# Sticky  What's everyone dehydrating today?



## goshengirl

It seems like whenever there's a thread on dehydrating, we get ideas from each other. Plus, it's just plain fun to see what others are doing. So I thought it would be fun to start a thread where people could post what they're dehydrating today (and tomorrow, and the next day, etc.), and maybe we'll all get some ideas!


Last night (overnight) I dehydrated meatless spaghetti sauce. Basically just tomato sauce/paste with a bunch of herbs it it. I wanted to see if I could make my own tomato powder. I'm definitely going to have to improve how I spread it out on the sheet, as I had some big differences in thickness. The stuff that was thin makes a nice powder (in the blender). The stuff that was thick makes a really yummy leather. I can see keeping a baggie full of this stuff in the car in case of emergencies (or kids just plain getting the munchies).


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## *Andi

Cherry pits ~ but boy is that a long story ... :gaah:


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## OldCootHillbilly

Next weekend be taters an beef jerky, well I hope, gotta be better then this weekend, shhhsh!


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## Davarm

Bananas tonight. Anytime I have idle time in the dehydrator, I put on bananas, eggs or potatos(sweet or white). When it gets chilly here the dehydrator keeps the kitchen warm without having to turn on the central heat.


goshengirl, if you get it figured out(dehydrating tomato based things) please share your discovery. I tried to dehydrate tomato paste a while back and it came out like plaster dried on a sidewalk. It may have been useable if I would have ran it through the grain mill but didn't have enough in the batch to make it worth messing up the grinder, it was one of the few food experiments that I have tossed.


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## Salekdarling

I dehydrated apple slices the other day. I'd love to dehydrate beef stew but not sure on how to store at the moment. 

Question, I want to be able to use oxygen absorbers to store away my dehydrated food. Is using 100cc oxygen absorbers okay to use? I read that it was more for #10 cans. It's preferable to use 50cc but I can never find a site with 50cc. :dunno:


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## mdprepper

Beef Jerky going in the dehydrator tonight.


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## JustCliff

I have 100 lbs. of onions I need to get done.


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## showmegal

Celery and Onions this week.


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## Ur5hittingMe

How about liver? I purchased dog treats last week and the only ingredient is liver. I have a bunch of liver in the freezer and I am the only one who eats it. So I thought, why not make my own gourmet dog treats. Has anyone ever done this?


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## cybergranny

Davarm said:


> Bananas tonight. Anytime I have idle time in the dehydrator, I put on bananas, eggs or potatos(sweet or white). When it gets chilly here the dehydrator keeps the kitchen warm without having to turn on the central heat.
> 
> goshengirl, if you get it figured out(dehydrating tomato based things) please share your discovery. I tried to dehydrate tomato paste a while back and it came out like plaster dried on a sidewalk. It may have been useable if I would have ran it through the grain mill but didn't have enough in the batch to make it worth messing up the grinder, it was one of the few food experiments that I have tossed.


Made yogurt the other day.

Tomato powder. We put our tomatoes through a food mill when we canned and all the pulp, skins and seeds were put in the dehydrator and then the blender. No waste and tomato powder.


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## Davarm

Well, tonight its more beets. Was going through my jars and found a case that that I had forgotten about. 12 quart jars filled 9 racks in the dehydrator and will take until morning to dry thoroughly.

cybergranny, I have made yogurt and one step further, have even dehydrated it too. I have to say that I would probably have to be pretty hungry to eat it but it is edible. Will eat fresh until their is no more and I get desperate.

This summer when I make tomato sauce and juice, will try dehydrating the leftover solids and see how it works out for me. If I have trouble may wind up posting a help request.


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## cybergranny

Davarm said:


> Well, tonight its more beets. Was going through my jars and found a case that that I had forgotten about. 12 quart jars filled 9 racks in the dehydrator and will take until morning to dry thoroughly.
> 
> cybergranny, I have made yogurt and one step further, have even dehydrated it too. I have to say that I would probably have to be pretty hungry to eat it but it is edible. Will eat fresh until their is no more and I get desperate.
> 
> This summer when I make tomato sauce and juice, will try dehydrating the leftover solids and see how it works out for me. If I have trouble may wind up posting a help request.


I tried dehydrating sour cream, oy what a mess. Threw it all out.

If you need help, no problem, be glad to do what I can with the tomatoes. We added some tomato powder to our beef veggie soup this week and it was wonderful.


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## Davarm

cybergranny said:


> I tried dehydrating sour cream, oy what a mess. Threw it all out.
> 
> If you need help, no problem, be glad to do what I can with the tomatoes. We added some tomato powder to our beef veggie soup this week and it was wonderful.


May take you up on the tomatoes this summer, thanks.

I tried sour cream too, yes, it was a mess. It cans though. It's a bit difficult, cook it too long and it will turn dark and It aint sour cream no more, not long enough and .......pretty sure you know or can figure out that story. It looses a little in the caning process but is still recognizable as sour cream and is pretty good with dehydrated potatoes.


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## Davarm

The Beets are all done, came out great. I went on one of my "foraging" trips to the grocery stores in town today and picked up 35 pounds of sweet potatoes for $.30 a pound.

I dehydrate them two ways, I peel them and grate them in the food processor, spread them on the drying racks and they will dry in a few hours. They can be used to make Sweet Potato Bread, casseroles and even made into soup, they pretty good fixed any of these ways. 

The second way, I peel them and slice them about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, boil them until they are about 1/2 cooked and spread the patties out on drying racks and dehydrate them for about 12-16 hours at about 130 degrees, at some point during the dry process I stab each slice with a fork to make sure they dry thoroughly. Drying them this way lets you boil them until done and candy them like fresh yams. The texture is a little dense but they come out pretty good.

In my book, Sweet Potatoes are one of the foods that are too good and too nutritious not to store as many as you can.


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## tsrwivey

I found 32 golden delicious for $2 on the rotten fruit sale at the grocery store so there's apple crisp in the oven & apple chips on the dehydrator. It will be awhile before they're done since my family likes them potato chip crisp. Nothing in the world wrong with those apples but some minor bruising. I'm sure glad folks are so picky, though!


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## Davarm

Its amazing what people will pitch, I started a thread a while back on wasted food when I saw a large chain store in Ft Worth emptying dumpsters of produce into a tractor trailer sized refuse bin.

When seeing that, it is not hard to see why the economy is in such bad shape and why the population is so spoiled when it comes to food.


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## Davarm

Tonight its going to be 40 pounds of bananas(over ripe and on sale), got them for bout $.18 per pound from 3 different stores today. The trip took about a gallon of gas.


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## klickitat

I have not done any since September, but turkey pastrami is one of the greatest things in the world when it is dried. I have it cut 1/4" thick and then use the oven on low to dehydrate it. It takes 8 to 12 hours depending on how dry you want it. Makes a great trail snack. The longer you want it to last, the longer you leave it in. Already cured and flavored for less than $4 per pound when on sale.


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## RevWC

My skin..


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## Davarm

klickitat said:


> I have not done any since September, but turkey pastrami is one of the greatest things in the world when it is dried. I have it cut 1/4" thick and then use the oven on low to dehydrate it. It takes 8 to 12 hours depending on how dry you want it. Makes a great trail snack. The longer you want it to last, the longer you leave it in. Already cured and flavored for less than $4 per pound when on sale.


That's one I have not tried, will put it on the list and the next time it goes on sale will test it out. Have plenty of beef dried and set back, have even dehydrated cooked chicken but didn't think much of that though.

Im one of those people who would dehydrate water if it didn't take so much to rehydrate it.


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## neldarez

goshengirl said:


> It seems like whenever there's a thread on dehydrating, we get ideas from each other. Plus, it's just plain fun to see what others are doing. So I thought it would be fun to start a thread where people could post what they're dehydrating today (and tomorrow, and the next day, etc.), and maybe we'll all get some ideas!
> 
> Last night (overnight) I dehydrated meatless spaghetti sauce. Basically just tomato sauce/paste with a bunch of herbs it it. I wanted to see if I could make my own tomato powder. I'm definitely going to have to improve how I spread it out on the sheet, as I had some big differences in thickness. The stuff that was thin makes a nice powder (in the blender). The stuff that was thick makes a really yummy leather. I can see keeping a baggie full of this stuff in the car in case of emergencies (or kids just plain getting the munchies).


what a great idea! You are soooo smart! Now I have to try :2thumb:


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## neldarez

I'm so glad you started this thread, I can't get enough info. on dehydrating. Loved the ideas on the sweet potatoes. I cooked a turkey last night and wondered if a person could then dry cooked turkey? If not, would it be best to can it? Can you can turkey after it's already been roasted? I have one more turkey to cook is why I'm asking, there's only the 2 of us....couldn't resisit buying it on sale though...lol...


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## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I'm so glad you started this thread, I can't get enough info. on dehydrating. Loved the ideas on the sweet potatoes. I cooked a turkey last night and wondered if a person could then dry cooked turkey? If not, would it be best to can it? Can you can turkey after it's already been roasted? I have one more turkey to cook is why I'm asking, there's only the 2 of us....couldn't resisit buying it on sale though...lol...


Ive done it on both turkey questions. Have dried cooked turkey, white meat was OK, sliced it across the grain and and dried it at about 130-135. The dark meat was a bit too greasy and decided to can it instead.

Christmas I got the biggest bird I could find with the intention of canning what we did not eat. I separated the leftover white meat from the dark, deboned it packed each in jars then poured the broth and drippings on it and topped the jars about 1 inch from the top and pressured it at 10 pounds for 60 minutes. In one of the jars instead of pouring the broth in, used leftover turkey gravy instead.

We opened the gravy jar the next day to test it out, it was delicious but the gravy thinned out to the consistency of broth but it was a keeper.

I also canned the leftover cranberry sauce that I made with fresh cranberries and instead of cooking them down in water, I used strawberry nectar, that was just about the best I have ever eaten and a definite keeper.

My goal over the holidays was to can or dehydrate an entire Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner and I think that I was pretty successful in the attempt. I also canned the leftover candied sweet potatoes, they came out pretty good but the texture was more like mashed potatoes but still worth doing again.

I experiment a lot and will can and dehydrate anything once and then keep going if it comes out good.

When hard times hit, we will still have our holiday dinners, maybe not freshly cooked but tasty all the same.


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## samigrl

Apples and bananas are in my dehydrator right now can anyone tell me what brand is the best dehydrator and where to get one?


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## pegleg

mdprepper said:


> Beef Jerky going in the dehydrator tonight.


 Love the idea of beef jerky. Do you put it into a food saver bags and what would the shelf life be?


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## Davarm

samigrl said:


> Apples and bananas are in my dehydrator right now can anyone tell me what brand is the best dehydrator and where to get one?


I cant say which is best but the two I have seen referenced most here are the Excalibur and American Harvester. I have the American Harvester, Garden Master, it has variable temperature and is expandable up to 30 square feet of dehydrator space(30 trays). I have put 80 pounds of bananas in mine before with some space left over. They were all dried in about 16 hours.

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/dehydrators.aspx

I think that Andi has gotten an Excalibur recently or at least in the last 6 months or so, you may check with her on how she likes it.


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## Freyadog

I have an Excaliber dehydrator and am interested in the dehydrating of tomatoes for tomato powder. I read the thread but did I miss the time and temperature? I sure would like this informaton if possible. TIA


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## *Andi

samigrl said:


> Apples and bananas are in my dehydrator right now can anyone tell me what brand is the best dehydrator and where to get one?


I also have the Excaliber dehydrator and it's great. :2thumb:


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## neldarez

I now have 2 Excaliburs, love them, I have the ones with the timers. After reading an earlier post, I dried turkey ( white meat) yesterday....might have gotten it over dry, I tend to over dry everything just to be safe! I got 5 -:congrat:1/2 pints.........


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## cybergranny

Freyadog said:


> I have an Excaliber dehydrator and am interested in the dehydrating of tomatoes for tomato powder. I read the thread but did I miss the time and temperature? I sure would like this informaton if possible. TIA


Veggie setting, I think 135. Time? gonna depend on your tomatoes. Start with 4 hours and keep checking.


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## TechAdmin

I tired to do some Key Limes over the weekend but they were already starting to turn so they ended up poor. 

I'm just going to have to throw them out in a couple of weeks if I don't find a use for them.


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## samigrl

Sweet potatoes and bananas lol!


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## Jezcruzen

I just finished ten 12 oz bags of frozen vegetables. I store them in small mylar zip-lock bags w/300cc O2 absorbers. I can get about 48 oz. per bag. (I heat seal the outer edges in addition to the zip-lock feature)

One 12 oz bag of frozen vegetables fits just right on a tray.

I need to start doing fruit. I don't have much fruit stored currently.


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## goshengirl

Currently have potato dices in the dehydrator. They're on sale here now, and soooo easy to dehydrate.

Jezcruzen, for what it's worth, yesterday's project was pineapple bits - also really easy to dehydrate. If you've got kids, I can't imagine they wouldn't like them!


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## Davarm

Im trying something new tonight, Potato Dumplings. Have no idea how they will turn out but I do have a sense of adventure.


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## JustUs

Lean ground beef has been on sale here. I now have 3 more qts of hamburger rocks.


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## neldarez

JustUs said:


> Lean ground beef has been on sale here. I now have 3 more qts of hamburger rocks.


lol, I have those hamburger rocks also, I probably over dry everything. I hope that isn't a problem...I really like throwing a coupleof handfuls of rocks into a casserole , etc..........makes me smile! :flower:


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## Davarm

Davarm said:


> Im trying something new tonight, Potato Dumplings. Have no idea how they will turn out but I do have a sense of adventure.


Update
Don't dehydrate "Potato Dumplings", that is if you plan to eat them at some point in time. They dried fairly quickly, about 4 hours and looked like miniature hockey pucks, pretty compact and nifty little things. When I tried to cook them up, it took about 25 - 30 minutes and as they cooked the outer freshly cooked layer tended to dissolve into the cook water and I wound up with something that looked like a thick lumpy gravy.

It was kinda like trying to cook an inch thick egg noodle. They are better made on demand and used fresh.


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## gypsysue

Thanks for the update, Davarm, I was about to try dehydrating them myself. I wonder if you could use dehydrated potatoes and the rest of the dry ingredients and have a 'mix' ready to go, to make for faster preparation time?

I'm still chopping up and dehydrating the onions from last summer's garden. I work on them as I have time. I love the smell through the house.


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## Davarm

gypsysue said:


> Thanks for the update, Davarm, I was about to try dehydrating them myself. I wonder if you could use dehydrated potatoes and the rest of the dry ingredients and have a 'mix' ready to go, to make for faster preparation time?
> 
> I'm still chopping up and dehydrating the onions from last summer's garden. I work on them as I have time. I love the smell through the house.


Sue, thats an idea, never thought of it. The recipe that I use is 3 cups of baked potatoes, 1 egg, salt and I run it in the food processor until it is smooth, then slowly add flour until it is the right consistency. Those could easily be put in a dry mix, mashed potato flakes and dehydrated egg, probably work pretty well.

I like to use potato dumplings when we make Chicken n Dumplings and they are good with Alfredo Sauce.... alot of possibilities.


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## kappydell

strawberry slices. nice additions to baked goods, oatmeal, etc. im using frozen unsweetened berries that I slice up and dehydrate. I use them dried, they don't rehydrated for diddly....


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## neldarez

goshengirl said:


> Currently have potato dices in the dehydrator. They're on sale here now, and soooo easy to dehydrate.
> 
> Jezcruzen, for what it's worth, yesterday's project was pineapple bits - also really easy to dehydrate. If you've got kids, I can't imagine they wouldn't like them!


did you have to partially cook them first? I dried some potatoe slices from fresh taters, that's actually a lot of work!


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## Davarm

Its fish fillets tonight, I came across a exert from the "Village Technology Handbook" on another forum and decided to give it a try. The process that I had been using was my own, came up with it trial and error. It worked but I figured that I may as well try directions from a tested source. If anyone is interested it is as follows:

How to Salt Fish

1. INTRODUCTION

A. Experience. Salting, one of the oldest methods
of preserving food, is an art as well as a science.
The process of salting fish is influenced by weather,
size and species of fish and the quality of salt used.
Therefore, experience is needed to adapt the process
outlined here to your situation. Start by salting small 
lots of different varieties of the available fish. By 
salting small amounts of fish at first, you will learn
how much time is required for each step. Salted fish,
if propoerly packed to protect it from excessive moisture,
will not spoil.

B. Quality and cleanliness. Of special importance are:

1. The quality of the fish to be salted -the fish must be
top quality; salting will not help poor quality, old or rotten
fish.

2. Cleanliness in all operations - all water used must be 
unpolluted; all waste must e removed from working and
drying areas; whatever comes in contact with the fish, 
including all the equipment, must be kept clean.

C. Caution One word of caution: Start by salting non-fatty, 
white-meated varieties of fish. The salting of fatty fish
brings up problems of rancidity, rusting and spoilage which
can be handled better after you have experience in salting.




II. EQUIPMENT

A. A clean sharp knife.

SALT: The amount varies with local conditions, but figure
about 20 pounds for 100 pounds of raw, prepared fish.

Clean containers for washing fish,

Clean, flat working surface; ....table

Clean containers for removing waste.

Waterproof vats: One or more, depending on the amount of
fish to be salted. The dimensions are not too important; a good
size is 6 feet long by 5 feet wide by 3 feet deep. But fish can
be salted in a container as small as a wide mouthed glass jar.
Metals other than stainless steel should not be used. Wooden
boards will work because moisture will swell the wood and seal 
it effectively.

Clean boards and weights (for pressing).

Clean slats or lines for hanging fish.

Portable thatch-roof shelters or small roofed sheds.




III. PROCEDURE

The process of salting fish has four operations:

A. Preparing the Fish

1. Beheading and Gutting. Fishshould be gutted and beheaded as 
soon as possible after catching.

2. Beheading. Remove the head by cuting it off on a slanted line 
following the following the gills. Sharks can be beaded at the last 
line of gill slits. (Only the "wings" of rays or skates are usually
considered edible). Fish which weight a half pound or less do not
have to be gutted. Local custom will determine wheather or not
they should be beheaded.

3. Gutting. In gutting a fish, cut from the gill cavity along the ventral
f old to the anal vent(ass hole).All the guts must be removed. It
is also good commercial practice to remove the black membrane
located in the visceral cavity of many species.

4. Bleeding. All species of fish must be thoroughly bled; if the head
has not been removed, gut the throad; remove the gills and all blood
vessels. Blood clots can cause discoloration, as well as bacterial
infection which would make the fish unfit for eating.

5. Cutting. The shape into which the fish is cut depends on local
custom. But, for a ruld of thumb: under a pound, the fish may
be left whold; from 1 to 10 pounds it should be split in half from 
head to tail; over 10 pounds, split the fish in two again from head
to tail. The collar bone behind the gills should be left intact when
a fish is split in half

B. Salting

1. Sprinkle a thin layer of salt, Just enough to completely cover the
botom of a waterproof vat.

2. Place a layer of fish, flesh side up, with enough room for each 
fish to avoid over-lapping. Try for a neat pattern, alternating head
to tail with no open spaces.

3. Cover the fish with salt - a thin layer, but with no open spaces.

4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 up to two or three layers of fish from the 
layers of fish from the vat.

5. Reverse the fish, packing them skin side up to the top of the vat, 
alternating with layers of salt. The top layer mustbe salt.

6. The salt will extract moisture from the fish, forming a brine. Use
boards and weights to keep all the fish under the salt.

7. The brine must be kept saturated (90 Salinometer - or no more 
salt can be disolved) at all imes. As moisture is extracted, more
salt must be added to keep the brine saturated. Too little salt will
cause the fish to spoil. Too much will detract from the flavor and
cause the rehydration.

8. As moisture is extracted from the fish, the level of fish in the vat
will fall. More fish can be added, skin side up - alernating a layer
of fish with a layer of salt, the top layer always being salt. 
Continue to add salt to keep the brine saturated.

9. Length of Cure. The fish are "struck through", or thoroughly
impregnated with salt, in 12 to 15 days in warm weather. In
cold weather, the fish should stay in the brine for 21 days or more; 
in the tropics, 15 days may be a good limit. The higher he 
temperature, thequicker the fish will be struck through. When
properly salted, the flesh of the fish will be translucent. It is firm
but yields to gentle pressure. it has a whitish salt cover. An
odor of fish and brine should prevail. There should be no spoilage odors.

C. Washing and Drying to Remove Excess Salt.

1. When the fish are struck through, they are removed from the
vat and washed in unpolluted sea water of fresh brine to remove
excess salt.

2. Then place the fish on flat surfaces, using any arrangement of 
boards and weights to press them as flat as possible to remove the
excess moisture and to make the fish thinner, which will reduce
and improve the appearance of the fish for marketing.

D. Air Drying

1. the final drying can be done either by sunlight and natural air
currents or by artificial heat and air currents generated by fans. In
most areas, in the proper season, drying can be done outdoors
in the sun and fresh air. Choose an open area to get he most
sunlight and wind. Avoid swampy areas, locations near human or
animal waste and, especialy, fly-breeding areas.

2. When freshly salted fish is first brought out to dry, there is a
danger of sunburn. If fish is exposed at this stage to the direct rays
of the sun, it may harden on the outside and turn yellow. This will
keep the inside from drying properly. To avoid this, keep the fish
under shade or semi-shade for the first day.

3. After the first day, expose the fish to as much sunlight and wind
as possible. One method is to lay the fish on riangular slats - so
that it rests on the least possible amount of surface - flesh side 
facing the sun. Another method is to hang the fish by the tail.

4. Protec the drying fish against dampness. The fish can be 
sheltered by portable thatch roofs or moved into small roofed 
shade built nearby for protection from rainfall and night-time
dampness. The fish should free of discoloration, mold or other 
defects. Split fish should not have ragged edges.

5. Length of Process. Generally, six warm days with wind of more
than 3 mph should dry the fish enough to prevent soiling in
properly packed to protect it from excessive moisture.

IV. Important Points To Remember

1. Use only top quality fish.
2. Work cleanly.
3. work fast.
4. Keep the brine in the salting vats saturated - when in doubt
add more salt.
5. Try to follow the local custom in style and length of cure.
6. All water used must be unpolluted.

V. Using Salted Fish

Usually salted fish is soaked overnight, with at least one change
of water, to remove most of the salt before it is eaten. the longer it 
is soaked, the more salt is removed. Then it is used in the same 
way as fresh fish, except that it is not good for frying.




Village Technology Handbook
Food Section
Chapter 24.


I pick up with the dehydrator at the "D. Air Drying" step and expect that it will take about 2 days, maybe more, to dehydrate since the dehydrating has to be set very low"105-110 degrees" to keep from "cooking" the fish.


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## goshengirl

neldarez said:


> did you have to partially cook them first? I dried some potatoe slices from fresh taters, that's actually a lot of work!


Nope, just opened the bag and put them on the tray. You're right about the fresh slices being a lot of work! I do that, too, with our own potatoes or when the bags go on a ridiculously cheap sale. I am finding, though, that the more I do the slices the easier it gets - I don't know if it's because I'm getting more efficient at it, or it just seems easier because I get more used to the work. :dunno: But I get the southern style hash browns by Ore Ida - they're just potato dices. I figure in a pinch we've got hash browns, or we can add them to soups, or we can use them in potato casseroles.

Davarm, you are a regular dehydrating MACHINE! Thanks for ALL the info you're posting!


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## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Davarm, you are a regular dehydrating MACHINE! Thanks for ALL the info you're posting!


My daughters say that I would dehydrate water if it didn't take so much h2o to rehydrate it.


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## Davarm

The "Village Technology" method of salting and drying fish worked better than my method, it came out flatter, more uniform, had far less residual salt left on the fish and took quite a bit less time to dry the fillets. 

Washing the excess salt off and pressing the fillets made the difference in drying time. No salt left on the fish prevented a crust from forming early in the drying process and allowed the liquid to evaporate faster. To press the fillets, I laid a layer of paper towels down on the counter, put about 4 pieces of fish on them and put another layer of towels on top then put a cutting board over the pile. I then put 3 5 gallon buckets of wheat on the cutting board and left it for about 20 minutes, the fillets were almost dry when I put them in the dehydrator.

The entire drying process then took about 18-20 hours, much better than the 2 days for my method.


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## Davarm

I put a load of collard greens on the dehydrator this morning at about 4:30am when I took the fish out of the dehydrator and it was done when I check it a few hours ago. I put about 1/2 of the cart in and got the small bin out. Thats a bunch of collards in a small package out.


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## Vannav

Deer jerky and apple slices


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## Davarm

Its Collard Greens again tonight, I have a 5 gallon bucket packed full so far and I am only about1/3 of the way down the 60 foot row.

This morning I decided that I had better give them a taste test so I put a hand full in a bowl and poured boiling water over them, put a cover on the bowl and let them sit for about 20 minutes. I came back, drained them and put a pat of butter and salt on the top. I will never freeze or can collard greens again they were great.


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## Davarm

More Collard Greens.


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## Davarm

Tonight its going to be sweet breads, banana, pumpkin and I think some sweet potato. We make alot of it through the holidays and freeze what we dont eat, need the room in the freezer so will slice it and dehydrate it.

Some of the better slices will get vacuum sealed to eat later but most of it will be put in the food processor and ground into crumbs and packed away to use in deserts through the year.


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## Davarm

Its onions today, am going to pull all the onions in my garden that are trying to go to seed and put them in the dehydrator. I have 2 60 foot rows, 3 plants wide that died out in the triple digit heat of last summer that resprouted and took off over the winter.


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## TechAdmin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbread

Sweet breads?


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## Davarm

Austin said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbread
> 
> Sweet breads?


I wondered if someone would call me on that one.

We call Sweet Breads things like Banana Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Applesauce Cake......

We, in this house, haven't had times hard enough yet to put animal glands on the table. I have a rule of thumb, dont eat guts, guts being anything that is not muscle meat or fat. That, though, is subject to change if times get bad enough.


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## mdprepper

pegleg said:


> Love the idea of beef jerky. Do you put it into a food saver bags and what would the shelf life be?


oops: Sorry, I just saw this. I do have a food saver and would probably use that to store the Jerky in. But my "boys" can smell it when they come home and it never has a chance to make it in to storage! So I have no idea on how long it will last! Perhaps Davarm would have an idea?

Speaking of Davarm...thanks for all of your great information! Can I dehydrate left over Chili (made with ground beef). If yes, do you dry the solids separate from the liquid part? Do you even dry the liquid (tomato based)? Thanks in advance!:flower:


----------



## *Andi

mdprepper said:


> oops: Sorry, I just saw this. I do have a food saver and would probably use that to store the Jerky in. But my "boys" can smell it when they come home and it never has a chance to make it in to storage!


LOL ... Glad to know I'm not the only one with this problem. I try to hide one or two back but they always find it. :dunno:


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## cybergranny

Venison jerky here today. It won't make it to long term storage. Hope it makes it til next week.


----------



## Davarm

mdprepper said:


> oops: Sorry, I just saw this. I do have a food saver and would probably use that to store the Jerky in. But my "boys" can smell it when they come home and it never has a chance to make it in to storage! So I have no idea on how long it will last! Perhaps Davarm would have an idea?
> 
> Speaking of Davarm...thanks for all of your great information! Can I dehydrate left over Chili (made with ground beef). If yes, do you dry the solids separate from the liquid part? Do you even dry the liquid (tomato based)? Thanks in advance!:flower:


Sorry, I just saw your post, it seems like we have a similar problem, Jerky around here doesn't last very long unless I seal it in a bucket. I do have some that has been stored for about 2 1/2 years vacuum sealed then sealed in a Homer Bucket. When I sealed that bucket I was not aware that the homer buckets were air tight(if closed properly) and I put a bead of RTV(silicone sealant) on the lip of the bucket before pounding it closed. Opening it for a test would not be an easy thing.

Have never tried to dehydrate chili before, I usually can those leftovers. BUT, I do have several jars of it down under the computer desk I am sitting at and I will put a jar on the dehydrator tonight and get back with you tomorrow.

Sound fair enough?


----------



## Davarm

mdprepper said:


> Speaking of Davarm...thanks for all of your great information! Can I dehydrate left over Chili (made with ground beef). If yes, do you dry the solids separate from the liquid part? Do you even dry the liquid (tomato based)? Thanks in advance!:flower:


The chili came out ok, I have not rehydrated and tested it yet, wanted to get a picture of it for you first.

The answer to your question is "Yes, You can dehydrate left over Chili". When I make it, I make sure it does not have much fat or "grease" in it so it did pretty well, meat and all, the bowl contains 2 quarts and I put the glasses by the bowl as a size reference.

My chili is thicker than most so there was no problem with the liquid, I just poured the chili on a fruit leather trays and turned the dehydrator on. It was the only thing in the dehydrator and I set the temp to 125 and it was done when I got up this morning, so less than 6 hours did it.


----------



## gypsysue

I dunno, Dav... that looks like Cocoa Krispies! 

Awesome idea. I've been canning leftovers like chili but now I'm going to try this! We use venison in ours, so it's pretty much fat-free.

How will you store it now? (Or: how should we store it?)


----------



## Davarm

Thats a good question, most people just leave Cocoa Krispies in the box! 

I had not given storage much thought yet. Don't know if the the dry stuff will punch holes in Food Save bags, but I guess quart or half gallon jars will always work.

Any suggestions?


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## goshengirl

I put my dehydrated ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey) in mason jars with oxy absorbers - I'd probably do the same thing with chili.

Thanks for the trial and picture! Now I've got to try it.  
I probably won't get any chili made in the next few days, but I have ground beef to go in the dehydrator tonight - I just might make it taco meat first! Thanks for the idea!


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## DJgang

Why couldn't ya vacuum seal with a food saver?

I love that thing! 

question. What could I use for a "fruit leather" liner, that I could cut out myself? I don't think the manufacture makes fruit leather trays for the one I have and figured I could just make my own out of something...hum...


----------



## DJgang

Davarm said:


> Thats a good question, most people just leave Cocoa Krispies in the box!
> 
> I had not given storage much thought yet. Don't know if the the dry stuff will punch holes in Food Save bags, but I guess quart or half gallon jars will always work.
> 
> Any suggestions?


I wish that I could find quart jars inexpensive! They are so high and hard to find!


----------



## DJgang

Oh, thought about this.

I love garbanzo beans, but family doesn't. I have sneaked a few, smashed up in chili or spaghetti sauce, I was wondering if I could cook them, mash 'em up and dehydrated them....making like "chips" and could just grab a few whenever i want to add to a sauce, give 'em a little protein.


----------



## goshengirl

DJgang said:


> Why couldn't ya vacuum seal with a food saver?
> 
> I love that thing!
> 
> question. What could I use for a "fruit leather" liner, that I could cut out myself? I don't think the manufacture makes fruit leather trays for the one I have and figured I could just make my own out of something...hum...


I love mine, too! But I use it mostly for freezing foods. For dehydrated foods, I just found that when I stored the bags everything got smushed up pretty badly, I'd end up with crumbs. And some things (over time) would poke through the Food Saver bags, if they were hard enough. So I've gotten to storing dehydrated stuff in jars, using the Food Saver attachment to vac seal, and I also use oxy absorbers. I like overkill.  You're right about the cost, though...

As for a fruit leather tray - I saw on some video (Wendy? Tammy at Dehydrate2Store? can't remember...) a woman used a large zip lock bag taped to her dehydrator tray and it worked fine. I remember she also said to make sure that the lettering on the bag was facedown on the tray, so the lettering would not come in contact with the dehydrating food - otherwise the food will end up with ink on it, much like how silly putty takes off newsprint. Hope that helps.


----------



## Davarm

DJgang said:


> I wish that I could find quart jars inexpensive! They are so high and hard to find!


Unless you can find used jars that are not chipped on the rims, you are gonna have to buy jars, quart jars will AVERAGE $.80 to $1.00 each, half gallon ones average around $2.00 each, pretty much no way around it.

Some items at the stores are sold in jars have the same size lids and threads as the canning jars and can be used for canning. In the 60's and 70's many products such as Mayo were purposely sold in that type of jar so that canning families would buy their product for the mayo and jar. Since the jars are not made from tempered or heavy duty glass, breakage is more likely than with Ball, Kerr or Mason types of jars.

2 nights ago when pressure canning chicken stock, I used a regular pint glass jar to see if it would take the pressure cooking without breaking, it did fine. I was always told that those 'regular" jars could be used for Hot Water Baths but not pressure canning, guess that is not entirely true.

As far as the garbanzos or chick peas go, they are the most widely consumed legume in the world and they can be dehydrated, done it before with good results. You can grind the dehydrated beans and rehydrate them into "Hummus" which is(or can be made to be) pretty good, and they are very nutritious and a good choice for dehydrating. I'm going to plant some this year and see what happens.

With the fruit leather trays, you can use coated non stick pie pans, that is what I used for dehydrating eggs before I got my new dehydrator(American Harvester). I had to do a little "Southern Engineering" to make it work but I was able to do quite a wide range of jobs with my cheap little Oster. dehydrator.


----------



## DJgang

Brain fart, I was thinking half gallon, they are pricey.


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## Davarm

Some have questioned how to dehydrate some things like "Chili", Soups and Eggs, foods that need to be put in fruit leather trays to dry and I understand that many of you cant afford to drop several hundred dollars or more on dehydrators with all the bells and whistles.

My first dehydrator was a cheapo "Oster" model I picked up at Wally World 6 or 8 years ago, it cost around $30.00 to $40.00 back then and is rugged and dependable. The trays have started breaking in the last year or so but I have gotten more than my moneys worth out of it.

I modified it to dry my bulk herbs and greens and to hold non stick pie pans for dehydrating eggs. It work well for these things, it does get a little hotter than necessary but I worked around that.

I used cardboard to form a Barrel on one of the trays, and several of the other trays I used aluminum foil to channel the air to cool it a little and prevent it from blowing directly from the heating element on the food and possibly cooking it.

Greens and herbs can be loosely packed into the cardboard barrel for drying and other foods that cant be placed onto the trays can be put in the pie pans and stacked in the barrel also. I use bamboo skewers to lay across each pie pan to set the next one on.

This is not the ideal solution for dehydrating but IT WORKS, and it can be more affordable for some than a fancier more expensive dehydrator.


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> The chili came out ok, I have not rehydrated and tested it yet, wanted to get a picture of it for you first.
> 
> The answer to your question is "Yes, You can dehydrate left over Chili". When I make it, I make sure it does not have much fat or "grease" in it so it did pretty well, meat and all, the bowl contains 2 quarts and I put the glasses by the bowl as a size reference.
> 
> My chili is thicker than most so there was no problem with the liquid, I just poured the chili on a fruit leather trays and turned the dehydrator on. It was the only thing in the dehydrator and I set the temp to 125 and it was done when I got up this morning, so less than 6 hours did it.


Im eating a bowl of it right now, pretty good. The taste is just a touch off but if you didn't KNOW it was dehydrated you you probably would not notice anything out of the ordinary. Good Stuff!


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## mdprepper

:thankyou: Davarm!!!!! :flower:


----------



## neldarez

DJgang said:


> Why couldn't ya vacuum seal with a food saver?
> 
> I love that thing!
> 
> question. What could I use for a "fruit leather" liner, that I could cut out myself? I don't think the manufacture makes fruit leather trays for the one I have and figured I could just make my own out of something...hum...


I don't have enough of the fruit liners so I used parchment paper, worked great!:wave:


----------



## DJgang

Never ceases to amaze me how much I learn from you guys!!!!

Thanks!!!


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## timmie

i tried collards and i like the results so i will be doing some more today.i forgot who posted but thanks .learn something new everyday.


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## goshengirl

Y'all might be interested in a book called _Backpack Gourmet_ if you can get it at your library. It's geared towards backpackers and food they can prepare for their hikes, but it's all about dehydrating full meals, then rehydrating them on the trail - much like the chili and rice/beans you've posted here. The author says that the shelf life for her recipes is 2 years in the fridge, 3 years in the freezer (remember, she's a backpacker, not a prepper, and she's putting stuff in ziplock baggies) - but I wonder if it's just kept in a cool storage area of the house in a vacuum pack how long these things would last? Anyways, just something to check for at your library.


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## DJgang

Garbanzo beans have been dehydrating all afternoon. I cooked, then smashed up in the magic bullet, spread on trays with non stick aluminum ( I hope that was ok!) they are almost dry.

My dehydrator seems to take longer than times given for things. 

It's a LEM and I'm just not too sure about it.


----------



## DJgang

timmie said:


> i tried collards and i like the results so i will be doing some more today.i forgot who posted but thanks .learn something new everyday.


I canned collards and greens this past fall. Whew, what a chore!

Did you cook them any before dehydrating?

I'll check your previous posts as well....:2thumb:


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## timmie

no i just washed them good and put them on the trays about 4-6 hours. i also canned some.


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## goshengirl

Dehydrated taco meat. That will be a time-saver. :2thumb:

And I also dehydrated hash brown patties - you know, the rectangular patties like the ones at McDonald's? Wasn't sure they'd dehydrate all the way through, but they did - and they taste really good right off the dehydrator tray, too! Even DH agreed.


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## Davarm

It was Chili for me today. I liked it so much the way it came out when I tried it out for mdprepper that I got out a case of jars that I had under the coffee table in the living room and dehydrated it all. It all fit in my largest kitchen bowl and now I have to figure out how I am going to store it. I now have 12 jars freed up for other things.

DJgang, I have dehydrated collards that I had canned previously, they don't come out as good as the fresh ones but it does work. We ground them up and use them in soups, pretty good too.

goshengirl, the next time I go to the grocery store I am going to get some of the hash brown patties and give that a try. To cook them would you soak them in water then bake/fry them, or how do you use them or do you cook them first then dehydrate them?


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## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> goshengirl, the next time I go to the grocery store I am going to get some of the hash brown patties and give that a try. To cook them would you soak them in water then bake/fry them, or how do you use them or do you cook them first then dehydrate them?


To dehydrate them, I just got the Ore Ida brand and the WalMart brand (frozen) - took them out of the packaging and put them on the dehydrator sheet (no cooking first). Most of them dehydrated fine just like that, but some of them I did break in half or thirds partway through the drying in order to get more air flow to the inner part of the patties.

I honestly have not test the rehydrating/cooking part yet - but the way they turned out, they look like they'll do fine if I treat them the same as dehydrated hash browns (shredded potatoes) - cover with warm water to rehydrate, then lightly fry in a skillet. That said, DH and I both had 'hash brown chips' with our breakfast this morning just because they're good dehydrated, just need a little salt. Raw, dried out potato - go figure. 

Now, if I were making hash brown patties from our own potatoes, I would do it differently. Frozen foods have a pre-treatment to them that means they can go from the freezer to the dehydrator - if I was using our home-grown potatoes I would need to do some sort of pre-treatment, maybe partially cook them before dehydrating. When our potatoes come up this year, I'm going to figure that one out.


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## mdprepper

I am making rice and beans as side dishes for dinner tonight. I plan to make extra to dehydrate. Wish me luck!


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## Davarm

mdprepper said:


> I am making rice and beans as side dishes for dinner tonight. I plan to make extra to dehydrate. Wish me luck!


Good luck, let us know how it turns out.


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## cybergranny

Been reading about Kale chips. So we have our first batch in the dehydrator now. Didn't do a lot as we don't know if we will like them or they will be as good as everyone says they are. We just put olive oil and Braggs liquid aminos on these. We'll see.


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## sailaway

Traded some of my Cabelas Points for a dehydrator, I need to get started at this again. I used to make alot of jerkey.


----------



## Candy

Ur5hittingMe said:


> How about liver? I purchased dog treats last week and the only ingredient is liver. I have a bunch of liver in the freezer and I am the only one who eats it. So I thought, why not make my own gourmet dog treats. Has anyone ever done this?


Yes and the dogs love them, 2 cups whole wheat flour, pureed liver about a pound, 3 cloves garlic, teaspoon granulated garlic. Spread on pam sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Cut into sqs. my dogs love em.


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## Davarm

Its going to be Collards and Mustard Greens tonight. In the back of the garden when I was tilling today, I found "bunch" of Mustard plants with leaves that were big, tender and very pungent. I got about 1/2 a garden cart full. They go pretty good in vinegar and olive oil salad dressings when dried and powdered fine and with a little crushed garlic. To good to pass up.



mdprepper
How did the rice and beans do? Anxious to hear!

Ur5hittingMe, Candy
My theory on liver is that God put them in a place in the animal where it would be easy to pull it out and throw it away. If I put liver in the dehydrator here it would clear the house, for a long time. Well...now come to think about it, I have been wanting some quiet time in the house

sailaway
I gave up on jerky for a while, it seems that it disappears before I can get it vacuum packed, my daughters could teach "David Blane" a thing or 2 about that kind of magic stuff.


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## Moose33

Good morning,
I dehydrate potato shreds and home fries all the time, they are all I use anymore. If I hadn't dehydrated them myself I wouldn't know the difference. The shreds always seem to rehydrate better for me. Dehydrating them is also a real space saver, I only have one freezer. I put my first two pounds of hamburger in the dehydrator last night. Looks good so far. I want it mostly for tacos and spaghetti.


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## Davarm

Moose,
I have dehydrated A LOT of regular potatoes, I slice them about 1/4 inch thick, boil them to about half way done then dehydrate them. They come out pretty and translucent, just like in a box of Au Groutin from the store. About 50 pounds will fit nicely in a 5 gallon bucket.

I did try grating them then dehydrating them, must have done something wrong because I came out with something like "Potato Starch". I decided that they would not be usable for hash browns so I ran them through the grain mill into powder and used it just like corn starch and it worked about the same. I am still experimenting with it. Am going to try grating and cooking them then dehydrating and see if that comes out ok.

Its all a big experiment, most of the time what I dehydrate works out pretty well but sometimes their are some real flops. From now on, I will only dehydrate Collard Greens though, leaps and bounds better than canned or frozen in my book. Just put some in a bowl and pour on boiling water, cover and wait about 10-15 minutes - come out like they just came out of the garden.


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## mdprepper

Rice seems to have turned out well. I did not end up with any leftover beans, so I opened and rinsed 2 cans of small red beans. They all split open when they dehydrated. Is that normal? If it is then they turned out just fine too. 

I have to say before this thread, I really had not done anything with my dehydrator. Yes, I had made jerky but everything else just kind of scared me. I was afraid that I would screw it up. Now, I have done apples, bananas and pears. So thank you all for giving me the courage to try new things. :kiss:

I have some oranges that have been around a while. Can you dehydrate them? If you can please let me know the steps to do.


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## Davarm

Glad to hear the good news with the rice and beans, and, yes it is quite normal for the beans to split. Come to think of it, I dont think that I have ever seen them not split to some degree or another after drying.. 

You do understand the experiment is only half over dont you? You have to sample it and do a taste test! :congrat:

I do seem to remember some posts about dehydrating oranges, When I tried it, what I took out of the dehydrator was not even close to being edible and could not imagine a use for them. Give them a try for yourself and see what you come up with, all you have to loose is an orange and a few cents for electricity and it will make your house smell good.


----------



## Emerald

Davarm said:


> Glad to hear the good news with the rice and beans, and, yes it is quite normal for the beans to split. Come to think of it, I dont think that I have ever seen them not split to some degree or another after drying..
> 
> You do understand the experiment is only half over dont you? You have to sample it and do a taste test! :congrat:
> 
> I do seem to remember some posts about dehydrating oranges, When I tried it, what I took out of the dehydrator was not even close to being edible and could not imagine a use for them. Give them a try for yourself and see what you come up with, all you have to loose is an orange and a few cents for electricity and it will make your house smell good.


With beans if you "boil" them while cooking they tend to split or burst if you simmer them on low instead you get whole beans that do not split as much.
and I did not care for oranges in the dehydrator either.. but then a friend said to powder them and add them to things.. still not my favorite.
but.. if you have applesauce and fruit leather trays you can add pureed orange segments to the apples sauce and it makes an orangy apple leather that is very tasty.


----------



## katfish

Left over ham and beans. Hopefully it'll be alright for camping food.


----------



## PamsPride

I have apples in the dehydrator today! I was given 50# of apples yesterday! I was also given 50# of fingerling potatoes that I need to figure out what to do with.


----------



## mdprepper

Davarm said:


> You do understand the experiment is only half over dont you? You have to sample it and do a taste test! :congrat:


I work late tonight and plan on trying them when I get home for my dinner. I have left over chicken in the fridge and lots of spices to choose from. Hopefully this will be yummy!

I wonder if I can dry the orange zest? That way I could have it on hand for recipes calling for it. Hmmm...can you make orange extract the way you make vanilla extract?


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## Davarm

Orange and lemon zest dehydrate well, I have jars of both on my shelf. I've never tried to make orange extract but it should work pretty well, alcohol would easily dissolve the oil in the zest, If I had any fresh oranges I would give it a try. I do make dill and fennel extract, both can get pretty potent, a very small amount will go a long way.


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## Emerald

I would only use the zest and none of the white pith of the orange and lemon for extract.. the white will make it bitter..


----------



## Davarm

Emerald said:


> With beans if you "boil" them while cooking they tend to split or burst if you simmer them on low instead you get whole beans that do not split as much.
> and I did not care for oranges in the dehydrator either.. but then a friend said to powder them and add them to things.. still not my favorite.
> but.. if you have applesauce and fruit leather trays you can add pureed orange segments to the apples sauce and it makes an orangy apple leather that is very tasty.


Emerald, as long as I have been cooking beans, I never picked up on the cooking temp affecting whether they split or not. Ya learn something new every day dont ya?

Back when I was experimenting with oranges, I tried putting oranges in the food processor and adding enough orange juice concentrate(frozen), to puree them into about the consistency of apple sauce and dehydrated it on a fruit leather tray. If you like orange marmalade you may like them done this way. For me, it was ok but I didnt like it enough to keep doing it.

Now, I do like candied oranges, no - I love them. I have a lot in the stores, I have no idea how long they will keep vacuum sealed but I am going to find out.


----------



## Davarm

katfish said:


> Left over ham and beans. Hopefully it'll be alright for camping food.


Ive done ham and beans also, I just made sure the ham was in small enough pieces to dry in about the same time that the beans did. I like them but the kids dont so I dont have that many stored.


----------



## Davarm

More Collard Greens in the dehydrator for me again tonight.


----------



## Emerald

Davarm said:


> Emerald, as long as I have been cooking beans, I never picked up on the cooking temp affecting whether they split or not. Ya learn something new every day dont ya?
> 
> Back when I was experimenting with oranges, I tried putting oranges in the food processor and adding enough orange juice concentrate(frozen), to puree them into about the consistency of apple sauce and dehydrated it on a fruit leather tray. If you like orange marmalade you may like them done this way. For me, it was ok but I didnt like it enough to keep doing it.
> 
> Now, I do like candied oranges, no - I love them. I have a lot in the stores, I have no idea how long they will keep vacuum sealed but I am going to find out.


A young Haitian woman I used to work with back in the 80's taught me that. She said low and slow and you get beautiful beans.. no salt in them till they are almost cooked thru will give you tender skins that are not tough.
She used to use a big cast iron dutch oven and set them to cook with no seasoning really low before she went to work.. the family would check and stir to keep from scorching and then when she got home from work she would add all the spices and meats or start the rest of the meal and they would be so yummy and hardly any broken.. 
She also said that it was a sign of a good cook in her family to make beans and not have them burst or broken open.. always said that broken beans was a sign of an impatient cook.. 
But if I am going for refried beans then I don't mind if they get mushy/broken.. I am gonna squash them anyhoo.


----------



## Moose33

Davarm, I should have specifed, I've only dehydrated Ore'Ida hash browns/shreds. I buy a couple of bags every time I find them on sale. Thanks for the heads up on the fresh shreds. I've tried shredding reds and cooking them, just to eat. They never seem to be just right. Maybe I need a different kind of potato. Unfortunately my job keeps me busy enough that there never seems to be enough time to get it all done.
Take care,
Moose


----------



## Gypsyshome

cybergranny said:


> Made yogurt the other day.
> 
> Tomato powder. We put our tomatoes through a food mill when we canned and all the pulp, skins and seeds were put in the dehydrator and then the blender. No waste and tomato powder.


Thank you for the tomato idea, no waste and so much taste and nutrition. I will try this method this year for sure.


----------



## mdprepper

I have not tried to re-hydrate my rice and beans yet. I feel a little foolish, but what would the average water to rice/water to bean ratio be? I was going to do this tonight but I was afraid I would end up with a watery mess.


----------



## DJgang

If no one answers ya soon, I am going down to basement later on, I'll look on my mountain house packs and see what it says, might be able to determine from that.


----------



## Davarm

mdprepper said:


> I have not tried to re-hydrate my rice and beans yet. I feel a little foolish, but what would the average water to rice/water to bean ratio be? I was going to do this tonight but I was afraid I would end up with a watery mess.


It depends on how much juice you want in your beans, I like juice for cornbread to soak up so I usually go with about 50-50 water to beans then if their is not enough liquid, I will just add more water.

It is kinda hard to put down an exact measure, their are alot of things to consider such as the type of bean, any additional ingredients such as ham or hamburger and how much you cooked the beans down(will affect the thickness of the juice)...

Just start with the 50/50 and go from there.


----------



## Davarm

Well, I'm not dehydrating this today, did it last night. My youngest daughter made her version of spaghetti, pretty good dish but made with "Bow Tie" noodles so the grandson could more easily eat it without making a "Big Mess".

Someone previously posted that that they dehydrated cooked noodles, and another said that they dehydrated spaghetti sauce so I decided to try doing them together as an instant meal. Worked great. I only had enough leftover for one fairly large individual serving and when I rehydrated it I was a little off on the amount of water to use and couldn't experiment and made it just a little to to liquid. 

When I do it next time I will fall back on my old method of weighing before and after dehydrating to determine the amount of water to use. 

This is a keeper and will start storing up a supply for the panry.


----------



## timmie

lots of collards


----------



## timmie

*cabbage*

i have a question:has anybody dehydrated cabbage and does it work? i've got about 100 heads of cabbage to do something with. going to can some and make somr kraut. i am also going to dehydrate some.hope it turns out okay.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> i have a question:has anybody dehydrated cabbage and does it work? i've got about 100 heads of cabbage to do something with. going to can some and make somr kraut. i am also going to dehydrate some.hope it turns out okay.


I have and do dehydrate cabbage, it comes out(IMO) pretty good, we put it in soups mainly and have a 5 gallon bucket full of it.

I use a low heat, about 115 to 120 degrees so that the parts that dry faster will not loose quality.


----------



## Freyadog

If you have to dry your garden produce outside due to no electricity:

1. how do you know that the temps outside are acceptable for drying
2. what if it rains every other day or so and the foods are not dry enough yet to store

Just a couple of things that crossed my mind this morning in case I could not can. Due to no more jars, lids.


----------



## Emerald

Freyadog said:


> If you have to dry your garden produce outside due to no electricity:
> 
> 1. how do you know that the temps outside are acceptable for drying
> 2. what if it rains every other day or so and the foods are not dry enough yet to store
> 
> Just a couple of things that crossed my mind this morning in case I could not can. Due to no more jars, lids.


Look up Appalachian solar food dehydrator. I want to make one but have been so busy with other things. good for sunny days. 
but if you do not have sunny days I am thinking that if you could figure out a way to heat water and then run it thru a coil in a bigger box and maybe put the foods in the box with the coil and it would "dry them" or even maybe try smoking many things.. I love smoked tomatoes.. if you put them in layers like a dehydrator then maybe run the heat and smoke thru them.. like drying them in an oven but post SHTF.


----------



## Blondie

I've been reading this post over and over.... I'm dusting off my machine and want to start using it again but..... I have forgot so many things that I can do w/it. 

Would love it if you could share recipes (tomato sauce....etc) 

Thanks!!


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## Davarm

Blondie said:


> I've been reading this post over and over.... I'm dusting off my machine and want to start using it again but..... I have forgot so many things that I can do w/it.
> 
> Would love it if you could share recipes (tomato sauce....etc)
> 
> Thanks!!


Most of what I dehydrate is just regular raw fruit, vegetables, eggs, beans and rice and left overs and now thanks to a post earlier in this thread(I think in this thread),cooked pasta.

Yesterday I made a chicken and broccoli dish to serve over rice and their was alot left over(intentionally) so I mixed it with the rice and put it into the dehydrator and just took it out, bone dry, only a fraction of the space and it rehydrated great.

My dehydrator was some of the best money I have ever spent(wold be lost without it), next to my tiller that is.

While I was waiting for the chicken and rice to finish up, I canned 30 pounds of chicken leg quarters. I used to can it bone in but I saw that most people here cooked it first, I tried it that way and now I bake it first then de-boned it and can it. I thought I knew alot when I joined this site but found that that was just not the case.

Anyway could you elaborate a little on what kinds of recipes you are looking for? I'm sure that you will get more than you can handle in short order.


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## pawpaw

DAVARM...
EGGS? I'd love to know the best way to do this. I'm thinking about combining them with the hash browns as a package. On the other hand, that doen't sound right for storage, does it? Anyone...?


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## Davarm

pawpaw said:


> DAVARM...
> EGGS? I'd love to know the best way to do this. I'm thinking about combining them with the hash browns as a package. On the other hand, that doen't sound right for storage, does it? Anyone...?


I dehydrate "LOTS" of eggs, Buckets of eggs, and more eggs. I have posted several times about how I do it, if you don't run across it let me know and I will find it for you.

As far as combining them with hash browns, sounds pretty good, I have not done it but now the bug is in my ear and will give it a try. Are you thinking of mixing the potaoes with the eggs then putting them in the dehydrator, drying them separately or what?

I have tried drying grated fresh potatoes and it was not a pretty picture, wound up with a dehydrator full of potato starch. It was not a total loss, I ran the stuff through the grain mill and tried using it like corn starch and it worked pretty well. The only negative I can say about it was that it did not have a neutral taste, you could tell that something was different but just couldn't quite put my finger on it. I am going to keep a supply on hand to use if I ever run out of corn starch.

Post an explanation of what you are trying to do with the eggs and hash browns and we can both work on it and compare notes.

Just went and looked for the egg posts that I made, look on page 1 of this thread:

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/encouragement-stocking-up-8486/

I am pretty sure I posted in another location but if this does not answer your questions I will track it down.


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## mdprepper

Finally re-hydrated my rice for dinner last night. 1:1 ratio worked very well. Thank you!


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## Davarm

mdprepper said:


> Finally re-hydrated my rice for dinner last night. 1:1 ratio worked very well. Thank you!


Lot cheaper than Minute Rice in the box!
:2thumb::2thumb:


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## pawpaw

DAVARM<
I was simply referring to combining them together for storage, not for the dehydrating. I want to try to dry the frozen, bagged hashbrowns because I know they're blanched or something. I've had great luck with frozen veggies. I'll post this & then git on to your link about the 'aigs'.....


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## pawpaw

UPDATE: After reading about your home-canned omelettes, I'm hooked! I'll dehydrate the taters, and make the omelettes the way me & the Dragon Lady like them. While it's true they'll take up a lot more space, a little 'comfort food' in case things get bad would go a long way with her.
It's the same reason I've already baked brownie mix in canning jars in the oven for her, even mixing in a few M&Ms for real comfort level. When you take the jars out of the oven, simply apply the lids with oven mitts. We've had jars 'pinging' , or sealing for hours after baking, just like pressure canning. Opened one dated 04-10, and it was fresher than if we'd left it on the counter overnite.
Hmm.. the importance of comfort food in times of stress - new thread, anyone?


----------



## Davarm

pawpaw said:


> UPDATE: After reading about your home-canned omelettes, I'm hooked! I'll dehydrate the taters, and make the omelettes the way me & the Dragon Lady like them. While it's true they'll take up a lot more space, a little 'comfort food' in case things get bad would go a long way with her.
> It's the same reason I've already baked brownie mix in canning jars in the oven for her, even mixing in a few M&Ms for real comfort level. When you take the jars out of the oven, simply apply the lids with oven mitts. We've had jars 'pinging' , or sealing for hours after baking, just like pressure canning. Opened one dated 04-10, and it was fresher than if we'd left it on the counter overnite.
> Hmm.. the importance of comfort food in times of stress - new thread, anyone?


I really like the canned omelets and I too have baked brownies, banana bread, pound cake, and even yeast bread in wide mouth pint jars. They never last long enough on the shelf to be called stores or preps, but they are Good aren't they?


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## goshengirl

pawpaw said:


> Hmm.. the importance of comfort food in times of stress - new thread, anyone?


Okay, I'll bite.


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## pawpaw

Davarm said:


> I really like the canned omelets and I too have baked brownies, banana bread, pound cake, and even yeast bread in wide mouth pint jars. They never last long enough on the shelf to be called stores or preps, but they are Good aren't they?


Fabulous & fresh! And no! Not many survive her cravings. She stole about six last Christmas to give as gifts at work-NOW they're all begging her for more.
I mentioned this thread to her, and now she's determined to make chocolate chip cookie!. What have I done....


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## cybergranny

pawpaw said:


> UPDATE: After reading about your home-canned omelettes, I'm hooked! I'll dehydrate the taters, and make the omelettes the way me & the Dragon Lady like them. While it's true they'll take up a lot more space, a little 'comfort food' in case things get bad would go a long way with her.
> It's the same reason I've already baked brownie mix in canning jars in the oven for her, even mixing in a few M&Ms for real comfort level. When you take the jars out of the oven, simply apply the lids with oven mitts. We've had jars 'pinging' , or sealing for hours after baking, just like pressure canning. Opened one dated 04-10, and it was fresher than if we'd left it on the counter overnite.
> Hmm.. the importance of comfort food in times of stress - new thread, anyone?


How do you do this? This is awesome.


----------



## Listmaker

Found some great sales at the store today, so my dehydrator is running full time for a while. I have a questions for Davarm. I've got collards in there right now at 135 degrees. Do you chop the leaves or leave them whole? The leaves are so huge that I'd have to overlap them to fit many in there. I just cut the leaves into smaller pieces. Hope I'm doing this right. About how long should they take? I'm new at this and with the exception of one plum disaster, so far so good. One more question. I'm putting things in Foodsaver bags without O2 absorbers. Do I need the absorbers? All of the cookbooks I have say that my dehydrated food has to be stored in the fridge or freezer. Defeats the purpose does't it? Thanks for any advice.


----------



## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> Found some great sales at the store today, so my dehydrator is running full time for a while. I have a questions for Davarm. I've got collards in there right now at 135 degrees. Do you chop the leaves or leave them whole? The leaves are so huge that I'd have to overlap them to fit many in there. I just cut the leaves into smaller pieces. Hope I'm doing this right. About how long should they take? I'm new at this and with the exception of one plum disaster, so far so good. One more question. I'm putting things in Foodsaver bags without O2 absorbers. Do I need the absorbers? All of the cookbooks I have say that my dehydrated food has to be stored in the fridge or freezer. Defeats the purpose does't it? Thanks for any advice.


I use a pair of kitchen scissors and trim the center vein out, then roughly chop he leaves into manageable pieces. The reason I trim out the "vein" is so that greens will dry evenly. The vein will be "wet" long after the leaf has dried.

Although I do remove the vein, I dont waste them, I chop them into small pieces and dehydrate them separately. Down here in my part of Texas I haven't been able to get broccoli to produce very well and in soups the the chunks of the vein have a similar taste, so...waste not want not.

Food saver bags will work, they will crush down the dried leaves but thats just something you will have to deal with if you store them long term and dont put them in glass jars. I dont have a problem with the crush packed down leaves, they taste the same when rehydrated.

They should dry in a matter of a few hours depending on how you pack them in the dehydrator but with the veins removed from he leaves it should not be very long.

The literature that came with the dehydrators that I have bought say the same thing, however, they say to leave quite a bit of moisture in the foods which will cause it to spoil. I dry my foods to as close to 0% moisture as I can and this will allow you to store it unrefrigerated long term.


----------



## Listmaker

Thanks, Davarm! I was somewhat confused with the literature. All of the recommended drying times seemed too short. That's where the plum disaster came in. Your answer makes much more sense to me. I'm looking for long term storage, not just "putting food by" for consumption in the near future. So, o2 absorbers aren't necessary when the food is almost 100% dried? Good to know and much easier. BTW- Where I am in Texas, I can't get brocolli to mature either. By the time it starts up good, it has already gotten too hot.


----------



## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> Thanks, Davarm! I was somewhat confused with the literature. All of the recommended drying times seemed too short. That's where the plum disaster came in. Your answer makes much more sense to me. I'm looking for long term storage, not just "putting food by" for consumption in the near future. So, o2 absorbers aren't necessary when the food is almost 100% dried? Good to know and much easier. BTW- Where I am in Texas, I can't get brocolli to mature either. By the time it starts up good, it has already gotten too hot.


I guess I may have been a little unclear, If you use a food saver, you can get by without o2 absorbers(IMO) but you will probably find many here that will disagree with this, I respect their opinions and maybe they will put their 2 cents worth in. You can decide if you want us o2 absorbers if/when you get some input from those who recommend them over vacuum sealing.

I do it both ways, just depends on what and how much of an item I am storing and what I am storing it in.


----------



## boomer

Listmaker said:


> ...Where I am in Texas, I can't get brocolli to mature either. By the time it starts up good, it has already gotten too hot.


Sounds like growing kale here. I generally get a decent crop of I take the days to maturity and work backwards from the late fall date when the frosts shut down the garden for a start date. If I want to harvest through Oct I plant in late August.


----------



## Davarm

boomer said:


> Sounds like growing kale here. I generally get a decent crop of I take the days to maturity and work backwards from the late fall date when the frosts shut down the garden for a start date. If I want to harvest through Oct I plant in late August.


Kale is kinda hard to get started here but once its established it will do ok. It, like the collards. will take off when the cool fall weather hits.


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## Davarm

I just put 20 pounds of sweet potatoes in the dehydrator. I was at a local grocery store yesterday and they were $.59 per pound so I picked up 20 pounds.

I have a partial bucket and I wanted to fill it up, get it sealed and packed away.


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## Listmaker

*Buckets*

The collards are dried and in the Foodsaver bags. Amazing how little collards there are from ten huge bunches of fresh greens. And you're right, when they were sealing, they were being pulvarized into dust! I ordered the co2 absorbers so I can decide when I will use them and when I don't think they're necessary.

I'm having trouble locating good buckets with lids. I went to 2 Home Depots and they were both sold out of Homer buckets. I swear, normally when I go in there, those buckets are stacked at the end of every aisle. One manager told me that he doesn't know what people are doing with them, but he can't keep them in stock. Hmmm...:dunno:


----------



## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> The collards are dried and in the Foodsaver bags. Amazing how little collards there are from ten huge bunches of fresh greens. And you're right, when they were sealing, they were being pulvarized into dust! I ordered the co2 absorbers so I can decide when I will use them and when I don't think they're necessary.
> 
> I'm having trouble locating good buckets with lids. I went to 2 Home Depots and they were both sold out of Homer buckets. I swear, normally when I go in there, those buckets are stacked at the end of every aisle. One manager told me that he doesn't know what people are doing with them, but he can't keep them in stock. Hmmm...:dunno:


Funny you should mention the "Homer Buckets", last week I stopped in to pick up a few and where usually they were at the ends of the Isles, but...nothing! I asked where they were and was taken to the "Paint Isle" and there were 3 or 4 and no more in the entire store.

I stopped back in yesterday and same story, only 4 in the paint Isle, no more in the entire store.

Maybe we should start a thread "What Does Home Depot know" to go along with the "What Does Walmart Know" thread.

I am going to hit all the stores tomorrow and load up on 5 gallon buckets. I guess we are seeing the "hand writing on the wall", that is if we will just take it for what it is.

Listmaker, what area are you from, and have you checked at any more "Building Supply Stores" other than Home Depot?


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## Emerald

I still say hit up bakeries and offer to buy their buckets and lids for a buck a piece.. not all of them are 5 gallon but you can still get tons of crap in a 3 1/2 and 4 gallon bucket. And they are food grade.


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## Davarm

Emerald said:


> I still say hit up bakeries and offer to buy their buckets and lids for a buck a piece.. not all of them are 5 gallon but you can still get tons of crap in a 3 1/2 and 4 gallon bucket. And they are food grade.


Tomorrow Im going into town and start at one end of town, am going to stop at every place that sells food and start asking again about buckets. I randomly asked around about a year ago and no one would part with any of them.

I have a feeling that it is probably time to stock up on buckets along with food items to ensure that we will have the needed storage supplies when the time comes.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Funny you should mention the "Homer Buckets", last week I stopped in to pick up a few and where usually they were at the ends of the Isles, but...nothing! I asked where they were and was taken to the "Paint Isle" and there were 3 or 4 and no more in the entire store.
> 
> I stopped back in yesterday and same story, only 4 in the paint Isle, no more in the entire store.
> 
> Maybe we should start a thread "What Does Home Depot know" to go along with the "What Does Walmart Know" thread.
> 
> I am going to hit all the stores tomorrow and load up on 5 gallon buckets. I guess we are seeing the "hand writing on the wall", that is if we will just take it for what it is.
> 
> Listmaker, what area are you from, and have you checked at any more "Building Supply Stores" other than Home Depot?


I went to the bakery at our Walmart store and pay them $1 each for the buckets and lids, some are 2 gal, some 5 and some kinda oval shaped. The oval shaped doesn't have seal in the lid but the others all do. I take what they have, they are real nice about saving them for me. Actually I've stopped getting them for awhile cuz I was filling the shed with them!!


----------



## Listmaker

*Homer Buckets*



Davarm said:


> Funny you should mention the "Homer Buckets", last week I stopped in to pick up a few and where usually they were at the ends of the Isles, but...nothing! I asked where they were and was taken to the "Paint Isle" and there were 3 or 4 and no more in the entire store.
> 
> I stopped back in yesterday and same story, only 4 in the paint Isle, no more in the entire store.
> 
> Maybe we should start a thread "What Does Home Depot know" to go along with the "What Does Walmart Know" thread.
> 
> I am going to hit all the stores tomorrow and load up on 5 gallon buckets. I guess we are seeing the "hand writing on the wall", that is if we will just take it for what it is.
> 
> Listmaker, what area are you from, and have you checked at any more "Building Supply Stores" other than Home Depot?


I'm in the "Central" part of Texas. Two more Home Depots today had no buckets. Ace Hardware--no 5 gal buckets. I'm going to Tractor Supply tomorrow to see what they have.


----------



## neldarez

pawpaw said:


> UPDATE: After reading about your home-canned omelettes, I'm hooked! I'll dehydrate the taters, and make the omelettes the way me & the Dragon Lady like them. While it's true they'll take up a lot more space, a little 'comfort food' in case things get bad would go a long way with her.
> It's the same reason I've already baked brownie mix in canning jars in the oven for her, even mixing in a few M&Ms for real comfort level. When you take the jars out of the oven, simply apply the lids with oven mitts. We've had jars 'pinging' , or sealing for hours after baking, just like pressure canning. Opened one dated 04-10, and it was fresher than if we'd left it on the counter overnite.
> Hmm.. the importance of comfort food in times of stress - new thread, anyone?


I was so happy about you canning brownies! Is this from a store bought mix? Would you mind telling me what size jar, how long and what temp? I really want to try this...probably shouldn't add nuts right? ty so much


----------



## neldarez

I'm dehydrating lots of stuff but I have to tell you...I don't know how to rehydrate. I dried the chilli like was told on here, I had hamburger in it so they were hard like rocks, I made my chilli into soup trying to rehydrate. I've also never rehydrated the potato dices either. How do we go about rehydrating? Must it be hot water? 1-1 ratio? cover with a lid, what do you guys suggest. Also, dehydrated some turkey cubes, don't have a clue how to use this stuff except to always through it into a pot with beans, that is actually getting old but it's the only thing I know to do! But, a year ago I didn't even know how to dehydrate so I'm 1/2 the way there...:beercheer:


----------



## Emerald

neldarez said:


> I'm dehydrating lots of stuff but I have to tell you...I don't know how to rehydrate. I dried the chilli like was told on here, I had hamburger in it so they were hard like rocks, I made my chilli into soup trying to rehydrate. I've also never rehydrated the potato dices either. How do we go about rehydrating? Must it be hot water? 1-1 ratio? cover with a lid, what do you guys suggest. Also, dehydrated some turkey cubes, don't have a clue how to use this stuff except to always through it into a pot with beans, that is actually getting old but it's the only thing I know to do! But, a year ago I didn't even know how to dehydrate so I'm 1/2 the way there...:beercheer:


on potatoes here is what I do.. for the shredded hash browns I pour boiling water over them in a bowl and let them sit for about 20 or so minutes and then test one.. if it is soft enuf I drain well and fry up. if not I pour the water off and pour a bit more boiling on and let them sit a bit more.
The slices are a bit different.. I do pour boiling water over them like I do the hash browns and after about 20 check and drain but depending on how many I have gotten out I often mix up a soupier version of my cheese sauce and pour over and bake slowly.. I have to say that I used about 6 oz of dried potatoes per about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of cheese sauce(or cream sauce or cream of mushroom soup) and bake at $375 The slices do take more liquid in than the hash brown shreds.

If you read books like little house on the prairie and others that are quite factual even tho they are mostly fiction you do see that in the winters they tended to just "stew" everything. Low and slow and while probably not so "exciting" very filling and satisfying.
Most of the home dehydrated stuff is going to be more trial and error till you get the feel of it..
I try to explain to family how to know if your bread dough is kneaded enuf and unless you are in the middle of making it, it is really hard to do.


----------



## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> I'm in the "Central" part of Texas. Two more Home Depots today had no buckets. Ace Hardware--no 5 gal buckets. I'm going to Tractor Supply tomorrow to see what they have.


You might try at a "Lowes" their buckets except any that may be black or grey are food grade.


----------



## pawpaw

cybergranny said:


> How do you do this? This is awesome.


Hey there CyberGranny!
I just tried to PM you about explaining what I know about baking goodies in jars. I just don't know if you got it....


----------



## LilRedHen

neldarez said:


> I'm dehydrating lots of stuff but I have to tell you...I don't know how to rehydrate. I dried the chilli like was told on here, I had hamburger in it so they were hard like rocks, I made my chilli into soup trying to rehydrate. I've also never rehydrated the potato dices either. How do we go about rehydrating? Must it be hot water? 1-1 ratio? cover with a lid, what do you guys suggest. Also, dehydrated some turkey cubes, don't have a clue how to use this stuff except to always through it into a pot with beans, that is actually getting old but it's the only thing I know to do! But, a year ago I didn't even know how to dehydrate so I'm 1/2 the way there...:beercheer:


I'm having the same problems with rehydrating. I just gave up! I can't afford to spend the money, time and effort to get a product that I can't use, since I can't seem to coax it back to edible form.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I'm having the same problems with rehydrating. I just gave up! I can't afford to spend the money, time and effort to get a product that I can't use, since I can't seem to coax it back to edible form.





neldarez said:


> I'm dehydrating lots of stuff but I have to tell you...I don't know how to rehydrate. I dried the chilli like was told on here, I had hamburger in it so they were hard like rocks, I made my chilli into soup trying to rehydrate. I've also never rehydrated the potato dices either. How do we go about rehydrating? Must it be hot water? 1-1 ratio? cover with a lid, what do you guys suggest. Also, dehydrated some turkey cubes, don't have a clue how to use this stuff except to always through it into a pot with beans, that is actually getting old but it's the only thing I know to do! But, a year ago I didn't even know how to dehydrate so I'm 1/2 the way there...


I am sorry you guys are having the trouble, I have been tied up with a hundred other things and have not been paying as much attention as I should have.

LilRedHen, you are right, it is kinda useless and expensive to have a "product" sitting around that you cant eat. I probably have more time to dedicate to figuring these things out than most people so I have no problem doing it.

I will get my dehydrated chili out and come up with a measured procedure to rehydrate it. I will "assume" that the ingredients used in your and my recipes are similar enough that the instructions should be good.

neldarez, I have not dehydrated packaged potato products but when I rehydrate food items, I boil water in a tea kettle and pour it directly onto the food then cover it and let it sit.

With the turkey cubes, I assume that they were cooked, was it white or dark meat? You should be able to just add boiling water, enough to cover the pieces and let them sit until rehydrated. I have used the dehydrated white meat turkey mixed with "Turkey Gravy" from packages and eaten it over mashed potatoes. Its not bad. It also makes good Chili.

I am by no means the most educated on dehydrating but I generally have enough time that I can do some experimenting and I like to experiment with the dehydrator.. I generally log onto the forum at least once a day but dont always check all the threads. If you have a question that you need help with you can PM me to get my attention. If I dont know the answer I will have some fun and start experimenting.


----------



## Davarm

My oldest daughter surprised me with a 25 pound bag of carrots yesterday, its going to be carrots in the dehydrator tonight.

The temp outside has dropped to the high 30's - low 40's so having the dehydrator running in the house tonight will hopefully keep the furnace from kicking on.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I am sorry you guys are having the trouble, I have been tied up with a hundred other things and have not been paying as much attention as I should have.
> 
> LilRedHen, you are right, it is kinda useless and expensive to have a "product" sitting around that you cant eat. I probably have more time to dedicate to figuring these things out than most people so I have no problem doing it.
> 
> I will get my dehydrated chili out and come up with a measured procedure to rehydrate it. I will "assume" that the ingredients used in your and my recipes are similar enough that the instructions should be good.
> 
> neldarez, I have not dehydrated packaged potato products but when I rehydrate food items, I boil water in a tea kettle and pour it directly onto the food then cover it and let it sit.
> 
> With the turkey cubes, I assume that they were cooked, was it white or dark meat? You should be able to just add boiling water, enough to cover the pieces and let them sit until rehydrated. I have used the dehydrated white meat turkey mixed with "Turkey Gravy" from packages and eaten it over mashed potatoes. Its not bad. It also makes good Chili.
> 
> I am by no means the most educated on dehydrating but I generally have enough time that I can do some experimenting and I like to experiment with the dehydrator.. I generally log onto the forum at least once a day but dont always check all the threads. If you have a question that you need help with you can PM me to get my attention. If I dont know the answer I will have some fun and start experimenting.


thanks for your help once again! I have the time to try to figure stuff out, just don't know how to go about figuring stuff out! You seem to have the knack. I don't love cooking or trying new things so I follow orders quite well ( as far as cooking goes...lol ):ignore:


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> thanks for your help once again! I have the time to try to figure stuff out, just don't know how to go about figuring stuff out! You seem to have the knack. I don't love cooking or trying new things so I follow orders quite well ( as far as cooking goes...lol ):ignore:


Living in the same house with my grown daughters, I've become quite good at following orders myself........... :surrendersurrender:

With the dehydrating, when I started drying foods, I gahered every plastic bowl that I would generally use to hold food destined to be dehydrated, I weighed them and wrote the weights on the bottom with a sharpie.

I would then weigh the foods before they went into the dehydrator and when they came out, in the same bowls. It was then just a line of subtraction to find how much water evaporated out, and in turn, how much was needed to rehydrate the food.

If "Yawl" could do something like this it would help you and "LilRedHen" get an idea of how to rehydrate the foods. I am happy to sit down and do the experimentation, I do enjoy it.

I will post something about the chili tomorrow, getting kinda late to get back into the kitchen tonight(or to early in the morning).


----------



## mdprepper

Thanks to Emerald! I am making Crystalized Ginger. The instructions are here:

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f3/acid-indigestion-8415/index8.html Post #72


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## AlabamaGal

I'm firing up the dehydrator tonight for an experiment in cranberries. It says online they need a cut in the skin to dry properly, but I am thinking it would be simpler to boil them, drain them and *then* dehydrate them.


----------



## Davarm

AlabamaGal said:


> I'm firing up the dehydrator tonight for an experiment in cranberries. It says online they need a cut in the skin to dry properly, but I am thinking it would be simpler to boil them, drain them and *then* dehydrate them.


Where in the world did you get cranberries this time of the year?

We dehydrate a "BUNCH" of them in the Thanksgiving/Christmas time frame and yes you do have to "break the skin" some how or they will just cook instead of dehydrate.

This year we wound up with 3 - 5 gallon buckets of the dried cranberries and early on in this years process, decided that their had to be a better way than sitting down with a knife and slicing each berry. Tried just throwing them in the food processor and course chopping them and spreading them on the trays.

It worked just fine, they even dried faster than sliced. Just to test them out I put a cup in a pan and poured Strawberry nectar over them and boiled it until the berries were tender. The result was a cranberry sauce that I will make from now till the day I die. Great stuff.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen - neldarez

I got my "Bag of Chili" out, hadn't vacuum sealed it yet, and did some checking on the rehydration. First I will give some background on my chili, I go heavy on the beans, I usually make chili when we have beans left over. I also put finely ground Hominy in it, I am kinda partial to the corn like flavor it adds. 

That being said, my chili will probably require a little more water to rehydrate than yours will but I came up with a procedure that may work for you.

I put a cup of the chili mix in a bowl that has a lid, I then added 1 1/4 cup of boiling water and stirred it, put the lid on and put a towel over the covered bowel(to keep it hot).

After sitting about 10 minutes I opened the bowl and stirred it, it was still a little thick so I put another 1/2 cup of water in it and put it in the microwave for 1 minute and then tried it again. It is better to go with to little water than too much. Its easier to add little more H2O than than it is to remove some of the Chili.

It was pretty good at that point. It did not taste exactly like fresh(hardly any processed food does) but it was good enough that I would have no problem serving it to company.

After tasting it and finding it o be "OK" I did what I normally do with Chili, topped it with grated cheese and a few chopped onions, and had it for Supper, a few minutes ago.

If you have any further questions or concerns let me know, I have no problem, "Playing In The Kitchen", its kinda fun.


----------



## md1911

I traded for a used dehydrater today. Now I just need to clean it up and get started dehydrating. My first plan is what's left of the deer I shot this last hunting season. Wish me luck


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> LilRedHen - neldarez
> 
> I got my "Bag of Chili" out, hadn't vacuum sealed it yet, and did some checking on the rehydration. First I will give some background on my chili, I go heavy on the beans, I usually make chili when we have beans left over. I also put finely ground Hominy in it, I am kinda partial to the corn like flavor it adds.
> 
> That being said, my chili will probably require a little more water to rehydrate than yours will but I came up with a procedure that may work for you.
> 
> I put a cup of the chili mix in a bowl that has a lid, I then added 1 1/4 cup of boiling water and stirred it, put the lid on and put a towel over the covered bowel(to keep it hot).
> 
> After sitting about 10 minutes I opened the bowl and stirred it, it was still a little thick so I put another 1/2 cup of water in it and put it in the microwave for 1 minute and then tried it again. It is better to go with to little water than too much. Its easier to add little more H2O than than it is to remove some of the Chili.
> 
> It was pretty good at that point. It did not taste exactly like fresh(hardly any processed food does) but it was good enough that I would have no problem serving it to company.
> 
> After tasting it and finding it o be "OK" I did what I normally do with Chili, topped it with grated cheese and a few chopped onions, and had it for Supper, a few minutes ago.
> 
> If you have any further questions or concerns let me know, I have no problem, "Playing In The Kitchen", its kinda fun.


You know, I've never met you but you've become a part of my family. I talk about what you've done and are doing and say things like, well, I'll go see what Davarm has said about that or I'll go and check what he's sharing today. My hubby doesn't even get on the puter and he knows you!! All that to say, you're appreciated, thank you.:2thumb:


----------



## neldarez

Davarm, you know I'm going to ask this, when you said you put finely ground hominy in the chilli, you had taken regular canned hominy and dried it? I love hominy, never in a million years thought of doing anything with it except eat it out of the can...


----------



## Emerald

neldarez said:


> Davarm, you know I'm going to ask this, when you said you put finely ground hominy in the chilli, you had taken regular canned hominy and dried it? I love hominy, never in a million years thought of doing anything with it except eat it out of the can...


He may use hominy but I just use a bit of Masa harina.. either home made or from my tortilla mix(ma se ca and there is another brand around here too but I can't remember it) the fine tortilla flour(corn) at the last 1/2 hour of cooking make it so thick and rich and it just adds such a "right" flavor to my chili.. goes well with the chilis and the venison.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Davarm, you know I'm going to ask this, when you said you put finely ground hominy in the chilli, you had taken regular canned hominy and dried it? I love hominy, never in a million years thought of doing anything with it except eat it out of the can...


Yes, I was waiting for that. No, I dont take regular canned hominy and dry it, I make it from dried whole kernel corn.

Seriously, I do make it from whole dried corn using "Pickling Lime" from the canning section of the grocery store. I have posted instructions on this forum but I like the procedure that Kappydell posted, they are much better than mine.

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/how-make-hominy-field-corn-8557/

You can use the Hominy fresh and whole or grind it wet and make corn tortillas and tamales out of it or dry it for later use. I keep a dried supply on hand and if I want to make chile I can grind a few cups and add it.

You get a similar flavor as when you pour chile over Frito Corn Chips, it just isn't crunchy.

Bottom line, when you dehydrate chile with ground hominy in it does take more water to rehydrate it.


----------



## TechAdmin

Candied Ginger. 

It's a lot sharper than any store bought I've ever had. 

I sliced it thinner to so it's almost like a sugared ginger chip. 

I did the prep before I went to bed one night. Let it sit in the sugar for 16 hours. Dehydrated for about 12. Turned out great. Going home tonight and putting it in bags. 

This batch won't last long.


----------



## AlabamaGal

Davarm said:


> Where in the world did you get cranberries this time of the year?


The bottom of my freezer. It's almost time to order meat and I need to make room. I'm trying 2 pounds in the dehydrator and I'll can the rest as cranberry sauce.

I didn't get far with the dehydration last night but I've learned not to leave stuff running overnight or I get rocks. I'll throw them back in for a while tonight and hopefully they'll finish up.

I blanched them to split the skins but left them in too long and they started to break down by the time they were all split. In the future, I'll blanch like I do when canning -- in small batches.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> You know, I've never met you but you've become a part of my family. I talk about what you've done and are doing and say things like, well, I'll go see what Davarm has said about that or I'll go and check what he's sharing today. My hubby doesn't even get on the puter and he knows you!! All that to say, you're appreciated, thank you.:2thumb:


Im sorry I missed this one last night.

You do know that my hats no longer fit me? If my head gets any bigger you would be able to sell tickets and make a little money on the side.

When the older generations of my family started passing on, I realized that alot of knowledge and experience was being lost, I decided to try to preserve as much of it as I could. I kinda branched out into several other areas, with dehydrating was one of the first.

My Dear Grandmother recently passed on and when I would go to see her at the Nursing Home I would talk to many of the older "inmates" 90 to 100 + years old and get them to tell me of their earlier lives. Was a wealth of information to be learned from those people.

I believe that the "Modern" ways of doing things are no better than the old ways, just different. The older ways will also be here long after the Oil runs out and the Government Thugs patrol the streets.


----------



## Davarm

AlabamaGal said:


> The bottom of my freezer. It's almost time to order meat and I need to make room. I'm trying 2 pounds in the dehydrator and I'll can the rest as cranberry sauce.
> 
> I didn't get far with the dehydration last night but I've learned not to leave stuff running overnight or I get rocks. I'll throw them back in for a while tonight and hopefully they'll finish up.
> 
> I blanched them to split the skins but left them in too long and they started to break down by the time they were all split. In the future, I'll blanch like I do when canning -- in small batches.


Well, that makes sense. I knew people froze them but since my chest freezer "croaked" a couple years ago, I haven't had room in the fridge/freezer, that's why I started dehydrating them.

Put a few in a cup and pour some boiling water on them and you will get a nice cup of hot cranberry tea.


----------



## Davarm

Ever since someone stated that they dehydrate spaghetti sauce, I have been dehydrating leftover spaghetti that my youngest daughter makes with "Bow Tie' noodles. The ultimate test came tonight when I made a bowl of them for my grandsons dinner. 

He gobbled them up like it was fresh. looks like we have another "Staple" for the dehydrated menu. They still need some work, like adding more sauce but it is a hit.


----------



## md1911

I am new to using a dehydrator so I'm sure ill be asking a lot of questions. I just started 2 trays of strawberries. 2 trays of apples. And 1 tray of bannans. That's all the trays I have.


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## AlabamaGal

Remind me never to do cranberries again. I am starting to think they will *never* be done.

Shoulda stuck with canned cranberry sauce.


----------



## neldarez

I bought 2 #10 cans of hominy today and I have them in the dryer now...we'll see. I cooked a pint of beef that I had canned with dried mixed veggies and whole wheat noodles for dinner. Turned out pretty good, kinda blah, those wheat noodles stay really thick and chewy, unlike the white ones. I made choc. pudding from scratch also, I didn't like it very well but Chuckie said it was good. hmmmm
:dunno:


----------



## Emerald

neldarez said:


> I bought 2 #10 cans of hominy today and I have them in the dryer now...we'll see. I cooked a pint of beef that I had canned with dried mixed veggies and whole wheat noodles for dinner. Turned out pretty good, kinda blah, those wheat noodles stay really thick and chewy, unlike the white ones. I made choc. pudding from scratch also, I didn't like it very well but Chuckie said it was good. hmmmm
> :dunno:


Look in your big grocery store's Mexican food aisle.. they may have something called "posole" it is basically white corn that has been thru the nixtalmal process and is dried and usually used for a pork stew. But I have bought it and ground it up and it makes killer tamales and if you grind it super fine it makes great tortillas. 
it is basically dried hominy. Might be anohter good thing to have in the storage.


----------



## neldarez

Emerald said:


> He may use hominy but I just use a bit of Masa harina.. either home made or from my tortilla mix(ma se ca and there is another brand around here too but I can't remember it) the fine tortilla flour(corn) at the last 1/2 hour of cooking make it so thick and rich and it just adds such a "right" flavor to my chili.. goes well with the chilis and the venison.


I had never made chili before this month! always ate it out of a can. I will try adding some of the corn flour at the end, I'm going to end up being a great cook if I live long enough!! Thanks Emerald....


----------



## Davarm

Emerald said:


> He may use hominy but I just use a bit of Masa harina.. either home made or from my tortilla mix(ma se ca and there is another brand around here too but I can't remember it) the fine tortilla flour(corn) at the last 1/2 hour of cooking make it so thick and rich and it just adds such a "right" flavor to my chili.. goes well with the chilis and the venison.


