freezing food

[dustypaws]

Is it ok to freeze the fruits and veges (they were pulverized in a food processor) ? I find that if I feed Ard once a week or longer he is really hungry and will eat everything on his "plate". Second question, I have the lights on for 12 hrs (9am to 9pm) and winter is coming. Should I change the timing of the lights? Hope everyone's holiday was great! Ard loves turkey, stuffing, and sweet potato!

[bella3]

Hello!
So in the way of freezing vegetables, I freeze mine, although some people say that that kind of kills the nutrients, maybe someone else can offer more advice on this
As for turning the temperatures down, it depends on weather or not you are going to brumate Ard. If so, then start decreasing the hours of light he gets.
Again though, I'm new to this aswell, so I would wait to hear a second opinion on this. Hope I helped somewhat

[dustypaws]

Thanks Bella. Since all the healthy ingredients do not come in "single serving sizes" I hate to waste it once it's made. I just wonder how long it will be ok in the freezer. I am not trying to brumate Ard on purpose but it is getting into the winter months and I was wondering what the proper length of time the heat & UV lights should be set at. We actually have an unusually warm front passing now and Ard is a bit more active-waking his lazy butt up at 2pm rather than 8pm or not at all. Wish I could sleep the day away!

[Fatal_S]

There are threads about this. Freezing can kill certain nutrients, but so does everything. Buying frozen foods can be healthier than "fresh" ones at a grocery store, simply because those "fresh" ones have had to travel for days while the frozen ones were frozen right after picking.

Anyways, go ahead and freeze. Some foods don't freeze very nicely (greens usually thaw into mush) but it's all food. And sometimes use fresh food, just to cover your bases.

[dustypaws]

Thanks Fatal. I check the threads as well as the care sheet every so often and I carry the food charts with me when I go to the supermarket/fresh market. This was the first time I tried using a food processor to get the "healthy" greens and veges small enough to hide in the dog food so that Ard would not pick out his favorites and it worked great. I will try the frozen veges as the supply of fresh become scarce with the coming of winter.