Freeze Drying Clams Can Make Clams About The Best, Healthiest Snack Ever!
When it comes to freeze drying clams, I rate it the best freeze dried seafood – able to be eaten as a dried snack or reconstituted for great stews, sauce toppings, clam cakes, and more!
I consider these gems one of the most perfect freeze dried survival foods in all the various possibilities of freeze dried foods that you can imagine!
Exactly, What Is Considered A Clam?
Well, as Wikipedia puts it, clams are bivalve mollusks that spend most of their lives with much more than just their heads buried in the sand. In other words their shells consist of two halves – held together by a strong muscle that opens and closes the shell when the clams get hungry and sift through the sea bottom for food.
Clams are considered a delicacy by more than just humans.
Sea lions and seals just love them, too! Of course, these sea critters eat them raw while we humans eat them every which way imaginable – raw, boiled, baked, broiled, grilled, fried, fricasseed.
Most folks use a variety of sauces and spices – some hot – some mild. Different cultures utilize clams in a salad, a stir fry, as a sauté with various veggies, stews, in spaghetti sauce, and a host of other delectable ways.
Freeze Drying Clams Is So Very, Very Simple!
It doesn’t matter what size they are, clams will quickly and readily freeze dry – usually within 48 hours. Most of my freeze dried clams get through the entire freeze drying process in about a day-and-a-half (i.e. 36 to 40 hours).
Here’s a load of delicious clam meat I froze not long ago – prepared to go into my Harvest Right Freeze Dryer:
Nothing to it! And, using my Harvest Right silicone mats are not needed – since clams won’t stick to the metal trays – making the trays pretty easy to clean after the process is complete. However, these silicone mats are a godsend for liquid or sticky foods being freeze dried.
Take a look at Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer Operation for more details on how to set up the freeze drying process.
I can usually get about 2 pounds of clam meat per tray so I freeze dry 8 pounds of clams per each cycle.
Out They Come
They are dry as a bone and ready for storage.
I put them in some wide mouth Mason jars – leaving a little space at the top – added an oxygen absorber – and vacuum packed them with my Foodsaver Vacuum System – using my wide mouth jar sealer.
If you don’t have any Mason jars handy, you can use Foodsaver bags.
Either way, you now have freeze dried clams that will last for 25 years without spoiling!
To Reconstitute Or Not To Reconstitute – That Is The Question
Personally, I like to munch on freeze dried clams as a snack.
But, I also add them to various dishes – including my special, homemade (from scratch) spaghetti sauce. I grew up in an Italian neighborhood and truly enjoyed the “clam spaghetti sauce” my neighbors used to make – using fresh, home grown tomatoes right out of their garden!
Drop the dried clams into a juicy stew or sauce and they’ll suck up enough juice to reconstitute themselves during cooking. Or, stick them in some lukewarm water for a few minutes – and they’ll be ready for any dish imaginable – even salads. Plus, they’ll taste as good as they did before they were freeze dried!
Finally…
I want to share a sad, but “not so true” tale with you:
Way back in my single days, I went on a sea cruise just off the coast of Maine with my girlfriend, Wanda. One day as we were watching the waves bouncing off the shoreline, Wanda fell overboard and was eaten by a giant clam.
Someone asked me later where Wanda was??? All I said was, “A New England clam chowed her!”
Boy, that was bad, wasn’t it? I probably could never get paid for these jokes!
Oh well, write me or comment if you have questions or freeze drying stories to tell!
Jim, the Lifelong Gardener
jim@perfect-vegetable-garden.com