To my knowledge most people that put corn in their chili do use the prepared Masa Harina and I do have it in my stores. Just about the only reason I dont use it anymore is that it makes the chili a little thicker than I like it, tastes great though. I guess I just never really learned how to make it work and took the easy way out and started using the ground hominy.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> LilRedHen - neldarez
> 
> If you have any further questions or concerns let me know, I have no problem, "Playing In The Kitchen", its kinda fun.


My first efforts were potatoes, since I have trouble storing them and we eat a lot of potatoes. Remember that my dehydrator is old with no thermostat or fan. The first batch was mostly black and I threw them away. The second batch I peeled, sliced, boiled till just starting to get soft, patted dry and put in the dehydrator. They came out OK, but the rehydrating didn't work. Obviously I don't know what I am doing and I need help.

I also tried some frozen mixed vegetables. The corn and peas seemed OK, but the green beans smelled awful. I was do disheartened over the potatoes that I just put the other veggies in a plastic peanut butter jar. After a few months, the tote that I had stored the jar in started to smell like the veggies.

I need help!


----------



## pawpaw

*Drying shrimp...*

I've got some shrimp drying now. When they're done, I plan on putting them in pint canning jars, then in the oven for 10 minutes at 350, mainly to heat the jar. When I take them out, I'll apply the lids, then wait for it to POP!, sealing it. I cooked them in shrimp boil and added more salt,as well. I hear they're eaten as is just for snacking, but I plan on using them in recipes just for variety. Does anyone have a clue how well they should hold up in the pantry?
I was just on another site prior to coming here, and read an agonizing post from some poor puke who tried to dehydrate his own fresh garlic. At last reading, he's taking down his drapes to wash them, shampooing carpets, & washing walls! Anybody else had this experience?


----------



## Emerald

Davarm said:


> To my knowledge most people that put corn in their chili do use the prepared Masa Harina and I do have it in my stores. Just about the only reason I dont use it anymore is that it makes the chili a little thicker than I like it, tastes great though. I guess I just never really learned how to make it work and took the easy way out and started using the ground hominy.


My rule of thumb is one heaping tablespoon of masa per quart of chili. Seems to work out great for me. but I like mine thick.. my stepdad used to like his chili like tomato broth with chili flavoring and a bit of hamburg and beans in the bottom.. yick. 
I do make my chili by the gallons tho... usually about two gallons at a time and we freeze or can leftovers.
But.. I am the dork who makes her own chili powder! Once I started doing that I just couldn't go back to store bought..


----------



## Emerald

pawpaw said:


> I've got some shrimp drying now. When they're done, I plan on putting them in pint canning jars, then in the oven for 10 minutes at 350, mainly to heat the jar. When I take them out, I'll apply the lids, then wait for it to POP!, sealing it. I cooked them in shrimp boil and added more salt,as well. I hear they're eaten as is just for snacking, but I plan on using them in recipes just for variety. Does anyone have a clue how well they should hold up in the pantry?
> I was just on another site prior to coming here, and read an agonizing post from some poor puke who tried to dehydrate his own fresh garlic. At last reading, he's taking down his drapes to wash them, shampooing carpets, & washing walls! Anybody else had this experience?


I found out the hard way about dehydrating strong "flavored" or smelling things in the house... Habeneros in the dehydrator clear the house for hours.. 
Now we do onions/hot peppers/garlic outside on the deck or in the camper(if not using it to go camping soon) for about 2 to 3 hours and then you can bring it back into the house. Once you get that good seal on the food it doesn't smell that much and you can finish it in the house.
Oh and a word to the wise.. grating horse radish has the same effect in the house..


----------



## Davarm

Emerald said:


> I am the dork who makes her own chili powder! Once I started doing that I just couldn't go back to store bought..


Welcome to the club..................


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I also tried some frozen mixed vegetables. The corn and peas seemed OK, but the green beans smelled awful. I was do disheartened over the potatoes that I just put the other veggies in a plastic peanut butter jar. After a few months, the tote that I had stored the jar in started to smell like the veggies.
> 
> I need help!


Lets start with the Mixed Vegetables, The green beans smelled? Was it a sour smell? If so, it probably was because they took too long to dry and started to sour. You said that your dehydrator had no fan so that may be the what happened, its not uncommon with a "passive" dryer when you dehydrate high moisture foods.

Their is a "work around" with the "Mixed Vegetables", before the vegetables are frozen, they are first blanched, then bagged, then they are put in the freezer, this causes quite a bit of excess water to be absorbed. What you can do is to "Press" the veggies to remove excess water.

I do this by sandwiching them between two kitchen towels then putting a cutting board on top then "I" then place a partially full bucket of wheat on top of the board to do the "Pressing". I vary the amount of wheat to adjust the weight but you can use just about anything.

Let the veggies press for a while, if they are not dry enough, let them press a little longer, just remember, too much weight will squash them flat.

This can/will dramatically reduce the drying time and will likely solve that Smell Problem.

With the veggie smell in the tote, sounds like the PB jar is permeable. You may need to use a glass jar.


----------



## Davarm

pawpaw said:


> I've got some shrimp drying now. When they're done, I plan on putting them in pint canning jars, then in the oven for 10 minutes at 350, mainly to heat the jar. When I take them out, I'll apply the lids, then wait for it to POP!, sealing it. I cooked them in shrimp boil and added more salt,as well. I hear they're eaten as is just for snacking, but I plan on using them in recipes just for variety. Does anyone have a clue how well they should hold up in the pantry?
> I was just on another site prior to coming here, and read an agonizing post from some poor puke who tried to dehydrate his own fresh garlic. At last reading, he's taking down his drapes to wash them, shampooing carpets, & washing walls! Anybody else had this experience?


Have never tried dehydrating garlic, will file that bit of info away for reference.

With the Shrimp, Dude, you are more of a man than I am...I tried to dehydrate some years ago and gagged. I have spent alot of time throughout my life, on the Texas Gulf fishing. At the bait shops that sell shrimp, the little critters always wind up jumpint out out of the tanks and onto the hot cement patios and "naturally dehydrate"....this is one of he things that give those bait shops their characteristic "smell". You can smell them all the way in town if the wind is from the right direction.

When I first smelled dehydrated shrimp, that was the only reference I had to describe it.....would take a lot of hunger to overcome those early life impressions of the stuff.

I didn't think that I would ever be able to eat dried fish for the same reasons.....but, I love it(at least the stuff I dry).


----------



## pawpaw

*DAVARM, why did you post that? (shrimp)*

I just walked in from work since my last post, & the house DOES smell- well, uh- Earthy... Soon the bride will be home, and upon entry, may well put the kaibash on the whole plan....
Our 37 pound cat doesn't even seem interested, and he usually hangs near the dehydrator squawling when it's jerky.
Well- live and learn! I wonder about drying chitlins ? Hhmm....


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Lets start with the Mixed Vegetables, The green beans smelled? Was it a sour smell? If so, it probably was because they took too long to dry and started to sour. You said that your dehydrator had no fan so that may be the what happened, its not uncommon with a "passive" dryer when you dehydrate high moisture foods.
> 
> Their is a "work around" with the "Mixed Vegetables", before the vegetables are frozen, they are first blanched, then bagged, then they are put in the freezer, this causes quite a bit of excess water to be absorbed. What you can do is to "Press" the veggies to remove excess water.
> 
> I do this by sandwiching them between two kitchen towels then putting a cutting board on top then "I" then place a partially full bucket of wheat on top of the board to do the "Pressing". I vary the amount of wheat to adjust the weight but you can use just about anything.
> 
> Let the veggies press for a while, if they are not dry enough, let them press a little longer, just remember, too much weight will squash them flat.
> 
> This can/will dramatically reduce the drying time and will likely solve that Smell Problem.
> 
> With the veggie smell in the tote, sounds like the PB jar is permeable. You may need to use a glass jar.


I'm going to throw the veggies in the PB jar out and try again. It may be a few days before I go to the store, so I'll let you know. Thanks a lot! You have inspired me to try again.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I'm going to throw the veggies in the PB jar out and try again. It may be a few days before I go to the store, so I'll let you know. Thanks a lot! You have inspired me to try again.


Just because some of the "aroma" the veggies in the PB jar seeped out, that doesnt mean that they are bad. If they just smell like "veggies" put them in glass and keep them. If they smell kinda "off", that may be a different story. Just make sure that they are completely dry when you package them, next time, and keep on "trucking".


----------



## md1911

Can any one tell me how to keep bannans from turning colors when their dehydrated. I mean they taste like their supposed to but their black and brown. Sure don't look good.


----------



## Davarm

md1911 said:


> Can any one tell me how to keep bannans from turning colors when their dehydrated. I mean they taste like their supposed to but their black and brown. Sure don't look good.


You can "try" drying them at a lower heat, I am still working on that one but I have done better with lower heats and making sure that the bananas used are not over ripe. If they are about the ripeness you would use for banana bread that will contribute to the darkness.

My bananas dont come out dark like you are referring anymore but I have not quite put my thumb on just what I am doing different now, the temperature is what I am leaning toward.


----------



## md1911

Davarm said:


> You can "try" drying them at a lower heat, I am still working on that one but I have done better with lower heats and making sure that the bananas used are not over ripe. If they are about the ripeness you would use for banana bread that will contribute to the darkness.
> 
> My bananas dont come out dark like you are referring anymore but I have not quite put my thumb on just what I am doing different now, the temperature is what I am leaning toward.


The dehydrater I have dosent have a temp setting. Its a heat strip and a fan. On or off is my only option. But thank you. Guess ill have to live with it or get a better machine.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Just make sure that they are completely dry when you package them, next time, and keep on "trucking".


Well, Davarm, I'm trying again. I have 1 lb crinkle cut carrots and 1 lb corn kernels in the dehydrator now. I didn't have room for my green peas. I decided to buy a bag of carrots, a bag of corn and a bag of peas for my latest attempt and leave off the green beans. I thawed the carrots and corn and pressed between towels before I put them on the trays. I'll let you know tomorrow how they turned out.


----------



## Emerald

md1911 said:


> Can any one tell me how to keep bananas from turning colors when their dehydrated. I mean they taste like their supposed to but their black and brown. Sure don't look good.


Dip them into lemon or lime juice or even orange juice and then dry on low.. they should not oxidize as much.

on the topic of dehydrating veggies.. don't buy mixed veggies bags to try.. do straight types on each tray that way if the corn is done quicker it can come out. and if the beans take longer they can stay in. When you get them dry put them either in a jar or bag and watch them for a few hours.. if there is still moisture in them it will condense on the inside of the bag or jar somewhere. then you know to dry them a bit longer. If no condensation happens then you can vac pack them or mylar them or put them into mason jars(I vac pack them with the attachment too).
I was so shocked the first time I did green beans.. two pound of fresh from the garden and blanched beans dried down to less than a pint jar full.


----------



## md1911

Emerald said:


> Dip them into lemon or lime juice or even orange juice and then dry on low.. they should not oxidize as much.
> 
> on the topic of dehydrating veggies.. don't buy mixed veggies bags to try.. do straight types on each tray that way if the corn is done quicker it can come out. and if the beans take longer they can stay in. When you get them dry put them either in a jar or bag and watch them for a few hours.. if there is still moisture in them it will condense on the inside of the bag or jar somewhere. then you know to dry them a bit longer. If no condensation happens then you can vac pack them or mylar them or put them into mason jars(I vac pack them with the attachment too).
> I was so shocked the first time I did green beans.. two pound of fresh from the garden and blanched beans dried down to less than a pint jar full.


Thank you ill try lemon juice


----------



## boomer

Doing mushrooms this weekend. 

They are way less expensive by the case lot and we have not managed to get far enough along to look at growing them ourselves. It takes three dehydrator loads to do a case. In the meantime we will be eating lots of fresh. We use approximately 3 cases of mushrooms per year.

I generally wash them in peroxide water, then ascorbic acid water and then slice and dehydrate. They rehydrate easily with hot water.

In the next while I am hoping to do large volumns of onions and potatoes for quick meals during the summer.


----------



## LilRedHen

Emerald said:


> on the topic of dehydrating veggies.. don't buy mixed veggies bags to try.. do straight types on each tray that way if the corn is done quicker it can come out. and if the beans take longer they can stay in.


Now someone tells me, after I figured it out the hard way:gaah: Should I take them out tonight before I go to bed and start again tomorrow so I can watch them closer? I don't want little brown blobs!


----------



## boomer

I would turn them off for the night.

If they are all mixed up, perhaps make vegetable soup for tomarrow.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Now someone tells me, after I figured it out the hard way:gaah: Should I take them out tonight before I go to bed and start again tomorrow so I can watch them closer? I don't want little brown blobs!


You should be able to keep an eye on each of the different types of veggies and remove them as they are completely dry.

Emerald, correct me if I am wrong, you were referring to bags of mixed veggies and not separate bags of different types of veggies.

You should be able to dry different types of produce in the same batch as long as you watch them and remove them as they dry. I have not ever used the type of dehydrator you have.


----------



## Emerald

Davarm said:


> You should be able to keep an eye on each of the different types of veggies and remove them as they are completely dry.
> 
> Emerald, correct me if I am wrong, you were referring to bags of mixed veggies and not separate bags of different types of veggies.
> 
> You should be able to dry different types of produce in the same batch as long as you watch them and remove them as they dry. I have not ever used the type of dehydrator you have.


Yup.. the mixed together bags.. that is too hard to get them all dried to the right stage mixed together like that.
I often dry many types of stuff together in the dehydrator but each thing has it's own tray.. I often check and rotate if needed.. I often also will flip things like my potato slices if they don't look like they are doing well I flip them over.

Some people say that they are having problems re hydrating things you can always try what we used to do when we hiked.. buy a few of the wide mouth squatter looking food thermoses and put the food in pour the boiling water over and close up tight.. we would do that in the morning with our lunch and cap it and keep hiking. at lunch most of what we had would be fully cooked and sometimes still warm or just needed a bit more heat to fully cook it. lunch time we would select our dinner and start it over so that it would be ready when we stopped for the night. It worked well with rice but not noodles. Now the big meal mixes would do well with that set up.
I just used some of the potato shreds we did last fall for breakfast today.. even tho I have potatoes right now.. I was feeling lazy and it is so easy to just soak/drain/fry them...


----------



## Listmaker

I guess its back to the drawing board with jerky. I did some in the dehydrator two weeks ago and today I got some out to eat and there was white mold on all of it. I had it vaccum sealed and then in an airtight container in a dark pantry. I thought I had it extremely dry, and blotted off any grease that was still on there after drying. Any ideas what went wrong or suggestions for next time? My family loves jerky and I want to get it right without wasting a lot of money on the meat.

Thanks--


----------



## Emerald

md1911 said:


> Thank you ill try lemon juice


I forgot about pineapple juice.. that keeps them from turning dark also and adds a nice tropical flavor..


----------



## md1911

I'm not a expert at dehydrating. But I've been making jerkey in the oven for a long time. Sounds to me like maybe you had your heat to hi and the surface of the meat dried. The middle was probably still not dry. I have had that problem. To remedy it I try to keep my meet thickness under 1/4 inch to start with. And I set my oven to 100 deg. It takes longer to dry the jerkey but no mold.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> You should be able to keep an eye on each of the different types of veggies and remove them as they are completely dry.
> 
> Emerald, correct me if I am wrong, you were referring to bags of mixed veggies and not separate bags of different types of veggies.
> 
> You should be able to dry different types of produce in the same batch as long as you watch them and remove them as they dry. I have not ever used the type of dehydrator you have.


Well, I tried to watch but I failed:surrender: Half of each tray of the corn got brown even though I was turning, rotating trays, checking for dryness, etc. and I don't think it would taste too good. I've finally convinced myself that I need to trash the piece of junk and save up to buy a better one with a thermostat and a fan.

Thanks for all the support. When I get a new dehydrator, I will try again.


----------



## Emerald

Listmaker said:


> I guess its back to the drawing board with jerky. I did some in the dehydrator two weeks ago and today I got some out to eat and there was white mold on all of it. I had it vaccum sealed and then in an airtight container in a dark pantry. I thought I had it extremely dry, and blotted off any grease that was still on there after drying. Any ideas what went wrong or suggestions for next time? My family loves jerky and I want to get it right without wasting a lot of money on the meat.
> 
> Thanks--


For longer storage and to keep it from getting yicky you may need a bit more salt in your recipe and you need to dry it till it is break your tooth hard.. if you are making it like the store bought stuff, soft and easy to eat, then that is a recipe for a disaster. Store bought jerky lasts so long and is soft to eat due to the loads of chemicals and preservatives that they are loaded with.
The less dry it is the softer it is to eat but less storage safe.. I'll make some like that every so often but only if we are eating up in a day or so and I store it in the freezer.
You can make a softer easier to chew jerky that is safer by adding sugar of some type to your brine.. the sugar is very good at keeping the meat softer and the mix of sugar and salt are quite good at keeping stuff preserved.
But I do dry my jerky to hard hard hard dry.. the jar/bag test for moisture works really well on jerky.. if you put it in a bag or jar for a few hours or even overnight if there is any moisture in there it will condense on the jar/bag. if there any moisture then back in the dehydrator it goes.


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## neldarez

Once before on here I had said that drying potatoes, slicing, blanching was too much work. Since then I've changed my mind, lol. We have a store near by that has 10 lb. on sale for $1.99. We have a limit of 3, so I bought 3 and then my dh went and bought 3. I've figured out how to do this with the minimum of labor, I wash good each potato and slice with skin on, put into boiling water until foams and then pull out with hand sieve and put into cold water. Not peeling the potatoes took a lot of the work out of it. I can put 10 lbs per dehydrator...I have 20 lbs going right now. Cooked some for the 1st time the other night with the scalloped potato recipe on the forum, delish!! Complete change of opinion, they are worth the trouble. :2thumb:


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## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Well, I tried to watch but I failed:surrender: Half of each tray of the corn got brown even though I was turning, rotating trays, checking for dryness, etc. and I don't think it would taste too good. I've finally convinced myself that I need to trash the piece of junk and save up to buy a better one with a thermostat and a fan.
> 
> Thanks for all the support. When I get a new dehydrator, I will try again.


It sounds like the corn got too hot, corn has sugar in it and it will start to caramelize when the heat is too high, Dont get rid of your "piece of junk" if you ever loose power for an extended time it may be easier to make work than a powered model. I have no idea what kind it is but if it can work, it is not junk.

Before you ditch the corn, cook some and give it a taste. A lot of times if something discolors in the dehydrator, it may look off but well could taste just fine. If I question something I dry, thats what I do and sometimes I decide the looks are not that important. You could always save it for that uninvited dinner guest that always gets on your nerves.

My $300.00 dehydrator is back at the manufacturer right now, it had a "meltdown" so my piece of junk is being repaired/replaced. Fortunately it still has a lot of time left on the warranty.


----------



## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> I guess its back to the drawing board with jerky. I did some in the dehydrator two weeks ago and today I got some out to eat and there was white mold on all of it. I had it vaccum sealed and then in an airtight container in a dark pantry. I thought I had it extremely dry, and blotted off any grease that was still on there after drying. Any ideas what went wrong or suggestions for next time? My family loves jerky and I want to get it right without wasting a lot of money on the meat.
> 
> Thanks--


I am sorry to hear about the problem, especially with the price of beef lately. Did it smell spoiled? I would tend to agree with md1911, the outside may have been dried with the inside still moist, the one piece of advice I can give about dehydrating anything is "Hotter is not always better". It may seem like it will dry the food faster but what I have experienced is that the outside will "crust" and then it will take forever to finish drying, "IF" it finishes drying.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Once before on here I had said that drying potatoes, slicing, blanching was too much work. Since then I've changed my mind, lol. We have a store near by that has 10 lb. on sale for $1.99. We have a limit of 3, so I bought 3 and then my dh went and bought 3. I've figured out how to do this with the minimum of labor, I wash good each potato and slice with skin on, put into boiling water until foams and then pull out with hand sieve and put into cold water. Not peeling the potatoes took a lot of the work out of it. I can put 10 lbs per dehydrator...I have 20 lbs going right now. Cooked some for the 1st time the other night with the scalloped potato recipe on the forum, delish!! Complete change of opinion, they are worth the trouble. :2thumb:


Wow, if my math is right, thats 60 pounds of potatoes is it not? :congrat::congrat:

I am really glad you fixed a dish that you liked, if we are talking about the same recipe, thats similar to one of the ways I fix them. Good food, It gives you a good feeling and a boost in confidence to fix a meal from the preps that you really like.


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## Salekdarling

Ugh, my hands still hurt from peeling potatoes. 

20 lbs of potatoes, 5 lbs. of onions drying right now.

Next thing I need to get: One of those apple peelers and a mandolin slicer. It would make things soooo much easier.

Or have a couple of kids to do the peeling for me.


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## Emerald

Salekdarling said:


> Ugh, my hands still hurt from peeling potatoes.
> 
> 20 lbs of potatoes, 5 lbs. of onions drying right now.
> 
> Next thing I need to get: One of those apple peelers and a mandolin slicer. It would make things soooo much easier.
> 
> Or have a couple of kids to do the peeling for me.


At the moment mine only holds 5lbs at a time(I lent some trays and an extra base to someone and will probably not get them back) so I have a system.. 5lbs is not as bad as 20!


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## JoKing

From "Insect Harvesting" post. Lol


derek78 said:


> I have also seen dehydrated crickets and mealworms in the pet stores


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## Country Living

All of you have inspired me to get back to dehydrating. I have a question on rehydrating freeze-dried veggies. Let's start with corn. I rehydrated a small bit of corn in boiling water for about 20 - 25 minutes minutes. It tasted like cardboard. Next I rehydrated it in salted water. It tasted like salty cardboard. Then I tried a bit of sugar. Not bad; but, not "corn fresh" good. I want to figure this out before I started adding it to other foods. 

The next item on my list is freeze-dried green peas. Cardboard-y tasting also.


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## Emerald

Country Living said:


> All of you have inspired me to get back to dehydrating. I have a question on rehydrating freeze-dried veggies. Let's start with corn. I rehydrated a small bit of corn in boiling water for about 20 - 25 minutes minutes. It tasted like cardboard. Next I rehydrated it in salted water. It tasted like salty cardboard. Then I tried a bit of sugar. Not bad; but, not "corn fresh" good. I want to figure this out before I started adding it to other foods.
> 
> The next item on my list is freeze-dried green peas. Cardboard-y tasting also.


Lets see if I can type this all out so that it makes sense for ya.
All veggies and fruits have enzymes that can ruin the flavors of foods if not eaten up fresh in a couple days... for drying things(or freezing ) you have to treat the foods to stop the enzymes from doing their job(which is to ripen the foods and then break stuff down and return it to soil) most things need to blanched or even all the way cooked to retain that good flavor and stop the enzymes.
But with all foods. you have to start with good stuff in to get good stuff out. if you put store bought cheap frozen corn and put it in the dehydrator that is what will come out. Also how things are stored will affect how it tastes. I put my dehydrated stuff mainly in glass mason jars. 
There is something that I've read about but not tried yet where they roast fresh corn in the oven just till it starts to caramelize and then they dry them further in the dehydrator.

For fruits.. most of them have sugar which makes the enzymes behave differently that is why most fruits do not need to be cooked before drying.. the sugar in the fruit will condense with the drying and the enzymes either go dormant or deactivate under all the sugar. Some veggies have a lot of natural sugars like onions and peppers(hot and sweet) so they do not have to be blanched... Tomatoes have tons of acid along with the sugars and they also do not have to be blanched.

There are many books on the "whys and why nots" in dehydrating if you need to know the technical terms..
the enzymes are the reason for nasty tasting rehydrated foods sometimes. I know that green beans and asparagus can be nasty if you freeze them without blanching. and cardboard is the first thing that comes to mind.


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## Country Living

Emerald, thanks for the reply. The corn is freeze-dried from Honeyville so it's not anything I did myself. I just want to get rid of the cardboard taste after it's rehydrated. Plain water and salt water didn't help. Light sugar water has been the best rehydration - not great, just better than the other two solutions I tried. So there must be something taken out in the freeze-dried process that the sugar puts back in. There's still a slight cardboard taste.

I used Kosher salt... I wonder if sea salt or table salt would make a difference. Any thoughts?


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## LilRedHen

Country Living said:


> Emerald, thanks for the reply. The corn is freeze-dried from Honeyville so it's not anything I did myself. I just want to get rid of the cardboard taste after it's rehydrated. Plain water and salt water didn't help. Light sugar water has been the best rehydration - not great, just better than the other two solutions I tried. So there must be something taken out in the freeze-dried process that the sugar puts back in. There's still a slight cardboard taste.
> 
> I used Kosher salt... I wonder if sea salt or table salt would make a difference. Any thoughts?


I haven't had any freeze dried, but I have some cream style corn in my freezer that I put up slightly too late. Even though I cooked it before freezing, I cook again with milk, a teaspoon or so of sugar and some butter. The milk helps bring back a better taste.


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## Davarm

Country Living said:


> All of you have inspired me to get back to dehydrating. I have a question on rehydrating freeze-dried veggies. Let's start with corn. I rehydrated a small bit of corn in boiling water for about 20 - 25 minutes minutes. It tasted like cardboard. Next I rehydrated it in salted water. It tasted like salty cardboard. Then I tried a bit of sugar. Not bad; but, not "corn fresh" good. I want to figure this out before I started adding it to other foods.
> 
> The next item on my list is freeze-dried green peas. Cardboard-y tasting also.


Something that you can try, I dont know how it will work with commercially dehydrated foods though.

When I "cook" some foods that "I" dehydrate myself, I put them in an insulated bowl and sometimes add a spoon of sugar, depending on what foods they are, and just pour boiling water over them, put a lid on the bowl then lay a towel over the bowl and let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

This works pretty well for shredded carrots, greens and canned dehydrated corn. Last year I started dehydrating fresh sweet corn but I dont remember exactly how it came out but I think it was OK since I continued to dehydrate it when it would get down to around $.10 to $.15 an ear in the height of the growing season.


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## Emerald

Usually freeze dried tastes much better than dehydrated foods.. not sure what could have happened..:dunno: it may just be the brand and I would put them in soup or even in chili to use them then they should just suck up the good flavors.


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## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I haven't had any freeze dried, but I have some cream style corn in my freezer that I put up slightly too late. Even though I cooked it before freezing, I cook again with milk, a teaspoon or so of sugar and some butter. The milk helps bring back a better taste.


Would you and/or anyone else mind posting your recipe for the "Cream Corn", I love the stuff but have never learned how to make it myself.

In an old issue of "Mother Earth News" I read that someone would make the stuff and somehow put it in a brown paper bag, sit it on the back of their wood stove and dehydrate or somehow preserve it that way and it would keep all winter long without going bad.

Does anyone know anything about this process?


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## Davarm

Emerald said:


> Lets see if I can type this all out so that it makes sense for ya.
> All veggies and fruits have enzymes that can ruin the flavors of foods if not eaten up fresh in a couple days... for drying things(or freezing ) you have to treat the foods to stop the enzymes from doing their job(which is to ripen the foods and then break stuff down and return it to soil) most things need to blanched or even all the way cooked to retain that good flavor and stop the enzymes.
> But with all foods. you have to start with good stuff in to get good stuff out. if you put store bought cheap frozen corn and put it in the dehydrator that is what will come out. Also how things are stored will affect how it tastes. I put my dehydrated stuff mainly in glass mason jars.
> There is something that I've read about but not tried yet where they roast fresh corn in the oven just till it starts to caramelize and then they dry them further in the dehydrator.
> 
> For fruits.. most of them have sugar which makes the enzymes behave differently that is why most fruits do not need to be cooked before drying.. the sugar in the fruit will condense with the drying and the enzymes either go dormant or deactivate under all the sugar. Some veggies have a lot of natural sugars like onions and peppers(hot and sweet) so they do not have to be blanched... Tomatoes have tons of acid along with the sugars and they also do not have to be blanched.
> 
> There are many books on the "whys and why nots" in dehydrating if you need to know the technical terms..
> the enzymes are the reason for nasty tasting rehydrated foods sometimes. I know that green beans and asparagus can be nasty if you freeze them without blanching. and cardboard is the first thing that comes to mind.


Where were you when I had to learn those things the hard way(well, at that time I had never heard the term Prepper and knew nothing of this site)? :dunno:I went through a lot of frustration and got discouraged quite a few times before I figured some of those things out.


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## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Would you and/or anyone else mind posting your recipe for the "Cream Corn", I love the stuff but have never learned how to make it myself.
> 
> In an old issue of "Mother Earth News" I read that someone would make the stuff and somehow put it in a brown paper bag, sit it on the back of their wood stove and dehydrate or somehow preserve it that way and it would keep all winter long without going bad.
> 
> Does anyone know anything about this process?


Got a sharp knife? All it takes is a very sharo knife and a steady hand. Instead of one slice down the cob for whole kernel corn, you make as many passes as possible, slicing the top of the kernels. I turn the ear and slice making the first pass, then start around again, making the second pass. My mother could do this three times (I can usually only get 2), then instead of cutting down, scrape the cob with the knife in an upward motion and whatever is caught on the knife, fling it down in the pan with the sliced kernels. I usually put an old sheet cake pan in the sink because the scraping makes corn juice fly everywhere and the sink kind of contains it. The I put the juicy corn in a deep skillet with butter or margarine and a little water. Heat till the corn begins to bubble, stirring frequently so that it won't scorch and cook it for a while. You may have to reduce the temperature. When it begins to smell good and is getting thick, add a couple of teaspoons of sugar. If I am doing this to freeze only, I usually don't salt, but if you are going to eat this skillet immediately, use about the same amount of salt. It seems to keep a little better in the freezer if you don't use salt. If you accidentally get too much water and it looks like it won't cook out, you can thicken it with a little flour. It won't take too much flour, maybe a tablespoon, to thicken a whole skillet. I cool the corn for a while, then put in freezer bags and set the bags in 8 x 11 cake pans with the seals open in the freezer until frozen, then take them out of the pans, seal the bags and stack in the freezer. I have never tried canning cream style corn. My mother said she tried it and it didn't do well and it was too much work to experiment, but I'm sure it can be canned, since you can buy it in the store.


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## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Got a sharp knife? All it takes is a very sharo knife and a steady hand. Instead of one slice down the cob for whole kernel corn, you make as many passes as possible, slicing the top of the kernels. I turn the ear and slice making the first pass, then start around again, making the second pass. My mother could do this three times (I can usually only get 2), then instead of cutting down, scrape the cob with the knife in an upward motion and whatever is caught on the knife, fling it down in the pan with the sliced kernels. I usually put an old sheet cake pan in the sink because the scraping makes corn juice fly everywhere and the sink kind of contains it. The I put the juicy corn in a deep skillet with butter or margarine and a little water. Heat till the corn begins to bubble, stirring frequently so that it won't scorch and cook it for a while. You may have to reduce the temperature. When it begins to smell good and is getting thick, add a couple of teaspoons of sugar. If I am doing this to freeze only, I usually don't salt, but if you are going to eat this skillet immediately, use about the same amount of salt. It seems to keep a little better in the freezer if you don't use salt. If you accidentally get too much water and it looks like it won't cook out, you can thicken it with a little flour. It won't take too much flour, maybe a tablespoon, to thicken a whole skillet. I cool the corn for a while, then put in freezer bags and set the bags in 8 x 11 cake pans with the seals open in the freezer until frozen, then take them out of the pans, seal the bags and stack in the freezer. I have never tried canning cream style corn. My mother said she tried it and it didn't do well and it was too much work to experiment, but I'm sure it can be canned, since you can buy it in the store.


Thank you "Ms. LilRedHen", I will try this out when the corn hits the stores and markes. I dont usually grow corn in my garden, it doesn't usually do well around here.

This year I opened the wallet and sprang for some "Blue Hopi Seed Corn" and am going to give that a try, am going out to plant it today after I log off here. I plan to use it for meal if it produces but it may be interesting to try it "Creamed" also.


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## Emerald

Davarm said:


> Where were you when I had to learn those things the hard way(well, at that time I had never heard the term Prepper and knew nothing of this site)? :dunno:I went through a lot of frustration and got discouraged quite a few times before I figured some of those things out.


Sorry sweetie! I was over at IDig and we were all trying to figure out what the heck to do with all of our surplus garden bounty.. Years ago I thought you could just pop it all into the freezer.. that was some nasty stuff. most of the stuff that needed special treatment for freezing needed the same for dehydrating.. but I am a researcher by heart I guess and when I started have problems with foods and allergies and started searching.. you end up learning a lot of things about foods and high processed stuff.. almost makes ya want to stop eating unless you grow it or butcher it. I can't believe the big hullabaloo over pink slime.. I've known about it for many years.. they bleach baby cut carrots too.. buy whole and organic if you can.


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## sewserious

Just did 3 pints of strawberries that I got on sale at the grocery store. Love to eat them for a snack or add a few to a bowl of oatmeal. No need to rehydrate, just cook the oatmeal a tiny bit thinner than usual. Getting ready to do carrots and potatoes next (BTW, I slice/dice those and then cook until almost done before dehydrating. I have tried every other way I have read about, and this is what works best for me. They rehydrate so much better).


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## goshengirl

sewserious said:


> (BTW, I slice/dice those and then cook until almost done before dehydrating. I have tried every other way I have read about, and this is what works best for me. They rehydrate so much better).


Good to know! 
I haven't done carrots yet, but I've got a lot planned for the garden, and hopefully will be dehydrating lots this summer.


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## Davarm

Emerald said:


> Sorry sweetie! I was over at IDig and we were all trying to figure out what the heck to do with all of our surplus garden bounty.. Years ago I thought you could just pop it all into the freezer.. that was some nasty stuff. most of the stuff that needed special treatment for freezing needed the same for dehydrating.. but I am a researcher by heart I guess and when I started have problems with foods and allergies and started searching.. you end up learning a lot of things about foods and high processed stuff.. almost makes ya want to stop eating unless you grow it or butcher it. I can't believe the big hullabaloo over pink slime.. I've known about it for many years.. they bleach baby cut carrots too.. buy whole and organic if you can.


I just saw your reply, had a computer crash and had to get a new hard drive and rebuild the system, had all but the last day or two of data on jump drive so was just basically the nuisance of a rebuild, downloading updates....

I've been around all the canning, butchering, growing, some dehydrating..... all my life but In the 10 years I have been doing it myself. I thought I knew it all but boy, their was still a learning curve.

I'm learning that the FDA is not your friend, I've have also been doing alot of research on food, diet, health and the such. That alphabet agency is trying to kill us all, it seems.

If I had done the research as a young man, I would have avoided alot of health issues. I am slowly getting back to a healthy state, once stopped listening to those who are paid to know it all.

Oh well, live(if they let you) and learn.


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## Davarm

I just got my dehydrator back from being repaired, I had to finish the repair myself...there goes the rest of my warenty. I will post a product review if I can find the place it would go in.

Anyway, I dug all my winter onions and got about 80 pounds today and the first load is in the dehydrator now. They should be finished in a few hours and will put the next load in.

My total harvest has wound up being about 140 pounds, when these are finished they will all be in buckets and in the pantry. 

If I get to it this weekend, I am going to finish the Collards and compost the stalks which grew to about chest high over the winter. I am going to transplant "Yellow Hungarian Wax Peppers" in their place. They make good pimento's after you roast them in the oven for a while. I have never dehydrated them, have always canned them but will give it a try this year.


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## Davarm

Emerald,
I forgot to ask, what is "IDig"?


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## Emerald

Davarm said:


> Emerald,
> I forgot to ask, what is "IDig"?


Idigmygarden forums it is run by Baker Creek heirloom seeds.. I spent a lot of time there for almost 4 years and they got a new mod and it just is not worth wasting my time there any longer. I do stop by and check on them about once a week but don't post that much. plus I've been watching my grand kids almost full time while my daughter gets used to her new job and I am just plain tuckered out!
I must say tho that if you have a garden question you can do a search on their forums and find the answers..


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## Davarm

Emerald said:


> Idigmygarden forums it is run by Baker Creek heirloom seeds.. I spent a lot of time there for almost 4 years and they got a new mod and it just is not worth wasting my time there any longer. I do stop by and check on them about once a week but don't post that much. plus I've been watching my grand kids almost full time while my daughter gets used to her new job and I am just plain tuckered out!
> I must say tho that if you have a garden question you can do a search on their forums and find the answers..


Thanks, I will check it out.

Grandkid(S?) full time, my 1 and only, 3 year old grandson is more than I could handle full time, that boy doesn't have an off switch.


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## Davarm

The last couple of days I was dehydrating all my onions that came up from last year, I needed the space to plant another row of tomatoes so up they came. 

I never realized just how much water was in onions. I had a large garden cart full(about 50-60 pounds and dehydrated they all fit into a 3 gallon bucket with about a ziplock bag left over.

Now, and for the rest of today and tonight I am finishing up my Collard Greens. I pulled them all up and cut the greens off the stalks so I could plant peppers in their place. I guesstimate I will have about a 5 gallon bucket of dehydrated greens when I finish.


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## Emerald

Davarm said:


> Thanks, I will check it out.
> 
> Grandkid(S?) full time, my 1 and only, 3 year old grandson is more than I could handle full time, that boy doesn't have an off switch.


My 3 year old grand daughter never stops till she passes out from sheer exhaustion. The 7 month old grandson crawls now and also never stops till he drops... I only get them from 6am to noon but holy moly does it wipe me out..


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## *Andi

Today ... plantain ...

I'll need it for my salve ...


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## cybergranny

*Andi said:


> Today ... plantain ...
> 
> I'll need it for my salve ...


Just started learning about plaintain. What do you use the slave for and how do you make it?


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## *Andi

cybergranny said:


> Just started learning about plaintain. What do you use the slave for and how do you make it?


It's a pretty easy recipe ...

4 oz. dried plaintain leaf
3 oz. beeswax
16 oz olive oil
3 drops grapefruit seed oil
3 drops vit. E

1) Infuse oil & herb (more than a few ways to do this)
2) place infused oil in pan add beeswax & melt. (low heat & stir gently)
3) At this point add gfs oil and vit. E ~ stir
4) Pour into tins or jars ( I like 1/2 pint, wide mouth masons.)
5) let cool & add lids.

used for skin irritations, rashes bites, stings and cuts.


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## Davarm

Well, for me tonight, its 9 dozen eggs. I wanted to put my "repaired" dehydrator to a true test. 

If the temperature will hold steady enough to dehydrate the eggs without "cooking" them and stay just hot enough to dry all 25 trays fast, I guess it will get a clean bill of health.

It did the collards yesteday ok, just wanted to be sure though.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Well, for me tonight, its 9 dozen eggs. I wanted to put my "repaired" dehydrator to a true test.
> 
> If the temperature will hold steady enough to dehydrate the eggs without "cooking" them and stay just hot enough to dry all 25 trays fast, I guess it will get a clean bill of health.
> 
> It did the collards yesteday ok, just wanted to be sure though.


hey Davarm.....so glad you guys are all safe. Its easy to get connected to folks on here and then to fret about them when the weather turns bad!! You've posted before how to do the eggs haven't you? Where do I find posts like that, specific posts? I really want to dry some eggs, don't know how to use them yet, but I'll sure find that out too! I did help the young woman can chicken today, she wants to know everything I know and she wanted to know it this afternoon.........I'm exhausted. Taking a pain pill ( for hand) and going to bed.....energy is wasted on the youth!


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## Davarm

neldarez said:


> hey Davarm.....so glad you guys are all safe. Its easy to get connected to folks on here and then to fret about them when the weather turns bad!! You've posted before how to do the eggs haven't you? Where do I find posts like that, specific posts? I really want to dry some eggs, don't know how to use them yet, but I'll sure find that out too! I did help the young woman can chicken today, she wants to know everything I know and she wanted to know it this afternoon.........I'm exhausted. Taking a pain pill ( for hand) and going to bed.....energy is wasted on the youth!


All that bad weather started just west of here, their were tornadoes, high winds, hail and lots of rain but we have enough open country here that no one was hurt and it didn't get much media coverage until it all got closer to Ft. Worth and Dallas.

I, and others(I think) have made posts about dehydrating eggs. A lot of people are scared to take a chance on food poisoning but I have found that if you take a few precautions and follow a few rules, it can be done safely. No one in this house has been made sick from the ones I have done.

The main "rules of thumb" that I use are

1. Wash the eggs before you crack them. This will ensure that no germs are passed on from the shell.

2. Use the highest temperature that will not cook the eggs, about 115 to 125 degrees at the highest.

3. Work with small batches that will dehydrate quickly. I try to not have them in the dehydrator any longer than 4 hours, 2 hours preferably.

As for how to to use them, different sized eggs take different amounts of water to reconstitute. I made some posts in the past about how much water to use with how much egg but I "think" I made a post to say that should be an approximate measure when I realized the difference that the size of eggs made.

To reconstitute them, start with about 3 or 4 to 1 water to egg ratio, let stand for about 10 minutes. If the mixture looks thicker than the same amount of fresh beaten eggs, add water until it looks about the same. Then just use them like you would fresh.

Yea, my grandfather always said "It's a pity that youth is wasted on the young". He always said it in jest, but I suspect that he was serious at times.

It's neat to find someone that is eager to learn and that just pumps you for as much information as they can get. When your friend comes back and tells you that she taught someone to can chicken, I'm sure it will put a big ear-to-ear smile on your face

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/dehydrating-eggs-7949/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/encouragement-stocking-up-8486/

Take care of that hand and it should be good as new before you know it.

Below, 9 dozen dehydrated Grade A Large eggs, the hat is for a size reference


----------



## cybergranny

*Andi said:


> It's a pretty easy recipe ...
> 
> 4 oz. dried plaintain leaf
> 3 oz. beeswax
> 16 oz olive oil
> 3 drops grapefruit seed oil
> 3 drops vit. E
> 
> 1) Infuse oil & herb (more than a few ways to do this)
> 2) place infused oil in pan add beeswax & melt. (low heat & stir gently)
> 3) At this point add gfs oil and vit. E ~ stir
> 4) Pour into tins or jars ( I like 1/2 pint, wide mouth masons.)
> 5) let cool & add lids.
> 
> used for skin irritations, rashes bites, stings and cuts.


Thanks so much Andi


----------



## Davarm

Tonight its going to be Swiss Chard. 

I went out to pick some for a salad and came in with a whole cart full!


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## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> I went out to pick some for a salad and came in with a whole cart full!


You can't help yourself, can you? 

:2thumb:

(I'm very impressed with all you accomplish!)


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> You can't help yourself, can you?
> 
> :2thumb:
> 
> (I'm very impressed with all you accomplish!)


No...I may need one of those 12 step programs!:congrat:


----------



## Kellog

Davarm said:


> No...I may need one of those 12 step programs!


Well, you'll definitely have no trouble drying out....

***runs and hides***


----------



## Davarm

Kellog said:


> Well, you'll definitely have no trouble drying out....


Oh my, aren't we on the ball today.:congrat:


----------



## Kellog

Davarm said:


> Oh my, aren't we on the ball today.:congrat:


* bows* Thank you..thank you... I'll be here all week....


----------



## sunflower

Hello All,
I am new to this forum but have been lurking a while and learning all I can.

When I left for work this morning I had grapes in one dehydrator and corn and celery in the other. I love homemade raisins!

I am fairly new to prepping but am filling jars with dehydrated fruit and vegetables as I can afford to. 

Have made one attemp at making jerky. It is a good thing my dogs will eat almost anything.


----------



## neldarez

sunflower said:


> Hello All,
> I am new to this forum but have been lurking a while and learning all I can.
> 
> When I left for work this morning I had grapes in one dehydrator and corn and celery in the other. I love homemade raisins!
> 
> I am fairly new to prepping but am filling jars with dehydrated fruit and vegetables as I can afford to.
> 
> Have made one attemp at making jerky. It is a good thing my dogs will eat almost anything.


welcome Sunflower ( I love sunflowers by the way) What would we do with out our dogs!!


----------



## JoKing

Kellog said:


> * bows* Thank you..thank you... I'll be here all week....


Goodn' kellog


----------



## *Andi

sunflower said:


> Hello All,
> I am new to this forum but have been lurking a while and learning all I can.
> 
> When I left for work this morning I had grapes in one dehydrator and corn and celery in the other. I love homemade raisins!
> 
> I am fairly new to prepping but am filling jars with dehydrated fruit and vegetables as I can afford to.
> 
> Have made one attemp at making jerky. It is a good thing my dogs will eat almost anything.


Welcome ...come on in!!! :wave:


----------



## Davarm

Tonight its the rest of the Swiss Chard and a load of Candied Orange Peels. My youngest daughter bought big bag of thick skinned navel oranges and she wanted to candy the peels.

She really likes them, would rather have them than a Hershey Bar. :congrat: 

Well, I just may have to go dry out with that 12 step.......I really felt lost while my dehydrator was away being repaired.:gaah:


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> Tonight its the rest of the Swiss Chard and a load of Candied Orange Peels. My youngest daughter bought big bag of thick skinned navel oranges and she wanted to candy the peels.
> 
> She really likes them, would rather have them than a Hershey Bar. :congrat:
> 
> Well, I just may have to go dry out with that 12 step.......I really felt lost while my dehydrator was away being repaired.:gaah:


Well, that was disappointing, I had a cart 3/4 full of chard and I got only a 1 gallon ziplock bag full of greens. I cut the stem and veins out of the green, they dont cook up very well, and crush the leaves when they are dry.

We use them in soups, sauces and in dough when making pasta.

I'm gonna have to dry alot of chard to fill a 5 gallon bucket!


----------



## Davarm

Daing, It looks like I'm the only one doing any dehydrating lately.

Tonight its 2 - 4 pound "Corn King" "Ham Product" loaves. I cant call it ham because I not sure exactly what they are but they dehydrate pretty good into something resembling Ham Jerky. They were on sale again for $5.00 each.

I am drying it to add to the Collard Greens that I dehydrated from the winter garden.


----------



## Davarm

sunflower said:


> Hello All,
> I am new to this forum but have been lurking a while and learning all I can.
> 
> When I left for work this morning I had grapes in one dehydrator and corn and celery in the other. I love homemade raisins!
> 
> I am fairly new to prepping but am filling jars with dehydrated fruit and vegetables as I can afford to.
> 
> Have made one attemp at making jerky. It is a good thing my dogs will eat almost anything.


Most of us(especially me) have made some real "losers" in the dehydrator, keep experimenting and have some fun while you're at it.

I have never been able to make a raisin that I would consider eating. They always come out crispy and crunchy instead of soft and chewy.


----------



## Rachel

Made fruit leather again today, tried making yogurt melts but that was a major fail, they were pronounced too chewy.


----------



## Davarm

Rachel said:


> Made fruit leather again today, tried making yogurt melts but that was a major fail, they were pronounced too chewy.


Can you explain what Yogurt Melts are(and possibly how to make them)?

I/we love just about anything yogurt!


----------



## Davarm

*Andi said:


> Today ... plantain ...
> 
> I'll need it for my salve ...


I have a big question for you. Would this possibly be Plantain? If it is, I picked a "Bunch" of it out of my cilantro patch this afternoon and mulched it with my lawnmower then pitched it in the compost pile.

These buggers would take over my garden if I didn't keep them pulled up.


----------



## neldarez

As long as Davarm doesn't get tired answering, I have to keep asking: I assume you weren't kidding when you said you candied orange peels? Really? The peeling off of the round orange fruit? my gosh Davarm, what iS SAFE AROUND YOU?? lol, please, how do you do that and what do they taste like? You're not kidding, right? Next question, the ham stuff you dry, you just slice thin and put into the dryer? I would love more than anything, to follow you through the store! I'm looking for something easy to do, had to have cast cut off because of swelling on friday and a new one put on. Heading for the surgeon tomorrow to see about having yet another new cast put on, I'm going nuts but am not to use my fingers!! Have to do something easy, maybe orange peels are easy! Davarm, write a book, I bought gypsy's book immediately ( awesome book it is too) I would surely buy yours. Actually, you would have to do a series I think....:wave:


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> As long as Davarm doesn't get tired answering, I have to keep asking: I assume you weren't kidding when you said you candied orange peels? Really? The peeling off of the round orange fruit? my gosh Davarm, what iS SAFE AROUND YOU?? lol, please, how do you do that and what do they taste like? You're not kidding, right? Next question, the ham stuff you dry, you just slice thin and put into the dryer? I would love more than anything, to follow you through the store! I'm looking for something easy to do, had to have cast cut off because of swelling on friday and a new one put on. Heading for the surgeon tomorrow to see about having yet another new cast put on, I'm going nuts but am not to use my fingers!! Have to do something easy, maybe orange peels are easy! Davarm, write a book, I bought gypsy's book immediately ( awesome book it is too) I would surely buy yours. Actually, you would have to do a series I think....:wave:


I was meaning to PM you and ask how the thumb was doing but got tied up! Hope it goes well with the surgeon, keep us posted.

No, I was not kidding about the orange peels. We love them, they can tend to be a little intense but that is all the better. As for how I do it, I never had anyone teach me the proper way so just experimented until I found a way that I like.

I try to buy thick skinned oranges, you generally get a better result from them. I remove the orange from the peel then discard the orange(not really), we put the orange in a bag and toss it into the fridge to eat when we want them. I then boil the peels in water until they are tender but not falling apart and drain, completely.

Then layer the cooked peels in sugar and let them stand overnight.

The next morning pour the whole mixture(the sugar will draw the moisture out of the peels so they may be soaking in liquid) into a large pan and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes and drain. I boil the liquid down to a syrup and can it, thats alot of sugar to let go to waste. When the peels are mostly dry, coat them with another round of sugar and put them in the dehydrator at about 120 to 130 until they are dry and pliable, not hard and crisp. If you have the heat too high the sugar may caramelize and get to hard to chew.

The taste resembles those orange wedge gumdrops you get in the store except these are edible.



neldarez said:


> what iS SAFE AROUND YOU?? lol,


Sardines, Anchovies, Squid and anything with "Guts" in it.



neldarez said:


> Next question, the ham stuff you dry, you just slice thin and put into the dryer?


Thats all I do. I do put a fruit leather tray on the bottom to catch any grease that may drip out.



neldarez said:


> I would love more than anything, to follow you through the store!


I have had some people stare at me at times, especially the time I bought 60 pounds of bananas, 10 boxes of Oats, 2 5 dozen boxes of eggs and 3 cases of canning jars. I have since started splitting up the items between different stores but the cashiers have started remembering me though.

Be careful with the hand, better to go easy on it now than suffer for it later. You may just want to read the book for a while, I'm going to start tonight.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I was meaning to PM you and ask how the thumb was doing but got tied up! Hope it goes well with the surgeon, keep us posted.
> 
> No, I was not kidding about the orange peels. We love them, they can tend to be a little intense but that is all the better. As for how I do it, I never had anyone teach me the proper way so just experimented until I found a way that I like.
> 
> I try to buy thick skinned oranges, you generally get a better result from them. I remove the orange from the peel then discard the orange(not really), we put the orange in a bag and toss it into the fridge to eat when we want them. I then boil the peels in water until they are tender but not falling apart and drain, completely.
> 
> Then layer the cooked peels in sugar and let them stand overnight.
> 
> The next morning pour the whole mixture(the sugar will draw the moisture out of the peels so they may be soaking in liquid) into a large pan and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes and drain. I boil the liquid down to a syrup and can it, thats alot of sugar to let go to waste. When the peels are mostly dry, coat them with another round of sugar and put them in the dehydrator at about 120 to 130 until they are dry and pliable, not hard and crisp. If you have the heat too high the sugar may caramelize and get to hard to chew.
> 
> The taste resembles those orange wedge gumdrops you get in the store except these are edible.
> 
> Sardines, Anchovies, Squid and anything with "Guts" in it.
> 
> Thats all I do. I do put a fruit leather tray on the bottom to catch any grease that may drip out.
> 
> I have had some people stare at me at times, especially the time I bought 60 pounds of bananas, 10 boxes of Oats, 2 5 dozen boxes of eggs and 3 cases of canning jars. I have since started splitting up the items between different stores but the cashiers have started remembering me though.
> 
> Be careful with the hand, better to go easy on it now than suffer for it later. You may just want to read the book for a while, I'm going to start tonight.


Oh my gosh! Would you look at that! awesome!! I have to try this, my little brain is spinning!! ( maybe it's the pills)


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Oh my gosh! Would you look at that! awesome!! I have to try this, my little brain is spinning!! ( maybe it's the pills)


Maybe you should look at it again after the pills wear off.


----------



## *Andi

Davarm ~ I hate to ID a plant by picture ... 

It does look like narrow leaf plaintain ... I use greater/brood leaf here because it is more common in my area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major

Both narrow and brood leaf can be used hand in hand. Just make sure you know what you have, have someone to take a look at it ... eye to eye. 

Also on a side note ... It is know to cause dermatitis/inflammation of the skin in some folks ... yea, I know it is rare and sometimes I'm known to be overly careful. :gaah:

What can I say ... :dunno:


----------



## Davarm

*Andi said:


> Davarm ~ I hate to ID a plant by picture ...
> 
> It does look like narrow leaf plaintain ... I use greater/brood leaf here because it is more common in my area.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
> 
> Both narrow and brood leaf can be used hand in hand. Just make sure you know what you have, have someone to take a look at it ... eye to eye.
> 
> Also on a side note ... It is know to cause dermatitis/inflammation of the skin in some folks ... yea, I know it is rare and sometimes I'm known to be overly careful. :gaah:
> 
> What can I say ... :dunno:


Thanks, I will take some of it to the local "Agricultural Extension Office" and get a posative ID on it.


----------



## Freyadog

sliced up two bags of oranges and dehydrated them last night. after 8 hours when they were almost brittle I brushed them with a sugar water and finished drying them through the night. delicious. candied perfect. got almost 3 1/2 gallons.


----------



## neldarez

Freyadog said:


> sliced up two bags of oranges and dehydrated them last night. after 8 hours when they were almost brittle I brushed them with a sugar water and finished drying them through the night. delicious. candied perfect. got almost 3 1/2 gallons.


the actual fruit right? Not peels? sounds yummy!!


----------



## vondonna

I did about 3 pounds of banana slices and 4 pounds of strawberry slices today. The house smells yummy!


----------



## Freyadog

neldarez said:


> the actual fruit right? Not peels? sounds yummy!!


Peels and all. Nice and crunchy. You dont have to eat the peel after they are finished if you dont want to but we eat peel.


----------



## TechAdmin

Apples. Making apple chips.


----------



## Davarm

Gonna be Spinach fresh out of the garden tonight.


----------



## *Andi

Oswego tea/bee balm and then some peppermint.

What do you guys think about starting our dehydrating by the month starting in May? Along with our general chit chat for the garden ...

What do you all think?


----------



## goshengirl

*Andi said:


> What do you guys think about starting our dehydrating by the month starting in May? Along with our general chit chat for the garden ...
> 
> What do you all think?


I like it! :2thumb:
It's always helpful to see what everyone else is doing, and so much of what we're doing is seasonal. This thread has turned out to be a great reference (thank you Davarm  ).


----------



## neldarez

Great idea, lets just have Davarm start the 1st day of the month telling us what he's doing and we'll follow him!! lol, I like the idea, I really love the dehydrating! I did another batch of potatoes last night but I have to tell you it is so much easier to do with 2 hands!:sssh:


----------



## LilRedHen

*Andi said:


> Oswego tea/bee balm and then some peppermint.
> 
> What do you guys think about starting our dehydrating by the month starting in May? Along with our general chit chat for the garden ...
> 
> What do you all think?


I would rather just continue this one. I really enjoy seeing how many posts and how many views this thread and the canning one has had and I can look back and not have to find all the separate ones. JMO


----------



## *Andi

LilRedHen said:


> I would rather just continue this one. I really enjoy seeing how many posts and how many views this thread and the canning one has had and I can look back and not have to find all the separate ones. JMO


It is up to you all ... but after having to do a search of this thread. Cranberries post 149 & 150 ...  (research )

I thought it may help to have a by the month.... Again it is up to you all ...


----------



## md1911

LilRedHen said:


> I would rather just continue this one. I really enjoy seeing how many posts and how many views this thread and the canning one has had and I can look back and not have to find all the separate ones. JMO


I agree with lilredhen. I don't post much on these two threads. But I think their my favorite. And I defenantly get a lot of ideas. Things I never dreamed or imagine could be dehydrated. This is great information.


----------



## neldarez

This post and the canning post are my favorites I think.........well, hmmm, I like most threads! No, these 2 are my favorites......


----------



## Davarm

Well, today(or last night) its chard and spinich. Both are coming in faster than we can eat them right now and can let em waste.

Have found that if you dehydrate them at a medium low heat, the taste pretty close to fresh when you pour boiling water over them and let them sit for about 15 minutes. 

So far have dehydrated Collards(lots of of collards), chard, spinach and beet greens this year.


----------



## Davarm

Its going to be more Chard again tonight.

My oldest DD recently brought home a "Salad Spinner" I started using it for prepping my greens for the dehydrator, takes quite a bit of time off the process. 

I would normally bring the greens in and wash them and put them in a drainer to drip dry which took a fair amount of time, they would then go onto the counter on a towel with a fan turned on them to dry some more then finally they would be chopped and put on the dehydrator trays.

With the salad spinner they go straight from the sink to chopping on the cutting board then straight into the spinner. When they come out, they are perfect for putting straight on the trays.

Told the DD that I would raise her allowance for bringing it home. She reminded me that she was 27 years old and didnt get an allowance.

I gave her a nickle and a pat on the back, she gave me an elbow in the ribs.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Davarm, your my inspiration. So far, pasta sauce, hashbrowns (frozen), Onions, pineapple chunks....onions again..um onions..um..hashbrowns. I see a pattern here. Oh yes, and chicken and yellow rice. Thanx my friend


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Its going to be more Chard again tonight.
> 
> My oldest DD recently brought home a "Salad Spinner" I started using it for prepping my greens for the dehydrator, takes quite a bit of time off the process.
> 
> I would normally bring the greens in and wash them and put them in a drainer to drip dry which took a fair amount of time, they would then go onto the counter on a towel with a fan turned on them to dry some more then finally they would be chopped and put on the dehydrator trays.
> 
> With the salad spinner they go straight from the sink to chopping on the cutting board then straight into the spinner. When they come out, they are perfect for putting straight on the trays.
> 
> Told the DD that I would raise her allowance for bringing it home. She reminded me that she was 27 years old and didnt get an allowance.
> 
> I gave her a nickle and a pat on the back, she gave me an elbow in the ribs.


remind her to save the nickle, it's suppose to be valuable some day!!


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Davarm, your my inspiration. So far, pasta sauce, hashbrowns (frozen), Onions, pineapple chunks....onions again..um onions..um..hashbrowns. I see a pattern here. Oh yes, and chicken and yellow rice. Thanx my friend


that's a great pattern though, onions, hashbrowns, sounds like you're on to something!


----------



## Davarm

Yes, that sounds good, last month I went out and gathered all my winter onions and dehydrated them, greens, bulbs and all. That put a pretty good smell in the house.



neldarez said:


> that's a great pattern though, onions, hashbrowns, sounds like you're on to something!





JackDanielGarrett said:


> So far, pasta sauce, hashbrowns (frozen), Onions, pineapple chunks....onions again..um onions..um..hashbrowns. I see a pattern here. Oh yes, and chicken and yellow rice. Thanx my friend


Hey Jack, I started dehydrating the left over spagetti(with sauce mixed in) and that was a keeper, pour boiling water over it, let it sit for a while and Instant Meal. Give it a try, just be sure and not use spaghetti noodles(we use Bow Ties) they are harder to pack.


----------



## TechAdmin

I'llbe doing a series of fruits this weekend. 

Bananas first off, then I'm going to try to candy some watermelon. 

I also have a few more apples I need to get done. 

Should be busy all weekend.


----------



## Davarm

Austin said:


> I'llbe doing a series of fruits this weekend.
> 
> Bananas first off, then I'm going to try to candy some watermelon.
> 
> I also have a few more apples I need to get done.
> 
> Should be busy all weekend.


Can you let us know how you do the watermelon and how it comes out? I did some last year and it wasn't too bad. I had no idea how it should have been done so I just winged it and it came out ok.


----------



## Davarm

Right now I am working on the 16 pounds of spinach I picked this afternoon. I think maybe I should have split it up into a 2 or 3 day deal, thats a lot of work and I am not nearly done, its already 02:30, gonna be a long day tomorrow(or later today).

I trimmed up my fennel today also and I have the first load of it in my old "Long Tom" Oster dehydrator that that I put together, I love that licorice smell drifting through the house.


----------



## dmkoza

Just a thought, but check your local craft stores. I find that A.C. Moore sometimes have sales on jars!! Just a thought!! 


DJgang said:


> I wish that I could find quart jars inexpensive! They are so high and hard to find!


----------



## Davarm

dmkoza said:


> Just a thought, but check your local craft stores. I find that A.C. Moore sometimes have sales on jars!! Just a thought!!


I was in our local Gibsons/Ace Hardware store last week and they had 1 gallon Mason Jars, around $12.00 each. I took the lid off and it didn't appear to have a sealable lid.

I'm going to get one next week and post a picture of it.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> I was in our local Gibsons/Ace Hardware store last week and they had 1 gallon Mason Jars, around $12.00 each. I took the lid off and it didn't appear to have a sealable lid.
> 
> I'm going to get one next week and post a picture of it.


If you look on acehardware.com and do a search of mason jars, you will find that they are showing a 4 pack of 'commemerative jars' for $75.99. These are gallon jars with an 'authentic zinc lid appearance with push on design' not intended for canning.

 I would like to have a few more gallon jars to make wine in, but they need to seal and I am not giving that price.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> If you look on acehardware.com and do a search of mason jars, you will find that they are showing a 4 pack of 'commemerative jars' for $75.99. These are gallon jars with an 'authentic zinc lid appearance with push on design' not intended for canning.
> 
> I would like to have a few more gallon jars to make wine in, but they need to seal and I am not giving that price.


Thats odd, $75.99 for a case of 4... I thought our Gibsons/Ace Hardware was the highest priced store around. In light of that 4 pack, I guess $12.00 is a deal. May get a few, for storing dry good.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Okay, I dehydrated 2 heads of cabbage about 2 weeks ago and put in a zip lock bag. Open it tonight to add to some meatballs and the cabbage was a lil white,brown,gummy...Tossed It...
You guys told me you get failures, so now I rethink where I went wrong. I am thinking I didnt dehydrate long enough, or zip locks bags are not fail proof huh?
Oh well...Dad always said, Son, "Sometimes you have to lick the calf all over again." That means do it again....
thanx again guys...Jack


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Okay, I dehydrated 2 heads of cabbage about 2 weeks ago and put in a zip lock bag. Open it tonight to add to some meatballs and the cabbage was a lil white,brown,gummy...Tossed It...
> You guys told me you get failures, so now I rethink where I went wrong. I am thinking I didnt dehydrate long enough, or zip locks bags are not fail proof huh?
> Oh well...Dad always said, Son, "Sometimes you have to lick the calf all over again." That means do it again....
> thanx again guys...Jack


Jack, sorry to hear the problem. I have done quite a lot of cabbage and I think that you answered your own question, sounds like you didn't get it completely dry. Cabbage is good for that. The thin leaves with thick veins going through, sometimes they may look and feel dry but moisture can hide down in the thick parts.

Dont give up, cabbage is pretty tasty when dehydrated. At least you found this out with only 2 heads in the batch. Just chalk it up to a learning experience and keep on trucken.


----------



## Davarm

I'm finishing up my last load of fennel that I picked yesterday. When I put the first batch on I really liked the licorice smell drifting through the house....I am getting a little tired of by now.

A lot of a good thing is not always a good thing.


----------



## neldarez

I tore down both excaliburs to cleans today, I have been drying eggs and I really make a mess with them, I have them all over the dryer, on the floor, on the counter............so, this evening, both dehydrators are sitting there pretty and clean waiting for their next job, not eggs for awhile....but boy are they good.......I ate some.


----------



## md1911

I'm dehydrating mint leaves.


----------



## Davarm

md1911 said:


> I'm dehydrating mint leaves.


What kind of mint, regular searmint? No real reason for asking other than we stock mint also, makes good hot and cold tea.

I'm "TRYING" to grow "Apple Mint" this year for a veriety, have no idea how it will grow down here.

---------------------

Got all the Fennel and Spinach dehydrated, filled almost 1/2 a 5 gallon bucket packed with spinach. Am getting ready to go out and finish picking the rest of the it and will go over both Chard patches and do chard tonight.

I got right at 1/2 gallon of sifted fennel leaves from what I picked the other day, We will use it mainly for upset stomach along with dill and ginger. A tea made from equal parts of the 3 will settle an upset better than Pepto.

The next time I dehydrate fennel, its gonna be out on the pourch. We got pretty tired of the spell after a few hours.


----------



## md1911

Davarm. I'm dehydrating applemint. And spearmint. Doing them sepratley. I make tea out of them.


----------



## mdprepper

Davarm said:


> I got right at 1/2 gallon of sifted fennel leaves from what I picked the other day, We will use it mainly for upset stomach along with dill and ginger. A tea made from equal parts of the 3 will settle an upset better than Pepto.


Small threadjack...

Both of my kids had colic and my DD had bowel troubles (she could not pass poo on her own. She did not have an independent BM until she was 2 months old---what a nightmare). We gave them fennel tea and it really helped the colic. Added Karo syrup to the tea and that helped my DD with the BM's. I give fennel seeds to every new Mommy I know (in their baby shower gift with instructions). Great stuff!!

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.....


----------



## neldarez

mdprepper said:


> Small threadjack...
> 
> Both of my kids had colic and my DD had bowel troubles (she could not pass poo on her own. She did not have an independent BM until she was 2 months old---what a nightmare). We gave them fennel tea and it really helped the colic. Added Karo syrup to the tea and that helped my DD with the BM's. I give fennel seeds to every new Mommy I know (in their baby shower gift with instructions). Great stuff!!
> 
> Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.....


Thanks, that is great to know.


----------



## Davarm

md1911 said:


> Davarm. I'm dehydrating applemint. And spearmint. Doing them sepratley. I make tea out of them.


I have only ever had single leaves of Applemint for tasting, how is the tea? From the tastings I've had would guess that a tall cold glass would really hit the spot on a hot day.



mdprepper said:


> Both of my kids had colic and my DD had bowel troubles (she could not pass poo on her own. She did not have an independent BM until she was 2 months old---what a nightmare). We gave them fennel tea and it really helped the colic. Added Karo syrup to the tea and that helped my DD with the BM's. I give fennel seeds to every new Mommy I know (in their baby shower gift with instructions). Great stuff!!


2 months? I do not envy you one bit, The Karo and Fennel sounds like a good idea for small ones and I hope she came through it ok. Do you mind if that down in my archive as a treatment?

It would be nice if more people knew about the Fennel, may give Pepto Bismol a run for its money! Dill is a relative of fennel and is pretty good with the stomach problems also, small children and babies may not like it to well though.


----------



## boomer

What I dehydrated today was a few herbal bedding plants I forgot to water while hardening off. lol


----------



## Davarm

Well, since it's back to the regularly scheduled thread...

I just brought in 7 grocery bags full of chard for the dehydrator, no early night tonight. 

Each spring I relearn why I usually dont remember much of the previous spring garden season, Its because I'm usually a "Zombie" by the time I get everything canned and dehydrated.

The 3(almost) year old grandson was out in the garden with me today grazing while I picked, that boy would eat horse poop and like it if he saw me picking it up in the garden. I kinda feel sorry for him though, think he may wind up just like his grandpa.


----------



## Davarm

boomer said:


> What I dehydrated today was a few herbal bedding plants I forgot to water while hardening off. lol


Did that with a flat of peppers last week.


----------



## md1911

Davarm. Haven't made iced tea yet. Tried some hot though. That's really good. My brother even put a few green leaves in his coffee when he stoped by. He said it was good. Lol apple mint coffee. But ill make a jar of iced and let you know. I cut 3 .13 gal trashbags full of it so I have plenty to experiment with.


----------



## mdprepper

Davarm said:


> 2 months? I do not envy you one bit, The Karo and Fennel sounds like a good idea for small ones and I hope she came through it ok. Do you mind if that down in my archive as a treatment?
> 
> It would be nice if more people knew about the Fennel, may give Pepto Bismol a run for its money! Dill is a relative of fennel and is pretty good with the stomach problems also, small children and babies may not like it to well though.


Use the information how ever you would like! Yeah they were not fun times. All is well, she is 20 years old and married now. My Mom was the one that told me about the fennel tea, my Hillbilly Grandmom (from WV) had told her about it when we were little and the pediatrician recommended the Karo (1 tsp per bottle) to sweeten it and to "ease" things out a little better!


----------



## Davarm

The chard and spinach is finished for a while, It will be about a week before its up big enough to pick again. 

Now I have to concentrate on Cilantro. When it starts to send up seed stalks, I pinch them off near the ground and put them in the dehydrator. when they are dry I sift the tough stalks and stems out and pack dried leaves into jars and put them on the shelf(next to the coriander).


This lets me gather and use cilantro well into the summer before I let it go on and grow into coriander and gather the seeds for next year.


----------



## timmie

not really dehydrateing but i did vaccum seal 50 pounds of salt ,2 quarts coffee and pasta and rice. have any of you dehydrated blackberries?


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> not really dehydrateing but i did vaccum seal 50 pounds of salt ,2 quarts coffee and pasta and rice. have any of you dehydrated blackberries?


I did some last year, they were small wild ones and decided not to do more. They were not really edible by themselves, If you tried some good large berries they may be ok.

With the coffee, did you just put the grounds in a jar and vacuum it, or was their anything special you did? I get my coffee with a Turkish Grind and pack it into jars for daily use that way. Maybe I should start sealing them and storing them long term.


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> Now I have to concentrate on Cilantro. When it starts to send up seed stalks, I pinch them off near the ground and put them in the dehydrator. when they are dry I sift the tough stalks and stems out and pack dried leaves into jars and put them on the shelf(next to the coriander).


Just finished up the load of Cilantro, it almost filled a 1/2 gallon jar. Tomorrow(or later today), will go out and finish picking what is left in the plot.

Can never have too much Cilantro.


----------



## timmie

actually this is the first time i have done any coffee. just put it in the jar and sealed it .guess it will be a trial and error thing for me.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> actually this is the first time i have done any coffee. just put it in the jar and sealed it .guess it will be a trial and error thing for me.


Thanks, That trial and error things is a pretty good teacher sometimes.


----------



## md1911

Not going to be dehydrating anything for awhile. I was working on some more applemint leaves and my dehydrater burst into flams. I put it out no colateral damage but that puts an end to dehydrating for awhile. 

Davarm. Applemint icedtea is great. I added just a touch of suger and its perfect mint tea.


----------



## Davarm

md1911 said:


> Not going to be dehydrating anything for awhile. I was working on some more applemint leaves and my dehydrater burst into flams. I put it out no colateral damage but that puts an end to dehydrating for awhile.
> 
> Davarm. Applemint icedtea is great. I added just a touch of suger and its perfect mint tea.


Glad their was no damage(other than the dehydrator) any idea what happened? Can you let us know what kind of dehydrator you have/had in case anyone else has one like it, can have a heads up?

That is exactly what could have happened with mine but fortunately it just melted down the trays. They(Nesco) said that the dehydrator shouldn't be used outdoors, too much of a chance to have debris sucked in and over the heating element but with these things happening, do you really want the dehydrators in the house?

Glad you got it in time and that no one was hurt and no collateral damage resulted, Its an eye opener for me and hopefully the rest of us too.


----------



## md1911

Davarm said:


> Glad their was no damage(other than the dehydrator) any idea what happened? Can you let us know what kind of dehydrator you have/had in case anyone else has one like it, can have a heads up?
> 
> That is exactly what could have happened with mine but fortunately it just melted down the trays. They(Nesco) said that the dehydrator shouldn't be used outdoors, too much of a chance to have debris sucked in and over the heating element but with these things happening, do you really want the dehydrators in the house?
> 
> Glad you got it in time and that no one was hurt and no collateral damage resulted, Its an eye opener for me and hopefully the rest of us too.


It was a sunbeam. Same company that makes coffeepots. It was a cheap dehydrator. From the best I can tell the fan stoped. The heating element didn't kick off. It melted the base and caught the plastic on fire. Their was a little smoke on the celing and the house smells bad. Theirs a new black spot on the counter. I bought the dehydrator from a friend. I had bourowed it. I liked it so they sold it to me over the weekend. Lol. Atleast it was mine not my friends.


----------



## Davarm

Again, I am really sorry to hear of the fire and the loss of your dehydrator, it sounds like Sunbeam needs to do some re-engineering and add a thermal shut off. I have 3 old Oster dehydrators that I bring out and use when my Nesco cant handle the load, I use them outside and I am now going to set them on cinder blocks to prevent a house fire like you almost had.

Appreciate your sharing this with me/us, it quite literally could be a life saver.


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## TechAdmin

md1911 said:


> It was a sunbeam. Same company that makes coffeepots. It was a cheap dehydrator. From the best I can tell the fan stoped. The heating element didn't kick off. It melted the base and caught the plastic on fire. Their was a little smoke on the celing and the house smells bad. Theirs a new black spot on the counter. I bought the dehydrator from a friend. I had bourowed it. I liked it so they sold it to me over the weekend. Lol. Atleast it was mine not my friends.


I have an off brand and will be checking it when I get home to make sure it's not a Sunbeam.

Are you going to have to do a lot of repair work?


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## md1911

Austin said:


> I have an off brand and will be checking it when I get home to make sure it's not a Sunbeam.
> 
> Are you going to have to do a lot of repair work?


The dehydrator is totaled preaty much. Ill see what if anything I can salvage. The hose is fine. Wiped the ceiling down and the wall were the dehydrator was. What concerns me the most is the electrical breaker did not trip. But theirs no damage to the house.

On a further note it was a cheap dehydrator when it was new. My friend (who I got it from) said he paid $25 for it. So I will be looking for a new dehydrator.


----------



## Davarm

md1911 said:


> The dehydrator is totaled preaty much. Ill see what if anything I can salvage. The hose is fine. Wiped the ceiling down and the wall were the dehydrator was. What concerns me the most is the electrical breaker did not trip. But theirs no damage to the house.
> 
> On a further note it was a cheap dehydrator when it was new. My friend (who I got it from) said he paid $25 for it. So I will be looking for a new dehydrator.


If you are looking for a new budget dehydrator, I would recommend against the "New" Oster models from Walmart. They are not very rugged, I bought one last year to go along with the other older Osters(which are Timex watches, they take a licken and keep on ticken)that I have and the experience with it is what prompted me to get the "Nesco" I now have.

Again sorry to hear of your ordeal and glad you were there to catch it.


----------



## md1911

Davarm said:


> If you are looking for a new budget dehydrator, I would recommend against the "New" Oster models from Walmart. They are not very rugged, I bought one last year to go along with the other older Osters(which are Timex watches, they take a licken and keep on ticken)that I have and the experience with it is what prompted me to get the "Nesco" I now have.
> 
> Again sorry to hear of your ordeal and glad you were there to catch it.


Thanks. I don't run stuff like that when I'm not home. Lol. I had a house burn down along time ago. I haven't started looking for a new one yet. But I now have 3 large trashbags worth of applemint hanging in the shed. Kinda like they used to do tabbaco. Hopefully they will dry naturally. I have never tried this before but it should work. And a plus is it won't cost any electricity.


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## Davarm

I was making the rounds in the garden this morning and realized that the spinach and chard were again needing to be picked. That was not even a weeks break from the last close picking I gave it. These warm days and cool nights we have been having lately are good for the plants.

Its going to be the chard or spinach, dont know which one I will decide on this afternoon but will likely have a full load of which ever one I settle on.


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## Emerald

On the matter of drying raspberries and blackberries.. I've done it and found them almost useless to try making a pie or anything like that out of them but.. if you dry the leaves of the red raspberry and the blackberry and then make mixes of the leaves and a few dried berries it is the greatest tea.. so for those blackberries that got dehydrated and you don't know what to do with then drop a few in your next cup of hot tea(or teapot).
I am getting ready to dry black raspberry leaves(they are sprouting all over) and red raspberry leaves(sprouting all over too.). This year tho I am doing more and adding a few berries to the dehydrator too.. hubs loves red raspberry tea, leaves and a few berries. I am also going to keep them separated so to see if they taste different.

And if you have a good strainer you can blend and strain the red and black berries and mix the puree with apple sauce and make killer roll ups in the dehydrator. You can even mix the puree into your applesauce and then can it to.


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## Davarm

I went out and picked my spinach again tonight(about 1/2 of it anyway) and got almost 10 pounds.

For me its going to be spinach again tonight.



Emerald said:


> On the matter of drying raspberries and blackberries.. I've done it and found them almost useless to try making a pie or anything like that out of them but.. if you dry the leaves of the red raspberry and the blackberry and then make mixes of the leaves and a few dried berries it is the greatest tea.. so for those blackberries that got dehydrated and you don't know what to do with then drop a few in your next cup of hot tea(or teapot).
> I am getting ready to dry black raspberry leaves(they are sprouting all over) and red raspberry leaves(sprouting all over too.). This year tho I am doing more and adding a few berries to the dehydrator too.. hubs loves red raspberry tea, leaves and a few berries. I am also going to keep them separated so to see if they taste different.
> 
> And if you have a good strainer you can blend and strain the red and black berries and mix the puree with apple sauce and make killer roll ups in the dehydrator. You can even mix the puree into your applesauce and then can it to.


I am going to go and pick a bunch of Black Berry leaves and give the tea a try. We have them growing wild all over the place around here and if we like them I guess we can stock up.


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## Davarm

I was out setting out some Pimento Peppers and saw the Cilantro was sending up more flower heads so I stopped what I was doing and pinched off a grocery bag full and just put them in the dehydrator.

Cilantro tends to loose a lot of flavor when dehydrated so last night I sliced a tomato and sprinkled some that I recently dried on it along with a little salt and pepper - nothing to worry about with this crop, plenty of flavor.

I love the smell that drifts through the house when Cilantro is being dried.


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## neldarez

Emerald said:


> On the matter of drying raspberries and blackberries.. I've done it and found them almost useless to try making a pie or anything like that out of them but.. if you dry the leaves of the red raspberry and the blackberry and then make mixes of the leaves and a few dried berries it is the greatest tea.. so for those blackberries that got dehydrated and you don't know what to do with then drop a few in your next cup of hot tea(or teapot).
> I am getting ready to dry black raspberry leaves(they are sprouting all over) and red raspberry leaves(sprouting all over too.). This year tho I am doing more and adding a few berries to the dehydrator too.. hubs loves red raspberry tea, leaves and a few berries. I am also going to keep them separated so to see if they taste different.
> 
> And if you have a good strainer you can blend and strain the red and black berries and mix the puree with apple sauce and make killer roll ups in the dehydrator. You can even mix the puree into your applesauce and then can it to.


wow Emerald, what don't you do! I've never never heard of anyone drying raspberry leaves but it sounds so intriguing that I'm going to do so. I assume I need to buy one of those tea ball thingies, about how much of the dried leaves do you put in a cup of tea?? I actually don't like tea but I want to like tea...lol...maybe this will be the one I like! thanks Emerald...


----------



## Emerald

neldarez said:


> wow Emerald, what don't you do! I've never never heard of anyone drying raspberry leaves but it sounds so intriguing that I'm going to do so. I assume I need to buy one of those tea ball thingies, about how much of the dried leaves do you put in a cup of tea?? I actually don't like tea but I want to like tea...lol...maybe this will be the one I like! thanks Emerald...


All the stuff that I post I have to admit I don't get around to doing each and everything each year.. but I do have the red raspberry leaves drying right now. I used about 1 spoonful in the teapot (it is only about two cups ) and then I pour thru a small stainless steel strainer that sits on top of the mug. and always dry the leaves they taste odd fresh. too bitter.. and right now is a great time to pick them as mine are putting out sprouts all around the main patch.
I just gently pull them from the yard where I don't want them and then snap the rooting end off.. I've also had good luck pulling them and plopping them into potting soil and rooting them to give away. Even tho it is not the best way to do it. I have them hanging but it has been damp and I might get my dehydrator out and put them in on low.. along with all the catnip and a bit of the stinging nettle. 
To me it does taste a lot like green tea or even a mild black tea. But I love tea of all types and my mint doesn't look good this year so I may go shopping and find a couple more good plants or seriously root some more of the spearmint out back and get it going all over the yard.


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## timmie

i have been vacuum sealing raisins,fig pieces and brown sugar. later today i am going to experiment a little. i have a lot of skittle candy that i'm going to try. also some oyster crackers. the experiment is salted sunflower seeds. hubby loves them,so am going to give it a shot.if anyone has tried the seeds please let me know how they turned out,otherwise i will let you know.


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## Davarm

timmie said:


> i have been vacuum sealing raisins,fig pieces and brown sugar. later today i am going to experiment a little. i have a lot of skittle candy that i'm going to try. also some oyster crackers. the experiment is salted sunflower seeds. hubby loves them,so am going to give it a shot.if anyone has tried the seeds please let me know how they turned out,otherwise i will let you know.


I vacuum sealed several big bags of the salted sunflower seeds, I think, last year. Have absolutely no earthly idea how they did, they are still in the bottom of a sealed bin. I had completely forgotten about them until I read your post.


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## timmie

got the dehydrator full of marshmallows that i bought after easter. we will have little chickens and bunny rabbits floating in hot chocolate this fall and winter.


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## mdprepper

timmie said:


> got the dehydrator full of marshmallows that i bought after easter. we will have little chickens and bunny rabbits floating in hot chocolate this fall and winter.


I never would have thought of that! Great idea!


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## timmie

got to admit it wasn't my idea .i forgot where i read it and who to give the credit to.but it is a great idea.


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## TechAdmin

timmie said:


> got the dehydrator full of marshmallows that i bought after easter. we will have little chickens and bunny rabbits floating in hot chocolate this fall and winter.


Are they Peeps?


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## timmie

no ,just the kraft pastel mini marsmallows.


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## TechAdmin

I'll have to check my dollar store and see if they have any more then.


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## timmie

got to tell you this was my first try wit marshmallows and i was not happy with the results. i will however keep on trying until i get it right


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## rwc1969

Carrots?

I just started getting back into dehydrating and wanted to do a little experiment. Half way through the vid the power went out. LOL!


----------



## Listmaker

*Beets!!*

My garden has gone crazy with all this hot weather lately. Tonight I picked so many beets and turnips, I don't know what I'll do with them The only thing I have that I don't know what to do with it all the beet greens. I read (Davarm I think) that you eat them? I ate a bite and it was really bitter. Should I dehydrate them like the chard and kale? Use the dried greens in soups or stews? I hate to just throw all those beautiful greens to the chickens or on the compost heap. I know you have ideas!


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## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> My garden has gone crazy with all this hot weather lately. Tonight I picked so many beets and turnips, I don't know what I'll do with them The only thing I have that I don't know what to do with it all the beet greens. I read (Davarm I think) that you eat them? I ate a bite and it was really bitter. Should I dehydrate them like the chard and kale? Use the dried greens in soups or stews? I hate to just throw all those beautiful greens to the chickens or on the compost heap. I know you have ideas!


Kinda been wondering about you, havent heard from ya in a while.

Beet greens are good! The ones from our garden are a bit strong if they have been lacking water but are not bitter. We add them to salads, cook them like spinach(taste kinda like spinach also), can them and dehydrate them.

When you dehydrate them the stems dont cook up very well so what we do is sift them into a powder and mainly add them to pasta's and soups. They store up great in mason jars or in food saver bags. My favorite way to eat them is cooked like spinach, with a little bacon and onion.

I usually plant 2 patches of beets, one kinda thin for beats and the other fairly thick for the green. With all the dry weather this year my beets are only about the size of ping pong balls now.


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## Davarm

I'm going to have to do eggs tonight, have been putting it off for days now but gonna have to get it done tonight. I have about 10 dozen, thats 2 batches and I will probably use a lower than usual heat so I'm guessing about 4 hours per load. 

In the morning I hope to have them all done and get back to Cilantro, Spinach and Chard. In the next few days I'm going to have to start on the Dill and get back to the Fennel. I have been neglecting the dehydarting this last week trying to get the weeding done.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I'm going to have to do eggs tonight, have been putting it off for days now but gonna have to get it done tonight. I have about 10 dozen, thats 2 batches and I will probably use a lower than usual heat so I'm guessing about 4 hours per load.
> 
> In the morning I hope to have them all done and get back to Cilantro, Spinach and Chard. In the next few days I'm going to have to start on the Dill and get back to the Fennel. I have been neglecting the dehydarting this last week trying to get the weeding done.


I dried some eggs and it's hard to make them spread out so they will be thin enough to all get done. Do you have that prob? I put them in the blender first .


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Raw eggs right? I cant wait to try this! 

Dehydrated yellow crook neck squash, they were on sale...a buck for about 6of them. Had to get them home and dried..

This week....yes....hash browns and onions...I know...I know...Jack


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Raw eggs right? I cant wait to try this!
> 
> Dehydrated yellow crook neck squash, they were on sale...a buck for about 6of them. Had to get them home and dried..
> 
> This week....yes....hash browns and onions...I know...I know...Jack


Do you know that everytime you post I get hungry?? lol


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I dried some eggs and it's hard to make them spread out so they will be thin enough to all get done. Do you have that prob? I put them in the blender first .


Yes Ms. Nelda, I do have that problem. It seems the more I use the fruit leather trays, the more warped(not real bad but enough to make it hard to hold liquid uniformly) they get.

I have resigned myself to the fact that when I dry eggs, its just gonna be a pain in the butt. Thats why I dry big batches and get as much done at one time as I can. That way I dont have to deal with it as often.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Yes Ms. Nelda, I do have that problem. It seems the more I use the fruit leather trays, the more warped(not real bad but enough to make it hard to hold liquid uniformly) they get.
> 
> I have resigned myself to the fact that when I dry eggs, its just gonna be a pain in the butt. Thats why I dry big batches and get as much done at one time as I can. That way I dont have to deal with it as often.


I've been using the parchment paper versus the plastic fruit liners. I like it better cuz it's not as slick and it makes a bunch of hills and valleys so it holds the egg mixture apart from each other! Eggs sure are a messy thing to dry though......darn, they sure are good!


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Raw eggs right? I cant wait to try this!


You got it, Grade A large....

