and tart.

So, at least for FD peach drink, I think I could make this a cool-water dissolving mix if I actually ground them up to a consistent fine powder; but it would definitely work to make a concentrate first with warm/hot water. 1 Tbsp to 1 cup is definitely a bit concentrated, so maybe 1 Tbsp to 1 1/2 cup or even a 1 pint would work better. I don't think it would be perfectly clear juice, but a good shake/stir before pouring should do the trick.

I've got some apples, pineapples, bananas and oranges out in the shed that I can try next time to see how they work. My suspicion is that meaty fruits like peaches & apples will make a pretty good dissolving powder with enough/warm water, while pulpy fruit like oranges and pineapples might require steeping (and straining if you don't like pulp). I think the thick texture of bananas will make goo, but that might be fine for a smoothy. Berries should dissolve and/or steep ok, although you may have to strain out any seed particles. From my current use of tomato powder, I expect most veggies will require a fine grind and plenty of warm water (Tbsp : pint) to get a V8 consistency... as well as a bit of careful mixology since some veg get super potent when dried (watch that celery!!!).

I think this would probably work to some extent with regular air-dried fruit and veg as long as they were crispy dry but not rock hard so they'd grind. If they were just leather dry or petrified nuggets (like my carrots this year!), I'm betting you'd need to steep and strain to get a concentrate first. With freeze-dried almost everything is fluffy crispy dry without being leathery or petrified, which is a bonus for this experiment at least.


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## Aseries (Feb 24, 2011)

If you can make cup of soups out of dried vege's why cant you make drink mix from freeze dried or dried fruits or vegetables. I make them from fresh fruits, they basically just took all the water out. You might just have to add bit of sugar. 

I'm going to buy some and try this, because you know what that might be more healthy than buying the stuff you said, expecially like me I'm sick of tang also... 

You can also buy those super toxic, nasty chemical packets they sell to flavor your bottled water... yuck...

good luck


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Aseries said:


> I'm going to buy some and try this, because you know what that might be more healthy than buying the stuff you said, expecially like me I'm sick of tang also...
> 
> You can also buy those super toxic, nasty chemical packets they sell to flavor your bottled water... yuck...
> 
> good luck


Seriously, I was so desperate for _anything_ different that I actually drank a bizarre KoolAid flavor that came in a sampler pack we got in the mail. :yuck: I just got so sick of Tang, Yellow Countrytime, Pink Countrytime, Gatorade in Lemon/Lime or Orange or Fruit Punch, or EmergenC in various imitation flavors, or fake spiced cider and hot chocolate. At least I have a huge assortment of tea!!

People have no idea how bad appetite fatigue can get when you have extremely limited variety for an extended period. You don't want to eat or drink anything you have, you really would waste away rather than consume it. It's not just "all in your head" and you'll eventually eat/drink it when the hunger and thirst gets bad enough. No, instead you'll try eating/drinking something else... even if it's not really edible or nutritious... like that KoolAid!! :run: You know you need some variety when you start drinking pickle juice and the brine from a can of olives!!


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## scooter (Mar 31, 2008)

LOL! My DH always has to drink the leftover juice from my dill pickles.


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## starlady (Sep 9, 2009)

I drink tea that has chunks of dehydrated fruit in it. Once it's steeped for a couple of minutes, it tastes almost like juice (but way less sweet). I often make a big batch, sweeten it to taste (usually use a mix of stevia powder and a little sugar) and stick it in the fridge. It's not instant like the powders, but the teas store pretty well.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

If you have any asian food stores, or being in Alaska look at online sources, check for some of the powdered fruits drink mixes they have. I have gotten a couple really good ones, the one that comes to mind is pineapple. Really good mixed up, at least it would be something different. Also, I came across this mexican concentrate in the "jamaica" (hibiscus) flavor the other day, its not powdered, but I love hibiscus tea so I went ahead and got this. Havent tried any yet though.

Think outside the U.S. products box, you might be pleasantly surprised.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

We often get items online from non-US sources... shipping all costs the same up here whether it's us or international, since most people don't realize that Alaska is actually still a part of the US and regular postage is the same :eye roll: Freight is a necessary bear, but regular USPS parcel post is the same for anything under 50 lbs... no reason to charge me $50 to send me a case of instant soup! 

anyway... I digress...

I ground up some of the freeze-dried pineapple very fine in my grain mill... it dissolved just fine in warm water (1 tbsp to 1 pint) although it is a little pulpy and requires a shake, just like regular real pineapple juice does. So I think I have my answer and will continue to experiment.

I do like to steep fruit in with my (many) different teas, and enjoy those hot or cold. It's a wonderful way to use dehydrated fruit that's gotten a little too hard or leathery to chew and I don't feel like extended soaking and baking with them.

I normally take a swig or two of pickle juice when the jar is done, always have. The difference is when you start contemplating drinking all the juice whether you've eaten the pickles or not. Pica can become a big problem when you're eating a limited diet for extended periods, especially when fresh foods are also extremely limited. We are extremely careful to keep an eye on our weight, appetites and any symptoms out here in the bush, especially in winter. 

I foresee appetite fatigue and pica being a major killer 12-18 mos after SHTF despite people having adequate (calorically and even nutritionally) food stores because of the lack of variety and fresh foods. Despite having the food, people will start to die of malnutrition related issues (including poisoning by non-edibles) because they won't eat what they have. It's something that we encounter routinely in our regular lives, so we know to watch for it, but most folks currently have ready access to unlimited variety at the corner supermarket... they won't know to watch for it.

So, my sincerest advice to preppers stocking up food: once you get the basic building blocks focus on variety, spices and condiments!!


