Food dehydrating

[tripletfeb]

If you like spicy food dehydrating seems to keep the heat.

I had a bumper crop of habaneros 4 years ago. Cut peppers in half and dehydrated. Stored in vacuum sealed madon jars with oxygen absorbers has really helped them last.

Thanks! And I was wondering how best to store them

 

[addctd2plnts]

Very neat thread. We are currently renovating our farm ranch and have a large walk in pantry. I like to garden and also have an area for fruit trees and veggie garden. When I had 8 children at home, I always had a food storage area that was amazingly organized and we made sure to rotate recipes to use things. I like to gourmet cook which takes a variety of food. One thing that I always kept on hand was cans of freeze dried fruits and veggies, but the cost was astronomical. I found Harvest Right Freeze Dryers ( https://harvestright.com/home-freeze-dryers/ ) and we decided to invest in being more prepared and to better save and store our harvests. You can also freeze dry meat when prices are down or buy in bulk. I've dry pack canned in the past, and it's super easy. After losing 2 large freezers of food, more than once, when electricity went out in storms, it would be nice to have a food supply that not dependent on electricity. Plus, we want to continue fostering personal responsibility and preparedness in our children and grand children.

 

[MadGardener]

Thanks! And I was wondering how best to store them

I have a food saver vacuum sealer and bought an accessory for jars. They come in regular and wide mouth. Put on the rubber seal lid, vacuum it out, then add the band. I love it for longer term storage.

Edit to add that I save the used tops from home canning. They are not recommended to reuse for canning but they still have sealing power!

 

[Chuckie chicken]

That would be awesome! Care to share how?

TOP SECRET!!!!

PS: She scratched out "delicious" and "raw" from the title because of the filing system in her binder.

 

[tripletfeb]

TOP SECRET!!!!

View attachment 3042097

PS: She scratched out "delicious" and "raw" from the title because of the filing system in her binder.

Thanks! And I'll keep the recipe a secret, I promise

 

[tripletfeb]

So, I did apples yesterday. Kept the skins on and put ground cinnamon on half. I think I cut them too thick though because they were in for 17 hours and half are still spongy

 

[saysfaa]

Tart cherries are totally amazing.

Blueberries tend to fall through the grates and do not work in oatmeal like the cherries do. They might work in oatmeal if I rehydrate them first.

Apples (other years) turned out extremely well.
Plums were somewhat too intense to eat straight. I haven't tried them any other way.
Peaches may need some tweaking. I was afraid the juice would be a problem so I left the skin on and set them skin side down. That worked for drying them but I'm not sure how to use them.

Sweet Italian pepper, green beans, and zucchini seem to have worked well. I haven't used them much yet.

I'm eyeing the broccoli but so far haven't tried it. I think I will start with the stems and see how it goes.

 

[saysfaa]

I'm considering getting another dehydrator. Mine has been running 24/7 all summer. I could easily keep another one full too.

What kind of dehydrator do you have and what do you think are its pros and cons? Also, how does it compare to any other dehydrator you have used?

Mine doesn't have any identifying marks. It is round, brown, has five trays, and is very simple - just a round heating element in the base and the trays stack on the base.
Pros: I like the simplicity, it is silent, it works for most things I've tried.
Cons: food falls through a lot.
Compare: N/A - I've never tried another

 

[tripletfeb]

I'm considering getting another dehydrator. Mine has been running 24/7 all summer. I could easily keep another one full too.

What kind of dehydrator do you have and what do you think are its pros and cons? Also, how does it compare to any other dehydrator you have used?

Mine doesn't have any identifying marks. It is round, brown, has five trays, and is very simple - just a round heating element in the base and the trays stack on the base.
Pros: I like the simplicity, it is silent, it works for most things I've tried.
Cons: food falls through a lot.
Compare: N/A - I've never tried another

In post one I described which one I bought, a Nesco. I have to admit though, after I did the apples, I put it away and haven't used it since. Whoops. Anyways, I was planning on dehydrating the herbs I was growing but the chickens got to them before I could fence off my herb garden, alas, no more fresh herbs. I was also thinking of doing some of my roma tomatoes that I have an abundance of. Thoughts anyone? I like how simple mine is too, just five trays and the heating fan thing. Food doesn't seem to fall through too much but I haven't done a lot of variety in it yet. And I haven't tried any other dehydrator to compare

 

[saysfaa]

... after I did the apples, I put it away and haven't used it since.... I was also thinking of doing some of my roma tomatoes that I have an abundance of. Thoughts anyone?

I did that the first year, too. And the second year. And it wasn't really "doing the apples" - it was, like, one or a few batches.

I don't plan to dry tomatoes. I have too many other things that are higher priority for drying, even if I get another dehydrator. Tomatoes are so juicy, I want a different kind of tray before I do more than try a few. Besides, they are so easy to can, I'm doing that. I like freezing them first, then the dunk in boiling water is faster, the skins come off much better, and I don't burn my fingers.