You can dehydrate cooked scrambled eggs, they rehydrate fairly well but they are a little rubbery in texture though. I have never tried boiled eggs though......I think I can see an experiment coming....



JackDanielGarrett said:


> Dehydrated yellow crook neck squash, they were on sale...a buck for about 6of them. Had to get them home and dried..


Hey JDG, you may want to try the yellow squash if you haven't already tasted them dehydrated. All the yellow ones that I ever dried have a pretty intense "SQUASH" taste. Its OK if you really like squash but in this house I am the only one that will eat them when they taste that strong, so I only dry enough for myself.

Just so you wont be surprised.....



JackDanielGarrett said:


> This week....yes....hash browns and onions...I know...I know...Jack


A while back I dehydrated all my winter onions, bulbs greens and all. I thought it would get the house stinking but they had a light sweet slightly onioney smell when drying, I loved it.

I cruise down the "Cheap" part of the Produce Isles when I hit the stores, you can get some really good and cheap produce that way, never let an opportunity slip by.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I've been using the parchment paper versus the plastic fruit liners. I like it better cuz it's not as slick and it makes a bunch of hills and valleys so it holds the egg mixture apart from each other! Eggs sure are a messy thing to dry though......darn, they sure are good!


I know some people use the parchment paper but for the life of me I cant figure out how to do it on my American Harvester, What kind of dehydrator do you have?

I may just be running on to little sleep but I probably would try the parchment paper and avoid some headaches if I knew how "Youse Guys" do it.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

I heard once, or could have been a dream at my age, that you can use parchment paper from the crafts dept.

Davarm ~I will brace myself when I try the squash, it wasn't a lot for a two dollars, not near enough to feed this herd..

Lol Neldarex~Someone on here said, they dehydrate onions out side and I tried that. But I live in FL and the humidity outside is like 90%, kinda like dehydrating in a waterfall. (They get hungry too)
Jack


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> I heard once, or could have been a dream at my age, that you can use parchment paper from the crafts dept.
> 
> Davarm ~I will brace myself when I try the squash, it wasn't a lot for a two dollars, not near enough to feed this herd..
> 
> Lol Neldarex~Someone on here said, they dehydrate onions out side and I tried that. But I live in FL and the humidity outside is like 90%, kinda like dehydrating in a waterfall. (They get hungry too)
> Jack


If you really like yellow squash, you will have a smile on your face when you try them(like me), if you are just kinda luke warm, aaaaah.....maybe not so much.

Zucchini dehydrates and tastes great. Give that a try if you get the chance.

With the onions, they are mostly water anyway and take a while to dry in low humidity, can see why you may have trouble there. I dont find the smell of them drying in the house bad at all but I love onions.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight it is going to be Cilantro. My cilantro patch was quickly turning into Coriander so I picked the entire plot and am going to dry it tonight. I hope to get about 2 - 3 gallons.

In the morning, I have to go out and do a good picking on the spinach again. I guestimate that I will get about 10 to 12 pounds.

The day after that, gonna be Chard again will get at least 15 pounds of that. 

The spinach is going to be done soon, with the heat this spring it is going to start going to seed soon. Then with the Chard, the grasshoppers are going to start getting bad in the next month so it will be all I will be able to do to just keep it alive for a fall crop.


----------



## timmie

8 quarts flour.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I know some people use the parchment paper but for the life of me I cant figure out how to do it on my American Harvester, What kind of dehydrator do you have?
> 
> I may just be running on to little sleep but I probably would try the parchment paper and avoid some headaches if I knew how "Youse Guys" do it.


Hey there busy man! I'm amazed you have time to keep up with all of your reporting...
I have 2 ( I'm kinda greedy) excaliburs...love them. Actually, I'm not greedy at all but this last winter they had a sale and I got another one!
Dave, have you ever dried cheese? I read on google several ways to do it and it almost looks like more trouble than not but you're the dryer guru so I thought i'd get your take on it. Go to bed and quit staying up so late!! :ignore:


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> I heard once, or could have been a dream at my age, that you can use parchment paper from the crafts dept.
> 
> Davarm ~I will brace myself when I try the squash, it wasn't a lot for a two dollars, not near enough to feed this herd..
> 
> Lol Neldarex~Someone on here said, they dehydrate onions out side and I tried that. But I live in FL and the humidity outside is like 90%, kinda like dehydrating in a waterfall. (They get hungry too)
> Jack


My reality gets all mixed up too Jack....oh my gosh, did I say that!! lol, I got the parchment paper at safeway right in the same place as foil and plastic wrap. I had never heard of it before and now I find out everyone not only knew about it but use it except me! go figure......it would be kind of hard for you to dry onions outside...you'd almost have to dry the outside first! Have a good night Jack, Keep that dryer running....


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Hey there busy man! I'm amazed you have time to keep up with all of your reporting...
> I have 2 ( I'm kinda greedy) excaliburs...love them. Actually, I'm not greedy at all but this last winter they had a sale and I got another one!
> Dave, have you ever dried cheese? I read on google several ways to do it and it almost looks like more trouble than not but you're the dryer guru so I thought i'd get your take on it. Go to bed and quit staying up so late!! :ignore:


Ms. Nelda, you should know better than to ask me if I have tried dehydrating something. Of course I have and it comes out pretty good too.

It CAN be a pain in the butt or if you do it my its only a pain in the neck. I dehydrate Cheddar, fat free is easiest, less fat to deal with.

First grate the cheese

Spread it on fruit leather trays(to catch the fat) or I guess parchment paper would work also. Dont make the layer to thick.

Put it in the dehydrator and dry it at a medium low heat. Dont let the temp get hot enough to melt it or the process becomes a pain in the BUTT.

When it is dry, put it on a paper towel and allow the paper to soak up any fat that may be on the dry cheese.

Vacuum pack it and put it on the shelf.

Regular Cheddar tastes better but the fat free dries and rehydrates better.

Any more questions, Ms Nelda???????

On the time for the reporting thing? Look at the time stamp on this post....am going to have to get up soon and pick spinach.


----------



## Davarm

Oh, on your dehydrator(s), those have the flat trays dont they? Mine is an American Harvestor, round trays with an air flow channel through the middle and up the outter ring. If I used the parchment paper I would have to fashion it somehow, into a donut shape to make it hold the liquid. I would have to do some trial and error to make it work.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Oh, on your dehydrator(s), those have the flat trays dont they? Mine is an American Harvestor, round trays with an air flow channel through the middle and up the outter ring. If I used the parchment paper I would have to fashion it somehow, into a donut shape to make it hold the liquid. I would have to do some trial and error to make it work.


Dave,
On my last failed attempt to dehydrate with my ancient Ronco, which is also round, I tried wax paper which is almost like parchment paper and the same width. Parchment paper will take a higher heat. It wasn't wide enough to cut a proper circle and then cut a hole in the middle. I laid one of my trays on the paper, traced around it and then cut it out. I had to do this twice and then overlap the two pieces.

I got my new American Harvester last week and I'm scared to try anything, especially after my last attempts with that Ronco. It came with one fine mesh screen and one fruit leather tray and I ordered 3 more fruit leather trays. I guess I should have also ordered 3 more fine screens.


----------



## Emerald

LilRedHen said:


> Dave,
> On my last failed attempt to dehydrate with my ancient Ronco, which is also round, I tried wax paper which is almost like parchment paper and the same width. Parchment paper will take a higher heat. It wasn't wide enough to cut a proper circle and then cut a hole in the middle. I laid one of my trays on the paper, traced around it and then cut it out. I had to do this twice and then overlap the two pieces.
> 
> I got my new American Harvester last week and I'm scared to try anything, especially after my last attempts with that Ronco. It came with one fine mesh screen and one fruit leather tray and I ordered 3 more fruit leather trays. I guess I should have also ordered 3 more fine screens.


I buy the plastic mesh in the craft section and just trimmed the edges and cut a hole in the middle and they fit in my AH(my first one says Harvest Maid but the other two are American Harvester all are made by the same company) I got the clear mesh at Hobby Lobby it was 3 sheets for about $1.25 they do not go all the way to the edge on one side but it works fine for me.
but the fruit leather trays I bought right at the store(walmart) got them on sale and even bought more than I have trays for (just in case) the ones that came with the machine are a bit flimsy(my machine if old) but the new ones I bought are very thick and sturdy and I often dehydrate leftover spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce crispy dry and powder it for sprinkling on popcorn or for adding back to soup or even other dishes as a flavor boost.. but keep it dry.. I had some in a small jar and I don't know if it was me or someone else but he lid didn't get put back on tight and it kinda turned into a hard clump on the bottom.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Dave,
> On my last failed attempt to dehydrate with my ancient Ronco, which is also round, I tried wax paper which is almost like parchment paper and the same width. Parchment paper will take a higher heat. It wasn't wide enough to cut a proper circle and then cut a hole in the middle. I laid one of my trays on the paper, traced around it and then cut it out. I had to do this twice and then overlap the two pieces.
> 
> I got my new American Harvester last week and I'm scared to try anything, especially after my last attempts with that Ronco. It came with one fine mesh screen and one fruit leather tray and I ordered 3 more fruit leather trays. I guess I should have also ordered 3 more fine screens.


I've been meaning to ask you if you got it in yet, what do you think?

I will eventually get around to trying the parchment paper. probably when the garden lets up a little. I will post the results.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Ms. Nelda, you should know better than to ask me if I have tried dehydrating something. Of course I have and it comes out pretty good too.
> 
> It CAN be a pain in the butt or if you do it my its only a pain in the neck. I dehydrate Cheddar, fat free is easiest, less fat to deal with.
> 
> First grate the cheese
> 
> Spread it on fruit leather trays(to catch the fat) or I guess parchment paper would work also. Dont make the layer to thick.
> 
> Put it in the dehydrator and dry it at a medium low heat. Dont let the temp get hot enough to melt it or the process becomes a pain in the BUTT.
> 
> When it is dry, put it on a paper towel and allow the paper to soak up any fat that may be on the dry cheese.
> 
> Vacuum pack it and put it on the shelf.
> 
> Regular Cheddar tastes better but the fat free dries and rehydrates better.
> 
> Any more questions, Ms Nelda???????
> 
> On the time for the reporting thing? Look at the time stamp on this post....am going to have to get up soon and pick spinach.


You know what happens when you burn the candle at both ends!! I'm going to give that cheese a try. Just got all of our hoses set up and sprinklers set in the garden spot......ok, I'm ready for some warm weather!


----------



## timmie

brown sugar,oyster crackers,chex mix and meal:2thumb:


----------



## LilRedHen

timmie said:


> brown sugar,oyster crackers,chex mix and meal:2thumb:


Are you vaccum sealing? In bags or jars? I've borrowed an old vaccum sealer and have the mason jar sealers for it, but I haven't tried it yet.


----------



## timmie

actually i'm using somehalf gallon jars that i had.


----------



## Hottooth

Today we are dehydrating chives and basil. The house smells wonderful with the basil. :wave:


----------



## Davarm

I was wondering about the bag or jar thing, crackers in bags, at least you would not have to crunch them up when you put them in your soup.

On the brown sugar, is that in jars or bags?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> You know what happens when you burn the candle at both ends!! I'm going to give that cheese a try. Just got all of our hoses set up and sprinklers set in the garden spot......ok, I'm ready for some warm weather!


Are you asking Me for some warm weather? :dunno:

I remember what happened when I asked you for some rain. Just remember that we have had temps over 100 degrees already! 

Hope you get the warm ones so you can get the garden going.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight, gonna be 5 grocery bags full of spinach. I have 2 plots, one that is split down the middle(so it is really 2) and a nother one of about equal size.

Only got one side of the split plot picked and got the 5 grocery bags. I still have 2/3 of the stuff left to pick tomorrow. I'm just about ready for this "Spring" stuff to be over.


----------



## neldarez

I have 28 eggs in the dryer......I'm sure there must be a secret to this that I don't know........how the heck do you make liquid spread...geesh, I put all 28 in 1 dryer, that is 9 trays.....seems like they are too thick. This can be frustrating.......oh well, at least I have eggs, power and dryers! I'm blessed. My new chickens are giving me about 10 eggs a day now.........what nice girls


----------



## LilRedHen

timmie said:


> actually i'm using somehalf gallon jars that i had.


Are you vaccum sealing them?


----------



## timmie

yes i am. a lot of what i am doing is sort of experiments. a friend tried some of these but i i have to see for myself.she had tried the oyster crackers and some fritos.she said they were just as good 4 months later as they were the day she did them i am going to check mine around christmas.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> yes i am. a lot of what i am doing is sort of experiments. a friend tried some of these but i i have to see for myself.she had tried the oyster crackers and some fritos.she said they were just as good 4 months later as they were the day she did them i am going to check mine around christmas.


timmie, I do a lot of experiments also, some not though through very well.

Try filling a mason jar with marshmallows and and vacuum sealing it.


----------



## Listmaker

*Oranges*

Just got finished with 25 pounds of candied oranges. We love these things and even keep a jar in the car to snack on while we're running errands or stuck in traffic.

I'd love to try eggs since we're getting 15 a day, but I'm such a coward about eggs.


----------



## timmie

did you buy the candy oranges or make them yourself?


----------



## Davarm

Listmaker said:


> I'd love to try eggs since we're getting 15 a day, but I'm such a coward about eggs.


Cant be afraid of the wind Ms. Listmaker.....seriously, if you take a few precautions you can dehydrate them without much concern.

Would you care to guess how many dehydrated eggs will fit into a 5 gallon bucket(I hope not, I lost count at about 5 gross)? I do a lot of them, Ms. Nelda does quite a few and there are several others here that dry them also.


----------



## neldarez

timmie said:


> did you buy the candy oranges or make them yourself?


I'm also waiting for the answer to this one...Davarm candies orange peels!


----------



## Davarm

I am about to put another 5 grocery bags of spinach in to dry. I only got 1 of the remaining 2 plots picked today so that means tomorrow it will be spinach also.

The chard really needs picking, I shudder to think how many pounds are going to be in that batch.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I'm also waiting for the answer to this one...Davarm candies orange peels!


Yes, I do, and like Ms Listmaker, we love them. They are similar to the Orange Gumdrops, the only difference is that Candied Orange Peels are GOOD.

25 pounds? Thats a big batch even by my standards.


----------



## LilRedHen

Listmaker said:


> Just got finished with 25 pounds of candied oranges. We love these things and even keep a jar in the car to snack on while we're running errands or stuck in traffic.
> 
> I'd love to try eggs since we're getting 15 a day, but I'm such a coward about eggs.


I just got a new dehyrdator. Could you please tell me how you candy oranges. I love oranges!!! AND CANDY:2thumb:


----------



## jazygirl

LilRedHen said:


> I just got a new dehyrdator. Could you please tell me how you candy oranges. I love oranges!!! AND CANDY:2thumb:


I just got my very first Nesco dehyrdator! I'm super excited after reading this thread I can't wait to start.


----------



## Davarm

I got my first Nesco dehydrator(last year) and I am ready for a break from it!

I have 6 more grocery bags full of spinach to dry tonight, along with 15 pounds of strawberries to make preserves out of(tonight).

I hope you guys have fun, do some experimenting....Remember if you cant dehydrae it, you probably dont need it anyway.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I just got a new dehyrdator. Could you please tell me how you candy oranges. I love oranges!!! AND CANDY:2thumb:


I have posted the directions somewhere, be danged if I can find them right off the bat though. I need to get some strawberry preserves going or I will be up til dawn. I promise that I will look it up and post the link, it may be in the morning or sometimes tomorrow though.

Ms. Listmaker makes candied orange peels, Hello, u there?


----------



## Listmaker

*Oranges*

I actually do the whole orange, not just the peel. It takes quite a while to do, but the end result is worth it.

I wash the oranges and then slice them very thin in rings, peel and all. Dehydrate for about 4-5 hours on a medium heat setting.

The candying part is next. Mix 2 cups of sugar to one cup water. I usually have to double this to get enough syrup. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Put orange slices in the pot and leave them there for a couple of hours, stirring to make sure they're all coated.

Take out with slotted spoon and let the syrup drain off as much a possible. Put them back on the dryer trays and dry again. It takes a long time to get them dry with the syrup on them. Some people repeat this sugaring process several times to really get a thick coating on the fruit. I usually only do it once since I get the right amount of sugar coating that our family likes.

When they are dry to your liking, let them cool completely and store them, using your favorite method. I use big jars and the vacuum attachment on my Foodsaver.

These don't last long around here so I'm not sure what the long term shelf life is!


----------



## Tank_Girl

Listmaker said:


> I actually do the whole orange, not just the peel. It takes quite a while to do, but the end result is worth it.
> 
> I wash the oranges and then slice them very thin in rings, peel and all. Dehydrate for about 4-5 hours on a medium heat setting.
> 
> The candying part is next. Mix 2 cups of sugar to one cup water. I usually have to double this to get enough syrup. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Put orange slices in the pot and leave them there for a couple of hours, stirring to make sure they're all coated.
> 
> Take out with slotted spoon and let the syrup drain off as much a possible. Put them back on the dryer trays and dry again. It takes a long time to get them dry with the syrup on them. Some people repeat this sugaring process several times to really get a thick coating on the fruit. I usually only do it once since I get the right amount of sugar coating that our family likes.
> 
> When they are dry to your liking, let them cool completely and store them, using your favorite method. I use big jars and the vacuum attachment on my Foodsaver.
> 
> These don't last long around here so I'm not sure what the long term shelf life is!


If you were to dip those candied oranges into dark chocolate they would be awesome.


----------



## jazygirl

Hi all, so there is a big sale on bananas at my local grocery store. Is there a trick to dehyrating them? How do I keep them from turning brown?


----------



## Davarm

jazygirl said:


> Hi all, so there is a big sale on bananas at my local grocery store. Is there a trick to dehyrating them? How do I keep them from turning brown?


I usually dont have a problem with mine turning brown. If you catch them at the right stage of ripness(before the peel starts to spot with brown) they usually dont turn when drying.

Sometimes, for me anyway, its like walking a tightrope deciding when to slice them and put them in the dehydrator. Too soon and they are not as sweet as they could be, too long and you get the "Browning".

The browning does not affect the taste or overall quality but its not very ascetically pleasing.

I get quite a few stares when I go into the store and fill my cart with 50 or 60 pounds of bananas, If anyone asks I just tell them "my daughters are making banana bread" and I let them chew on that a while.


----------



## timmie

found a store that has kellogg and post cereal for 99cents a box and oyster crackers 2 for 1.00 going to get all i can and slap them in some mason jars. and see what else they have. actually i'm only going to get what i know my family will eat.


----------



## pixieduster

Davarm said:


> I usually dont have a problem with mine turning brown. If you catch them at the right stage of ripness(before the peel starts to spot with brown) they usually dont turn when drying.
> 
> Sometimes, for me anyway, its like walking a tightrope deciding when to slice them and put them in the dehydrator. Too soon and they are not as sweet as they could be, too long and you get the "Browning".
> 
> The browning does not affect the taste or overall quality but its not very ascetically pleasing.
> 
> I get quite a few stares when I go into the store and fill my cart with 50 or 60 pounds of bananas, If anyone asks I just tell them "my daughters are making banana bread" and I let them chew on that a while.


Being one of six kids, my Mom would say she had six monkeys. Walking out with a case or two. They stopped asking.


----------



## Davarm

pixieduster said:


> Being one of six kids, my Mom would say she had six monkeys. Walking out with a case or two. They stopped asking.


I'll remember that one, with my luck though, the person asking would actually raise monkeys and put me on the spot.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I just got a new dehyrdator. Could you please tell me how you candy oranges. I love oranges!!! AND CANDY:2thumb:


Well Ms LilRedHen, For the life of me I cant find the posts I made on how "I" candy orange peels. I know it was not a "Senior Moment(I'm only 52)", about the post that is. I checked my photo's and I do have the pictures that I attached to the post so I doubt that I was dreaming either.

Here's how I do it.

I quarter the oranges and remove fruit from the peels.

Boil the peels until they are tender.

Pour the peels into a colander and allow to completely drain.

Put the peels back into the pan and completely cover them with sugar.

The sugar will draw the moisture out of the peels and when the peels appear to be swimming in liquid, turn the heat on, bring to a boil then let them sit overnight.

Sometimes just packing the peels in sugar and allowing them to sit over night will be sufficient to infuse the sugar into the peels, your choice on which to do.

Pour the peels back into the colander and allow them to completely drain.

Coat the peels in sugar and put them in the dehydrator at a med low temp and dehydrate until they are as dry as you want them.

This is a little different and has more steps than Ms. Listmakers but you can try them both ways and see which way you like best. The next time I get oranges I am going to try it her way and see how it comes out.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Well Ms LilRedHen, For the life of me I cant find the posts I made on how "I" candy orange peels. I know it was not a "Senior Moment(I'm only 52)", about the post that is. I checked my photo's and I do have the pictures that I attached to the post so I doubt that I was dreaming either.
> 
> Here's how I do it.
> 
> I quarter the oranges and remove fruit from the peels.
> 
> Boil the peels until they are tender.
> 
> Pour the peels into a colander and allow to completely drain.
> 
> Put the peels back into the pan and completely cover them with sugar.
> 
> The sugar will draw the moisture out of the peels and when the peels appear to be swimming in liquid, turn the heat on, bring to a boil then let them sit overnight.
> 
> Sometimes just packing the peels in sugar and allowing them to sit over night will be sufficient to infuse the sugar into the peels, your choice on which to do.
> 
> Pour the peels back into the colander and allow them to completely drain.
> 
> Coat the peels in sugar and put them in the dehydrator at a med low temp and dehydrate until they are as dry as you want them.
> 
> This is a little different and has more steps than Ms. Listmakers but you can try them both ways and see which way you like best. The next time I get oranges I am going to try it her way and see how it comes out.


Hey Dave.....you explained to me how to dry them on 4/8/12. On this thread, you have to look under candied orange to find it....I printed it out and studied it incase there was going to be a test later! lol... No wonder you have so darn much energy and work all the time, you're just a baby!


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Hey Dave.....you explained to me how to dry them on 4/8/12. On this thread, you have to look under candied orange to find it....I printed it out and studied it incase there was going to be a test later! lol... No wonder you have so darn much energy and work all the time, you're just a baby!


I did a search of just about every combination of Candied/Candy/Orange/Oranges and didn't find it. Guess It may have been a Senior Moment(early maybe). I will go look at it and see if I can find it with a date.

Well, I'll be a %*&*(^%, I dont know how I missed it, I guess I really do need to get some more rest. These late nights and early mornings for the DD's and not me! Yea, right, they dont function without the 8 hours of HARD sleep. Usually they are in bed when I sack out and in bed when I get up(they are NOT lazy though).

Use the 4/8/12 directions, I copied them from my notebook and posted those above from my head. I guess I showed how thats been functioning lately.


----------



## LilRedHen

*Dehydrating temps?*



neldarez said:


> I printed it out and studied it incase there was going to be a test later!


Last night I started going through this thread and copying & pasting into Word the instructions for dehydrating different things and will print them out this weekend. There are lots of good ideas but I need temperatures. I have looked at a lot of posts and googled other sites. So far on this thread, I have found only one temperature. I really don't want to ruin any more food than I already have with my old Ronco, and even the lowest veggie temp on my new dehydrator may have case hardened the first batch of green peas that I tried.

It would help in the instructions if folks would give temperatures, please.

I thought I didn't sleep well, but I don't think Davearm sleeps at all!


----------



## jazygirl

So I took my bananas and cut them up and attempted to dry them. But when I would check on them I would snack on one or two and three of my dogs love them, so we all snacked. So my first attempted failed because of me...lol


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Last night I started going through this thread and copying & pasting into Word the instructions for dehydrating different things and will print them out this weekend. There are lots of good ideas but I need temperatures. I have looked at a lot of posts and googled other sites. So far on this thread, I have found only one temperature. I really don't want to ruin any more food than I already have with my old Ronco, and even the lowest veggie temp on my new dehydrator may have case hardened the first batch of green peas that I tried.
> 
> It would help in the instructions if folks would give temperatures, please.
> 
> I thought I didn't sleep well, but I don't think Davearm sleeps at all!


Ms Hen, 115 to 120 should be a good starting point for the orange peels, If you are in doubt about a food, start at a low temp, if they dont seem to be making any progress after about an hour, up the temp about 5 degrees. If you are ever in doubt, go low, you can always up the temp but the revers is a little harder to do.

You will quickly develop your own sense of which is the right temp for the food you are drying. Until you do, you can always post the question.

I sense a little reservation in your post.....dont be afraid, have a little fun. If you are afraid of ruining a batch of food, start with a small amount on one tray, treat it like a game with the prize being a pantry full of good dehydrated foods.:congrat:

Oh, BTW, sleep, whats that? OOOOH, I think I remember.....no, maybe not....


----------



## Davarm

NOTHING

:congrat:


----------



## mdprepper

Davarm said:


> NOTHING
> 
> :congrat:


I hope that means you are resting and taking care of yourself!!


----------



## jazygirl

I need some help/advise.
Why are my bananas sticking to my tray? Are they too thin? Are they not done?
Please help


----------



## lilmissy0740

I am to lazy to look through all these threads, plus I gotta lock up the chickens in about 15 mins . If this question has been asked, sorry. 
Has anyone dehydrated lemon balm? If so, what all do you use it for and how.
TIA


----------



## Davarm

lilmissy0740 said:


> I am to lazy to look through all these threads, plus I gotta lock up the chickens in about 15 mins . If this question has been asked, sorry.
> Has anyone dehydrated lemon balm? If so, what all do you use it for and how.
> TIA


I've never had enough of it to do a lot of experimenting, that is changing this year though.

It makes good tea and lemon chicken and it does dehydrate very well.


----------



## Davarm

It's going to be an easy night tonight!

Picked the first round from this years Sweet Basil Patch(3ft X 30ft), The houseis going to smell good tonight. I will wind up getting about 1/2 gallon when it is all dried and sifted.

Am going to finish out the load with zucchini.


----------



## timmie

brown sugar,cereal and spit peas.


----------



## neldarez

Dried another 2 dozen eggs last night, now that I have my own chickens I dried fresh eggs, beautiful orange color! An acquaintance called me today and said " I hear that you dry eggs, how do you do that?" I thought to myself, that sounds like me talking to Davarm!!! lol, what goes around comes around...


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Dried another 2 dozen eggs last night, now that I have my own chickens I dried fresh eggs, beautiful orange color! An acquaintance called me today and said " I hear that you dry eggs, how do you do that?" I thought to myself, that sounds like me talking to Davarm!!! lol, what goes around comes around...


I'm proud of you Ms Nelda, makes you feel real good doesn't it?   (don't want bugs between my teeth).


----------



## timmie

i have had a few jars that i vacuum sealed come unsealed. any body else having this trouble?


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> i have had a few jars that i vacuum sealed come unsealed. any body else having this trouble?


Do you put the bands on the jars? I have had a number of canned jars of food loose the lids when moving them or putting them into boxes for storage. If the edge of the lid catches on something when it is being moved, it could "POP" off.

Most people remove the bands from sealed jars but most of the time, I leave them on to prevent this.

If you are sealing "Porus" foods with a "Food Saver" attachment, it is possible for air contained in the food itself to be drawn out and fill the sealing vacuum, loosening the lid. Also if you seal foods that are "cold", as it warms up the vacuum may be weakened allowing the seal to fail.


----------



## neldarez

I put the rings on my dried jars...I also heat my flat up just as if I was canning. I get a really good seal then. of course, I make sure it is totally dry when I put it on my jar


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I'm proud of you Ms Nelda, makes you feel real good doesn't it?   (don't want bugs between my teeth).


I'm proud of you Dave....just swallow them whole and then smile pretty :2thumb:


----------



## cybergranny

timmie said:


> i have had a few jars that i vacuum sealed come unsealed. any body else having this trouble?


Oh yeah. My friend just taught me a trick. Hold the lid by the rim and test the center by pushing. It should give a nice loud ping. A medium ping is ok for water bath and foodsaving. A "thuddy" ping or none at all is not, they will fail. I was experiencing seals failing in pressure canning and foodsaving. There are bad lids that appear to be fine. Sure enough I test each lid now before I use it. She even opens them in the store as she has had as many as half the box be bad. Amazing isn't it and those rascals are not cheap.


----------



## Davarm

I guess I can just call it dessert, huh? I will have to read up on Austins thread on insects harvesting.



neldarez said:


> I'm proud of you Dave....just swallow them whole and then smile pretty :2thumb:


----------



## Davarm

I dehydrated my first round of this years Zucchini last night, it still amazes me just how much of it is water. A before and after "weight check" me that it was 85%.


----------



## Davarm

Chard, lots of chard, lots and lots of chard, over 30 pounds of it and I'm only about half way finished(picking).

I have to get it before the grasshoppers do! If those critters were cattle, I'd be riich.


----------



## UncleJoe

Well...I can finally join this thread. The only things I dehydrate are what comes out of the garden or purchased fresh from local sources. 

STRAWBERRIES!!!

They're finally getting ripe at the "pick-your-own" farm. I used to have a patch but didn't keep it up very well.  So I went to the farm this morning and picked 15lbs; about 10qts. I'll be drying 2 batches a day for the next couple days. That is if we don't eat them too fast.


----------



## ReadyMom

Tomatoes! There's a local ethnic grocer that has them on sale for 33 cents/pound for Memorial Day. I'm on my 3 round of drying and still have about 6 tomatoes left to do. Then I'm going for some more!


----------



## Davarm

When I was staioned at Ft. Meade, we hit those "U Pick Em" strawberry places every spring, loved it.

What kind of prices are the charging now a days? Its been about 25 years since we hit those places.



UncleJoe said:


> Well...I can finally join this thread. The only things I dehydrate are what comes out of the garden or purchased fresh from local sources.
> 
> STRAWBERRIES!!!
> 
> They're finally getting ripe at the "pick-your-own" farm. I used to have a patch but didn't keep it up very well.  So I went to the farm this morning and picked 15lbs; about 10qts. I'll be drying 2 batches a day for the next couple days. That is if we don't eat them too fast.


Tonight(or this morning?) for me its Mustard Greens, Zucchini and Green Beans. All my greens are going to be playing out soon, its turning into a race with the grasshoppers and eventually I always loose on that game.


----------



## UncleJoe

Davarm said:


> we hit those "U Pick Em" strawberry places every spring, loved it.
> 
> What kind of prices are the charging now a days? Its been about 25 years since we hit those places.


It worked out to about $1.50lb. About 1/3 the price of buying by the qt. already picked.

I'm a bit disappointed in myself.  I went to bed last night and forgot to take them out and start a new batch. Now I have these thin little wafers that are on the verge of being crispy. There still good but I prefer them to be a bit more pliable.


----------



## *Andi

Kale chips here ... In the next few days it will be calendula, mine are just starting to bloom. (my first :woohoo: )


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I dehydrated my first round of this years Zucchini last night, it still amazes me just how much of it is water. A before and after "weight check" me that it was 85%.


Another question....when you dried the chili did you then vac. pack in jars? I'm just wanting to know if I could put them in zip lock bags? I ate some tonight that I had dried and it was just fine. It was my 1st chili making experience and I've sure eaten better! I need to get a good recipe and then I'm in business. Just wondered about the packaging....thanks in advance


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Another question....when you dried the chili did you then vac. pack in jars? I'm just wanting to know if I could put them in zip lock bags? I ate some tonight that I had dried and it was just fine. It was my 1st chili making experience and I've sure eaten better! I need to get a good recipe and then I'm in business. Just wondered about the packaging....thanks in advance


That was the original intent. I put it in 1/2 gallon jars and sat them on the shelf to seal when I got around to it but the levels kept dropping, seems that the DD's liked it and thought making it up was alot easier than fixing a real meal.

I just left it unsealed and it's almost all gone now.

Ziplock bags would be ok for short term but if you wanted to store it "Long Term", I'd vacuum seal it.


----------



## Davarm

If I get the last of the Mustard Greens finished up, it is going to be Green Beans for me tonight.

I picked about a 1/2 bushel thinking that it was going to storm tonight and that I wouldn't get back out in the garden for a day or 2. Looks like the storms will pass to the north but there is still a chance for some rain before tomorrow.


----------



## Davarm

Well, its almost 2:30(am) and I finally got those green beans into the dehydrators.....I have a feeling that before too long "Green Beans" are going to turn into a 4 letter word for me this year.

When I bring something in from the garden, I have made it a rule to take care of it the same day. That is about the only way I can make sure I dont get a backlog going for he dehydrating and let something sit too long and and chance spoiling.

I really think I need to get another dehydrator or maybe finish the one I started building last summer. Its 2 ft wide by 3 ft deep by 6 ft tall with slots for 20 shelves. I have the heater and blower in a box and only need to find a good non toxic paint/finish, put the door on it and buy the sheets for trays and I will be in business. Its one of those "when I get to it" things. If my Nesco goes on the fritz again, I'll probably get around to it fairly quickly.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Okay, I "cowboy'd up" and scrambled a dozen eggs, set the dehydrator on 115 and walked off for 2 hours. When I came back the eggs were still gummy in places so I moved them around and up'd the temp to 125 and walked off again. seven hours later they were still orange and runny in spots, now a lot of it was dried and flaky. After that long I got a lil worried and called it off.
Should I have stirred them during drying? AND I found out my counter top isn't level That's why it puddled to the sides, can't even trust my own carpenter work...
Is this uncommon?....Jack


----------



## NicoleG

I'm so excited ! I have used my dehydrator for the first time this weekend AND my vacuum sealer. I've set myself up in my upstairs kitchen (my main one is downstairs) and now I'm calling it my "plant". 

Sooooo I've dehydrated hash browns and have ground beef teriyaki in it right now. Although I'm finding I'm not very patient..I want to keep looking at it LOL.

I even thought about buying another one....with all the ideas from everyone hear, I'm inspired!

Nicole


----------



## jacv2

*Liver would be perfect when dehydrated. If you vacuum seal it, it should last a very long time, and take very little space in your cupboard, and none in your freezer. *


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Okay, I "cowboy'd up" and scrambled a dozen eggs, set the dehydrator on 115 and walked off for 2 hours. When I came back the eggs were still gummy in places so I moved them around and up'd the temp to 125 and walked off again. seven hours later they were still orange and runny in spots, now a lot of it was dried and flaky. After that long I got a lil worried and called it off.
> Should I have stirred them during drying? AND I found out my counter top isn't level That's why it puddled to the sides, can't even trust my own carpenter work...
> Is this uncommon?....Jack


Hey Jack, haven't seen anything from you in a while, was starting to wonder. With the eggs, you may need to regularly "stir" them during the drying process, also, how many eggs do you put in each tray, and what kind of dehydrator do you have? It will help to know for the troule shooting. You may just need to reduce the amount of egg per tray. It has taken me several years of experimenting but I have gotten it down to the point that I can dehydrate about 10 dozen per day so dont give up or get discouraged. It is likely just a matter of getting a procedure down and refining it.

I also discovered that my counter top is not level, I use cardboard shims to level the dehydrator so the egg will not pool in any location.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Davarm said:


> Hey Jack, haven't seen anything from you in a while, was starting to wonder. With the eggs, you may need to regularly "stir" them during the drying process, also, how many eggs do you put in each tray, and what kind of dehydrator do you have? It will help to know for the troule shooting. You may just need to reduce the amount of egg per tray. It has taken me several years of experimenting but I have gotten it down to the point that I can dehydrate about 10 dozen per day so dont give up or get discouraged. It is likely just a matter of getting a procedure down and refining it.
> 
> I also discovered that my counter top is not level, I use cardboard shims to level the dehydrator so the egg will not pool in any location.


I have a Nesco 5 layer dryer, and I scrambled about a dozen eggs, used the fruit roll trays and put all 12 on 2 and a half trays. I later thought I should have stirred them from time to time. I WILL try them again, eggs at Save-A-Lot are 88 cents a doz..woohoo

And yeah, working on the new property, building me a bigazz pantry..lol. Gotta have a place for the boy to run wild, so I dry on Sundays. I peek in at work...:beercheer:


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Okay, I "cowboy'd up" and scrambled a dozen eggs, set the dehydrator on 115 and walked off for 2 hours. When I came back the eggs were still gummy in places so I moved them around and up'd the temp to 125 and walked off again. seven hours later they were still orange and runny in spots, now a lot of it was dried and flaky. After that long I got a lil worried and called it off.
> Should I have stirred them during drying? AND I found out my counter top isn't level That's why it puddled to the sides, can't even trust my own carpenter work...
> Is this uncommon?....Jack


my parchment paper gets ridges in it because of the moisture from the eggs, well, in those valleys my eggs pool up and become much thicker also, I go in after about 2 hrs and used my spatula and spread out the thicker spots as best as I could. That took care of the problem for me...I only put about 2 -3 blended eggs per tray. I can dry 24-28 eggs in the one dryer with spreading them out occasionally. I think Davarm dries a whole lot more than that at 1 time but I sure don't know how he does it!!


----------



## UniqueOldGal

Today I dried a quart(half crushed to fit)of spearmint for the first time. We are space deprived with bad rock ground but lots of raised beds. I put spearmint in a large half wine barrel where it's easy to water right off our porch.Third year it's all filled in now and healthy! yay.

Gee I never thought of doing eggs in my Excaliber....didn't know how they'd taste. I'll have to research here for what you folks have said about their uses. We only have 3 hens but at three years old it's 3 eggs a day and too Much for two old folks dispite my freezing my egg-cheese pies! I like giving some away but am into learning All techniques of food storage so ,gee,I guess I'll give it a try.


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> I have a Nesco 5 layer dryer, and I scrambled about a dozen eggs, used the fruit roll trays and put all 12 on 2 and a half trays. I later thought I should have stirred them from time to time. I WILL try them again, eggs at Save-A-Lot are 88 cents a doz..woohoo
> 
> And yeah, working on the new property, building me a bigazz pantry..lol. Gotta have a place for the boy to run wild, so I dry on Sundays. I peek in at work...:beercheer:


I have a Nesco also, probably the same racks in both models. I only put 3(maaaybe 4 sometimes) eggs per tray and make sure the dehydrator is level so they dont pool at one side.

Try going 3 well beaten(very important) eggs per tray and stir them regularly. That should take care of the problem.

Give it a shot and post back how it comes out.


----------



## Davarm

jacv2 said:


> *Liver would be perfect when dehydrated. If you vacuum seal it, it should last a very long time, and take very little space in your cupboard, and none in your freezer. *


Liver WOULD last a very long time dehydrated, especially in this house.....no one would touch it.....

Give it a try and let us know how it comes out.


----------



## neldarez

NicoleG said:


> I'm so excited ! I have used my dehydrator for the first time this weekend AND my vacuum sealer. I've set myself up in my upstairs kitchen (my main one is downstairs) and now I'm calling it my "plant".
> 
> Sooooo I've dehydrated hash browns and have ground beef teriyaki in it right now. Although I'm finding I'm not very patient..I want to keep looking at it LOL.
> 
> I even thought about buying another one....with all the ideas from everyone hear, I'm inspired!
> 
> Nicole


You're contagious Nicole! lol.........Now you can join the Davarm fan club!:congrat:


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Thank you, Nedarez and Davarm! Those 9 hour raw eggs had me a itty bitty worried...

Two to three eggs per tray and stir often, easy ~ kinda like eating lettuce...ain't nothing to it. 

Thanx, I WILL try it again...OR More hash browns and onions :2thumb:
Jack


----------



## UncleJoe

NicoleG said:


> I even thought about buying another one....


We have 3.  When the peaches and pears come in, they're all running.


----------



## Davarm

I have 3 old "Oster" dehydrators and my new Nesco(with 30 trays), for the last 4 days they have all been running almost continuously.

Tonight is going to be an early, easy night....Dill and Chamomile - gonna be an interesting aroma in the house tonight. 

Jack, the secret to working with eggs is small batches, low heat and a lot of stirring - Have Fun!


----------



## Davarm

Tonight, gonna be about 15 pounds of zucchini, about 10 pounds of green beans and a bag of dill flowers. 

As much as it heats up the house(got up 99 again today), I still am going to dehydrate the Dill inside tonight. Love that smell drifting through....


----------



## Davarm

Ah come on people, I cant be the only one doing any dehydrating!! Gardens have to be coming in down here in the southern part of the U.S., you guys eating all that produce?

Tonight it is Beet Greens, Turnips, Basil and Dill. Got all the dehydrators going tonight(or this morning).


----------



## cybergranny

Just picked our first Romaine lettuce. Most of the garden isn't even planted here yet.


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> Ah come on people, I cant be the only one doing any dehydrating!!


No garden harvest to dehydrate yet, but I got some Ore Ida hash browns on a big sale and those are in the dehydrator.  I do have some oregano that overwintered really well and I need to trim them up and get them dried - parsley, too. Although with the coming heat this week, I may try to figure out some place other than the dehydrator for the herbs...


----------



## Davarm

cybergranny said:


> Just picked our first Romaine lettuce. Most of the garden isn't even planted here yet.


I keep forgetting that some of you guys up north still haven't gotten into full swing even though we are already having 100+ degree days. We started eating romaie in march and I tilled under the plot and replanted it in peppers a couple weeks ago.



goshengirl said:


> I may try to figure out some place other than the dehydrator for the herbs...


My front porch is covered and runs the entire length of the house, I tie herbs in bundles and hang them from the woodwork, That frees up the dehydrator up for other things.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

goshengirl said:


> ... but I got some Ore Ida hash browns on a big sale and those are in the dehydrator.


 A sister from another mother! Ore Ida's are oreright-a  Sorry I just had to type that.

Okay I pulled on my big boy pants and attacked the raw eggs again. Thank you neldarex and Davarm again...I put two beaten eggs per fruit roll up tray and stirred them like every hour, after about 3 hours at 115 degrees and they were done :congrat:
More eggs tonight, PLUS I found two old onions that need my special attention..hehehe
Jack


----------



## NicoleG

JackDanielGarrett said:


> A sister from another mother! Ore Ida's are oreright-a  Sorry I just had to type that.
> 
> Okay I pulled on my big boy pants and attacked the raw eggs again. Thank you neldarex and Davarm again...I put two beaten eggs per fruit roll up tray and stirred them like every hour, after about 3 hours at 115 degrees and they were done :congrat:
> More eggs tonight, PLUS I found two old onions that need my special attention..hehehe
> Jack


I'm afraid to do eggs (you hear so many things) but if Davarm says you can, then I'm doing it.

Question: only 2 eggs per leather tray?? ...then what do you do after the approx 3 hour dry time? vacuum pack? freeze? My thoughts are that I want to shelf as many things as possible (to rotate of course). Freezing is my last option because I want to be prepared for extreme power outages.

I have to say that this site has been exceptional in its advice and wonderful people. I have been on others and there are always conflicting stores...I trust this site and the people who post.

Thanks in advance..Nicole


----------



## Davarm

:congrat::congrat::congrat:

Now you are a pro.....If you can dehydrate eggs, you can dehydrate anything. Eggs are, IMO, one of the most valuable foods to have in your stores.



JackDanielGarrett said:


> A sister from another mother! Ore Ida's are oreright-a  Sorry I just had to type that.
> 
> Okay I pulled on my big boy pants and attacked the raw eggs again. Thank you neldarex and Davarm again...I put two beaten eggs per fruit roll up tray and stirred them like every hour, after about 3 hours at 115 degrees and they were done :congrat:
> More eggs tonight, PLUS I found two old onions that need my special attention..hehehe
> Jack


----------



## Davarm

I'm going Italian tonight, have zucchini and basil to dehydrate. Its going to be an early night and I'm gonna get some sleep....I think thats what you call it when you close your eyes and loose track of time....maybe not...I dunno.....


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I'm going Italian tonight, have zucchini and basil to dehydrate. Its going to be an early night and I'm gonna get some sleep....I think thats what you call it when you close your eyes and loose track of time....maybe not...I dunno.....


try it you'll like it!!:ignore:


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> try it you'll like it!!:ignore:


I did and I do!(there go those bugs again)


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> I'm going Italian tonight, have zucchini and basil to dehydrate. Its going to be an early night and I'm gonna get some sleep....I think thats what you call it when you close your eyes and loose track of time....maybe not...I dunno.....


LOL. I think that is what they call it.


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> A sister from another mother! Ore Ida's are oreright-a  Sorry I just had to type that.
> 
> Okay I pulled on my big boy pants and attacked the raw eggs again. Thank you neldarex and Davarm again...I put two beaten eggs per fruit roll up tray and stirred them like every hour, after about 3 hours at 115 degrees and they were done :congrat:
> More eggs tonight, PLUS I found two old onions that need my special attention..hehehe
> Jack


:2thumb: good job Jack! I've got 2 doz. in dryer right now, I really want to do the hashbrowns, someone on here suggested I do the ones that say texas style which are just little cubed taters, is that what you do or do you do the shredded ones?


----------



## neldarez

NicoleG said:


> I'm afraid to do eggs (you hear so many things) but if Davarm says you can, then I'm doing it.
> 
> Question: only 2 eggs per leather tray?? ...then what do you do after the approx 3 hour dry time? vacuum pack? freeze? My thoughts are that I want to shelf as many things as possible (to rotate of course). Freezing is my last option because I want to be prepared for extreme power outages.
> 
> I have to say that this site has been exceptional in its advice and wonderful people. I have been on others and there are always conflicting stores...I trust this site and the people who post.
> 
> Thanks in advance..Nicole


Nicole, I just thought that 2 blended eggs maybe 3 is what I fit on my trays. Then I check in 1-2 hours and smooth out the deeper pockets so they will dry. I then put 1 cup of egg per bag and vac. pack. Hope that helped.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

neldarez said:


> :2thumb: good job Jack! I've got 2 doz. in dryer right now, I really want to do the hashbrowns, someone on here suggested I do the ones that say texas style which are just little cubed taters, is that what you do or do you do the shredded ones?


Neldarez, I use the frozen shredded ones, the cost is $1.99 for a bag and I don't recall the weight. Cubed ones work just fine. As a matter of fact, you can cut the ends off of the potato and slice the main part, leaving the ends to cube. This gives you dried slices for a casserole and hydrate with the milk you use.

Few weeks back I bought a bag of frozen "seasoning' veggies, my cajun neighbors call it the Trinity...Onion, Bell Pepper and Celery. It was about #3.19 a bag..BUT it was skinned and chopped in nice pieces. I dried that and it made me think. Dehydrated eggs, the seasoning veggies, shrooms and some of Davarm's dried cheese in a zip lock bag. You know, add water and bring it back, place the bag in boiling water for 16 minutes and have an omlet. I know I think toooo much..

Jack


----------



## UncleJoe

OK you guys got the bug back in me. We're getting 8-9 eggs a day now so I guess it's time to start drying some. I did it a couple years ago on GypseSue's recommendation and left them on WAY too long. They had a burnt taste to them. Time to try again.


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Neldarez, I use the frozen shredded ones, the cost is $1.99 for a bag and I don't recall the weight. Cubed ones work just fine. As a matter of fact, you can cut the ends off of the potato and slice the main part, leaving the ends to cube. This gives you dried slices for a casserole and hydrate with the milk you use.
> 
> Few weeks back I bought a bag of frozen "seasoning' veggies, my cajun neighbors call it the Trinity...Onion, Bell Pepper and Celery. It was about #3.19 a bag..BUT it was skinned and chopped in nice pieces. I dried that and it made me think. Dehydrated eggs, the seasoning veggies, shrooms and some of Davarm's dried cheese in a zip lock bag. You know, add water and bring it back, place the bag in boiling water for 16 minutes and have an omlet. I know I think toooo much..
> 
> Jack


When's the last time someone told you that you were brilliant!:2thumb: I never even thought of putting stuff in ziplock and boiling it......how smart is that:beercheer: ( pretend that is pepsi in the glasses!)


----------



## neldarez

neldarez said:


> When's the last time someone told you that you were brilliant!:2thumb: I never even thought of putting stuff in ziplock and boiling it......how smart is that:beercheer: ( pretend that is pepsi in the glasses!)


now I have to look up Daves dried cheese.....I must have missed that.


----------



## goshengirl

Neldarez, you can do either. I tend to like the little cube taters better, but it's just personal preference. Either way, in this house they're going to end up like au gratin potatoes. One of these days I'll actually rehydrate and fry like real hashbrowns... (but until then, the other stuff is pretty good).


----------



## Davarm

I'm taking the night off from dehydrating and canning, but, tomorrow its going to be a busy one. Green Beans need picking, picked a 3 gallon bucket full of plums that I'm going to make preserves from, may have to can tomatoes tomorrow, have to make pickles........ Decided to get to bed early tonight and start on it all in the morning.



neldarez said:


> now I have to look up Daves dried cheese.....I must have missed that.


Evening Ms Nelda, I knew someone was talking about me so I tracked "yall" down.....

I looked it up for you

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/cheese-8370/

I have changed the temp since I made that post, the cheese seems to melt less(imagine that) at 115 to 120. It really is a PITA(Pain In The A...Not those peeps who dont eat animals) when the stuff melts and runs together so I decided to run it at a lower temp.




JackDanielGarrett said:


> Dehydrated eggs, the seasoning veggies, shrooms and some of Davarm's dried cheese in a zip lock bag.


Now Jack, you are going to teach me something. You can cook in Zip Lock Bags? If you can, you are going to turn me into a very dangerous person! I will have to spend my prep budget on zip locks.


----------



## LilRedHen

I dehydrated some frozen green peas and tried to have some for supper tonight. I measured out 1/2 of the amount of peas I wanted to finish up with, put them in boiling water and cooked on the stove for an hour at medium heat. I did not put salt in them until almost the end. Part of the peas did fine, but others are still swiveled and chewey. What did I do wrong?


----------



## mdprepper

timmie said:


> brown sugar,cereal and spit peas.


Brown sugar? I have not heard of that one before.


----------



## UncleJoe

Did some eggs today; about 16 spread out on 4 tray's. Came out real nice and the whole batch fit in a pint jar. 

But now I have a question. How do you know how much water to use when the time comes?


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I dehydrated some frozen green peas and tried to have some for supper tonight. I measured out 1/2 of the amount of peas I wanted to finish up with, put them in boiling water and cooked on the stove for an hour at medium heat. I did not put salt in them until almost the end. Part of the peas did fine, but others are still swiveled and chewey. What did I do wrong?


Ms. LilRedHen, I have never done frozen green peas, I have to go to town tomorrow and I will get several bags and dehydrate/cook them and see what I come up with. What temp did you dry them at and for about how long - I want to do it as close to how you did it as I can get.

Is that OK with ya? I have no idea why some would cook up and some would not, especially being cooked for an hour. I will get back with you when I get it all done.

I am very curious about that one!


----------



## timmie

we have sugar ants so bad here that we almost have to vacuum seal things like brown sugar. the ants get into the original package.


----------



## mdprepper

timmie said:


> we have sugar ants so bad here that we almost have to vacuum seal things like brown sugar. the ants get into the original package.


Ah, that makes sense. I feel your pain, I am battling ants again this year! Hate those little critters.:gaah:


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Ms. LilRedHen, I have never done frozen green peas, I have to go to town tomorrow and I will get several bags and dehydrate/cook them and see what I come up with. What temp did you dry them at and for about how long - I want to do it as close to how you did it as I can get.
> 
> Is that OK with ya? I have no idea why some would cook up and some would not, especially being cooked for an hour. I will get back with you when I get it all done.
> 
> I am very curious about that one!


Fine with me, but I hate for you to spend money for something that you don't usually use. I love green peas and have never had any luck growing them in the garden. The canned ones are getting more expensive by the day, so I thought my money would be better spent to buy frozen and dehydrate. I used a 2 lb bag from Wally World, their Great Value brand, divided into two trays. The temp was 120 degrees and it took 9 hours before they seemed dry enough.


----------



## neldarez

UncleJoe said:


> Did some eggs today; about 16 spread out on 4 tray's. Came out real nice and the whole batch fit in a pint jar.
> 
> But now I have a question. How do you know how much water to use when the time comes?


I looked it up online and received a couple different answers, I've now mixed them 2 xs using the 1 tbs. egg to 2 tbs. water and it worked great for me.


----------



## neldarez

LilRedHen said:


> Fine with me, but I hate for you to spend money for something that you don't usually use. I love green peas and have never had any luck growing them in the garden. The canned ones are getting more expensive by the day, so I thought my money would be better spent to buy frozen and dehydrate. I used a 2 lb bag from Wally World, their Great Value brand, divided into two trays. The temp was 120 degrees and it took 9 hours before they seemed dry enough.


I haven't done peas by themselves, but I've done several bags of mixed veggies with peas. I dried them at 125 overnight. I throw the mix into things and sometimes a pea or a piece of corn isn't done and all the rest are....I don't know why that happens, I don't boil them, I just throw them into a casserole I'm cooking.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Fine with me, but I hate for you to spend money for something that you don't usually use. I love green peas and have never had any luck growing them in the garden. The canned ones are getting more expensive by the day, so I thought my money would be better spent to buy frozen and dehydrate. I used a 2 lb bag from Wally World, their Great Value brand, divided into two trays. The temp was 120 degrees and it took 9 hours before they seemed dry enough.


Thats noooo problem, the youngest DD works at Wally's, I will have her get a couple bags with her store discount tomorrow and try it out. I looked in the freezer to see if we had any but none were there. The grandson really likes them as finger food so its not like we wouldnt have eventually gotten more pretty soon anyway.

Are you having fun with that new dehydrator?


----------



## NicoleG

New dehydrator lady here...I love this thing. It's been running almost constantly since I bought it last week. Just bagged a bunch of frozen veggies. I'm amazed that that great big bag reduced to a few little bags....

Question: I've put them in baggies (unsealed) and plan to vacuum pack them to store on a shelf.....how long do you think they will last?? I think that it should be quite a while, since the moisture and oxygen have been removed....thoughts??


----------



## NicoleG

Thanks so much Nelda.

I'm going to try it exactly that way...after you've vacuum packed it, can you shelf it?



neldarez said:


> Nicole, I just thought that 2 blended eggs maybe 3 is what I fit on my trays. Then I check in 1-2 hours and smooth out the deeper pockets so they will dry. I then put 1 cup of egg per bag and vac. pack. Hope that helped.


----------



## NicoleG

Davarm said:


> I have 3 old "Oster" dehydrators and my new Nesco(with 30 trays), for the last 4 days they have all been running almost continuously.
> 
> Tonight is going to be an early, easy night....Dill and Chamomile - gonna be an interesting aroma in the house tonight.
> 
> Jack, the secret to working with eggs is small batches, low heat and a lot of stirring - Have Fun!


Can I be president of the fan club?? LOL. 30 trays???? in one unit?? Which Nesco is that? I totally want one now lol.

I have the square Nesco fd-80 (I really like the extra space) and it states that 8 is the max.


----------



## NicoleG

Yaaaaa. I want to be part of your fan club too!

I do truly appreciate this site and all of the posters. It saves a lot of wasted time and money when you read about the "ooopsies"



neldarez said:


> You're contagious Nicole! lol.........Now you can join the Davarm fan club!:congrat:


----------



## cybergranny

Thyme and parsley. Something ate all the basil in the greenhouse. Now got to plant more.

BTW I do about 5 #s of frozen veggies at a time at 135 and it's just a few hours.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

LOL to neldarez and Davarm, about the zip lock bags. I guess I TOO have too much time to think... Note to self: purchase stock in zip lock bags.
I didnt mummify anything this weekend, I worked on my new place, rafters up.

BUT, I DID use some of my dehydrated food. Me and those darn onions and hash browns, with pancakes of course. Saturday night I used some of the onions and dried "shrooms in a brown gravy over mashed potatoes.

If I keep using this food I will have to dry some more...darnit....:hmmm: Lemme work on that...
Jack


----------



## neldarez

NicoleG said:


> Thanks so much Nelda.
> 
> I'm going to try it exactly that way...after you've vacuum packed it, can you shelf it?


yep, I vac. packed and stored in bucket.


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> LOL to neldarez and Davarm, about the zip lock bags. I guess I TOO have too much time to think... Note to self: purchase stock in zip lock bags.
> I didnt mummify anything this weekend, I worked on my new place, rafters up.
> 
> BUT, I DID use some of my dehydrated food. Me and those darn onions and hash browns, with pancakes of course. Saturday night I used some of the onions and dried "shrooms in a brown gravy over mashed potatoes.
> 
> If I keep using this food I will have to dry some more...darnit....:hmmm: Lemme work on that...
> Jack


Guess what Jack!! I put some of the potatoes ( diced) that I had dried, mushrooms, 1 tbs. egg, mixed veggies and some water and dropped into boiling pot of water for 15 minutes. I kept thinking the bag would melt but it didn't! :congrat: Then, I dumped it into a bowl and ate it!!:beercheer: ( remember it's pepsi in the glass). It needed some spicing up and was pretty bland but hey, 1st try at boiling zip lock bags. Can't believe you can do that, too cool.........It's Daves turn now...


----------



## Davarm

NicoleG said:


> Can I be president of the fan club?? LOL. 30 trays???? in one unit?? Which Nesco is that? I totally want one now lol.
> 
> I have the square Nesco fd-80 (I really like the extra space) and it states that 8 is the max.


I have the FD1018P, You could probably go more than 30 trays - I'd guess maybe up to 36 would likely do fine but they recommend no more than 30. At times it runs nonstop, all trays full for a week or more at a time. With this rain we just got, I suspect one of those times will follow shortly.

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/dehydrators.aspx

I say, "If you cant dehydrate it, you probably dont need it anyway".


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Guess what Jack!! I put some of the potatoes ( diced) that I had dried, mushrooms, 1 tbs. egg, mixed veggies and some water and dropped into boiling pot of water for 15 minutes. I kept thinking the bag would melt but it didn't! :congrat: Then, I dumped it into a bowl and ate it!!:beercheer: ( remember it's pepsi in the glass). It needed some spicing up and was pretty bland but hey, 1st try at boiling zip lock bags. Can't believe you can do that, too cool.........It's Daves turn now...


I got the zip lock bags but have been so busy getting stuff dried, canned, preserves made, pickles made.... haven't had time to even think of cooking.

Make no mistake, I will not let this cooking in a bag thing slip by for long, the DD's will think I am some kind of magician when I pull that one off!


----------



## Davarm

cybergranny said:


> Thyme and parsley. Something ate all the basil in the greenhouse. Now got to plant more.
> 
> BTW I do about 5 #s of frozen veggies at a time at 135 and it's just a few hours.


Something ate all your basil? Down here grasshoppers will not even eat mine, its totally safe. Are you talking insect or a bigger critter!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I got the zip lock bags but have been so busy getting stuff dried, canned, preserves made, pickles made.... haven't had time to even think of cooking.
> 
> Make no mistake, I will not let this cooking in a bag thing slip by for long, the DD's will think I am some kind of magician when I pull that one off!


heck Dave........I already thought you were a magician!!  smile with no bugs. You can, dehydrate, preserve, whatever more things than I even know about, you aren't an alien are you??


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> heck Dave........I already thought you were a magician!!  smile with no bugs. You can, dehydrate, preserve, whatever more things than I even know about, you aren't an alien are you??


Well now Ms Nelda, that depends on how you define "Alien", doesn't it?

No, I just like to eat!(no bugs for desert tonight) I like to see the grandson eat also, that boy eats like a horse, is skinny as a rail and goes 90mph from dawn til dusk.


----------



## Davarm

Almost forgot, I put about 25 pounds of zucchini, a grocery bag packed full of dill and Ms LilRedHens green peas in the dehydrator tonight. I' going to wait till tomorrow to do the green beans, with that 1 1/2 inches of rain we had a few hours ago, will likely have more green beans tomorrow if I can get in to pick them.

Also made 1/2 dozen jars(quarts) of dill pickles, just finished, gads - 3am.


----------



## cybergranny

Davarm said:


> Something ate all your basil? Down here grasshoppers will not even eat mine, its totally safe. Are you talking insect or a bigger critter!


Bigger. Got in the greenhouse and bit them all off. Think it might have been a chipmonk.


----------



## Davarm

cybergranny said:


> Bigger. Got in the greenhouse and bit them all off. Think it might have been a chipmonk.


Thats nice, a chipmunk that likes Italian food! We dont have that problem around here but when any critter causes problems in my garden, I take it kinda personal. They are cute but if I have to choose between them and my garden,.....no decision to make.

I'd go with poison peanuts.


----------



## partdeux

ONIONS! Bought a big bag of Vidalia's, and we have over 300 onions growing in the garden this year, so wanted to experiment on store bought first. Luckily, I read one blog that said to put them outside... sure glad we did, damn did they stink


----------



## cybergranny

Davarm said:


> Thats nice, a chipmunk that likes Italian food! We dont have that problem around here but when any critter causes problems in my garden, I take it kinda personal. They are cute but if I have to choose between them and my garden,.....no decision to make.
> 
> I'd go with poison peanuts.


5 gal pail 1/3 to 1/2 filled with water. 2 x 4 over the top with a few pumkin seeds on it. Then a handful thrown in the water. Sweetest trap you ever had for those stinkers.


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## azborderwatcher

hand warmers from walmart are iron oxide and are a good substitute


----------



## azborderwatcher

*MRTH*

I have a small dehydrator and I use it every day of the year just about as I have 3 growing seasons in south central arizona. Today I am making MRTH "meals ready to hydrate" I dehydrate one onion a couple carrots, potatoes,squash,peas and tomatoes. I add dried cilantro some salt and pepper and put it all in a quart zip lock. 1 bag is a meal for 3 kids and 2 adults. The meat will be added later when something wonders into the trap or I take a bird away from our feral mamma cat. She catches a dove every mourning and leaves it on our steps. A wire trap can be made best shape is round with flat top and bottom and a U shaped tunnel going inside of the trap about 6 inches. Make the tunnel a little smaller than the animal you target. I catch 6 or more European dove every morning. sometimes I catch quail but I let them go its been a couple of dry years and they have it tough right now even though they taste so much better than rats with wings.

For the person trying to make dehydrated tomato paste have you ever thought about just dehydrating the ingredients separate and blending together? I know it might not have same flavor


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Fine with me, but I hate for you to spend money for something that you don't usually use. I love green peas and have never had any luck growing them in the garden. The canned ones are getting more expensive by the day, so I thought my money would be better spent to buy frozen and dehydrate. I used a 2 lb bag from Wally World, their Great Value brand, divided into two trays. The temp was 120 degrees and it took 9 hours before they seemed dry enough.


Well, Ms LilRedHen, I dehydrated and rehydrated/cooked the peas. I forgot and left them going in the dehydrator with a batch of zucchini more than 9 hours but they dehydrated ok, some were round and hard and some were shrivled and hard but absolutely no moisture was left.

I put them in a pan of water and cooked them up a few hours ago and they only took about 15 minutes to cook completely. Some kept the shriveled appearance but swelled back up to normal size and they were all soft and completely cooked.

The only negative I noted was that they were not sweet, during the dehydrating, the sugars must have all turned to starch but they were still completely edible, probably a spoon full of sugar would fix them right up. I didn't want to add any(diabetes) so I cant say for sure.

They do seem to be a little "Firmer(but not hard)" than cooked right out of the bag but I think that is just going to be "The Nature Of The Beast" with green peas.


----------



## Davarm

I just finished up putting about 18 pounds of green beans, a grocery bag of dill and a grocery bag of rosemary into the dehydrators. 

I put the rosemary in a seperate dehydrator, its really aromatic and I didn't want to take the chance of flavor swapping with the green beans or dill. We have 7 rosemary shrubs out by/in the garden and this is the first time I have ever dehydrated any, we have always just gone out and picked it on demand but may as well keep some on hand ready for use in the kitchen.


----------



## Davarm

Well, its happened, my garden is now producing more than my dehydrators can handle. If this keeps up, and I hope it does, I will have to get another dehydrator real soon.

Today I loaded them up with Okra, Zucchini, Basil, Dill and Green Beans. I will get up in a few hours and reload and MAYBE, I will be caught up before I bring in more tonight.

Its a good problem to have, may have to start canning vegetables again.


----------



## Davarm

I am caught up with the dehydrating, The driers are loaded with green beans and zucchini...Looks like the same tomorrow along with Okra.


----------



## NicoleG

Getting ready to make banana nuts (with almonds)....yummmy!


----------



## tac803

NicoleG said:


> Getting ready to make banana nuts (with almonds)....yummmy!


Sounds delicious!


----------



## Genevieve

Dried 16 quarts of strawberries.
I'll be going tomorrow to get 16 quarts of sweet cherries. They're next.


----------



## Davarm

Well, it was Okra, Zucchini and beet greens last night, lots of zucchini and beet greens! The okra isn't coming in that heavy(yet), have 3 60 foot rows.


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## Davarm

I dont know if you would call it dehydrating but I have been gathering and hanging my herbs from my porch rafters to dry. It looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of grasshoppers this year so I have not been letting the herbs stay in the ground to be eaten by them. That means less fresh to use this summer but we will have more dried to use year round.

Have been hanging Dill, Fennel, Basil and Horse Mint.


----------



## NicoleG

Ok....getting ready to do a very large can of mandarin oranges in a light syrup. I can only think it will come like candied orange pieces....anyone done this?

Then it's a can of pineapple bits.....


----------



## Genevieve

Yea. I've done canned fruits. I drain and rinse them before I do them tho. The slices of pineapple dry faster than the bits. At least for me they do. Keep the juices from the canned fruits so they can be used in fruit roll-ups.


----------



## neldarez

NicoleG said:


> Ok....getting ready to do a very large can of mandarin oranges in a light syrup. I can only think it will come like candied orange pieces....anyone done this?
> 
> Then it's a can of pineapple bits.....


I've done many many cans of the pineapple bits, they are so good. I gave them to grandkids at Christmas this year. I've never done the mandarin. I took all of the pineapple juice and put it in the popsicle forms in the freezer and some in ice cube trays. Pretty cool!


----------



## neldarez

I opened 2 qts of pears that I had canned and put them in blender, ran them until they were smooth and threw in a ripe banana also. I mixed the other jar with applesauce. These are in the dryer now hopefully becoming fruit leather. I've never made leather before, hope this turns out good.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

NIcoleG, plz let us know how the mandarin oranges come out, I buy those by the case lots. "The Boy" loves them, and we put them on green salads too. 
Pineapple chunks are a REAL keeper too, we luv 'em.
Jack


----------



## goshengirl

Neldarez, that sounds yummy! Let us know how it turns out - I've been meaning to make fruit leathers, and we have lots of pears... 

And dried pineapple is just like candy! I gave it as Christmas presents, too, lol.


----------



## Davarm

I tried it several years ago in one of my old dehydrators that I could not control the temp on, I was not at all impressed with it. 

That was back when I didn't know what in the world I was doing, though, I hope you have better luck.


----------



## Davarm

I am finishing up squash and green beans from earlier today. 

I am getting ready to refill the dehydrator with about 14 more pounds of green beans.


----------



## NicoleG

neldarez said:


> I opened 2 qts of pears that I had canned and put them in blender, ran them until they were smooth and threw in a ripe banana also. I mixed the other jar with applesauce. These are in the dryer now hopefully becoming fruit leather. I've never made leather before, hope this turns out good.


It sure sounds yummy. I haven't made fruit leather before either....

I'll wait to see how yours turns out LOL


----------



## NicoleG

JackDanielGarrett said:


> NIcoleG, plz let us know how the mandarin oranges come out, I buy those by the case lots. "The Boy" loves them, and we put them on green salads too.
> Pineapple chunks are a REAL keeper too, we luv 'em.
> Jack


Will do. I've got them on now. I feel it may take a while since they have the little "pockets" ....like when I dehydrated lemon slices...whew! But if they come out kind of a candied orange then I'm happy!

Edited: Well after 11 hours at 135 degrees....they are slimy little sticky blobs...I'm giving them 24 hours then giving up....they are falling apart at this point. (I'll stop touching them lol)


----------



## neldarez

It says to put the fruit puree 1/4 in....mine was definitely thinner..It took about 6 hrs. I think, really good except some of mine is a bit crunchy cuz I made it so thin....both are good. I've got plain peaches and plain pears in now. I'm using up my canned pears this way cuz they became pretty soft when I canned them, I'm liking this fruit leather business. I cut the slab in half and wrapped in saran wrap. This is kinda fun! Sure has a strong fruit taste.:congrat:


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I am finishing up squash and green beans from earlier today.
> 
> I am getting ready to refill the dehydrator with about 14 more pounds of green beans.


Dave, do you blanch your green beans first?


----------



## NicoleG

JackDanielGarrett said:


> NIcoleG, plz let us know how the mandarin oranges come out, I buy those by the case lots. "The Boy" loves them, and we put them on green salads too.
> Pineapple chunks are a REAL keeper too, we luv 'em.
> Jack


Well the mandarin oranges were a bust. I thought I'd wait them out but just got home and they had literally fallen apart on the screens...ugh what a mess.

Don't do it...I'm glad the pineapple bits are good..that will be next, can't have two disappointments


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Dave, do you blanch your green beans first?


No, I do not blanch them, I tried that last year but didn't notice much of a difference in the end result. I think that cutting the beans in small pieces and dehydrating them fast prevents the enzymes from degrading them. If you can dry them faster than the enzymes will do their work, you can get by without blanching.

BTW, I have not been on the forum much in the last week or so, how is the weather doing with your garden? I saw on the weather channel that you guys had snow up in your area recently. If you have posted about it I apologize, I haven't gone back and read older posts.



NicoleG said:


> Well the mandarin oranges were a bust.


I apologize for my earlier post that may have sounded kinda snooty and negative about your orange slices. I have been working on a few hours sleep a night lately trying to keep up with the garden.

I did manage to log on to the form and check for PM's and I sometimes glanced through the canning and dehydrating threads but I have really been to tired to make any contributions, so sorry for sounding negative. I really do try to encourage ranther than discourage.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> It says to put the fruit puree 1/4 in....mine was definitely thinner..It took about 6 hrs. I think, really good except some of mine is a bit crunchy cuz I made it so thin....both are good. I've got plain peaches and plain pears in now. I'm using up my canned pears this way cuz they became pretty soft when I canned them, I'm liking this fruit leather business. I cut the slab in half and wrapped in saran wrap. This is kinda fun! Sure has a strong fruit taste.:congrat:


If you want to make leather from oranges, last year I bought some really good oranges and decided to experiment.

I cut the oranges up and tossed them into the food processor with enough frozen orange juice concentrate to puree them into a fine pulp and put that onto the fruit leather trays. It took a while for it to dry but it was fairly good when it finally did dry.


----------



## NicoleG

I apologize for my earlier post that may have sounded kinda snooty and negative about your orange slices. I have been working on a few hours sleep a night lately trying to keep up with the garden.

I did manage to log on to the form and check for PM's and I sometimes glanced through the canning and dehydrating threads but I have really been to tired to make any contributions, so sorry for sounding negative. I really do try to encourage ranther than discourage.[/QUOTE]

Please do not worry about that, I didn't pick up on anything "snooty" lol. I do adore the advice and take it all in positively 

On to bigger and greater recipes !!!! (charges forward...)


----------



## Davarm

NicoleG said:


> I apologize for my earlier post that may have sounded kinda snooty and negative about your orange slices. I have been working on a few hours sleep a night lately trying to keep up with the garden.
> 
> I did manage to log on to the form and check for PM's and I sometimes glanced through the canning and dehydrating threads but I have really been to tired to make any contributions, so sorry for sounding negative. I really do try to encourage ranther than discourage.
> Please do not worry about that, I didn't pick up on anything "snooty" lol. I do adore the advice and take it all in positively
> 
> On to bigger and greater recipes !!!! (charges forward...)


Bigger and greater recipes? Try dehydrating canned peaches in a heavy syrup, Kids love them!


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> Bigger and greater recipes? Try dehydrating canned peaches in a heavy syrup, Kids love them!


LOL. I have a few cans I was debating doing that to last night.

I keep them in the fridge for a cold snack on the hot days we have coming up, but I needed to by more to keep supply up and I thought of giving that a try.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

NicoleG said:


> Well the mandarin oranges were a bust. I thought I'd wait them out but just got home and they had literally fallen apart on the screens...ugh what a mess.
> 
> Don't do it...I'm glad the pineapple bits are good..that will be next, can't have two disappointments


Thanx NicoleG, I WONT try that.. BUT I do love the idea! I tried sliced navel orange slices once, kinda came out like leathery tough and good dried orange..lol, I wanna try grapes but many I hear say to slice them in half.

THEN I have to put on my big boy pants and try some of that dehydrated cheese that dang Darvarm has planted in my head...and blueberries...and....Dang I need to quit my paying job...
Jack


----------



## neldarez

I'm absolutely in love with fruit leather....how easy it is! I don't know how much I've eaten but I'm taking some to church for the little kids sunday, they'll love it. I'm going to roll out the next batch in waxed paper ( if that will work) cuz it's so hard to find the ends when I wrap it in saran wrap, it sticks too good and I can't open it!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> BTW, I have not been on the forum much in the last week or so, how is the weather doing with your garden? I saw on the weather channel that you guys had snow up in your area recently. If you have posted about it I apologize, I haven't gone back and read older posts.
> 
> It's terrible! It's rained here for days...I'm on the dry side of the state so this is a terrible shock. Garden is just hiding out, plants are afraid to come up I think . The weeds are immense! There was snow all around us, it is in the 40;s during the night....I'm praying hard. We need sunshine and some heat for all of the gardens and the orchards. It is normally high 70s and low 80s this time of year, I think we were 62 today........


----------



## Davarm

Tonight its Green Beans, Okra and Zucchini, lots of Zucchini.....


----------



## kappydell

Davarm, do you blanch your greens (collards, mustard, etc) before you dry them? Love this thread, BTW, have had dehydrators for years. No better way to put up the lbs of mixed frozen veggies (for stir-fries, casseroles, etc) and frozen potatoes when they are on sale. Ditto Hamburger Rocks and jerky when ground beef goes on sale. I just read about the LDS folks making fruit leather from canned fruit that they want to rotate in storage and am looking forward to trying that, too. Looks like I'll be doing more dehydrating than canning this year as it keeps the house much cooler on those hot days.


----------



## Davarm

kappydell said:


> Davarm, do you blanch your greens (collards, mustard, etc) before you dry them? Love this thread, BTW, have had dehydrators for years. No better way to put up the lbs of mixed frozen veggies (for stir-fries, casseroles, etc) and frozen potatoes when they are on sale. Ditto Hamburger Rocks and jerky when ground beef goes on sale. I just read about the LDS folks making fruit leather from canned fruit that they want to rotate in storage and am looking forward to trying that, too. Looks like I'll be doing more dehydrating than canning this year as it keeps the house much cooler on those hot days.


I hardly ever blanch anything that I dehydrate except potatoes and sweet potatoes. There are some things that I maybe should but I am usually too lazy to take the extra step.

When drying the "Greens", I like the way they dry and cook up when they are dehydrated straight out of the garden(being washed of course).

In this weather I also prefer to dehydrate(dehydrators outside), but when I dehydrate "Dill" I bring the dehydrator inside, we love the dill smell drifting through the house. Its worth dealing with the heat for the aroma.


----------



## partdeux

Dave,

What process do you use to dehydrate dill? I have quite a bit growing, although I'm not sure I'll have any ready to pick in time for pickles. My garlic probably won't be ready either


----------



## Davarm

partdeux said:


> Dave,
> 
> What process do you use to dehydrate dill? I have quite a bit growing, although I'm not sure I'll have any ready to pick in time for pickles. My garlic probably won't be ready either


I do it 2 ways, I hang bunches to air dry naturally and I made a "Barrel" addition to one of my old dehydrators that I dry the Flowers(before they form seeds) in. A cardboard tube(about 2 1/2 feet high) taped to a tray. I load a layer in, poke bamboo skewers through the cardboard to keep the load from weighing down and blocking the air flow and I can fill it to the top. Handles quite a lot of dill flowers that way.

When the flowers are dry, I sift them into a powder and discard the larger pieces, this is dill flavor x10.

We are pretty partial to dill in this house and we grow and keep a lot of it. About the time the grasshoppers start to invade and destroy the patch, thats when we say goodby to fresh dill and harvest it all.

The "Dill Powder" does work pretty well for pickles.


----------



## Davarm

I tried to edit this picture into the above post but it didn't work.

This is my "Long Tom" adapter to one of my old dehydrators, I use to dry herbs mainly. I put a layer in then poke Bamboo Skewers in to separate layers until it is full or I run out of herbs.

Works pretty well!


----------



## partdeux

why not just lay the dill on sheets used to make fruit leather? Do you mix the plant and flowers together? How much powdered dill do you use per "sprig"?


----------



## Davarm

partdeux said:


> why not just lay the dill on sheets used to make fruit leather? Do you mix the plant and flowers together? How much powdered dill do you use per "sprig"?


I have put dill on the dehydrator trays and used a fruit leather liner on the bottom most tray to catch anything that falls through, the problem with that is that I usually have the new dehydrator, with all the trays(30), full of other "stuff". The older dehydrators only have a few trays left that haven't cracked and broken with age and use. The Cardboard Tube was and attempt to extend the capacity beyond the few trays I have left for them.

I keep the powdered flowers seperate from from the dried leaves. Its kinda like mixing fine wine with table wine, the flowers being the Fine Stuff.

As far as how much powder corresponds to a sprig, good question! I have never paid that much attention. I only use fresh dill for the short time it is growing in the late spring/early summer. For a jar of Dill Pickles, I use about a loose tablespoon(not packed) of dried dill per quart jar.


----------



## NicoleG

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Thanx NicoleG, I WONT try that.. BUT I do love the idea! I tried sliced navel orange slices once, kinda came out like leathery tough and good dried orange..lol, I wanna try grapes but many I hear say to slice them in half.
> 
> THEN I have to put on my big boy pants and try some of that dehydrated cheese that dang Darvarm has planted in my head...and blueberries...and....Dang I need to quit my paying job...
> Jack


I hear you about the "big boy pants" re: cheese....I'm going to master fruits and veggies first lol ..I think I have jerky down pat! I love the idea of fruit leather but want to get some shelf stable things under my belt and stocked up first.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight its about 25 pounds of Zucchini.

Last night I put my first picking of Black Eye Peas in and dried them. I am the "Odd Man Out" with the peas, I pick them young and snap them like green beans, I have always preferred them that way plus I HATE shelling them.


----------



## TechAdmin

I have a 10lb bag of onions I received yesterday. 

I'm waiting for the weekend when my girls won't be around to do it and even then I'm slicing them outdoors. 

Last time I did it they cried all day and the onion smell took a while to go away. 

I plan to use them in soups again. 

My brothers roommate works at a local grocer. I've been getting a ton of stuff lately. things they plan to throw out. I hope he doesn't get in trouble.


----------



## griffithmontana

Just purchased an LEM Dehydrator (10 trays) Celery , apples, might even do a few heads of cabbage in it ! ( Canned up soooo much sauerkraut already !)


----------



## Davarm

While in Ft. Worth last year, I saw a HI-Loader dumping full sized dumpsters of produce into a full sized Semi-Trailer at a large grocery store.....Made me sick to see all that produce just being dumped. It really makes you think about the waste in this country of ours. Better your brothers friend intercepts the stuff than just let it go into the trash bin.

Back a few months ago, February I think, I pulled all the onions that survived the heat last year and then grew through the winter. Dehydrated them all, tops, bulbs and all(in the house), and it made a sweet pleasant smell. Not at all offensive. About a month later, I put a load of regular store bought sliced onions into the dehydrator and tried it in the house, "Bad Idea", promptly moved it outside.



Austin said:


> I have a 10lb bag of onions I received yesterday.
> 
> I'm waiting for the weekend when my girls won't be around to do it and even then I'm slicing them outdoors.
> 
> Last time I did it they cried all day and the onion smell took a while to go away.
> 
> I plan to use them in soups again.
> 
> My brothers roommate works at a local grocer. I've been getting a ton of stuff lately. things they plan to throw out. I hope he doesn't get in trouble.


Tonight it is "Snapped" Black Eye Peas again.

Picked about 1/2 bushel this afternoon before the storms rolled in. I am now getting more of them from 4 50 ft. rows than the 10 60 foot rows of green beans.

One thing for sure, if/when TSHTF we are gonna be eating well.


----------



## MamaTo3

I have been working on strawberries, apples, and bananas. My neighbor has two peach trees getting close to picking time. 
He says we can get as many as we want as long as we leave some for him when he comes up to the house (it was his late parents house. He doesn't live there, just checks on it periodically). Kind of a thanks for keeping an eye on it while he's not around.
I would really like to plant some fruit trees of our own soon.


----------



## chris88idaho

First attempt at dehydrating, did 3 lbs of beef jerky. Might have missed something in marinade or not used enough of something. Still tasted good, ate half of it and have a belly ache now. /-:


----------



## partdeux

chris88idaho said:


> First attempt at dehydrating, did 3 lbs of beef jerky. Might have missed something in marinade or not used enough of something. Still tasted good, ate half of it and have a belly ache now. /-:


tasted pretty bad huh?

Goes pretty quick around here too... in fact I need to make more


----------



## chris88idaho

Nah, wasn't "bad". Just a little bland. I still shoveled it into my face like no tomorrow


----------



## Emerald

chris88idaho said:


> First attempt at dehydrating, did 3 lbs of beef jerky. Might have missed something in marinade or not used enough of something. Still tasted good, ate half of it and have a belly ache now. /-:


Hope your bellyache is gone now! next time drink more water.. makes your tummy work too hard to digest dehydrated stuff without rehydrating it. 
Here is my marinade mix
one cup soy
one half cup lea and perrons (can't spell whishtchester sauce haha)
about 1/4 cup brown sugar
several good glugs of franks red hot sauce
garlic powder to your taste.. ( I use probably a tablespoon or so)
onion powder to your taste.. (same as garlic)
and one tablespoon of smoke liquid I have mesquite and hickory so I change them up
and about 1/4 cup of salt.
soak the meat at least overnight and then when I have it all racked up I put a fresh course grind of fresh black pepper on top and pop it in the dehydrator.
You can put all kinds of spices and herbs and other things in the marinade.. what ever you really like does well for me.. hot and super sweet was a good one.

Now I've also played around with my smoker and had some disasters and finally a great product.
I found that if I put the meat in the smoker after marinading(no smoke liquid in this) and only smoke it for about an hour or less and then finish drying it in the dehydrator. I smoked some till dry once.. might as well licked the inside of the smoker..


----------



## partdeux

anybody dehydrate garlic?


----------



## cybergranny

Yes. I cut the cloves in half lengthwise and let er rip at about 115 to 125 degrees. It turns slightly brown but that's ok.


----------



## Davarm

cybergranny said:


> Yes. I cut the cloves in half lengthwise and let er rip at about 115 to 125 degrees. It turns slightly brown but that's ok.


Do you put the dehydrator outside or keep it inside? Some things just have to go out and some things kinda surprise you. I dehydrated my winter onions, greens and all inside and they smelled sweet and no one complained. When I dry bulb onions, gotta go outside.

I cant grow garlic here to save my life and now the good stuff(huge cloves easy to peel) are in at a local store relatively cheap so I am going to try it.


----------



## Davarm

My Black Eye Peas are coming in almost by the bushel about every other day. I pick them young and snap them like green beans. The dehydrators been running non stop again trying to keep up with them.


----------



## Genevieve

My chives get so strong that I have to dry them outside. Stinks the whole house up.

Finally finished up the cherries. Next will be peaches when they come in. Maybe even some raspberries when they're ready. They dry great. Very colorful in scones and muffins.

Toying with drying some blueberries.We don't eat alot of them, but I think they'd do great in some oatmeal and scones come winter.


----------



## Davarm

Genevieve said:


> My chives get so strong that I have to dry them outside. Stinks the whole house up.
> 
> Finally finished up the cherries. Next will be peaches when they come in. Maybe even some raspberries when they're ready. They dry great. Very colorful in scones and muffins.
> 
> Toying with drying some blueberries.We don't eat alot of them, but I think they'd do great in some oatmeal and scones come winter.


I picked about a half bushel of peaches yesterday and am going to make a few cobblers and preserves then dehydrate the rest. I still have 4 trees that have ripening fruit on them so pretty soon I will be swimming in them.

I have dehydrated blueberries and they do come out pretty good, we put them in oatmeal. Haven't thought much more about how to use them but I'm sure we will get around to thinking of something.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight I have candied ginger and candied watermelon rinds in the dehydrator. I didn't do enough last year so I am getting a jump on it this year any time I can find a few hours of empty time in the dehydrator, in they go.


----------



## partdeux

Davarm said:


> Tonight I have candied ginger and candied watermelon rinds in the dehydrator. I didn't do enough last year so I am getting a jump on it this year any time I can find a few hours of empty time in the dehydrator, in they go.


that sounds interesting.

Could you please share the recipe and process instructions?


----------



## neldarez

Hi there folks, I haven't been on for a few days and it's so exciting to be reading my favorite threads!! I snapped the tendon in my surgery hand/wrist last week and am certainly slowed down....grrrrr. I have my very first little batch of dill in the dryer right now. I also put in a few leaves of lemon balm, don't have a clue what to do with it but I stuck it in anyway. I also have basil growing but I tasted one of the leaves today and I think that stuff is nasty! Maybe it's better when dried...hmmm?


----------



## Davarm

The way I do it is fairly simple, I have tried it many ways and have found that the "KISS" principal is the best for us.

I slice the ginger in fairly thin slices then cut those slices longwise into "shoe strings".

Put them in a bowl and cover with sugar and let stand overnight, by morning, the sugar will have drawn out quite a bit of liquid.

Put the contents of the bowl, liquid, ginger and all into a pan and boil it for about 10 - 20 minutes and let cool.

Drain the contents through a colander and allow to stand until it stops dripping.

Toss the ginger in sugar and coat it well then put it in the dehydrator until completely dry. I dry it at about 125 - 135 for about 4 or 5 hours or until it is completely dry.

When we do it this way, we just take a few strings of it in a cup and pour boiling water over it and it comes out just about right for ginger tea.