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## Sanza (Sep 8, 2008)

I appreciate your thoughts and advice about the spices because I hope I never start craving chunks of clay...lol, but I do have my moments when I'm hungry and nothing appeals to me. 
. I know you're talking about freeze dried fruit but do you think it would work from any dehydrated fruit ground up into powder?


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Yes, a variety of spices and condiments go a long way to making the 32nd can of chunk chicken more appetizing and appealing  We even get the odd sampler pack of "exotic" mixes because you never know when something you'd never think to try ordinarily will suddenly be the only thing you'll want. (yes, that spicy pickled sea vegetable salad was actually pretty darned tasty after all, even if I couldn't read the label!!)

I think you might be able get regular DH apple chips to grind up in a powder that would dissolve. You'd have to get the fruit to be dry enough to be very crisp without it being rock hard for grinding. Most of the fruit that I air dry tends to be leathery and chewy, which wouldn't grind up into a dissolvable powder very well. I'd probably mince regular DH fruit up into tiny bits and steep them in hot water to make a concentrate as needed and use the strained out "spent" chunks in baking or stuffing. That's pretty much what I do with my dried rose hips currently.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

When I spent time in the Bush, I never experienced food fatigue... I did experience food shortages, and found it hard to think about anything but food, hoping to run into some good berry patches.

Have you experienced any of the native cuisines, using the fermentation process on meats? I'm thinking it originally broke the 'boredom' of eating the same foods all the time.

If I have a strong glass of tea every day, I'm good!


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## BillHoo (Mar 16, 2005)

I've lately become fond of asian sour plum drinks.

Get a jar of small, sour plums pickled in a salty brine.

Take a few out and put them in a tall glass. Put in a tablespoon or two of sugar and macerate with a spoon or the handle of a wooden spoon.

Top off with ice and water and maybe a twist of lime.

Very refreshing on a hot day! When your almost done, just add more ice water and stir to bring some more flavor out.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

We eat a lot of the native style dishes... with the exception of "stink heads" (fermented salmon heads). We're too far into the interior for seal and walrus, but I don't know if I could choke down fermented slabs of that fat either. It's the smell of rotty fishy stuff more than anything that I can't get past... cuz Lord knows I've eaten some bizarre things in my lifetime  We certainly have salmon and moose preserved a multitude of ways and drink our spruce needle tea throughout the winter until the fiddleheads come up again. Surprisingly, spruce needle tea with rosehips and sweetened with a curl of (inner) birch bark is pretty tasty and it packs a big nutro-punch! 

My new favorite (this week LOL) is salt-cured lemons... they sound disgusting, but are really very nice and a perfect pick-me-up in a cuppa hot tea after firewood duty at -40.

The toughest part for us is that we only have a 100 day growing season, so we're eating some sort of preserved food for most of the year, and we're pretty limited in what grows here. Kale, cabbage and potatoes grow great, but we can't live on colcannan all year even if it is mostly fresh  I think folks who have access to a greater variety of fresh foods for longer seasons won't suffer quite as badly from appetite fatigue unless they are eating solely from their stored foods instead of harvesting or foraging.


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## sticky_burr (Dec 10, 2010)

they sell canned non frozen juice


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Yes, Welches and Juicy Juice do offer non-frozen juice concentrate in cans in a handful of flavors. They are extremely hard to find in stores here, but you can get them more easily when they're in stock on Amazon, etc. Carbatrol also has a few more flavors of concentrate available (on Amazon) in aseptic boxes, although those aren't always 100% juice. And there are several brands of ready-to-drink juices available in cans, bottles and boxes if you have the room to store them and shelves that can take all the weight. The boxes of juice or concentrate take accidental freezing much better than the bottles (glass or plastic) or cans, but the cans and plastic bottles handle impact (earthquake zone here) better, and the cans have a slightly higher shelf life. Another consideration with canned concentrate, is even a 12 oz "soda" can of concentrate yields at quart, which is more than we can drink in one sitting and we don't have refrigeration for the left-overs.

We don't have to worry much about any of those issues with canned dry mixes, which is why I was looking to see if I could make a variety of real juice dry mixes from freeze-dried fruit instead of having to rely on the colored/flavored sugar-water mixes I can find in stores. Whole some (like Tang) are better than others (like Kool-Aid), nothing is better than real juice.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I'm glad I don't have your problem. No drink fatigue around here. I drink Lipton's tea made into iced tea and have every day for decades. Tea bags are really easy to store.

If I don't have tea bags, I drink water. The water here is good and drinking water never gets old.

I like the powdered tamarind drink. Probably because it tastes a lot like iced tea.

You can make any type of punch or fruit drink by doing nothing more than mixing sugar and food coloring into your water and then a couple of drops of extract to flavor it. That's better than what you are getting when you buy drink mix. You can get extracts in all sorts of flavors and you can get even more flavors by buying those bottles of flavorings made for coffees.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Nothing beats clean water for hydration. We, luckily, have plenty of that. Sounds like you drink tea like we drink coffee  We also have lots and lots of different teas stored, from regular black (including Lipton/Tetley) to green to herbals. We drink them hot and iced depending on the season. I normally buy the big boxes or case lots, and then vacuum seal or dry can a variety in "monthly" containers so they last and remain potent. Teas, especially herbals, also have several health and nutritional benefits (so does coffee).

Flavored sugar water might break an appetite/flavor fatigue issue, but it's pretty nutritional void. I try not to store much that doesn't have at least some nutritional/health value... which is why I have Tang and Gatorade powders but not Kool-Aid. I'm really looking for 100% fruit juice, or as close as I can get to it, because getting our daily fruit servings in addition to flavor variety is definitely problematic in the winter. 

Extracts and flavored syrups are good to have on hand though, just like spices and other seasonings, since they can perk up something nutritious that might be getting a bit boring.


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