Sourcing produce and ingredients affordably

Ingredient cost adds up fast once you're freeze-drying at any real volume, so this is worth a thread of its own. Options people mention: local farms/farmers markets near end-of-season or surplus pricing, wholesale produce distributors if you can hit their minimums, and buying in-season and stocking up rather than paying year-round premium prices for out-of-season produce. If you've found a sourcing approach that actually works at your scale — or one that didn't — that's exactly the kind of thing worth sharing here.