I am going to try putting the slices in a pressure cooker and seeing if I can make them tender enough to resemble "Crystallized Ginger" like you can buy in the store. We like that but it is kinda pricey around here.



partdeux said:


> that sounds interesting.
> 
> Could you please share the recipe and process instructions?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Hi there folks, I haven't been on for a few days and it's so exciting to be reading my favorite threads!! I snapped the tendon in my surgery hand/wrist last week and am certainly slowed down....grrrrr. I have my very first little batch of dill in the dryer right now. I also put in a few leaves of lemon balm, don't have a clue what to do with it but I stuck it in anyway. I also have basil growing but I tasted one of the leaves today and I think that stuff is nasty! Maybe it's better when dried...hmmm?


Ms Nelda, Ive been meaning to ask you about your hand, whats that you preach to me about - something like burning the candle at both ends? Well sounds like you should take it easy also. I just get a little cranky when I stay up too long, you could wind up with something a lot more serious.....Take it easy. Whats the outlook for the hand now? Is it going to go ahead and heal or are there going to be more Doctors involved? Keep us advised.....PM if nothing else.

I have a big cart full of dill on the front porch that I am going to hang tomorrow. The dehydrators are kinda running non-stop with other stuff so am going to do it the old fashioned way. I am going to start pulling my Basil and hanging it also, thats going to take some doing. My basil patch is about 3ft x 30ft(we love it). It also makes a nice herbal tea(supposed to promote mental clarity, I sometimes need that with all the commotion).

Basil goes really good with tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. I became pretty fond of it while stationed in Italy.

Between the Rattlesnakes and the damaged tendon in your hand, sounds like you've had a little excitement lately, been wondering why I haven't heard more from you. Was starting to get a little worried.


----------



## Davarm

Almost forgot, I've got a few more trays of candied watermelon rind in the dehydrator along with zucchini and okra. 

Theirs going to be quite a lot of okra drying from now on. My plants are about waist high and are starting to branch and produce from the branches. In good years my okra plants have gotten over 10 feet tall with branches like christmas trees all producing pods. 

If I can find the pictures of them from about 3 years ago I will post them, it was like walking through a forest and I had to take the 3 step stool to pick some of the plants.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Almost forgot, I've got a few more trays of candied watermelon rind in the dehydrator along with zucchini and okra.


Could you tell me how to dehydrate candied watermelon rind and okra? My okra is not ready yet, but it looks like I will have plenty and the watermelons are everywhere in the stores and fruit stands here. I love watermelon, and my mother used to make watermelon rind preserves, but I have never heard of candied watermelon rind.


----------



## Emerald

neldarez said:


> Hi there folks, I haven't been on for a few days and it's so exciting to be reading my favorite threads!! I snapped the tendon in my surgery hand/wrist last week and am certainly slowed down....grrrrr. I have my very first little batch of dill in the dryer right now. I also put in a few leaves of lemon balm, don't have a clue what to do with it but I stuck it in anyway. I also have basil growing but I tasted one of the leaves today and I think that stuff is nasty! Maybe it's better when dried...hmmm?


Sorry to hear that you are hurting! {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}} I have had the worst three months in a row too. 
I am one of the folks who loves the smell of fresh basil but the flavor is just awful.. I don't like arugula either. but I dry my basil and love it dried. be aware that the big leaf basil takes quite awhile to dry. I have taken to cutting the leaves off and drying them in a single layer. and I have grown a type called spicy globe which is very tiny leaves that dry very well. and the plant deals with being trimmed well. 
The basil is also a good bug repellent. just pop a few in a small jar of rubbing alcohol. I bruise them up first. 
Lemon balm makes a great hot tea. or cut up finly in salsa.. adds great lemon bite to the salsa.


----------



## Davarm

Hope your last 3 months have not been too bad!



Emerald said:


> Sorry to hear that you are hurting! {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}} I have had the worst three months in a row too.
> I am one of the folks who loves the smell of fresh basil but the flavor is just awful.. I don't like arugula either. but I dry my basil and love it dried. be aware that the big leaf basil takes quite awhile to dry. I have taken to cutting the leaves off and drying them in a single layer. and I have grown a type called spicy globe which is very tiny leaves that dry very well. and the plant deals with being trimmed well.
> The basil is also a good bug repellent. just pop a few in a small jar of rubbing alcohol. I bruise them up first.
> Lemon balm makes a great hot tea. or cut up finly in salsa.. adds great lemon bite to the salsa.


I also hate arugula, I describe it as being like a leaf of lettuce that a skunk wiped its butt with!


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Could you tell me how to dehydrate candied watermelon rind and okra? My okra is not ready yet, but it looks like I will have plenty and the watermelons are everywhere in the stores and fruit stands here. I love watermelon, and my mother used to make watermelon rind preserves, but I have never heard of candied watermelon rind.


The okra is simple, just slice it like you were going to fry it then spread it on the dehydrator trays and set the heat to 125-130 and let it run until it dries. Time will depend on the okra, usually 6 to 8 hours works. If you get the heat too high, the okra will loose its flavor and taste more like dry grass or hey.

The watermelon rinds are relatively easy also. Cut the rind into slices(manageable size) and slice off ALL the red, then peel off all the outer shell. A thickness of no more than 1/2 inch is best or it will take forever to dry.

When peeled, cut the slices into about 1 inch strips, put in a large bowl and cover with sugar. Let stand overnight, in the morning the rinds will be "swimming" in liquid that was drawn out.

Pour the contents of the bowl int a pan and bring to a boil for about 15-10 minutes.

Drain thoroughly then put on dehydrator trays and dry at about 120-130 until dry. It will take quite a long time depending on the size and thickness of the pieces but it is worth the wait.

If you leave any "meat" on the rind, it will likely not dry before the rind "cooks" so make sure you cut it all off.


----------



## neldarez

Emerald said:


> Sorry to hear that you are hurting! {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}} I have had the worst three months in a row too.
> I am one of the folks who loves the smell of fresh basil but the flavor is just awful.. I don't like arugula either. but I dry my basil and love it dried. be aware that the big leaf basil takes quite awhile to dry. I have taken to cutting the leaves off and drying them in a single layer. and I have grown a type called spicy globe which is very tiny leaves that dry very well. and the plant deals with being trimmed well.
> The basil is also a good bug repellent. just pop a few in a small jar of rubbing alcohol. I bruise them up first.
> Lemon balm makes a great hot tea. or cut up finly in salsa.. adds great lemon bite to the salsa.


thanks Em....I so want to like herbs but I tell ya, I like them better already made from the store! That basil was nasty! It was called sweet basil and then I have another one that says it is for pesto...I will dry a bunch up and maybe I'll be just like you and love it dried. I'm sorry you've had a bad 3 months, anything special I could pray about for you? You're always welcome to pm me......I appreciate you:flower:


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Hope your last 3 months have not been too bad!
> 
> I also hate arugula, I describe it as being like a leaf of lettuce that a skunk wiped its butt with!


I don't have a clue what arugula is....that's ok though, I'm sure I wouldn't like it! I hate skunks almost as bad as rattlers!!!!


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I don't have a clue what arugula is....that's ok though, I'm sure I wouldn't like it! I hate skunks almost as bad as rattlers!!!!


Arugula is a leafy green, some say it resembles mustard greens in taste but I very much disagree. It is one of those things you either love or hate, very little middle ground.

As for skunks verses rattlers, I can tolerate rattlers(as long as they stay off my property) - they taste like chicken! Never been hungry enough to eat a skunk.:dunno:

This is the last rattler that wondered onto my propery(that I am aware of)!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Ms Nelda, Ive been meaning to ask you about your hand, whats that you preach to me about - something like burning the candle at both ends? Well sounds like you should take it easy also. I just get a little cranky when I stay up too long, you could wind up with something a lot more serious.....Take it easy. Whats the outlook for the hand now? Is it going to go ahead and heal or are there going to be more Doctors involved? Keep us advised.....PM if nothing else.
> 
> I have a big cart full of dill on the front porch that I am going to hang tomorrow. The dehydrators are kinda running non-stop with other stuff so am going to do it the old fashioned way. I am going to start pulling my Basil and hanging it also, thats going to take some doing. My basil patch is about 3ft x 30ft(we love it). It also makes a nice herbal tea(supposed to promote mental clarity, I sometimes need that with all the commotion).
> 
> Basil goes really good with tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. I became pretty fond of it while stationed in Italy.
> 
> Between the Rattlesnakes and the damaged tendon in your hand, sounds like you've had a little excitement lately, been wondering why I haven't heard more from you. Was starting to get a little worried.


Thanks Mr. Dave for the concern. Tendon can't be fixed but dr. said, good news, you have another one, it will start doing the work!!. He calls it a speed bump, set me back month or so.........Did not hurt my surgery!! yay yay yay....
Don't have a clue what okra is, I'm going to look it up and read about it. Probably another one of your strange greens... 
Is it raw basil you like or dried?
I'll get the hang of these dried herbs, I did dry a few sprigs of dill and it smells really good. My plant doesn't hardly have any branches though, but it has a flower on top.
Sounds like you just never stop, nothing in our garden is producing yet except the weeds!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Arugula is a leafy green, some say it resembles mustard greens in taste but I very much disagree. It is one of those things you either love or hate, very little middle ground.
> 
> As for skunks verses rattlers, I can tolerate rattlers(as long as they stay off my property) - they taste like chicken! Never been hungry enough to eat a skunk.:dunno:
> 
> This is the last rattler that wondered onto my propery(that I am aware of)!


That's a good rattler!:congrat:


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> That's a good rattler!:congrat:


Yes, he was....very tasty!

Basil is good fresh and dried. Fresh we make "Pesto" and spread it on fresh bread like you would butter. All it is(the way we make it" basil, olive oil(extra virgin - more flavor), a little garlic, salt and our twist is to use half butter in place of some of the olive oil. Put it in a blender or food processor until it is smooth then spread it on the bread or use it on pasta.

We have 1/2 gallon jars(numerous) filled with basil and dill, those are the herbs we use the most of.

The okra is a pod type vegetable, very popular down here. Most around here eat it rolled in cornmeal and pan fried. I remember as a kid, some meals were just fried okra, black eye peas and tomatoes. It's kept a lot of people from going hungry through the years.


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm, we love basil around here, but I have a hard time drying it. How do you dry yours? This summer, we have so much basil going into the garden, I should have plenty of opportunity to try drying it different ways.


----------



## kabi9581

*frozen and fresh veggies*

I dehydrated fresh broccoli slaw and carrot shredds. I put them in the ziplock steamer bags first. They are cooked so rehydrating them later worked out awesome. I reused the steamer bag for two rounds of veggies. Worked well. A real no mess way to precook them.


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Davarm, we love basil around here, but I have a hard time drying it. How do you dry yours? This summer, we have so much basil going into the garden, I should have plenty of opportunity to try drying it different ways.


I dont just pick the leaves, I cut the oldest branches from forks on the basil plants main stem. When I finish gathering it, I sit down and cut the seed heads off the stems, leaving the leaves only on the stems.

I then put the stems into my dehydrator "Tube" and let it dry completely.

I then crumble the leaves by rubbing the stems between my hands.

The last step is just to sift the leaves through a large strainer to remove any larger pieces that may not cook up tender.

The sifted leaves then go into a quart jar or a vacuum seal bag until ready to use.

Below is the dehydrator I use for herbs that I don just hang and air dry.


----------



## goshengirl

Is that a tube that you made yourself and are piping up some warm air in there?

And do you wash your basil before drying? (I think that's part of my problem, although I can't stand to dehydrate anything I haven't washed...)


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Is that a tube that you made yourself and are piping up some warm air in there?


Yes, that little dehydrator base puts out a good flow of HOT air so thought I would take advantage of it and improvise a little. I can "poke" bamboo skewers through the tube to keep the contents from packing down and maintain a good air flow.



goshengirl said:


> And do you wash your basil before drying? (I think that's part of my problem, although I can't stand to dehydrate anything I haven't washed...)


Early in the spring I can get by without washing the basil but as the "grasshoppers" and other bugs move in, I have to wash it before I put it in. I dry it using a "Salad Spinner" then spread it out on a towel with a fan blowing on it to dry off the excess water before it goes in.


----------



## Davarm

I just loaded up the dehydrator with "Jumbo Pink Banana Squash". It is a winter squash and am seeing how it comes out. 

If it is OK, may start drying it full time, am trying to decide if I am going to can ro dry it.


----------



## goshengirl

Later this morning it will be apple mint, orange mint, and chocolate mint. The house will smell divine.


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Later this morning it will be apple mint, orange mint, and chocolate mint. The house will smell divine.


I am and have been trying to grow mints for a number of years, haven't yet found a soil combination here that it will thrive in. The Orange Mint and Generic mint seems to be doing ok this year, not thriving but OK. The Apple Mint and Lemon Balm are just hanging on but I hope to see them take off with all the cloudy wet weather we have been having.


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> The okra is simple, just slice it like you were going to fry it then spread it on the dehydrator trays and set the heat to 125-130 and let it run until it dries. Time will depend on the okra, usually 6 to 8 hours works. If you get the heat too high, the okra will loose its flavor and taste more like dry grass or hey.
> 
> The watermelon rinds are relatively easy also. Cut the rind into slices(manageable size) and slice off ALL the red, then peel off all the outer shell. A thickness of no more than 1/2 inch is best or it will take forever to dry.
> 
> When peeled, cut the slices into about 1 inch strips, put in a large bowl and cover with sugar. Let stand overnight, in the morning the rinds will be "swimming" in liquid that was drawn out.
> 
> Pour the contents of the bowl int a pan and bring to a boil for about 15-10 minutes.
> 
> Drain thoroughly then put on dehydrator trays and dry at about 120-130 until dry. It will take quite a long time depending on the size and thickness of the pieces but it is worth the wait.
> 
> If you leave any "meat" on the rind, it will likely not dry before the rind "cooks" so make sure you cut it all off.


I thought I would go back and post a pic of the "Candied Watermelon Rind", I wasn't paying attention and left some of the "meat" on the rind and it took forever to dry.

After I took it out of the dehydrator, I left it on top of the fridge on a cookie sheet to finish setting. The warmth from the fridge finished drying it and it is finally ready to pack.


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> I just loaded up the dehydrator with "Jumbo Pink Banana Squash". It is a winter squash and am seeing how it comes out.
> 
> If it is OK, may start drying it full time, am trying to decide if I am going to can ro dry it.


The Pink Banana Squash came out pretty good. it dried fairly quickly and still has some of its fruity smell.

I poured boiling water on some of it to see how it rehydrated and it did well. Put a little butter, honey and pecans on it and baked for about an hour and have another winner to add to the pantry.


----------



## Riverdale

Yesterday, 8 qts of strawberries, today homemade pasta.


----------



## neldarez

Riverdale said:


> Yesterday, 8 qts of strawberries, today homemade pasta.


I want to try and make pasta someday soon.........do you have a special cutter for that? I've never even known anyone who makes their own pasta. I need to get out more!!


----------



## iceeyes

Davarm said:


> Bananas tonight. Anytime I have idle time in the dehydrator, I put on bananas, eggs or potatos(sweet or white). When it gets chilly here the dehydrator keeps the kitchen warm without having to turn on the central heat.
> 
> I was wondering how do you dehydrate your eggs?


----------



## iceeyes

Salekdarling said:


> I dehydrated apple slices the other day. I'd love to dehydrate beef stew but not sure on how to store at the moment.
> 
> Could you share how you dehydrate the beef stew? Thanks


----------



## iceeyes

goshengirl said:


> I put my dehydrated ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey) in mason jars with oxy absorbers - I'd probably do the same thing with chili.
> 
> Thanks for the trial and picture! Now I've got to try it.
> I probably won't get any chili made in the next few days, but I have ground beef to go in the dehydrator tonight - I just might make it taco meat first! Thanks for the idea!


Could you please tell me how long this would store for? Thanks


----------



## iceeyes

I have dehydrated garlic and made my own garlic powder. I have also done this with onions and made onion powder. It worked out great.


----------



## goshengirl

iceeyes said:


> Could you please tell me how long this would store for? Thanks


I have no scientific data on how long dehydrated beef will store.  But we're coming up on almost a year old on some stuff I dehydrated, and it's still fine. We'll be using up the older stuff though, because I'm not comfortable keeping it much longer than that. However, that's just personal opinion based on no experience whatsoever, lol.

Most of the stuff on our shelves is anywhere from 2-6 months old, and that's perfectly fine.


----------



## iceeyes

*Thank you*

Thank you for the information. We have dehydrated a lot of vegetables but are just getting comfortable enough to experiment with meats. Any other information you have would be appreciated.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

In my new place and guess what.....Yep..onions..lol. Tomorrow night I try, for the first time, okra.
Jack


----------



## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> In my new place and guess what.....Yep..onions..lol. Tomorrow night I try, for the first time, okra.
> Jack


and so??? How is the new place?? It can't be home until you dry some taters also!


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> In my new place and guess what.....Yep..onions..lol. Tomorrow night I try, for the first time, okra.
> Jack


Good to have you back, Jack!

When you dehydrate Okra, the only thing you need to watch is that you dont dry it at too high a temp. If it gets too hot while drying, it will loose its flavor and taste kinda like hay. I use about 120 until dry.

When its done right, you can pour hot water over it and it will be slimy just like fresh, if the slime is not there the temp was too high and you will have flavor loss.

Good luck and let us know how it comes out.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

neldarez said:


> and so??? How is the new place?? It can't be home until you dry some taters also!


Neldarez~We love it here. Heavy woods, no traffic on the road and I have ywo blueberry bushes begging to be planted...

And um...no taters..YET. And with all the water I haven't dried the okra yet. An 8 mile trip to work takes 45 mins..lol. Whats the saying?~Go around my elbow to get to my behind??

Jack


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Davarm said:


> Good to have you back, Jack!
> 
> When you dehydrate Okra, the only thing you need to watch is that you dont dry it at too high a temp. If it gets too hot while drying, it will loose its flavor and taste kinda like hay. I use about 120 until dry.
> 
> When its done right, you can pour hot water over it and it will be slimy just like fresh, if the slime is not there the temp was too high and you will have flavor loss.
> 
> Good luck and let us know how it comes out.


Davarm~Been way toooo hectic here to dry okra yet, but I AM. AND ty for the advice, kinda hoped you might chine in, thanks again, my friend.

Be back later after more work on the house and clean up after the storm.
Jack


----------



## Possumfam

Davarm said:


> I have a Nesco also, probably the same racks in both models. I only put 3(maaaybe 4 sometimes) eggs per tray and make sure the dehydrator is level so they dont pool at one side.
> 
> Try going 3 well beaten(very important) eggs per tray and stir them regularly. That should take care of the problem.
> 
> Give it a shot and post back how it comes out.


Okay, y'all are talking ?RAW? eggs, right? I'm wanting to start w/ scrambled eggs first - I think those will be easier. Can you point me in the right direction? Is there a post somewhere? Oh - maybe I should look in recipes? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> An 8 mile trip to work takes 45 mins..lol.


Dont sweat it Jack, I had a car like that one time also!


----------



## Davarm

Possumfam said:


> Okay, y'all are talking ?RAW? eggs, right? I'm wanting to start w/ scrambled eggs first - I think those will be easier. Can you point me in the right direction? Is there a post somewhere? Oh - maybe I should look in recipes? Thanks in advance.


Scrambled eggs are pretty easy to do, the only negative about them is that they are kinda rubbery, taste great but the texture may take a little getting used to. They CAN, sometimes get a green tinge to them if you are not careful but it doesn't affect the taste or shelf life.

I'm sure I made posts about drying scrambled eggs, will look and get back to you if I can find them.

Here are a few links for dehydrating eggs, Raw and Scrambled.

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/dehydrating-eggs-7949/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/drying-tips-4927/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/preserving-eggs-6443/


----------



## bunkie

i dehydrated our duck eggs for the first time this year. i did a lot of research and used these links for help. i scrambled the eggs first, and have not tried raw yet....

http://bigredcouch.com/journal/?p=3923

http://www.dehydratorbook.com/dehydrate-eggs.html

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/12/how-to-dehydrate-eggs-or-not.html

http://wisconsin.preppersnetwork.com/2011/03/how-to-dehydrate-eggs.html

i am dehydrating banana chips and radishes today.

oops, i forgot to mention this method of preparing eggs for pickling. much easier than boiling, and they peel better, too!

*Baked Hard-Cooked Eggs

For anyone that may not know, the BEST way to make "hard-boiled" eggs is in the OVEN! Place the eggs in a muffin tray so they do not move around, turn the oven to 325 degrees, pop in for about 25-30 minutes and remove! Not only are they tastier, but they also are much easier to peel!*

www.homesteadingsurvivalism.com


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Davarm said:


> Dont sweat it Jack, I had a car like that one time also!


lol Davarm, it wasn't the car, it is all this dang water. Last Wednesday I hit, and killed, a deer and pushed a wall of water in front of me through a "low spot". I think I shouldnt have done that, it aint runn' gud now...

All is good, I did dehydrate the okra and ty for the advice, they look great. AND yes, onions and hash browns too!

Jack


----------



## goshengirl

Did you bring the deer home...?


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

goshengirl said:


> Did you bring the deer home...?


Well YEAH.... Salvaged the back strap on the two hams, the rest was kinda done messed up.

Jack


----------



## Davarm

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Well YEAH.... Salvaged the back strap on the two hams, the rest was kinda done messed up.
> 
> Jack


Coulda just cut it up and called it hamburger!:ignore:


----------



## Davarm

We recently bought a Juicer and have been making alot of juice then dehydrating the left over pulp.

Last night I juiced about 10 Armenian Cucumbers about he size of my leg(got 2 gallons of juice) and that pulp is drying now. 

Before you guys Eeeeeuuuuu to the cucumber juice, its great with a spoon of sour cream and a little dill. Great stuff.


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> We recently bought a Juicer and have been making alot of juice then dehydrating the left over pulp.


THANK YOU for that info! I was just going to start a thread asking about that - what do people do with the pulp left over from steam juicing. Is that what you have? And how are you dehydrating the pulp - like a leather? I got a steam juicer this past spring and haven't used it yet, but I want to be prepared to use all the fruit.


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> THANK YOU for that info! I was just going to start a thread asking about that - what do people do with the pulp left over from steam juicing. Is that what you have? And how are you dehydrating the pulp - like a leather? I got a steam juicer this past spring and haven't used it yet, but I want to be prepared to use all the fruit.


http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/juicers.aspx

I dont have a steam juicer, just an inexpensive one from "Pleasant Hill Grain(above link)". I didn't want to invest in an expensive one then find out that I didn't want one as much as I thought I did.

It works well, have juiced carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples and ginger so far and I have no disappointments. The pulp, I have been just putting it on fruit leather trays and turning on the dehydrator to about 120 and the juicer does well enough getting the liquid out that it only takes about 2 hours to dry.

I juiced a batch of cucumbers and tomatoes and mixed the pulp with a little salt and garlic and when it was dry it was really good as a cracker. I see a lot of possibilities for the juicer and pulp.

Just a note, Ginger Juice is very intense.


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## ilovetigger

Have 8 trays of parsley in the dehydrator right now and a lot more spices outside ready to follow. Hoping to get enough done up to mix up for my cooking, soups, and sauces. 

I'm thinking it's time to get the dehydrator running full time for a while. 300+ onions, celery, spices, soon peppers both sweet and hot, and more. 

I'm thinking of putting in some collards for the later season harvest as my broccoli is done now (And have PLENTY) to dehydrate. I hear folks talking about how much they like the dehydrated collards.


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## Davarm

ilovetigger said:


> . I hear folks talking about how much they like the dehydrated collards.


Mmmmmm......., They dehydrate well and loose nothing in the process.


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## Davarm

I'm taking the night off, no dehydrating or canning tonight.

I went out yesterday and brought in over 100 pounds of winter squash(Pink Banana) and since it is too hot here to store it for any length of time its going to have to go into the dehydrator and/or be canned. 

The next few days are going to be busy, also have about 30-40 pounds of zucchini that need to be dried.


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## Davarm

I picked almost a half bushel of "Serrano Peppers" today and have them strung up to dry. They will become our "Hot Sauce(Tobasco or Louisiana style)" after they dry.

Stringing them up to dry may not really be dehydrating but it is the best way to dry them. I can also harvest the seeds for next year, the heat of the dehydrator would have killed them.


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## Emerald

Davarm said:


> I picked almost a half bushel of "Serrano Peppers" today and have them strung up to dry. They will become our "Hot Sauce(Tobasco or Louisiana style)" after they dry.
> 
> Stringing them up to dry may not really be dehydrating but it is the best way to dry them. I can also harvest the seeds for next year, the heat of the dehydrator would have killed them.


I'd try taking some of those hot peppers and grind them up while fresh and put them in a mason jar with salt I layer it.. about an inch of ground pepper a half teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of good apple cider vinegar(raw if you can find it) and just keep layering the same way till you get to about an inch of space for till the top. Cap and put in a cool place(I have one in the fridge somewhere) I let it perk for as long as I can. the tabasco and Franks hot sauces get aged like that for 2 to 3 years! then they get them out and puree and strain out any chunks and put in your bottles. I have 5 year old habenero that I've done this way with ginger and garlic in salt and vinegar and while it hasn't cooled any(like not at all) the flavor has mellowed and is quite tasty.. but what the heck am I gonna do with a gallon of the liquid fire? (maybe pepper spray haha)

I also like something called sambal(spelling) it is just garlic/salt/vinegar/red jalapenos(I like it a bit milder than the Serrano) and you lightly run it all thru the food processor till chunky and put it in a mason jar in the fridge let it "meld" for a week and away ya go.

My third favorite thing to do with hot peppers is to take a nice jar of orange marmalade(you can make your own but I haven't yet.. have family in Florida) put it in your saucepan and on very low heat start to melt it and add chopped garlic, a bit of grated ginger, and about three to four tablespoons of your favorite flaked dried pepper(you can take out the seeds of your own dried peppers and I used the dried anchos that I get from the Mercado cheap) and a good shot of either rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. let it kinda soak on very low heat(it will scorch easy I am thinking about doing it in my double boiler next time)for about 10 minute and jar up.. Sweet Chili sauce like you get in the Asian aisle at the store. Also makes a killer sauce for stir fry if you like sweet hot.

Haha.. can ya tell we are chili heads here..


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## Genevieve

I'm doing cabbage and zucchini. Both shredded for soups and stirfries


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## Davarm

I tried that in the past but while I was grinding them, it cleared the DD's from the house. Not as bad as boiling or dehydrating hots in the house but enough to make them Bitxx and Moan about it.

When it comes to Testosterone vs Estrogen in this house, I loose., so I defer to them on some things.

I would love to make it that way but the natives rebel(I only fight the battles I can win).



Emerald said:


> I'd try taking some of those hot peppers and grind them up while fresh and put them in a mason jar with salt I layer it.. about an inch of ground pepper a half teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of good apple cider vinegar(raw if you can find it) and just keep layering the same way till you get to about an inch of space for till the top. Cap and put in a cool place(I have one in the fridge somewhere) I let it perk for as long as I can. the tabasco and Franks hot sauces get aged like that for 2 to 3 years! then they get them out and puree and strain out any chunks and put in your bottles. I have 5 year old habenero that I've done this way with ginger and garlic in salt and vinegar and while it hasn't cooled any(like not at all) the flavor has mellowed and is quite tasty.. but what the heck am I gonna do with a gallon of the liquid fire? (maybe pepper spray haha)
> 
> I also like something called sambal(spelling) it is just garlic/salt/vinegar/red jalapenos(I like it a bit milder than the Serrano) and you lightly run it all thru the food processor till chunky and put it in a mason jar in the fridge let it "meld" for a week and away ya go.
> 
> My third favorite thing to do with hot peppers is to take a nice jar of orange marmalade(you can make your own but I haven't yet.. have family in Florida) put it in your saucepan and on very low heat start to melt it and add chopped garlic, a bit of grated ginger, and about three to four tablespoons of your favorite flaked dried pepper(you can take out the seeds of your own dried peppers and I used the dried anchos that I get from the Mercado cheap) and a good shot of either rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. let it kinda soak on very low heat(it will scorch easy I am thinking about doing it in my double boiler next time)for about 10 minute and jar up.. Sweet Chili sauce like you get in the Asian aisle at the store. Also makes a killer sauce for stir fry if you like sweet hot.
> 
> Haha.. can ya tell we are chili heads here..


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## missDaniMF

Can you dehydrate cooked meat? I've read differing opinions online and the ones that do say it's only good 2 weeks if vacuum sealed and kept at room temp, 6 months if kept frozen? Any advice on non cured/jerky meat?


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## goshengirl

MissDani, I dehydrate ground beef quite a bit, and routinely keep it over 6 months. We've eaten dehydrated ground beef that's a year old - no loss in flavor, but it doesn't rehydrate as well. When it's older, it's good in tiny little pieces (almost like a powder) and used in spaghetti sauce. But it's not rancid. I keep mine vac sealed in mason jars (vac seal attachment) with oxygen absorbers. It may be possible to have dehydrated ground beef over a year - I just don't have experience with it.


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## missDaniMF

Thanks Goshengirl
I've got a ton of smoke pork tenderloin leftover from a BBQ the other day and was dehydrating pineapple tonight contemplating if it were worth the effort to small chop the meat and toss it in too.


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## goshengirl

I'd give it a shot. If it's thin and lean, I'd figure it's worth a try! 

I've gotta work on more meats and see how they dehydrate and rehydrate and cook up...


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## cybergranny

kale and oregano


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## Davarm

I'm doing an experiment today, I am attempting to "Candy" some winter squash(Pink Jumbo Banana). I have eaten candied pumpkin which was "Interesting" and not bad but I dont think that having it in Trail Mix was the best way to eat it, left a lot to be desired.

I planted 2 60 foot rows and 1 40 foot row of the squash this year, my intention was to have it replace the pumpkin(can't get pumpkin to do anything here) that I have been buying each fall. I had no idea how well it would grow and produce, I was surprised when it took off and like a stand of "Kudzu". 

I have already canned and dehydrated about 2-300 pounds so far and I am looking for new ways to keep it. I have guestimated there is at least 7 or 8 hundred pounds still waiting to be brought in. Many of the squash are 3 feet long, 10 to 12 inches diameter, they taste similar to "Butternut Squash" but have a higher moisture content so they will not keep indefinitely.


Anyone have any suggestions?


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## TechAdmin

I have none, but I really liked the candied pumpkin I've had. 

Thought about trying to replicate, but until I get candied ginger figured out I'm holding off.


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl

Well. I tried to read the entire thread, here (59 pgs!) but didn't get thru it all, but wanted to say I tried dehydrating in my truck last week, and made sundried tomatoes in 2 days! Just sliced Romas in half, arranged them on a cookie sheet (on a paper towel) and set the sheet on the dash of our truck in the sun with the windows rolled up! Worked great!


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## Davarm

Austin said:


> I have none, but I really liked the candied pumpkin I've had.


I put let the squash on to dehydrate this morning and a few hours ago, I picked a piece out and tried it. It was not completely dry yet but it is definitely going to be a keeper.

I have 2 more 3 gallon bins of it covered in sugar and tomorrow morning I am going to put it in the dehydrator. If the stuff will store well, I just may plant the same amount again next year.


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## queenfreak

Hi everyone! I am new here but am already completely and utterly hooked! You guys are a priceless source of information and encouragement


I have started prepping for my family of 7 so I have a lot of work ahead of me. I am just getting my feet wet with dehydrating and canning and would LOVE some tips or advice on the best foods or food combinations that kids may eat well. Like many people, I dont have a lot of money to waste on foods nobody will touch so Id like to get started with the easiest and tastiest recipes. 

Right now I have banana slices that were soaked in a light honey cinnamon syrup in the dehydrator along with what I hope will be a yogurt fruit roll up!

Ive started stocking up on buckets and still plan to get mylar bags. What would you guys say are the foods that you would definitely can after dehydrating rather than smoosh in a bag lol.

Any tips or recipes for the newbie would be soooo appreciated!

P.S. Id love a recipe for kale or another "green" chip. Thanks so much everyone!


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## JackDanielGarrett

Welcome queenfreak, word of advice, look out for Davarm and Neldarez....:lolsmash:

Okay My friends, kick off your shoes, grab a glass of iced tea and let loose for a bit..






Fun time over get back to work.
Jack


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## neldarez

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Welcome queenfreak, word of advice, look out for Davarm and Neldarez....:lolsmash:
> 
> Okay My friends, kick off your shoes, grab a glass of iced tea and let loose for a bit..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fun time over get back to work.
> Jack


You are a character!! Neldarez and Davarm sound like such nice normal names, names you could trust...........but come on, JackDanielGarrett!! Sounds like trouble to me but such a great source of entertainment...:congrat: Get back to work, there are onions and hashbrowns out there that have not been dehydrated yet!!
:beercheer: ( that's pepsi)


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## goshengirl

You guys make me smile every. single. time.


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## Davarm

I'm with Ms Nelda on the names thing, that "Jack Daniels" guy is someone you need to watch out for. He does sound like a guy that you would want to sit under the shade tree with and sip some Refreshments with though.

Most of us will be more than willing to answer any questions we can, just have to ask. 

Dont be afraid to post any "discoveries" that you come up with either.


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## JackDanielGarrett

Ain't nothin betta than a sippa mint julep unda the shade of a pee-can tree at high noon...

Seriously, I am named after my dad and grand dad...and...dad was a revenooer...lol. Yep one of those hated Pre-ATF dudes. 

Humidity is so high here, I may have to run one dehydrater just to dry the air in the house..lol
Jack


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## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> I put let the squash on to dehydrate this morning and a few hours ago, I picked a piece out and tried it. It was not completely dry yet but it is definitely going to be a keeper.
> 
> I have 2 more 3 gallon bins of it covered in sugar and tomorrow morning I am going to put it in the dehydrator. If the stuff will store well, I just may plant the same amount again next year.


I hope it works out. I would never have thought to candy squash.


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## Davarm

Austin said:


> I hope it works out. I would never have thought to candy squash.


I sometimes think "Outside The Box", I just never say much about the failures.


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## ilovetigger

Davarm said:


> I really like the canned omelets and I too have baked brownies, banana bread, pound cake, and even yeast bread in wide mouth pint jars. They never last long enough on the shelf to be called stores or preps, but they are Good aren't they?


Do you have a post anywhere on the site explaining how you are doing this? I would LOVE to get some of these put up.


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## ilovetigger

LilRedHen said:


> Got a sharp knife? All it takes is a very sharo knife and a steady hand. Instead of one slice down the cob for whole kernel corn, you make as many passes as possible, slicing the top of the kernels. I turn the ear and slice making the first pass, then start around again, making the second pass. My mother could do this three times (I can usually only get 2), then instead of cutting down, scrape the cob with the knife in an upward motion and whatever is caught on the knife, fling it down in the pan with the sliced kernels. I usually put an old sheet cake pan in the sink because the scraping makes corn juice fly everywhere and the sink kind of contains it. The I put the juicy corn in a deep skillet with butter or margarine and a little water. Heat till the corn begins to bubble, stirring frequently so that it won't scorch and cook it for a while. You may have to reduce the temperature. When it begins to smell good and is getting thick, add a couple of teaspoons of sugar. If I am doing this to freeze only, I usually don't salt, but if you are going to eat this skillet immediately, use about the same amount of salt. It seems to keep a little better in the freezer if you don't use salt. If you accidentally get too much water and it looks like it won't cook out, you can thicken it with a little flour. It won't take too much flour, maybe a tablespoon, to thicken a whole skillet. I cool the corn for a while, then put in freezer bags and set the bags in 8 x 11 cake pans with the seals open in the freezer until frozen, then take them out of the pans, seal the bags and stack in the freezer. I have never tried canning cream style corn. My mother said she tried it and it didn't do well and it was too much work to experiment, but I'm sure it can be canned, since you can buy it in the store.


I can the cream corn we get from the local farmer here. The corn is SUPER sweet. I have a scraper corn cutter and adjust the blades to make 2 or 3 cuts. We REALLY scrape the cob for all the milk. Then add a little water to thin it a bit. (Otherwise after canning it is REALLY thick) Heat it up, can and process. The corn we get here is sweet enough we don't have to add anything else to it.


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## LilRedHen

ilovetigger said:


> I can the cream corn we get from the local farmer here. The corn is SUPER sweet. I have a scraper corn cutter and adjust the blades to make 2 or 3 cuts. We REALLY scrape the cob for all the milk. Then add a little water to thin it a bit. (Otherwise after canning it is REALLY thick) Heat it up, can and process. The corn we get here is sweet enough we don't have to add anything else to it.


Process how and for how long? I really want to try this.:congrat:


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## Davarm

ilovetigger said:


> Do you have a post anywhere on the site explaining how you are doing this? I would LOVE to get some of these put up.


I'm sure I have posted how to do the omlets, I will look it up when I have the time and post the link on the "Whats Everyone Canning Today" thread. The grandson likes the omlets and they have all been his breakfasts, dont have any on the shelves now.

The baked goods, I'm not sure if I have posted the directions, will check and if I cant find anything I will type them up and do the same. My favorite is the traditional pound cake, every time I do a batch, it never last long enough to be counted as stores.


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## ilovetigger

LilRedHen said:


> Process how and for how long? I really want to try this.:congrat:


Husk and clean. Blanch cobs for 2 minutes. Immediately cool in an ice bath. This stops the enzyme process. We use the American Corn Cutter set to cut about halfway in. Pass the cob over several times to get the corn and the milk off the cob. (You could use a knife cut 1/2 into the kernels, then the rest, and using the back of the knife scrape the cob to release the milk.) Put it in a big pot. Most recipes I have seen call for 1 cup water for 1 cup corn mix but I use closer to 1 cup water for 2-3 cups corn mix..........kinda wing it. It will seem a little thinner but, thickens when processed. Some add a teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt per pint. I DO NOT. I add nothing but the water. I don't cook with salt, and the corn we get is so sweet it needs no added sugar. (When I heat it up to serve I add a pat of butter.) Put in pint jars, leaving a good inch headspace, and pressure can for 85 minutes. The sugar from the corn will make it a little darker after processing but, does not change the taste. We LOVE, Love, love it over here.


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## queenfreak

Any tips for dehydrating watermelon? Never had dried watermelon before but I heard it turns out almost candy like? I have a huge seedless one that Im thinkin of experimenting with. Any suggestions or tips would be very appreciated. Thanks a million!


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## Davarm

queenfreak said:


> Any tips for dehydrating watermelon? Never had dried watermelon before but I heard it turns out almost candy like? I have a huge seedless one that Im thinkin of experimenting with. Any suggestions or tips would be very appreciated. Thanks a million!


I haven't had much luck drying watermelon but I do candy the rinds and, yes, they do come out much like candy. Is that what you are wanting info on?

If so I think I have posted it before but would be more than happy do so again.


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## queenfreak

That would be awesome if youd be willing to post that again. Sounds like something my kids would love as a treat. Thanks so much!


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## Davarm

Here ya go!



queenfreak said:


> That would be awesome if youd be willing to post that again. Sounds like something my kids would love as a treat. Thanks so much!


Cut the rind into slices(manageable size) and slice off the red, then peel off the outer shell. A thickness of no more than about 1/2 inch is best or it will take forever to dry.

When peeled, cut the slices into about 1 inch strips, put in a large bowl and cover liberally with sugar. Let stand overnight, in the morning the rinds will be "swimming" in liquid that was drawn out.

Pour the contents of the bowl(rind, liquid and all) into a pan and bring to a boil for about 15-10 minutes then let it sit until it is cool. While it is cooling, the rind will soak up the a little more of the sugar.

Drain thoroughly, let drip dry,then put on dehydrator trays and dry at about 120-130 until dry. It will take quite a long time depending on the size and thickness of the pieces but it is worth the wait.

The liquid can be boiled down into a syrup and it is good on pancakes and waffles or you can can it for later use.


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## Davarm

While waiting for the last canner of winter squash to finish up, I juiced a few cucumbers for breakfast and put the pulp on to dehydrate.

Cucumber pulp may not sound good but if you mix it with sour cream and let it hydrate then put a little dill on top, it makes a good side dish.

Waste Not Want Not


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## LilRedHen

I just took out a few trays of bananas (my first) and put in a couple of trays of tomato peelings to dry tonight. I don't know if the bananas are done or not, but they taste delicioius!


----------



## SurvivorBoy1

I'd like to make a dehydrator out of an old frig that died some time ago. I have an old element from an electric smoker that maintains a constant temp of 200 degrees F. Would that be to hot or would it just dehydrate a little faster? I'm not sure what temp is used in commercial dehydrators? Thanks for all replies.


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## Davarm

SurvivorBoy1 said:


> I'd like to make a dehydrator out of an old frig that died some time ago. I have an old element from an electric smoker that maintains a constant temp of 200 degrees F. Would that be to hot or would it just dehydrate a little faster? I'm not sure what temp is used in commercial dehydrators? Thanks for all replies.


Way too hot. Hotter is not always better. I do most of my dehydrating from about 115 to 130 and sometimes that is still to hot. Eggs will cook if even 130 is used.

A small electric space heater may work if you cut a hole in the fridge for the heater to blow into, just be sure to cut a hole in the top to create an air flow so the moisture will be carried out.


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## queenfreak

Today looks like a kale and zucchini kind of day. Has anyone tried drying refried beans or any other processed bean into a chip? I love those beanitos pinto and black bean chips and would love to be able to make a similar version at home!


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## missDaniMF

I think the kids an I are going blueberry picking, always good to dehydrate some blueberries for later


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## Davarm

For me today, its Candied Winter Squash and Okra.

Edit: I forgot, I have a batch of candied watermelon rind almost ready to go onto the dehydrator also.


----------



## neldarez

My garden is starting to produce!! yay.....we had 3 little zucchinis so I sliced them thin and put in the dryer.......I sprinkled taco seasoning on 1 tray, chili powder on another, sea salt on one, tomato powder on one and Johnnys salt on the last tray, this will be interesting to see how they turn out, never have seasoned them before. If I wanted to rehydrate zucchini slices to fry, would I want to slice them a bit thicker when I dry them?? I'm sure Davarm will know.........and I haven't asked questions for a looooooong time!!:dunno:


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## Davarm

Yea Ms Nelda's been giving me the cold shoulder lately!!!:wave:

I slice pretty much all my zucchini the same regardless of what I am planning to do with them. To prepare them to fry, I just pour hot water over them, let them sit for about 20 minutes, drain and semi dry them. I leave enough moisture to make a light dusting of fine cornmeal stick to them, then deep fry.

I have pan fried them and they turn out pretty good but the DD's bought me a "Fry Daddy" type deep fryer and I use that now on the rare occasions when we eat fried foods.

The fried zucchini from dehydrated, is pretty good.


Edit: When my zucchini plants start slowing down from the heat, I let the squash stay on the vines until they start getting a mottling of yellow/orange color to them. I then peel, remove the seeds, dry them and use them kinda like potatoes. They are good in soups done that way. 

I know that is the furthest thing from your mind with your zucchini now but I thought I would throw it in anyway. Mine are at that point now.


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> While waiting for the last canner of winter squash to finish up, I juiced a few cucumbers for breakfast and put the pulp on to dehydrate.
> 
> Cucumber pulp may not sound good but if you mix it with sour cream and let it hydrate then put a little dill on top, it makes a good side dish.
> 
> Waste Not Want Not


do you dehydrate everthing?:wave:


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> do you dehydrate everthing?:wave:


I'll try dehydrating just about anything once then continue if it is any good. The DD's say that I should try dehydrating water, but it would take too much to rehydrate it so I let that go.

I'll try to dry just about anything we eat on a regular basis. Dehydrating is usually my first choice because of the volume/weight savings. If drying does not work out, then I can it. If that doesn't work out either, we probably dont need it anyway.:dunno:

At one time, I did freeze foods but my brand new freezer croaked and I didn't catch it until it started to smell. Decided that I would not do that anymore.


----------



## neldarez

timmie said:


> do you dehydrate everthing?:wave:


:lolsmash: YES HE DOES!!! I think he talked about dehydrating water one night but his daughters wouldn't let him.............


----------



## Emerald

Davarm said:


> I'll try dehydrating just about anything once then continue if it is any good. The DD's say that I should try dehydrating water, but it would take too much to rehydrate it so I let that go.
> 
> I'll try to dry just about anything we eat on a regular basis. Dehydrating is usually my first choice because of the volume/weight savings. If drying does not work out, then I can it. If that doesn't work out either, we probably dont need it anyway.:dunno:
> 
> At one time, I did freeze foods but my brand new freezer croaked and I didn't catch it until it started to smell. Decided that I would not do that anymore.


anything that doesn't can/dry/store well becomes the seasonal treat ya know


----------



## Davarm

Emerald said:


> anything that doesn't can/dry/store well becomes the seasonal treat ya know


I'm sure that's the way our ancestors looked at it, if it was good enough for them, why not us. They survived just fine, we, being here, are proof enough of that.

BUT, I'll take it as a personal challenge if someone tells me that something cant be stored/preserved without power or refrigeration.


----------



## Genevieve

Genevieve said:


> I'm doing cabbage and zucchini. Both shredded for soups and stirfries


ditto and ditto. also add cucumbers shredded and thin strips. Also the peels. Makes great powdered cucumber for dips and salad dressing.


----------



## neldarez

Genevieve said:


> ditto and ditto. also add cucumbers shredded and thin strips. Also the peels. Makes great powdered cucumber for dips and salad dressing.


wow, never would have thought of cucumbers! I've never made salad dressing....you guys all know how to do everything! Is it hard? Actually I just made my very 1st dip ( fresh spinach) the other day.....you can teach an old dog new tricks!


----------



## Davarm

Genevieve said:


> ditto and ditto. also add cucumbers shredded and thin strips. Also the peels. Makes great powdered cucumber for dips and salad dressing.


I've had a few people laugh at me when I tell them that I dehydrate cucumbers. I pour buttermilk on them and let them soak and rehydrate in it then sprinkle a little salt and dill......

Great stuff!

I have candied watermelon rind on the dehydrator tonight. I bought a seedless yellow meat that had a good thick rind and just couldn't let that pass me by.


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> I've had a few people laugh at me when I tell them that I dehydrate cucumbers. I pour buttermilk on them and let them soak and rehydrate in it then sprinkle a little salt and dill......
> 
> Great stuff!
> 
> I have candied watermelon rind on the dehydrator tonight. I bought a seedless yellow meat that had a good thick rind and just couldn't let that pass me by.


i'm looking for some thick rind watermelon. don't suppose you know the name of it?


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> i'm looking for some thick rind watermelon. don't suppose you know the name of it?


No timmie, I dont know the verity it was but the next time I go back to that store, I will ask the produce manager if he can tell me what they are.


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> I've had a few people laugh at me when I tell them that I dehydrate cucumbers. I pour buttermilk on them and let them soak and rehydrate in it then sprinkle a little salt and dill......
> 
> Great stuff!
> 
> I have candied watermelon rind on the dehydrator tonight. I bought a seedless yellow meat that had a good thick rind and just couldn't let that pass me by.


That sounds pretty good.

I've often wondered about making pickle chips. I like pickles, I like chips, seems it would work out well.


----------



## Davarm

Austin said:


> I've often wondered about making pickle chips. I like pickles, I like chips, seems it would work out well.


Weeellll, I have done that, about 4 or so years ago I did try dehydrating pickles and even sauerkraut.

I dont remember exactly how they came out but I am not drying them now so I am inclined to think that I didn't like them that much.

Right now, I have about 15 or so quarts of dill and sweet pickles I was getting ready to dump. They start getting soft after the first year so I generally dump the last years after I get the current years pickles made.

I guess I will just have to put another batch on the dehydrator tonight.


----------



## UncleJoe

CORN.

This is my first attempt at drying sweet corn. I never planted any this year so I was at a local farm this morning at 8:00AM waiting for the wagon to get in from the field. It rolled in at 8:20 and I took 20 dozen. There are 9 trays drying right now. 16 pints vacuum packed and frozen so far. Tonight I'll can 16 pints and start it all over in the morning.


----------



## partdeux

UncleJoe said:


> CORN.
> 
> This is my first attempt at drying sweet corn. I never planted any this year so I was at a local farm this morning at 8:00AM waiting for the wagon to get in from the field. It rolled in at 8:20 and I took 20 dozen. There are 9 trays drying right now. 16 pints vacuum packed and frozen so far. Tonight I'll can 16 pints and start it all over in the morning.


Did you blanch it first?

Never considered drying corn. We can it cream style and freeze whole kernels.


----------



## Davarm

It's going to be Winter Squash tonight, I'm starting to get tired of that stuff but I know I will love it later in the year.

I sold several hundred pounds of it last week and I brought in the last 150-200 pounds a little while ago.

Next year I dont think I will plant quite so much, unless TSHTF between now and then(then I will plant a lot of it).


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> It's going to be Winter Squash tonight, I'm starting to get tired of that stuff but I know I will love it later in the year.
> 
> I sold several hundred pounds of it last week and I brought in the last 150-200 pounds a little while ago.
> 
> Next year I dont think I will plant quite so much, unless TSHTF between now and then(then I will plant a lot of it).


I gotta tell ya Davarm, you are absolutely one of my heroes!! Don't forget to check and make sure you aren't burning at both ends!!:lolsmash:


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I gotta tell ya Davarm, you are absolutely one of my heroes!! Don't forget to check and make sure you aren't burning at both ends!!:lolsmash:


No chance with the candle "thang" again, learned my lesson. Besides, the pollen(grass) is high, weather-dot-com has an alert out for it so I am limiting my outside time until it settles a little.

If that winter squash wasn't so good, I'd just give the rest of it away. Next year I think the DD's just may try to hide my seeds.lol

Edit: I have 25 more trays of it on the dehydrator tonight. I have a full 5 gallon bucket packed tight with candied, 84 quart jars canned and a 5 gallon bucket of dehydrated. Will likely get another 2 buckets of dried before it is all over. Like I said, I starting to get kinda tired of winter squash.lol


----------



## UncleJoe

partdeux said:


> Did you blanch it first?


For the freezing and drying, Yes. Not for the canning.


----------



## UncleJoe

So I ended up dehydrating about 4 dozen. When it was done I had 1.5 quarts of dried corn. I think I'll do this again in a few weeks.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> No chance with the candle "thang" again, learned my lesson. Besides, the pollen(grass) is high, weather-dot-com has an alert out for it so I am limiting my outside time until it settles a little.
> 
> If that winter squash wasn't so good, I'd just give the rest of it away. Next year I think the DD's just may try to hide my seeds.lol
> 
> Edit: I have 25 more trays of it on the dehydrator tonight. I have a full 5 gallon bucket packed tight with candied, 84 quart jars canned and a 5 gallon bucket of dehydrated. Will likely get another 2 buckets of dried before it is all over. Like I said, I starting to get kinda tired of winter squash.lol


Don't remember where I asked you this, but you are making candied squash? Is that right? Can you do that out of summer squash? How? Did you already answer this somewhere? Oh boy, I need to lay off the pepsi...:surrender: I just had a birthday last week so maybe that is why I'm so confused!! lol


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Don't remember where I asked you this, but you are making candied squash? Is that right? Can you do that out of summer squash? How? Did you already answer this somewhere? Oh boy, I need to lay off the pepsi...:surrender: I just had a birthday last week so maybe that is why I'm so confused!! lol


Well Ms Nelda, you just gave me a job for tonight. I was going to take the night off dehydrating but I have a garden cart full(about 70 pounds) of Big, Starchy Over Ripe Zucchini that I was going to dehydrate to use like potatoes. I guess I will put a bin on to soak in sugar tonight and try the candy process tomorrow. The candied winter squash kinda reminds me of pumpkin, pretty good.

I have not tried to candy summer squash so it will be a good experiment. I really dont see why they will not do well. I guess the taste will be the big question. The youngest DD has been asking if we could make kind of a sweet breakfast type dish out of the summer squash since we have so much and I guess now I will have an answer for her.

You are asking ME if you have already asked that question? Geeze, I can't even remember where I put my shoes sometimes:dunno:. I was really thinking that I was loosing it until I found out the grandson loves to wear my shoes around so the DD's hide them from him(and me)lol.

I will post the results of the "Candied Zucchini", it will take overnight for the sugar to draw the moisture out and about a full day to dehydrate so you can expect the results in about 2 days or maybe a little sooner.

Edit: Yea, lay off the Pepsi, try Dr. Pepper(it was first made about 80 miles south of here in Waco).

Thats Pronounced "Way-Coe" not "Wack-O"


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Well Ms Nelda, you just gave me a job for tonight. I was going to take the night off dehydrating but I have a garden cart full(about 70 pounds) of Big, Starchy Over Ripe Zucchini that I was going to dehydrate to use like potatoes. I guess I will put a bin on to soak in sugar tonight and try the candy process tomorrow. The candied winter squash kinda reminds me of pumpkin, pretty good.
> 
> I have not tried to candy summer squash so it will be a good experiment. I really dont see why they will not do well. I guess the taste will be the big question. The youngest DD has been asking if we could make kind of a sweet breakfast type dish out of the summer squash since we have so much and I guess now I will have an answer for her.
> 
> You are asking ME if you have already asked that question? Geeze, I can't even remember where I put my shoes sometimes:dunno:. I was really thinking that I was loosing it until I found out the grandson loves to wear my shoes around so the DD's hide them from him(and me)lol.
> 
> I will post the results of the "Candied Zucchini", it will take overnight for the sugar to draw the moisture out and about a full day to dehydrate so you can expect the results in about 2 days or maybe a little sooner.
> 
> Edit: Yea, lay off the Pepsi, try Dr. Pepper(it was first made about 80 miles south of here in Waco).
> 
> Thats Pronounced "Way-Coe" not "Wack-O"


You live that close to Waco!! We have friends that moved from Omak to Waco several years ago.........Now I know 3 people in Texas........you might want to stay clear of them cuz they are really nuts but she loves to cook and is she ever good at it! They ALWAYS ask us to come to see them, never been anywhere though so that's a lot of pressure on me, plus she has a houseful of dogs, yippy dogs. Fishing would have to be really good. If we ever decide to go see them, we'll get in touch with you, don't hold your breath though as I hate travel and besides, I have gardens and chickens that need me! That's my story and I'm sticking to it


----------



## franco5

Dehydrating ?. 
Good morning! I'm new to dehydrating and everything else. I Am starting off with the basic Nesco American Harvest dehydrator and it has no temp settings, after looking it up online I found out that the preset temp is at 160 degrees. 
The directions I've found for fruits and vegetables call for a setting around 135 degrees for however many hours. So, because my dehydrator is stuck on a higher temp, does that mean I should just dehydrate for a shorter time period or will everything be overdried? I tried a bunch of fruit before knowing the temp and left it in for the time suggested and it turned out hard and brittle. Help?


----------



## LilRedHen

I finished a batch of bananas this morning. The Rooster even likes them. He's like the commercial for 'Mikey' that was on years ago, he doesn't like hardly anything new. I guess it's a good thing I ordered more trays.


----------



## LilRedHen

I just put in four more trays of bananas that I got for .30/lb this afternoon at Save-A-Lot. This is the first time I have ever found overripe bananas on sale there. My lucky day!


----------



## UncleJoe

franco5 said:


> So, because my dehydrator is stuck on a higher temp, does that mean I should just dehydrate for a shorter time period or will everything be overdried?


That's a really good question. I have never heard of anything to be dried at 160°.  Mine only goes up to 150° and I've never had it higher than 130°. The booklet that came with mine had suggested drying times for many things. I found them all to be waaaay to long and ended up with a few crispy critters myself. 

To avoid over drying you might consider checking it every couple hours and rotating the trays if your machine has "hot spots". With some experimentation you should be able to make it work


----------



## Possumfam

franco5 said:


> Dehydrating ?.
> Good morning! I'm new to dehydrating and everything else. I Am starting off with the basic Nesco American Harvest dehydrator and it has no temp settings, after looking it up online I found out that the preset temp is at 160 degrees.
> The directions I've found for fruits and vegetables call for a setting around 135 degrees for however many hours. So, because my dehydrator is stuck on a higher temp, does that mean I should just dehydrate for a shorter time period or will everything be overdried? I tried a bunch of fruit before knowing the temp and left it in for the time suggested and it turned out hard and brittle. Help?


So glad you asked this question, cuz I'm in the same predicament. I have a generic dehydrator (asked for one for Christmas, and got what I got). I'm not complaining, I'm just not exactly sure if I'm doing it right w/o being able to change the temp.


----------



## goshengirl

The problem with dehydrators that are set too high is that you get 'case hardening.' That's when the outside of the food item dries quickly and basically forms a hard case that prevents the inside of the food from dehydrating. Then you end up with nasty stuff. 

Better to dehydrate something at a little lower than the recommended temperature rather than higher.


----------



## jbillh

We've been making tons of jerky... just can't seem to keep enough around the house.

That said; we actually put our dehydrator outside on the back porch. We couldn't see running the AC unit and the dehydrator both in the kitchen. Just too hot for that!

Of course in the winter we get double-duty out of our dehydrator... heats the house a little and the potpourri of jerky is better than Fabreeze! 

All the Best,


----------



## jbillh

goshengirl said:


> The problem with dehydrators that are set too high is that you get 'case hardening.' That's when the outside of the food item dries quickly and basically forms a hard case that prevents the inside of the food from dehydrating. Then you end up with nasty stuff.
> 
> Better to dehydrate something at a little lower than the recommended temperature rather than higher.


Great tip! Thanks!


----------



## Davarm

Austin said:


> That sounds pretty good.
> 
> I've often wondered about making pickle chips. I like pickles, I like chips, seems it would work out well.


I have a tray of dill pickles in the dehydrator with Ms Nelda's "Candied Zucchini", should be done in the morning, will post the results.


----------



## Freyadog

Davarm said:


> Well Ms Nelda, you just gave me a job for tonight. I was going to take the night off dehydrating but I have a garden cart full(about 70 pounds) of Big, Starchy Over Ripe Zucchini that I was going to dehydrate to use like potatoes. I guess I will put a bin on to soak in sugar tonight and try the candy process tomorrow. The candied winter squash kinda reminds me of pumpkin, pretty good.
> 
> I have not tried to candy summer squash so it will be a good experiment. I really dont see why they will not do well. I guess the taste will be the big question. The youngest DD has been asking if we could make kind of a sweet breakfast type dish out of the summer squash since we have so much and I guess now I will have an answer for her.
> 
> You are asking ME if you have already asked that question? Geeze, I can't even remember where I put my shoes sometimes:dunno:. I was really thinking that I was loosing it until I found out the grandson loves to wear my shoes around so the DD's hide them from him(and me)lol.
> 
> I will post the results of the "Candied Zucchini", it will take overnight for the sugar to draw the moisture out and about a full day to dehydrate so you can expect the results in about 2 days or maybe a little sooner.
> 
> Edit: Yea, lay off the Pepsi, try Dr. Pepper(it was first made about 80 miles south of here in Waco).
> 
> Thats Pronounced "Way-Coe" not "Wack-O"


Candied zucchini?? Did I somehow miss the directions for this? Have loads of the stuff and am getting tired of it. Please the recipe for candying? Please...........


----------



## Davarm

Freyadog said:


> Candied zucchini?? Did I somehow miss the directions for this? Have loads of the stuff and am getting tired of it. Please the recipe for candying? Please...........


No, you didn't somehow miss it. I'm still working on it, the first attempt came off the dehydrator this morning. It was kinda unremarkable, tasted like sweet zucchini.

I'm going to try another batch tonight, I have a few more idea's to try with it. I'm in the same zucchini boat just picked more yesterday and my best guess is that I have close to 100 pounds to do something with.

If the next attempt at candying doesn't impress me I'm just going to peel, seed and can it. I have been letting it get big and starchy for that purpose.


----------



## Davarm

Austin said:


> That sounds pretty good.
> 
> I've often wondered about making pickle chips. I like pickles, I like chips, seems it would work out well.


The pickles came off the dehydrator this morning.

They are definitely not "Pickle Chips" but are rubbery, salty and a little tangy, I tried eating one but gave up trying to chew it after a while.

I poured boiling water over some to rehydrate them and surpisingly, they weren't too bad. The boiling water pretty much leeched out all the salt and vinegar but if you used a diluted vinegar/salt solution to rehydrate them they may be pretty good. That is if you dont mind them not being crispy and crunchy.

For me, the jury is still out.


----------



## neldarez

jbillh said:


> We've been making tons of jerky... just can't seem to keep enough around the house.
> 
> That said; we actually put our dehydrator outside on the back porch. We couldn't see running the AC unit and the dehydrator both in the kitchen. Just too hot for that!
> 
> Of course in the winter we get double-duty out of our dehydrator... heats the house a little and the potpourri of jerky is better than Fabreeze!
> 
> All the Best,


I've never made jerky, did you make it out of hamburger?


----------



## jbillh

*Jerkey...*



neldarez said:


> I've never made jerky, did you make it out of hamburger?


Hi neldarez,

We have made some out of hamburger (which turned out surprisingly well,) but mostly we make it out of cheap and tougher cuts of meat that are on sale... nothing but the best for my fam! 

The real "secret" is in the marinade... it can be very simple or really complex but if you get the flavor right it almost doesn't matter what the quality of the beef is. IMO.

We tend to go with a teriyaki flavor for our bunch.

All the Best,


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> The pickles came off the dehydrator this morning.
> 
> They are definitely not "Pickle Chips" but are rubbery, salty and a little tangy, I tried eating one but gave up trying to chew it after a while.
> 
> I poured boiling water over some to rehydrate them and surpisingly, they weren't too bad. The boiling water pretty much leeched out all the salt and vinegar but if you used a diluted vinegar/salt solution to rehydrate them they may be pretty good. That is if you dont mind them not being crispy and crunchy.
> 
> For me, the jury is still out.


How thin did you slice them?


----------



## neldarez

jbillh said:


> Hi neldarez,
> 
> We have made some out of hamburger (which turned out surprisingly well,) but mostly we make it out of cheap and tougher cuts of meat that are on sale... nothing but the best for my fam!
> 
> The real "secret" is in the marinade... it can be very simple or really complex but if you get the flavor right it almost doesn't matter what the quality of the beef is. IMO.
> 
> We tend to go with a teriyaki flavor for our bunch.
> 
> All the Best,


Do you share the recipe?? I always want to know how you cut the meat, is it with a meat slicer really thin? Does this take a very long time to dry?


----------



## Davarm

Austin said:


> How thin did you slice them?


I sliced them about 2x as thick as a hamburger chip from the store bought jar. I did rehydrate a this morning with a vinegar/water/salt solution like you would make pickles with and they weren't that bad. They would go good in a potato salad or maybe even on a burger but they definitely were not good like a fresh crisp dill straight out of the jar.


----------



## LilRedHen

Bananas, peaches and tomato slices.


----------



## UncleJoe

7 trays of egg. Should be done about midnight.


----------



## jbillh

neldarez said:


> Do you share the recipe?? I always want to know how you cut the meat, is it with a meat slicer really thin? Does this take a very long time to dry?


Hi neldarez,

We often use the recipe on this page:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/docs-best-beef-jerky/

There are tons of great recipes out there though.

My wife likes to freeze the meat then slice it when it is semi-defrosted. We don't have a fancy meat slicer so this keeps it fairly easy to get thin slices.

We typically have slices between 1/8" and 1/4" and they take "several hours" to dry (depending on various conditions etc. We happily check a piece or two after a few hours and even more often after that 

I hope this helps!

All the Best,


----------



## Davarm

Today its more Okra and another test of Candied Zucchini.

On the zucchini, I am going to put the sugared pieces(tonight after it sugars for a while) in its boiling syrup for a minute or two to lightly cook it first before drying. Thats the way I do the winter squash and it makes the world of difference than just drying the sugared pieces.


----------



## cybergranny

Finally some basil


----------



## ilovetigger

Tomatoes for tomato powder and mixed peppers.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

00oooo tomato powder.....

Ok, spill it. Old men need to know about such stuff, ilovetigger.


Jack


----------



## Roseann

I am also doing tomato powder. I recently made gravy with 50lbs of Roma tomatoes. I used the kitchen aid juicer attachment to separate the skins & seeds from the juice ( we like puréed gravy). I couldn't bear to throw all the skins away so I did some research online and found that you can dehydrate the skins and then I powdered them in my magic bullet. I save them in an airtight mason jar and can use them wherever I need a little tomato flavor. Like soups etc.... I also read that for every 1 tsp of powder you can mix with equal amounts water to make tomato paste. I was so happy not to have to throw them away.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Roseann said:


> I am also doing tomato powder. I recently made gravy with 50lbs of Roma tomatoes. I used the kitchen aid juicer attachment to separate the skins & seeds from the juice ( we like puréed gravy). I couldn't bear to throw all the skins away so I did some research online and found that you can dehydrate the skins and then I powdered them in my magic bullet. I save them in an airtight mason jar and can use them wherever I need a little tomato flavor. Like soups etc.... I also read that for every 1 tsp of powder you can mix with equal amounts water to make tomato paste. I was so happy not to have to throw them away.


Wow, so dehydrate the skins and powder them...:thankyou:

I need to get this whole "think out of the box thing" down pat...lol

Jack


----------



## Davarm

Roseann said:


> I am also doing tomato powder. I recently made gravy with 50lbs of Roma tomatoes. I used the kitchen aid juicer attachment to separate the skins & seeds from the juice ( we like puréed gravy). I couldn't bear to throw all the skins away so I did some research online and found that you can dehydrate the skins and then I powdered them in my magic bullet. I save them in an airtight mason jar and can use them wherever I need a little tomato flavor. Like soups etc.... I also read that for every 1 tsp of powder you can mix with equal amounts water to make tomato paste. I was so happy not to have to throw them away.


I dont want to sound like a total hick, but what is tomato gravy?

Thats a new one on me and it sounds kinda interesting.

I also dehydrate the solids from juicing tomatoes and use it in cooking.


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> I dont want to sound like a total hick, but what is tomato gravy?
> 
> Thats a new one on me and it sounds kinda interesting.
> 
> I also dehydrate the solids from juicing tomatoes and use it in cooking.


great southern dish. served with hot biscuits,can't be beat.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> great southern dish. served with hot biscuits,can't be beat.


Recipe?

I guess I can put that recipe next to the Pickled Peaches. If I hadn't already canned all mine I would have put up a few jars of those.

You guys are making me realize I may have indeed lived a deprived childhood.


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> Recipe?
> 
> I guess I can put that recipe next to the Pickled Peaches. If I hadn't already canned all mine I would have put up a few jars of those.
> 
> You guys are making me realize I may have indeed lived a deprived childhood.


sure thing just make it like pan gravy except instead of water,broth or whatever you use add tomatoes. depending on what kind of mood i'm in i sometimes add onion,bell pepper.or whatever sounds good at the time.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> sure thing just make it like pan gravy except instead of water,broth or whatever you use add tomatoes. depending on what kind of mood i'm in i sometimes add onion,bell pepper.or whatever sounds good at the time.


Thank you timmie, I have row of tomatoes just about ready to pick so I will give it a try in the next few days and report back the results.

Thanks again!


----------



## Davarm

Roseann said:


> I recently made gravy with 50lbs of Roma tomatoes.


OK Roseann, I had my gravy question answered by timmie, now I have one for you.

You made tomato gravy from 50lbs of tomatoes? Are you feeding an army or do you preserve it somehow?


----------



## ilovetigger

JackDanielGarrett said:


> 00oooo tomato powder.....
> 
> Ok, spill it. Old men need to know about such stuff, ilovetigger.
> 
> 
> Jack


You saw what Roseann wrote...........basically the same.

Made V8 (Turn it into DH Bloody Mary mix) today and after running through the squeeze-o-matic I have all of the "scraps" in the dehydrator now to make a vegetable powder for broths and such.

I have to say this is the BEST batch of V8 to date. We lost our original recipe and I adjusted by memory what I thought was in it and wrote it down. YUM! It can be traditional V8 or add the additional ingredients to make a FANTASTIC Bloody Mary Mix. Got 12 quarts out of this batch. DH says I need to make at least 2-3 more batches as he ran out this year before I could make more. lol


----------



## Enchant18

Roseann said:


> I am also doing tomato powder. I recently made gravy with 50lbs of Roma tomatoes. I used the kitchen aid juicer attachment to separate the skins & seeds from the juice ( we like puréed gravy). I couldn't bear to throw all the skins away so I did some research online and found that you can dehydrate the skins and then I powdered them in my magic bullet. I save them in an airtight mason jar and can use them wherever I need a little tomato flavor. Like soups etc.... I also read that for every 1 tsp of powder you can mix with equal amounts water to make tomato paste. I was so happy not to have to throw them away.


Wonderful!, my relatives can gravy every year too. I hope to start that this year. Making the powder from the skins is brilliant.
I have started dehydrating today so I guess I have alot to learn.....
Starting with mushrooms and celery for soup mixes.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

ilovetigger said:


> You saw what Roseann wrote...........basically the same.
> 
> Made V8 (Turn it into DH Bloody Mary mix) today and after running through the squeeze-o-matic I have all of the "scraps" in the dehydrator now to make a vegetable powder for broths and such.
> 
> I have to say this is the BEST batch of V8 to date. We lost our original recipe and I adjusted by memory what I thought was in it and wrote it down. YUM! It can be traditional V8 or add the additional ingredients to make a FANTASTIC Bloody Mary Mix. Got 12 quarts out of this batch. DH says I need to make at least 2-3 more batches as he ran out this year before I could make more. lol


Gotcha ilovetigger, so after you squeeze them you dehydrate whats left! Dang I shoulda seen that!

BTW, you caught me with Bloody Mary...:beercheer: I have a recipe using V8, clamato juice and beef broth... Everything else is the same..shh...dont tell the others.

Davarm. tomato gravy and rice with fat back bacon was one of my momma's cheap meal, back in the day...lol

'mater Squeezing Jack


----------



## Emerald

ilovetigger said:


> You saw what Roseann wrote...........basically the same.
> 
> Made V8 (Turn it into DH Bloody Mary mix) today and after running through the squeeze-o-matic I have all of the "scraps" in the dehydrator now to make a vegetable powder for broths and such.
> 
> I have to say this is the BEST batch of V8 to date. We lost our original recipe and I adjusted by memory what I thought was in it and wrote it down. YUM! It can be traditional V8 or add the additional ingredients to make a FANTASTIC Bloody Mary Mix. Got 12 quarts out of this batch. DH says I need to make at least 2-3 more batches as he ran out this year before I could make more. lol


You better pass that V8 recipe on along too.. I just bought a big kitchenaid mixer with the fruit/veggies screen and can't wait for maters to use in it.. and I love V8!!! but the chickens get my leftovers.. they go to make some of the best tasting eggs around..


----------



## gypsysue

I like the V-8 fusion with the fruits as well as veggies in them. Does anyone have recipes or suggestions for those?

I've been dehydrating onions and mint lately... at opposite ends of the house, and it sure smells weird in here! :gaah:


----------



## neldarez

gypsysue said:


> I like the V-8 fusion with the fruits as well as veggies in them. Does anyone have recipes or suggestions for those?
> 
> I've been dehydrating onions and mint lately... at opposite ends of the house, and it sure smells weird in here! :gaah:


is the mint for tea?


----------



## goshengirl

GS, how are you drying your mint? I dried mine with a dehydrator, but later read that a quick drying of mint causes it to lose a lot of its flavor, and mint should be dehydrated slowly, tied up, in a dry place. So I've been wondering how other folks do it. 

I can imagine that the mint/onion tandem is a .... unique.... smell.


----------



## gypsysue

Neldarez, yes, the mint is for tea. We drink it hot or iced. Iced mint tea is very refreshing on a hot day!

Goshen, I spread the mint on trays, screens, whatever I have that isn't currently full of other herbs drying. In our dry climate it only takes 2 or 3 days for it to dry. If there's a lot of it on there I 'stir' it with my fingers now and then. 

I strip the leaves off when it's dry and store it in glass jars, packing it in tightly. 

I've tied it in bundles and hung it to dry, but that's more time consuming.


----------



## goshengirl

Thanks GS! You mentioned your dry climate, and I think that makes a huge difference. I'm going to wait (if my plants will let me) until we have days of low(er) humidity and try drying them then. I should have been doing that all along! 

With as hectic as things have been in the garden, I get into this 'gotta get it done, gotta get it done!' mode, and I don't stop long enough to really observe and just plain think!


----------



## oldasrocks

Our entire place is dehydrating!!! Even the pond. Someone do a good rain dance PLEASE!


----------



## jbillh

OK, we are now dehydrating ~20lbs or Elk!

It has been sliced and marinating all day today (teriyaki style.)

Tomorrow we'll see how many loads we can get through it before bedtime.

Of course, we'll be letting our dehydrator run outside. No sense competing with the AC.

I can hardly wait 'til its done!

All the Best,


----------



## jbillh

OK, we are now dehydrating ~20lbs of Elk!

It has been sliced and marinating all day today (teriyaki style.)

Tomorrow we'll see how many loads we can get through it before bedtime.

Of course, we'll be letting our dehydrator run outside. No sense competing with the AC.

I can hardly wait 'til its done!

All the Best,


----------



## neldarez

gypsysue said:


> Neldarez, yes, the mint is for tea. We drink it hot or iced. Iced mint tea is very refreshing on a hot day!
> 
> Goshen, I spread the mint on trays, screens, whatever I have that isn't currently full of other herbs drying. In our dry climate it only takes 2 or 3 days for it to dry. If there's a lot of it on there I 'stir' it with my fingers now and then.
> 
> I strip the leaves off when it's dry and store it in glass jars, packing it in tightly.
> 
> I've tied it in bundles and hung it to dry, but that's more time consuming.


do you just crush it up and put in one of those balls? I have several mints, spearmint, pineapple mint , hmmm. maybe just 2 mints....is that the kinds of mint you're talking about? I only grew it cuz you guys all talk about mint, don't have a clue what to do with it!! too funny.....


----------



## cybergranny

neldarez said:


> do you just crush it up and put in one of those balls? I have several mints, spearmint, pineapple mint , hmmm. maybe just 2 mints....is that the kinds of mint you're talking about? I only grew it cuz you guys all talk about mint, don't have a clue what to do with it!! too funny.....


Yes, I'm currently drying chocolate mint. If course it's good for a cold, indigestion to name a couple.


----------



## LilRedHen

Tonight it's peaches. I got about 1/4 bushel of over ripe peaches today for $3.00. I also have a peach cobbler in the oven at the Rooster's request and 5 or 6 to eat.


----------



## Moby76065

Salekdarling said:


> I dehydrated apple slices the other day. I'd love to dehydrate beef stew but not sure on how to store at the moment.
> 
> Question, I want to be able to use oxygen absorbers to store away my dehydrated food. Is using 100cc oxygen absorbers okay to use? I read that it was more for #10 cans. It's preferable to use 50cc but I can never find a site with 50cc. :dunno:


Salekdarling it doesn't matter if ya use an O2 absorber that's bigger. It just works better. I always use more than I need. An O2 absorber works basically turning iron filings to rust. If ya eat up all the O2 in any given container the process just stops. No harm done.


----------



## Davarm

I have a final experiment going now, a last batch of the Candied Zucchini I have been playing with. I say last batch because I think my squash are just about finished for the summer, the 115 degree heat, hot dry wind and full strong daily sun has just about finihsed off my zucchini vines.

I may take Emeralds advice and try planting some more under a bug barrier for the fall when the weather cools off a little.


----------



## ilovetigger

Took the dehydrated sheets from the leftover "stuff" from making the V8 and ground it up for veggie broth.

Hubby was like..........."That's it?".............Uh, yea. It's dehydrated silly.


----------



## LilRedHen

I did a batch of okra today and tonight it's overripe bananas I picked up this afternoon for 25 cents a pound. Cheapest in my area in a long long time.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I did a batch of okra today and tonight it's overripe bananas I picked up this afternoon for 25 cents a pound. Cheapest in my area in a long long time.


You can never have too many bananas, we love them dehydrated, $.25 per pound is a pretty good "get".

Today is a catch up day for me, a load of Okra, leftover spagetti(with bow tie pasta) and bread(cornbread, whole wheat and what ever is saved in he freezer).

When we have bread that is going stale, I freeze it and when I have a load, I dehydrate it and run it through the food processor for crumbs. It all gets mixed together and saved for things like breading chicken with, bread puddings and caserole toppings. It can add some verity to dishes, you hardly get the same mix of crumbs two times in a row.


----------



## ntvtxn

I haven't tried this yet but I've had dehydrated peaches out of MRE's before. I ate them just like they were. Best thing I ever had dehydrated. 

Thanks for all the great ideas


----------



## Freyadog

Dehydrating moist crackers. Our humidity is running 70% and so crackers even not opened are damp. so have a dehydrator full of crackers and then putting them in 1/2 gallon jars.


----------



## Emerald

ntvtxn said:


> I haven't tried this yet but I've had dehydrated peaches out of MRE's before. I ate them just like they were. Best thing I ever had dehydrated.
> 
> Thanks for all the great ideas


Just a heads up.. sometime they are dehydrated and "chewy" and sometimes the ones in there are freeze dried and "crispy". Just so you know the difference.
my hubby told me he loved dried apple slices and the strawberry they had in MRE come to find out they were the freeze dried ones and they have a totally different texture than dehydrated ones.


----------



## ntvtxn

Emerald said:


> Just a heads up.. sometime they are dehydrated and "chewy" and sometimes the ones in there are freeze dried and "crispy". Just so you know the difference.
> my hubby told me he loved dried apple slices and the strawberry they had in MRE come to find out they were the freeze dried ones and they have a totally different texture than dehydrated ones.


Well I guess I had the Freeze Dried ones then. They were about the size of a 4 bar kit kat candy bar and very crispy. Dang that just ruined my idea of making them today before our peaches go bad. Thanks for the info


----------



## TechAdmin

Emerald said:


> Just a heads up.. sometime they are dehydrated and "chewy" and sometimes the ones in there are freeze dried and "crispy". Just so you know the difference.
> my hubby told me he loved dried apple slices and the strawberry they had in MRE come to find out they were the freeze dried ones and they have a totally different texture than dehydrated ones.


I like dehydrated, don't like freeze dried.

The freeze dried are an odd texture for me.


----------



## Emerald

Austin said:


> I like dehydrated, don't like freeze dried.
> 
> The freeze dried are an odd texture for me.


Hubs only likes the freeze dried.. he likes that "lucky charms marshmallow" type crunch 
He also didn't care for banana chips that I made but loved store ones. come to find out. tho yummy store bought ones are not dried.. they are fried.  and then dipped in a light sweetener.


----------



## LilRedHen

A sack full of okra today. It's funny how it dries down to less than a quart. I picked another sack full around lunch. I haven't found any vehicles with the windows down yet


----------



## Emerald

LilRedHen said:


> A sack full of okra today. It's funny how it dries down to less than a quart. I picked another sack full around lunch. I haven't found any vehicles with the windows down yet


Front porch drop/doorbell/run works too ya know..


----------



## LilRedHen

Emerald said:


> Front porch drop/doorbell/run works too ya know..


Most of my neighbors either don't have doorbells or keep their doors open, so they might see me. I'm trying not to complain about the bounty since I've not been able to get any okra to grow for the last two years because of the durn neighborhood pet deer. The last time I saw the 'thing' it was limping badly and heading towards home. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.


----------



## JackDanielGarrett

Grab a cold one, listen to the words and regroup...

Gawd I am getting old...

Jack


----------



## Davarm

Emerald said:


> Front porch drop/doorbell/run works too ya know..


When we were kids, we would do something similar but it wasn't with bags of okra. A bic lighter was also involved. lol.

I too am dehydrating okra tonight along with more pasta and sauce the youngest DD made tonight. I dont know how this will come out, she used quite a bit of Ricotta and Mozzarella in it. I guess I will find out tomorrow.

I am also putting on a load of watermelon rinds to sugar tonight and will put them in the dehydrator when I take the okra and pasta in in the morning.


----------



## talob

Wife and I are talking about getting half a beef to can, was wondering, canning or dehydrating hamburg, dehydrate then vacume seal, difference in shelf life between canning or drying? Oh by the way was just to lazy to go through all 70 pages here so my apologiz's if it's been discused befor.


----------



## Davarm

While I was in the garden today, I found about a 15 more winter squash hat had hidden under some vines, I am loading it up on trays between breaks here and watching the Mars Rover(Curiosity) Landing on the NASA Channel.

It looks like one last full dehydrator of winter squash, minus the Blue Hubbards sitting on the pourch. Haven't decided whether to can, dehydrate, candy or just eat them.

I guess if I put it off long enough, I can take them to the Meet Up, South of Dallas and hand them out.


----------



## gobeav494

Hi everyone, I really appreciate the education. I started my first batch of dehydrated foods starting with potatoes. They all turned black. Obviously I am missing something. Any help is appreciated. BTW, it appears to be drying well however. Thanks!


----------



## Davarm

gobeav494 said:


> Hi everyone, I really appreciate the education. I started my first batch of dehydrated foods starting with potatoes. They all turned black. Obviously I am missing something. Any help is appreciated. BTW, it appears to be drying well however. Thanks!


In my experience, red potatoes discolor less than russets.

If you want to prevent it all together, blanch them first then dehydrate them. When you do this, they come out a nice and translucent like the ones you get in the "Box" products from the grocery store.

The potatoes you dehydrated that are black, dont throw them out. They will cook up and taste ok, you can serve them to uninvited dinner guests.


----------



## UncleJoe

I started on peaches today. I peel and slice them a bit then throw them in the blender for 30 seconds or so then pour the puree on to leather sheets. I have 8 trays drying right now. When they're finished I tear them in half and roll them up in a sheet of wax paper. Tasty!


----------



## gobeav494

Davarm, 

Thanks for taking the time to help me out. I will try a batch tomorrow and will see how it goes.


----------



## goshengirl

I also put my potato slices in water with lemon juice. The acid in lemon juice helps prevent the discoloration. And definitely blanching, too. I slice them into a bowl of water with lemon juice, and then after I blanch them I cool them down in a bowl with ice water and lemon juice. I'm sure that's overkill, that you only need to use the lemon juice once, but I like to make real certain that they won't turn black.  Oh, you don't taste the lemon juice in the potato once it's dehydrated.


----------



## PrepN4Good

The way I dehydrate my taters is, I microwave them (skins on) for about 5 minutes or so, let them cool completely, then peel. I don't blanch them at all. Just don't cook so long that they get soft, or you will have tater crumbles instead of slices.  Which, now that I think about it, prolly wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.


----------



## prepmama518

goshengirl said:


> It seems like whenever there's a thread on dehydrating, we get ideas from each other. Plus, it's just plain fun to see what others are doing. So I thought it would be fun to start a thread where people could post what they're dehydrating today (and tomorrow, and the next day, etc.), and maybe we'll all get some ideas!
> 
> Last night (overnight) I dehydrated meatless spaghetti sauce. Basically just tomato sauce/paste with a bunch of herbs it it. I wanted to see if I could make my own tomato powder. I'm definitely going to have to improve how I spread it out on the sheet, as I had some big differences in thickness. The stuff that was thin makes a nice powder (in the blender). The stuff that was thick makes a really yummy leather. I can see keeping a baggie full of this stuff in the car in case of emergencies (or kids just plain getting the munchies).


Hi, new here! Today I am dehydrating Creole flavored zucchini chips! I also baked 6 loaves of zucchini oat bread. Some for the freezer, some to trade and one to feed the fam.


----------



## TechAdmin

What's the creole flavoring?


----------



## UncleJoe

Question????

I pulled another batch of peach leather from the dryer tonight. I started tearing off strips of wax paper to wrap them up and discovered I was at the end of the roll and still had 6 trays to do. With the store being a 25 mile round trip I looked for alternatives. I tried plastic wrap but it was absolutely miserable to work with. Next I tried aluminum foil. That work quite well but AuntJoe expressed some concerns that the peach might take on the taste of the foil. 

Thoughts?


----------



## Davarm

May be a good idea to listen to Aunt Joe regardless of whether she is right or wrong on the subject.:ignore:



UncleJoe said:


> Question????
> 
> I pulled another batch of peach leather from the dryer tonight. I started tearing off strips of wax paper to wrap them up and discovered I was at the end of the roll and still had 6 trays to do. With the store being a 25 mile round trip I looked for alternatives. I tried plastic wrap but it was absolutely miserable to work with. Next I tried aluminum foil. That work quite well but AuntJoe expressed some concerns that the peach might take on the taste of the foil.
> 
> Thoughts?


----------



## Davarm

For me, its going to be Okra and Banana Peppers tonight.


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> For me, its going to be Okra and Banana Peppers tonight.


okra for me too. a friend brought me a 5 gallon bucket full.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> okra for me too. a friend brought me a 5 gallon bucket full.


If the weather cools down and it rains a little, I will start getting that much about every 2nd or 3rd day. You can never have too much. Since I learned that dehydrated okra rehydrates and fries up good, the people I have been giving the excess to in the past are wondering if I still like them. 

I went to town today and bought a 25 pound watermelon. After we ate as much as we waned, I bagged the rest of the "meat", put it in the fridge and put the rind on to soak in sugar, tomorrow morning I am going to put candied watermelon rind on to dehydrate. After this batch, I will likely have all that we can possibly use in the next year or so.


----------



## LilRedHen

I picked 3 five gallon buckets of apples yesterday at a friend's house and have apples in the dehydrator and applesauce in the crockpot. It will be apples for me for the next 2 or 3 days. Now I'm wishing I had bought more trays for the dehydrator. Davarm has me hooked!


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I picked 3 five gallon buckets of apples yesterday at a friend's house and have apples in the dehydrator and applesauce in the crockpot. It will be apples for me for the next 2 or 3 days. Now I'm wishing I had bought more trays for the dehydrator. Davarm has me hooked!


Yea, ya know if you cant dehydrate it(or maybe can it), you probably dont need it anyway!

We cant grow apples reliably down here but we do have quite alot of pears.


----------



## LisaK

I love this thread! I'm just learning how to preserve food and when I was given two large boxes of almost overripe black cherries I got busy fast! We live off the grid and I don't have a dehydrator yet, so my husband put together a makeshift solar dehydrator and we have been loving it! (if you want to see a picture of it, I put it on my blog: http://sustainablepreparedness.com/index.php/blog/dried-fruit-in-a-solar-dehydrator ) but my very favorite thing that I've dried so far is Granola. I heard from my mother-in-law that in desperation once she had dehyradeted hers and as she put it, it was the best 'melt-in-your-mouth' granola she had ever made. So I tried it and she was right!! It disappeared so fast! I'm planning on making some more as soon as I'm able!


