Hi Ed & all, Mr Lipinski mentioned my freeze dried foods being a "lot of work, but worth it, every bit." Could be I'm just odd...but I don't see the preparation time as being work at all. While it certainly takes much more time and more effort than tearing open a bag of kibble; the time spent cutting the raw meaty items into sizes suitable for drying and racking them is time well spent. It is time I can take to examine what is being fed to my ferrets there is no mystery to what the freeze dried morsel is or where it came from or how it was handled. It is time spent knowing this food item can offer them optimum health. Every freeze dried item has been well received by the ferrets either as their meal or as a healthy treat which they happily perform "tricks" to obtain the tastey morsel! I can safely pocket the freeze dried item for a day's jaunt, knowing the item will not go bad. In the event of a power outage or evacuation, I still have nutritious food to offer them that won't spoil. Freeze drying at home means I know there have been no additives, sugars or perservatives mixed in or sprayed on. Freeze drying at home keeps me in an active participant with my ferret's health - not just a bystander. It allows me to add one more level to their care. I am directly involved - not a remote bystander where the food is prepped in an unknown facility using unknown sources and handled in an unknown fashion. So to reap all these benefits I do agree with Mr Lipinski - the time spent is worth it, every bit! It may be time spent, but it is not time spent working- it is time invested with love. To me it is rather like the difference of opening a can of commercial spaghetti sauce vs making your own from scratch, using fresh ingredients! The two just do NOT compare! One may offer time saving convenience, but the other tastes better because it is fresh and hasn't sat upon a shelf for an undetermined time nor has it been over processed. Cheers, Kim please visit : for ferret help and info: http://holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi http://ferretopia.proboards51.com/index.cgi yahoo groups Natural Ferrets for fun: www.vanityferret.com [Posted in FML 6078]