Preserving Your Harvest

[BirdsBeesTrees]

How do you all prep apple slices for dehydration? I read steam for 5 minutes also acidic soak, but I can't find out which one I do first.

 

[WthrLady]

I toss them in water with citric acid as I run them through the core/slicer, drain and put on the sheets, done.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I drop the apple slices in 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice & cups of water to prevent browning. Just drain and lay out on your trays and put in dehydrator. For bananas, I use lime juice and water because I like the taste of limes and bananas better.

@BReeder! I like the simplicity of that design - my only comment: my brain is telling me that the 2 holes on the top of the box should be at the highest point, ie. the front of the box. This will also make the air flow through the trays better.
I want to make an in-direct solar dehydrator because the UV from sunlight can break down some of the nutrients.

 

[Sally PB]

How do you all prep apple slices for dehydration? I read steam for 5 minutes also acidic soak, but I can't find out which one I do first.

I peel and core and slice. I don't mind that they turn brownish.

What are your favorite apples to dry? I love Honey Crisp, but $$$. My second favorite (by just a tad) is Empire. They have a great tangy flavor when dry.

 

[Isadora]

My Great Aunt gave me all of her canning jars several years ago. There were some really amazing ones for sure. I always check for cracks or chips so I feel fine using them. Here's one really neat design: (It looked really cool when I had my cherry pie filling in it.)

View attachment 2820576

This one is my personal favorite. I have several of them

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I peel and core and slice. I don't mind that they turn brownish.

What are your favorite apples to dry? I love Honey Crisp, but $$$. My second favorite (by just a tad) is Empire. They have a great tangy flavor when dry.

I have an orchard with 4 different apple varieties: Pixie Crunch, Sweet Sixteen, Golden Delicious and Goldrush Apples.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

View attachment 2826046
This one is my personal favorite. I have several of them

Wow! That's so neat!

 

[BReeder!]

I drop the apple slices in 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice & cups of water to prevent browning. Just drain and lay out on your trays and put in dehydrator. For bananas, I use lime juice and water because I like the taste of limes and bananas better.

@BReeder! I like the simplicity of that design - my only comment: my brain is telling me that the 2 holes on the top of the box should be at the highest point, ie. the front of the box. This will also make the air flow through the trays better.
I want to make an in-direct solar dehydrator because the UV from sunlight can break down some of the nutrients.

Wondering if you use UV resistant plexiglass in a direct unit like this if it will block enough UV light to prevent nutrient damage. Another thought is to apply a UV blocking film over the plexiglass.

That said, I do wonder if the direct setup might get too hot and cook food rather than dehydrate it. Going for a solar dehydrator and might end up with a solar oven on hot sunny days.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@BReeder! I think you could add a vent to that setup which would allow you to control the temp - just a board that could be slid over to cover or uncover part of the top holes. Close the vent down and it will get hotter, open it up to cool it down.

I would stay with the clear plexiglass to make sure that you get enough energy in there to do the job - especially as the fall days get shorter, the sun gets lower on the horizon and the outside temp starts to fall. Although, I am not sure how much solar change you get in Illinois, here in northern Wisconsin I can definitely tell that the sun is moving south on us, lol.

I have done some research on the UV effects, and it really isn't that bad of a nutrient loss if the dehydrator is working well and stuff dries fast enough. I'm just greedy and want as much nutrition as possible. I think rotating the trays would also help, part time in the shade, part time in the sun. One article I read said solar dehydrated is actually more nutritious than other types of dehydrating, though that article didn't explain why that would be.
The in-direct that I want to make will hold a lot of trays and dry huge amounts, but it is huge. The footprint will be 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 6 feet long - good thinkg I have a barn to store it in when not in use.

 

[WthrLady]

7 trays of onions going outside
2 of white onion
2 of green onion ends
3 of green onion tops

Gonna smell good out there later. I'll go workout after my eyes stop burning.