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> For me, its going to be Okra and Banana Peppers tonight.


do you dehydrate small okra pods to boil either alone or in peas? how do they turn out?


----------



## Freyadog

prepmama518 said:


> Hi, new here! Today I am dehydrating Creole flavored zucchini chips! I also baked 6 loaves of zucchini oat bread. Some for the freezer, some to trade and one to feed the fam.


Recipe for the creole flavored zucchinnni chips please.......


----------



## Freyadog

LisaK said:


> I love this thread! I'm just learning how to preserve food and when I was given two large boxes of almost overripe black cherries I got busy fast! We live off the grid and I don't have a dehydrator yet, so my husband put together a makeshift solar dehydrator and we have been loving it! (if you want to see a picture of it, I put it on my blog: http://sustainablepreparedness.com/index.php/blog/dried-fruit-in-a-solar-dehydrator ) but my very favorite thing that I've dried so far is Granola. I heard from my mother-in-law that in desperation once she had dehyradeted hers and as she put it, it was the best 'melt-in-your-mouth' granola she had ever made. So I tried it and she was right!! It disappeared so fast! I'm planning on making some more as soon as I'm able!


Recipe for that melt-in-you-mouth granola, and how do you dry it?


----------



## Freyadog

LilRedHen said:


> I picked 3 five gallon buckets of apples yesterday at a friend's house and have apples in the dehydrator and applesauce in the crockpot. It will be apples for me for the next 2 or 3 days. Now I'm wishing I had bought more trays for the dehydrator. Davarm has me hooked!


Same here with the apples. One day apples the next tomatoes, then apples and tomatoes again. On and on now for 3 weeks. It has to end before fall I hope.


----------



## ContinualHarvest

Today I have blue oyster mushrooms in the dehydrator. Soaking the block tomorrow and will hopefully have some more soon. Should be harvesting and dehydrating tomatoes tomorrow afternoon.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> do you dehydrate small okra pods to boil either alone or in peas? how do they turn out?


No timmie, I have never dehydrated any without slicing it first but I know what I am going to try tonight.

It just never occurred to me to do that before. I will tell you tomorrow how it comes out.


----------



## LisaK

Hi Freyadog, unfortunately I'm a dump cook, and still haven't managed to come up with the 'perfect recipe'. My Mother-in-law is the same way (I asked her for her recipe because I really liked it [although it wasn't dehydrated], and I got the same answer from her). I have only made that one batch of granola in the solar dehydrator so I can't say for sure that it wasn't the recipe that I used. If you have a granola recipe already, I'd try that first, and if it doesn't work then let me know and I'll work on measuring what I did and get that for you. But my hankering is that it should work for any recipe for granola as long as the recipe isn't a really bad one!! (I've tried those too!! LOL!)

As far as how I dried it, I'm just using our makeshift solar dehydrator. I check the forecast that morning and if it looks clear then after I mix all the ingredients together I'll put it on cookie trays and put in the dehydrator. I used my oven thermometer to see how warm it gets inside and it looks like it was about 125 degrees, but being that it's for an oven and sitting on the bottom end of the scale, I'm not really sure hoe accurate it was. Either way, I left it alone all day and came back that night to find it was dry. Breakfast the next morning was a sheer delight! You can see a picture of our little makeshift solar dehydrator with a brief description on my blog. The link is: http://sustainablepreparedness.com/index.php/blog/dried-fruit-in-a-solar-dehydrator


----------



## LilRedHen

Freyadog said:


> Same here with the apples. One day apples the next tomatoes, then apples and tomatoes again. On and on now for 3 weeks. It has to end before fall I hope.


How do you do your tomatoes? I picked a five gallon bucket full tonight. I now need even more dehydrator trays


----------



## prepmama518

Freyadog said:


> Recipe for the creole flavored zucchinnni chips please.......


Its very simple I purchased a Creole Seasoning mix from the Family Dollar store! Slice the Zucchini about 1/4 thick and put the slices in a paper bag. Sprinkle the Creole seasoning in the bag (not too much, its pretty spicy!) Shake it up, then process in the dehydrator. I have a Nesco, 135 degrees for 14 hrs+-.


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> No timmie, I have never dehydrated any without slicing it first but I know what I am going to try tonight.
> 
> It just never occurred to me to do that before. I will tell you tomorrow how it comes out.


i've got more okra in the dehydrater tonight. my friend brought me another 5 gallon bucket but this time i had to take most of it to the compost pile because it was to hard. there were no small pods for me to try but tomorrow i'm going to cut mine and i will have some small ones. looks like the dehydrator is going to get a good working out for a while.


----------



## timmie

prepmama518 said:


> Its very simple I purchased a Creole Seasoning mix from the Family Dollar store! Slice the Zucchini about 1/4 thick and put the slices in a paper bag. Sprinkle the Creole seasoning in the bag (not too much, its pretty spicy!) Shake it up, then process in the dehydrator. I have a Nesco, 135 degrees for 14 hrs+-.


i think i'm going to try that on some okra tomorrow.


----------



## LilRedHen

Just pulled the second batch of apples out of the dehydrator. I will probably put in a third batch today. 
I picked a five gallon bucket of tomatoes last night. How does everyone dehydrate tomatoes?


----------



## stcycly66

I peel tomatoes, them slice them thin. Once they are dry, I stick them in the blender to powder them. I can get 10 big tomatoes to fit into a 6 oz jelly jar this way. Figure about a TB of powder is equal to 1 tomato.


----------



## Tank_Girl

I wonder how it'd be if you were to blend the tomatoes first and then pour them onto the trays and dry them that way?

Would it dry more like leather or does it take a lot longer to get it dry enough to blend up into powder?


----------



## timmie

i am about to fill me dehydrators with squash,tomatoes.jalepeno pepper rings and more okra.


----------



## Davarm

Tank_Girl said:


> I wonder how it'd be if you were to blend the tomatoes first and then pour them onto the trays and dry them that way?
> 
> Would it dry more like leather or does it take a lot longer to get it dry enough to blend up into powder?


Well Tank_Gir, I guess I know what I am doing tomorrow, I think I have enough ripe tomatoes in the garden to try it out. If not, I can open a jar of some that I canned earlier and try it that way.

I will post the results.



timmie said:


> i've got more okra in the dehydrater tonight. my friend brought me another 5 gallon bucket but this time i had to take most of it to the compost pile because it was to hard. there were no small pods for me to try but tomorrow i'm going to cut mine and i will have some small ones. looks like the dehydrator is going to get a good working out for a while.


I put a batch of whole pods of varying size in the dehydrator last night, on about half of them I cut he stem end off and left it on the rest. The ones with the stems cut off dried to a shriveled size and were completely dry, the stem ends on were only wilted down. They seem to dry ok with the stems cut off but take longer.

I will try cooking them up in the next day or so and let you know how they do. Do you have any specific ways you were wanting to cook them? You mentioned cooking them with peas, have never done that but I think I have enough peas in the garden for a mess so I can give that a try. Any directions for the cooking or do you just cook them up together?

I know, I know - I must have lived a deprived childhood, never having had that fine southern dish but I can remedy that pretty quick!


----------



## timmie

Davarm said:


> Well Tank_Gir, I guess I know what I am doing tomorrow, I think I have enough ripe tomatoes in the garden to try it out. If not, I can open a jar of some that I canned earlier and try it that way.
> 
> I will post the results.
> 
> I put a batch of whole pods of varying size in the dehydrator last night, on about half of them I cut he stem end off and left it on the rest. The ones with the stems cut off dried to a shriveled size and were completely dry, the stem ends on were only wilted down. They seem to dry ok with the stems cut off but take longer.
> 
> I will try cooking them up in the next day or so and let you know how they do. Do you have any specific ways you were wanting to cook them? You mentioned cooking them with peas, have never done that but I think I have enough peas in the garden for a mess so I can give that a try. Any directions for the cooking or do you just cook them up together?
> 
> I know, I know - I must have lived a deprived childhood, never having had that fine southern dish but I can remedy that pretty quick!


just cook them together if you want your okra cooked all to pieces or add ithe pods about the last 10 minutes of cooking. i have some dehydrating now. when i do the small pods i take the knife around the stem and you can eat the whole pod.


----------



## timmie

davearm you dehydrate just about everything you can think of,i was just curious to know if you have dehydrated green tomato slices to make fried green tomatoes.i think i'm going to try some tonite and see how they turn out.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> davearm you dehydrate just about everything you can think of,i was just curious to know if you have dehydrated green tomato slices to make fried green tomatoes.i think i'm going to try some tonite and see how they turn out.


Yes, I have dehydrated green tomatoes and fried some of the dried ones up, they were OK but not as good as fresh. That was several years ago but since I am the only one that will eat them(dried or fresh) , I didn't do any more.

I'm going to have to get the grandson hooked on some of these things so my daughters will have to learn how to fix em.


----------



## LilRedHen

More apples tonight. This will be all the apples to dehydrate. I have about a half a bucket left for applesauce or apple butter. I managed to give all the okra away last week, but it needs picking tomorrow. I guess it's my turn with the okra.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> More apples tonight. This will be all the apples to dehydrate. I have about a half a bucket left for applesauce or apple butter. I managed to give all the okra away last week, but it needs picking tomorrow. I guess it's my turn with the okra.


It seems like you can never get away from the stuff once it starts producing.


----------



## Davarm

Tank_Girl, I told you that I would try pureeing some tomatoes and dehydrating them, Sorry, I just didn't get to them today, will shoot for tomorrow.

I have more candied watermelon rind on that just wont seem to dry all the way, its been on for a full day and a half. It does have very thick rind though so I knew it would take a while but I am starting to wonder.

I also have some ginger pulp from the Juicer on to dehydrate, it should only take a few hours to go bone dry.


----------



## Tank_Girl

Thanks Ok Davarm.

There is only so many hours in the day.


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> Tank_Girl, I told you that I would try pureeing some tomatoes and dehydrating them, Sorry, I just didn't get to them today, will shoot for tomorrow.


For what it's worth, I have found that if I want to powder my tomatoes, I have to spread it (the sauce) really thin in the dehydrator. Otherwise it dries like a fruit leather (and is still really good to eat). Your milage may very.


----------



## cpiano

This is my first post and I just want to say, what an amazing thread! I dehydrate, but not near as much as you folks do. Thanks for all the great ideas.


----------



## ContinualHarvest

Did a few jars of tomatoes. Washed, sliced and dried. Then packed into pint jars with some kosher salt.


----------



## Davarm

cpiano said:


> This is my first post and I just want to say, what an amazing thread! I dehydrate, but not near as much as you folks do. Thanks for all the great ideas.


cpiano, dehydrator+time+garden = trouble!


----------



## PrepN4Good

Speaking of watermelon, has anyone here dehyrated just the flesh (not the rind)?

Someone I know told me hers turns out "like candy" but I've never tried it.


----------



## TechAdmin

PrepN4Good said:


> Speaking of watermelon, has anyone here dehyrated just the flesh (not the rind)?
> 
> Someone I know told me hers turns out "like candy" but I've never tried it.


I plan too. I've tried some puree products that tasted like fruit roll ups.

They were pretty great.


----------



## Davarm

PrepN4Good said:


> Speaking of watermelon, has anyone here dehyrated just the flesh (not the rind)?
> 
> Someone I know told me hers turns out "like candy" but I've never tried it.


I just cut a big seedless, I will put some in the dehydrator and see how it comes out.


----------



## Davarm

Tank_Girl said:


> I wonder how it'd be if you were to blend the tomatoes first and then pour them onto the trays and dry them that way?
> 
> Would it dry more like leather or does it take a lot longer to get it dry enough to blend up into powder?


The tomatoes went into the dehydrator a few hours ago, they have quite alot of liquid in them so it will take a long time to dry. We are having thunder storms tonight :congrat: so it will take even longer than normal since the dehydrator is on the front porch.

Will keep you posted.


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> I just cut a big seedless, I will put some in the dehydrator and see how it comes out.


PrepN4Good 
That stuff is taking forever to dry, its been over 24 hours and it is still pretty sticky and has a lot of water left in it. I tried some of the thinner pieces and it was pretty good. I think it is going to come out like a fruit leather.

I tried dehydrating watermelon "meat" a while back before I got my Nesco dehydrator. I had an old single temp Oster model that blew at 160+ degrees all the time. It is coming out quite different this time, I am using a lower heat(about 120) and it is keeping its color and is not cooking to a crisp "chip". It is promising and I will keep you posted.


----------



## UncleJoe

Trying some sliced potatoes today.


----------



## justmeandher

*Canned veggies in the dehydrator????*

Just curious. The wife brought home several large (#10) sized cans of veggies from the store tonight. Green beans, diced tomatos and peas. I thought I read the other day (somewhere in these 75 pages  ) that someone had dumped out a can of corn or such, drained it, then dehydated it. I guess my question is, did it work? Does the temp setting or time change for "canned" foods? How about frozen foods like sliced strawberries or cherries? We just got our dehydrator a couple weeks ago. We've done apples, grapes, blueberries and bananas but we really want to do something more than just snacks. The plan of attack is to dehydrate our fresh stuff now then turn to the bulk cans this winter.

Thanks


----------



## Davarm

I have dehydrated canned corn(have a full 5 gallon bucket), canned green beans(5 gallon bucket also) and canned peas(green). They do pretty well, the corn cooks up well, the (canned)green beans IMO are better after having been dehydrated but the green peas seem to loose some of their sweetness but are still OK.

I put the veggies in a "Salad Spinner" to dry them off then let them air dry on a towel for a while before loading them onto the dehydrator trays. I dry them at about 120 or so until dry, the green beans seem to take longer than the others.

I dont usually dehydrate enough frozen veggies or fruit to give an opinion on them.



justmeandher said:


> Just curious. The wife brought home several large (#10) sized cans of veggies from the store tonight. Green beans, diced tomatos and peas. I thought I read the other day (somewhere in these 75 pages  ) that someone had dumped out a can of corn or such, drained it, then dehydated it. I guess my question is, did it work? Does the temp setting or time change for "canned" foods? How about frozen foods like sliced strawberries or cherries? We just got our dehydrator a couple weeks ago. We've done apples, grapes, blueberries and bananas but we really want to do something more than just snacks. The plan of attack is to dehydrate our fresh stuff now then turn to the bulk cans this winter.
> 
> Thanks


----------



## neldarez

I had to come online and check and make sure that all of my forum friends were working hard while I've been on 4 day vacation!! I haven't dehydrated a single thing since last week but couldn't stay away from the forum even at family get together!! Carry on David!!!


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I had to come online and check and make sure that all of my forum friends were working hard while I've been on 4 day vacation!! I haven't dehydrated a single thing since last week but couldn't stay away from the forum even at family get together!! Carry on David!!!


Good to have you back, how was the Rodeo?

I hope you had a good time with the family, the last time all of us(that are left) got together was bout a year and a half ago for my little brothers wedding(he was 40), we were all starting to wonder about em. lol

I've been playing catch up with the dehydrating until tonight. I've had so many different things in each load, kinda lost track of all of it. BUT, tonight I made hominy and put the load in to dry.

I've been throwing a jar or two of Chili on to dry every now and then for the last several months but haven't vacuum sealed it up because I like it with ground hominy in it. I didn't have any left and was too lazy to make any until tonight.

Tomorrow when it dries and I get it ground, will add it to the bags of chili and finally seal it up for "The Holidays(what DD's call SHTF)".

Welcome back Ms Nelda!


----------



## justmeandher

Thanks for the info Davarm.


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## gypsysue

I'm drying strawberry slices, peppers, and onions these days. Good crop this year. Strange combination of smells...strawberries and onions! lol


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## DJgang

Tomatoes and green peppers. Wasn't enough to can so I thought I'd try dehydrating! 

I asked on another thread, would it be sensible to dehydrate canned items that are about to expire?


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## Freyadog

roma tomatoes and herbs here. Plus dehydrated cookies and crackers that I found that the humidity got to and then placed in jars with oxygen absorbers.


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## neldarez

endless supply of zucchini ....also dried 6 trays of banana peppers today....checked on the maters today but there are so many rotten from the hail storm that it just depresses me........but, I'm sure I'll have enough to make some salsa............:congrat:


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Good to have you back, how was the Rodeo?
> 
> I hope you had a good time with the family, the last time all of us(that are left) got together was bout a year and a half ago for my little brothers wedding(he was 40), we were all starting to wonder about em. lol
> 
> I've been playing catch up with the dehydrating until tonight. I've had so many different things in each load, kinda lost track of all of it. BUT, tonight I made hominy and put the load in to dry.
> 
> I've been throwing a jar or two of Chili on to dry every now and then for the last several months but haven't vacuum sealed it up because I like it with ground hominy in it. I didn't have any left and was too lazy to make any until tonight.
> 
> Tomorrow when it dries and I get it ground, will add it to the bags of chili and finally seal it up for "The Holidays(what DD's call SHTF)".
> 
> Welcome back Ms Nelda!


Rodeo was just great.......same horse won all 4 times on the suicide race, wow. Over hundred degrees here for several weeks now, garden isn't really happy with this continuous heat. Once again I have to say that you totally amaze me..........do you ever run out of ideas? What a stupid question! Forget that I asked that please....Good to be back home and back to work. Last dr. appt for hand tomorrow! yay.,....


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> .do you ever run out of ideas? .


Well Ms Nelda, like I've said before, I like to eat!

Are those banana peppers sweet or hot? I have been dehydrating sweet ripe(red) banana peppers and grinding them into a fine powder(with a grain mill). They make a very good tasting Sweet Paprika. Better than anything you can buy off the spice shelf at the grocery store.




DJgang said:


> I asked on another thread, would it be sensible to dehydrate canned items that are about to expire?


Last year my garden was killed off by herbicide drift from a neighbors field and to offset the loss, I started buying #10 cans of vegetables. I soon found that the weight and volume was prohibitive and started opening and dehydrating the the contents.

I did a lot of green beans, corn, and green peas, they came out pretty good with the exception of the peas, they lost some of their sweet but were otherwise ok.

IMO, Go for it and dehydrate the cans that are about to expire but keep in mind that even though the cans have expiration dates, the contents will likely remain edible for a long time after the stamped date. As long as the cans are not swollen or punctured, they are likely safe. Keeping the cans in a cool place will help extend the shelf life considerably.


----------



## Tank_Girl

Davarm said:


> The tomatoes went into the dehydrator a few hours ago, they have quite alot of liquid in them so it will take a long time to dry. We are having thunder storms tonight :congrat: so it will take even longer than normal since the dehydrator is on the front porch.
> 
> Will keep you posted.


Just curious as to how this went Davarm.

:flower:


----------



## Davarm

Tank_Girl said:


> Just curious as to how this went Davarm.
> 
> :flower:


Sorry I forgot to post the results.

Surprisingly it didn't take that long to dry the "slurry" and it it dried down to almost nothing. 3 pounds of tomatoes dehydrated to fill about 1/2 of a pint jar. I had to scrape it off the fruit leather trays then I ran the pieces through the blender to powder it and it blended to a fine texture in short order.

It had a pretty intense tomato flavor and I think it will work well in cooking. Its about time for us to have a beef stew for supper one night soon so I will try it in that and let you know how it works out.

Since it has turned cool and we have gotten a fair amount of rain, my tomato plants should start producing again. If they do, I think I will dehydrate a few quarts for the stores.

Sorry again for not posting the results sooner.

Edit: Thought I would add that the seeds and skins even blended well and were not noticeable in the powder.


----------



## goshengirl

Watermelon!  (I have to go through the thread again and see if anyone else has done that.)

We've got so much, I've got to do something with it.


----------



## ilovetigger

I dehydrated my excessive amount of cherry tomatoes as I knew there was no way I would eat them all. I cut them in half before putting in to dehydrate. After they were good and dry, I ground them in my trusty magic bullet to a powder and have used the powder to help thicken my spaghetti sauce so I didn't have to cook down quite as long.


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Watermelon!  (I have to go through the thread again and see if anyone else has done that.)
> 
> We've got so much, I've got to do something with it.


I did try it about a week ago.

I sliced the pieces of the "meat" into thin slices, laid it on fruit leather trays and dried it at about 125, it took a while to dry. Came to the conclusion that it works better in thicker slices about 1/2 inch thick(easier to peel off the trays) and not to try to dehydrate real crisp and dry. I didn't know what to do with it after it dried so I just dusted it with powdered sugar to keep the pieces from sticking together and put it in a 1/2 gallon jar but it probably would have worked better just treating it like a fruit leather and roll it in parchment or wax paper.

Tastes pretty good and IMO is worth the trouble it takes to make it.


----------



## goshengirl

Good to know! :2thumbs: I did mine closer to 1/4 inch, but I've got plenty more melon to work with. 

Have you done other melons? I've got some cantaloupe to work with, and one that's closer to a honeydew (regalia - really tasty stuff - too bad it's a hybrid). One recipe I read on dehydrating cantaloupe calls for dipping the pieces in a sugar/ginger blend. I'm thinking a little ginger might be fun. Wonder what would go with watermelon...


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Good to know! :2thumbs: I did mine closer to 1/4 inch, but I've got plenty more melon to work with.
> 
> Have you done other melons? I've got some cantaloupe to work with, and one that's closer to a honeydew (regalia - really tasty stuff - too bad it's a hybrid). One recipe I read on dehydrating cantaloupe calls for dipping the pieces in a sugar/ginger blend. I'm thinking a little ginger might be fun. Wonder what would go with watermelon...


I did quite a bit of cantaloupe last year and did it 2 ways. 1.) Just sliced it and laid it on the trays and dried it at about 120 - came out ok. 2.) I sliced it and layered the pieces in sugar and let it sit overnight for the sugar to soak into it. The sugar drew out alot of the moisture and the pieces toughened up quite a bit and were easier to work with. I then dehydrated it at about 120 until dry(took less time than just sliced) and it tasted alot better than the plain.

I never thought to use ginger to flavor it, sounds good and the next time, I think I will try that.


----------



## Tank_Girl

Davarm said:


> Sorry I forgot to post the results.
> 
> Surprisingly it didn't take that long to dry the "slurry" and it it dried down to almost nothing. 3 pounds of tomatoes dehydrated to fill about 1/2 of a pint jar. I had to scrape it off the fruit leather trays then I ran the pieces through the blender to powder it and it blended to a fine texture in short order.
> 
> It had a pretty intense tomato flavor and I think it will work well in cooking. Its about time for us to have a beef stew for supper one night soon so I will try it in that and let you know how it works out.
> 
> Since it has turned cool and we have gotten a fair amount of rain, my tomato plants should start producing again. If they do, I think I will dehydrate a few quarts for the stores.
> 
> Sorry again for not posting the results sooner.
> 
> Edit: Thought I would add that the seeds and skins even blended well and were not noticeable in the powder.


Thank you so much Davarm.

How thick did you spread the slurry?
I imagine drying tomatoes this way you can fit more in your dehydrator.

Did you put oxygen absorbers in the jar with the powder to stop it from going rock hard?
My mother used to put raw rice grains in our salt shakers to absorb moisture and stop the salt from caking.


----------



## UncleJoe

I've got another 9 trays of peach leather cookin' down. Should be done by morning.


----------



## LilRedHen

I dehydrated two gallons of okra. It is still amazing to me that that much will fit into a quart ziplock bag. The okra will need picking tomorrow and none of our friends want any more, so I guess I will be dehydrating okra till frost. I also put in a summer crooked neck squash. When done, the whole squash fit into a tiny little jelly jar that the Rooster had received as a gift.


----------



## Davarm

Tank_Girl said:


> Thank you so much Davarm.
> 
> How thick did you spread the slurry?
> I imagine drying tomatoes this way you can fit more in your dehydrator.
> 
> Did you put oxygen absorbers in the jar with the powder to stop it from going rock hard?
> My mother used to put raw rice grains in our salt shakers to absorb moisture and stop the salt from caking.


No problem, I like to experiment with things like that.

On the slurry thickness, I poured as much of it as I could without it spilling over the edges of the fruit leather liners when I walked the stack of trays outside to the dehydrator.

I didn't use an O2 absorber, I planned on using it(experimenting) before that would have been an issue. Tonight I made a pot of Red Lentils and put several spoons full of the powder in it and it really tasted good.

I can tell you that the powder, even though it was bone dry, tended to clump together while it was just sitting in the jar. You will want to be careful and not pack it too tight if thats the way you are going to store it, it may turn into a solid mass and make it hard to get of the jar.

Thank you for that idea, I learned something doing the experiment.


----------



## Davarm

I put a ham in to dehydrate tonight.

I thought that since I wanted to have hams available, I would try my hand at curing and drying one, I did it the same way I did the ham hocks earlier in this thread. 

I covered it with salt and let it draw out as much moisture as it could and after it lost almost half of its size and was pretty dry, hung it in one of my old modified dehydrators to finish drying out. I have no idea how long it will take but time will tell.


----------



## Tank_Girl

Davarm said:


> No problem, I like to experiment with things like that.
> 
> On the slurry thickness, I poured as much of it as I could without it spilling over the edges of the fruit leather liners when I walked the stack of trays outside to the dehydrator.
> 
> I didn't use an O2 absorber, I planned on using it(experimenting) before that would have been an issue. Tonight I made a pot of Red Lentils and put several spoons full of the powder in it and it really tasted good.
> 
> I can tell you that the powder, even though it was bone dry, tended to clump together while it was just sitting in the jar. You will want to be careful and not pack it too tight if thats the way you are going to store it, it may turn into a solid mass and make it hard to get of the jar.
> 
> Thank you for that idea, I learned something doing the experiment.


Do you think the addition of a little pure corn starch or rice flour would stop the clumping issues?


----------



## kyredneck

'You People' keep inspiring me. First red chiles (mostly Serranos) from the pepper patch:


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## kyredneck

I meant to ask, at what temp should I dry the chiles? Right now it's set @ 135 F.


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## ContinualHarvest

I have a new fruiting of blue oyster mushrooms that will be ready in a week, those will be dehydrated along with summer herbs.


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## Davarm

kyredneck said:


> 'You People' keep inspiring me. First red chiles (mostly Serranos) from the pepper patch:


If those are Serrano's, you can use a needle and thread and string them up and they will dry just fine in open air. 135 may be a tad too high, I usually dont go higher than 120 - 125 on what I dehydrate but 135 would probably be ok.

Sorry the picture is so dark but I didnt want to move the lamp to add light. The peppers on he wall are Serrano's, Banana's, Casca-Bel's and Ancho's, all of which dry well hanging in on threads. The Banana peppers sometimes need to go into the dehydrator if the humidiy is high though.



Tank_Girl said:


> Do you think the addition of a little pure corn starch or rice flour would stop the clumping issues?


That would be worh a try, I will try it with the powder I have left and see how it goes. I'll give it a few days to see if it works then post you the results, if it doesn't clump up in that amount of time it just might be ok.


----------



## kyredneck

Davarm said:


> If those are Serrano's, you can use a needle and thread and string them up and they will dry just fine in open air....


Remember, this is Kentucky not Texas, summertime humidity can be stifling here and not condusive to open air drying at all. But granted, conditions at this time probably are condusive to open air drying, but that could change tommorrow.... 

Thanks Davarm.


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## Davarm

kyredneck said:


> Remember, this is Kentucky not Texas, summertime humidity can be stifling here and not condusive to open air drying at all. But granted, conditions at this time probably are condusive to open air drying, but that could change tommorrow....
> 
> Thanks Davarm.


Tous Chez, didn't think of that...maybe you should use the dehydrator.


----------



## DJgang

Humidity has went way down in the last few weeks here (Alabama) I think the peppers would be fine hung up, but that's just my opinion. Dehydrator would be faster of course.


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## Davarm

Have a dehydrator FULL of candied watermelon rind and hominy.

Each time I cut a watermelon, I just cant bring myself to toss out the rind.


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## UncleJoe

I've got another round of peach leather going. One more after this and the peaches will be done for the year. But as the peaches fade out the pears start coming in.


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## ContinualHarvest

Sage and basil going in the dehydrator


----------



## LilRedHen

UncleJoe said:


> I've got another round of peach leather going. One more after this and the peaches will be done for the year. But as the peaches fade out the pears start coming in.


Do you dehydrate pears?


----------



## UncleJoe

Absolutely! Same way I do peaches. Peel and core them. Cut 'em up, throw the pieces in the blender and pour the slurry on to the leather tray's of the dehydrator. The pear is the kids favorite. When the pears are done it will be time for apples. That poor machine runs about 20 hours a day from August to November. 

Out of curiosity I weighed the dried peach a little while ago. It's just over 4#. It will be about 5# when they're all done.


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## goshengirl

Davarm, got a question for ya. :wave:
After layering my melon slices in sugar, it creates quite a bit of liquid. I've been saving the liquid to make a syrup. I see from re-reading this thread that you do that when you candy orange rinds. Could you tell me exactly how you process and can your syrup? I've never made syrup of any kind - how long do you boil it, what temp (rolling boil?), and how do you know when it's 'cooked down'? Also, how do you can it? And if you don't use a pressure canner, what would you guess would be the time/weight for a pressure canner (I'll experiment).

The candied cantaloupe turned out great - I don't like cantaloupe, but I like this stuff. And even hubby likes it, and I was afraid it would be too sugary for him. What I did is cut the melon slices and layer them in sugar in a glass bowl, stored that in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap). Once they were floating in liquid (about 16 hours later), I put them in the dehydrator at 130 overnight. The next morning I took them off the dehydrator and dipped them in sugar again, then put them back in the dehydrator. Sounds like a lot of sugar (and I'm not saying it isn't), but that second coat made a world of difference. Since the slices were already partly dry, they didn't take on too much sugar. I'm going to have to try your confectioner's sugar, though, once I get some. That sounds even better. Oh, I forgot - the first sugar soak also had ginger in it - it's a nice little 'kick'.

As for the syrup, while I'm not a big cantaloupe fan, I don't want the sugar/juice to go to waste, and I think it would be a nice thing to have in the shtf stores. I mean, it's bound to have a decent shelf life - and I can imagine after eating wheat berries for breakfast morning after morning, a little fruit syrup in those wheat berries would taste good. What can I say, I like my sugar cereals.


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## pixieduster

Anybody ever dehydrate mint leaves by just placing in the sun? My mint is plentiful and I don't have a dehydrater.


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## Davarm

Sounds like you did OK. Congrats!

I have been making syrup out of all the "leftover" from the candied fruit for a while. Its not hard to do and I have and still use the syrup in place of sugar when cooking.

Pour the liquid into a large pot, being sure to get all the sugar that has settled to the bottom. Bring it to a gentle boil and let it go until it's reduced by about half then keep a watch on it. Dont let it get above a gentle boil, it scorches easy and will try to boil over.

The syrup will be done when the gentle boil changes to large bubbled foam like layer that covers pretty much the entire surface of the liquid. At that point you can spoon a small bit of it onto a cold glass saucer and if it cools to a syrup thickness, your done.

You can store it in canning jars, process it like you would fruit preserves. I ladle the liquid(still boiling) into sterilized jars and immediately put the lids on then turn he jars upside on the counter to cool. Thats It.

I dont(any longer) try to water bath or pressure can the jars, I made the mistake of pressure canning them one time. The added heat from the canner pretty much solidified the contents(like making hard candy) and I had to throw them out. I have syrup, done this way, on the shelf that is several years old and the last one I opened several months ago, was still good.

IMO, the cantaloupe, and winter squash make the best tasting syrup, with a little cinnamon and clove added(while the syrup is cooking down) it kinda tastes and smells like pumpkin pie on your pancakes.



goshengirl said:


> Davarm, got a question for ya. :wave:
> After layering my melon slices in sugar, it creates quite a bit of liquid. I've been saving the liquid to make a syrup. I see from re-reading this thread that you do that when you candy orange rinds. Could you tell me exactly how you process and can your syrup? I've never made syrup of any kind - how long do you boil it, what temp (rolling boil?), and how do you know when it's 'cooked down'? Also, how do you can it? And if you don't use a pressure canner, what would you guess would be the time/weight for a pressure canner (I'll experiment).
> 
> The candied cantaloupe turned out great - I don't like cantaloupe, but I like this stuff. And even hubby likes it, and I was afraid it would be too sugary for him. What I did is cut the melon slices and layer them in sugar in a glass bowl, stored that in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap). Once they were floating in liquid (about 16 hours later), I put them in the dehydrator at 130 overnight. The next morning I took them off the dehydrator and dipped them in sugar again, then put them back in the dehydrator. Sounds like a lot of sugar (and I'm not saying it isn't), but that second coat made a world of difference. Since the slices were already partly dry, they didn't take on too much sugar. I'm going to have to try your confectioner's sugar, though, once I get some. That sounds even better. Oh, I forgot - the first sugar soak also had ginger in it - it's a nice little 'kick'.
> 
> As for the syrup, while I'm not a big cantaloupe fan, I don't want the sugar/juice to go to waste, and I think it would be a nice thing to have in the shtf stores. I mean, it's bound to have a decent shelf life - and I can imagine after eating wheat berries for breakfast morning after morning, a little fruit syrup in those wheat berries would taste good. What can I say, I like my sugar cereals.


----------



## goshengirl

Thanks, Davarm! I'll be making syrup tomorrow. 

The canning changing the syrup to a more candy-like substance never occurred to me, but it makes total sense. I'll be glad to just put it in jars. 

(and thanks for the tip on the cinnamon and cloves - I'll try that, too!)


----------



## Davarm

Tank_Girl said:


> Do you think the addition of a little pure corn starch or rice flour would stop the clumping issues?


Sorry I didn't get back a little sooner, I added the cornstarch to the powder and it did seem to help with he clumping. I didn't want to add so much that it would thicken what I used the powder in but it did help.

I still wouldn't pack it too much when you put it in jars and I definitely would not vacuum seal it in bags.

Are you going to be at the Meet-Up South of Dallas in October? That might be a nice weekend trip for you, only 12 or 13,000 miles or so, just joking.

Good luck with your Tomato Powder.


----------



## hiwall

I want to thank all of you that have posted questions and answers on this thread! You guys(and gals) have no idea how many of us you have helped. Who knows many you saved some marriages. Thanks again everyone!!!!


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

Had some surplus jalepeno's so sliced them up an onta the dehydrator.








After they be dry, I'll run em through the coffee mill an use the powder as a seasonin.


----------



## marlas1too

so tired -just finished canning the green beans and potatoes-6 cases in all now tomorrow its whole carrots then peach jam--then its canning garlic potatoes


----------



## marlas1too

sorry wrong page


----------



## Theriot

I have a cheap dehydrator and only use it for doing bananas for the kids when they start turning brown. I'm new to this prepping and am ready to get past the tactical fun stuff and do more food prepping. My question is how long can some of this stuff last?


----------



## timmie

davearm do you dehydrate pecans? i seem to have an over abundance left over from last year that i put in the freezer . i know i can can them but i really have a lot of them. juast wondering if dehydrating would work insread of heating up my kitchen.


----------



## Davarm

timmie said:


> davearm do you dehydrate pecans? i seem to have an over abundance left over from last year that i put in the freezer . i know i can can them but i really have a lot of them. juast wondering if dehydrating would work insread of heating up my kitchen.


I'm kinda embarrassed on that question, my dad has a lot of pecan trees that grow the big paper shells and they give BIGs bags of shelled nuts for Christmas each year.

I just keep the bags in the freezer and use them as needed. Have never thought to store them any other way. With the drought the last few years there were not any (he lost a few trees) but the next bag I get, guess I know what I'm gonna be doing.


----------



## Davarm

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Had some surplus jalepeno's so sliced them up an onta the dehydrator.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After they be dry, I'll run em through the coffee mill an use the powder as a seasonin.


Question, do dehydrate them inside or outside. The last time I tried it inside, I was read the riot act by the DD's so I just didn't do it anymore(inside or out).

It would be nice to have some japs to along with the other peppers we keep.


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

Davearm: I do mine inside. Momma don't mind them japs near much as when I do onions!


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

Theriot said:


> I have a cheap dehydrator and only use it for doing bananas for the kids when they start turning brown. I'm new to this prepping and am ready to get past the tactical fun stuff and do more food prepping. My question is how long can some of this stuff last?


Vegitables dried real dry, stored in a vac container (bag er jars, I use jars) will last 20 ta 35 years cordin ta the research I've done.

I keep all my jars on shelves in a dark cool corner a the basement.


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

Well, seeins I got lots a time on my hands, I had some canadian bacon from the packin house, so I sliced it up an put on the dehydrator. Canadian bacon jerky!









I wouldn't use my good homemade CB fer this. But the stuff from the packin house be cheap an turns out ta be a decent jerky.


----------



## Davarm

Well Coot, We are on the same sheet of music with the Canadian Bacon, Good Stuff when dehydrated!


----------



## cpiano

Bell peppers and more bell peppers and more bell peppers.............


----------



## goshengirl

diced potatoes (Ore Ida)

They were on deep sale and I couldn't pass them up - I think I need help.  It's not as if we don't have loads of potatoes in the ground here at home.... but the Ore Idas are soooo easy to dehydrate - just dump on the tray and go.


----------



## ilovetigger

Tomatoes for tomato powder now.

Waiting for the diced potatoes to go on sale and then I'm thinking I'll try those. Everyone has talked about how easy they are.


----------



## kyredneck

Davarm said:


> If those are Serrano's, you can use a needle and thread and string them up and they will dry just fine in open air. 135 may be a tad too high, I usually dont go higher than 120 - 125 on what I dehydrate but 135 would probably be ok.
> 
> Sorry the picture is so dark but I didnt want to move the lamp to add light. The peppers on he wall are Serrano's, Banana's, Casca-Bel's and Ancho's, all of which dry well hanging in on threads. The Banana peppers sometimes need to go into the dehydrator if the humidiy is high though......


Davarm, those are some beautiful stringed dried peppers; I'm envious. 

I wish I could get a positive ID on Cascabels. The book says they are a round pepper, but what the hispanic section has at Savalot looks just like a Puya. You got a photo of one?


----------



## LilRedHen

Okra, okra and more okra!


----------



## Davarm

kyredneck said:


> Davarm, those are some beautiful stringed dried peppers; I'm envious.
> 
> I wish I could get a positive ID on Cascabels. The book says they are a round pepper, but what the hispanic section has at Savalot looks just like a Puya. You got a photo of one?


I got the seeds from some of the dried peppers I bought at a local cheapo grocery store. Only about 1 out of 100 seeds sproued and the plants were not real sturdy and died off when the hot weather hit. Later in the day I will take some outside where the light is good and snap off a few shots for you. I love those discount stores, around here the Hispanics frequent them and they cater to their tastes. My DD's tell me that when It comes to food, I was born on the "Wrong Side Of The River".

The peppers are not hot and add a very heavy and distinct flavor to Beans, Chili and other "Mexican" dishes.


----------



## LilRedHen

I'm trying banana pepper rings in the dehydrator today. I have way too many canned, but I can't stand to see them go to waste. I have several plants that are so heavy with peppers they are breaking over, and the same with bell peppers.
Does anyone have ideas on what to do with all the bell peppers. I don't have a separate freezer, just the part over the fridge, or I would make stuffed peppers and freeze them. I've canned some and will dry some, but would like to hear other ideas please.


----------



## timmie

LilRedHen said:


> I'm trying banana pepper rings in the dehydrator today. I have way too many canned, but I can't stand to see them go to waste. I have several plants that are so heavy with peppers they are breaking over, and the same with bell peppers.
> Does anyone have ideas on what to do with all the bell peppers. I don't have a separate freezer, just the part over the fridge, or I would make stuffed peppers and freeze them. I've canned some and will dry some, but would like to hear other ideas please.


can some stuffed peppers. i did and followed jackie clay's recipe.


----------



## Meerkat

Jezcruzen said:


> I just finished ten 12 oz bags of frozen vegetables. I store them in small mylar zip-lock bags w/300cc O2 absorbers. I can get about 48 oz. per bag. (I heat seal the outer edges in addition to the zip-lock feature)
> 
> One 12 oz bag of frozen vegetables fits just right on a tray.
> 
> I need to start doing fruit. I don't have much fruit stored currently.


 Jercruzen where do you get your mylar bags and 02 absorders ?Do you like them better than food saver bags or wrap?


----------



## Meerkat

Where do yall get your mylar bags and 02 absorbers ? What do you like about them vs the food saver bags?


----------



## LilRedHen

timmie said:


> can some stuffed peppers. i did and followed jackie clay's recipe.


I looked and looked last night for Jackie Clay's recipe, but couldn't find it. Could you please post the recipe? I would love to try something different.


----------



## timmie

LilRedHen said:


> I looked and looked last night for Jackie Clay's recipe, but couldn't find it. Could you please post the recipe? I would love to try something different.


sorry not on her website,it's in her "growing and canning" cookbook .i will post the recipe later in the day.


----------



## Davarm

Shhhhh...., I hear nothing,......A strange quiet coming from the direction of the dehydrator!

Wahooooo......:congrat::congrat:


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> Shhhhh...., I hear nothing,......A strange quiet coming from the direction of the dehydrator!
> 
> Wahooooo......:congrat::congrat:


Is it broke, are you sick? I didn't think your dehydrator was ever quiet


----------



## Tank_Girl

Davarm said:


> Shhhhh...., I hear nothing,......A strange quiet coming from the direction of the dehydrator!
> 
> Wahooooo......:congrat::congrat:


After the huge effort you've put in this season you, and the dehydrator, deserves a break.

I'm so grateful that you did the tomato powder experiment and that it worked out.
I would have been mortified if you had wasted/ ruined food at my behest.

You are good people, Davarm. :2thumb:


----------



## timmie

LilRedHen said:


> I looked and looked last night for Jackie Clay's recipe, but couldn't find it. Could you please post the recipe? I would love to try something different.


stuffed green peppers
green peppers-small or medium
4 pounds ground meat[beef,venison or pork]
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic,minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon basil
salt and pepper
1 quart canned,chopped tomatoes or tomato juice

cut peppers in half,remove seeds and ribs.in a large bowl,mix ground meat,onion,garlic,tomato sauce,basil,salt and pepper.mix well.pack meat mixture into pepper halves lightly;do not pack down firmly.pack pepper halves into wide mouth jars,with meat toward the inside,leaving 1 inch headspace.heat the tomatoes or juice to boiling.ladle over peppers,leaving 1 inch headspace.remave air bubbles. wipe rim of jar clean;place hot previously-simmered lid on jar,and screw down ring firmly tight.process pints for 75 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.

great meal in a jar.i tried it last year. i also tried it with ground turkey,we like the turkey best. hope this helps you out some.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Is it broke, are you sick? I didn't think your dehydrator was ever quiet


No, not sick and the dehydrator's not broken. With all the rain we've had I have been doing yard and garden work. I push mow my 2 acres so I can catch the clippings in a bag attachment for compost. I cant find a bag for my riding mower for less than $350.00 and I'm not going to pay that much for one. I need that exercise anyway.



Tank_Girl said:


> I would have been mortified if you had wasted/ ruined food at my behest.


I learned a bit on that experiment too, even if I had ruined the 3 pounds of tomatoes, they came out of the garden so no biggie.


----------



## LilRedHen

timmie said:


> stuffed green peppers


Thank you a lot. I'll be trying that in a few days. :wave:


----------



## LilRedHen

I'm dehydrating more okra today. My neighbor has been bragging to his sister about the okra that I have given him and he also told her about how getting a 3 gallon bucket full of okra in a quart bag. It looks like I have given someone else the bug. Just passin' it on, Dave


----------



## Magus

Meerkat said:


> Where do yall get your mylar bags and 02 absorbers ? What do you like about them vs the food saver bags?


Wal Mart and the local industrial supply.


----------



## Meerkat

Magus said:


> Wal Mart and the local industrial supply.


 Thanks Magus.:flower:.


----------



## *Andi

*Just a reminder*

For every single post you will see a red triangle with a exclamation point this icon is the 'Report a Post' icon.

If a post is offensive or spam please click this icon and send a report so a mod/admins can take care of it.

Thanks ...


----------



## Meerkat

*Andi said:


> For every single post you will see a red triangle with a exclamation point this icon is the 'Report a Post' icon.
> 
> If a post is offensive or spam please click this icon and send a report so a mod/admins can take care of it.
> 
> Thanks ...


 Thanks,I'll keep that in mind..


----------



## *Andi

Always glad to help ...


----------



## Freyadog

peaches last night and this morning. Now roma tomatoes.


----------



## Davarm

Okra, with the rains we have had I am getting a 3 gallon bucket each day.

I have also been playing around with hams and pork shoulders, I put a small "bone in" shoulder in the modified "Tube" dehydrator this morning.


----------



## partdeux

Davarm said:


> Okra, with the rains we have had I am getting a 3 gallon bucket each day.
> 
> I have also been playing around with hams and pork shoulders, I put a small "bone in" shoulder in the modified "Tube" dehydrator this morning.


smoke it, then can it


----------



## Meerkat

If the humidity would let up I'd dry these potatoes.


----------



## LilRedHen

I missed a day picking okra and got a five gallon bucket this morning. Back to the dehydrator we go!


----------



## Jason

With very little research and absolutely no foresight, I stumbled blindly into the world of dehydrating today. We have a cheap-o dehydrator...it's not even adjustable for temperature. You just plug it in and go. I am dehydrating these little red hot peppers from our garden. It was kind of a "Woah, the peppers are ripe!" kind of thing. I picked them, rinsed them, cut the stems off, and slit them lengthwise and filled up 4 trays on the dehydrator. I did use latex gloves for all of this. I'm not sure what kind of peppers they are and she doesn't remember either but holy cow are they hot! I'll see how this goes tonight and report back tomorrow. Like I said-this was kind of a spur of the moment thing.

Now we're off to pick some apples!


----------



## Davarm

Tonight, Its leftover cornbread, chili, and okra. Bunches of Okra, almost a full 5 gallon bucket(been getting that ever other day since the rain started).

If all the other preps in the house were to disappear or go bad for some unknown reason.......

We would be eating Okra for a looooong time.


----------



## Jason

The peppers actually look pretty good. I don't think they are quite done yet so I'm going to leave a note for DW to unplug the dehydrator when she gets up. I'm out the door by 0530 for work and she gets up around 0800 so I'm hoping the extra couple hours will help.


----------



## goshengirl

Jason said:


> The peppers actually look pretty good.


Yeay! :2thumb:

I've got hubby's sweet banana peppers on the agenda today - hope they turn out well like yours.


----------



## Davarm

I've got more chili in the dehydrator today.

I was at the grocery store yesterday and found "Wolf Brand(no beans)" on sale for $.75 a can so I loaded up.

I have been dehydrating homemade chili for the last few days so I put the cans in line and am going to dehydrate them when I get the jars done.


----------



## LilRedHen

I finished a round of okra this morning and this afternoon I'm trying Davarm's recipe for candied cantaloupe. It's looking pretty good. I can't wait till it's done. I think I've almost got one of my neighbors converted.


----------



## timmie

okra -okra and more okra


----------



## Davarm

I've been playing around with drying hams using the dehydrator instead of a smokehouse. The whole bone in hams that have been processed prior to sale are pretty easy so thought I would step out and try some Fresh Ham Hocks.

The ones I picked up are Huge, about 3 pounds each(2) and I used the "Recipe" from the "Orange Judd Cook Book" 1914 edition. They are in the dehydrator now and will likely take about 3 o 4 days to dry.

I will take a few pictures and post the results when they finish up. If the hocks come out OK, the next step will be a full size fresh ham.



LilRedHen said:


> I finished a round of okra this morning and this afternoon I'm trying Davarm's recipe for candied cantaloupe. It's looking pretty good. I can't wait till it's done. I think I've almost got one of my neighbors converted.


This year I only had several loads of candied cantaloupe, wish I'd had more - it IS pretty good.

This fall when Pumpkins are dirt cheap, buy a few and try the recipe with them. You can use cheap ornamental Field Pumpkins and it works out pretty well. The only change to the recipe is that after the pumpkin "soaks" in the sugar overnight, pour the pumpkin, liquid and all in a pan and boil it for a few minutes then drain it and put it in the dehydrator. Makes a cheap pumpkin into a treat.

I didn't get as much okra this year as I usually do, I got tired of taking the 3 step ladder to the garden to pick it so I planted a Dwarf verity and the yield went way down. Next year its going back to the usual verity(forgot the name).


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> I've been playing around with drying hams using the dehydrator instead of a smokehouse.
> 
> This fall when Pumpkins are dirt cheap, buy a few and try the recipe with them. You can use cheap ornamental Field Pumpkins and it works out pretty well. The only change to the recipe is that after the pumpkin "soaks" in the sugar overnight, pour the pumpkin, liquid and all in a pan and boil it for a few minutes then drain it and put it in the dehydrator. Makes a cheap pumpkin into a treat.
> 
> I didn't get as much okra this year as I usually do, I got tired of taking the 3 step ladder to the garden to pick it so I planted a Dwarf verity and the yield went way down. Next year its going back to the usual verity(forgot the name).


Wont the hams be too heavy for your dehydrator?

I have pumpkins and cushaws in the garden now. Folks here don't consider field pumpkins to be the bright orange ornamental ones. What we call field pumpkins or 'hog pumpkins' are light in color and good when cooked. Animals won't even eat the bright orange ones. I had no experience with cushaws until 3 or 4 years ago when the Rooster obtained some seed. His mother used them when he was a child and they are really good. The first year we had 47 and I cooked and cooked and canned and canned and gave a lot away. This year I have 5 or 6 in the garden. I make both pies and cakes from them and also just cook in a heavy cast iron skillet and add butter, cinnamon and sugar and cook some more. The longer you cook pumpkin, the better it gets (if I can stay out of it long enough).

If you are getting okra by the five gallon bucket full every other day, in my book that's a lot. I get that much every third day and have canned and dried and dried and dried and given a lot away. Most of my okra is 6 to 6 1/2 feet tall and when it started bearing in July, it nearly broke my back to pick it. Every time I cut a pod of okra, I also cut off the leaf just under it. After a couple of weeks, the lack of leaves make it not so scratchy to pick and it really takes off growing. I raise Clemson Spineless okra. I will have lots of seed this year and will save you some if you want.


----------



## Jason

Those peppers I did last week turned out just fine. I was really impressed. Four trays full in the dehydrator yeilded one and about a third quart mason jar full. We didn't try to can them per se, just stuck them in the jars for storage. I'm really happy with them.


----------



## cybergranny

Kale. Finally tried bean and kale soup and my family loved it. Hence drying kale


----------



## Davarm

Jason said:


> Those peppers I did last week turned out just fine. I was really impressed. Four trays full in the dehydrator yeilded one and about a third quart mason jar full. We didn't try to can them per se, just stuck them in the jars for storage. I'm really happy with them.


Congrats on the dehydrating, if you are not going to store them for a long time(years) IMO no need to seal them up.

You better be extremely careful with the dehydrating though, it can be habit forming, you know your hooked when you start thinking "I wonder how this would dehydrate up and how long would it store".:congrat:


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Wont the hams be too heavy for your dehydrator?
> 
> I have pumpkins and cushaws in the garden now. Folks here don't consider field pumpkins to be the bright orange ornamental ones. What we call field pumpkins or 'hog pumpkins' are light in color and good when cooked. Animals won't even eat the bright orange ones. I had no experience with cushaws until 3 or 4 years ago when the Rooster obtained some seed. His mother used them when he was a child and they are really good. The first year we had 47 and I cooked and cooked and canned and canned and gave a lot away. This year I have 5 or 6 in the garden. I make both pies and cakes from them and also just cook in a heavy cast iron skillet and add butter, cinnamon and sugar and cook some more. The longer you cook pumpkin, the better it gets (if I can stay out of it long enough).
> 
> If you are getting okra by the five gallon bucket full every other day, in my book that's a lot. I get that much every third day and have canned and dried and dried and dried and given a lot away. Most of my okra is 6 to 6 1/2 feet tall and when it started bearing in July, it nearly broke my back to pick it. Every time I cut a pod of okra, I also cut off the leaf just under it. After a couple of weeks, the lack of leaves make it not so scratchy to pick and it really takes off growing. I raise Clemson Spineless okra. I will have lots of seed this year and will save you some if you want.


With the Hams I've been dehydrating, I have a homemade attachment I use with one of my old dehydrators, its a heavy cardboard tube(I posted a picture somewhere in this thread) that I taped to one of the trays, it works pretty well.

I made he tube about 3 feet high and put an old pear branch through the top that I hang the hams from, the longer the string the lower the hams hang and the hotter the temps are. Since the old Oster Dehydrators are single temp "Blow And Go" types, I can also adjust the temp by opening and closing vents I cut in the tube.

On the Okra, I think that the Clemson Spineless is what I have planted in the past that would grow up to 10 feet, dont worry about saving me any seeds, it would likely cost more to send them than it would take for me to buy them but thanks for the offer, I appreciate it.

When I would pick my 4 60 foot rows of the 10 foot tall okra, I would get enough from one picking for my needs and to supply every relative I have with enough left over for their friends. I only planted 3 rows this year and have not had much to give away, next year its going to be back to the 4 rows of the Clemson Spineless.


----------



## LilRedHen

Finished the candied cantaloupe. It is good, but I don't know if I will try another one. Candying is the messiest thing! I scrubbed on the trays for a long long time.


----------



## cybergranny

Cherry tomatoes. Next best thing to sundried and almost free.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> Finished the candied cantaloupe. It is good, but I don't know if I will try another one. Candying is the messiest thing! I scrubbed on the trays for a long long time.


Yea, its kinda messy. The DD's got tired of wash dishes by hand so they bought a dish washer and my Nesco trays just fit in it so I dont have to scrub them anymore by hand.

The Candied Cantaloupe goes well in "Traditional Christmas and Plumb Puddings" so I like to at least keep a small supply for that.


----------



## Davarm

Another load of Candied Watermelon Rind, with a lot of clove and cinnamon.


----------



## LilRedHen

Davarm said:


> When I would pick my 4 60 foot rows of the 10 foot tall okra, I would get enough from one picking for my needs and to supply every relative I have with enough left over for their friends. I only planted 3 rows this year and have not had much to give away, next year its going to be back to the 4 rows of the Clemson Spineless.


I have 2 100' rows and it is driving me crazy. I can't stand to see it all go to waste, I have canned and dried enough for many many years, given it away to anyone who will take it and the stuff is still bearing, although it is slowing down a little.

The reason I planted so much was because it seemed to be deer candy. Someone took care of the pet deer problem, therefore, too much okra. I don't even want to say the word okra right now!


----------



## Davarm

I put on a 3 gallon basin of fruit to "Sugar" tonight, Plums, Pears and Apples.

I am writing down the procedure, step by step as I go along so I can pass on the directions to "SOMEONE(you know who you are)" who showed an interest in the process.

When I get finished I can post it if anyone is interested.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight its pasta(cooked).

Its sometimes good to have a quick meal of pasta and with it cooked then dehydrated, is only add boiling water. 

My youngest DD is about to make 3 gallons of spaghetti sauce that I am going to dehydrate. Her sauce dehydrates-rehydrates well and will go great with the pasta for an instant meal.


----------



## LilRedHen

More of the 'o___'. It's almost become a four letter word in a bad way


----------



## Davarm

The DD made more spaghetti sauce today and its going in tonight with a batch of potatoes. Its about the time of the year for me to pick back up on the potatoes, eggs and other "stuff" from the grocery store.



cybergranny said:


> Made yogurt the other day.
> 
> Tomato powder. We put our tomatoes through a food mill when we canned and all the pulp, skins and seeds were put in the dehydrator and then the blender. No waste and tomato powder.


I never had a problem with he pulp but have you ever had any luck drying tomato paste? I thought that powder made from that would be good to have on hand but have never had much luck with it.


----------



## cybergranny

Davarm said:


> The DD made more spaghetti sauce today and its going in tonight with a batch of potatoes. Its about the time of the year for me to pick back up on the potatoes, eggs and other "stuff" from the grocery store.
> 
> I never had a problem with he pulp but have you ever had any luck drying tomato paste? I thought that powder made from that would be good to have on hand but have never had much luck with it.


Never tried drying tomato paste. Drying sweet peppers today and more cherry tomato halves.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> More of the 'o___'. It's almost become a four letter word in a bad way


My dehydrator has been full of that 4 letter word lately with all the rain we've been having. I'm sometimes getting it by the 5 gallon bucket.


----------



## cpiano

Dehydrating pumpkin today. One pumpkin filled the dehydrator and made several loaves of bread.


----------



## ajsmith

I just put in a couple trays of plums, did some apples last weekend. Will see how these plums turn out. As I'm just learning about all this stuff I thought it best to try small batches of things and see if I like doing it and if we like eating it...


----------



## partdeux

DAVARM,

Question on dehydrating left over debris from making my bloody mary mix (V8). The stuff was still a bit "soft", was it ok to jar up?

I wasn't happy with it, so I threw it in the pulverizer and put the powder back into the dehydrator to dry some more.

In general, we've been happy with prior powder as a sauce thickener.

After it's dried, into the jars, vacuum sealed with O2 absorbers.


----------



## Davarm

partdeux said:


> DAVARM,
> 
> Question on dehydrating left over debris from making my bloody mary mix (V8). The stuff was still a bit "soft", was it ok to jar up?
> 
> I wasn't happy with it, so I threw it in the pulverizer and put the powder back into the dehydrator to dry some more.
> 
> In general, we've been happy with prior powder as a sauce thickener.
> 
> After it's dried, into the jars, vacuum sealed with O2 absorbers.


I haven't tried dehydrating V8 pulp but have dried tomato, cucumber and celery pulp together. It dried kinda like thin crisp chips and wasn't at all sticky.

When I dehydrate spaghetti sauce it's still clumpy but it seems to store OK. Several times I have put it back in to dehydrate more but it didn't seem to help much.'

I'd say seal up the pulp but dont pack it or it may solidify into a brick.


----------



## neldarez

cpiano said:


> Dehydrating pumpkin today. One pumpkin filled the dehydrator and made several loaves of bread.


does the pumpkin need to be blanched or cooked first? I just raised my 1st pumpkins and have zillions of them!! slight exageration...


----------



## Davarm

I made 2 trips to the grocery store and picked up 100 pounds of russet potatoes(nice big ones in 5 pound bags and on sale) this weekend and have started dehydrating them tonight.

I can do about 20 - 30 pounds per load but am feeling a little lazy tonight so only made it 20. I guess my next few nights are set.

I was thinking of going tomorrow to pick up 50 more pounds if they still have them - unless I smarten up between now and then.

I cant pass up a sale like that especially with the radicals acting up all over the world.


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> I made 2 trips to the grocery store and picked up 100 pounds of russet potatoes(nice big ones in 5 pound bags and on sale) this weekend and have started dehydrating them tonight.
> 
> I can do about 20 - 30 pounds per load but am feeling a little lazy tonight so only made it 20. I guess my next few nights are set.
> 
> I was thinking of going tomorrow to pick up 50 more pounds if they still have them - unless I smarten up between now and then.
> 
> I cant pass up a sale like that especially with the radicals acting up all over the world.


Have you noticed the potatoes in the bags are getting bigger?

I buy the same brand over and over and it seems they are getting larger.


----------



## Davarm

Austin said:


> Have you noticed the potatoes in the bags are getting bigger?
> 
> I buy the same brand over and over and it seems they are getting larger.


You know, I have noticed that!

I was commenting on the size to my oldest DD and it was part of the reason that I kept going back buying more. I bought 50 more pounds, makes a total of 150 pounds from that store and they are all big "Baker" sized.

The large size really makes it a lot easier to peel and slice them and less tedious to stack in the dehydrator trays. I have worked it out so that I can dehydrate 40 pounds per load and if I had to work with the small "normal" sized potatoes it would take me all day to do instead of the hour and a half it takes with these.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> You know, I have noticed that!
> 
> I was commenting on the size to my oldest DD and it was part of the reason that I kept going back buying more. I bought 50 more pounds, makes a total of 150 pounds from that store and they are all big "Baker" sized.
> 
> The large size really makes it a lot easier to peel and slice them and less tedious to stack in the dehydrator trays. I have worked it out so that I can dehydrate 40 pounds per load and if I had to work with the small "normal" sized potatoes it would take me all day to do instead of the hour and a half it takes with these.


I didn't realize that you peeled the potatoes, I did some and I didn't peel them! I blanched them but they turned a darker color when I dried them......do yours also?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I didn't realize that you peeled the potatoes, I did some and I didn't peel them! I blanched them but they turned a darker color when I dried them......do yours also?


These potatoes have turned a little brown, may be because I didn't blanch them as long. Normally they are a translucent color but I am rushing through these just in case they were on sale because they may spoil soon.

Yes I do peel them, not real easy on the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but since they are baking sized I can deal OK. I dont think that I am going to be eager to eat any "taters" for a while, I've done over 100 pounds since Monday.


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> You know, I have noticed that!
> 
> I was commenting on the size to my oldest DD and it was part of the reason that I kept going back buying more. I bought 50 more pounds, makes a total of 150 pounds from that store and they are all big "Baker" sized.
> 
> The large size really makes it a lot easier to peel and slice them and less tedious to stack in the dehydrator trays. I have worked it out so that I can dehydrate 40 pounds per load and if I had to work with the small "normal" sized potatoes it would take me all day to do instead of the hour and a half it takes with these.


I'm glad I'm not alone. My wife thought I was crazy. Ranting about how potatoes are getting bigger.

I see her point though.


----------



## DJgang

Just put in two pounds of beef jerky.


----------



## Enchant18

Been doing tomatoes for days. Five batches great but today's batch some are turning black. Has this happened to anyone else?


----------



## neldarez

DJgang said:


> Just put in two pounds of beef jerky.


I have 5 lbs in right now but mine is hamburger jerky......is yours?


----------



## Davarm

Enchant18 said:


> Been doing tomatoes for days. Five batches great but today's batch some are turning black. Has this happened to anyone else?


It happens every time I try to dehydrate fresh sliced tomatoes, I tend to dehydrate everything as dry as it will get to increase the shelf life so it may have something to do with the time/dryness.

I can my tomatoes and sometimes, at the end of the year I brine the last few pickings if there is not enough to mess with canning. My mom dehydrates them to a semi dryness then puts them in the fridge and they are usually a pretty red, but to me if your gonna put them in the fridge, may as well freeze them and I dont like them frozen.

I will pick her brain on drying them the next time I see her and make a post on it.


----------



## DJgang

neldarez said:


> I have 5 lbs in right now but mine is hamburger jerky......is yours?


Flank. I have read about hamburger. Is it a lot of work?

I know the temp but how long do I dehydrate the jerky? I know all the fat needs to be gone, right? I'm at four hours now and I just tried a little piece, t tastes yummy. Um, this is my first time to make jerky. Sad but true. I've just not got around to doing it.


----------



## DJgang

Enchant18 said:


> Been doing tomatoes for days. Five batches great but today's batch some are turning black. Has this happened to anyone else?


Black? That is strange. Hope someone knows what's going on for you.


----------



## neldarez

DJgang said:


> Flank. I have read about hamburger. Is it a lot of work?
> 
> I know the temp but how long do I dehydrate the jerky? I know all the fat needs to be gone, right? I'm at four hours now and I just tried a little piece, t tastes yummy. Um, this is my first time to make jerky. Sad but true. I've just not got around to doing it.


I'm new at it also DJ, mine is with hamburger and you put it in the jerky gun and shoot strips onto the sheet in the dryer........really really easy. Takes about 6-8 hrs. Last batch took 6 and this one is much fuller and taking longer. This is pasture fed steer and very little fat present, I checked a bit ago, blotted off the oil that had come to the top and put it back in.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> These potatoes have turned a little brown, may be because I didn't blanch them as long. Normally they are a translucent color but I am rushing through these just in case they were on sale because they may spoil soon.
> 
> Yes I do peel them, not real easy on the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but since they are baking sized I can deal OK. I dont think that I am going to be eager to eat any "taters" for a while, I've done over 100 pounds since Monday.


Dave, how long do you blanch them? I sliced them 1st and then put the slices into boiling water, I just did it for about 2-3 minutes, until I could fork them easily..........Maybe I didn't do it near long enough.......hmmmmm??


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Dave, how long do you blanch them? I sliced them 1st and then put the slices into boiling water, I just did it for about 2-3 minutes, until I could fork them easily..........Maybe I didn't do it near long enough.......hmmmmm??


I slice them and put them in the boiling water and gently stir them until I can lift a slice out and run my fingernail across it and when it feels "waxy". I then dip them out with a deep fry basket and quickly put them in the cold water.

I dont really trust timing them, times can vary with the thickness of the slices and with the potato verity but the waxy feel is what I go by.

I'm skipping the potatoes tonight, need a break so the dehydrator is quiet this evening. The 150 pound pile is quickly shrinking though.


----------



## Freyadog

I was going to dehydrate some of these potatoes but for the life of me I can not figure out how I am suppose to steam the slices. Recipe book says steam. Could I put them in a colander inside a pot and put the lid on the pot. Would that work? Still have about 100# to do something with.


----------



## Davarm

Freyadog said:


> I was going to dehydrate some of these potatoes but for the life of me I can not figure out how I am suppose to steam the slices. Recipe book says steam. Could I put them in a colander inside a pot and put the lid on the pot. Would that work? Still have about 100# to do something with.


You dont have to steam them, you can "Blanch" them by boiling them lightly, putting them into cold water until cool then drying them on a towel before putting them into the dehydrator.

Thats the simplest/easiest way to do it IMO.


----------



## Genevieve

I steam mine( potatoes) for about 6 mins. And yes, you can do a colander if you don't have steamer basket. After I steam, I plunge them into ice water and then drain them really well. Then dehydrate them.


I'm doing apples. Lots and lots of apples. I usually leave them plain but I do mega bunches of some cubed and dredged in cinnamon and sugar then dried. Talk about an addictive snack! good grief!
I'll be doing apples for months. I use them all year round for cereals and baking.


----------



## TechAdmin

Enchant18 said:


> Been doing tomatoes for days. Five batches great but today's batch some are turning black. Has this happened to anyone else?


Have you tried a light brushing of lemon juice?

I've found most veggies I have to pre-treat to stop the color from changing.

I still need to try tomatoes.


----------



## Enchant18

Austin said:


> Have you tried a light brushing of lemon juice?
> 
> I've found most veggies I have to pre-treat to stop the color from changing.
> 
> I still need to try tomatoes.


Thanks, I will try that. Been wracking my brain trying to figure out if I could've done something different with the sixth batch.


----------



## DJgang

My jerky is lovely! Ended up in dehydrator for 12 hours.

What's next? Hum...


----------



## Enchant18

Enchant18 said:


> Been doing tomatoes for days. Five batches great but today's batch some are turning black. Has this happened to anyone else?


Ok, figured it out. I was worried about the tomatoes going bad so I put them in the fridge. I put that batch in the dehydrator straight from there and the one after and they blackened around the edges. Now I'm getting them to room temp before putting them in and they are fine. Thanks for all the input from everyone.


----------



## ilovetigger

Dehydrator full of green peppers..................And still have over half a basket left.


----------



## DJgang

Basil

I normal just hang dry my herbs, but felt like making the house smell good today.


----------



## neldarez

DJgang said:


> Just put in two pounds of beef jerky.


I've only tried hamburger jerky, what cuts of meat would I use and would you share how you did it and what you seasoned with? Jerky is kind of intimidating to me.......


----------



## Davarm

Enchant18 said:


> Ok, figured it out. I was worried about the tomatoes going bad so I put them in the fridge. I put that batch in the dehydrator straight from there and the one after and they blackened around the edges. Now I'm getting them to room temp before putting them in and they are fine. Thanks for all the input from everyone.


I checked with my mother and I think one thing that turns them black is drying at too high a temp so try lowering the temp and see if that helps. Keep an eye on them through the drying cycle and see if/when they start to change colors, that will give you an idea of whats going wrong.

I would give it a try but my dehydrator croaked again yesterday. Am going to have to decide if I am going to have it repaired again or just buy another base.

I've been air drying LOTS of basil the last week or two. We have enough that if we dont give it away for Christmas Presents, we will be able to skip several years growing it.


----------



## Enchant18

Davarm said:


> I checked with my mother and I think one thing that turns them black is drying at too high a temp so try lowering the temp and see if that helps. Keep an eye on them through the drying cycle and see if/when they start to change colors, that will give you an idea of whats going wrong.


I am using a one temp cheapie from Harbor Freight ($20). I have been using the vents to regulate the temp a little. It's taking about 18 hours to bring them to brittle stage. I will watch it closer. Thank you for taking the time to check with your mother.


----------



## partdeux

neldarez said:


> I've only tried hamburger jerky, what cuts of meat would I use and would you share how you did it and what you seasoned with? Jerky is kind of intimidating to me.......


Round steak works well.

Cuts the salt substantially going with sliced meat instead of hamburger


----------



## Freyadog

Got almost all of the sweet potatoes baked and now cooling. will peel skin off this evening and dehydrate.


----------



## UncleJoe

This past week I dried 18 trays of apple leather. 72 individual fruit roll-ups at an average of 20 grams each once they're packaged. The first half was just plain apple; Golden Delicious. The second batch I added a teaspoon of cinnamon. Tasty!!!


----------



## neldarez

UncleJoe said:


> This past week I dried 18 trays of apple leather. 72 individual fruit roll-ups at an average of 20 grams each once they're packaged. The first half was just plain apple; Golden Delicious. The second batch I added a teaspoon of cinnamon. Tasty!!!


I just bought 4 boxes of goldens and will start dehydrating them soon...I haven't made apple leather, my goldens seem to be a bit tart still, would you add a little sugar? Do I just peel, slice and blend then put on the sheets??


----------



## Davarm

Enchant18 said:


> I am using a one temp cheapie from Harbor Freight ($20). I have been using the vents to regulate the temp a little. It's taking about 18 hours to bring them to brittle stage. I will watch it closer. Thank you for taking the time to check with your mother.


Enchant, I have 3 of the single heat dehydrators and several things I do to control the heat are to add empty trays before the trays with food on them and I sometimes put aluminum foil on portions of the empty trays to break up the direct air flow so it will not blow straight up from the heating element onto the foods to be dried.

I have also made a tube "spacer" out of cardboard taped between 2 trays, this can add more distance between the food and heat source allowing the air to cool a bit before it gets to it. My Nesco Dehydrator is on the fritz again so I pulled the old ones out to use until I decide whether I am going to get it repaired or get a new one so I will be using some of those tricks to dehydrate at a lower temp for a while.


----------



## UncleJoe

neldarez said:


> I just bought 4 boxes of goldens and will start dehydrating them soon...I haven't made apple leather, my goldens seem to be a bit tart still, would you add a little sugar? Do I just peel, slice and blend then put on the sheets??


No sugar added and I don't even peel them. When you put the slices in the blender the peels become part of the slurry. I use one of these to core and slice. One quick motion.


----------



## DJgang

Finally! Got my first batch of potatoes blanching, they should be ready in a few minutes to go in the dehydrator.


----------



## DJgang

Ugh! Nearly the whole batch is brown!!!!

What did I do? :gaah:

I had a few left over, so I cooked them a little more and just got them in the dehydrator. Maybe I didn't cook them enough. 

I've bee distracted all morning, I think I'll take a nap!

Next batch I may cook whole potato, then slice. I've done them before and no problems. Ugh ugh ugh


----------



## goshengirl

DJ, I slice the potatoes directly into a pot of water with lemon juice. Then I blanch them, then dip them in water with lemon juice again. I don't know if that's overkill on the lemon juice, but I've never had any turn black. :dunno:


----------



## DJgang

It's most of them and it's around the edge, I can see a vein going around the slices, about 1/4 inch inside. Strange, but i think it's the potato. Second batch I put ones that I thought might brown, and sure enough they did, from the vein to the outside edge.

What I've been doing is peeling, putting whole potato in pot of water, then starting another pot on the stove and slicing right into that pot. No lemon, but goodness....I really think this brown is inside the potato and has nothing to do with the process. Some are absolutely beautiful. ( the second batch)


----------



## neldarez

I have the dehydrator on back porch with serrano peppers in it...DH said, whatever you're drying is going to smell like its smoked! The smoke from the fire is so thick out there, lol..oh well


----------



## DJgang

Refried beans dehydrating right now.


----------



## ntxwriter

I'vs been dehydrating Swiss chard and spinach. I use it in breads and smoothies, plus stir fry


----------



## neldarez

Golden delicious apples ....smell good


----------



## goshengirl

Air drying mints today - apple mint, orange mint, chocolate mint (we've got a frost coming tonight, so getting what might be the last of it today). I love mint. I think I'm going to stick a bunch of mint under the orchard trees and just let it go crazy. 

Tomato skins in the dehydrator (the result of canning tomatoes - the skins get ground into powder later, for use as a thickener/added nutrition).


----------



## DJgang

Ok decided to can those russets, got some idahos and I'm gonna dehydrate them, I don't see any veins. But not today...


----------



## DJgang

I boiled a few potatoes and put in fridge. Yesterday I grated one up like hash browns and tried that out.....I put on paper towels and they all stuck to it,luckily I only did one small potato. Once I get my non stick sheets in, I will try again. 

But I've done more sliced potatoes, Idaho, and I've done some canned corn just to maybe grind up and try some cornbread and I have a dehydrated potato soup recipe I want to maybe fix up for husband to take for lunch.

But right now, I have a tin plate of left over stew in the dehydrator. It's looking good.


----------



## neldarez

I have a question.....Do most of you take your dried squash, taters, apples etc....and seal them in vac bags and then also put them into mylar bags in bucket? The reason I'm asking is because everytime I want to try something out of the buckets, I'm cutting the mylar open and then resealing. Am I overdoing on the sealing do you think? Also do you put just a couple of cups worth of dried stuff per bag usually or do you do a bulk bag? Seems like dumb questions but I've been known to make the most simple very complicated!! Thanks in advance for your thoughts.


----------



## DJgang

I use those gallon canisters with screw on lids for bigger stuff, like potatoes. I keep the jugs out until I get them filled. I got corn going into a soda bottle.

To be honest, I've never dried enough to store for a long time. We usually eat it!


----------



## partdeux

single servings except spices which are in pint jars.


----------



## DJgang

Overcooked this last batch of potatoes, so they are going to be "instant" mashed potatoes after they finish dehydrating.


----------



## neldarez

I have a dryer of potatoes going....this time I cut them right into cold water with lemon juice, then I blanched them, then right into cold lemon water again. We'll see how this works out. Do most of you then vac. pack in small amounts or do you just fill buckets with loose tater slices? I also have frozen corn in the dryer with the taters, they were on sale and I want to grind them for cornbread like OCH suggested. I think Davarm does the same thing.......I love that we share our experiences and knowledge for each other, Hopefully I will have more knowledge to share one of these days!


----------



## Davarm

Ms Nelda, I store my potatoes in 5 gallon buckets inside 5 gallon sized ziplock bags. I dont vacuum seal them though, we will be eating what is stored and rotating them. I have not been very successful at vacuum sealing the dehydrated slices, they keep punching holes in the bags and storing them in jars would not be very practical for me with the amount I store.

The compromise is to eat them before they degrade and replacing the buckets once they are empty.

With the dehydrated corn, I do put O2 absorbers in the 5 gallon ziplock bag before I hammer the buckets lid closed, I have opened the buckets several months after closing and the bags did not leak so with the corn, thats the way I will continue to do it.

Smaller bags for the corn would likely be more practical and I have started storing some of my dehydrated foods in the 3 gallon sized pails after sealing the foods in bags. 

This is really good for foods like dehydrated eggs, with the amount of eggs that will fit in a 5 gallon bucket, we would not be able to eat them all before they turned, I went back into the buckets of powdered eggs and repackaged them into 2- 3 pound vacuum sealed bags and replaced them in the 5 gallon buckets. From now on they will go into 3 gallons pails.


----------



## UncleJoe

Another batch of apple-cinnamon fruit leather tonight. :droolie:


----------



## partdeux

UncleJoe said:


> Another batch of apple-cinnamon fruit leather tonight. :droolie:


and you're just going to leave us hanging like that?

Recipe please


----------



## Tribal Warlord Thug

another 50#'s of red taters......... git 'em cheap from the amish


----------



## UncleJoe

partdeux said:


> and you're just going to leave us hanging like that?
> 
> Recipe please


Not much for recipe's. I just kinda throw things together till I like the taste. But if it helps, this is how I make it.

I have 3 different types of apples. Golden Delicious, Mac and Jonagold. I don't peel; just core 'em. Fill a 10 qt. stock pot, splash a bit of lemon juice over them and pour in about 2 cups of water. After a couple hours of simmering on the stove they get mushy and settle down to the 6 qt. line. I fill it back up to 8 qt. and add about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Once that softens up I give it a real good stir to blend all the different flavors together and run it through a blender for a minute or so. Pour directly from the blender onto leather trays and 10-12 hours later- apple-cinnamon fruit roll-ups.

This year is the first I've tried adding the cinnamon. It was just on a whim. A couple weeks ago when I was making my first batch of the season, I took the lid off the pot to see how far along it was and thought; wonder how a bit of cinnamon would taste in there? I was going to just start shaking some in but decided against it. Got the measuring spoons out and and filled a tablespoon then reconsidered again. I was afraid once everything was dried out it might be overwhelming so I went with a teaspoon. Turned out that was just right and I had just a hint of cinnamon flavor. MMMMMMMMMMM!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Ms Nelda, I store my potatoes in 5 gallon buckets inside 5 gallon sized ziplock bags. I dont vacuum seal them though, we will be eating what is stored and rotating them. I have not been very successful at vacuum sealing the dehydrated slices, they keep punching holes in the bags and storing them in jars would not be very practical for me with the amount I store.
> 
> The compromise is to eat them before they degrade and replacing the buckets once they are empty.
> 
> With the dehydrated corn, I do put O2 absorbers in the 5 gallon ziplock bag before I hammer the buckets lid closed, I have opened the buckets several months after closing and the bags did not leak so with the corn, thats the way I will continue to do it.
> 
> Smaller bags for the corn would likely be more practical and I have started storing some of my dehydrated foods in the 3 gallon sized pails after sealing the foods in bags.
> 
> This is really good for foods like dehydrated eggs, with the amount of eggs that will fit in a 5 gallon bucket, we would not be able to eat them all before they turned, I went back into the buckets of powdered eggs and repackaged them into 2- 3 pound vacuum sealed bags and replaced them in the 5 gallon buckets. From now on they will go into 3 gallons pails.


thanks Dave, I think I go a bit overboard on sealing stuff up. I do vac bag dried things but I only take some of the air out and then stop the machine and seal. It's better than nothing I'm sure.


----------



## neldarez

rabidcoyote666 said:


> another 50#'s of red taters......... git 'em cheap from the amish


I did a dryer of red taters today and they are a yellowish color, are yours also?


----------



## UncleJoe

I made a boo-boo tonight. AuntJoe asked me to go downstairs and get 2 cans of peas for dinner. Came back up and opened them both and realized I grabbed green beans by mistake. Must have put the beans on the pea shelf when I was doing some rotating and never put them back. 

So tonight I'm dehydrating green beans that I'll use in the next batch of veggie soup I make.


----------



## cengasser

Question about dehydrators.
1. Do all dehydrators dry meat? (looks like the only mention fruits, veggies, ets.
2. If not all do what type would we need the be able to try meat?
3. Do you recommend buying 2nd hand 
ie eBay, iwanna, Craig's list?

Please let me know you thoughts.
Info is greatly appriciated!
Ceng


----------



## UncleJoe

cengasser said:


> Question about dehydrators.
> 1. Do all dehydrators dry meat? (looks like the only mention fruits, veggies,


You must have missed OldCoot's thread on hotdogs. http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/dried-dogs-14227/

No special dryer needed. 

Was out in the garden today and found 6 green peppers that made it through the frost the other night. Sliced em up and have them drying right now.


----------



## Davarm

cengasser said:


> Question about dehydrators.
> 1. Do all dehydrators dry meat? (looks like the only mention fruits, veggies, ets.
> 2. If not all do what type would we need the be able to try meat?
> 3. Do you recommend buying 2nd hand
> ie eBay, iwanna, Craig's list?
> 
> Please let me know you thoughts.
> Info is greatly appriciated!
> Ceng


1. and 2., You should only need one to dry all your food.

3. IMO, a dehydrator is something to buy new, some Nesco's are not that expensive and should fit your needs.

Dont know about other brands except the Wally World "Oster" models. The old ones are great(but not temp adjustable), the new ones, would not give you a dime for a dozen of them.


----------



## neldarez

I have 2 excaliburs and really like them. One is full of potatoes and the other is full of pumpkin puree..... smells good in here.:flower:


----------



## goshengirl

Now that I am officially finished with canning tomato sauce from the garden for the year... whew!... it's on to dehydrating:

celery (I'm low on the supply I use for making chicken stock)
carrots (since I didn't get around to making a small root cellar, into the dehydrator they go...)
potatoes (got lots still in the ground - this will take a while...)


----------



## TechAdmin

My wife bought a weird lettuce mix no one likes, but I do't want to throw it out. 

Any suggestions? I'm going to dehydrate it to see what it does if I have no suggestions.


----------



## Davarm

TechAdmin said:


> My wife bought a weirs lettuce mix no one likes, but I do't want to throw it out.
> 
> Any suggestions? I'm going to dehydrate it to see what it does if I have no suggestions.


My oldest daughter brought home one of those bags of salad mix one day and it froze in the refrigerator. She made a light cream soup out of it, surprisingly it was very good!

It may be worth trying in the dehydrator to make soup stock.


----------



## DJgang

Got onions and bell peppers going now.


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> My oldest daughter brought home one of those bags of salad mix one day and it froze in the refrigerator. She made a light cream soup out of it, surprisingly it was very good!
> 
> It may be worth trying in the dehydrator to make soup stock.


Really? I would have never have thought that.

I'm going to give it a try.

Any special preparation?


----------



## neldarez

Just dried my 1st pumpkin puree......put 2 cups of pumpkin per sheet and when it's done, you tear it up into little pieces in the bag and when you go to use it, you just add water to the 2 cup mark and there you have it!! My dehydrated taters are really turning out well now, I'm timing them when the start to boil for 2 minutes and it makes all the difference, plus I'm cutting them into lemon juice water.........now they don't turn nasty dark............:cheers: ( pepsi)


----------



## Davarm

TechAdmin said:


> Really? I would have never have thought that.
> 
> I'm going to give it a try.
> 
> Any special preparation?


Yea, it surprised the "poop" out of me too, imagine that "Lettuce(mostly)"!

I've never dehydrated the stuff(on purpose anyway), my suggestion would be to just put it on the trays and take it out when dry, crumble it into powder and seal it up(or use it).

If you try soup made from it, let us know how it comes out.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Just dried my 1st pumpkin puree......put 2 cups of pumpkin per sheet and when it's done, you tear it up into little pieces in the bag and when you go to use it, you just add water to the 2 cup mark and there you have it!! My dehydrated taters are really turning out well now, I'm timing them when the start to boil for 2 minutes and it makes all the difference, plus I'm cutting them into lemon juice water.........now they don't turn nasty dark............:cheers: ( pepsi)


Ms Nelda, did you add anything to the puree or was it just straight pumpkin?

BTW, how did the squash come out?

:cheers: (Dr. Pepper )


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Ms Nelda, did you add anything to the puree or was it just straight pumpkin?
> 
> BTW, how did the squash come out?
> 
> :cheers: (Dr. Pepper )


straight pumpkin, the squash was cubed and then I dried it.......worked like a top. Have more pumpkin, taters and celery in now.


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> Yea, it surprised the "poop" out of me too, imagine that "Lettuce(mostly)"!
> 
> I've never dehydrated the stuff(on purpose anyway), my suggestion would be to just put it on the trays and take it out when dry, crumble it into powder and seal it up(or use it).
> 
> If you try soup made from it, let us know how it comes out.


I did it and it's crumbling nicely. It really didn't take to long in the dehydrator I was surprised.


----------



## Davarm

TechAdmin said:


> I did it and it's crumbling nicely. It really didn't take to long in the dehydrator I was surprised.


I'll check with the DD and see how she made the soup and post it.


----------



## goshengirl

Raspberries. 

They were on sale, so I just got a little bit for a practice run. If my 'edible landscaping' work pays off, in the next year or so we will have LOTS of raspberries to dehydrate. I want to be ready.


----------



## Davarm

I have a question for you adventurous types out there.

Has anyone dehydrated gravy, ground it into a fine meal and then used it as an add water gravy mix?

I canned some "Biscuit Gravy" tonight and started wondering about dehydrating it also. I haven't gotten my dehydrator fixed/replaced yet and didn't want to drag out the old "Osters" so thought I would ask to see if anyone had done it.

Regular white biscuit gravy seems like it would likely do well and maybe brown gravies would do OK also. 

Anyone done this before?


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I have a question for you adventurous types out there.
> 
> Has anyone dehydrated gravy, ground it into a fine meal and then used it as an add water gravy mix?
> 
> I canned some "Biscuit Gravy" tonight and started wondering about dehydrating it also. I haven't gotten my dehydrator fixed/replaced yet and didn't want to drag out the old "Osters" so thought I would ask to see if anyone had done it.
> 
> Regular white biscuit gravy seems like it would likely do well and maybe brown gravies would do OK also.
> 
> Anyone done this before?


lol, everyone is holding their breath thinking...what? If David hasn't done it then it's obvious it hasn't been done!! geesh........hahaha what a great idea.....do you drink a lot of caffeine?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> lol, everyone is holding their breath thinking...what? If David hasn't done it then it's obvious it hasn't been done!! geesh........hahaha what a great idea.....do you drink a lot of caffeine?


OK Ms Nelda, guess I'm gonna have to get the old dehydrators out and give it a shot. :2thumb:

Some say I drink coffee, some dont know what to call it but you could "consume" it with a fork(almost)! At the meet-up several weeks ago, a few people said "I didn't know you could do that" when I sat down at the camp fire with my quart(canning) full jar of the stuff.:ghost::ghost:


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> OK Ms Nelda, guess I'm gonna have to get the old dehydrators out and give it a shot. :2thumb:
> 
> Some say I drink coffee, some dont know what to call it but you could "consume" it with a fork(almost)! At the meet-up several weeks ago, a few people said "I didn't know you could do that" when I sat down at the camp fire with my quart(canning) full jar of the stuff.:ghost::ghost:


Hey Dave, have you dehydrated condensed cream of mushroom soup? I use campbells soup all the time ( mushroom ) I bet we could do that, don't you?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Hey Dave, have you dehydrated condensed cream of mushroom soup? I use campbells soup all the time ( mushroom ) I bet we could do that, don't you?


