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Freeze Dryers and Curing Machine: Everything You Need To Know

Freeze Dryers and Curing Machines are some of the best ways to dry and cure your harvest fast. Drying and curing is a process that typically should be handled slowly and carefully, but a freeze dryer can get you to the point where you can produce a top shelf end product in under 36 hours!

After many months perfecting your grow through harvest, it could come apart at the seams because of that one final step - drying and curing. A freeze dryer takes care of this step. This can be devasating regardless of of whether you are a hobby grower disappointed in your results, or a commercial grower losing money.

The idea behind these curing machines and freeze dryers may seem weird.. After all, we always preach "low and slow" when it comes to these stages. But, with freeze dryers and curing machines, its different.

Let's explain.

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Freeze Dryers and Curing Machine: Everything You Need To Know


Freeze Dryers and Curing Machines are some of the best ways to dry and cure your harvest fast. Drying and curing is a process that typically should be handled slowly and carefully, but a freeze dryer can get you to the point where you can produce a top shelf end product in under 36 hours!

After many months perfecting your grow through harvest, it could come apart at the seams because of that one final step - drying and curing. A freeze dryer takes care of this step. This can be devasating regardless of of whether you are a hobby grower disappointed in your results, or a commercial grower losing money.

The idea behind these curing machines and freeze dryers may seem weird.. After all, we always preach "low and slow" when it comes to these stages. But, with freeze dryers and curing machines, its different.

Let's explain.

How curing machines and freeze dryers increase profit

The success of your harvest will be determined by profitability if you're a commercial grower.

You need a top-shelf product to demand a premium price, and your drying and curing process will be one of the biggest determining factors in this. 

When it comes to large home grows or commercial grows, it can be tough to find the time and space to dry and cure effectively. This is why freeze dryers and curing machines are so important for bigger grows.

You gain five important things from using a quality curing machine or freeze dryer, and any one of them should be reason enough to make the investment: 

  • Preservation of terpenes and flavor
  • Greater consistency
  • Maximize potency
  • Reduction in labor
  • Reduce/eliminate waste
  • Get the job done in a few hours as opposed to a few days or weeks

In summary, you get a better quality product to market faster, with lower costs/waste! Let's talk a bit about these two different machines in more detail, starting with curing machines.

How does a curing machine work?

Curing machines automatically circulate air constantly and uniformly throughout the entire system and the meshed curing racks that the bud rests on.  

These systems continue to work without you doing anything, automating the entire process and cutting labor costs.

You’re not stuck babysitting a stationary fan all day and night rotating it continually.  Let’s admit it, human intervention will lead to inconsistency, which is the last thing you want out of a commercial harvest.   

This is all eliminated through the use of a curing machine.

These systems utilize laminar air dynamics, which means full multi-directional flow top to bottom and from side to side. While this happens, an exhaust fan removes stale, moist air from the unit.  

Higher quality curing machines have dust filters right on the air intake and exhaust manifolds which keep the buds in top condition.

The difference between horizontal and vertical curing machines

Vertical curing machines are great for high volume and a shorter cure time. However, the size and cost make them more practical for large-scale commercial growers.

Horizontal curing machines are space-efficient with multiple drawers. This allows for easy access for checking on the contents periodically.

Essentially, all curing machines operate on the same principle and are great units where square footage may be a problem.

Freeze Dryers For Making Concentrates

You might be wondering why would growers use a freeze dryer to make concentrates. To create super high-quality rosin, you must extract your pollen from your flower to press with a rosin press.

To do this properly, companies like PurePressure have really nailed it down to a science. For growers winning awards, they use a very similar process. First, you use bubble bags (or a hash washer for the large-scale producers) to get hash, also known as bubble hash.

From there it's very important to get the hash completely dry. It can take between 5 days to a full week for a batch to fully dry, depending on conditions.

But, it’s not only the extra time you have to take into account. Exposure to air can degrade your hash. When it is left out in the open air, a natural oxidation process is promoted. This is important because oxidation negatively affects the color, taste, and overall quality of your product. Freeze dryers help you bypass this entirely.

A quality freeze dryer can process a batch in under 36-48 hours. This is so much faster in comparison to conventional drying methods.

How do freeze dryers work?

Via a method referred to as sublimation (when a substance transitions from a solid into a gas without going through a liquid phase) a freeze-dry quickly pulls away moisture to maintain the aroma, flavor, quality, and shape/form of the product.  This all takes place inside the freeze drying chamber.

Because freeze dryers use this process, you will get a much better product that has an extended shelf. This process takes place during each freeze drying cycle.

Harvest Right freeze dryers are the most popular freeze dry machines among home and commercial customers. Harvest Right offers a large line of options from home freeze dryers to larger scale systems. They have add-ons like vacuum pumps and food molds. These help take your freeze drying process to the next level.

Bud Aerators - curing machine technology for small-scale grows

A bud aerator is an excellent choice for the grower who doesn’t need a large volume cured. They are simple automated machines that fit right on top of your jar or canister.

The bud aerator is completely hands-free and works well for anybody from the hobbyist to the smaller commercial grower.  They are an appealing choice due to their cost, weight, and efficiency.

Preserve your harvest with a freeze-dryer!

Freeze drying occurs when a material is exposed to near-zero humidity. This is a great way to preserve your flower long term, without sacrificing shelf life.

The result of freeze drying is a perfectly preserved product in its natural state, retaining full flavor and terpene, potency, without the moisture.

Freeze drying has been around to preserve food for decades. Now, there are affordable freeze dryers for every size grower.  Freeze dried food is the best way to keep long term freshness and items shelf stable. You can even freeze dry your pet food for longer periods of time.

Why use a freeze dryer as opposed to slow drying?

  • Decreased dry time and processing from days to hours.
  • Greater preservation, maximizing flavor and aroma.
  • The flower remains in a "fresh" state, with no shrinkage
  • Greater storage of the major compounds for maximum potency versus other drying/curing methods

The Best Commercial Freeze Drying Solution: CannaFreeze

If you are a commercial grower harvesting huge crops, you need the best freeze-drying solution out there. And for that, you would need to turn to the new CannaFreeze System.

This huge, commercial freeze dryer can prevent oxidation in your extraction process by controlling the moisture removal.

Plus, worrying about mold is a thing of the past, as the deep vacuum this system creates eliminates this possibility.

This system is quite the investment but consider the money you save. You spend a lot more on having to pay for large drying and curing rooms, along with the cost to run them (Dehumidifiers, fans, environmental monitoring systems, etc.).

The CannaFreeze solution comes in many different shapes and sizes. Reach out to us today and we will help you determine what you really need. No matter which you end up with, one thing remains the same: you are getting the best drying and curing process money can buy.

Parting thoughts on curing machines and freeze dryers

Why risk the quality of your finished product chance when there are affordable methods that can guarantee success?

When it comes to increasing profit, curing machines and freeze dryers make sense every time.

Get your product to market quicker, and in better condition, by investing in one of these machines today!

Have questions about your grow? We're Here To Help!

Our Northern California based experts can help. We're here to make sure you get what you need to maximize your harvest.

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