# how to dry pollen



## kenpkr (Apr 6, 2004)

I just started using my Sundance pollen trap a couple weeks ago. I've read that you don't have to dry your pollen at all. In fact, not drying it is best. So I've just been putting it directly in the freezer in a jar. I'll have to devise a way to clean it at a later date but I think the fresh pollen (not dried) will look and probably taste better. 
Other thoughts from others....


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

As long as you freeze it you can skip drying it. If you're not going to freeze it (I would recommend you DO freeze it) then you'll need to dry it.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Unlike honey pollen will spoil. All pollen should be frozen whatever else you plan to do in order to kill wax moth eggs and larve. If you are using pollen for personal use frozen is best. It has twice the kick of dried pollen. If you plan to sell it is best to freeze it then dry it to avoid spoilage including botulism. We collect and freeze the pollen, then we dry it in a food dehydrator with sheer strainer cloth on the trays.(thermostat set at 95 degress F) The Pollen is then poured between 2 vessels (a small bowl into a large salad bowl) works well), with a fan blowing over the lower bowl. The fan will blow away chaff and pollen dust leaving you nice granuales to bottle and sell. You can clean 15 lbs or so an hour this way. Once you do it you can adjust the fan speed and angle to work pretty efficiently for you. We do sell fresh pollen to customers who know what they are getting and storage requirements. It is frozen unitl the time we hand it to them. We also carry 2 million in product liability.


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## Mitch (Jul 7, 2003)

With the sudance pollen trap it tells you to freez dry the pollen for 3 days after the last pollen it added in the freezer. I did this and put it in a jar and did not refreez it.The pollen changed colors.Is this normal?I did not see any fuzzy mold and iam not sue what it should smell like.The pollen seems to be still wet after 7 to 10 days in the freezer.Has anyone else done this freez dry.


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## Phoenix (May 26, 2004)

Freeze drying is an easily mis-understood process Mitch. You froze the moisture in the pollen into ice, changing it from a liquid to a solid, but as soon as you took it out of the freezer the moisture once again became a liquid. The process of freeze drying starts the same way, by transforming the liquid to a solid, but the next step is to transform that solid to a gas without it becoming a liquid first. In order to achieve this the frozen pollen needs to be brought to a temperature above freezing while keeping the atmospheric pressure below .06 atmospheres, the water is warm enough to thaw, but there isn't enough pressure for a liquid to form so it becomes a gas. 

I hope I condensed the process enough to give you the jist without boring you all to tears.


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## Mitch (Jul 7, 2003)

Thanks Phoenix
So the pollen i put in a jar at room temp is molding.I am just collecting some to feed next spring i will just keep if frozen till then.


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## Connie Bart (May 9, 2003)

I am finding ants in my pollen when I empty the traps. Once the pollen is frozen, will the ants blow out with the chaff and dust? Or should I just plan on saving that for the bees?


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## c karat (Mar 28, 2005)

I freeze it minimum 48 hours, uncovered in our frost free freezer. kills any hitch hikers. You can just cover it but it >>must<< be kept cold until use. I've got some in the fridge since may with no sign of spoiling.

For the long term, though, after freezing as described above, I spread it out on cheesecloth on a food dehyrator, 12-24 hours then pour it into glass jars or , >>CLEAN<< resealable plastic containers.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

We process several hundred pounds a year pretty close to Charlies wonderfully simple manner except we use strainer cloth in our dehydrator and winnow it in front of a fan (like wheat) to clean it. yes the ants, dead bees, legs, and powder will blow out quite nicely.


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## c karat (Mar 28, 2005)

NICE! I'll try winnowing next year.

Do you collect pollen in the fall? 

Compare and contrast to spring pollen, please.


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Joel,

So you freeze it, dry it, then freeze it again. Right?

How would you suggest to store it for placement in stores? I noticed one health food place that has it in plastic bags in the refrigerator isle. It is hard to see through the doors and the presentation is poor. I would like to dry it and put it in glass pint jars, and put it on a shelf. Am I going to need to put it in the frozen food section for it too keep well?

Thanks


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Harvest your pollen daily! We feeze our pollen immediately after harvest to kill any wax moths and eggs and then dry it. We do not refreeze as it sells so quick it never gets a chance to spoil. Drying it correctly is extremely important as moist pollen in a closed jar is a breeding ground for organism that will make people sick as well as mold. Well dried pollen can be stored for months without refrigeration. We sell fresh frozen pollen that is hand cleaned but have a label stating it should be kept frozen until use. Don't use a solar dryer as this solarization will destroy the nutritional value.

Well dried (don't use heat above 95 degrees) pollen on store shelves will do fine without refrigeration. Keep in mind when you fill jars to shake them down after filling. You will need to refill as pollen settles about a 1/4 inch after being moved when full and you jars will look underfilled.

There are meters you can buy to judge the correct moisture content (similar to what farmers use with grain). You may want to order a lb from Glory bee or Drapers to get an idea what is right.


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