I see what you are doing, and I guess you can say it worked.:surrender:

I'm going to go to town and pick up some Cream of Mushroom Soup in a day or two and give it a try. I will have to say the thought of dehydrated instead of canned does have its appeal.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I see what you are doing, and I guess you can say it worked.:surrender:
> 
> I'm going to go to town and pick up some Cream of Mushroom Soup in a day or two and give it a try. I will have to say the thought of dehydrated instead of canned does have its appeal.


Butternut squash and I have an ongoing battle, I try to nuke it for just a bit so I can peel it and cube it for the dehydrator, it stays raw or cooks to mush. Do any of you who dry squash precook or blanch your squash first? It's hard to peel when its raw but if thats what I should do, I'll sure do it. Kinda hoping there is an easier way....lol


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Butternut squash and I have an ongoing battle, I try to nuke it for just a bit so I can peel it and cube it for the dehydrator, it stays raw or cooks to mush. Do any of you who dry squash precook or blanch your squash first? It's hard to peel when its raw but if thats what I should do, I'll sure do it. Kinda hoping there is an easier way....lol


I use a sharp "Potato Peeler" to peel them, uncooked. It can be kinda hard at times but I've always been able to make it work. When peeling the hard stuff, I sharpen the blade using a stone and it works out quite a bit easier.

BTW, haven't gotten around to the soup yet, just found out that I have about 10 or more gallons of Sweet Red Wax Peppers to dehydrate before they go bad.

We had our first light frost last night so I went out to check and see if the last of my peppers were damaged and I got a big surprise. I hadn't been checking them since the weather turned rainy and was wondering if I was going to have enough to worry about picking.

I wound up picking 20+ gallons of serannos and about 10 gallons of wax peppers and that wasn't even close to half of the rows. I am stringing the hot peppers to air dry on an inside wall(pic attached) and got around 8 gallons hung but am going to have to start on a new section wall to do the rest(if I cant give them away)

The sweet red peppers are going to be dehydrated and ground into paprika. I think I'm going to be pretty busy for a while.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I use a sharp "Potato Peeler" to peel them, uncooked. It can be kinda hard at times but I've always been able to make it work. When peeling the hard stuff, I sharpen the blade using a stone and it works out quite a bit easier.
> 
> BTW, haven't gotten around to the soup yet, just found out that I have about 10 or more gallons of Sweet Red Wax Peppers to dehydrate before they go bad.
> 
> We had our first light frost last night so I went out to check and see if the last of my peppers were damaged and I got a big surprise. I hadn't been checking them since the weather turned rainy and was wondering if I was going to have enough to worry about picking.
> 
> I wound up picking 20+ gallons of serannos and about 10 gallons of wax peppers and that wasn't even close to half of the rows. I am stringing the hot peppers to air dry on an inside wall(pic attached) and got around 8 gallons hung but am going to have to start on a new section wall to do the rest(if I cant give them away)
> 
> The sweet red peppers are going to be dehydrated and ground into paprika. I think I'm going to be pretty busy for a while.


oh my gosh! That's more peppers than I had in my whole garden...what the heck do you do with all of those?? I strung a bunch of the jalapenos and hung them here in the house about 1 month or more ago and all they have done is turn red and wrinkle a bit, they are still soft. Should I throw them out? Dave, you are obviously obsessed with peppers, we need to look into treatment for you!!!:nuts: lol


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> oh my gosh! That's more peppers than I had in my whole garden...what the heck do you do with all of those?? I strung a bunch of the jalapenos and hung them here in the house about 1 month or more ago and all they have done is turn red and wrinkle a bit, they are still soft. Should I throw them out? Dave, you are obviously obsessed with peppers, we need to look into treatment for you!!!:nuts: lol


Well Ms Nelda, down here where I live peppers(chili's) and chili powder are a big part of the menu. They are used to season meat and chile, you can make enchilada sauce from them, pepper sauce, hot sauce(Louisiana & Tabasco types) add them to beans while cooking. They can also used to make rice dishes, dips, casseroles.... the possibilities go on and on.

Jalapenos dont air dry very well, if you do string them it helps to put a big slice in them so the moisture can escape a little easier. On the ones you have strung now, you can go ahead and slice the pod and they should finish drying. The dried jalapenos will take longer to cook up than the thinner walled types unless you grind them into powder.

The DD's have tried to get me that help but I couldn't be cured so they stopped trying.:laugh: I can get a lot of brownie points with the extended family(and friends) giving pint jars of chili powder as Christmas and Birthday gifts. Pint jars layered with different red, green, brown and yellow types really make good gifts to pepper lovers.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I strung a bunch of the jalapenos and hung them here in the house about 1 month or more ago and all they have done is turn red and wrinkle a bit, they are still soft. Should I throw them out?


Ms Nelda, I split a few peppers to show you how to do Jalapenos, If you split them like in the pic, string them then hang them in the warmest/driest place in your house, they should dry OK.

You may have seeds falling on the floor as they dry so you may want to put a pan or towel under the string. Hot pepper seeds scattered on your floor being kicked around, may not be a good thing.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Well Ms Nelda, down here where I live peppers(chili's) and chili powder are a big part of the menu. They are used to season meat and chile, you can make enchilada sauce from them, pepper sauce, hot sauce(Louisiana & Tabasco types) add them to beans while cooking. They can also used to make rice dishes, dips, casseroles.... the possibilities go on and on.
> 
> Jalapenos dont air dry very well, if you do string them it helps to put a big slice in them so the moisture can escape a little easier. On the ones you have strung now, you can go ahead and slice the pod and they should finish drying. The dried jalapenos will take longer to cook up than the thinner walled types unless you grind them into powder.
> 
> The DD's have tried to get me that help but I couldn't be cured so they stopped trying.:laugh: I can get a lot of brownie points with the extended family(and friends) giving pint jars of chili powder as Christmas and Birthday gifts. Pint jars layered with different red, green, brown and yellow types really make good gifts to pepper lovers.


ok, I'm going to go stab some peppers!!


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## Davarm

I've been dehydrating cooked rice for the last day or two. 

When we have a meal with rice, I will usually cook extra and keep it in the fridge/freezer and when I have a load I will dehydrate it and add it to the bucket. 

I like to keep "Instant Rice" around whether it is in the stores or just for fast meals.


----------



## Davarm

The new dehydrator came in this morning, it came with 8 new trays so I am up to 38 now(1 square foot each). A max of 30 is recommended but I'm going to push it to the full 38 to see how it goes.

Its full(all 38) of sweet peppers(for paprika), Acorn Meal, split pea soup and spanish rice. Will see how it all comes out tomorrow(later today), I have a feeling we may need everything we can stock up on in the next 4 years.

I'm going to try Black and Green Olives in the next few days, have no idea how they will do but am going to give it a try and see.

Ms Nelda, the Cream of Mushroom Soup is going in tomorrow!


----------



## ONEOLDCHIEF

Ammunition!!!:shtf2:


----------



## RUN1251

I have a bumper crop of turnips. Can the tops be dehydrated? If so, what do I do with them when I rehydrate them?


----------



## Davarm

RUN1251 said:


> I have a bumper crop of turnips. Can the tops be dehydrated? If so, what do I do with them when I rehydrate them?


I've dehydrated and eaten turnip greens, we do them 2 ways. After dehydrating them you can 1) vacuum seal them and just pour boiling water over them and let sit for a while then add a little butter or bacon drippings to prepare them to eat. 2) After they are dry, sift them through a strainer into a fine powder and add them to soups or other dishes.

We do most all of our greens in one of those 2 ways.


----------



## LilRedHen

I finished up the last of the banana peppers from the garden this morning. I had had them stashed in the fridge till I felt like dealing with them. After I took the peppers up, I crisped up some crackers. I had been saving those two or three or four in the bottom of the pack that the Rooster won't close up at night and they were a little stale. They crisped right up. My dehydrator is making some strange whiny noise when I start it up and I've only had it since May. After it runs for a minute or so, the noise stops and it runs normally.


----------



## UncleJoe

After all these years of dehydrating just about everything, I finally tried beef jerky. I've had the strips of meat soaking in the sauce in the fridge for a week. Put it in the dryer last night and pulled it out this morning. It had great flavor but it seemed a little dryer than I thought it should be. AuntJoe agreed.

It was in for 10 hours at 135°

So I'm asking you folks that do it often; how long and at what temp?


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## ashley8072

I finished my portobello mushrooms this morning. Now I'm doing sliced apples and oranges and lemons. We like to throw these in the apple juice, orange juice and sweet tea.


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## Davarm

You have the 1020, is that correct? My first 1018 started doing the same thing not long after I got it and it ran for hundreds and hundreds of hours before it had real problems and I had to send it in for repair. I dont think it is a problem but I would contact the service center to at least let it be recorded that you have an issue with it.

If you want to have some fun with them, you can tell them that I said to send it in for a service call. We went round and round several times and I know they have a few "Remarks" by my name in the database when it was all said and done!



LilRedHen said:


> I finished up the last of the banana peppers from the garden this morning. I had had them stashed in the fridge till I felt like dealing with them. After I took the peppers up, I crisped up some crackers. I had been saving those two or three or four in the bottom of the pack that the Rooster won't close up at night and they were a little stale. They crisped right up. My dehydrator is making some strange whiny noise when I start it up and I've only had it since May. After it runs for a minute or so, the noise stops and it runs normally.


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## Davarm

Ms Nelda...........

The Campbells "Cream Of Mushroom" Soup is in the dehydrator!


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## goshengirl

If your Cream of Mushroom turns out well, I see some Cream of Chicken in my future....


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## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> If your Cream of Mushroom turns out well, I see some Cream of Chicken in my future....


I'm going to town today, will pick up a family sized can(Cream Of Chicken) and put it on tonight. Will let you know how it does.

The Cream of Mushroom is almost done, my big concern with it was the fat content. The way its looking so far, I dont think will be an issue.

I put a can of pitted Black Olives on to dry at the same time I did the soup and it looks like they are going to do ok too.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I'm going to town today, will pick up a family sized can(Cream Of Chicken) and put it on tonight. Will let you know how it does.
> 
> The Cream of Mushroom is almost done, my big concern with it was the fat content. The way its looking so far, I dont think will be an issue.
> 
> I put a can of pitted Black Olives on to dry at the same time I did the soup and it looks like they are going to do ok too.


awesome! thanks son......


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> I'm going to town today, will pick up a family sized can(Cream Of Chicken) and put it on tonight. Will let you know how it does.


Thanks, Davarm! You didn't have to do that on my account, but you know I always love learning how your 'experiments' go.  I can see a number of good uses for powdered cream soups. Sounds like a good thing to have on hand. Not that the soups wouldn't keep in the can, but powdered it could be used differently, for flavorings in casseroles and stews, etc.

I find that ever since our lightning strike over the summer (which did a number on our wiring and killed some appliances/electronics), I've really been into the canning and dehydrating. You know, the non-electric food storage. Sometimes I wonder if the big guy upstairs was giving me a little nudge with that lightning, getting me to convert all our food storage to non-electric methods.


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Thanks, Davarm! You didn't have to do that on my account, but you know I always love learning how your 'experiments' go.  I can see a number of good uses for powdered cream soups. Sounds like a good thing to have on hand. Not that the soups wouldn't keep in the can, but powdered it could be used differently, for flavorings in casseroles and stews, etc.
> 
> I find that ever since our lightning strike over the summer (which did a number on our wiring and killed some appliances/electronics), I've really been into the canning and dehydrating. You know, the non-electric food storage. Sometimes I wonder if the big guy upstairs was giving me a little nudge with that lightning, getting me to convert all our food storage to non-electric methods.


I like to experiment with dehydrating as you likely know and I was glad to have another idea to play with. If I can dehydrate something, even if it has been canned(home or store bought)I will give it a try. Less bulk, weight and longer storage are +'s enough to justify it for me.

I checked on the cream of mushroom and it still wasn't done, it had dehydrated down to almost nothing and had kind of glazed over which prevented it from finishing up. I took a spatula and turned over on the sheet, I'm sure it will finish up in an hour or two. Anyone planning to dehydrate it should plan on turning it or mixing it at some point in the process also. By the way it looked, it had very little fat in it at all and that was my big concern. It turned into a rubbery sheet which may make it hard to grind into a powder but I'm sure it will "loosen up" when boiled or cooked as an ingredient in a dish. I forgot to do a before weight to get rehydrating measurements but it looks it will be at least a 10-12:1 water ratio to get it back to the point it was when it came out of the can. I will cook it up tonight and find out how it rehydrates.

The Black Olives did very well, I thought the fat content would make them a little difficult but was wrong on that too. They tasted good and were edible right off the tray, not rock hard or crunchy. We will be doing a lot of them in the future. It was just kinda hard to imagine that small pile was left was all there was to the $1.00 can I started with.

I will get the Cream of Chicken on in the morning and report back when it is done.

Ms Nelda..... are you there, Hello.... you out there... Hello!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I like to experiment with dehydrating as you likely know and I was glad to have another idea to play with. If I can dehydrate something, even if it has been canned(home or store bought)I will give it a try. Less bulk, weight and longer storage are +'s enough to justify it for me.
> 
> I checked on the cream of mushroom and it still wasn't done, it had dehydrated down to almost nothing and had kind of glazed over which prevented it from finishing up. I took a spatula and turned over on the sheet, I'm sure it will finish up in an hour or two. Anyone planning to dehydrate it should plan on turning it or mixing it at some point in the process also. By the way it looked, it had very little fat in it at all and that was my big concern. It turned into a rubbery sheet which may make it hard to grind into a powder but I'm sure it will "loosen up" when boiled or cooked as an ingredient in a dish. I forgot to do a before weight to get rehydrating measurements but it looks it will be at least a 10-12:1 water ratio to get it back to the point it was when it came out of the can. I will cook it up tonight and find out how it rehydrates.
> 
> The Black Olives did very well, I thought the fat content would make them a little difficult but was wrong on that too. They tasted good and were edible right off the tray, not rock hard or crunchy. We will be doing a lot of them in the future. It was just kinda hard to imagine that small pile was left was all there was to the $1.00 can I started with.
> 
> I will get the Cream of Chicken on in the morning and report back when it is done.
> 
> Ms Nelda..... are you there, Hello.... you out there... Hello!


I'm here son, just reading about your latest experiment....you go boy, you go!!:beercheer: pepsi


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## Dakine

I think I'm going to try dehydrating eggs today! I can buy the ones in coffee cans which have a very long shelf life, but I can put mine in smaller vacuum sealed packs and not expose the entire thing to oxygen when opened. 

They're $41 for the coffee can which was 25 cups. Should be interesting if nothing else!


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## Dakine

I have extra trays for my dehydrator because I used to have an old model, different brand but exact same spec's on the trays, and then a couple years ago my neighbor was going to throwaway 4 trays from hers because the base unit was burned out, I grabbed them too  (for those who never saw the old model, the heating element and fan used to be on the base, which was okay I guess because there weren't any other affordable home solutions back then, maybe 25+ years ago?? but it wasnt a great design because everything was dripping/leaking down onto the heating element and that was a PITA to clean, so much better design now with the heat and fan in the lid!!!)

So 8 dozen eggs is using 7 1/2 trays and I still have 1 left over if I had needed it. I'm hoping these are dehydrated before 10pm, I dont want to have to stay up that late for grinding them up, but whatever.. I'm working from home tomorrow anyway so I get an extra hour of sleep! :sssh:


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## Dakine

okay, 10pm turned into pure fantasy, in fact they're still dehydrating. Although, I did turn the temp down quite a bit because I wasnt sure I really wanted to get up in the middle of the night to check them

At 4am they still had lots of pieces that were eggy, at 8:30 they are mostly done, but there's still chunks that need to finish. 

I'm hoping around noon it will be completely done.

**EDIT**

for those who might be interested, my experience with 96 eggs taught me the following

32 eggs per batch, because 1 batch of 32 eggs = 1 cup of milk to be added. I didn't want to use a different amount and try to count out individual tablespoons of milk; and as it happens, all of the pots and pans and everything else worked out perfectly with 32 eggs at a time!

96 eggs on the dehydrator used 8 dehydrator trays and took almost 24 hours!!! but even at it's highest level it only goes to 160 degrees and last night I was worried I might overly crisper the entire batch if left on high (is that even possible????) so I turned it down while I was sleeping. In hindsight I feel that wasn't necessary at all, I could have left it on high and probably saved at least an hour or so of overall drying time.

96 eggs (minus the ton of pieces that are all over the freakin kitchen  crushed up into just over 8 cups worth of dehydrated egg powder and filled a half gallon canning jar. Here's another place I had a problem, I have a blender, but I can't use it, because I carelessly left water in it and now the blades have rust on them where they connect to the assembly. I can replace that assembly for only $17 but I haven't done it yet :brickwall: so that means I had to use a potato masher to crunch the big egg pieces into gravel sized pieces, and then i was able to dig up and use an ancient Braun protein shake mixer as a tool of egg particle flinging whirlygig 'O death! after seeing it spray egg shrapnel all over the kitchen (and Dak) I improvised and used the plastic fruit rollup plastic tray from the dehydrator as a cover over the mixing bowl! YAY! this contained the carnage and let me keep the vast majority of my dehyrated eggs.

Now at some point I did grow impatient and stopped trying to crush every single smaller than gravel piece of egg into powder, but I'd guesstimate I got a good 99% of it turned into powder and the rest I will simply deal with when I rehydrate it.

I'll either A) replace my blender blades and then use that, OR... B) buy the $400 country mills harvest grain mill which I have ALWAYS wanted anyway, and then I'll be using that on not only my eggs but also as I start doing breads and other baking items from whole grains!!!

So... there you go! please let me know if you have any questions, I'd gladly try to help anyone learn from the mistakes I made if I can, and I definitely will be doing a lot more of this! Variety is KING!


----------



## ReadyMom

SWEET POTAOTES

:scratchCould someone tell me why my mashed sweet potatoes are NOT crisp, when I dehydrated them? This is what I did:


Boiled potatoes & peeled them
Mashed them
Rolled them flat between wax paper.
Chilled them in freezer, to more easily remove them from wax paper onto dehydrator sheets
Dehydrated on 115 degrees overnight.

They are not crisp, but 'bendy' (more like a fruit roll). I am currently continuing to dehydrate, but turned my heat up to 125.

I am using the round dehydrator w/ 5 trays.

Thank you!


----------



## Davarm

I've dehydrated quite a few sweet potatoes and found that "Cooked" will not dry completely and will have leathery texture. Nothing to worry about as long as they are completely dry. I slice them into pieces about 1 inch thick, boil them until almost done and dehydrate the slices.

Another way I do them is to Shred or Grate the and dehydrate them raw, these do come out dry and crispy and can be ground into a powder.



ReadyMom said:


> SWEET POTAOTES
> 
> :scratchCould someone tell me why my mashed sweet potatoes are NOT crisp, when I dehydrated them? This is what I did:
> 
> 
> Boiled potatoes & peeled them
> Mashed them
> Rolled them flat between wax paper.
> Chilled them in freezer, to more easily remove them from wax paper onto dehydrator sheets
> Dehydrated on 115 degrees overnight.
> 
> They are not crisp, but 'bendy' (more like a fruit roll). I am currently continuing to dehydrate, but turned my heat up to 125.
> 
> I am using the round dehydrator w/ 5 trays.
> 
> Thank you!


----------



## ReadyMom

Thank you Davarm! A couple of questions:


Will I be able to grind these 'leathery' pieces into a powder? (that was my original plan) How will they rehydrate?
The sweet potatoes that are dehydrated & ground RAW ... don't you have to cook them, when you rehydrate them, since they are dehyrated raw?

Thanks for your patience! -k


----------



## Davarm

I have never tried to grind the cooked dehydrated sweet potatoes:scratch! Thats a good question but I would think that they would gum up a mill and I think that it would be kinda rough on a food processor or blender but you could give it a try.

The ones I grate and dehydrate raw, they can be ground, I have done that and they do have to be cooked(they can be eaten raw, I guess). They work best when used in breads/cakes or casseroles.

I am putting on a batch of sliced(cooked) sweet potaoes tonight. To prepare those to eat, I just boil them until tender and put butter on them or they can be made into "Candied Sweet Potatoes", they are really good with cranberry sauce on them. They are "firmer" and have more "substance" to them than fresh sliced when cooked.



ReadyMom said:


> Thank you Davarm! A couple of questions:
> 
> 
> Will I be able to grind these 'leathery' pieces into a powder? (that was my original plan) How will they rehydrate?
> The sweet potatoes that are dehydrated & ground RAW ... don't you have to cook them, when you rehydrate them, since they are dehyrated raw?
> 
> Thanks for your patience! -k


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I have never tried to grind the cooked dehydrated sweet potatoes:scratch! Thats a good question but I would think that they would gum up a mill and I think that it would be kinda rough on a food processor or blender but you could give it a try.
> 
> The ones I grate and dehydrate raw, they can be ground, I have done that and they do have to be cooked(they can be eaten raw, I guess). They work best when used in breads/cakes or casseroles.
> 
> I am putting on a batch of sliced(cooked) sweet potaoes tonight. To prepare those to eat, I just boil them until tender and put butter on them or they can be made into "Candied Sweet Potatoes", they are really good with cranberry sauce on them. They are "firmer" and have more "substance" to them than fresh sliced when cooked.


so David, how did the mushroom soup turn out? I hope it worked cuz I would pretty much be lost without it.......I did buy another case on sale the other day.


----------



## Davarm

I took a batch of Green Bean Casserole out of the dehydrator a little while ago, first time I tried that and it came out pretty good. I am going to "cook" it up later tonight and if it comes out like I expect it to, I'm going to make up a lot of it and fill a 3 gallon bucket.

I have the first few bags of cranberries on drying now, over the holiday season I usually dehydrate as many of them as I can get my hands onto. Last year I wound up with 2-5 gallon buckets full. They work well in things like Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Bread and cooked in anything that contains sweet potatoes. I use them in place of pretty much anything that calls for Raisins. They also make a good tea.


----------



## Davarm

Well "MOM", it came out. I still haven't cooked it up, been kinda under the weather the last few days. I dont have enough to try grinding into a powder yet but the way it came out I think that will be doable. I think it will take about an 8:1 water/soup mix to bring it up to "out of the can" consistency. I originally thought 10 or 12: 1 but I weighed a can and re tallied it.

I was kinda surprised at how little it dried down to and how little fat was in it.



neldarez said:


> so David, how did the mushroom soup turn out? I hope it worked cuz I would pretty much be lost without it.......I did buy another case on sale the other day.


----------



## DJgang

I really need to put up some sweet potatoes! Crap I'm in sweet tater capital haha, they are everywhere!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I took a batch of Green Bean Casserole out of the dehydrator a little while ago, first time I tried that and it came out pretty good. I am going to "cook" it up later tonight and if it comes out like I expect it to, I'm going to make up a lot of it and fill a 3 gallon bucket.
> 
> I have the first few bags of cranberries on drying now, over the holiday season I usually dehydrate as many of them as I can get my hands onto. Last year I wound up with 2-5 gallon buckets full. They work well in things like Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Bread and cooked in anything that contains sweet potatoes. I use them in place of pretty much anything that calls for Raisins. They also make a good tea.


Are you going to vac. pack the bags individually and put into the bucket? I'm in absolute amazement over the things you dehydrate, I need to use my imagination more!:eyebulge: I keep drying stuff ( taters and pumpkin) but I never cook it.......I think I should start eating this stuff so I learn how to cook it, don't ya think?? sweet potato bread sounds awesome good........We have sweet potatoes on sale for .69 lb.......maybe I should go get some and dry them. thanks Dave!! You are a great coach!


----------



## Davarm

DJgang said:


> I really need to put up some sweet potatoes! Crap I'm in sweet tater capital haha, they are everywhere!


And between now and Christmas you will probably see them go down as low as $.35 per pound(last year I saw $.28 per pound). For that price, you cant go wrong filling up a few buckets.


----------



## Davarm

You're asking if I am going to vacuum pack the Green Bean Casserole? I dont think so, I'm leaning toward putting it in a bags and using an O2 absorber in it, I may change my mind though. I hadn't given it much thought until you asked that question!:eyebulge:

I cooked some of the Casserole up a little while ago and took a before and after pic of it. It wasn't real pretty after it rehydrated but it surprised me how much it tasted like fresh, If I'd sprinkled some fresh french fried onions on top you probably wouldn't have been able to tell it had been dried.

When I think of a food that my family likes, I try to think what it would take to make it Post SHTF and one way or another I usually come up with a way to make it happen whether it is to preserve the ingredients separately or do the finished dish.

You know Ms Nelda, you can dehydrate Sweet Potato Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Banana Bread..... and rehydrate it and it can be pretty close to fresh.........

Geeze, I like to eat - do it almost every day!:cheersDublin Dr. Pepper )



neldarez said:


> Are you going to vac. pack the bags individually and put into the bucket? I'm in absolute amazement over the things you dehydrate, I need to use my imagination more!:eyebulge: I keep drying stuff ( taters and pumpkin) but I never cook it.......I think I should start eating this stuff so I learn how to cook it, don't ya think?? sweet potato bread sounds awesome good........We have sweet potatoes on sale for .69 lb.......maybe I should go get some and dry them. thanks Dave!! You are a great coach!


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> You're asking if I am going to vacuum pack the Green Bean Casserole? I dont think so, I'm leaning toward putting it in a bags and using an O2 absorber in it, I may change my mind though. I hadn't given it much thought until you asked that question!:eyebulge:
> 
> I cooked some of the Casserole up a little while ago and took a before and after pic of it. It wasn't real pretty after it rehydrated but it surprised me how much it tasted like fresh, If I'd sprinkled some fresh french fried onions on top you probably wouldn't have been able to tell it had been dried.
> 
> When I think of a food that my family likes, I try to think what it would take to make it Post SHTF and one way or another I usually come up with a way to make it happen whether it is to preserve the ingredients separately or do the finished dish.
> 
> You know Ms Nelda, you can dehydrate Sweet Potato Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Banana Bread..... and rehydrate it and it can be pretty close to fresh.........
> 
> Geeze, I like to eat - do it almost every day!:cheersDublin Dr. Pepper )


Dave......are you messin with me!!:scratch How can you dehydrate breads and rehydrate them........what are you mixin in with that Dr. Pepper?? hmmmm,
I found sweet potatoes on for .48 so I bought a bag full, we don't grow them here so I doubt they'll get much cheaper than that, I would love to make sweet potato bread and I'm going to dry some so I can have sweet taters with brown sugar later on. Tomorrow I'm going to make more cornbread and use your idea of the vinegar and water, I hope I live long enough to get to do all of the things I'm learnin..:laugh:


----------



## Davarm

What am I drinken? That "Dublin Dr. Pepper" is made with real, high octane cane sugar, not High Fructose Corn Syrup. Guess it plays with the mind, aye(after that email I should really spin you along for a ride but I'll play nice)?

Pound Cake, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Bread and others dehydrate and come back to life pretty well, just put a slice in a ziplock bag with about a tablespoon of water and pop it into the microwave for a bout 20 seconds and its almost as good as new. Its even pretty good eaten like a crunchy treat right out of the dehydrater.

The oldest DD cuts the fresh slices into small cubes, dehydrates them and then eats them with milk like cereal. Pretty good and a lot cheaper than the store bought stuff.

$.48 for sweet potatoes isn't bad, I start buying them when they drop to about $.50-.60 per pound and start dehydrating them. They even get cheaper than that near the first of the new year. And Ms Nelda, Sweet Taters and Brown Sugar are called Candied Sweet Potatoes down here. I put pecans, dried cranberries and marshmallows on them too. Sometimes even a little vanilla makes a nice twist. If you really want to serve some fat food to the company you can mix in strawberry preserves instead of brown sugar but if you do that you need to leave out the vanilla.

Yes Ms Nelda dehydrated breads and sweet taters are good food just about any way you stack em and cheap too!:congrat:



neldarez said:


> Dave......are you messin with me!!:scratch How can you dehydrate breads and rehydrate them........what are you mixin in with that Dr. Pepper?? hmmmm,
> I found sweet potatoes on for .48 so I bought a bag full, we don't grow them here so I doubt they'll get much cheaper than that, I would love to make sweet potato bread and I'm going to dry some so I can have sweet taters with brown sugar later on. Tomorrow I'm going to make more cornbread and use your idea of the vinegar and water, I hope I live long enough to get to do all of the things I'm learnin..:laugh:


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> What am I drinken? That "Dublin Dr. Pepper" is made with real, high octane cane sugar, not High Fructose Corn Syrup. Guess it plays with the mind, aye(after that email I should really spin you along for a ride but I'll play nice)?
> 
> Pound Cake, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Bread and others dehydrate and come back to life pretty well, just put a slice in a ziplock bag with about a tablespoon of water and pop it into the microwave for a bout 20 seconds and its almost as good as new. Its even pretty good eaten like a crunchy treat right out of the dehydrater.
> 
> The oldest DD cuts the fresh slices into small cubes, dehydrates them and then eats them with milk like cereal. Pretty good and a lot cheaper than the store bought stuff.
> 
> $.48 for sweet potatoes isn't bad, I start buying them when they drop to about $.50-.60 per pound and start dehydrating them. They even get cheaper than that near the first of the new year. And Ms Nelda, Sweet Taters and Brown Sugar are called Candied Sweet Potatoes down here. I put pecans, dried cranberries and marshmallows on them too. Sometimes even a little vanilla makes a nice twist. If you really want to serve some fat food to the company you can mix in strawberry preserves instead of brown sugar but if you do that you need to leave out the vanilla.
> 
> Yes Ms Nelda dehydrated breads and sweet taters are good food just about any way you stack em and cheap too!:congrat:


incredible... that's all I have to say............


----------



## Dakine

my 3rd batch of 96 eggs for this week. I haven't decided how many I'll do as a goal before I stop. I only have to prep for myself, but it makes sense to prep extra, just in case...


----------



## ashley8072

Black olives. As long as everyone keeps their fingers out of the dehydrator, I'll have 2 more pints to add to supply.


----------



## Davarm

Glad someone else is trying them, I only started recently because all the lit said it wouldn't work. Never questioned it but am glad I gave it a try.

Good stuff. I had to start vacuum sealing them as soon as they came off he tray, that stopped the "Pilfering" but it can get kinda expensive if you do small batches.



ashley8072 said:


> Black olives. As long as everyone keeps their fingers out of the dehydrator, I'll have 2 more pints to add to supply.


----------



## ashley8072

Davarm said:


> Glad someone else is trying them, I only started recently because all the lit said it wouldn't work. Never questioned it but am glad I gave it a try.
> 
> Good stuff. I had to start vacuum sealing them as soon as they came off he tray, that stopped the "Pilfering" but it can get kinda expensive if you do small batches.


We love these! I did find that slicing them was near impossible. So I dehydrate them whole, then when done, I throw them in the blender to chop them up. I throw in an O2 absorber in the jar.


----------



## neldarez

ashley8072 said:


> Black olives. As long as everyone keeps their fingers out of the dehydrator, I'll have 2 more pints to add to supply.


I love black olives but have never tried drying them, I'll give it a try since they're on sale right now....thanks, good idea


----------



## Davarm

I usually buy the "Chopped" Black Olives, no slicing needed. When I dry the whole pitted ones I just take them out of the cans and rub them between my hands and drop them on a tray, that usually breaks them up enough. If they need any further Crunching after they dry, I just repeat.

You can never have too many Olives of any kind.



ashley8072 said:


> We love these! I did find that slicing them was near impossible. So I dehydrate them whole, then when done, I throw them in the blender to chop them up. I throw in an O2 absorber in the jar.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight I have candied sweet potatoes, candied carrots, candied apples, some left over Bow Tie pasta and a sugar cured roast(beef) drying. 

Everything except the roast is in the dehydrator, the roast is sitting on a bed of salt with a small fan blowing on it. It will probably take about a week to dry enough to bag.


----------



## DJgang

Davarm said:


> Tonight I have candied sweet potatoes, candied carrots, candied apples, some left over Bow Tie pasta and a sugar cured roast(beef) drying.
> 
> Everything except the roast is in the dehydrator, the roast is sitting on a bed of salt with a small fan blowing on it. It will probably take about a week to dry enough to bag.


Sweet potatoes are .29 so I'm going today :congrat:

Also, had one child say he would eat....yes, get this...dehydrated ham jerky! :scratch so I'm going to pick up a cured ham (no sugar I hope) to dehydrate.

Do I do sweet taters just like regular taters? Boil a little then dehydrate? You may have already mentioned..I'll go back and read.


----------



## ashley8072

I love this thread so much. So many ideas that I haven't even thought about doing. I'm gonna get in on this sweet potato canning and dehydrating. I'm the only one in the house that likes them. The others don't even like the smell of them when I cook a small portion. If I could just dump them out of a jar and heat up in microwave, that'd be awesome! 

Anyways, , dehydrating small pieces of apples and peaches today. I'm going to make up some prepackaged flavored oat meals. This is going to be great to take on camping trips. I'm going to whip these up wall quick and since such a beautiful day here in OK, I'm going to work on my firing range and outdoor fridge.


----------



## Davarm

DJgang said:


> Sweet potatoes are .29 so I'm going today :congrat:
> 
> Also, had one child say he would eat....yes, get this...dehydrated ham jerky! :scratch so I'm going to pick up a cured ham (no sugar I hope) to dehydrate.
> 
> Do I do sweet taters just like regular taters? Boil a little then dehydrate? You may have already mentioned..I'll go back and read.


If they go down to $.29 per pound around here, I'd buy 100 pounds and have the dehydrator going until the new year.:congrat: We love them.

I've been doing them 2 ways, some like you asked(just like regular potaoes), and some I have been partially cooking, draining and putting them in a plastic bin and covering them in sugar. This draws out the liquid and soaks sugar into the slices and candys them. They go into the dehydrator after sitting overnight and they come out very sweet and chewy and are more like a dried fruit than a sweet potato.

The picture is of the "Sugared" or "Candied" sweet potato slices.


----------



## Davarm

DJgang said:


> Sweet potatoes are .29 so I'm going today :congrat:
> 
> Also, had one child say he would eat....yes, get this...dehydrated ham jerky! :scratch so I'm going to pick up a cured ham (no sugar I hope) to dehydrate.
> 
> Do I do sweet taters just like regular taters? Boil a little then dehydrate? You may have already mentioned..I'll go back and read.


Forgot to put in the above post, I have made "Ham Jerky" from processed boneless hams, works out pretty good and tastes good also.

Coot has also posted about somewhere, you may want to check his blog for more info. I'm sure he has more experience with it than I do.


----------



## DJgang

So with those candied ones, you can rehydrated and eat or just eat like candy huh? 

I got to figure something out, I get a sweet tooth occasionally, not as bad now that I'm on sugar leveling herbs, but those sure look good to grab and munch on just for something sweet.

I love sweet taters! Oh and turnips! I got turnips in the freezer, back was hurting from canning the greens so they went in the freezer. Yum!!!

Oh I'll post a picture of the sweet potatoes when I get done


----------



## ReadyMom

I dehydrated some sweet potatoes. They never did dry out to a 'crisp' texture and when I tried to grind them into powder, all I got was very small pieces. No powder. I rehydrated some and it tasted fine, so I'll do more.

Now I'm dehydrating mushrooms. I got bags of frozen slices. Put them on my trays w/out thawing. As they are drying they are BLACK! They smell like mushrooms. Just didn't expect them to be black. Last time I dehydrated mushrooms, I started w/ fresh, so I guess that's the difference ... I hope. Has anyone else ever dried frozen mushroom slices? It seemed like a good idea, at the time. :dunno: -k


----------



## Davarm

DJ, with the candied sweet potatoes, yes you can just pick them up and munch on them. I've found that the sugar keeps them from completely drying hard and tough so they are "chewable". If you've ever eaten a trail mix that has pieces of papaya in it, thats what it reminds me of.

I dont eat them much though, they raise my blood sugar a little too much but the DD's and grandson love them.

On the Turnips, have you ever dehydrated them? I did some last year and cooked a few up to check them out. They weren't anything to rave about but I'm going to dehydrate my winter ones if I can keep the neighbors chickens out of the patch long enough to get a stand.



DJgang said:


> So with those candied ones, you can rehydrated and eat or just eat like candy huh?
> 
> I got to figure something out, I get a sweet tooth occasionally, not as bad now that I'm on sugar leveling herbs, but those sure look good to grab and munch on just for something sweet.
> 
> I love sweet taters! Oh and turnips! I got turnips in the freezer, back was hurting from canning the greens so they went in the freezer. Yum!!!
> 
> Oh I'll post a picture of the sweet potatoes when I get done


RM, are you cutting them into slices? If they are sliced and dried at too high a temp, they will "glaze" over and take forever and a day to dry hard(if they completely dry at all). A work around for it is to take them out and stab them a few times with a fork to make exits for the moisture. So slice them about 1/4 inch thick, partially cook them(a little more than a blanch) and dry them at a medium low heat and they will dry like hockey pucks.

You can also grate them raw and dehydrate them that way. When you do them like that, they DO dry crisp and you could grind them into a powder pretty easily.



ReadyMom said:


> I dehydrated some sweet potatoes. They never did dry out to a 'crisp' texture and when I tried to grind them into powder, all I got was very small pieces. No powder. I rehydrated some and it tasted fine, so I'll do more.


----------



## Davarm

Tonight, I just finished up 20 pounds of carrots. 

The local Brookshire's had 2 pound bags of big sweet ones for $1.25.


----------



## ReadyMom

Davarm said:


> -SNIP-
> 
> RM, are you cutting them into slices? If they are sliced and dried at too high a temp, they will "glaze" over and take forever and a day to dry hard(if they completely dry at all). A work around for it is to take them out and stab them a few times with a fork to make exits for the moisture. So slice them about 1/4 inch thick, partially cook them(a little more than a blanch) and dry them at a medium low heat and they will dry like hockey pucks.
> 
> You can also grate them raw and dehydrate them that way. When you do them like that, they DO dry crisp and you could grind them into a powder pretty easily.


Thanks Davarm! RE Sweet Potatoes: I did two attempts two different ways:

(1) Boiled and then mashed them. Spread them on my trays
(2) Sliced with my mandolin slicer, boiled for 6 min, ice bath & then dehydrated

Both times they were dehydrated at 125 degrees

If I try grating them raw and then dehydrating them ... I know rehydrating cooked products you just need to rehydrate & heat, but when I cook the dehydrated pieces/powder that are 'raw', how do you 'cook' them? Just add boiling water? How long are they cooked?

Thanks so much for your great help!!  ... :congrat: -k


----------



## neldarez

Just put my first dryer of sweet taters in........sliced thin and blanched for 2 minutes.......looking good!


----------



## Davarm

ReadyMom said:


> Both times they were dehydrated at 125 degrees
> 
> If I try grating them raw and then dehydrating them ... I know rehydrating cooked products you just need to rehydrate & heat, but when I cook the dehydrated pieces/powder that are 'raw', how do you 'cook' them? Just add boiling water? How long are they cooked?
> 
> Thanks so much for your great help!!  ... :congrat: -k


To cook the grated sweet potatoes I just put them into a pan of boiling water, remove them from the heat, cover and let them stand for 10 or 15 minutes. Drain, let them drip dry in a colander and from there you can mash them, put a little butter and/or sugar on them or use them in a casserole or something similar, just use them like regular cooked ones.

I've only ground the grated ones into a powder and used them a few times and that was to make sweet potato bread and a casserole type dish with dried cranberries and pecans. The casserole, I just mixed everything together and put it in the oven and didn't worry about cooking it up before mixing and just guesstimated the amount of water to mix in and it came out pretty good.

With the slices, I have to boil them like they were raw to get them soft enough to eat. The first time I used them, I put them in a bowl of hot water and even after letting them sit overnight they still had to be boiled for a while. The cooked/rehydrated slices will be much denser and more solid than cooked fresh ones so you may want to cook up a batch or 2 to get an idea of how they will come out and how you will want to use them.

BTW, about 125 is a good temp to use, I wouldn't get in a hurry and turn heat up past that though.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Just put my first dryer of sweet taters in........sliced thin and blanched for 2 minutes.......looking good!


:congrat::congrat:
Can never have too many sweet potatoes.

Have you tried growing them in your garden? By the looks of your soil they should do pretty good up your way.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> :congrat::congrat:
> Can never have too many sweet potatoes.
> 
> Have you tried growing them in your garden? By the looks of your soil they should do pretty good up your way.


I bought 25 slips from a nursery 2 years ago,,,it says they don't like wind and I don't know if that was the problem or what, but they didn't grow well at all.......I got about 12 - 15 potatoes.....small...didn't work well. Sure do love them though......wish I could grow them, maybe I should try again.


----------



## DJgang

Got my sweet tater candy in the fridge right now. I put brown sugar on them as well, I LOVE brown sugar! Hope they turn out alright. 

Youngest wants mashed one for supper tonight. So...

I was going to work on the ones I'll be canning tonight, but no room in fridge, I got to go get moms coconut cake and put it in my fridge she's running out of room from fixing for thanksgiving.


----------



## Dakine

more scrambled eggs!


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl, you out there?


I dehydrated the "Cream of Chicken Soup", it came out OK. There was not enough to grind but it cooked back up to Cream of Chicken and it even tasted like it too.:congrat:

It looked like about an 8:1 water to soup mix to bring it back, same as with the Cream of Mushroom.


----------



## TechAdmin

I've been threatened with "A ton of potatoes and other stuff" from my father who's coming down tomorrow. 

Should be interesting. When he means a ton I'm assuming it's literally a ton.


----------



## goshengirl

:wave: I'm here, Davarm! 

Thanks for the report! I saw a bunch of cans on sale yesterday and was thinking about. You didn't have enough to grind, but did it have a good consistency for grinding? Glad to know it rehydrated well! :2thumb:


TechAdmin, you got a root cellar?  Sounds like you're going to be mighty busy!


----------



## ashley8072

Since we're not doing thanksgiving til Saturday, we made a quiet run to the grocery store. I bought 2 large containers of fresh minced garlic. I dehydrated one. It made a full pint jar. If I would have bought them in the regular spice shakers, it woulda cost me about $3 for each one. Figure I got about 4 of those jars worth. Even looking at the bulk size at SAMs, it was $13 for dried minced garlic. What's best is drying it myself, I think it's actually stronger flavor than the already done stuff.  

On another tray...I'm dehydrating shrimp.  The $5 bags of it already cooked and frozen. I'm hoping to use these in some dry soup mixes, or even a quick start on some shrimp gumbo. Canned shrimp is just so expensive and I can only find the small pieces. I can crumble these med-lg pieces up for whatever.


----------



## Lorri

I dehydrate anything lol.. Though lately I store in jars and remove the air with a brake bleeder. I find it less expensive and the jars are reusable. We do have things in bags though..Never thought about doing cranberries, I think I will throw some on tomorrow...
Tried potatoes, though I still have a problem with them turning a little brown. Will try the sweet potatoes... Just cut and dry, no cooking? I actually did cucumbers this summer and tomatoes...


----------



## Davarm

Lorri said:


> I dehydrate anything lol.. Though lately I store in jars and remove the air with a brake bleeder. I find it less expensive and the jars are reusable. We do have things in bags though..Never thought about doing cranberries, I think I will throw some on tomorrow...
> Tried potatoes, though I still have a problem with them turning a little brown. Will try the sweet potatoes... Just cut and dry, no cooking? I actually did cucumbers this summer and tomatoes...


When I dry the sweet potatoes raw, I grate them, just my preference. I cook them about half way done when I slice them.

Dried cucumbers are good, I sprinkle a little dill on them, pour buttermilk over them and let them rehydrate. Mine come out kinda chewy but are good.

If you are real adventurous, you can make "Sweet Pickles" out of your cucumbers then dehydrate them. I guess you can call them "Candied Cucumbers" and they aren't bad, you have to rehydrate them to eat them but they are pretty good.



goshengirl said:


> Thanks for the report! I saw a bunch of cans on sale yesterday and was thinking about. You didn't have enough to grind, but did it have a good consistency for grinding? Glad to know it rehydrated well!


I'm sure it will grind well, it did come out with a little better texture than the "Cream of Mushroom". I took a picture picture of it for you when I took it off the tray, I didn't post it right away, thought I'd wait until you came back from your little vacation first.


----------



## Davarm

I'm putting some salted fish in the dehydrator tonight, it went into the brine last night and it looks like it's ready to go into the dehydrator tonight.

After it drains I'm going to press it then put it on to dry.

When the fillets went into the brine, they were just limp pieces with no body to them. After they have been in and soaked long enough, they gain a little firmness and texture. The fillet sitting on the jar is an example of a piece that has brined long enough.

After the fish comes out of the dehydrator, I am going to do a write up and post how I did the process from beginning to end.


----------



## Dakine

more scrambled eggs lol


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I'm putting some salted fish in the dehydrator tonight, it went into the brine last night and it looks like it's ready to go into the dehydrator tonight.
> 
> After it drains I'm going to press it then put it on to dry.
> 
> When the fillets went into the brine, they were just limp pieces with no body to them. After they have been in and soaked long enough, they gain a little firmness and texture. The fillet sitting on the jar is an example of a piece that has brined long enough.
> 
> After the fish comes out of the dehydrator, I am going to do a write up and post how I did the process from beginning to end.


what kind of fish is that Dave? I like white meat fish.......so, will this be like fish jerky?


----------



## DJgang

Got apple slices going.... Had a big bag the kids had been munching in for some time and saw one starting to become rotten, so I got to slicing.....


----------



## Blahblah

Good ole deer jerky. Doubt I'll get to store any. The kids eat it as fast as it comes out.


----------



## DJgang

Blahblah said:


> Good ole deer jerky. Doubt I'll get to store any. The kids eat it as fast as it comes out.


As with any jerky around here....


----------



## Freyadog

More jerky. thumper got deer number 5 yesterday.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> what kind of fish is that Dave? I like white meat fish.......so, will this be like fish jerky?


This time around it was fillets from Wally's, its been a while since I've done any fishing so I didn't have any local fish. I generally dont eat fish that I dont catch myself but the individually packaged fillets from the freezer section at Walmart hasn't gotten me sick yet so have been using them. All the pieces are of a uniform size and thickness and they all dry in about the same time, makes it easier, plus, I haven't gotten around to working with bone in fish.

I would not call it "Fish Jerky", the pieces absorb so much salt while in the brine that you would likely get your full years worth of sodium in one piece. It has to be soaked in water overnight to get rid of enough salt to make it edible.

It's really pretty good when cooked and over the last year I have filled 1 full 5 gallon bucket and am working on the second one now.


----------



## ksmama10

timmie said:


> great southern dish. served with hot biscuits,can't be beat.


My mother was from Georgia, and she liked to mix tomato gravy with rice and black eyed peas. It was so good!


----------



## ashley8072

More onions.  Lol!


----------



## cpiano

Today is beef jerky. I'm trying a recipe I found on YouTube by Katzcradul for ground beef jerky. We have the last of a grass fed cow in the freezer so I'm thinking it will be lean enough.......Sure hope so.....the last that I tried had just way too much fat.


----------



## ksmama10

Whew! I finished reading all 102 pages of this incredible thread last night. I am fighting the urge to print out every page so I can mull it over and make notes for future projects. So much to take in, so many wonderful ideas!
Those of you who process large amounts of produce at a time, how do you keep the gnats away while waiting for each batch in the dryer? A friend gave me two full bags of peppers last month, on the same day another friend sent me home with a bunch of herbs to dry for her. I got a lot done over that weekend, but within a few days, we were over run by gnats, and we're still dealing with them.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> Those of you who process large amounts of produce at a time, how do you keep the gnats away while waiting for each batch in the dryer?


When gnats of flies are a problem, I have a window screen that I lay over the top of the dehydrator and that keeps them out. I have also used an old box fan blowing in the direction of the dehydrator to keep the air moving to the point that they can't hover or land.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> When gnats of flies are a problem, I have a window screen that I lay over the top of the dehydrator and that keeps them out. I have also used an old box fan blowing in the direction of the dehydrator to keep the air moving to the point that they can't hover or land.


Er, I meant the stuff waiting to go into the dehydrator. I only have five trays at the moment. I don't know if the gnats came in with the peppers or the herbs that day, but we've had a horrible time getting them all gone.:scratch


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> Er, I meant the stuff waiting to go into the dehydrator. I only have five trays at the moment. I don't know if the gnats came in with the peppers or the herbs that day, but we've had a horrible time getting them all gone.:scratch


I've had that problem too, in the summer when a lot of produce comes in from the garden, the gnats will come in with it.

You can keep the veggies in a cotton pillow case after you wash them, keep them in the fridge or only bring in what will fit in the dehydrator. Again, a fan can be blown over them while they are waiting their turn to go in.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> I've had that problem too, in the summer when a lot of produce comes in from the garden, the gnats will come in with it.
> 
> You can keep the veggies in a cotton pillow case after you wash them, keep them in the fridge or only bring in what will fit in the dehydrator. Again, a fan can be blown over them while they are waiting their turn to go in.


Ok, will try that. Thanks! I'm already trying to pace myself in the produce aisle..sales on potaoes, apples, and zucchini; all good, just not all at the same time.

Btw, today I'm testing a sweet potato bread recipe, with the plan to save a couple of slices to dehydrate..I want to try your dd's bread and milk idea. If the bread tastes as good as the batter, I will probably be making this again. Yes, the house smells good!


----------



## Davarm

I'm putting 3 #10 cans of green peas on to dehydrate tonight.

Also just put 2 more 3# sugar cured roasts out to start drying.



ksmama10 said:


> I want to try your dd's bread and milk idea. If the bread tastes as good as the batter, I will probably be making this again. Yes, the house smells good!


I told the DD someone was trying her "Cereal" idea and she just smiled.......


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> I told the DD someone was trying her "Cereal" idea and she just smiled.......


The bread was a huge success; next week I will make extra so I can sacrifice one loaf to the dehydrator. Perhaps next time I won't forget to add the nuts

Here is the recipe I used:http://www.food.com/recipe/my-sisters-sweet-potato-bread-26162


----------



## mma800

Going to do some fresh herbs today. I also am getting ready to try jerky for the first time, so I am doing my research.


----------



## ashley8072

ksmama10 said:


> Whew! I finished reading all 102 pages of this incredible thread last night. I am fighting the urge to print out every page so I can mull it over and make notes for future projects. So much to take in, so many wonderful ideas!
> Those of you who process large amounts of produce at a time, how do you keep the gnats away while waiting for each batch in the dryer? A friend gave me two full bags of peppers last month, on the same day another friend sent me home with a bunch of herbs to dry for her. I got a lot done over that weekend, but within a few days, we were over run by gnats, and we're still dealing with them.


I read apple cider vinegar for knats, but we rarely have a prob with insects besides a couple flies. Here's a page I found where she did a couple of things. http://www.mamapedia.com/article/ho...-away-apple-cider-and-vacuum-cleaner-problems

Dehydrating marshmallows!  Never tried this before. Hoping to have some smaller crunchy ones for adding to drink mixes or dry recipe mixes.


----------



## neldarez

When I'm doing fruit or anything that brings in gnats or fruit flies, I put little saucers of apple cider vinegar with a bit of dawn kitchen soap in it, works like a champ!


----------



## Davarm

Its more green peas and a few trays of fried rice.

The oldest DD looked at the last batch of peas this morning and was wondering why I was drying "Okra Seeds", looked exactly like them.lol

The picture is of the 2 sugar cured roasts I put out to dry last night.


----------



## ksmama10

My dehydrator is loaded with apple slices, some plain, some dredged in cinnamon sugar. I gotta get more trays!


----------



## Davarm

Its sweet potato slices and sugared cranberries for me today, have some leftover pasta going also.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Its sweet potato slices and sugared cranberries for me today, have some leftover pasta going also.


Totally different question Dave, but when you use your dehydrated eggs, do you mix them 1 tbs. egg - 2 tbs. water?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Totally different question Dave, but when you use your dehydrated eggs, do you mix them 1 tbs. egg - 2 tbs. water?


I guess I'm a little different than most people, I use 3 or 4:1 water to egg mix.

When I started drying eggs I weighed several batches before they went into the dehydrator and again after they came out and it averaged 3 or 4 parts water to 1 part egg.

I found that it makes a big difference with the size of eggs dried, the large ones take more water to rehydrate than the mediums. I just settled on 3 or 4 to 1 and left it at that.


----------



## Davarm

We have more sweet potatoes and cranberries in the dehydrator tonight. 

The batch of Sugared Cranberries or "Craisins" came out pretty good so we are going to do 20 bags(have them in the fridge now) of them this weekend. 

After Christmas when the cranberries go on sale, the dehydrators will be going 24/7 for a week or two. In years past the price has gone down to as low as $.50 per bag and we usually clean out the stores when they do.


----------



## jsriley5

I should think if that as well I love craisins. Have to keep an eye out.


----------



## ashley8072

7 trays loaded. Celery, broccoli, carrots.


----------



## pixieduster

My first dehydrator just arrived. Woohoo! Look out. I'm dehydrating everything I see. : ) let you know how it goes.


----------



## Davarm

pixieduster said:


> My first dehydrator just arrived. Woohoo! Look out. I'm dehydrating everything I see. : ) let you know how it goes.


Hey guys, We hooked another one!:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Have fun Pixie!


----------



## pixieduster

Davarm said:


> Hey guys, We hooked another one!:laugh::laugh::laugh:
> 
> Have fun Pixie!


Ha! Thinking of getting that extra large can of corn, just to do it. But I do love corn. I told the kids we were going to dehydrate water. I got the "weird" look as usual.


----------



## Davarm

My DD's say that water isn't safe around me either!:2thumb:


----------



## ksmama10

One if the first things I dried after getting my dehydrator in October, was bell peppers and carrots. My 19 year old son came home the following weekend from college and as he stood next to a huge pot of soup, asked the other kids if there was anything to eat in the house. My 17 yr old dd jumped up and ran to the cabinet and grabbed my bags of peppers and carrots, waved them around, and declared, "these *used*to be food!"

Last night they spotted the jars of dried apples(I had to hide the pineapples and bananas) and told me I did good. All they said was next time I dredged them in cinnamon sugar, I should go lighter on that..


----------



## laverne

Onions, carots, peas, broccoli and corn thats what we got dryin this am!


----------



## ashley8072

Batch out from last night. Going back in, carrots, celery and broccoli. Gotta get these out of the way for doing lots of onions this weekend.


----------



## Dakine

tired of eggs LOL!! going to dehydrate about 14 lbs of banana's and the peels. I didnt realize this, but dehydrated banana peels are a fertilizer and according to one youtube I saw they also deter aphids! so I'm going to put them in the dehydrator too and then use the blender to turn them into dust and that will start my collection of jarred fertilizer!!! :woohoo:


----------



## goshengirl

That's fantastic, Dakine. Thanks for the info!
I keep a container under the sink where I keep egg shells (cleaned) to crush and add to the tomato beds - I see another under-the-sink container of dried banana peels in my future...


----------



## Dakine

you're welcome, and there's more! at least according to the youtube I watched, he showed using the powder and and adding a little water to it, it turns into a black'ish paste with the consistency of gooey banana... and that's supposed to be good for your skin. :beercheer:


----------



## jsriley5

Wwell I knew the SO puts all of em she can get on her roses says it's just the thing for roses. And I know convicts dry em out and smoke em  of course they will dry about anything out and smoke it when they can't get tobacco .


----------



## Davarm

Its cranberries and sweet potatoes again tonight here.

Found that the grandson loves the slices of candied sweet potatoes, calls them "Candy" and had to start hiding the bucket from him.


----------



## ashley8072

7 trays of onions. Sniff sniff.


----------



## pixieduster

Sugared lemon slices, bananas and apples. My first go round! : )


----------



## Dakine

goshengirl said:


> That's fantastic, Dakine. Thanks for the info!
> I keep a container under the sink where I keep egg shells (cleaned) to crush and add to the tomato beds - I see another under-the-sink container of dried banana peels in my future...


so the peels are out of the dehydrator... 2 bunches worth of banana peels dumped into a blender produced 1/2 pint of... dust??? not sure what to call it lol.


----------



## ashley8072

Onions are out. Shrimp just went in.


----------



## goshengirl

Dakine said:


> so the peels are out of the dehydrator... 2 bunches worth of banana peels dumped into a blender produced 1/2 pint of... dust??? not sure what to call it lol.


It's always funny how so much can become so little. 
Banana peels would go in the compost around here anyway, but they take a while to compost. I like the idea of getting the good stuff in the soil sooner, and I especially like the aphid repellent!


----------



## Dakine

2nd batch of bananas and peels going on the dehydrator now, this time the banana chips are coated with cinnamon sugar!


----------



## ashley8072

Just got home from getting groceries. Got all 9 trays loaded. Celery, radishes, and corn.


----------



## pixieduster

Got a question. Did my first sliced bananas. They remain sticky. Is that normal? I left them in for about 24 hours.


----------



## Davarm

pixieduster said:


> Got a question. Did my first sliced bananas. They remain sticky. Is that normal? I left them in for about 24 hours.


Yes, that is normal.

Dehydrated banana slices dont come out like the banana chips from the store, but they are still good snacken.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> Yes, that is normal.
> 
> Dehydrated banana slices dont come out like the banana chips from the store, but they are still good snacken.


Maybe it's just me, but I don't like the store variety at all. But then, I don't dip my banana slices in coconut oil and preservatives I can't pronounce. I did think the bananas I dipped in pineapple juice were stickier than the ones dipped in diluted lemon juice. I probably should have thought to dilute that juice too...oh well, next time...


----------



## MikeysMama

Giveaway: Excalibur Dehydrator + Goodies ($545 value). Is this for real?!

http://gnowfglins.com/2012/12/givea...lue/?doing_wp_cron=1355280764.363620042800903. 3203125#


----------



## pixieduster

Davarm said:


> Yes, that is normal.
> 
> Dehydrated banana slices dont come out like the banana chips from the store, but they are still good snacken.


Thanks! They are delicious. And nothing like the ones from the store. Put a second batch on and doing pears and peaches.


----------



## Davarm

pixieduster said:


> Thanks! They are delicious. And nothing like the ones from the store. Put a second batch on and doing pears and peaches.


It sounds like you're already hooked, way to go!

BTW, those dehydrated bananas make some of the best banana nut bread you could ever eat. Just pour some boiling water on them and when they are soft run them through a food processor and from there, use them like you would fresh. You'll never use fresh again.



MikeysMama said:


> Giveaway: Excalibur Dehydrator + Goodies ($545 value). Is this for real?!


May have not been real, I got the error "Error establishing a database connection" when I followed the link.


----------



## dlharris

Can you store banana chips if the stay sticky? If yes, how and for how long?


----------



## Davarm

dlharris said:


> Can you store banana chips if the stay sticky? If yes, how and for how long?


I dont know how long they will keep but I have a few 5 gallon buckets that are at least several years old and I use them on occasion. They are still good but you have to dig them out, they do tend to stick together and get matted into a mass but they still taste like they did when I packed them.

I line 5 gallon buckets with 5 gallon sized ziplock bags and add the banana slices to each time I dry a load of them.

I dont use O2 absorbers or vacuum seal them, my intent was to rotate and use them ongoing but since it takes so long to go through a 5 gallon bucket they have been in the pantry for a while. If you vacuum seal the slices, they would be compressed into a solid brick and you probably would have to slice off pieces with a knife when you use them.


----------



## dlharris

Davarm said:


> I dont know how long they will keep but I have a few 5 gallon buckets that are at least several years old and I use them on occasion. They are still good but you have to dig them out, they do tend to stick together and get matted into a mass but they still taste like they did when I packed them.
> 
> I line 5 gallon buckets with 5 gallon sized ziplock bags and add the banana slices to each time I dry a load of them.
> 
> I dont use O2 absorbers or vacuum seal them, my intent was to rotate and use them ongoing but since it takes so long to go through a 5 gallon bucket they have been in the pantry for a while. If you vacuum seal the slices, they would be compressed into a solid brick and you probably would have to slice off pieces with a knife when you use them.


Thanks Davarm! I appreciate your help. I haven't made it the whole way thru the 71 pages of this thread but I am working on it!


----------



## TechAdmin

Apples. Red Delicious for apple chips. 

I have an apple question, but I'm starting a new thread so Dave can help me out.


----------



## dlharris

Okay I am not dehydrating yet...but am reading everything I can on it and I have a question. When you dehydrate things like eggs do they come out like a flat mass and then you put thru grain mill? Do you have to have the mill? I priced them and very expensive for starting out. Can you break up things like that or do they not come out as a solid mass? Things like chili can you just break up with your hands? I know basic questions but would like to read and learn as much as I can so when we get settled can be ready!


----------



## neldarez

I've been making batches of fruit leather for the little ones at Christmas.,..I'm using my canned pears mixed with apple sauce...really good!


----------



## mdprepper

Venison Jerky. Carrots and celery going in next.


----------



## TexasMama

Hubby made up some oatmeal bread (very interesting) and is dehydrating it (he cut it up first) for bread cubes. 

Whatever....I prefer jerky....but hey - I'm glad he's having fun with the machine too (we just got it a few days ago).


----------



## hiwall

bananas and some ham lunch meat.


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## Davarm

The eggs come out more like potato chips, easily crumbled up and dont require milling to a powder. The milling makes them easier to rehydrate and they take up less space to store but thats about the only difference I've noticed. Keep in mind with eggs, after they are dehydrated they will feel oily, that is normal. When they are milled into a powder they will not be noticably oily though so thats another + for powdering them.



dlharris said:


> Okay I am not dehydrating yet...but am reading everything I can on it and I have a question. When you dehydrate things like eggs do they come out like a flat mass and then you put thru grain mill? Do you have to have the mill? I priced them and very expensive for starting out. Can you break up things like that or do they not come out as a solid mass? Things like chili can you just break up with your hands? I know basic questions but would like to read and learn as much as I can so when we get settled can be ready!


----------



## dlharris

Thanks again, Davarm!


----------



## Davarm

More Cranberries and Sweet Potatoes.


----------



## debbluu

i just dehydrated my first try at lemon peel to zest. I didn't realize that my small processer wouldn't work  Is there a spice mill that is recommended? I went on Amazon but there are so many and all they mention is sea salt. Help please.


----------



## ashley8072

More onions. :/ I just cant keep the jar full, let alone half empty. lol!


----------



## cengasser

Question

If you dehydrate food must you Vacuum seal it? And if so, do you have to use Mylar? i see sealers but nothing that looks like its sealing Mylar. 
If you don't vacuum seal, I imaging you lose shelf life , but what could you store it in?


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> More Cranberries and Sweet Potatoes.


I keep checking the price at the store but our sweet taters are still at .88 and the bag of cranberries is 2.00..........I keep waiting for them to go on sale


----------



## ashley8072

cengasser said:


> Question
> 
> If you dehydrate food must you Vacuum seal it? And if so, do you have to use Mylar? i see sealers but nothing that looks like its sealing Mylar.
> If you don't vacuum seal, I imaging you lose shelf life , but what could you store it in?


I vacuum seal most in canning jars with the sealing attachment. Dehydrated meals I vacuum seal almost all the air out (so not to poke holes with pasta). I've recently took a number of meals and then sealed them in a Mylar bag with oxy absorber and bayleaf. Then with leaving a small hole in the mylar, I stick the vacuum hose in and vacuum out as much as i can. That's why I dehydrate. To make my own so-called hamburger helper meals. I've got a couple pics on my Dinner From a Jar thread.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I keep checking the price at the store but our sweet taters are still at .88 and the bag of cranberries is 2.00..........I keep waiting for them to go on sale


Down here the cranberries are down under $1.50 a bag if you look around, after Christmas is when they usually get real cheap. You have to keep your eyes open though, when they hit $.50 to $.75 a bag, they go fast and you will miss out for the year if you dont catch them. My youngest daughter works at Wally World and she keeps an eye on the produce section and lets me know when sales are on there. We've just about filled our quota for dried cranberries this year already, have almost a 5 gallon bucket full and thats about how many we go through in a year.

The "Sweet Taters" are about the same here too, but if your lucky you can find them dropping to under $.50 per pound. Again, just after Christmas you can usually pick them up cheap but they do seem to cost more this year. I guess I'm going to have to plant a big plot this year, they grow well in my soil.

I think I will go make a glass of cranberry tea....:cheerscranberry tea)


----------



## paduraru

Some winter fruits for vitamin C - I do not know exactly the term in English, maybe you can help me. Great resource for immunity! Here is the video


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## Davarm

The leftover cornbread dressing came out of the dehydrator this morning, had about 10 trays of it. Ran it through the food processor and ground it up and its in its bucket ready for storage.


----------



## UncleJoe

Ginger

I picked up 3lbs of ginger root at the farm market on Friday. On Saturday I peeled and sliced one up to throw in the dehydrator. Not as bad as onion but it's rather pungent stuff to work with. I'm going to save one piece to store in the freezer for adding to tea and I'll dry the rest and grind it into powder.


----------



## TexasMama

We're new to dehydrating but our HEB grocery store has their beef fajita meat on sale for $2.97 per pound. We love the way that they season it- so hubby went and bought 5 bags of beef fajita meat (and 2 bags of chicken fajita meat that he cooked up for soups, etc). 

Anyway - one of the bags of the beef fajita meat has been in the dehydrator for the last few hours - just turned it off. It tends to fill the dehydrator once we cut it into pieces.

I must admit- I'm not a big jerky lover - but this is just wonderful....


----------



## TexasMama

Been meaning to ask - can you dehydrate two different types of food together (on different racks)? For instance - could you do onions and peppers at the same time? Strawberries and other fruits?

Just curious...


----------



## Davarm

TexasMama said:


> Been meaning to ask - can you dehydrate two different types of food together (on different racks)? For instance - could you do onions and peppers at the same time? Strawberries and other fruits?
> 
> Just curious...


The general answer to your question is "Yes".

You may not want to dehydrate onions and peppers in the same load as bananas and apples, may have some flavor swapping issues. Also you will want to keep in mind that the different foods may not finish up at the same time but I do mixed loads quite often with no problems.


----------



## AuroraHawk

Apples, bananas and pineapple are in the dehydrator tonight, tomorrow it will be making beef and chicken jerky. After the jerky will be sweet potatoes and more fruit.

The jerky is a first for both of us so we will be experimenting with recipes until we get a cure/jerk that we both like.


----------



## Davarm

I went out cruising the grocery stores tonight and finally found a clearance on cranberries. Picked up 30 bags and they are going into the dehydrator tonight.

If the store has any left tomorrow, am going to get them up also. Not the price I'd wanted though, they were $1.00 per bag, the past few years they usually are down to half that by this time but thought I'd go ahead spring for them.


----------



## UncleJoe

I went to WallyWorld and our 2 largest grocery chains on Saturday and everyone said they were gone for the season.  That means I'm restricted to 1 half pint per week till they come back.


----------



## Davarm

I found 4 pound "Corn King Ham Loafs" on sale for $4.99 a few days ago and I picked up a few of them, am going to slice them and put em in the dehydrator this evening.

I've made ham jerky from them before and it came out OK.


----------



## kappydell

Salad shrimp from a precooked frozen packet. Im doing samples to take to a dehydrating discussion Im doing regarding the easiest ways/things to dehydrate (you know, frozen veggies, deli meats, etc...) Everybody always want to see what they look like....so Im doing samples.
So far have peach slices, pineapple bits, and applesauce leather from canned, mixed veggies & fully cooked salad shrimp from frozen. Id do cheese, but I don't have any in the house to shred. Oh well....
Then we will segue into talking about canning with oxy absorbers to maximize shelf life.


----------



## dlharris

kappydell said:


> Salad shrimp from a precooked frozen packet. Im doing samples to take to a dehydrating discussion Im doing regarding the easiest ways/things to dehydrate (you know, frozen veggies, deli meats, etc...) Everybody always want to see what they look like....so Im doing samples.
> So far have peach slices, pineapple bits, and applesauce leather from canned, mixed veggies & fully cooked salad shrimp from frozen. Id do cheese, but I don't have any in the house to shred. Oh well....
> Then we will segue into talking about canning with oxy absorbers to maximize shelf life.


Deli meats? Seriously?


----------



## Davarm

I wish we could get a group like that together around here.

How did the shrimp come out, did it smell like a bait shop? I have also wondered about dehydrating cooked(unbreaded-baked) fish fillets, ever done that?



kappydell said:


> Salad shrimp from a precooked frozen packet. Im doing samples to take to a dehydrating discussion Im doing regarding the easiest ways/things to dehydrate (you know, frozen veggies, deli meats, etc...) Everybody always want to see what they look like....so Im doing samples.
> So far have peach slices, pineapple bits, and applesauce leather from canned, mixed veggies & fully cooked salad shrimp from frozen. Id do cheese, but I don't have any in the house to shred. Oh well....
> Then we will segue into talking about canning with oxy absorbers to maximize shelf life.


----------



## Halloween

6 pounds of assorted bacon types and flavors


----------



## AuroraHawk

Beef roast and chicken breasts yesterday. Apple/banana/pineapple leather from bits and juice from previous fruit run, and more apple and pineapple slices. Tomorrow sweet potatoes and beef jerky the day after.


----------



## dlharris

dlharris said:


> Deli meats? Seriously?


Didn't mean this negatively. Sorry if came across that way. Would love to know how that works. The drying and dehydrating....thanks.


----------



## faithmarie

I did this cause I had a lot of frozen fruit that was starting to get freezer burn ...:flower:


----------



## goshengirl

dlharris said:


> Didn't mean this negatively. Sorry if came across that way. Would love to know how that works. The drying and dehydrating....thanks.


It didn't come across negatively to me. :flower:

I'd love to know the answer, too!


----------



## neldarez

faithmarie said:


> I did this cause I had a lot of frozen fruit that was starting to get freezer burn ...:flower:


Have you ever used fruit after you've dried it? Like the strawberries, what could you do with them then...just eat them like that? Could you rehydrate the peaches like for a pie or cobbler? This is very exciting to me, I don't know why I had it in my head you could do apples and pineapple but nothing else!! thanks faithmarie for the video, I like that lady, she's the one who showed how to do meatloaf.........


----------



## faithmarie

Hi Naldarez,
My grandchildren eat them plain ... store bought and they are expensive... But I make my husband smoothies a lot so I don't see why I cant use them in the smoothies still ... just rehydrate them in the yogurt a few minutes before I make it. I have cranberries I am going to do next... 
Yes ... I like her a lot... she experiments with making stuff and I like that she takes you through it with her. LOL Your welcome


----------



## AuroraHawk

I'm dehydrating bananas and sweet potatoes. We love mashed sweet potatoes so ours will be rehydrated, cooked and mashed. Next time I'm going to cook the sweet potatoes first and then dehydrate them. I want to know which method I prefer.

Back when I had an Excalibur and was dehydrating everything I could pick, glean or buy on sale, I did test rehydrating so I could teach my mother how to use the care package I was preparing to send to her and Father, the autumn after they retired to Alaska, in the spring of 1983.

After running that Excalibur continuously for almost 6 months, I sent a box that contained:

Sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives
Celery, onions, garlic
Carrots, tomatoes, peas, corn, sweet potatoes
Blueberries, bananas, apples, strawberries, peaches and cherries.

Mother called, and wanted to know what to do with all of those rock hard fruits and vegetables. I told her to put 2 handfuls of blueberries in a saucepan and add 2 cups of hot water from the tap. While the blueberries were rehydrating we discussed the 1/4 moose they received from the highway patrol. Back then, roadkill game animals were distributed to those who were able to qualify as low income. A large family would have received the entire moose, smaller families received 1/4 to 1/2. 

After I told Mother how to rehydrate the fruits and vegetables she checked the blueberries and was ecstatic to see that they were plump and juicy. Father had blueberry cobbler for dessert that night.

About 2 weeks later Mother called to tell me that Aunt Yvonne wanted a care package too. She liked the idea of being able to put dehydrated carrots, corn, onions, celery, tomatoes, rosemary, chives, in a stew pot, add hot water, peel potatoes and cut up moose, add them to the stew pot, cook for several hours and voila, moose stew.


----------



## faithmarie

AuroraHawk said:


> I'm dehydrating bananas and sweet potatoes. We love mashed sweet potatoes so ours will be rehydrated, cooked and mashed. Next time I'm going to cook the sweet potatoes first and then dehydrate them. I want to know which method I prefer.
> 
> Let me know which you prefer... I love doing bananas whole!
> 
> Back when I had an Excalibur and was dehydrating everything I could pick, glean or buy on sale
> 
> I want to do this!
> 
> After running that Excalibur continuously for almost 6 months, I sent a box that contained:
> 
> Sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives
> Celery, onions, garlic
> Carrots, tomatoes, peas, corn, sweet potatoes
> Blueberries, bananas, apples, strawberries, peaches and cherries.
> 
> Mother called, and wanted to know what to do with all of those rock hard fruits and vegetables. I told her to put 2 handfuls of blueberries in a saucepan and add 2 cups of hot water from the tap. While the blueberries were rehydrating we discussed the 1/4 moose they received from the highway patrol. Back then, roadkill game animals were distributed to those who were able to qualify as low income. A large family would have received the entire moose, smaller families received 1/4 to 1/2.
> 
> After I told Mother how to rehydrate the fruits and vegetables she checked the blueberries and was ecstatic to see that they were plump and juicy. Father had blueberry cobbler for dessert that night.
> 
> About 2 weeks later Mother called to tell me that Aunt Yvonne wanted a care package too. She liked the idea of being able to put dehydrated carrots, corn, onions, celery, tomatoes, rosemary, chives, in a stew pot, add hot water, peel potatoes and cut up moose, add them to the stew pot, cook for several hours and voila, moose stew.


That is so neat!!!!! I have an excalibur... We bought it when my daughters were ... vegans ... they make all kinds of horrible stuff...LOL


----------



## goshengirl

AuroraHawk, I love that story.


----------



## sgtrunningfool

I am using a dehydrator for the first time today. I am making beef jerky.


----------



## AuroraHawk

faithmarie said:


> I'm dehydrating bananas and sweet potatoes. We love mashed sweet potatoes so ours will be rehydrated, cooked and mashed. Next time I'm going to cook the sweet potatoes first and then dehydrate them. I want to know which method I prefer.
> 
> Let me know which you prefer... I love doing bananas whole!
> 
> Back when I had an Excalibur and was dehydrating everything I could pick, glean or buy on sale
> 
> I want to do this!


How long does it take for your whole bananas to dehydrate? This would be nice for banana bread and muffins.

Do you live in an area where there are a lot of commercial "truck" gardeners/farmers? Where I lived, there were "muck" farms to the west and north of town. If we went north we could glean potatoes and carrots, if we went to the west we could glean onions and celery. We had a lot of blueberry farms to the west and fruit orchards to the northwest of town. I was on the call lists for blueberries, strawberries, black and red raspberries, tart and sweet cherries, peaches, pears, apples, plums, and, of all things, kiwi. The "Arctic" kiwi had started to become popular and one of the orchardists had several rows of kiwi vines.

I grew parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, garlic chives, Egyptian walking onions, comfrey, nasturtiums, pansies, basil, oregano, margoram, feverfew, rue, fleabane, and marigolds, in addition to the standard vegetables (and every possible perennial flower) for a SW Michigan garden...all on a 50' x 150' city lot in Grand Rapids.

It wasn't the Napa Valley but I could grow almost everything I wanted to grow and pick, glean or bulk purchase what I didn't grow. If you are near an area that has lots of commercial gardening, and the land to grow as much as possible, you will be able to keep your Excalibur running from the first fruits/vegetables ripe in the spring until Christmas, faithmarie. Did your daughters eventually decide to leave the vegan lifestyle? I understand vegetarian, I don't understand vegan and from what I've seen of vegan menus, I wouldn't survive long.

Thank you, goshengirl. I have family stories, war stories and trucker stories...only the family stories are always true. 

sgtrunningfool, you are making something that I have yet to make. Good luck and enjoy!


----------



## Davarm

I just finished up leftover cooked pasta noodles and half a dozen trays of celery.


----------



## kappydell

Just put some chili in to dehydrate - beats cup o' soup with an ugly stick!


----------



## Flowerjunkie

I have seasoned chicken cooking in the crockpot today.. going to dehydrate it later.


----------



## faithmarie

I want to do this... 
Dehydrated broth.

I will say right up front that dehydrated broth is not my favorite flavor wise. That would be pressure cooker broth. Nor do I suspect it is the absolute best for gut healing. That is probably meat broth and the resulting pate. Where dehydrated broth shines is in portability and shelf life. It does not need to be refrigerated. And 1 tsp of dehydrated broth (give or take) makes 1 cup of rehydrated broth! This is concentrated stuff! It is perfect for travel and also for emergency storage. I also love having it on hand for the occasions when I just have gotten behind and need some broth to throw in a dish. Putting in that much nutrition with such a small volume of substance is a real win/win.

So now the basics. You will want to start out with a lot of unsalted broth. If you don’t know how to make broth start here Bone Broth. This lovely mess is the second run of the bones that I made the dehydrated broth from. I strain out the broth and add more water and let them go another 24-48 hours as long as the bones aren’t crumbly yet. I usually get 3 batches of broth (each one smaller than the one before) from beef bones.



This time made meat broth in my 22-Quart Roaster Oven. I filled it up with meaty bones from my last half beef. When the meat was done I picked off the cooked meat and returned the bones to the pot. I continued to cook the bones in the broth overnight. It cooked about 24 hours total. Quite a bit of the moisture evaporated while it cooked and I did not replenish it because I intended to dehydrate it and wanted to get as much of that done the easy was as possible. After 24 hours I strained off the broth and ended up with about 4 qts of broth and fat. About three cups was fat between the two jars. (sorry I did not think to snap a photo of the jars. You will have to use your imagination.)

Once you have made your broth (make it with as little water as possible to make your job easier later on). Strain it and put it into a container in the fridge. You will want to remove the fat from this broth before dehydrating it and that is much easier to do if you chill it for several hours first.

After I had chilled my broth it was simple to scoop off the thick layer of fat on the surface of the dark broth. I was somewhat generous with my scooping. I wanted to get all of the fat out of the broth and I didn’t worry about getting a little bit of broth into the fat.

Next I poured the defatted broth into a large wide pot and began to boil it.



I kept an eye on it while it boiled watching for when it would turn thick so that I could be sure to stop it before it burned. I started out with a bit more than 3 qts of defatted very rich broth. This cooked down to less than 1 qt when I could see that the bubbles showed that it was getting much thicker. (photo above) I turned it off at this point and it quickly got a skin on the surface as it cooled. This was a good sign that it was ready to dehydrate. If it boils till it is too thick it will be difficult to spread thin to dehydrate and can quickly burn. Finding the sweet spot where it is quite thick but not so thick that it will burn or clump can be tricky so keep a close eye on it when it gets close. Below you can see it cooled off somewhat.



For dehydrating I use an Excalibur Dehydrator. I haven’t ever used any others so I can’t tell you how it compares for this process.

Once it had cooled enough to handle it I poured it out onto two Excalibur ParaFlexx Non-Stick Sheets. I spread it as thin as I could and set the Excalibur Food Dehydrator to the highest temperature. The thinner it is the easier it will be to grind it into a powder once dry. It will also dry out much faster. 



I was able to spread it about 1/8 of an inch thick. It took 2 trays for that much broth (so about 2 cups per tray). It took nearly 3 days for it to be fully dehydrated. I probably should have tried to spread it even thinner on more trays.

Meanwhile, I added about a qt of water to the pot that I had just removed the broth from as well as the fat I had removed before cooking down the defatted broth. I brought it to a boil and used the rubber spatula to scrape down all of the broth that was still stuck to the sides and bottom of the pan. Once I had it all mixed in I could see that it was good rich broth. I poured that into a 2 qt jar and you see what I got here. I just couldn’t bear the thought of wasting any of that broth that I had worked so hard to make just because it was stuck to the pot.



Back to the dehydrator. After 24 hours or so I lifted the drying broth. It was like sticky fruit leather and stuck to theParaFlexx Sheet when I tried to lift it off. I was able to pry it off and flip it over to expose the underside and help it dry faster. This step isn’t necessary but it should speed up the dehydrating. Every 24 hours or so I would flip it to help the drying. I also felt the center. The edges got hard and brittle first but as long as the center was still flexible like fruit leather I knew I had longer to go. You want the whole thing to be hard and brittle. Some have found that they or their children enjoy “broth leather” and certainly you can stop at this point and use it in the manner. Since this broth leather will include some moisture it will not be shelf stable and should be kept in the fridge or freezer to keep it from spoiling. Here is the broth partially dehydrated with a small piece snapped from the brittle edge but still very flexible in the center.


The top side of partially dehydrated broth

Partially dehydrated broth flipped over.


















Once it is brittle all the way across you can turn off the dehydrator and let it cool. At this point my 4 year old requested a taste of the brittle dried broth. I agreed to let her taste some and decided to eat some myself so I broke off small pieces. Remember that as far as nutrition goes about 1 tsp of dehydrated broth is the same as a cup of broth. She loved the crunchy treat and asked for more after she finished the first piece. In fact I had to cut her of for fear she would eat more than I could spare. Her sister also tasted some. She wasn’t quite so thrilled with it until I pointed out that the small piece she was holding would count as a cup of broth. Then she easily crunched it down finding it much easier to consume than a cup of hot broth (despite 2.5 years of GAPS and occasionally loving it, most of the time broth is still her nemesis.) I had to set aside the broth till the next day before I could process it further and my 4 year old kept going back asking for more and more pieces of it. I will say that it is delightfully crunchy and it sticks to your teeth a bit like hard candy will if you chew it up. The flavor is very savory and despite not having any salt at all, not bland or unpleasant. 


You can see the broken piece laying on top of the rest of the dehydrated broth.
Once it is dry you can then pulverize it into a powder to make “instant broth”. I broke the broth into pieces small enough to fit into my Vitamix and saved back about 1/4 of them for my children to eat as is. (It is the easiest way by far to get broth into each of them!) I then started the Vitamix and was very impressed with how quickly and easily it converted that hard broth into powder. Last fall I made dehydrated broth and I think that I did not dehydrate it quite long enough to get truly hard and brittle all the way through. I also tried to process it in my Hamilton Beach Food Processor and I wasn’t ever able to get many of the thicker chunks to pulverize. That is ok and it works but it takes a lot longer to dissolve those bigger chunks when re-hydrating the broth than if it is in a fine powder. Use whatever machine you have or even simply break up the pieces as best you can by hand or with a mortar and pestle. Just expect to spend a bit more time dissolving it when the time comes to re-hydrate.



I reserved some of the broth as broth chips since I now know that my girls will eat it readily. 



The rest that was processed into powder fit into a pint jar. One cup of dehydrated broth will make 24 quarts of re-hydrated broth depending on how rich you want your resulting broth to be. There is nothing to stop you from making it as rich or as thin as you want. 

Re-hydrating broth is simple to do. I have often done it in hotel rooms making hot water in the in room coffee maker or from the hot water in the foyer and mixing in the powdered broth and some salt. I can make it as thick as I want (and have less to drink). Also should we be without power as long as we can make hot water we can have broth. If we can’t make hot water we can still just take it like a supplement or mixed in our food and keep our nutrition up. I notice a slide in our health when we start neglecting broth and at stressful times like travel and power outages it seems even more crucial that we are getting good nutrition and especially minerals to help us deal with the stress.



I made some dehydrated broth last September and was still using it a couple of weeks ago when my husband mistook the almost empty jar of it beside the stove for the jar we are storing bacon grease in and poured some on top. I kept it in a tightly closed jar to protect it from moisture and it seemed just as fresh as when I made it.

When I dehydrate broth I leave out the salt. I don’t know how much I will want in my finished product and I don’t want it to be too salty. Also excessive cooking breaks down gelatin so I often add some powdered gelatin. A good rule of thumb is 1 tsp of broth powder, 1/4 tsp of celtic sea salt and 1/4 tsp of unflavored gelatin. Adjust to suit your taste.

Have you ever made dehydrated broth? Does your technique differ from mine? I would love to hear about it in the comments. Now that I have discovered that my children eat this so readily I may be making it more often.


----------



## faithmarie

AuroraHawk said:


> How long does it take for your whole bananas to dehydrate? This would be nice for banana bread and muffins.
> 
> Do you live in an area where there are a lot of commercial "truck" gardeners/farmers? Where I lived, there were "muck" farms to the west and north of town. If we went north we could glean potatoes and carrots, if we went to the west we could glean onions and celery. We had a lot of blueberry farms to the west and fruit orchards to the northwest of town. I was on the call lists for blueberries, strawberries, black and red raspberries, tart and sweet cherries, peaches, pears, apples, plums, and, of all things, kiwi. The "Arctic" kiwi had started to become popular and one of the orchardists had several rows of kiwi vines.
> 
> I grew parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, garlic chives, Egyptian walking onions, comfrey, nasturtiums, pansies, basil, oregano, margoram, feverfew, rue, fleabane, and marigolds, in addition to the standard vegetables (and every possible perennial flower) for a SW Michigan garden...all on a 50' x 150' city lot in Grand Rapids.
> 
> It wasn't the Napa Valley but I could grow almost everything I wanted to grow and pick, glean or bulk purchase what I didn't grow. If you are near an area that has lots of commercial gardening, and the land to grow as much as possible, you will be able to keep your Excalibur running from the first fruits/vegetables ripe in the spring until Christmas, faithmarie. Did your daughters eventually decide to leave the vegan lifestyle? I understand vegetarian, I don't understand vegan and from what I've seen of vegan menus, I wouldn't survive long.
> 
> Thank you, goshengirl. I have family stories, war stories and trucker stories...only the family stories are always true.
> 
> sgtrunningfool, you are making something that I have yet to make. Good luck and enjoy!


It takes two days and then they are not overly dry they are still bendy LOL So I keep them in the fridge .... They are lovely We always have stores here that have over ripe bananas ..... one place gives them to us free...


----------



## Davarm

I have leftover pasta, meat loaf and pound cake drying right now, should be done about early evening.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I made Tamale and Enchilada filling from a 12 pound pork butt roast and put 3/4 of it in to dehydrate along with the above. 

It's all done now done and in bags now(food saver).


