About us

TIM & SARAH

The origin of HOMESTEAD PEPPER PATCH, LLC traces us back to a journey shaped by our deep love of homesteading and growing our own peppers, fruits & vegetables.


THE GARDEN

We enoy tending our garden and freeze-drying its rewards. What began as care for our organic plants developed into a love for processing fruit and vegetables in a way that preserves their freshness and nutrients.



THE FREEZE-DRYING

The fascination with freeze-drying grew with each dried product, and soon not only we, but also our friends and family were enjoying the delicious results of our efforts.

With a mixture of excitement and a desire to share the fruits of our labor, we created HOMESTEAD PEPPER PATCH, LLC. Our home based company is a source of high-quality freeze-dried products to enjoy.

The Amazing charaters you see on our labels are custom created just for Homestead Pepper Patch, LLC.


FOOD FREEDOM ACT

Homestead Pepper Patch, LLC operates as a home based busness under the Arkansas Food Freedom Act. At this time, we do not have a certified kitchen. All of our products are

 produced in a private residence that is exempt

from state licensing and inspection. 

We take great care that all of our products are created in a clean and a healthy enviroment.

Every step of the process is done by Tim and I. From selecting the fresh fruits and vegetables, to throughly washng and prepping them for the freeze dryer, to filling each pouch by hand. We quality check it all.

Please feel free to email us with any questions regarding our products.


With very best regards,


Tim & Sarah Simpson


Owners of HOMESTEAD PEPPER PATCH, LLC


WHAT IS FREEZE DRYING-

HOW IT WORKS

Foods placed within a freeze dryer are frozen to sub-zero temperatures. Once frozen, the foods are subjected to vacuum drying using a vacuum pump. The air and water vapor are removed from the processing chamber, which includes removing the water vapor that was once inside the food. The food is then dry enough to store safely at room temperature.

FREEZE DRYING VS DEHYDRATING

 - Dehydrated or dried fruit is made by a completely different process that uses a specialized oven-like machine, heating the fruit for long periods of time to dry it. Compared to freeze-dried fruit, dehydrated fruit is leathery, chewy, and still contains about one-third of its moisture content. Because freeze-dried fruit contains no moisture, its shelf life is much longer than dehydrated fruit. In fact, its shelf life is probably longer than everything else in your kitchen. When properly stored, it has been known to last as long as 25 to 30 years.

 - Freeze-dried fruit still contains most of its nutrients, sugars, and most importantly, flavors, since freeze drying only removes the water from the fruit. On the other hand, heat in the dehydrating process strips fruit of nutrients and changes the flavors when cooked.

HOW TO USE FREEZE 

DRIED FRUIT


 - Since freeze-dried fruit contains no water or added sugar, it's ideal for bringing fresh, bright flavors to baked goods without the concern of disturbing the consistency or sweetness of a batter or dough.

 - Make a Powder for Frosting, Whipped Cream, Cake Batter, and More

 - In a food processor, pulverize any freeze-dried fruit—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or apples—to make a powder that folds and dissolves effortlessly into cake batter, whipped cream, buttercream frosting, meringues, and more. Sift that same powder over the top of a shaken egg white cocktail, or dust it over popcorn for a sweet-and-salty treat.

 - It is so great for baking because it adds tons of fruit flavor, but no liquid, so you can play with it in recipes that normally would be so hard to make fruity, like cookies.