# Lets talk about making your own dehydrated food



## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

So I was looking at buying some dehydrated back packer food then I thought to myself, why would I want to do that, I have a dehydrator. So what I want to do here is ask you guys for tips and tricks. I have recipes and the like and have made some stuff so what Im looking for is your input on the things I may not find in books. Kinda like, "this one time I had some green beans and I threw them into the dehydrator and..." Or "man I wouldn't do that again" Hope to hear from you all.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I love dehydrated food. It keeps well and it is lightweight! I use it for soups, casseroles, dips, spreads, sauces, salsa, everything! It is a simple, safe way to preserve your own food. 

The guidelines that the books and internet give you are just that, guides. You'll have to experiment a little bit on how thick you like things sliced and how long your particular dehydrator takes to get all the moisture out. Also, start with one food and get the hang of it then move onto the next item.

Also, if you have kids, let them help you. My kids and my nephews always got the biggest kick out of dehydrating stuff.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Here is 116 pages of drying info.  Start here. If you still have questions, there's plenty of folks here to help you out.


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Here is 116 pages of drying info.  Start here. If you still have questions, there's plenty of folks here to help you out.


:blink: Where?


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Here is 116 pages of drying info.  Start here. If you still have questions, there's plenty of folks here to help you out.


ah where??????


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Try this ... (happy reading)

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/whats-everyone-dehydrating-today-8918/


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## ksmama10 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Andi said:


> Try this ... (happy reading)
> 
> http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/whats-everyone-dehydrating-today-8918/


I love that thread. I'd print it all out if it wouldn't take a whole ream of paper and two ink cartridges. So many great ideas...same with the canning thread. :beercheer:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

AuroraHawk said:


> :blink: Where?





biobacon said:


> ah where??????


Ooooop's  Guess I forgot to paste the link in there. :brickwall:



*Andi said:


> Try this ... (happy reading)
> 
> http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/whats-everyone-dehydrating-today-8918/


Thanks Andi.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> Ooooop's  Guess I forgot to past the link in there. :brickwall:
> 
> Thanks Andi.


Don't feel bad Uncle Joe, I just did that the other day!


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

biobacon said:


> So I was looking at buying some dehydrated back packer food then I thought to myself, why would I want to do that, I have a dehydrator. So what I want to do here is ask you guys for tips and tricks. I have recipes and the like and have made some stuff so what Im looking for is your input on the things I may not find in books. Kinda like, "this one time I had some green beans and I threw them into the dehydrator and..." Or "man I wouldn't do that again" Hope to hear from you all.


You'll find my posts on the big dehydrating thread, but that is a really huge thread...

one of the really interesting things I found is that dehydrated banana peels are an excellent garden fertilizer.

I sugar coat (cinnamon and sugar) the banana slices and I cut the peels up into little strips and sprinkle them across the top trays. The reason for that is:

A. The banana chips will ooze cinnamon sugar syrup downwards. Getting that all over the banana peels is not going to work out well for me when I dump them into the blender to crush them up. So peels on top trays only!!

B. The peels will be done faster, much much faster than the chips. the gel that the sugar forms means it can take a couple DAYS!!! to dehydrate them, the peels on the other hand will be done in a standard 4-8 hours depending on how small you cut and spaced them on the drying trays

C. After removing the peels, I start rotating the trays, from bottom to top, just to help even out whatever inconsistencies there are in air flow and temp. And at that point I no longer care about the sugar syrup oozing down on the peels.

Then I dump the crunchies into the blender and pulverize that, and put the powder mix into old salsa jars and stuff which I vacuum seal with my foodsaver.

Hope that helps! and the banana chips are a big hit, they are becoming a favorite at the office, I'm hoping it inspires a couple people to start thinking outside the box and get into new hobbies


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

ksmama10 said:


> I love that thread. I'd print it all out if it wouldn't take a whole ream of paper and two ink cartridges. So many great ideas...same with the canning thread. :beercheer:


I like to keep a running Word doc for both of those threads. I'm not caught up yet, but what I'm doing is going back to the beginning of the thread and when a post comes up with instructions or info I want, I just cut and paste it into my running document. I like to keep the poster's name included in the post, in case later on I have problems with the info and want to ask them questions.

I have a "notes" doc for this forum in general, but for both of those threads there's so much info in them and I have separate docs for each one.


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## mrsliberty (Nov 9, 2010)

Has anyone dehydrated canned beans? canned vegetables? I have lots of both going to expire. I have founds a lot of youtube on frozen vegetables, they turn out great. Nothing on canned beans except baked beans for taking on trail. I want to put in jars with o2 absorber? Anyone have success?? Suggestions?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Drain the juice an dry em!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Somewhere in that 116 page thread I made a post about that. I opened 2 cans of green beans one night by mistake. They were in with the peas which is what AuntJoe actually wanted that night. So I went back downstairs, grabbed the peas and threw the beans in the dehydrator. Now they're in a jar to be used the next time I make veg/beef/barley soup.


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## ksmama10 (Sep 17, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Somewhere in that 116 page thread I made a post about that. I opened 2 cans of green beans on night by mistake. They were in with the peas which is what AuntJoe actually wanted that night. So I went back downstairs, grabbed the peas and threw the beans in the dehydrator. Now they're in a jar to be used the next time I make veg/beef/barley soup.


Thanks Coot and Uncle Joe...not that this has evah happened before...but should this situation ever pop up*,now I know what to do.

*Again, SIGH


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Sometimes I get a real good deal from a feller that deals in dented cans an such. I can get canned vegies fer like 20 cents a can. I'll buy up a bunch an dry em. Toss em in a mason jar an vac seal em. Good fer a real long spell thata way.


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