----------



## ashley8072

Oranges and lemons. Mmm...the smell of fruit.


----------



## SNMILLICAN

*question,,,,,,*



cybergranny said:


> Made yogurt the other day.
> 
> Tomato powder. We put our tomatoes through a food mill when we canned and all the pulp, skins and seeds were put in the dehydrator and then the blender. No waste and tomato powder.


im a little confused .. keep in mind .. i just started dehy.... how do i turn my spag sauce ( its just herbs and sauce .. no meat) into a powder??? i think im missing a step somewhere.. and how many cc to do you use in the mylar bags to store say what was a jar of spag sauce now the powder??

all info appreciated.. :surrender:


----------



## Davarm

When I dehydrate spaghetti sauce, I pour it onto a fruit leather tray and dry it at about 125 - 130, drying time depends on how much water is in it.

Since different sauces will have different amounts of water in them, it will help to do a before and after weight and use that to determine how much water it will take to rehydrate the sauce.

I dont "Powder" my dehydrated sauce, I run it through a food processor and that breaks it up enough for my use. You could run it through a mill to powder it but keep in mind that tomato based products may gum up a mill and make it hard to grind.

I dont store my dehydrated spaghetti sauce in mylar, I put it in half gallon jars and put them on the shelf and use them before they go bad. A food saver jar attachment should work to seal the jars if you wanted to store them long term. Keep in mind that vacuum sealing bags of tomato based products may tend to compress the food into a brick and make them difficult to rehydrate and use.

Good Luck with your dehydrating! It can be a lot of fun and rewarding.



SNMILLICAN said:


> im a little confused .. keep in mind .. i just started dehy.... how do i turn my spag sauce ( its just herbs and sauce .. no meat) into a powder??? i think im missing a step somewhere.. and how many cc to do you use in the mylar bags to store say what was a jar of spag sauce now the powder??
> 
> all info appreciated.. :surrender:


----------



## ashley8072

Mushrooms, and then by request...my first try with cucumbers. I've never heard of them being done and one of my brothers asked me if I could. Prob will turn out a green ring. Lol! Experimenting is fun.


----------



## SNMILLICAN

*how is this done??*



Davarm said:


> Its more green peas and a few trays of fried rice.
> 
> The oldest DD looked at the last batch of peas this morning and was wondering why I was drying "Okra Seeds", looked exactly like them.lol
> 
> The picture is of the 2 sugar cured roasts I put out to dry last night.


 can you give me the directions on how to do this??? the sugar roast ..


----------



## Davarm

There are a few others here that have more experience than I do at curing meats, OldCootHillbilly and Blob are a few.



SNMILLICAN said:


> can you give me the directions on how to do this??? the sugar roast ..


Sugar Cured Beef

Sugar curing beef is similar to salting/brining except that the
preservative is sugar instead of salt based. If you have ever
eaten a Country Ham or Beef Jerky you know that it can be
too salty to eat a large enough quantity to satisfy your dietary
needs without planned preparation.

With sugar cured meats, the salt content is largely replaced
by sugar and can be sliced and eaten directly off the slab
without overloading your system with salt and risking nausea
dehydration or worse.

Select a mostly fat free roast about 2 inches
thick and of a size hat easily fit into your container without
bending or rolling it. Some fat is OK, light marbling is good but
trim off any excess or pieces not firmly attached to the roast.
I prefer Rump Roast or Round Roasts about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
in weight, they have about the right amount of marbling and
easily fit into my containers. The below "Recipe" is for a
cut that is 2 - 3 pounds.

How to Sugar Cure Beef

In a 3 gallon or larger pot, measure in about 1 1/2 gallons of
water and add 4-5 cups sugar and 1/2 to 1 cup salt. I use
regular table sugar and coarse rock salt. The rock salt is
cheaper than table salt and I have quantities of it stored
for food preservation. A general rule for the curing solution is
that it should be strong enough to "Float an egg".
.

Bring the liquid to a boil and ensure that all the salt and sugar
dissolves then let cool to a temperature that will allow you to
put your hand into without scalding or discomfort.

Place the roast into the solution, it will try to "float" and will
need to be weighed down. Canning jars full of water work well
to keep the meat down below the water level. If the "Roast
Floats" or any part rises above the liquid,it could spoil or
attract insects. Cover the pot and keep in a cool to cold
place until the cure "Strikes Through" the cut of meat.

The cure will take at least 2 full days to " Strike", likely
longer but you can recognize that it is done when you can 
remove the cut and it will hold its shape and appears darker 
in color(rich red brown). Its better to stay too long in the 
cure than to be taken out before its done.

When the roast is removed, rinse it in clean water and allow
it air dry to the point that water does not drip from it when it
is held in the air, it should still be damp and tacky enough
to hold a coat of salt.Place it in a container on a bed of
table salt and make sure salt completely coats it then leave
it to air dry. Turn the cut several times a day so it will dry
evenly.

To speed the drying, I put a small fan blowing over the
container to help evaporate the liquid drawn out by the
salt. As the meat dries you may notice the bed of salt
it is laying on becoming damp, no worries, the liquid that
doesn't evaporate into the air will be drawn into the bed
and evaporate from there.

Drying will take at least 7 - 10 days in a good cool dry area
and when the meat can be pinched between your fingers
and no moisture surfaces, it is done. The roast should
hold its shape when held horizontally by one end.

With a sharp knife, slice a thin piece off one end to check
the color and texture. The inside should be a dark red to
brown color and be very dense and any fat marbling should
be solid and the color of shortening. Any loose or ragged pieces
of meat or fat should be trimmed off and any salt/cure should
be brushed off with a vegetable brush.

Some old recipes say to dip the cured meat into a pan of
boiling water for about a minute to remove any crusted
salt and/or cure and to kill any germs that may be present
then left in the open air to dry before storage.

Some old procedure for storage call for the piece to be
wrapped in fresh clean paper and placed in a muslin bag
and kept in a cool dry location until needed. It is said that
meats preserved in this manner can remain good for up
to 5 years or more.

Personally, I'd shoot for 1 year to safe.and I have pieces
wrapped in paper, covered with a cotton pillow case and
hung from a hooks on a shelf to promote air flow and to
help keep pests away. I also have pieces vacuum sealed
and they seem to be doing well after about 3 - 4 months
so far. I'm not sure if the cured cuts need to breathe yet
or if vacuum sealing is a better option but the experiment
is still ongoing here.


----------



## machinist

We're dehydrating eggs today. Our hens are laying far more than we can use right now, so it made some sense to us. 

We have a Nesco 1,000 watt, 8 tray unit that came with the fruit leather trays. We put 7-8 eggs at a time into the blender and ran it on high speed for 30 seconds. That filled 2 of the 15" diameter fruit leather trays (be sure it is LEVEL). The 8 trays did 30 eggs total in one batch. 

After about 16 hours drying, we cracked the dried eggs off the trays and put the crumbles in a small electric food chopper to grind it finer. This powder went back into the dryer for another 4 hours to assure it was DRY. We plan to vacuum seal the powder for long term storage. 

The site I read about this said the powder could keep up to 10 years? They said to reconstitute, use one heaping tablespoon of egg powder and 2 tablespoons of water to equal one fresh egg. Let it soak a while and use like a fresh egg in baking, omelets, or whatever. 

It's our first try at this, so I'll get back with info about how they turn out in use.


----------



## ashley8072

Fell asleep and didn't wake to get the cucumbers out. They burned.  Mushrooms were fine. Got to stop by grocery store anyways tonight after work. So I guess I'll grab 2 more cucumbers and try again.  Havr 3 bags of radishes to do tonight anyways. Someday I'll figure out what to do with them. Hehe


----------



## ashley8072

Has anyone done their own bacon bits? My dad asked me about them this morning and I've got just cheap imitation ones. We don't eat much bacon because its so expensive. And I've already got about 3lbs of bacon bits stored, so it's not a big deal in our house.


----------



## Davarm

ashley8072 said:


> Mushrooms, and then by request...my first try with cucumbers. I've never heard of them being done and one of my brothers asked me if I could. Prob will turn out a green ring. Lol! Experimenting is fun.


I've dehydrated cucumbers!

To rehydrate them they can be mixed with sour cream and dill and after they soak up moisture in the sour cream they make a decent side dish. You may have to add some water in with the sour cream to get them soft enough.

They are a little chewy so grating works out better than slicing.


----------



## UncleJoe

Our chickens seem to be off to an early start this year. We're getting 4-5 eggs a day already so I'm drying about 4 dozen tonight.


----------



## ksmama10

Somebody up thread mentioned dehydrating Kale; how did that go? We are starting plot and plan our garden, and one of my daughters mentioned Kale. Thought I'd ask the experts here..and yes, you ARE experts if you'd tried it and lived to tell:laugh:


----------



## Davarm

I have dehydrated kale but I'm not much of an expert, I do it the same way I do the collards. Cut the center vein out, chop them and dry them on a low heat until dry and crispy.

The kale, like collards, are pretty sturdy and rehydrate pretty well. Just pour boiling water on them and let them sit until soft. You can eat them right after they sit for a while or boil them with your favorite seasoning.



ksmama10 said:


> Somebody up thread mentioned dehydrating Kale; how did that go? We are starting plot and plan our garden, and one of my daughters mentioned Kale. Thought I'd ask the experts here..and yes, you ARE experts if you'd tried it and lived to tell:laugh:


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> I have dehydrated kale but I'm not much of an expert, I do it the same way I do the collards. Cut the center vein out, chop them and dry them on a low heat until dry and crispy.
> 
> The kale, like collards, are pretty sturdy and rehydrate pretty well. Just pour boiling water on them and let them sit until soft. You can eat them right after they sit for a while or boil them with your favorite seasoning.


Thanks Dave! I thought it should work. Here's the recipe that started the conversation with my daughter this morning: Butternut Squash & Kale Quesadillas


----------



## mma800

Red peppers and bananas are in today. My kids can't get enough banana chips!


----------



## Davarm

I'm not big on Quesadillas, but that butternut squash and kale looks pretty darn good, I'll have to give that a try.



ksmama10 said:


> Thanks Dave! I thought it should work. Here's the recipe that started the conversation with my daughter this morning: Butternut Squash & Kale Quesadillas


I have diced, cooked potatoes in the dehydrator tonight. Lots of them, lots and lots of them!

I'm going to have to come up with some more creative storage ideas if this keeps up.


----------



## marlas1too

well just before this last freeze i picked all the greens from the garden-kale,turnip,mustard,collard-and dried all of it into a mixed greens to be added to my soup starter got 6 ouarts


----------



## ashley8072

Did my first batch of bananas last night. Turned out much better than I thought. Wish I had bought more though. Picked up a BIG can of sliced olives at SAMs today. Just stuck those in. Still looking for some tips on doing my own bacon bits. I'm not sure whether to cook in oven first, or just throw them in like jerky. ??


----------



## farright

mushroom stems and caps .99 a package bought em out


----------



## SNMILLICAN

Bananas, carrots, strawberries, apples, and cinnamon apple slices just went in .... Becoming addicted to this thread of conversations ... My poor hubby - lol


----------



## AuroraHawk

Sam's had diced, fresh butternut squash for sale so I am dehydrating butternut squash and I didn't even have to prepare it.


----------



## Davarm

I had some #10 cans of peaches and pears in light syrup on the shelf, they had been there for quite some time and we never used them sooo....

I put them in the dehydrator and they came out great, found out that when you buy dried fruit from the grocery store that must be how they do them, cook them first. This batch was just like them.

The potatoes are done, total of 60 pounds of them diced, cooked and dehydrated. Total price for the potatoes was less than $8.00 plus the electricity for the dehydrator.

Price for the fruit, unknown - the cans have been around for so long I forgot how much I paid for them.


----------



## W4OPS

Anyone want to offer any thoughts on what type of dehydrator I should look at purchasing?


----------



## ashley8072

W4OPS said:


> Anyone want to offer any thoughts on what type of dehydrator I should look at purchasing?


Davarm has a thread called What dehydrator do you have? That'd be a good place to start. 

Olives done. Stuck in 6 trays of onions. I'm surprised no ones woke up from the smell yet. Lol!


----------



## W4OPS

Thanks ill look there.


----------



## Dakine

10 lbs of banana chips being cut and cinnamon sugar coated and put into the dehydrator tonight  

NOM NOM NOM


----------



## BrendaLee

Dakine said:


> 10 lbs of banana chips being cut and cinnamon sugar coated and put into the dehydrator tonight
> 
> NOM NOM NOM


Sounds yummy! What are you dipping them in first?


----------



## ashley8072

8 trays of celery about to go in.


----------



## Dakine

BrendaLee said:


> Sounds yummy! What are you dipping them in first?


nothing, I put all the peels in a pile

I put 4 bananas in a row and cut them into slices, and coat them with cinnamon sugar, and then I take all of the peels and put them on the top trays.

The peels will dry a LOT faster than the sugar banana chips, I'll take them off tomorrow and run them through the blender. Banana peels are an excellent garden fertilizer.

This batch will put me a little more than double what I have now, and I'll have a quart of of it, vacuum sealed and ready to go for my garden this year after I move.


----------



## BrendaLee

Dakine said:


> nothing, I put all the peels in a pile
> 
> I put 4 bananas in a row and cut them into slices, and coat them with cinnamon sugar, and then I take all of the peels and put them on the top trays.
> 
> The peels will dry a LOT faster than the sugar banana chips, I'll take them off tomorrow and run them through the blender. Banana peels are an excellent garden fertilizer.
> 
> This batch will put me a little more than double what I have now, and I'll have a quart of of it, vacuum sealed and ready to go for my garden this year after I move.


I will have to try the fertalizer! We have a lot of bananna peels here! Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Dakine

BrendaLee said:


> I will have to try the fertalizer! We have a lot of bananna peels here! Thanks for the tip!


From what I had read previously, you could even use the banana peels just as a huge lump, HOWEVER, critters like squirrels and raccoons and skunks will want to dig it up to eat it and they'll demolish the garden in the process.

Supposedly if it's granulated if run through a blender or a mill, they understand it's just the dirt and not buried treasure.


----------



## BrendaLee

Dakine said:


> From what I had read previously, you could even use the banana peels just as a huge lump, HOWEVER, critters like squirrels and raccoons and skunks will want to dig it up to eat it and they'll demolish the garden in the process.
> 
> Supposedly if it's granulated if run through a blender or a mill, they understand it's just the dirt and not buried treasure.


We were trying to do the worm compost. However when I ordered the worms I specifically asked for delivery to be delayed due to below freezing temps. This request was ignored. About 85% didn't make it. So the suppliers fix to this problem was to ship in MUCH colder temperature! I think I found about 20 living worms out of 2000 in the second batch! Supplier wanted to send a third batch! I said please don't! I will call you when I believe the temps are safe. There was absolutely no Insulation in the box. Each time I heard the mailman knock on the door and retrieved them immediately!

Until I get enough worms to keep up with things I will try dehydrating the peels!


----------



## ashley8072

I'm still in search of doing bacon bits for long term storage. Anything I've found isn't for storing them. I was thinking cooking them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Then putting in the dehydrator. Then busting them apart into bits and dry canning them. Has anyone done this?


----------



## Jim1590

Ashley, I think the big problem is the high fat content in the bacon. It will probably just go rancid. I have dehydrated deli meats and the fat content of ham is a problem.

But your idea of cooking to a crisp, get as much liquid fat off as possible and them dehydrating might work. But I would stick with the soy ones that come from the store.


----------



## Dakine

cinnamon sugar banana chips still on the dehydrator. They take a long time because of the gel the sugar makes I guess. 

it's worth it though! they are fantastic


----------



## Davarm

Its leftover pasta tonight, about 4 trays.


----------



## machinist

RE: Bacon Bits

I'd stay with the store variety. We have cured a lot of pork with dry salting and smoking. It will keep pretty reliably from butchering time in late November to about May or June before the fat begins to go rancid. Oxygen is the problem. Rancidity comes from oxidation, so eliminating the air (vac sealing) may help, but I haven't tried it. 

Better to keep meat on the hoof until you need it. JMHO. 


Bacon can be canned. Do a web search and you'll find plenty on that.


----------



## Davarm

machinist said:


> Bacon can be canned. Do a web search and you'll find plenty on that.


I buy the "Bacon Ends And Pieces" and can it like any other meat, works fine and tastes good.


----------



## farright

Davarm said:


> I buy the "Bacon Ends And Pieces" and can it like any other meat, works fine and tastes good.


u just dry can it or do you add water. More shrooms and leftover pasta.


----------



## SNMILLICAN

So after I dehydrate potatoe slices - do I need to oven can them or can I just stick an o2 absorber in and seal them up .... And as for as dry beans, flour etc ???


----------



## Utahnprepper

I saw my question answered before, but now I cant find it. My potatoes turned black, other than their appearance, are they ok?


----------



## Davarm

farright said:


> u just dry can it or do you add water. More shrooms and leftover pasta.


For ends and pieces, just pack them into the jar and pressure can it. Bacon has plenty of liquid added, that and the fat will cover the contents of the jars. If you are going to do slices, you will need to use something to keep t slices separated or they will cook together, I use cut pieces of brown paper bags. Others use waxed paper or similar sheets. For the slices, just roll the sheet into a bundle and put it into the jar(nothing added) and pressure that like any other meat.

For the slices there are several people on the forum that have done of it more than I have and I'm pretty sure their are "How-To" posts somewhere. If you cant locate them I will try to track them down.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> For ends and pieces, just pack them into the jar and pressure can it. Bacon has plenty of liquid added, that and the fat will cover the contents of the jars. If you are going to do slices, you will need to use something to keep t slices separated or they will cook together, I use cut pieces of brown paper bags. Others use waxed paper or similar sheets. For the slices, just roll the sheet into a bundle and put it into the jar(nothing added) and pressure that like any other meat.
> 
> For the slices there are several people on the forum that have done of it more than I have and I'm pretty sure their are "How-To" posts somewhere. If you cant locate them I will try to track them down.


If you are back at em....that must mean you are feeling better! Glad to hear it....:cheers: (pepsi)


----------



## ashley8072

Utahnprepper said:


> I saw my question answered before, but now I cant find it. My potatoes turned black, other than their appearance, are they ok?


Mine turned dark too. I heard that some will dip potatoes and other certain foods in lemon juice to keep them from turning so much. The color doesn't affect the taste, just makes them more appealing. A friend of mine says that she mists hers with lemon juice while their on the tray before they go in the dehydrator.


----------



## farright

thanks dave found post on slices but like you i buy ends n pieces unless awesome sale on sliced


----------



## Utahnprepper

Potatoes r all done, now moving on to apples.


----------



## neldarez

Utahnprepper said:


> I saw my question answered before, but now I cant find it. My potatoes turned black, other than their appearance, are they ok?


I slice mine right into a sinkful of very cold water with lemon juice and then after they blanch I put them into another sink of lemon juice and they stay white and look really nice. The black ones tastes the same, just not quite as pretty.......imho


----------



## Halloween

Salmon jerky today and about 7 pounds of bacon tomorrow - bacon candles are the bonus!


----------



## ashley8072

It's a lot, but I just put in 6 trays of minced garlic.


----------



## neldarez

I have a question.....I've dried quite a bit of mixed frozen veggies and also carrots.........I used some today, poured hot water over them and let them sit for an hour before I threw them into a goulash where they simmered for another hour, the celery, carrots and a few of the peas were still on the tough side, especially celery and carrots.........how the heck do you rehydrate these things? Is it that I'm drying them too much to start with?


----------



## ashley8072

neldarez said:


> I have a question.....I've dried quite a bit of mixed frozen veggies and also carrots.........I used some today, poured hot water over them and let them sit for an hour before I threw them into a goulash where they simmered for another hour, the celery, carrots and a few of the peas were still on the tough side, especially celery and carrots.........how the heck do you rehydrate these things? Is it that I'm drying them too much to start with?


No idea. We like ours a bit tough, almost fresh like. Some batches I've done took longer to rehydrate than others, but I rehydrate while I'm cooking them and its usually only for about 45min- an hour.


----------



## 8thDayStranger

Love this thread. I haven't quite finished reading it all but I have some great ideas. The misses is picking up a cheap dehydrator today and a vacuum sealer for us to get started with. I was thinking about trying to dehydrate some of our favorite restaurant meals. Anyone tried this? A pasta joint locally has the BEST chicken florentine and if the SHTF I would like to savor the flavor a few more times as I fight off marauders and scoundrels. Thoughts?


----------



## ashley8072

Doing my first batch of jerky tonight. I'm using my grandpas secret recipe that he gave me before he passed in December. Have a camping trip this weekend that I'd love to have some on.


----------



## Davarm

8thDayStranger said:


> Love this thread. I haven't quite finished reading it all but I have some great ideas. The misses is picking up a cheap dehydrator today and a vacuum sealer for us to get started with. I was thinking about trying to dehydrate some of our favorite restaurant meals. Anyone tried this? A pasta joint locally has the BEST chicken florentine and if the SHTF I would like to savor the flavor a few more times as I fight off marauders and scoundrels. Thoughts?


If you want to start dehydrating, I'd first start with simple items like vegetales, rice, cooked pasta and work your way up to more complicated foods.

Dehydrating food is easy but their is a learning curve so unless you have a sense of adventure, I'd start out with(and did) a few easy things first.

Have fun!


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## Davarm

The DD's keep bringing in bags of potatoes so I have 35 pounds of diced, cooked potatoes going now. 

I keep telling them we are out of room but do they listen, nooo! They have too much of their daddy in them!


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## neldarez

Davarm said:


> The DD's keep bringing in bags of potatoes so I have 35 pounds of diced, cooked potatoes going now.
> 
> I keep telling them we are out of room but do they listen, nooo! They have too much of their daddy in them!


we're back to the apple not falling far from the tree!! Glad to see you back Dave, glad you're better.....don't overdo!!! candle at both ends and all that...


----------



## Davarm

Since there are a few people here new to dehydrating, I decided to throw out an encouragement for the "sport". 

The attached picture is 35 pounds of potatoes after being cubed, cooked and dehydrated. The result was 5.75 pounds to be put in a bucket and stored.

They can be prepared for eating just by pouring boiling water on them and letting them sit for a while. Just be sure to pour enough water on them to keep the heat long enough rehydrate. If the water cools and the spuds are still a little hard, just repeat the water.

The box of salt is only for a size reference.


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## ksmama10

Call for a Waambulance, I'm about to go slice onions to dehydrate. Guess I could wait til tomorrow, when I get two more trays, but I've got ten pounds; might as well get started. Sniff, sniff!


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## Prepper69

I started easy myself...apples, mango, pineapple and banana's now I am ready to try some veggies....I think I am going to start with onions, bell peppers and go from there 

Question...how are yall storing your "dried" foods??? Mylar?? mason jars??? Do you take the oxygen out of it too?? The fruit has not lasted long enough around here to worry about that...lol...we love dried fruit but the veggies I want to be able to store...and how long of a shelf life??


----------



## ksmama10

Prepper69 said:


> I started easy myself...apples, mango, pineapple and banana's now I am ready to try some veggies....I think I am going to start with onions, bell peppers and go from there
> 
> Question...how are yall storing your "dried" foods??? Mylar?? mason jars??? Do you take the oxygen out of it too?? The fruit has not lasted long enough around here to worry about that...lol...we love dried fruit but the veggies I want to be able to store...and how long of a shelf life??


I hear ya on the fruit not lasting. Who needs bugs when one has kids around? To be fair, the stuff tastes incredible so who can blame them? What I'm doing is stashing dried veggies in ziplock freezer bags for short-term use as I am learning to use this stuff as I go. Once the bags start getting full, I will be using jars. A vacuum sealer is on my wish list and I have a birthday coming up soon, so that would be my next logical step.


----------



## 8thDayStranger

Prepper69 said:


> Question...how are yall storing your "dried" foods??? Mylar?? mason jars??? Do you take the oxygen out of it too?? The fruit has not lasted long enough around here to worry about that...lol...we love dried fruit but the veggies I want to be able to store...and how long of a shelf life??


I'm just getting started myself. I have tons of mason jars around the house. I really want to store my stuff in bags so I can grab stuff when I go hiking or camping. Vacuum sealer is also on my wish list. Hoping to run across a good inexpensive one somewhere. Has anyone tried the ziplock bags that have the vacuum port on them that you attach a little vac to?


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## Lake Windsong

8thDayStranger said:


> I'm just getting started myself. I have tons of mason jars around the house. I really want to store my stuff in bags so I can grab stuff when I go hiking or camping. Vacuum sealer is also on my wish list. Hoping to run across a good inexpensive one somewhere. Has anyone tried the ziplock bags that have the vacuum port on them that you attach a little vac to?


I've tried them. Save your money and buy a real vaccuum sealer. No sense in anyone else besides me learning that the hard way.


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## Davarm

My middle daughter and the SIL are in for a visit on their way to San Diego(Navy) so we are going to slice, dice, cook and dehydrate another 40 pounds of potatoes tonight for them to take with them.


It will be the first bucket of food for their "Pantry". I am going to walk them through a "Big" batch of dehydrating to show them how easy and cheap it can be to put away a good store of food.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> My middle daughter and the SIL are in for a visit on their way to San Diego(Navy) so we are going to slice, dice, cook and dehydrate another 40 pounds of potatoes tonight for them to take with them.
> 
> It will be the first bucket of food for their "Pantry". I am going to walk them through a "Big" batch of dehydrating to show them how easy and cheap it can be to put away a good store of food.


Fishing lessons, eh?


----------



## 8thDayStranger

Found my new favorite snack today! A lady my wife works with found out we bought a dehydrator. Today she brought her some dried veggies she buys every year from the Mennonites and one bag was dried okra. Oh.My.Goodness!! I'm hooked. They are kinda sweet on the outside. Is that natural or do you think they put some honey or something on them? It's not a sugar sweet. More like honey or syrup but not strong at all. Also got some dried green beans eggplant zucchini squash and beets. I don't care for beets but all in all they are good. All have that same sweet and the beans have a garlic salt hint under the sweet. I really hope this is natural cause I'm hooked on the okra.


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## Prepper69

10 trays going...kiwi, strawberries, bananas, apples


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## Davarm

More potatoes, lots of potatoes! Sending the DD and SIL on their way with their first buckets of food for their pantry.


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## neldarez

ashley8072 said:


> Davarm has a thread called What dehydrator do you have? That'd be a good place to start.
> 
> Olives done. Stuck in 6 trays of onions. I'm surprised no ones woke up from the smell yet. Lol!


I've been looking on how to do olives, how long and what heat, I've not found any good info...many people say olives don't dry or store well cuz of the oil.....what is your experience?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I've been looking on how to do olives, how long and what heat, I've not found any good info...many people say olives don't dry or store well cuz of the oil.....what is your experience?


Ms Nelda, the reason I waited so long to try dehydrating olives (black/green) was because of what I read about "What People Said", dont listen to that.

Slice/crumble them, towel dry and put them on to dry at about 120 or so and let them go until they are dry. There is a certain amount of oil but not as much as you would think. To store them just put them in a jar or vacuum seal in a food saver bag and use as needed.

My oldest DD eats them right off the tray so I have to keep them hidden.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> Ms Nelda, the reason I waited so long to try dehydrating olives (black/green) was because of what I read about "What People Said", dont listen to that.
> 
> Slice/crumble them, towel dry and put them on to dry at about 120 or so and let them go until they are dry. There is a certain amount of oil but not as much as you would think. To store them just put them in a jar or vacuum seal in a food saver bag and use as needed.
> 
> My oldest DD eats them right off the tray so I have to keep them hidden.


I knew I could count on you to know the answer!! Thanks Mr. Dave... ( that's not bugs, it's olives!)


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> ( that's not bugs, it's olives!)


Of course Ms Nelda, wouldn't have thought it was anything else!
:beercheerDublin Dr. Pepper)

Almost forgot, I have leftover cornbread in the dehydrator tonight.


----------



## lilmissy0740

Has anyone ever dried sassafras? We had to take a few trees out and it knocked down a sassy tree. Have some root on the counter to make some tea but hate to waste the whole tree.


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## Davarm

We dried it when we were kids, just let the roots dry and use as needed.


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## lilmissy0740

Davarm said:


> We dried it when we were kids, just let the roots dry and use as needed.


You mean, just let them lay out to dry or a dehydrator?


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## Davarm

lilmissy0740 said:


> You mean, just let them lay out to dry or a dehydrator?


When we were kids we didn't have dehydrators, we just left them out in the sun until they were hard and dry then we kept them in old bread bags.


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## 8thDayStranger

Fired up the dehydrator for my first attempt yesterday. Did a tray of jerky (that's almost gone now), a tray of okra, tray of squash and zucchini, tray of green beans, and a tray of blueberries and sugar snap peas. Just experimenting with it all. The blueberries took forever though. I sealed them up and I'm going to let them hang out for a month or two and keep an eye on them to make sure they don't mold or anything since I'm learning how dry to get them. Then I'll pop Em in the water and experiment with rehydration. 

I learned that for storage purposes, big batches are probably the way to go. I think I'll do a whole 5 trays of something next time. The different items all seemed to have different dry times so I was constantly having to unstack the trays to check them. Also the yield wasn't enough of any one thing to really put up. I vacuum sealed it to test out my sealer and to test my planned storage method. I like to test all angles before I go head first into it and possibly ruin a batch of good stuff.


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## Davarm

My works cut out for me for the next few days, a local grocery store had 10 pound bags of good large russet potatoes for $1.50 each.

Being who I am, I couldn't let it go and bought 10 bags for $15.00. I can dehydrate 50 pounds in a batch and I have 2 dehydrators which would allow me to do it all in one night. BUT, I'm not going to peel, dice and cook 100 pounds of spuds in one night. I think we'll break it down to three days. 

That will wind up being 1 - 5 gallon bucket, I think I can find a door that needs to be propped open and use the bucket for a door stop.


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## boomer

I am much less ambitious, did up a small batch of storage onions. It is time to start clearing out storage for the next years crop. Last year I was distracted and ended up pitching a bunch of potatoes. Not an entire loss as they will make good fertilizer for next years squash.


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## Prepper69

Mine has been going strong for a couple days now...I only have 4 trays...really need to get at least 4 more if I am going to keep this up 

Onions, carrots and now mushrooms 

Have more carrots and celery to do next


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## ashley8072

Lots of mushrooms. I've filled 8 trays already, and looks like I'll be doing 2 more batches just the same.


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## OldCootHillbilly

Davarm said:


> My works cut out for me for the next few days, a local grocery store had 10 pound bags of good large russet potatoes for $1.50 each.
> 
> Being who I am, I couldn't let it go and bought 10 bags for $15.00. I can dehydrate 50 pounds in a batch and I have 2 dehydrators which would allow me to do it all in one night. BUT, I'm not going to peel, dice and cook 100 pounds of spuds in one night. I think we'll break it down to three days.
> 
> That will wind up being 1 - 5 gallon bucket, I think I can find a door that needs to be propped open and use the bucket for a door stop.


Dave: Got a apple peeler? Last time I did a tater marathon I put em on the apple peeler,slicer an ran em through. Sure saved lots a time! Didn't waste much an I took the cores an sliced them up to.


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## OldCootHillbilly

Well, I'm gonna be doin corn,corn an more corn! Then green beans, green beans an more green beans! 

I got a screamin good deal on case lots a both. Like 15 cents a can it works outta!

Some goin on the shelf an some I'm dryin fer the long stretch.


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## ksmama10

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Dave: Got a apple peeler? Last time I did a tater marathon I put em on the apple peeler,slicer an ran em through. Sure saved lots a time! Didn't waste much an I took the cores an sliced them up to.


OMIGoodness! Thanks for the reminder! I forgot I could do potatoes too.. My first pampered chef apple slicer bit the dust, and I found a brand new one, still in the box last year at a garage sale for a whole dollar. Doncha just love letting other people pay retail? :sssh:


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## OldCootHillbilly

I like shoppin yard sales, flea markets an 2nd hand stores. Ya get better stuff an lots cheaper!


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## 8thDayStranger

OldCootHillbilly said:


> I like shoppin yard sales, flea markets an 2nd hand stores. Ya get better stuff an lots cheaper!


I come from a long line of flea market junkies. The last ten years I've drug the misses all over the southeast junk shoppin. Now she wakes me up on Saturday mornings wanting to go yard saling and flea marketing. She's not so much on the army surplus store but I'm working on that lol.

Ok as for the on topic discussion, I just threw 5 trays of jerky on and this week I should be getting a case each of squash okra and bananas. Was supposed to be getting zucchini but was told there is a zucchini shortage so they were 35 a case so I passed.


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## ksmama10

It's that time of year; cabbage is on sale..approximately how many pounds of fresh cabbage would it take to make a quart jar full of dehydrated cabbage?


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## goshengirl

Diced potatoes in the drier... (bags of Ore Ida on sale)

I like easy. I'll do tough, but I like easy best.


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## 8thDayStranger

goshengirl said:


> Diced potatoes in the drier... (bags of Ore Ida on sale)
> 
> I like easy. I'll do tough, but I like easy best.


Work smarter, not harder


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## OldCootHillbilly

goshengirl said:


> Diced potatoes in the drier... (bags of Ore Ida on sale)
> 
> I like easy. I'll do tough, but I like easy best.


I do them all the time, lots less work. I do the hash browns to.


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## OldCootHillbilly

Hash browns was on sale, dehydrator be full!


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## 8thDayStranger

Do you toss them in frozen or thaw them first?


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## OldCootHillbilly

Just chunk em in froze, it'll thaw em out right quick. I just make sure they ain't all stuck tagether.


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## Davarm

Tonight, its spinach, lots and lots of spinach!



ksmama10 said:


> It's that time of year; cabbage is on sale..approximately how many pounds of fresh cabbage would it take to make a quart jar full of dehydrated cabbage?


I dont know how much would make a quart, never measured, something to watch out for though, the thicker "Veins" take quite a lot longer to dry than the rest of the leaves. You can either leave the batch in until it is all thoroughly dry or trim out the thicker parts and dry them separately.

Cabbage is worth the extra time though!


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## goshengirl

8thDayStranger said:


> Do you toss them in frozen or thaw them first?


Just like Coot said, they go in frozen. That's what makes them so easy! 

Other frozen veggies are done the same way - out of the bag and onto the dehydrator tray. I like to dehydrate a bunch of cheap-o veggies when they go on sale and keep them in the pantry, makes it easy to grab a handful or two and add them to the pot when making homemade chicken stock.


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## Prepper69

4 lbs of strawberries...done

in the dehydrator...
celery and broccoli 

Have some apples (cant keep them cause everyone loves them) and kiwi to do in the morning


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## neldarez

goshengirl said:


> Just like Coot said, they go in frozen. That's what makes them so easy!
> 
> Other frozen veggies are done the same way - out of the bag and onto the dehydrator tray. I like to dehydrate a bunch of cheap-o veggies when they go on sale and keep them in the pantry, makes it easy to grab a handful or two and add them to the pot when making homemade chicken stock.


do you rehydrate and use your dried taters a lot? I've dried a bunch of them but only tried to use them 2xs....they never did really soften up....


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## goshengirl

neldarez said:


> do you rehydrate and use your dried taters a lot? I've dried a bunch of them but only tried to use them 2xs....they never did really soften up....


The taters I use are the diced ones (Ore Ida calls them hash browns) - I make a sort of potato and cheese thing, like making those Betty Crocker au gratin potatoes. I put them in a casserole dish, add boiling water, butter, milk, cheese powder and sour cream powder (the powders are from Emergency Essentials, I think). Then stick them in the oven, uncovered. I totally eyeball everything, so I really can't give amounts for certain. Maybe two cups of boiling water and one cup of milk to every cup of dehydrated potatoes? I check things about 10 minutes into baking, and add liquids if necessary. If there's too much liquid, we just make do with a runny cheese sauce. 

ETA: one time I rehydrated in boiling water and then fried them up as hash browns, and they were fine. Noisy when they hit the frying pan (after soaking in water), but that's no different than bagged taters I suppose.

I'm assuming you're using boiling water to rehydrate. I wonder if your altitude plays a role?


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## OldCootHillbilly

Here be a samplin a what I been upta so far this here weekend:








corn, green beans an hashbrowns.

Dehydratore be completly full a grean beans again.

I vac sealed them jars so that stuff be good fer decades stored in a cool dark place.


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## ksmama10

I dehydrated cabbage last night and this evening. One large head went into 7 trays, and I got a 16 oz salsa jar packed full.


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## Foreverautumn

I'm dehydrating water! :lolsmash:


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## Davarm

Foreverautumn said:


> I'm dehydrating water! :lolsmash:


Someone posted a picture a while back, small mylar bags of "Dehydrated Water".

Easy to use, just open the packet and add 2 cups of water - makes 2 cups!

Found this one also.


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## Davarm

Not long ago, I posted about storage volume on diced, cooked potatoes and now have a revision/update on that.

I stated that about 100 pounds(raw weight) would fit into a 5 gallon bucket, I did another 100 pounds(finished up tonight) and this time I diced the potatoes in smaller pieces(about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch) and I was able to fit them in with quite a bit of space left over. 

I estimate that another 25 pounds would fit without a problem, that comes to 1000 pounds of spuds fitting into about 8 - 5 gallon buckets.


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## 8thDayStranger

Got 5 trays of taters drying and enough for 5 more when these finish. Did peas and some pineapple a couple of days ago.


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## 8thDayStranger

Ok. First run of potatoes went very well. Second run not so much. They all turned dark on me. I did them both exactly the same way. Are the black ones safe to eat? I really don't care what they look like. This is mostly camp food anyway. Just don't want to hang on to stuff I can't use or toss stuff I can.


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## Davarm

The black ones should be OK, some of mine that I dehydrated raw turned but I just save them for unwanted company.:laugh:


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## Tank_Girl

Davarm said:


> The black ones should be OK, some of mine that I dehydrated raw turned but I just save them for unwanted company.:laugh:


I do something similar with boxed wine and unwelcome guests.

Nasty stuff.


----------



## laverne

Has anyone tried dehydrating oranges? I read through this thread and must admit gotten distacted. mostly by a newly aquired toddler in the house but also finding lots of new treats to dehydrate  I think they would make fun treats.


----------



## dlharris

laverne said:


> Has anyone tried dehydrating oranges? I read through this thread and must admit gotten distacted. mostly by a newly aquired toddler in the house but also finding lots of new treats to dehydrate  I think they would make fun treats.


If you go to the top of this page where it says jump to general food storage....it will take you to general site and then at the top of that page type in dehydrating oranges and it will bring up a thread about doing that.


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## Davarm

laverne said:


> Has anyone tried dehydrating oranges? I read through this thread and must admit gotten distacted. mostly by a newly aquired toddler in the house but also finding lots of new treats to dehydrate  I think they would make fun treats.


I've read here that some people dehydrate oranges but I prefer to "candy" them, I do/have dehydrated orange peels(zest) and use it in deserts and it is even good in teas.


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## laverne

Thanks guys, have some almost done now!


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## Davarm

Gonna take a break from canning tonight and dehydrate the 6 grocery bags of chard I picked today.

If we dont get any hail this spring it looks like it's going to be a good year for greens, so far plenty of rain and no 100 degree heat yet.


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## Meerkat

Tomorrow we will dehydrate some stevia for sweetner. Be our first time doing stevia.


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## ksmama10

I'm drying two bags of frozen corn and two bags of carrots today. Watched a youtube video on dehydrating garlic and am fighting the temptation to go buy tons of garlic to play with, I mean, dehydrate.


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## ashley8072

We love dehydrated oranges. As a snack to munch on and I like to add them to the pitcher of orange juice poured over ice. Just be careful not to burn them in the dehydrator...my first batch total disaster.  

Dehydrating garlic: do it on a nice day when you can open the windows. We were in tears when I first did it. Luckily it dries fast, but the stench of garlic lingered on the trays. I ended up placing the trays in the tub and soaking them n vinegar and lemon juice mix. Our 3yo doesn't like it when I load up 9 trays of onions either. Lol! 

Just loaded up 6 trays of portobello mushrooms. Hopefully be done in the morning before work.


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## *Andi

Herbs, herbs and more herbs!

Spring is here and life is good!


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## ksmama10

2 big bags of frozen corn..would have done green beans, but the corn hogged my trays. Oh well, something to look forward to tomorrow.


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## Riverdale

Potatos (sliced and hash browns).
The last of the apples and cabbage in the root cellar, before they go too bad.


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## Davarm

Spinach, thats going to be on going until my plots bolt.


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## Freyadog

*pasta question*

We made pasta for the first time yesterday. Had a good time at it.

question is: Thursday we girls are getting together to make pasta again. I was wondering how long to dehydrate them? We will be using, of course, fresh ground red winter wheat. I can find nothing on drying times for pasta. The fresh pasta has eggs in it. 3 1/2 cups flour and 4 large eggs.

any help would be appreciated.


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## Davarm

Depending on how thick you make it and how you dry it, it could take from a few hours to a few days.

If you put it in a dehydrator, it would be on the few hours side and if you hung it in open air, could be days depending on temp and humidity.

When the DD's make more than they need for a meal, they hang it over opened cabinet doors and its usually dry the next morning.


----------



## memrymaker

Question: Has anyone ever used or owned an Open Country Sportman's Kitchen dehydrator? I am looking at purchasing one, but wanted to see if anyone has experience with the model. It is 700 watts and has a top mounted fan with patented Converga-Flow drying action.

Anyone?


----------



## Freyadog

Davarm said:


> Depending on how thick you make it and how you dry it, it could take from a few hours to a few days.
> 
> If you put it in a dehydrator, it would be on the few hours side and if you hung it in open air, could be days depending on temp and humidity.
> 
> When the DD's make more than they need for a meal, they hang it over opened cabinet doors and its usually dry the next morning.


Ok so if I use my laundry dowel thingy, have not idea what you call it, its a thing made out of dowels that you stand up and hang laundry on. If I use this after making the noodles then I actually do not have to put them in the dehydrator. Correct? Just let them hang there until dry. About 24 hrs. or until they are brittle. I am using a hand crank pasta machine so I can actuallly get them pretty thin.

And if I have to use the dehydrator because of humidity then just check for brittleness?


----------



## talob

Has anyone here dehydrated fresh mushrooms, wife did it and they turned black after rehydrating so she was afaid to use them, any experience?


----------



## Toffee

talob said:


> Has anyone here dehydrated fresh mushrooms, wife did it and they turned black after rehydrating so she was afaid to use them, any experience?


I did a bunch of fresh mushrooms a fee weeks ago and a few did turn black after dehydrating, but I think they just got too cold in the fridge. I haven't tried rehydrating them yet, though.


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## Davarm

Sorry I didn't answer this sooner, slipped by me.

If you hang and air dry the pasta you dont have put it in the dehydrator if it dries completely. If it snaps like store bought pasta, should be good to go whether you air dry or dehydrate it. Either way 24 hours should do it.

Those pasta machines really make it easier to make the noodles, don't they!



Freyadog said:


> Ok so if I use my laundry dowel thingy, have not idea what you call it, its a thing made out of dowels that you stand up and hang laundry on. If I use this after making the noodles then I actually do not have to put them in the dehydrator. Correct? Just let them hang there until dry. About 24 hrs. or until they are brittle. I am using a hand crank pasta machine so I can actuallly get them pretty thin.
> 
> And if I have to use the dehydrator because of humidity then just check for brittleness?


----------



## Davarm

Almost forgot, filled 2 dehydrators with spinach again tonight.

Thats almost 50 Nesco trays worth of greens.


----------



## machinist

*Hate Dried Food*

Over the past couple years we have dehydrated summer squash, okra, tomatoes, kale, apples, and eggs. The eggs work okay for baking, and I suppose I would eat them as scrambled eggs or an omelet (they taste okay), but it comes out TOUGH. Have to chew it forever to get it down.

All the veggies are inedible. No matter how much you soak them or boil them to reconstitute, they either come out as tough and chewy, or limp and slimy. No flavor to speak of, but some resembled damp cardboard. I might eat it if I was starving, but not by choice. The kale was extremely bitter for some reason, and pretty much like any other dried leaf you would pick up off the ground.

With high hopes, we bought the dehydrator to deal with excess eggs, but I should have just wrung some chicken necks and kept the money. I would just as soon do without eggs.

So, we spent about $140 on a dehydrator and I now see it as money wasted. I had dreams of dehydrated soup mixes, but that was a big flop. I think dehydrated foods are WAAAY oversold. My wife is frugal--so tight she squeaks when she moves, so she will hang onto this thing forever and use it for eggs. Meanwhile, I am culling chickens to drastically limit how many of them I will have to face on my plate.

I thought we were doing something wrong, so I bought some dehydrated soup mixes at the grocery to try. Yep, same cardboard taste, some tough, chewy, nasty texture just like ours. It is disgusting.

Buying that dehydrator was one of the worst homesteading mistakes I ever made. I urge everyone who is considering buying a dehydrator to TRY SOME DRIED FOOD FIRST! You may like it. I don't see how, but anything is possible, I suppose. Just try it to know what you are getting into.

I am SOO glad that we never bought any quantity of the commercial freeze dried "survival food" things. I would hate to be stuck with that and nothing else to eat. I did buy a couple pouches of the Mountain House stuff at Wal Mart (FIVE BUCKS FOR ONE SERVING!!!) and hated it.

I grew up poor eating squirrel, lamb's quarter, and dandelion greens when we needed to sell what we grew for money to pay the taxes. I never liked that stuff, but got by on it and it is preferable to me over anything dried I ever tried to eat. We grow great veggies, fruits, herbs, and eggs now that have wonderful flavors. No way am I going to ruin them by dehydrating.

Our eggs don't store well, either, unless we vacuum seal the powder and then store them in the freezer. The cholesterol is a FAT and it goes rancid after a time. That defeats the idea that using a dehydrator will stop your dependence on modern storage methods. Those methods were developed for a REASON! Canning and freezing produce palatable foods!


----------



## Davarm

I agree that some dehydrated foods take some getting used to but most of it that we dehydrate cooks up pretty good.

I guess it is just a matter of personal taste, some like it and some dont. Have you tried dehydrating fruit? If you like store bought dried peaches, pears, apricots... but dont like the home dried stuff, try drying canned fruits or slightly cooking(boiling) the fruit before you dehydrate it. It comes out softer and chewy, isn't as crisp and crunchy as some of the raw dried stuff. The same with veggies, if you cook them first before drying it can be a whole-nother food that is quite different from the raw dehydrated(and isnt usually "rubbery").

Our vacuum sealed eggs that we dried raw come out pretty good even after a year or more of shelf time. The scrambled eggs that we dehydrate are rubbery but if you doctor them up using some imagination, they are palatable and can even be pretty good.

BUT, if you are happy canning and freezing your foods, you can always just keep the dehydrator for "Contingency".



machinist said:


> Over the past couple years we have dehydrated summer squash, okra, tomatoes, kale, apples, and eggs. The eggs work okay for baking, and I suppose I would eat them as scrambled eggs or an omelet (they taste okay), but it comes out TOUGH. Have to chew it forever to get it down.
> 
> All the veggies are inedible. No matter how much you soak them or boil them to reconstitute, they either come out as tough and chewy, or limp and slimy. No flavor to speak of, but some resembled damp cardboard. I might eat it if I was starving, but not by choice. The kale was extremely bitter for some reason, and pretty much like any other dried leaf you would pick up off the ground.
> 
> With high hopes, we bought the dehydrator to deal with excess eggs, but I should have just wrung some chicken necks and kept the money. I would just as soon do without eggs.
> 
> So, we spent about $140 on a dehydrator and I now see it as money wasted. I had dreams of dehydrated soup mixes, but that was a big flop. I think dehydrated foods are WAAAY oversold. My wife is frugal--so tight she squeaks when she moves, so she will hang onto this thing forever and use it for eggs. Meanwhile, I am culling chickens to drastically limit how many of them I will have to face on my plate.
> 
> I thought we were doing something wrong, so I bought some dehydrated soup mixes at the grocery to try. Yep, same cardboard taste, some tough, chewy, nasty texture just like ours. It is disgusting.
> 
> Buying that dehydrator was one of the worst homesteading mistakes I ever made. I urge everyone who is considering buying a dehydrator to TRY SOME DRIED FOOD FIRST! You may like it. I don't see how, but anything is possible, I suppose. Just try it to know what you are getting into.
> 
> I am SOO glad that we never bought any quantity of the commercial freeze dried "survival food" things. I would hate to be stuck with that and nothing else to eat. I did buy a couple pouches of the Mountain House stuff at Wal Mart (FIVE BUCKS FOR ONE SERVING!!!) and hated it.
> 
> I grew up poor eating squirrel, lamb's quarter, and dandelion greens when we needed to sell what we grew for money to pay the taxes. I never liked that stuff, but got by on it and it is preferable to me over anything dried I ever tried to eat. We grow great veggies, fruits, herbs, and eggs now that have wonderful flavors. No way am I going to ruin them by dehydrating.
> 
> Our eggs don't store well, either, unless we vacuum seal the powder and then store them in the freezer. The cholesterol is a FAT and it goes rancid after a time. That defeats the idea that using a dehydrator will stop your dependence on modern storage methods. Those methods were developed for a REASON! Canning and freezing produce palatable foods!


----------



## Freyadog

Davarm said:


> Sorry I didn't answer this sooner, slipped by me.
> 
> If you hang and air dry the pasta you dont have put it in the dehydrator if it dries completely. If it snaps like store bought pasta, should be good to go whether you air dry or dehydrate it. Either way 24 hours should do it.
> 
> Those pasta machines really make it easier to make the noodles, don't they!


Thanks Dave, I love my pasta machine. Told Thumper I would like the elbow mac machine next. He looked at me sideways.


----------



## Wellrounded

machinist said:


> Over the past couple years we have dehydrated summer squash, okra, tomatoes, kale, apples, and eggs. The eggs work okay for baking, and I suppose I would eat them as scrambled eggs or an omelet (they taste okay), but it comes out TOUGH. Have to chew it forever to get it down.
> 
> All the veggies are inedible. No matter how much you soak them or boil them to reconstitute, they either come out as tough and chewy, or limp and slimy. No flavor to speak of, but some resembled damp cardboard. I might eat it if I was starving, but not by choice. The kale was extremely bitter for some reason, and pretty much like any other dried leaf you would pick up off the ground.
> 
> With high hopes, we bought the dehydrator to deal with excess eggs, but I should have just wrung some chicken necks and kept the money. I would just as soon do without eggs.
> 
> So, we spent about $140 on a dehydrator and I now see it as money wasted. I had dreams of dehydrated soup mixes, but that was a big flop. I think dehydrated foods are WAAAY oversold. My wife is frugal--so tight she squeaks when she moves, so she will hang onto this thing forever and use it for eggs. Meanwhile, I am culling chickens to drastically limit how many of them I will have to face on my plate.
> 
> I thought we were doing something wrong, so I bought some dehydrated soup mixes at the grocery to try. Yep, same cardboard taste, some tough, chewy, nasty texture just like ours. It is disgusting.
> 
> Buying that dehydrator was one of the worst homesteading mistakes I ever made. I urge everyone who is considering buying a dehydrator to TRY SOME DRIED FOOD FIRST! You may like it. I don't see how, but anything is possible, I suppose. Just try it to know what you are getting into.
> 
> I am SOO glad that we never bought any quantity of the commercial freeze dried "survival food" things. I would hate to be stuck with that and nothing else to eat. I did buy a couple pouches of the Mountain House stuff at Wal Mart (FIVE BUCKS FOR ONE SERVING!!!) and hated it.
> 
> I grew up poor eating squirrel, lamb's quarter, and dandelion greens when we needed to sell what we grew for money to pay the taxes. I never liked that stuff, but got by on it and it is preferable to me over anything dried I ever tried to eat. We grow great veggies, fruits, herbs, and eggs now that have wonderful flavors. No way am I going to ruin them by dehydrating.
> 
> Our eggs don't store well, either, unless we vacuum seal the powder and then store them in the freezer. The cholesterol is a FAT and it goes rancid after a time. That defeats the idea that using a dehydrator will stop your dependence on modern storage methods. Those methods were developed for a REASON! Canning and freezing produce palatable foods!


There are plenty of foods I don't like dehydrated. Haven't tried eggs though. I do a lot of fruit and can't keep the family away from it. I prefer canning to drying for most vegies. I do dry broccoli and cauliflower and it's great in soups, stews and baked in a cheese sauce. We dry some vegies to make our own vegetable salt mixes. 
I use it much more for snack foods than serious storage.


----------



## Davarm

Collard Greens tonight!

Gonna try an experiment in the next day or two, Poke Greens! Never done it before, dont know how it will come out or even how I'd use them dried but gonna give it a try and see what I come up with.



Wellrounded said:


> There are plenty of foods I don't like dehydrated. Haven't tried eggs though. I do a lot of fruit and can't keep the family away from it. I prefer canning to drying for most vegies. I do dry broccoli and cauliflower and it's great in soups, stews and baked in a cheese sauce. We dry some vegies to make our own vegetable salt mixes.
> I use it much more for snack foods than serious storage.


Never thought to try making "Vegetable Salts", gonna have to try that!

What veggies do you use most often in your salt mixes?

BTW, Nice garden!


----------



## Wellrounded

Davarm said:


> Collard Greens tonight!
> 
> Gonna try an experiment in the next day or two, Poke Greens! Never done it before, dont know how it will come out or even how I'd use them dried but gonna give it a try and see what I come up with.
> 
> Never thought to try making "Vegetable Salts", gonna have to try that!
> 
> What veggies do you use most often in your salt mixes?
> 
> BTW, Nice garden!


Celery, onion, garlic, chilli, tomato, mushroom and a range of herbs. I mix a few spices in as well sometimes, black pepper, allspice, ginger, lemon grass and lemon or orange peel. Different mixes for different uses. I love using them to season flour when coating meat before frying but we use a lot at the dinning table as well. My DH loves them on beef or eggs.

AND, thank you.


----------



## ksmama10

I just LOVE this thread! I am constantly learning something new...all this talk about Vegetable Salts sent me to google, which led me to an interesting link I thought I'd share with the class.

Cut and Dried Vegetable Salts


----------



## talob

Machinist your right, some things just don't come back right, wife has been dehydrating about everything and we are learning what works good and what dosent, hence my question about fresh mushrooms above, Davarm your right allso she did fruit rollups and grandkids love em, we bought daughter one for her birthday so she can do fruit for kids.


----------



## Freyadog

Davarm said:


> Sorry I didn't answer this sooner, slipped by me.
> 
> If you hang and air dry the pasta you dont have put it in the dehydrator if it dries completely. If it snaps like store bought pasta, should be good to go whether you air dry or dehydrate it. Either way 24 hours should do it.
> 
> Those pasta machines really make it easier to make the noodles, don't they!


Dav, the noodles are drying from last evening. They are hanging over the laundry dowel thing. Are they suppose to break off as they dry? The dowel thing is up on my kitchen table due to a puppy who kept snatching them off the dowels when it was sitting on the floor. I am finding noodles on the table. So was just wondering if they are suppose to do that.

Maybe they were left too long and the weight made them break?


----------



## Davarm

Freyadog said:


> Dav, the noodles are drying from last evening. They are hanging over the laundry dowel thing. Are they suppose to break off as they dry? The dowel thing is up on my kitchen table due to a puppy who kept snatching them off the dowels when it was sitting on the floor. I am finding noodles on the table. So was just wondering if they are suppose to do that.
> 
> Maybe they were left too long and the weight made them break?


That happens sometimes, the thinner they are the more tendency they have to break as they dry. Just lay the broken ones somewhere out of puppies reach and let them finish drying.


----------



## UncleJoe

I'm guessing this was mentioned somewhere in this 125 page thread but I'm going to be lazy and just ask. 

How thick do you folks slice your banana's when you dry them? I picked up 3 bunches yesterday at the flea market with the express purpose of drying them. Banana is something I haven't tried yet and AuntJoe ask for some a couple weeks ago.


----------



## ksmama10

UncleJoe said:


> I'm guessing this was mentioned somewhere in this 125 page thread but I'm going to be lazy and just ask.
> 
> How thick do you folks slice your banana's when you dry them? I picked up 3 bunches yesterday at the flea market with the express purpose of drying them. Banana is something I haven't tried yet and AuntJoe ask for some a couple weeks ago.


I try to slice mine about 1/8 thick..although most wind up being closer to 1/4. The trick is finding the balance between too thin to handle/douse in lemon juice and too thick to dry well. The kids don't seem to mind the thick ones, as they gobble them up as fast as I can dehydrate them. They're so good!


----------



## Davarm

You can keep in mind that the riper they are when you slice them, the sweeter they will be when they are dried.


----------



## Wellrounded

UncleJoe said:


> I'm guessing this was mentioned somewhere in this 125 page thread but I'm going to be lazy and just ask.
> 
> How thick do you folks slice your banana's when you dry them? I picked up 3 bunches yesterday at the flea market with the express purpose of drying them. Banana is something I haven't tried yet and AuntJoe ask for some a couple weeks ago.


I don't slice mine. Just peel and then push my thumb between the natural 'seam'. They fall into three sections. Prepared like this they take about 30 hours to dry in my dehydrator. When packed in jars they look like dried fish, lol.


----------



## UncleJoe

Davarm said:


> You can keep in mind that the riper they are when you slice them, the sweeter they will be when they are dried.


I wondered about that as well. Guess I'll wait a couple days to let them ripen up. How long do they take and at what temp? My dehydrator is 500w with an adjustable thermostat.



Wellrounded said:


> I don't slice mine. Just peel and then push my thumb between the natural 'seam'. They fall into three sections. Prepared like this they take about 30 hours to dry in my dehydrator. When packed in jars they look like dried fish, lol.


Three large chunks? I may try that in the future. This batch is will just be wafers. I'll need to see how they turn out before trying the next experiment.


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

UJ, ifin yall wanna try sumtin really tastey, sprinkle just a bit a cinnamon an sugar on them there nanners before ya dry em. Ain't a wieght watchers special but they sure be tastey!


----------



## ksmama10

OldCootHillbilly said:


> UJ, ifin yall wanna try sumtin really tastey, sprinkle just a bit a cinnamon an sugar on them there nanners before ya dry em. Ain't a wieght watchers special but they sure be tastey!


On that note..my youngest son mushed up the last several over-ripe bananas today and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on it. He said it was tasty..I bet that mushy combo would make a nice fruit roll up. Might have to try it next time there's a sale on speckled bananas.


----------



## Davarm

Have a full load of collard greens in to dry, tomorrows going to be the same.


----------



## ksmama10

I just finished dehydrating a bunch of spiced tomatoes, and boy, are they good! Now, I probably goofed when I sprayed the trays, since I'd marinated the tomatoes in a mixture with olive oil. They took longer to dry and still are not all entirely brittle. Should I just plan to use this batch for food experiments(salad toppings and snacks, anyone?) and not plan on it lasting long? Thoughts? Suggestions for next time?


----------



## Davarm

I'm back to dehydrating greens again.

Beet greens tonight, last night was a full 30 trays of turnip greens, tomorrow its either going to be kale or spinach. 

I'm going to have to work leeks in there somewhere.


----------



## black_dog

2 bags of Ore Ida hash browns ,a tray of chopped green, red, and orange peppers, and a tray of onions. Started to use my large freezer smoker I built several years ago. 1000watt burner with a digital control for setting temp. Works great I set temp at 136 deg and it holds temp within 2 to 3 deg all the time. Use it during day when outside temp is warm and it hardly has to run at all. About bananas I found a slicer in the gadget section of Safeway it slices 5 slices at a time. Cost about 6 dollars. Makes the job super easy and fast.


----------



## Meerkat

I really need to be dehydrating some of my stevia but its too humid now so I may just cut it and wait till the humidity is down.


----------



## readytogo

*Drying tools*

Been drying for some time now, specially fruits/vegetables and to make them as uniform as possible I use this tool, a Mandolin slicer, also made a solar dryer, as a child I remember grandma drying on a corrugated metal, the bees love the nectar, lots of honey, plenty of dry fruits.  
http://fantes.com/images/120186mandolin.jpg


----------



## ras1219como

I was slicing potatoes on mandolin slicer about six months ago and I sliced the pad of my middle finger off. Hurt like the dickens and took three stitches to fix up. There's a reason they make those finger guards...those things are super sharp!


----------



## Davarm

Wound up being spinach tonight, picked 11 grocery bags today.

Gonna have to keep dehydrating, empty jars are getting scarce again.


----------



## Davarm

I "inherited" my grandmothers mandolin slicer when she was no longer able to use it. I retired it a display area in my kitchen for t he same reason, no stitches required but I dont have a fingerprint on the end of one finger. I dont know how she used it all those years without bloodshed.



ras1219como said:


> I was slicing potatoes on mandolin slicer about six months ago and I sliced the pad of my middle finger off. Hurt like the dickens and took three stitches to fix up. There's a reason they make those finger guards...those things are super sharp!


UnckeJoe, how did the bananas come out?


----------



## Dakine

have Beef Jerky on the dehydrator, I vacuum sealed it to marinate with left over syrup from the candied jalapenos I made last week. 

The syrup is excellent, I used about a half a pint to marinate 4 lbs of roast beef cut into thin strips.


----------



## Wellrounded

Dakine said:


> have Beef Jerky on the dehydrator, I vacuum sealed it to marinate with left over syrup from the candied jalapenos I made last week.
> 
> The syrup is excellent, I used about a half a pint to marinate 4 lbs of roast beef cut into thin strips.


I pickled a heap of mixed vegetables with the same syrup a few weeks ago. Last night we had Sweet and sour ginger chicken, a jar of the pickled veg, some pickled ginger, a jar of chicken meat and a handful of fresh veg. It was really good and super easy. I only made 20 pints all up.....not enough I think.


----------



## Dakine

I cant believe how tasty it is!!! after sitting for a week in the jar it lost all the heat, it's just tangy! I think this will even be a treat for a friend of mine who has a very sensitive stomach, she cant do hot and spicy, this just might be under the radar tho


----------



## laverne

Meerkat said:


> I really need to be dehydrating some of my stevia but its too humid now so I may just cut it and wait till the humidity is down.


I tried growing Stevia last year and failed  how did u grow yours, inside or outside? I tried hydroponics, in the greenhouse and outside. I got it to sprout and thats it.


----------



## Davarm

Gonna be Kale tonight, a full 30 trays and then some.


----------



## Dakine

I dont even know what kale and stevia are


----------



## memrymaker

My kids got me a dehydrator for Mother's Day (it was my next planned purchase) - what smart little people.  

I am excited to get started! My garden has some rosemary that needs trimming and a basil plant that is getting WAY to big. I am excited to dry the herbs and get some potatoes going.


----------



## Toffee

Dakine said:


> I dont even know what kale and stevia are


Kale is similar to chard or collards and stevia is a plant grown as a sweetener, similar to sugarcane, I believe. I am doing potatoes and mushrooms tomorrow.


----------



## Davarm

Its Cauliflower tonight. 

The heat is starting to take its toll on the plants so decided to just cut it all and bring it in instead of using all the water it would take to get just a little more return.


----------



## goshengirl

memrymaker said:


> and a basil plant that is getting WAY too big.


Is it possible for a basil to be too big? 

For what it's worth, it took me a little bit to get basil to dehydrate the way I wanted it to. I found that if I washed the basil before dehydrating, it ended up with dark spots on it. Doesn't really change the flavor, but it didn't look good. Now I try to wash off the plant (still in the ground) the night before harvest, which gives the water plenty of chance to dry before picking the basil. I can also hang it upside down in a small bundle that way, which doesn't work out so well if I try washing right before hanging.

Have fun!


----------



## goshengirl

Honeysuckle blossoms and leaves on a drying rack

Raspberry leaves (still on stalks) hanging upside down

Mint leaves hanging upside down (some unknown variety from my good neighbor - we'll see how they work in a tea)

Celery pieces in the Excalibur (makes for a REALLY strong smell in the house!)


----------



## Davarm

Can I ask what you use the Honeysuckle for? I know it has some medicinal properties and for that reason I planted several vines but haven't gotten around to doing a lot of study on it, I have used the leaves and flowers as a tea but not much more.



goshengirl said:


> Honeysuckle blossoms and leaves on a drying rack
> 
> Raspberry leaves (still on stalks) hanging upside down
> 
> Mint leaves hanging upside down (some unknown variety from my good neighbor - we'll see how they work in a tea)
> 
> Celery pieces in the Excalibur (makes for a REALLY strong smell in the house!)


I have the last of the Cauliflower finishing up now and when I take it out gonna start on Carrots and will probably be drying those for the next 2 or 3 days.


----------



## goshengirl

I'll by trying honeysuckle as an alternative medicine for asthma, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge yet (also supposed to be good for bronchitis). It's also supposed to be good for hot flashes.  I also plan to make honeysuckle honey (infusing the honeysuckle in honey) for colds, flu, and sore throats. For those purposes, adding forsythia is recommended.


----------



## memrymaker

I tried honey banana chips. They taste great, but I need to find a way to get them crispier and hopefully LESS sticky! 

Any suggestions?


----------



## ras1219como

goshengirl said:


> Honeysuckle blossoms and leaves on a drying rack
> 
> Raspberry leaves (still on stalks) hanging upside down
> 
> Mint leaves hanging upside down (some unknown variety from my good neighbor - we'll see how they work in a tea)
> 
> Celery pieces in the Excalibur (makes for a REALLY strong smell in the house!)


I just dried a bunch of minced celery too and it's a super strong smell but I love dried celery for soups and such so I put up with it.


----------



## Davarm

I tried it for BP, its a diuretic so it should help lower Blood Pressure. I've been off BP meds for a long time now so it may be helping there.

The diuretic effect is supposed to help your body get rid of toxins, it sounds logical but I've never used it for that.



goshengirl said:


> I'll by trying honeysuckle as an alternative medicine for asthma, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge yet (also supposed to be good for bronchitis). It's also supposed to be good for hot flashes.  I also plan to make honeysuckle honey (infusing the honeysuckle in honey) for colds, flu, and sore throats. For those purposes, adding forsythia is recommended.


----------



## Davarm

I'm drying dill flowers tonight!

I love the smell of the house when I have a dehydrator full of it running inside.


----------



## ashley8072

Mushrooms and olives about done for Falls Creek church camp. Gonna be nice and fresh.


----------



## Wellrounded

Broccoli, cauliflower, leeks and cabbage. 
Broccoli is by far my favourite dried vegetable, to use I soak in hot water for 15 to 30 minutes then either braise in butter or bake with a cheese sauce. Not quite as good as fresh but miles better than commercial frozen and I think better than home frozen.


----------



## Toffee

Gonna start potatoes when I get home. Can you do cucumber and have it honestly be useable?


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I tried it for BP, its a diuretic so it should help lower Blood Pressure. I've been off BP meds for a long time now so it may be helping there.
> 
> The diuretic effect is supposed to help your body get rid of toxins, it sounds logical but I've never used it for that.


What exactly did you take for blood pressure? I must have missed something....I desperately want to be off bp meds..........work your magic Dave and make it go away!!


----------



## Davarm

I sent you a PM!



neldarez said:


> What exactly did you take for blood pressure? I must have missed something....I desperately want to be off bp meds..........work your magic Dave and make it go away!!


My dehydrators are full of cauliflower and carrots tonight, finished cleaning out those beds and have a couple days of drying to do running all my dehydrators.

I left the cauliflower plants in the ground, when I get caught up drying, I'm going to pick and dehydrate the greens, a while back I tried cooking up a mess of them and they were pretty good so I canned about a dozen jars but am going to dry the rest.


----------



## Freyadog

Have trays of cooked rice in dehydrator at the moment. No clue how long to dry it for but its in there. Next will be the cooked beans.


----------



## jeff47041

Freyadog said:


> Have trays of cooked rice in dehydrator at the moment. No clue how long to dry it for but its in there. Next will be the cooked beans.


Could you tell me what you're doing Freyadog?

Does rehydrating cooked rice and cooked beans take less time than cooking from the start? They are pretty much dehydrated when you get them in the first place right?
I'm interested because we always have leftover rice.


----------



## Freyadog

jeff47041 said:


> Could you tell me what you're doing Freyadog?
> 
> Does rehydrating cooked rice and cooked beans take less time than cooking from the start? They are pretty much dehydrated when you get them in the first place right?
> I'm interested because we always have leftover rice.


Hey Jeff, cooked dehydrated rice is not the same thing as the rice right out of the bag the rice in the bag is raw. The instant rice is cooked then dehydrated and then boxed. Add boiling water. Beans are also raw. So I am following this thread and meals in a jar.

What I have going at the moment is cooked rice that I am dehydrating and from what I understand it will be instant rice. Just add boiling water type thing. Trying to make, as everyone else here, meals faster and easier.

My afternoon with rice: I put my water in the pot with the raw rice. Let it come to a boil and let it boil for 2 minutes with a lid on. Turn heat off. Leave for 20 minutes. Flake with a fork. No need to cook the stuff to death.

I then rinsed the rice after it had cooled and I could handle it and put it on cheesecloth in my dehydrator. Have it going at the moment. Could not find answer to how long to dehydrate it so playing it by ear. Felt it a few minutes ago and it seemed to be drying fine. I actually put it on 135 degrees for 6 hours. Have no idea at this point whether that is too short or too long. Gonna check it in about another 30 minutes and continue on until I feel that it is dry enough.


----------



## Freyadog

*Well,,hum...the beans*

Did something wrong I do think. I cooked them on low over night. May be here that I made the mistake because I could find no time information for the cooking time nor the drying time.

anyway I have ended up with beans that when you pick them up they crumble. So gonna grind them up for flour and start over again. I use a lot of bean flour for gravies instead of flour itself but never used already cooked/dehydrated beans.

Ok maybe I can use them for refried beans instead of grinding them up. they are not burnt or anything just DRY


----------



## Davarm

If I understand you right, you cooked the beans overnight and when you dehydrated them they crumbled?

When I cook beans to dehydrate, I cook them until they are just done then put them in to dry, they will pretty much stay whole or may split when dried but will not usually crumble.

I like the beans that are cooked down pretty well then dehydrated also, makes a dish more like a soup when rehydrated if you dry the beans and "juice" all together. When you do it that way, it works out best to pour it onto a fruit leather tray to dry.



Freyadog said:


> Did something wrong I do think. I cooked them on low over night. May be here that I made the mistake because I could find no time information for the cooking time nor the drying time.
> 
> anyway I have ended up with beans that when you pick them up they crumble. So gonna grind them up for flour and start over again. I use a lot of bean flour for gravies instead of flour itself but never used already cooked/dehydrated beans.
> 
> Ok maybe I can use them for refried beans instead of grinding them up. they are not burnt or anything just DRY


----------



## machinist

We have been drying all our surplus eggs for some months now. I use a Foodsaver to vac seal them a dozen per package, and store that in the freezer for longevity. The result works great for baking needs, but makes a rather TOUGH omelet. 

Yesterday we dried some pureed strawberries and made fruit leather for the first time. I'm not impressed. It was a major PITA to get the stuff scraped off the fruit leather trays. Next time, we plan to use some butter on the trays and see if that helps. 

I don't care for the fruit leather. It sticks to my false teeth and is SOUR as all get-out. True to form, my wife loves to use it to make strawberry milk shakes. I will retch if I SMELL a strawberry milkshake. :ignore: She dried about a gallon and a half, so I hope we find a use for this. 

So far, I am NOT in love with ANYTHING we have dehydrated. NADA. My wife will do whatever floats her boat WRT to the dehydrator, but I wouldn't care if it caught fire tonight. Over the past 100 years or so, people have worked out good ways to store food--dried grains, beans, and seeds, frozen or canned veggies, frozen or cured meats. I see no reason to deviate from those ideas unless TSHTF and those means don't work. Then, I will rely to the utmost on FRESH foods and do what I have to do, without any enthusiasm for dehydrating. Dried veggies are disgusting, IMHO.


----------



## Davarm

Dill flowers tonight.


----------



## neldarez

when using egg powder in recipe, do most of you use 1 tbs. powder to 2 tbs water? Does that equal an egg?


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> when using egg powder in recipe, do most of you use 1 tbs. powder to 2 tbs water? Does that equal an egg?


Most of the lit I've read says that measure is pretty standard.

When I started drying eggs I would do a before and after weight check to see how much water would be needed to rehydrate.

SURPRISE, different batches would loose more in weight so I decided that 2 to 1(water to egg) was a good average.


----------



## Freyadog

Just wanted to check in with my rice and beans. I poured some of the rice that I dehydrated into a bowl and then poured boiling water over it, did the same thing with the beans. didn't measure the water but made sure that both were covered good. They sat while I was cooking meat and spices for burrito's. Drained them both and Thumper made refried beans with the pintos. they both turned out wonderful.

gonna do more of both this week. love this quick fixes.


----------



## ksmama10

Freyadog said:


> Just wanted to check in with my rice and beans. I poured some of the rice that I dehydrated into a bowl and then poured boiling water over it, did the same thing with the beans. didn't measure the water but made sure that both were covered good. They sat while I was cooking meat and spices for burrito's. Drained them both and Thumper made refried beans with the pintos. they both turned out wonderful.
> 
> gonna do more of both this week. love this quick fixes.


I found a 6 qt crockpot with an extra crock at a garage sale Saturday for $5...talked them down to $3 on account of the missing knob on the lid. One reason I wanted it was to cook beans while my other crock cooks supper..so I can dehydrate those beans. Also want to play with making yogurt one of these days.


----------



## Davarm

More dill flowers tonight!


----------



## Freyadog

ksmama10 said:


> I found a 6 qt crockpot with an extra crock at a garage sale Saturday for $5...talked them down to $3 on account of the missing knob on the lid. One reason I wanted it was to cook beans while my other crock cooks supper..so I can dehydrate those beans. Also want to play with making yogurt one of these days.


The beans that I cooked split pretty much all of them. I had put them in the crock pot over night. Should have just cooked them until they were just done on the stove or just watched the crockpot. This week I will cook them that way. BTW the beans turned out wonderful for the refried beans that Thumper made. I am sure they would be fine also in chili but for a bowl of beans I don't think so.


----------



## Meerkat

I have lots of stevia to dehydrate,but its so humid now lots of storms around. Need to get to it before it flowers and seeds.


----------



## ksmama10

Freyadog said:


> The beans that I cooked split pretty much all of them. I had put them in the crock pot over night. Should have just cooked them until they were just done on the stove or just watched the crockpot. This week I will cook them that way. BTW the beans turned out wonderful for the refried beans that Thumper made. I am sure they would be fine also in chili but for a bowl of beans I don't think so.


How many hours did they cook overnight? Another thought just hit me(boy did that hurt!), I wonder if we could run the dehydrated beans through a coffee grinder to make a powder for instant refrained beans..would be a sneaky way to add protein to soups or bread too. Split beans wouldn't matter..


----------



## Davarm

My loads of chard finished up earlier, now I'm working on getting my second planting of Cilantro done. Even when its hot, I will dehydrate Cilantro and Dill in the house just because I love the smells that fill the house. Not too thrilled about heating up the inside but its worth it.

Will probably have several loads but should be done by the weekend.


----------



## ksmama10

Just took six trays of hasbrowns off the dehydrator. Now I'm waiting for 5 lbs of pintos to cook(two stockpots) so I can start dehydrating them. I can see right now I need more trays..I guess I can always bag and refrigerate what doesn't fit and then do them tomorrow.


----------



## Freyadog

ksmama10 said:


> How many hours did they cook overnight? Another thought just hit me(boy did that hurt!), I wonder if we could run the dehydrated beans through a coffee grinder to make a powder for instant refrained beans..would be a sneaky way to add protein to soups or bread too. Split beans wouldn't matter..


ksmama, mine darl'n cooked a long time. like maybe 12 hours on low. way too long for what I wanted them for but they were excellent as refried.

I grind dry raw beans and use to thicken soups and stews. but you can not put those through a coffee grinder but the dehydrated ones maybe. I suppose depending on the size of the coffee grinder you could. the one I have is tiny so not sure.


----------



## ksmama10

Freyadog said:


> ksmama, mine darl'n cooked a long time. like maybe 12 hours on low. way too long for what I wanted them for but they were excellent as refried.
> 
> I grind dry raw beans and use to thicken soups and stews. but you can not put those through a coffee grinder but the dehydrated ones maybe. I suppose depending on the size of the coffee grinder you could. the one I have is tiny so not sure.


These beans are taking a long time to cook on the stove. I started them at 10:30 am, and left the house at 1:30..I knew I'd be gone a while, so I turned them as low as I could. My outing took much longer than I expected, and I didn't get home til about 6 pm; the beans are still not done. I've never cooked dried beans this way, so am not sure I did it right. This is a five pound bag, divided into two pots. I diced an onion for each pot and had a meaty ham bone(frozen) for each too. Brought them both to boil, then turned down to cover and simmer.


----------



## Meerkat

We have lots of stevia to dry.We hung it up till the humidity goes down then we will dehydrate it.


----------



## Davarm

The older your dried beans are, the longer they will take to cook. If they are by chance Pinto's, you can use the color as an indicator, if the light colored patches are pale and fresh looking the beans are likely new crop. If its darker tan or light brown, they've likely been stored for a long while and will take a lot longer to cook.



ksmama10 said:


> These beans are taking a long time to cook on the stove. I started them at 10:30 am, and left the house at 1:30..I knew I'd be gone a while, so I turned them as low as I could. My outing took much longer than I expected, and I didn't get home til about 6 pm; the beans are still not done. I've never cooked dried beans this way, so am not sure I did it right. This is a five pound bag, divided into two pots. I diced an onion for each pot and had a meaty ham bone(frozen) for each too. Brought them both to boil, then turned down to cover and simmer.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> The older your dried beans are, the longer they will take to cook. If they are by chance Pinto's, you can use the color as an indicator, if the light colored patches are pale and fresh looking the beans are likely new crop. If its darker tan or light brown, they've likely been stored for a long while and will take a lot longer to cook.


I've not had them longer than 6 months.. and it's all from one bag. Seriously, one batch is a nice lovely toasted almond color(cooked) and the other is a motley tan and light brown. They're still not done, and it's 10:30 pm. They were in the deep freeze this whole time, if that makes any difference..


----------



## Freyadog

Still working on the closet that I found the 30 cans of peaches. Nope, haven't gotten to the peaches as we are trying to move all this stuff out of this one closet. Did find 2 #10 cans of string beans so they are in the dehydrator. Was going to get more done today but had to go and help rescue a doeling that had been hit by a car and the owners would not call a vet. That...was a mess... We took control of the doeling and she is doing better tonight.


----------



## Davarm

For about the next 3 or 4 days its going to be Dill, the grasshoppers are getting so bad that they have started gnawing the outer layers off random volunteer dill plants around the garden. 

Its going to be dry it or loose it, last year I waited a little too long and lost a big part of my years dill supply, its not going to happen again this year.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> For about the next 3 or 4 days its going to be Dill, the grasshoppers are getting so bad that they have started gnawing the outer layers off random volunteer dill plants around the garden.
> 
> Its going to be dry it or loose it, last year I waited a little too long and lost a big part of my years dill supply, its not going to happen again this year.


Watch out hoppers, David is on a mission!! Show no mercy Dave:teehee:


----------



## Toffee

Bell peppers today. Have about a dozen drying.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> I've not had them longer than 6 months.. and it's all from one bag. Seriously, one batch is a nice lovely toasted almond color(cooked) and the other is a motley tan and light brown. They're still not done, and it's 10:30 pm. They were in the deep freeze this whole time, if that makes any difference..


Sorry I missed the post, a lot going on.

It's usually not a matter of how long you've had the beans, its how long the food chain had them before you bought them. The fresh new crop beans are usually a little more expensive than the generic store brands but IMO it's worth a few bits more per pound. Dont know what store you shop at but down here in Texas the "Casserole" Brand are usually good new crop beans(pinto's).

The new crop beans will generally be a lighter color when they are "Just Done" but if you cook them longer they may darken some, you cant really tell when they are done by the color. Some people may be able to but I never really paid attention.

For new crop pinto beans, I'd estimate that they should be done in around 2 to 2 1/2 hours(anyone out there agree/disagree), If you soak them overnight before cooking the cook time will be dramatically reduced. You can put them in a pressure cooker for about an hour(not soaked) and that generally will be enough time.


----------



## Davarm

I have 4 dehydrators going now, 3 with dill(should be done with all I have cut tomorrow) and 1 full of Leeks.

They were eating the leeks down to ground level so I am adding them to my "ToDo" list.

When the dill and leeks are done, its going to be green beans! My 6 - 50 ft rows are coming in now and I'm running out of room for jars.



neldarez said:


> Watch out hoppers, David is on a mission!! Show no mercy Dave:teehee:


I'm going to get my BB gun out and do some target practice, I dont think I'd be able to afford enough BB's to completely take care of the problem though!lol

I'm going to have to mow my grass with all the rain we've had lately, when it gets about ankle high the little buggers will hunker down and hide instead of hop/fly off when the mower goes over and I get a little extra fertilizer in the compost pile.


----------



## Hottooth

Just pulled off 4 racks of smoked cayenne pepper to grind. Smells great!


----------



## machinist

More eggs, Apple Mint, Sweet Woodruff, Chocolate Mint, and Ladies Bedstraw (aka, Cheese Rennet). Have some Marsh Mallow ready to go in, and many more herbs.


----------



## Toffee

Put two bags of frozen stir fry veggies, one of pad and carrots and one container if frozen lemonade to try for a fruit rollup. We have about a billion cans of the stuff in the freezer right now.


----------



## Davarm

Candied Watermelon Rind or "Watermelon Hide" as HozayBuck called it.


----------



## ashley8072

Made 50 Tie-Ups, then gave up and shucked the rest into the dehydrator.  5 trays of locally grown non-GMO baby! 

Tie-Ups are our Native food. Similar to what you would call a tamale, but not rolled. Corn mash mix with meat, folded triangle inside a corn husk, tied with a torn strip of husk. LOTS of time needed to make these, but well worth the wait. Their then frozen, and bagged. When ready to cook, you boil them.


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## Davarm

More candied watermelon rind.

Have a batch in the dehydrator and a pot simmering on the stove that will go in to dry tomorrow.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I ordered my dehydrator on the 9th and immediately started reading this thread. I am up to page 84 and there is some amazing information. Received the dehydrator this morning and really wanted to dry onions but don't want to put it outside. A couple of weeks ago I bought a canned Hormel ham and didn't realize it had to be refrigerated until I brought it home. SO it is in the dehydrator. My garden is a bust so I will have wait for sales for using it.


----------



## ashley8072

3 trays of summer squash that didn't go in the canner or freezer. Mmm


----------



## SouthCentralUS

Green bell peppers about ready to take out.


----------



## JayJay

Neldarez--I always use sharpie on my lids in case the label gets damaged. And if transferred to mason jars, directions on jar with sharpie--goo gone takes it right off.

Yep..1 to 2. 

Mine are from Thrive.


----------



## JayJay

Davarm said:


> Not too thrilled about heating up the inside but its worth it.
> 
> I dehydrate in my attached garage and after dark and house is locked up, the laundry room.
> And I also dehydrate on the covered back porch when no sign of rain!
> 
> On another note, I like to dehydrate my onions and green peppers together so when I get ready for a meatloaf, there ya go--both in one jar!!


----------



## laverne

JayJay said:


> Neldarez--I always use sharpie on my lids in case the label gets damaged. And if transferred to mason jars, directions on jar with sharpie--goo gone takes it right off.
> 
> Yep..1 to 2.
> 
> Mine are from Thrive.


Rubbing alcohol takes sharpie off them too!!!


----------



## Wellrounded

Red cabbage and green cabbage. The smell...what smell... cabbage (and cauli or broccoli days) drying days we have slow cooked pork roast, all I can smell is MMMMMMMM.


----------



## Davarm

I put some small pre-made hamburger patties on to dry last night, about 3 pounds of them.

A local grocery store had a large 4 pound flat of them on sale for $1.00 per pound, set out 1 pound for the grandson to have with biscuits for the next week or so and am drying the rest.


----------



## goshengirl

Dave, have you done the patties before? I'm curious how they do. I've done plenty of ground meats, but not patties. Do they dry well in the center? I've thought about trying to dry some really thin patties (so that when rehydrated, two would make a full sized hamburger pattie). Do you pre-cook them?

Thanks for putting up with my questions.


----------



## Davarm

goshengirl said:


> Dave, have you done the patties before? I'm curious how they do. I've done plenty of ground meats, but not patties. Do they dry well in the center? I've thought about trying to dry some really thin patties (so that when rehydrated, two would make a full sized hamburger pattie). Do you pre-cook them?
> 
> Thanks for putting up with my questions.


The ones I bought were cooked and about half the size of a McDonalds regular hamburger patty. This is the first time I've tried them and and when went out to check them this morning they were not done yet, looks like they will take about a full 24 hours to completely dry. They are thin enough that I dont think I will have a problem getting them completely dry all the way through.

I have dried them uncooked before, seasoned them up like jerky and they came out pretty good, surprised me. The only thing to be careful of when I do the raw ones is to make sure I put a empty tray with a fruit leather liner in the stack underneath everything to catch the grease that drips down.

As for "putting up with questions", thats what this Forum is all about!!!:wave:


----------



## Davarm

I'm trying something new tonight.

I've been letting my zucchini grow past their prime, when they start to yellow, we sometimes peel , de-seed them and use them like potatoes. Tonight I diced them, lightly boiled them and put them in the dehydrator to dry. I'm hoping that I can rehydrate them with boiling water and have something like diced potatoes as a result, some butter, salt and pepper and a ready made side dish.

I'll know tomorrow if it's going to work like I hope.


----------



## Kodeman

Just finished drying 15# of beef jerky.


----------



## Davarm

I got the cooked hamburger patties finished up, took a little over 24 hours to get them as dry as I wanted them to be. They lost about 1/4 of their size and are durable enough that I dont think they will break when I vacuum seal them in Food Saver bags.

I rehydrated one tonight to see how it tasted and it was OK, not as good as before they went into the dehydrator but definitely a keeper.



goshengirl said:


> Dave, have you done the patties before? I'm curious how they do. I've done plenty of ground meats, but not patties. Do they dry well in the center? I've thought about trying to dry some really thin patties (so that when rehydrated, two would make a full sized hamburger pattie). Do you pre-cook them?
> 
> Thanks for putting up with my questions.


Finished up the cooked zucchini and I tested that out also, it was interesting but also a keeper. It didn't rehydrate to anywhere near the size it was before drying but with a little butter, salt and pepper it was pretty good.

Have a load of Okra drying tonight.


----------



## Onebigelf

The Cajun triumvirate. Onion, Celery, and green pepper dices. Bought cases and there's leftovers after canning Chicken Creole, Ettouffe, and Chicken and Sausage Jambalya.

John


----------



## JayJay

I have bananas dehydrated and wanted pineapple to start make my own trail mix, later nuts and whatever.
The chunks took 9 hours and I was surprised.
Of course they taste great.
4 cans make one stuffed pint; allow for sampling of product with that figure. :teehee:


----------



## Davarm

Another load of the cooked-diced zucchini.


----------



## goshengirl

Thanks for the reminder, Jay Jay. Haven't dehydrated pineapple in a while. Stuff tastes like candy, it's so good. Now I'm itching to find some cans on sale....


----------



## JayJay

goshengirl said:


> Thanks for the reminder, Jay Jay. Haven't dehydrated pineapple in a while. Stuff tastes like candy, it's so good. Now I'm itching to find some cans on sale....


I made 4 quart jars just now of trail mix using my dried pineapples, apples, bananas, sunflower seeds, and bought dried mango .
It looks great, sealed and stored away for when we might not have fresh fruit.artydance:
Add raisins for a healthy touch, but I am a grape person, not raisins.


----------



## ilovetigger

machinist said:


> Over the past couple years we have dehydrated summer squash, okra, tomatoes, kale, apples, and eggs. The eggs work okay for baking, and I suppose I would eat them as scrambled eggs or an omelet (they taste okay), but it comes out TOUGH. Have to chew it forever to get it down.
> 
> All the veggies are inedible. No matter how much you soak them or boil them to reconstitute, they either come out as tough and chewy, or limp and slimy. No flavor to speak of, but some resembled damp cardboard. I might eat it if I was starving, but not by choice. The kale was extremely bitter for some reason, and pretty much like any other dried leaf you would pick up off the ground.
> 
> With high hopes, we bought the dehydrator to deal with excess eggs, but I should have just wrung some chicken necks and kept the money. I would just as soon do without eggs.
> 
> So, we spent about $140 on a dehydrator and I now see it as money wasted. I had dreams of dehydrated soup mixes, but that was a big flop. I think dehydrated foods are WAAAY oversold. My wife is frugal--so tight she squeaks when she moves, so she will hang onto this thing forever and use it for eggs. Meanwhile, I am culling chickens to drastically limit how many of them I will have to face on my plate.
> 
> I thought we were doing something wrong, so I bought some dehydrated soup mixes at the grocery to try. Yep, same cardboard taste, some tough, chewy, nasty texture just like ours. It is disgusting.
> 
> Buying that dehydrator was one of the worst homesteading mistakes I ever made. I urge everyone who is considering buying a dehydrator to TRY SOME DRIED FOOD FIRST! You may like it. I don't see how, but anything is possible, I suppose. Just try it to know what you are getting into.
> 
> I am SOO glad that we never bought any quantity of the commercial freeze dried "survival food" things. I would hate to be stuck with that and nothing else to eat. I did buy a couple pouches of the Mountain House stuff at Wal Mart (FIVE BUCKS FOR ONE SERVING!!!) and hated it.
> 
> I grew up poor eating squirrel, lamb's quarter, and dandelion greens when we needed to sell what we grew for money to pay the taxes. I never liked that stuff, but got by on it and it is preferable to me over anything dried I ever tried to eat. We grow great veggies, fruits, herbs, and eggs now that have wonderful flavors. No way am I going to ruin them by dehydrating.
> 
> Our eggs don't store well, either, unless we vacuum seal the powder and then store them in the freezer. The cholesterol is a FAT and it goes rancid after a time. That defeats the idea that using a dehydrator will stop your dependence on modern storage methods. Those methods were developed for a REASON! Canning and freezing produce palatable foods!


We don't dehydrate like some others do but, I dehydrate TONS of onions, peppers, garlic, spices, and fruits for flavored waters. Those all work well.


----------



## Davarm

I picked a winter squash(Jumbo Pink Banana) from the garden today, peeled, diced, cooked and put it in the dehydrator tonight, one squash filled over 20 trays. If the vines dont die out from the neighbors herbicide, I'm going to dehydrate and/or can them as they ripen so I wont be stuck like I was last year - having hundreds of pounds to deal with at the end of the garden season.

I also scrambled several dozen eggs and put them on to dry tonight. I'm going to spend some time experimenting with ways to prepare them so they wont seem so much like "Dried Scrambled Eggs".


----------



## Kodeman

Dehydrating bananas and peaches today.


----------



## rhiana

I made dozens of dog cookies with whole wheat, apples and bananas then dehydrated them all and I'm storing them in mason jars in the kitchen. Doggies are happy!


----------



## ksmama10

If I want to dehydrate zucchini for future loaves of zucchini bread, should I dry slices, chips, or grated zucchini? If I grate it, can I just dry it, or do I need to steam it first?


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> If I want to dehydrate zucchini for future loaves of zucchini bread, should I dry slices, chips, or grated zucchini? If I grate it, can I just dry it, or do I need to steam it first?


If you grate it you need to be ready for something resembling saw dust when its dried, Zucchini can be as much as 90% water so it will shrink down quite a bit. It would make it pretty convenient for making the zucchini bread though.

I wouldn't worry about steaming it first if you are planning on using it for recipes that will be cooked. It will just take it longer to dehydrate with the water it will absorb during steaming.

Just slicing it is the easiest way to do it, when you get ready to make the zucchini bread, you could just run the slices through a food processor or blender to break it down into the right sized pieces to for the recipe.


----------



## Wellrounded

Bananas. Don't really know why though, every one that walks into the house can smell them, they'll never make it into storage.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> If you grate it you need to be ready for something resembling saw dust when its dried, Zucchini can be as much as 90% water so it will shrink down quite a bit. It would make it pretty convenient for making the zucchini bread though.
> 
> I wouldn't worry about steaming it first if you are planning on using it for recipes that will be cooked. It will just take it longer to dehydrate with the water it will absorb during steaming.
> 
> Just slicing it is the easiest way to do it, when you get ready to make the zucchini bread, you could just run the slices through a food processor or blender to break it down into the right sized pieces to for the recipe.


Would you rehydrate the slices or run them through the Ninja still dry? I like the idea of slices anyway, that leaves me wide open to changing my mind at the last possible moment and making chips. I'm so decisive:laugh:


----------



## Kodeman

Wellrounded said:


> Bananas. Don't really know why though, every one that walks into the house can smell them, they'll never make it into storage.


I agree, I dehydrated 6 trays a week ago and they're almost gone. Don't forget to spray them with lemon juice prior to dehydrating them, this prevents them from turning black.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> Would you rehydrate the slices or run them through the Ninja still dry? I like the idea of slices anyway, that leaves me wide open to changing my mind at the last possible moment and making chips. I'm so decisive:laugh:


When you rehydrate the slices they will be "tougher" than fresh slices but I think they would puree OK in your Ninja.

Its been a while since I've tried to run dried slices through a food processor and dont remember exactly how they did. A year or so ago Neldarez posted how to make apple pie from zucchini and thats when I tried it. I thought if I could do it with dried zucchini it would be good so I gave it a try, I also tried grinding the pieces that came out of the food processor in my grain mill but I would not recommend that. It just gummed everything up and took me forever to get it all cleaned up.

Bottom line, I'd dry a batch and try it both ways before you make a concrete decision on how to do it. If I can find the time, the next time I dehydrate zucchini I'll try it all again and let you know how it did.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> When you rehydrate the slices they will be "tougher" than fresh slices but I think they would puree OK in your Ninja.
> 
> Its been a while since I've tried to run dried slices through a food processor and dont remember exactly how they did. A year or so ago Neldarez posted how to make apple pie from zucchini and thats when I tried it. I thought if I could do it with dried zucchini it would be good so I gave it a try, I also tried grinding the pieces that came out of the food processor in my grain mill but I would not recommend that. It just gummed everything up and took me forever to get it all cleaned up.
> 
> Bottom line, I'd dry a batch and try it both ways before you make a concrete decision on how to do it. If I can find the time, the next time I dehydrate zucchini I'll try it all again and let you know how it did.


So, what you're saying is, we're all experimenting anyway, right? Playing with our food! This should be funartydance:


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> When you rehydrate the slices they will be "tougher" than fresh slices but I think they would puree OK in your Ninja.
> 
> Its been a while since I've tried to run dried slices through a food processor and dont remember exactly how they did. A year or so ago Neldarez posted how to make apple pie from zucchini and thats when I tried it. I thought if I could do it with dried zucchini it would be good so I gave it a try, I also tried grinding the pieces that came out of the food processor in my grain mill but I would not recommend that. It just gummed everything up and took me forever to get it all cleaned up.
> 
> Bottom line, I'd dry a batch and try it both ways before you make a concrete decision on how to do it. If I can find the time, the next time I dehydrate zucchini I'll try it all again and let you know how it did.


PS: anxiously waiting for that next book...

PSS: Um, this was supposed to be edited to go on the previous post..that's what I get for being distracted..


----------



## MetalPrepper

More beef jerky....I think I am getting good at that.


----------



## MetalPrepper

Machinest said it kinda how I see it, I love the idea of dehydrated food, cus it is small, light and easy to store in vacuume bags......but I find the art of dried eggs and tomatoes to be beyond my skills. I dry fruits, and jerky....to be eaten that way. Apples will reconstitute....but I don't expect anything else to real well. I agree with an above post about onions, peppers, maybe some herbs for additives .....I only spent $40 on my dryer....so shrug....oh and i'd like to try that dog cookie idea!


----------



## Onebigelf

Mixed veggies (frozen bags) for mixing with cous-cous in home-made mre's.

John


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> When you rehydrate the slices they will be "tougher" than fresh slices but I think they would puree OK in your Ninja.
> 
> Its been a while since I've tried to run dried slices through a food processor and dont remember exactly how they did. A year or so ago Neldarez posted how to make apple pie from zucchini and thats when I tried it. I thought if I could do it with dried zucchini it would be good so I gave it a try, I also tried grinding the pieces that came out of the food processor in my grain mill but I would not recommend that. It just gummed everything up and took me forever to get it all cleaned up.
> 
> Bottom line, I'd dry a batch and try it both ways before you make a concrete decision on how to do it. If I can find the time, the next time I dehydrate zucchini I'll try it all again and let you know how it did.


First batch of shredded zucchini is going now. I had 5.5 trays' worth already shredded in the fridge, and shredded another zucchini to fill all seven trays. Tomorrow, I will try slices. Yes, I need more trays.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> First batch of shredded zucchini is going now. I had 5.5 trays' worth already shredded in the fridge, and shredded another zucchini to fill all seven trays. Tomorrow, I will try slices. Yes, I need more trays.


You're going to look at your 7 trays of dried grated zucchini and panic, gonna wonder where it all went!


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> You're going to look at your 7 trays of dried grated zucchini and panic, gonna wonder where it all went!


I'm sure it will all fit in a very small jar. And I can hear my daughter, Becca now..."That used to be food!"


----------



## preppingsu

Carrots today. I am still experimenting with my dehydrator, so far have done pineapple, apple, onion, strawberries and a raspberry leather. Did some rhubarb chunks but they didn't work well. Will do a rhubarb and apple leather next.
I love dehydrating (is that sad?).

I am currently storing in Kilner jars. What does everybody think is best?


----------



## ksmama10

preppingsu said:


> Carrots today. I am still experimenting with my dehydrator, so far have done pineapple, apple, onion, strawberries and a raspberry leather. Did some rhubarb chunks but they didn't work well. Will do a rhubarb and apple leather next.
> I love dehydrating (is that sad?).
> 
> I am currently storing in Kilner jars. What does everybody think is best?


Not sad at all. It fascinates me to see how small the food becomes, and I'm enjoying learning how to use these dried foods. Dehydrating food is an easy way to ease into food preservation, and then there's those dried pinapple slices...yum!


----------



## rhiana

Nothing today, but I'm planning on doing some small diced veggies this weekend for soup mixes.


----------



## goshengirl

rhiana said:


> Nothing today, but I'm planning on doing some small diced veggies this weekend for soup mixes.


I like keeping stuff like that on hand, too.


----------



## Davarm

For all of you who are addicted to dehydrating foods, now you can expand your stock of dehydrated goods and really be prepared for emergencies!

http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> For all of you who are addicted to dehydrating foods, now you can expand your stock of dehydrated goods and really be prepared for emergencies!
> 
> http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/


The burning question is, have you tried to dehydrate water at home?


----------



## JayJay

ksmama10 said:


> First batch of shredded zucchini is going now. I had 5.5 trays' worth already shredded in the fridge, and shredded another zucchini to fill all seven trays. Tomorrow, I will try slices. Yes, I need more trays.


My new 4 trays are at chinamart(best price, free shipping) ready to be picked up, and yes, when drying lima beans, it would have been one session, instead of two.
Krogers--$1 a bag frozen.

As far as cost, I only spent $45 on my dryer..and so far I have dried:
fresh peaches, apples, pineapple, bananas, purple hull peas, mushrooms, green peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lima beans, onions.
Lots of this came from the freezer for two reasons--space needed for meat and if power goes, I didn't lose these.
AND, I am going from two freezers to one.


----------



## JayJay

Wellrounded said:


> Bananas. Don't really know why though, every one that walks into the house can smell them, they'll never make it into storage.


I ate the first batch--made trail mix with the second batch, with my pineapple, and apples(bought mango and sunflowers)...and have another quart jar I promised to not eat.
I love them.
I discovered the pretreated are no prettier than the non-treated, so that step is history for me.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> The burning question is, have you tried to dehydrate water at home?


Yea I've tried it, the only problem is that you have to add 1 full cup to get 1 cup back.lol

Just thought I'd throw that post out to see what would happen. I once did a search on "dehydrated water" just to see what I'd find and came up with sites that actually sold it as gags, bet some poor saps even bought it for their preps.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> Yea I've tried it, the only problem is that you have to add 1 full cup to get 1 cup back.lol
> 
> Just thought I'd throw that post out to see what would happen. I once did a search on "dehydrated water" just to see what I'd find and came up with sites that actually sold it as gags, bet some poor saps even bought it for their preps.


Wait, you mean this was a gag? Dude, I sent them my info and everything:gaah:

:teehee:


----------



## Davarm

I have 6 racks of Acorn Meal in the dehydrator tonight, getting ready for some Camp Fire Cooking at the Meet-Up in October.


----------



## Toffee

Picked up a box of fruits and veggies that were past their prime, so now there are 4 trays of arugula, 1 tray of mint, 2 of peaches and 3 of strawberries all going. Next is gonna be another package of arugula and a bunch of corn husks for tamales later this year. I think I found my idea for Christmas gifts, haha.


----------



## Davarm

Just finished up and packed a load of Okra away, looks like there may be more tomorrow.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> Just finished up and packed a load of Okra away, looks like there may be more tomorrow.


My husband would tell you that a little Roundup would take care of that okra infestation for ya. He knows some people love it, but he considers okra a noxious weed...and don't get him started about the boiled kind. I have to get my fried okra elsewhere.


----------



## Salekdarling

Just threw celery and mushrooms in the dehydrator. Probably going to get some more vegetables from my grandfather today - most likely green peppers. Will probably dehydrate those tomorrow I have a couple zucchinis from my DH's coworker. Don't know if I want to can or dehydrate them. Hmm - decisions. Lol.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> My husband would tell you that a little Roundup would take care of that okra infestation for ya. He knows some people love it, but he considers okra a noxious weed...and don't get him started about the boiled kind. I have to get my fried okra elsewhere.


I wont hold that against him!lol

What you need to do is plant a big patch of it then convince him to put on his shorts and T-shirt and go out and pick you a mess of it!

Pretty sure he'd head straight out to find that Round-Up!

I do think I'd have to agree with him though on that boiled stuff though, should be a law against it.


----------



## JayJay

Tomatoes using a Presto Dehydrator:

16 small tomatoes (dried) fill a regular quart jar
Exactly 10 hours


----------



## rhiana

Anyone have any good luck with dehydrating onions to make your own onion powder?


----------



## Reblazed

rhiana said:


> Anyone have any good luck with dehydrating onions to make your own onion powder?


Dehydrated onions .... pulverize (spice grinder, coffee grinder, mortar & pestle, whatever you use) = onion powder

.


----------



## Estrie

Tomatoes. Always and forever - tomatoes. I am scared to death my husband will plant zucchini next year.


----------



## Salekdarling

Got zucchinni chips going in the dehydrator now. Tomorrow is tomatoes and onions.


----------



## JayJay

Jalapenos sliced in rings only took 3 hours to dehydrate.

More tomatoes.

Edit on tomatoes. I needed 10 hours overnight, but only 8 hours in daytime as I swapped trays.
Same size tomatoes, same 4 trays, same thickness.
Difference had to be swapping trays.


----------



## neldarez

Opened some jars of 2011 canned pears and some applesauce, mixed up in the blender and have fruit leather drying as we speak!


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Opened some jars of 2011 canned pears and some applesauce, mixed up in the blender and have fruit leather drying as we speak!


Hey, those canned pears will dehydrate up real good if you're ever in need of the jars for something else. They come out pretty much like the "Store Bought" dried fruit and dont get crispy like some it dried fresh does.

I'm going to have to start making fruit leather for the grandson, would work great to bribe the little "Toot" with.


----------



## Toffee

Have dill on and a couple apricots, then I plan on doing some more lettuce and arugula tomorrow.


----------



## JayJay

Davarm..that is what I'm doing with my pickled beets--15 quart jars!!!
So far 4 jars emptied--BECAUSE, my neighbor has my new trays and isn't bringing them home today like she promised!!vract:
I would have had 8 jars emptied IF.


----------



## ContinualHarvest

Hot peppers for my pepper flake mix.


----------



## LilRedHen

Apples, lots of apples!


----------



## ksmama10

LilRedHen said:


> Apples, lots of apples!


I hear you! My dh just picked a bushel of apples off of our trees..might have to put off grocery shopping tomorrow to get some in the dehydrator.


----------



## LilRedHen

More apples today!


----------



## Elinor0987

I'm not sure if this question has already been asked, but I'm drying carrot slices right now and a few questions came up. A few years ago I tried to sun dry celery slices and it didn't turn out well. When they were completely dried, they tasted nothing at all like celery. It tasted like hay. Has anyone else had this problem and how do you fix it? Freeze drying isn't an option for me right now because I don't have the equipment. 

Also, I'm almost done with the 20 lbs of carrots that I bought already and have another 10 lb bag in the kitchen waiting to be peeled, sliced, and bagged before going on the drying trays. These slices are shrinking a lot because of the warm and dry weather we've been having lately. I'm planning to add the slices later to soups and was wondering if anyone has had problems with the texture and size of the slices when you boil them after they've been air-dried. I wouldn't expect them to revert back to their original size, but will it be close to the original?


----------



## JayJay

Lemons.
Because in the winter, I can't afford them!!!!!!!!!!!!!vract:


----------



## JayJay

Elinor0987 said:


> I'm not sure if this question has already been asked, but I'm drying carrot slices right now and a few questions came up. A few years ago I tried to sun dry celery slices and it didn't turn out well. When they were completely dried, they tasted nothing at all like celery. It tasted like hay. Has anyone else had this problem and how do you fix it? Freeze drying isn't an option for me right now because I don't have the equipment.
> 
> I wouldn't expect them to revert back to their original size, but will it be close to the original?


Are you blanching them???


----------



## Elinor0987

JayJay said:


> Are you blanching them???


No. I'm only drying them after they've been peeled and sliced. I saw pictures in an article and there was a side by side comparison of dried carrot slices and the slices that had been blanched before drying. Those looked a lot better than the unblanched ones, but because the slices are going to be boiled I thought it might overcook them if I blanched them beforehand. I've never dried carrots before but the store was having a sale on their 10 lb bag of carrots and the price will go up eventually. We've also had a lot of warm weather lately and now is a good time to dehydrate them. Interestingly enough, at another store I go to they had plastic cans of miniature marshmallows on sale. They were .33 cents a can but because they expire this month the store knocked the price down to .16 cents a can. These are perfect for storing dried fruits and vegetables. I already have a bunch of them. It's really strange how this all worked out simultaneously.


----------



## JayJay

Elinor0987 said:


> No. I'm only drying them after they've been peeled and sliced. I saw pictures in an article and there was a side by side comparison of dried carrot slices and the slices that had been blanched before drying. Those looked a lot better than the unblanched ones, but because the slices are going to be boiled I thought it might overcook them if I blanched them beforehand. I've never dried carrots before but the store was having a sale on their 10 lb bag of carrots and the price will go up eventually. We've also had a lot of warm weather lately and now is a good time to dehydrate them. Interestingly enough, at another store I go to they had plastic cans of miniature marshmallows on sale. They were .33 cents a can but because they expire this month the store knocked the price down to .16 cents a can. These are perfect for storing dried fruits and vegetables. I already have a bunch of them. It's really strange how this all worked out simultaneously.


Don't you love it when a plan comes together??

I just boil my water, use a colander, and place the carrots or potatoes in the water 2 minutes--that's all.

Blanching slows or stops the action of enzymes. If vegetables are not blanched, the enzymes continue to be active during frozen storage causing off-colors, off-flavors and_* toughening*_.

I did this early in my married life with frozen tomatoes--they were very tough!!


----------



## Elinor0987

JayJay said:


> Don't you love it when a plan comes together??
> 
> I just boil my water, use a colander, and place the carrots or potatoes in the water 2 minutes--that's all.
> 
> Blanching slows or stops the action of enzymes. If vegetables are not blanched, the enzymes continue to be active during frozen storage causing off-colors, off-flavors and_* toughening*_.
> 
> I did this early in my married life with frozen tomatoes--they were very tough!!


Do you think that would work with the celery? After I'm done with the carrots I was thinking about trying it again.


----------



## JayJay

I just read this yesterday--
Celery _doesn't need to be blanched _or anything, just washed, cut up, and put on the trays
And, this, _Blanching celery stops the enzyme breakdown process._

I say try some both ways and let us know because I do need celery for chicken dressing.
I don't blanch onions and green peppers, so now I'm wondering!!!

I also found this:

NO BLANCHING NEEDED: Cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes.

BLANCHING OPTIONAL: Asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, corn, eggplant, okra, parsnips, peas, rutabagas, squash, turnips, zucchini.

BLANCHING REQUIRED: Potatoes, yams.

Hope this helps. I won't be blanching my celery. Carrots?? Yes, blanch to keep the bright orange color--if not worried, skip blanching.


----------



## JayJay

For those dehydrating sharp things like lemons and tomatoes, you can use those sweetener bags(sorta like mylar??) to place the items in and then place in your plastic sheet or bag.
It works for me.:2thumb:


----------



## goshengirl

I've never blanched celery before dehydrating, but I also don't worry about how it rehydrates, either. I just keep a bunch on hand in the pantry for when the opportunity arises to make chicken stock, but I strain it out before canning, so I don't think twice about color or texture.

I'd be curious to see if you do the experiment, how well each type of celery rehydrates - both the blanched and the unblanched.


----------



## JayJay

goshengirl said:


> I've never blanched celery before dehydrating, but I also don't worry about how it rehydrates, either. I just keep a bunch on hand in the pantry for when the opportunity arises to make chicken stock, but I strain it out before canning, so I don't think twice about color or texture.
> 
> I'd be curious to see if you do the experiment, how well each type of celery rehydrates - both the blanched and the unblanched.


Like onion, green peppers--I don't either.
When I first got my dehydrator, I just practiced a little and had old carrots in the fridge-I didn't like the way they looked, but sealed them in a paper bag with onions, and mushrooms. 
Now, I see why..I didn't stop the growing enzyme and they will probably be tough--but used in the soup as intended won't matter!!
Today, carrots for stir fry were blanched...amazing how little they get--almost like diced onions and peppers, but they start out bigger!!!!


----------



## ContinualHarvest

More habenero peppers and tomatoes


----------



## ksmama10

Apples! 

I finally remembered to pull out my new Chop Wizard this morning to chop some onions for a big batch of chili..three onions in no time flat..so next time onions are on sale, I'll have no excuses


----------



## Davarm

Bell and pimento peppers.


----------



## Davarm

The youngest DD brought home 3 of the extra large tubs of sour cream(on sale) so I put all three in the dehydrator this morning and just finished it up.

Spread it on fruit leather trays and ran it through the food processor after it dried and came up with 5 pint jars of dried sour cream bout the same texture as corn meal.

I've dehydrated it before but vacuum sealed it in bags, forms into a cake and thought I'd see if it would stay a powdered in jars this time around.


----------



## Salekdarling

Davarm said:


> The youngest DD brought home 3 of the extra large tubs of sour cream(on sale) so I put all three in the dehydrator this morning and just finished it up.
> 
> Spread it on fruit leather trays and ran it through the food processor after it dried and came up with 5 pint jars of dried sour cream bout the same texture as corn meal.
> 
> I've dehydrated it before but vacuum sealed it in bags, forms into a cake and thought I'd see if it would stay a powdered in jars this time around.


Awesome! I didn't know you could do that with sour cream. How much water do you use to reinstate it? I'm going to try dehydrating almond milk this weekend.

Right now, I'm dehydrating roma tomatoes and green and red bell peppers. Tomorrow, onions!


----------



## Davarm

Salekdarling said:


> Awesome! I didn't know you could do that with sour cream. How much water do you use to reinstate it? I'm going to try dehydrating almond milk this weekend.
> 
> Right now, I'm dehydrating roma tomatoes and green and red bell peppers. Tomorrow, onions!


I dont think I've ever rehydrated it into regular sour cream, I used it in cooking but I'll give it a try and get back to you on it. I'll do a little math and get a rough estimate on the before and after volumes then adjust it from there.

On that almond milk, you can make it fairly easily with raw almonds. I think I've made it a few times a while back but my oldest daughter makes it ever now and then and it turns out pretty good. The raw almonds would be a lot easier to store than going through the trouble of dehydrating it. If you're interested I'll find the directions and post them.

Rice milk is also pretty easy to make, I found a recipe for it last year but it took a lot of tweeking to get it right. I'll see if I can dig that one up also.


----------



## Salekdarling

Davarm said:


> I dont think I've ever rehydrated it into regular sour cream, I used it in cooking but I'll give it a try and get back to you on it. I'll do a little math and get a rough estimate on the before and after volumes then adjust it from there.
> 
> On that almond milk, you can make it fairly easily with raw almonds. I think I've made it a few times a while back but my oldest daughter makes it ever now and then and it turns out pretty good. The raw almonds would be a lot easier to store than going through the trouble of dehydrating it. If you're interested I'll find the directions and post them.
> 
> Rice milk is also pretty easy to make, I found a recipe for it last year but it took a lot of tweeking to get it right. I'll see if I can dig that one up also.


I'm definitely interested, Davarm. Thank you! :kiss:


----------



## JayJay

Davarm said:


> The youngest DD brought home 3 of the extra large tubs of sour cream(on sale) so I put all three in the dehydrator this morning and just finished it up.
> 
> Spread it on fruit leather trays and ran it through the food processor after it dried and came up with 5 pint jars of dried sour cream bout the same texture as corn meal.
> 
> I've dehydrated it before but vacuum sealed it in bags, forms into a cake and thought I'd see if it would stay a powdered in jars this time around.


I started documenting the time to dry foods--_*how long to dry sour cream?
*_
It took 12 hours today for the raw eggs, not cooked.
More are drying now.


----------



## Salekdarling

Question! I eat a low carb diet and substitute cauliflower for rice. Can I rice my cauliflower and dehydrate it? Or should I dehydrate it in florets and use a food processor on the florets before adding water?


----------



## Davarm

Salekdarling said:


> Question! I eat a low carb diet and substitute cauliflower for rice. Can I rice my cauliflower and dehydrate it? Or should I dehydrate it in florets and use a food processor on the florets before adding water?


If you want to rice it and dehydrate it, dont see any problems with it other than you needing to put it on a fruit leather or jerky tray. Those little pieces would fall right through to the bottom of the dehydrator as they dried, it would cut the dehydrating time way down!



JayJay said:


> I started documenting the time to dry foods--how long to dry sour cream?
> 
> It took 12 hours today for the raw eggs, not cooked.
> More are drying now.


It would depend on how thick or thin you spread it on the trays, I try to get it about the thickness of a spread of peanut butter on a sandwich, takes about 8-10 hours to dry completely. About halfway through I use a spatula and "turn" it to even out and speed the drying, once I scrape it up it usually will stay on a tray without a liner on it as long as the lowest tray has one to catch anything that falls through. The trays without liners will speed it up some.


----------



## JayJay

thanks Davarm...

For those interested: 30 eggs dehydrated and powdered fill a quart jar.

My cost $6, but Gene was generous for those farm grown eggs!!! I usually give him $1.50 per dozen.


----------



## Davarm

It looks like the math says about a 5:1 water/dry sour cream ratio but that gives you something resembling cultured buttermilk in consistency and taste. I gradually added more sour cream until I got to about a 1:1 ratio and it started to thicken but it never "fluffed up" like it was before it was dehydrated. After it sat in the fridge for a few hours it thickened into a paste that had a pretty good sour cream flavor, I think it would go good on taco's or as a topping for baked potatoes. It wasn't as good as fresh but still pretty good.

It doesn't have the "twang" that fresh sour cream has, more resembles a mild yogurt. You have to use boiling water to "melt" the granules or it will be gritty, the "powder" looks pretty much like grated Parmesans Cheese and I've sprinkled it on a baked potato before and it was pretty good. I've also used it making "soup" and some mexican dishes and it was great for that.



Salekdarling said:


> Awesome! I didn't know you could do that with sour cream. How much water do you use to reinstate it? I'm going to try dehydrating almond milk this weekend.
> 
> Right now, I'm dehydrating roma tomatoes and green and red bell peppers. Tomorrow, onions!


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> If you have any further questions or concerns let me know, I have no problem, "Playing In The Kitchen", its kinda fun.


I was browsing through the earlier posts of this thread, and found this comment at the tail end of a post about your chili experiments..and it reminded me of another Dave, who is the assistant manager of our local grocery store. He's awesome, and my kids and I have heard him say many times, " I get to play store today!" Thanks for the reminder that attitude is everything.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> I was browsing through the earlier posts of this thread, and found this comment at the tail end of a post about your chili experiments..and it reminded me of another Dave, who is the assistant manager of our local grocery store. He's awesome, and my kids and I have heard him say many times, " I get to play store today!" Thanks for the reminder that attitude is everything.


Some of my earliest memories were from my grandparents house when my grandmother would let my brother and I cook "stuff" by ourselves while she did her kitchen chores.

We couldn't have been much older than 4 or 5 years old, have had fun in the kitchen ever since. That was almost 50 years ago, she is still alive and kicking at 98 years old(grandfather is 99 - both are still at home) and we still talk about those times ever now and then.


----------



## Davarm

I filled my dehydrator with pimento and bell peppers tonight



masterspark said:


> OK, I have a rookie drying question. I want to dry some apples 'cause I have more than I can eat in the next few weeks. When I peel and core my apples, do I need to use fruit fresh or lemon juice to prevent browning or do I just throw them in a warm oven as is?


I dont dry many apples but the ones I do dehydrate, I use lemon juice. They will likely darken some if you dont put the lemon or fruit fresh on them but it wont effect the taste much.


----------



## Toffee

Two packages of sour cream on right now and some rosemary, too.


----------



## JayJay

I'm up to 75 eggs now.
For those wondering, 50 eggs fill one quart jar.


----------



## Freyadog

I love to dehydrate BUT everything I dehydrate either is not dry enough or down right brick hard. It would be nice if when people dehydrated that a time and temp would be added so people like me would get an understanding of how to do it properly.

I follow the directions in the dehydrating book but my stuff like said above is either to undried or too over dried.


----------



## Davarm

Toffee said:


> Two packages of sour cream on right now and some rosemary, too.


If you're lucky their will be a little flavor swapping and you'll come out with sour cream flavored with rosemary.

I'll bet that would be good sprinkled on a baked potato.


----------



## JayJay

Freyadog said:


> I love to dehydrate BUT everything I dehydrate either is not dry enough or down right brick hard. It would be nice if when people dehydrated that a time and temp would be added so people like me would get an understanding of how to do it properly.
> 
> I follow the directions in the dehydrating book but my stuff like said above is either to undried or too over dried.


I started my own chart.
I have it with my two saved sites of charts for times and directions.
Because, each person has a different machine, different # of trays, different thicknesses, etc.
So, now, when I am drying those tomatoes tonight, I know how much time to allow considering # of trays and thickness.

http://www.barlowscientific.com/technotes/home/dry_food.htm

http://www.efooddehydrator.com/dehydrate_veggies.html

http://www.dehydratorbook.com/how-to.html

Will this help?/


----------



## Freyadog

JayJay said:


> I started my own chart.
> I have it with my two saved sites of charts for times and directions.
> Because, each person has a different machine, different # of trays, different thicknesses, etc.
> So, now, when I am drying those tomatoes tonight, I know how much time to allow considering # of trays and thickness.
> 
> http://www.barlowscientific.com/technotes/home/dry_food.htm
> 
> http://www.efooddehydrator.com/dehydrate_veggies.html
> 
> http://www.dehydratorbook.com/how-to.html
> 
> Will this help?/


Thank you so much. Some of what are on those sites I had never seen,


----------



## Toffee

Davarm said:


> If you're lucky their will be a little flavor swapping and you'll come out with sour cream flavored with rosemary.
> 
> I'll bet that would be good sprinkled on a baked potato.


They were in different dehydrators, but right next to each other, so maybe a hint. The house smelled delicious.


----------



## cedarguy

masterspark said:


> OK, I have a rookie drying question. I want to dry some apples 'cause I have more than I can eat in the next few weeks. When I peel and core my apples, do I need to use fruit fresh or lemon juice to prevent browning or do I just throw them in a warm oven as is?


I am dehydrating apples now and I do add lemon juice to the water they are soaking in while Im slicing.


----------



## JayJay

masterspark said:


> I did do the lemon juice and it worked out fine. I don't yet have a dehydrator so I used the oven. My oven only goes as low as 170 deg so the camo out a little crispy. The DD's loved them but I prefer them a little chewy-er.


I got a Presto for $45 at chinamart and love it..for that price. It was my practice buy to see if I like drying.

OOps, on sale now-- 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-Dehydro-Electric-Food-Dehydrator-06300/20924338


----------



## farright

celery, carrots,onions and garlic the next few days.


----------



## Davarm

Last week I bought a 3 1/2 pound beef roast, I sugar cured it and have it hanging in the dehydrator now.


----------



## Topmom

Orange slices


----------



## Davarm

For those buying dehydrators at Walmart, avoid the "Oster" models, 3 or 4 years ago I bought one there and it smoked the first time I plugged it in. The replacement ran for about 15 to 20 hours before it died.

The old Oster's are workhorses but the newer ones are too big for paper weights and too small for boat anchors.


----------



## Davarm

masterspark said:


> Went by chinamart today to pick one up onsale for $36. Instore price was still $45. Went and bought it online for $36 and also bought the 4 expansion trays for $10+/-. So for the same $ got both and free shipping to my house.:2thumb:


Could you give a review after you've used your Presto for a while, I like to keep up to date on different models.


----------



## JayJay

I used my Presto for drying eggs--I love my dried eggs. 75 so far.
50 dried, powdered raw eggs fill a quart mason jar, if anyone needs to know.artydance:

You'll need fruit roll trays to dry eggs.


----------



## Davarm

I found another small bucket of Burr Oak acorns I'd sat aside a while back, I shelled them but there wasn't enough to make it worthwhile to grind so I just leeched them and decided to put them whole in the dehydrator until this years harvest is in and do them all at one time.



JayJay said:


> I used my Presto for drying eggs--I love my dried eggs. 75 so far.
> 50 dried, powdered raw eggs fill a quart mason jar, if anyone needs to know.artydance:
> 
> You'll need fruit roll trays to dry eggs.


Thanks, I'll file that away for info, my sister just asked me about dehydrators last week. I'll pass that on to her along with any feedback from masterspark.


----------



## ksmama10

7 trays of tomatoes..is there a trick with cherry tomatoes? Some come out more like raisins. They taste incredible, but I wonder about their durability.


----------



## Lake Windsong

Davarm said:


> If you're lucky their will be a little flavor swapping and you'll come out with sour cream flavored with rosemary.
> 
> I'll bet that would be good sprinkled on a baked potato.


Or on some oven roasted home fries or green beans. Sounds like a good mix!


----------



## Davarm

Lake Windsong said:


> Or on some oven roasted home fries or green beans. Sounds like a good mix!


Great minds think alike!

I'm going to be dehydrating some more sour cream soon and I think I'm going to try drying some rosemary on the lower racks at the same time to see just how it will come out.

I have 7 rosemary bushes that I need to trim back so it should at least have the house smelling good, it's getting to the time of the year that I'm going to move the dehydrator back inside from the front porch.


----------



## neldarez

JayJay said:


> I used my Presto for drying eggs--I love my dried eggs. 75 so far.
> 50 dried, powdered raw eggs fill a quart mason jar, if anyone needs to know.artydance:
> 
> You'll need fruit roll trays to dry eggs.


What is your measurement when you use them? 2 tbs water to 1 tbs egg powder?? thanks


----------



## JayJay

neldarez said:


> What is your measurement when you use them? 2 tbs water to 1 tbs egg powder?? thanks


That's what the commercial measurement is. I shall use that and see.
Same egg size; should be the same.


----------



## LilRedHen

Cayene and sweet peppers


----------



## talob

JayJay said:


> That's what the commercial measurement is. I shall use that and see.
> Same egg size; should be the same.


Thats what the wife uses two water to one egg, I know this may be old stuff to some but she tried dehydrating potatos the other day she cooked em up shredded them as in for hash browns put a little oil in to keep em from sticking together and dried em rehydrated couldent tell from fresh, green beans dont come back so good some things work better than others.


----------



## ksmama10

Peppers..banana, jalapeño, and some little red pepper that looks like a cherry bomb and a tomato got together at a Love Spring. Any Xanth fans here, by chance?


----------



## Reblazed

ksmama10 said:


> Any Xanth fans here, by chance?


Not yet ... they look to be for a much younger group of readers. 
Do you recommend the series for adults?

.


----------



## ksmama10

Reblazed said:


> Not yet ... they look to be for a much younger group of readers.
> Do you recommend the series for adults?
> 
> .


Well, I was in my mid twenties when my 16 year old cousin insisted I read them, but I enjoyed them very much..the puns are hilarious. I read just about anything that strikes my fancy though, I'm not too fussy about who the publishers say the book is intended for. I might read Xanth or Harry Potter, then turn around and read Alexander Solzhenitsyn.


----------



## Reblazed

ksmama10 said:


> ...the puns are hilarious.
> ......................then turn around and read Alexander Solzhenitsyn.


 The puns are hilarious is all I needed to decide me to read them. Thanks

As for Solzhenitsyn's "One day in the life ..." or Cummus' "Stranger" (I always seemed to read them together for some reason every couple of years) I will never read them again. Guess I'd rather be reminded of random acts of kindness than man's aptitude for cruelty at this point in my life.

Thanks for the mention of Xanth

.


----------



## anthonyc12

WalnutSpinney,

It's too late in the year for beet skins for me but I'm going to remember this for next year. I definitely want to give this a try.


----------



## Davarm

Did I miss something here, dehydrated Beet Skins?

Never heard of drying them but if anyones tried it and its any good, please do tell.

I did a search(fourum) for it but didn't come up with anything.



anthonyc12 said:


> WalnutSpinney,
> 
> It's too late in the year for beet skins for me but I'm going to remember this for next year. I definitely want to give this a try.


----------



## TechAdmin

I'm going to try dehydrating eggs this weekend. Wish me luck!


----------



## TheManComesAround

Picked up 45lbs of bananas for $3 - most of which were still in fine shape. Several Banana Breads, Monkey Cakes, and Freezer Bags later....a bunch are going into the dehydrator over the next few days.


----------



## ksmama10

TheManComesAround said:


> Picked up 45lbs of bananas for $3 - most of which were still in fine shape. Several Banana Breads, Monkey Cakes, and Freezer Bags later....a bunch are going into the dehydrator over the next few days.


I can't think of Banana Bread without remembering this old 



song, and I'll find myself calling it Bamanna Bread...


----------



## JayJay

TechAdmin said:


> I'm going to try dehydrating eggs this weekend. Wish me luck!


It is the easiest thing ever--just be sure your dehydrator is level, and if those trays are filled to overflowing, DO NOT try to move them for about 3 hours.
I only filled my trays with 5 eggs each--lots cleaner.
Since my 4 fruit roll trays only fit every other tray, I still used the empty trays for air circulation.

I also let my dried eggs stay overnight in a bowl because it eliminates the oily residue. Yes, eggs are oily.
I bought a cheap coffee grinder just for powdering the eggs--so I really don't clean it in the water, just brush out the residue well.

You'll do fine.


----------



## 21601mom

TheManComesAround said:


> Picked up 45lbs of bananas for $3 - most of which were still in fine shape. Several Banana Breads, Monkey Cakes, and Freezer Bags later....a bunch are going into the dehydrator over the next few days.


That's quite a score ! Where on earth did you find them?


----------



## txcatlady

New to site. Have been following for most of this year. Can't locate drying raw eggs. Have been using my dehydrator for about 20 years and have put a lot of food through it. My garden couldn't produce this summer and I am thankful for all I canned and dried last summer. Don't have access to produce in my area or larger stores with good prices so I puddle along with what we raise, grow or kill during season. You all are doing a great job and I am always checking for updates on what to try next. Thanks


----------



## TechAdmin

JayJay said:


> It is the easiest thing ever--just be sure your dehydrator is level, and if those trays are filled to overflowing, DO NOT try to move them for about 3 hours.
> I only filled my trays with 5 eggs each--lots cleaner.
> Since my 4 fruit roll trays only fit every other tray, I still used the empty trays for air circulation.
> 
> I also let my dried eggs stay overnight in a bowl because it eliminates the oily residue. Yes, eggs are oily.
> I bought a cheap coffee grinder just for powdering the eggs--so I really don't clean it in the water, just brush out the residue well.
> 
> You'll do fine.


Thanks for the pointers!


----------



## Davarm

I have leftover cooked pasta drying today.



JayJay said:


> I also let my dried eggs stay overnight in a bowl because it eliminates the oily residue. Yes, eggs are oily.


I'm gonna try that the next time I dry eggs.


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I have leftover cooked pasta drying today.
> 
> I'm gonna try that the next time I dry eggs.


Dave, do you mean you had left over noodles ( plain) and you're drying them? Anything left over here seems to go to the spoiled rotten chickens!


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Dave, do you mean you had left over noodles ( plain) and you're drying them? Anything left over here seems to go to the spoiled rotten chickens!


We dont have chickens(yet)!


----------



## TechAdmin

Davarm said:


> I have leftover cooked pasta drying today.
> 
> I'm gonna try that the next time I dry eggs.


Have you done it before? Does it taste the same if you have?


----------



## JayJay

I made soup for lunch. My dried carrots, onions, zucchini, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and lima beans.(used commercial canned corn, since I have cases and cases, till I dry my own frozen from Krogers)
It was delicious after cooking for 30 minutes and then adding 2 beef bouillon cubes for the last hour.
If I'd added beef stew cubes or ground beef, it would have been too good.


----------



## Wellrounded

Still drying snow and sugar snap peas here, another week should see the main crop finished.
I may have put in a few too many carrots  so I guess they'll be next.


----------



## Davarm

TechAdmin said:


> Have you done it before? Does it taste the same if you have?


I have buckets full of dried cooked pasta, anytime we have noodles left over from anything, they go into the dehydrator.

They are really hard to tell from fresh, I cant tell the difference but my oldest daughter says she can but I've slipped them by her quite a few times.

One of the biggest +'s with them is that you can add them to soups and if you have any leftover they dont seem to soak up all the broth/juice when it sits in t he fridge for a while. They also seem to do better in canned soups.


----------



## Davarm

I picked a five gallon bucket full of bell and pimento peppers, they're in the dehydrator now along with a few trays okra.


----------



## bigg777

I'm dehydrating about 6 pounds of wild turkey & duck breast that I jerkied, because I left it in the freezer too long.


----------



## Topmom

Five pounds of carrots and about 5 pounds of white potatoes. Got a few more potatoes left to put in and have a few onions and bell peppers, thought I'd mix in with the potatoes for some Southwestern style hash browns.


----------



## Davarm

I picked a 5 gallon bucked of Ancho peppers a few days ago and dehydrated them to make chili-powder with.

Last year they made the best mild brown chili powder I'd ever made but I guess they must have crossed with the serranos, they have quite a punch this year. I started grinding them mid afternoon and wound up coughing and sneezing so much I had to rest between loads in the grinder. Even with a damp bandana tied around my face it was more than I could handle for more than 1 hopper full at a time.

Wound up with almost a gallon of fine ground Ancho powder. Moby was wanting a good chili powder blend for chili at the Meet-Up and I think I've found just the one for it.

Before I started the Ancho, I ground the bucket of pimento peppers I dehydrated yesterday, got about half a gallon from it and it is sweet with a real good flavor.

For the next few days I'm going to be working on several other kinds of chili-powders, since the weather turned cool my peppers have started producing hand over fist and its getting hard to keep up with them.


----------



## TechAdmin

My eggs didn't work out so well. I only had one trey to dry them on and it took forever. I also think it got to hot at they got a little crispy on the edges. 

Did I need to stir it once it was on the trey?


----------



## Toffee

Wellrounded said:


> Still drying snow and sugar snap peas here, another week should see the main crop finished.
> I may have put in a few too many carrots  so I guess they'll be next.


Am I the only one who first read that you were drying snow? Haha


----------



## Davarm

When I dry eggs I do stir them and you have to find your individual dehydrators "magic" temp that will dry and not cook them. If any of it does cook it will come out as "grit" when you rehydrate them, wont hurt anything but if you're making scrambled eggs or an omelet from them it can be kinda annoying though.

I have a "Nesco" dehydrator and the round trays come out to 1 sq ft, I usually only put 2 per tray and maybe 3 if they're smaller eggs to keep the drying time to a minimum. Once you find the right temp for your dehydrator and the number of eggs that work best for you it will speed up the process quite a bit.



TechAdmin said:


> My eggs didn't work out so well. I only had one trey to dry them on and it took forever. I also think it got to hot at they got a little crispy on the edges.
> 
> Did I need to stir it once it was on the trey?


----------



## Freyadog

Davarm said:


> Tonight I have candied sweet potatoes, candied carrots, candied apples, some left over Bow Tie pasta and a sugar cured roast(beef) drying.
> 
> Everything except the roast is in the dehydrator, the roast is sitting on a bed of salt with a small fan blowing on it. It will probably take about a week to dry enough to bag.


David, How do you candy apples? And do they dry to a crisp? If they do not dry to a crisp how do you keep them from spoiling/molding?

I have a bushel of granny smith to put up.


----------



## Davarm

Freyadog said:


> David, How do you candy apples? And do they dry to a crisp? If they do not dry to a crisp how do you keep them from spoiling/molding?
> 
> I have a bushel of granny smith to put up.


I've been working on the "process" on and off for a while but what it comes down to is getting the apples to soak up a lot of sugar before you dry them.

What I've had the best results with lately is covering them with sugar and letting it draw out some of the liquid from the apples. I then remove the apples, boil the sugary liquid(add some water if needed) and drop the apples in briefly(very briefly) to slightly cook them, quickly take them out and let drain in a colander before I put them in the dehydrator.

If you can wait a little while for a written "how-to" I'll try to get it perfected and get it to you. I think the Granny Smith apples would be really good done like this. If you dont drop them into the "syrup" and lightly cook them they come out pretty crispy, the cooking makes them a little "gummy" after they dry and more like the stuff you buy at the grocery store.


----------



## Freyadog

Davarm said:


> I've been working on the "process" on and off for a while but what it comes down to is getting the apples to soak up a lot of sugar before you dry them.
> 
> What I've had the best results with lately is covering them with sugar and letting it draw out some of the liquid from the apples. I then remove the apples, boil the sugary liquid(add some water if needed) and drop the apples in briefly(very briefly) to slightly cook them, quickly take them out and let drain in a colander before I put them in the dehydrator.
> 
> If you can wait a little while for a written "how-to" I'll try to get it perfected and get it to you. I think the Granny Smith apples would be really good done like this. If you dont drop them into the "syrup" and lightly cook them they come out pretty crispy, the cooking makes them a little "gummy" after they dry and more like the stuff you buy at the grocery store.


Gonna email you................


----------



## Kodeman

Horseradish root going in tonight.


----------



## Topmom

how do you do horseradish? I planted some last year and have a lot.


----------



## Kodeman

Topmom said:


> how do you do horseradish? I planted some last year and have a lot.


Cut in 1/8 inch slices, on my dehydrator (Excalipur) I dry it for approx. 5hrs. on medium heat. Let cool, then grate and enjoy. Kodeman


----------



## Topmom

Kodeman said:


> Cut in 1/8 inch slices, on my dehydrator (Excalipur) I dry it for approx. 5hrs. on medium heat. Let cool, then grate and enjoy. Kodeman


Thanks...I"ll give it a try.


----------



## Topmom

Kodeman said:


> Cut in 1/8 inch slices, on my dehydrator (Excalipur) I dry it for approx. 5hrs. on medium heat. Let cool, then grate and enjoy. Kodeman


Thanks. I"m going to give it a try.


----------



## txcatlady

Put my eggs in to dry last night, stirred a few times and have kept thermostat low. They have been in for about 22 hours and they do look oily. How do I know they are done? Should I put a paper towel in the bowl to let them sit and absorb oil when dried? I only did a dozen. I know you said let them sit in a bowl overnight, but concerned about absorbing moisture from the air. Silly I know. Just a leap of faith for me. Thanks for advice. Always welcome it


----------



## farright

tonight rice tommorow apples n maters.


----------



## JayJay

txcatlady said:


> Put my eggs in to dry last night, stirred a few times and have kept thermostat low. They have been in for about 22 hours and they do look oily. How do I know they are done? Should I put a paper towel in the bowl to let them sit and absorb oil when dried? I only did a dozen. I know you said let them sit in a bowl overnight, but concerned about absorbing moisture from the air. Silly I know. Just a leap of faith for me. Thanks for advice. Always welcome it


If they are just scrambled with a whisker and NOT cooked scrambled, take a part out of the tray, break it apart. Mine only took 10 hours most times and only once took 12 hours.
All pieces should break easily and not be like the yellow in a half cooked egg(only way I can explain that).
I just left mine-- broken apart in small pieces--in the bowl over night and they dried by themselves. I was also concerned about moisture from the air, but they dried nicely and that oily sheen was gone.
I read even when you powder them and there seems to be a little moist spot--put that powder in the dehydrator for an hour or two, but I've not had a problem with that yet.

I still think it's because I only put 5 eggs on a tray--in fact, some of my egg on the tray was so thin, I could see the tray when it dried!!!

When you see that powdered egg and seal it and know you will have eggs all winter you will be pleased with yourself.
I have 2 quarts now and about 50 powdered eggs fill one quart jar.
Good luck.

After my peppers, cabbage, onions, and carrots are finished, I'm gonna try cooked scrambled eggs--I'll let you know how they do.

I'm curious what temp you used--22 hours is a long time--since I don't have a temp control and mine were ready in 10 hours.


----------



## txcatlady

I turned it down to 95 as I didn't want them to cook. Loved the way they flaked. Did put them in a bowl last night and plan to process them before I go to work this AM. Thank you for responding! I didn't worry so much on the veggies I do, potatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, okra, pintoes, zippers, green beans, celery and spinach, but the eggs are an unknown for me. Thanks again, love this site and the input.!


----------



## TechAdmin

I have a bunch of potatoes. I'm going to make mash potatoes with the butter and milk in it and see how long it last for.


----------



## Kodeman

Topmom said:


> Thanks. I"m going to give it a try.


Good Luck, it's hard not to have them come out wrong. I've been trying different times and temp settings to see if the flavor intensity changes and haven't seen much of a difference.


----------



## JayJay

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.goodmans.net/i/2553/nesco-lss-2-6-fruit-roll-sheets.htm

I you need fruit roll sheets, I got 4 here for $10 and I have no problem with them.

I meant to share this a while ago and didn't.:dunno:


----------



## neldarez

I was reading an article online and it said the pink that shows up in onions is the sugar in them, that is good to know.........


----------



## txcatlady

I know they were strong smelling and moist, but didn't think about sugar. Thanks.


----------



## readytogo

*Strawberries and more.*

I`m getting to like saving money ,finish my 4 pounds of strawberries and got 6 full ounces of dry fruit at a savings of $36 plus dollars if I had bought the store dry fruit in 1 ounce bags. Have plenty of dry mango and will be doing pineapple and apples next with jerky next, have a few ideas on what to make with dry beef later on. Will be adding 3 more trays with fruit roll mats to my dehydrator for better rice drying and eggs .
Love to save money don`t you?.:nuts:


----------



## txcatlady

Mine were kinda hard to chop up when I tried it. I prefer chopping first. If you don't have liners, try parchment paper to keep them from falling through. My sister did onion slices this year with the plain of chopping after. Maybe my processor wasn't strong enough. Anyway, I use my onions a lot!


----------



## JayJay

masterspark said:


> OK, so I'v had my dehydrator for about a week now and I thought I'd do some onions tonight because I got a good price on them. So I chopped up a few pounds and went to load the dehydrator. Imagine the look on my face when I spread the onions out on the tray and most of them fell right through the tray. :gaah:
> Then I look at the counter and see that the onions came in a little mesh bag. (light bulb goes on in the head). So I cut up the bag, laid it out on the tray and I'm in business again.
> Next bright idea...can I cut the onion up into onion rings, dry them and chop them after???? Has anyone tried this?


1) use wax paper till you get a mesh liner
2) I have rings or sliced dried onions for stir fry--yep, you can dice them after dried
Be careful because there ARE things that won't dice after dried--too tough and hard.

Now, a discovery. I dried cabbage WITHOUT blanching and it looked, and tasted the same as the blanched cabbage and dried the same time.
I read that any vegetable eaten raw doesn't need blanching--well, we use cabbage raw in cole slaw???? And I eat cabbage raw--so stop blanching--a waste of time.


----------



## Topmom

When I began dehydrating, I blanched my onions (saw on one of the You Tube videos that it would keep them white). Blanched half of them to see....couldn't see a bit of difference....looked and tasted the same. I do have a little trouble with potatoes....when blanching, the outside will get almost too done and the center not blanched enough....some of the diced pieces from the center portion turned a little darker than the outside pieces. Anyone learned any secrets to blanching evenly?


----------



## txcatlady

I started by steaming and didn't like the time it took. Now I drop into boiling water, wait and pull them out. They are going to turn brown but still are great. My book said to steam them. Can't tell a difference in the two methods.


----------



## txcatlady

Sorry, I was talking potatoes! Don't blanch my onions. Dry them raw.


----------



## ksmama10

Five trays of celery..myhands smell strongly of celery now.


----------



## JayJay

Now, a discovery. I dried cabbage WITHOUT blanching and it looked, and tasted the same as the blanched cabbage and dried the same time.
I read that any vegetable eaten raw doesn't need blanching--well, we use cabbage raw in cole slaw???? And I eat cabbage raw--so stop blanching--a waste of time. 

WOW---3 trays of potatoes (not blanched, but dropped in vinegar water, and salt) were ready in 3 hours!!!
They did not turn black or darkened. White and hard as others and I rehydrated one overnight with it turning a little dark in the center(probably needed a lemon juice drop or two).
Blanching--What a waste of time and energy.:dunno:


----------



## agoraforce

Sourkraut came out surprisingly wonderful. I always make way too much and tried to dehydrate along with some flax in another tray so only cooked at 105deg. It was crispy in about 10 hours. Now wife and son who normally won't eat my kraut will eat the crispy version like candy.


----------



## Davarm

I'm doing winter squash seeds tonight, had a BIG bowl full from my last batch of canning and they are in the dehydrator now.

Not going to completely dehydrate them, just blowing air at 90 degrees to dry em so I can save them for next year.


----------



## ksmama10

Two more bunches of celery...


----------



## JayJay

I have many cases of canned corn and half a freezer full of corn on the cob.
But I thought I'd try frozen corn and dry it--it seems to be drying quickly since it is so small.
I'd like to get all my canned corn dried and in jars. This winter it will be a good project. 
Just for the space.

For any that need this info--5 bags of 16 oz. frozen corn filled 7 trays.
Update: 5 bags of 16 oz. frozen corn gave me 3/4 a half gallon mason jar dried. So, I guess that it 1 1/2 quart.


----------



## neldarez

I have 12 trays of onions drying...I left them in good size pieces...it says 8 - 12 hours....mine are going to take at least 20! Long process....I put them out on the porch but the wind is really blowing and it's cold out there.....wish me luck~


----------



## JayJay

neldarez said:


> I have 12 trays of onions drying...I left them in good size pieces...it says 8 - 12 hours....mine are going to take at least 20! Long process....I put them out on the porch but the wind is really blowing and it's cold out there.....wish me luck~[/QUOTE
> I love the smell of cooking onions...I leave them in the house while drying.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> I have 12 trays of onions drying...I left them in good size pieces...it says 8 - 12 hours....mine are going to take at least 20! Long process....I put them out on the porch but the wind is really blowing and it's cold out there.....wish me luck~


Good luck!:wave:


----------



## ksmama10

masterspark said:


> I just did a batch of onions for the first time ever and the look on the faces of my wife and daughter when they smelt them was precious. I laughed til I cried. From now on I've been ordered to do onions outside. A happy discovery though with my fist batch. I thought some of the larger pieces could use a little more drying and I had already washed up the dehydrator so I put them in a glass pie plate and put them in the oven on it's lowest setting which is 170 deg. Well, I forgot about them and when I got back to them I feared the worst. They had gotten very brown but they had the most incredible taste!! They have a toasted flavor that will be great on almost anything. I love serendipity!


Call me silly, but I don't mind the smell of onions drying at all. The odor fades considerably after the first hour or so anyway.


----------



## JayJay

masterspark said:


> I just did a batch of onions for the first time ever and the look on the faces of my wife and daughter when they smelt them was precious. I laughed til I cried. From now on I've been ordered to do onions outside. A happy discovery though with my fist batch. I thought some of the larger pieces could use a little more drying and I had already washed up the dehydrator so I put them in a glass pie plate and put them in the oven on it's lowest setting which is 170 deg. Well, I forgot about them and when I got back to them I feared the worst. They had gotten very brown but they had the most incredible taste!! They have a toasted flavor that will be great on almost anything. I love serendipity!


I have to smack my hands when storing my dried onions...I love the taste.


----------



## TechAdmin

I have about 50 cocktail hotdogs left over. 

Think I can dehydrate them and store them?


----------



## Davarm

TechAdmin said:


> I have about 50 cocktail hotdogs left over.
> 
> Think I can dehydrate them and store them?


If you're talking about the "Lil Smokies", I tried it and they do dehydrate pretty well(you may need to pierce the skin) but I never figured out what to do with them once they were dried.

They're pretty hard and chewy and can be eaten like jerky, I never tried to rehydrate or boil them to soften them up though. It was one of the things I just mentally filed away for reference and never followed up on with any experiments or other actions.


----------



## farright

shredded taters then onions and garlic


----------



## Davarm

I cooked up a BIG pot of pinto beans and put them on to dehydrate this morning, came to about a gallon and a quarter after they were dried.


----------



## farright

so much for my onions tonight want to get them done before the cold but wife came home with 2 18packs of eggs one box had 9 broken the other 12 i doin eggs tonight then more onions and peppers.


----------



## ksmama10

farright said:


> so much for my onions tonight want to get them done before the cold but wife came home with 2 18packs of eggs one box had 9 broken the other 12 i doin eggs tonight then more onions and peppers.


Aren't you glad you hadn't already started the onions?


----------



## neldarez

Both excalibur dryers filled with apple slices with cinn/sugar on them. Soon it will smell like apple pie in here!


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I FINALLY get to try my? Excalibur. 4 pounds frozen corn and 4 pounds frozen mixed veggies. He finally ran out of squash and cantaloupe. This is my trial run.


----------



## MetalPrepper

Oooo....I forgot to update....I baked the sweet potatoes, then sliced them the next day and dried them ....left them about a MM thick...so they are still a tiny bit chewy....dogs love em! (no sugar or anything)


----------



## Kodeman

masterspark said:


> Well, I promised Davarm a review of the Presto Dehydrator.
> I've had it a few weeks now and have dried apples (several batches), mango's, and onions thus far. I have to say it's not bad. I've had good results so far. I did buy some screens and fruit leather trays. I needed the screens for my onions. Having never dried anything before I have nothing to compare to, but it does what I need easily enough. I purchased it through Wally's online for $35.00 on sale ($45.00 in store) and got free shipping. Ordered 2 extra trays at the same time for about $10. I found the screens and leather trays on Amazon for about $18.00. So I'm into it for less than $70.00. The only thing I think it's missing is an on/off switch. You need to unplug it to shut it off. No temp setting but I don't miss that as I'm not that advanced. Overall I like it and use it 3-4 times a week.


You got your money's worth, don't be in any hurry to upgrade, but upgrade you will in time, if the bug gets you.


----------



## Davarm

Thank you for posting the review, I'll add it to my list of good ones.

Some of the less expensive dehydrators are more than worth their price. If it does what you need it to do and only cost $35.00, it'd be kinda senseless to spend several hundred one that does the same thing.

The "Old" Oster's that Walmart sold(around $35.00) about 10 years ago were workhorses and I have 2 of them, they've never missed a beat and I'd buy another if I found one new.

Have fun and again, thank you for the feedback.

Note: If no On/Off switch ever starts to annoy you, you can get a chord with an inline switch for peanuts at your local hardware store.



masterspark said:


> Well, I promised Davarm a review of the Presto Dehydrator.
> I've had it a few weeks now and have dried apples (several batches), mango's, and onions thus far. I have to say it's not bad. I've had good results so far. I did buy some screens and fruit leather trays. I needed the screens for my onions. Having never dried anything before I have nothing to compare to, but it does what I need easily enough. I purchased it through Wally's online for $35.00 on sale ($45.00 in store) and got free shipping. Ordered 2 extra trays at the same time for about $10. I found the screens and leather trays on Amazon for about $18.00. So I'm into it for less than $70.00. The only thing I think it's missing is an on/off switch. You need to unplug it to shut it off. No temp setting but I don't miss that as I'm not that advanced. Overall I like it and use it 3-4 times a week.


----------



## JayJay

masterspark said:


> Well, I promised Davarm a review of the Presto Dehydrator.
> I've had it a few weeks now and have dried apples (several batches), mango's, and onions thus far. I have to say it's not bad. I've had good results so far. I did buy some screens and fruit leather trays. I needed the screens for my onions. Having never dried anything before I have nothing to compare to, but it does what I need easily enough. I purchased it through Wally's online for $35.00 on sale ($45.00 in store) and got free shipping. Ordered 2 extra trays at the same time for about $10. I found the screens and leather trays on Amazon for about $18.00. So I'm into it for less than $70.00. The only thing I think it's missing is an on/off switch. You need to unplug it to shut it off. No temp setting but I don't miss that as I'm not that advanced. Overall I like it and use it 3-4 times a week.


Yes, I got one too, $45 in the store. I can live without a timer, and temp. gauge.

I have about $100 in my set with the machine, 4 extra trays, 4 mesh liners, and 4 fruit roll trays--I'm still okay with that.


----------



## ksmama10

masterspark said:


> I do have a problem with disappearing fruit though. I dry it all night, shut it off before I leave for work in the morning, and after work I empty it out and package up my apples. It seems the top trays are always empty by the time I get home. DD say's she knows nothing,:scratch grins and walks away. I think I need a padlock for it. :laugh:


I hear ya. I need a locked room when I dry pineapple rings..


----------



## 21601mom

ksmama10 said:


> I hear ya. I need a locked room when I dry pineapple rings..


Oh, have been wanting to try this! What duration of time is required for drying? And I assume it dries to a leathery form; right?


----------



## ksmama10

21601mom said:


> Oh, have been wanting to try this! What duration of time is required for drying? And I assume it dries to a leathery form; right?


I think 8-12 hours..I just put them in early in the morning and they were done by suppertime. Or put in before bed and they're done when I get up at 5:30. What I had was a chewy, carmelized texture. Can't eat just one...


----------



## ksmama10

masterspark said:


> Do you dry the canned rings or do you cut down a fresh one?


So far, I've only done the canned rings.


----------



## JayJay

21601mom said:


> Oh, have been wanting to try this! What duration of time is required for drying? And I assume it dries to a leathery form; right?


http://www.dehydratorbook.com/how-to.html

http://www.barlowscientific.com/technotes/home/dry_food.htm


----------



## MetalPrepper

Yummy....I will try some fresh pinnapple....I also want to dry some onions and peppers for future "stews".....for tomorrow I have some jerky marinating .....


----------



## TechAdmin

I've done onions a lot. If you can do it outside. Same thing with peppers. The onions just smell like onions, but the peppers had everyone in my house coughing.


----------



## ksmama10

TechAdmin said:


> I've done onions a lot. If you can do it outside. Same thing with peppers. The onions just smell like onions, but the peppers had everyone in my house coughing.


Hmm..nobody here seems to mind the peppers at all, even the jalepenos. Some gripe about the onions though. I don't mind either one. Funny how mileage varies..


----------



## Meerkat

We tried it a couple times, but it seems very hard to get them cut up right. We have one of those slicer things but it is a pain to use.

Any suggestions on how to cut them up? We bought an Excalibur for about $300 and it just sits there. I did learn why the potatoes didn't come out right, they have to be cooked first to break down the enzymes or something.

We bought the Food Saver, some very expensive wrap and only used it for storing sugar,flour and dry goods.

Also need some oxygen absorbers but have to pay 3 times for S&H than the product cost. Any store sell them ?


----------



## ksmama10

Meerkat said:


> We tried it a couple times, but it seems very hard to get them cut up right. We have one of those slicer things but it is a pain to use.
> 
> Any suggestions on how to cut them up? We bought an Excalibur for about $300 and it just sits there. I did learn why the potatoes didn't come out right, they have to be cooked first to break down the enzymes or something.
> 
> We bought the Food Saver, some very expensive wrap and only used it for storing sugar,flour and dry goods.
> 
> Also need some oxygen absorbers but have to pay 3 times for S&H than the product cost. Any store sell them ?


I bought a Vidalia Chop Wizard off Amazon..other than knicking my fingers a few times when I clean the blades, I really like it..great for dicing celery to dehydrate too.


----------



## neldarez

ksmama10 said:


> I bought a Vidalia Chop Wizard off Amazon..other than knicking my fingers a few times when I clean the blades, I really like it..great for dicing celery to dehydrate too.


I bought 2 !! I use the large squares for onions..........


----------



## neldarez

Meerkat said:


> We tried it a couple times, but it seems very hard to get them cut up right. We have one of those slicer things but it is a pain to use.
> 
> Any suggestions on how to cut them up? We bought an Excalibur for about $300 and it just sits there. I did learn why the potatoes didn't come out right, they have to be cooked first to break down the enzymes or something.
> 
> We bought the Food Saver, some very expensive wrap and only used it for storing sugar,flour and dry goods.
> 
> Also need some oxygen absorbers but have to pay 3 times for S&H than the product cost. Any store sell them ?


When I did our potatoes, I didn't cook them....I peeled them into sink of cold water with lemon juice and I sliced them into the same......they stayed nice and white for me......USA Emergency supply is where I buy my oxygen packets...have bought a few off of amazon also. 
I love my Excalibur, I have 2 of them............don't use them like Davarm does, but I do dry stuff in them......


----------



## Meerkat

neldarez said:


> When I did our potatoes, I didn't cook them....I peeled them into sink of cold water with lemon juice and I sliced them into the same......they stayed nice and white for me......USA Emergency supply is where I buy my oxygen packets...have bought a few off of amazon also.
> I love my Excalibur, I have 2 of them............don't use them like Davarm does, but I do dry stuff in them......


 When we did th potatoes they wouldn't rehydrate , so I read you have to pre cook them some to break down enzymes or something. I don't know why because I put them in lemon juice and cold water.


----------



## txcatlady

My book said to steam them. I did that last year but was time consuming. This year I blanched til softer, drained, patted dry and put in dehydrated while still hot. Am pleased but next time will dice or shred so jars will hold more than one meal per quart. I might as well can them if that is all I get in a jar. Work great either way.


----------



## txcatlady

In fact, may buy some taters this week and try it. Haven't bought potatoes for dehydration before!


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> .don't use them like Davarm does, but I do dry stuff in them......


Are you trying to say I'm a little unorthodox or just a little strange? 

Guilty on both counts!:congrat:


----------



## LilRedHen

Drying apples now from apple trees in my front yard. Those trees are 10 years old and this is the best crop that I have had. I think it is because they got all the water they wanted this summer. The trees were given to the Rooster and we don't have a clue what kind they are. Very very tart, but make good pies.


----------



## goshengirl

masterspark said:


> Liking the pineapple a lot. Can you say candy? Gonna have to hide it.


And if your pineapple comes out a little sticky, you can always dust them with the least little bit of confectioners' sugar - you know, to get rid of the sticky.  
Nirvana.


----------



## neldarez

I got to really thinking about how I did all of those buckets of potato slices and I totally had forgotten that I did indeed blanch them............after I sliced them into lemon water, I put them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, dipped out with colander and put into dryer........sorry, I tend to forget important things if I don't do it all the time!!vract: Never forget about taking a nap or eating though


----------



## JayJay

neldarez said:


> I got to really thinking about how I did all of those buckets of potato slices and I totally had forgotten that I did indeed blanch them............after I sliced them into lemon water, I put them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, dipped out with colander and put into dryer........sorry, I tend to forget important things if I don't do it all the time!!vract: Never forget about taking a nap or eating though


Eating ?? That's my favorite part of the day!!:congrat:


----------



## Kodeman

Okay, so I screwed up and left my pea seeds drying in the sun without covering them this time and the chipmunks had a field day. I was wondering, for next year, if drying them in my dehydrator would work or would it kill them for germinating the following spring. 
So my question is; can a dehydrator be used to dry seeds for replanting?


----------



## Davarm

Kodeman said:


> Okay, so I screwed up and left my pea seeds drying in the sun without covering them this time and the chipmunks had a field day. I was wondering, for next year, if drying them in my dehydrator would work or would it kill them for germinating the following spring.
> So my question is; can a dehydrator be used to dry seeds for replanting?


I use mine to dry seeds, I set it on the lowest heat(95) and take them out as soon as they dry and I've never had a germination problem.


----------



## ksmama10

I have seven trays of green onions drying right now..I didnt realize til I got to the dental office this afternoon, but everybody can tell I've been chopping oinons


----------



## debbluu

Chocolate mint in the dehydrator now.


----------



## ksmama10

debbluu said:


> Chocolate mint in the dehydrator now.


I bet your kitchen smells better than mine at the moment


----------



## Kodeman

Davarm said:


> I use mine to dry seeds, I set it on the lowest heat(95) and take them out as soon as they dry and I've never had a germination problem.


Thanks Davarm, I'll probably try that next fall.


----------



## Davarm

Its time for me to start dehydrating greens again.

I'm cooking them down now to put in the freezer for meals for the next month or so now and when I get those done, tomorrow its going to be red chard, green chard, collards and kale until the cold slows them down.


----------



## 21601mom

masterspark said:


> Just put in another batch of pineapple. Tried some canned pears too this time. Has anyone done canned pears? They're kind of gushy out of the can?


Thanks to ksmama10 I've been on a pineapple sugar high for several days. Heavens, that pineapple is amazing. Please let me know how the pears work out.


----------



## goshengirl

I'm curious how your pears will turn out. I did a can (or two?) of pear bits a while back. It was messy - the bits weren't as defined as, say, pineapple bits, and it was more like having large dried bits and small dried bits and funky leather. And the texture just.... didn't do it for me. 

I may try to make pear leather at some point, but I probably won't try the pear bits again. Maybe larger pieces?

Good luck!


----------



## Davarm

masterspark said:


> Just put in another batch of pineapple. Tried some canned pears too this time. Has anyone done canned pears? They're kind of gushy out of the can?


I've done quite a few cans(#10 and jars of home canned) pears, I like them, it helps if you find a brand that aren't cooked to death during canning.

They will "toughen up" some and hold together better after they are dried.


----------



## SmokeyNJ

Just did last of my chives, going to slice and do garlic again, or maybe mint (depends on frost warnings)


----------



## farright

potato shreds and eggs for the wkend.


----------



## txgirl

Just got a dehydrator today. Trying pineapple first and then will try venison jerky.


----------



## Meerkat

Will dry our lemons we got off our tree tomorrow. 

Should I par boil them first? I want to make zest and lemon power for cakes and cookies?


----------



## farright

Meerkat said:


> Will dry our lemons we got off our tree tomorrow.
> 
> Should I par boil them first? I want to make zest and lemon power for cakes and cookies?


i woukd zest first hard to do when sliced. I dont belive there is a need to par boil.


----------



## Meerkat

farright said:


> i woukd zest first hard to do when sliced. I dont belive there is a need to par boil.


 When we did oranges they were a little 'oily' maybe? So I was wondering if it was something we did wrong. I want them really dry so I can grind them up.


----------



## txgirl

Venison jerky turned out really salty. Any suggestions for rescuing it?


----------



## Davarm

txgirl said:


> Venison jerky turned out really salty. Any suggestions for rescuing it?


You could soak it in water overnight and re-dry it, it will lose a little flavor but it does work.


----------



## Davarm

Swiss Chard, lots of it, enough to keep me going several days.


----------



## txgirl

Davarm said:


> You could soak it in water overnight and re-dry it, it will lose a little flavor but it does work.


Thanks - I'll give it a try


----------



## Idaholady

I haven't read back through all the threads, but I think I've done a 'first' on dehydrating this item.......

My friends laughed at me when I told them what I'd dehydrated....I told them I had NOT run out of things to dehydrate, but a friend gave me some hot chocolate mix and mention drying mini marshmallows.

YEP, I DRIED MINI MARSHMALLOWS and they turned out great! In the past when I bought marshmallows, I'd use only a cup or two and the bag would sit in the shelf and ball up into one sticky mess....

So, I dried some a couple of days ago, and made some hot chocolate last night for hubby. I threw in a hand full of the dried marshmallows. I had him let them sit in the hot chocolate for a short time and then he was able to eat them just like they were fresh out of the bag! Yahoo! Another barter item too! 

I'm just tickled with myself today.....LOL


----------



## Davarm

Someone asked about dehydrating them a while back but I dont think anyone had ever done it.

Congrats on a first!



Idaholady said:


> I haven't read back through all the threads, but I think I've done a 'first' on dehydrating this item.......
> 
> My friends laughed at me when I told them what I'd dehydrated....I told them I had NOT run out of things to dehydrate, but a friend gave me some hot chocolate mix and mention drying mini marshmallows.
> 
> YEP, I DRIED MINI MARSHMALLOWS and they turned out great! In the past when I bought marshmallows, I'd use only a cup or two and the bag would sit in the shelf and ball up into one sticky mess....
> 
> So, I dried some a couple of days ago, and made some hot chocolate last night for hubby. I threw in a hand full of the dried marshmallows. I had him let them sit in the hot chocolate for a short time and then he was able to eat them just like they were fresh out of the bag! Yahoo! Another barter item too!
> 
> I'm just tickled with myself today.....LOL


----------



## Davarm

I'm down to my last load of Swiss Chard(green), tomorrow I'm going out to pick the red. Wont be as much of it but it should keep me busy for the day.


----------



## goshengirl

The last apple mint and chocolate mint of the season. Still need to do the peppermint, mojito mint, pineapple mint, grapefruit mint, and spearmint.


----------



## Davarm

masterspark said:


> OK, so I'm lovin the beef jerky!!! Best part is that DW and DD don't care for jerky so it will be around for a while. So here's my question. How best to store it and for how long? I'm thinking my food saver vacuum packer. How long should I expect it to be good? 60 days? 90+days??
> 
> Just put another batch of pineapple in.


I vacuum seal it in food saver bags, when I first started doing it I opened the bags and checked it for about a year and when I found no problems after that long in the bags, I stopped checking.

I have a 5 gallon bucket full of jerky and dried meats(beef) that I sealed up about 3 years ago, guess I'll open it up and do another taste test.

It may be a few days before I get around to it but will post what I find.


----------



## UncleJoe

The last of the bell peppers. 4 trays


----------



## neldarez

masterspark said:


> Just took out another batch of pineapple. I can't dry it fast enough for the DD. I'm now doing my first batch of beef jerky, wish me luck.


I bought one of those jerky guns and made some jerky with their seasoning...it was ok, kind of blah but I'm looking for other seasoning packs to try. Good for you, I really like jerky!


----------



## Davarm

I picked most of one plot of pimento peppers today, got 5 gallon buckets and will start putting them on to dehydrate tonight.

Probably gonna have that many more after I get them all picked, it may frost next week.


----------



## Enchant18

Dehydrating carrot and fruit leathers. Had a nephew over this past weekend with a pillowcase of Hallowween candy and he was eating fruit leather while the candy sat on the floor! Win!!


----------



## Davarm

Two five gallon buckets of pimento peppers down, 3 to go in this batch.

If it isn't raining tomorrow I'm going to pick the rest of them and put them in line to dehydrate.


----------



## Kodeman

Good buddy just gave me 80 lbs. of venison. I'll probably jerk 40-50 lbs. over the next few days.


----------



## goshengirl

That is definitely a good buddy! :2thumb:


----------



## txgirl

Potatos! Hopefully potato chips - but not 100% sure about what I am doing, so an experiment.


----------



## AfleetAlex

Today is red onion.
Tonight will be celery, carrots and hopefully some red pepper.


----------



## UncleJoe

Cranberries! :droolie:

Yep it's cranberry season again. Get'm while you can. They will be gone by Christmas.


----------



## Davarm

UncleJoe said:


> Cranberries! :droolie:
> 
> Yep it's cranberry season again. Get'm while you can. They will be gone by Christmas.


Wow, already that time again.

We went through about half of a five gallon bucket since last year so we've got some catching up to do this year.


----------



## goshengirl

UncleJoe said:


> Cranberries! :droolie:
> 
> Yep it's cranberry season again. Get'm while you can. They will be gone by Christmas.


First bag of cranberries I saw in the store made me think of you, lol. I thought, 'I gotta look up Uncle Joe's cranberry recipe and actually make it this year!'


----------



## UncleJoe

goshengirl said:


> First bag of cranberries I saw in the store made me think of you, lol. I thought, 'I gotta look up Uncle Joe's cranberry recipe and actually make it this year!'


The recipe for the sauce is right on the bag.

1c water
1c sugar
1 12oz bag of berries

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Pour in the berries. Cook for about 10min. Run through the Foley to remove the skins. Fill your jars.

But this should probably be in the canning thread.  

I'm drying 2 bags right now. It didn't work out so well last year. For them to dry properly you need to pour them in a pot of boiling water long enough to split the skins.(about 10min) Then drain the water off and lay them out on the trays. I started this batch about 4:00 this afternoon. They should be ready by tomorrow afternoon.


----------



## goshengirl

Thank you! You saved me from digging through that little ol' thread.

As for dehydrating, have you tried using the drained off water for anything? I would have guessed 5 min instead of 10 - thanks for steering me right.


----------



## timmie

*turnips*

anyone tried turnip greens? I tried collards a couple of years ago. they were fine. going to do some turnips next week.


----------



## UncleJoe

goshengirl said:


> Thank you! You saved me from digging through that little ol' thread.
> 
> As for dehydrating, have you tried using the drained off water for anything? I would have guessed 5 min instead of 10 - thanks for steering me right.


5-7 minutes would probably be enough. I only heard a few "pops" for the last couple minutes.

Yes. I did save the water. I used it for the berries I canned, instead of plain water.


----------



## rhiana

Tried baking Kale chips and they were terrible. So bitter! Has anyone tried dehydrating with better results?452


----------



## Davarm

I have the last of my pimento peppers in the dehydrator now, thought I'd never get them done.

Looks like we'll wind up with 4 to 5 gallons of paprika when they are all ground.


----------



## UncleJoe

From 24oz of fresh cranberries to 2oz of dried. Boy, are they ever tart when they're dried!


----------



## Davarm

UncleJoe said:


> From 24oz of fresh cranberries to 2oz of dried. Boy, are they ever tart when they're dried!


Have a question on your cranberries, when you blanch them prior to dehydrating, do they come out of the dehydrator soft and chewy like the "crasins" you get in the store?

I dry a lot of cranberries starting about this time each year and if I could figure out how to make the "crasins" I just may have to double my goal this year.


----------



## Davarm

rhiana said:


> Tried baking Kale chips and they were terrible. So bitter! Has anyone tried dehydrating with better results?452


I know of 2 things that can make kale chips bitter.

1. Starting with old growth or "dry-weather" leaves.

2. A lot of times if you bake them too long, to the point that they start to burn(but not necessarily black), they can turn bitter.

What you can do is to taste one of the leaves prior to baking them to rule out a bad batch of kale then work from there.


----------



## UncleJoe

Davarm said:


> Have a question on your cranberries, when you blanch them prior to dehydrating, do they come out of the dehydrator soft and chewy like the "crasins" you get in the store?


When I left for work they were still pretty soft. I thought about turning the dryer off but decided against it. By the time I got home they were quite crisp. Guess I should have shut it off. 

So in a word, no. But I believe they could if you kept an eye on them.


----------



## ksmama10

UncleJoe said:


> When I left for work they were still pretty soft. I thought about turning the dryer off but decided against it. By the time I got home they were quite crisp. Guess I should have shut it off.
> 
> So in a word, no. But I believe they could if you kept an eye on them.


I noticed my cherry tomatoes took a very long time to get crispy. They were REALLY good when they were at the 'craisin' stage, and it was tempting to take them out and just eat them like that. I've had candy that was less sweet.


----------



## Genevieve

Question: Has anyone seen canned apricots on sale at their local grocery stores?
I ask because for some reason they haven't been on sale here that I know of. I may have missed it, but I make it a point to check every week and didn't find any on sale.
I like to drain the canned ones and dry them for myself to use in recipes and when they're on sale 10/10 I buy $20 worth lol.
The ones already dried are SO expensive. Good grief!
Actually all dried fruits are expensive.


----------



## Davarm

Genevieve said:


> Question: Has anyone seen canned apricots on sale at their local grocery stores?
> I ask because for some reason they haven't been on sale here that I know of. I may have missed it, but I make it a point to check every week and didn't find any on sale.
> I like to drain the canned ones and dry them for myself to use in recipes and when they're on sale 10/10 I buy $20 worth lol.
> The ones already dried are SO expensive. Good grief!
> Actually all dried fruits are expensive.


I haven't noticed apricots on sale but I do often check.

When canned fruit IS on sale I buy it up and dehydrate it, mostly peaches and pears, the canned stuff dries up pretty nice and IMO is better for snacks than the dried fresh fruit.


----------



## Genevieve

oh I agree. I'd rather have some nice dried fruit instead of a candy bar any day. Especially cherries and apricots. num!


----------



## AfleetAlex

5 inch sliced carrots and celery, for making broth/stock, and a few lemons.


----------



## txcatlady

Holy cow! I bought a package of dried pineapple and just tried them. I am putting pineapple in dehydrator now. I did onions the other day, eggs on Tuesday and now the pineapple chunks. Thank you PS for suggesting something I haven't ever tried! I think fruit is my weakest area and I predict that will change!


----------



## txcatlady

In fact, I put all my pineapple in and plan to go to dollar general tomorrow and get some more to dehydrate. Love it. I tasted the store brand fresh out of can and they tasted good when putting on racks. The brand name may be a little sweeter, but not enough to be worth the cost.


----------



## goshengirl

txcatlady said:


> Holy cow! I bought a package of dried pineapple and just tried them. I am putting pineapple in dehydrator now. I did onions the other day, eggs on Tuesday and now the pineapple chunks. Thank you PS for suggesting something I haven't ever tried! I think fruit is my weakest area and I predict that will change!


I'm seeing pineapple on sale all over the place here. I don't know if this is a yearly thing (I seem to remember it on sale about the same time last year) - but pineapple is the BEST!


----------



## Davarm

I love seeing people excited like that about dehydrating!


----------



## UncleJoe

Genevieve said:


> oh I agree. I'd rather have some nice dried fruit instead of a candy bar any day. Especially cherries and apricots. num!


As much as I love dried fruit, I still want that occasional Dark Chocolate bar. :droolie:


----------



## ksmama10

UncleJoe said:


> As much as I love dried fruit, I still want that occasional Dark Chocolate bar. :droolie:


Either mix the dried cherries with bits of dark chocolate or dip them in melted chocolate. There's somewhere in Wichita that sells all kinds of nuts and candies that has something like that...VERRA good!


----------



## SouthCentralUS

You guys have been talking about the pineapple so much I had to try it. I just put 2 cans of chunks and 2 cans of slices in the dehydrator and set it on 14 hours. I am prepared for the slices to go longer of course. These have no sugar so I hope they are as good as yours. What should the texture be when they are done? How long would they last if you did not like them so much and eat them up? Has anyone saved any to see?


----------



## txcatlady

I am on my first try and didn't get to buy any today. Mine took a little longer but I had heat low. I took mine off when I got home tonight. They weren't sticky, just chewy. I didn't dust with powdered sugar. Went ahead and vac sealed in a pint jar. Started to think qt, but wondered about opening qt jar at some point and that is a lot of pineapple for one person. Will continue with pint jars. Mine tastes good. I bought a bag and tried them before making any. Immediately started dehydrator


----------



## Toffee

Personally, I don't think any sugar is needed for pineapple. I bought several when they were on sale and dried them. They were so good. I think I may have eaten half straight out of the dehydrator.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

My pineapple finished about 7:30 this morning. I will definitely be doing more when it goes on sale for the holidays. Today I bought 4 lbs frozen peas and 4 lbs frozen green beans to dehydrate.


----------



## Davarm

I went through my freezer and pulled out all of the bagged up and frozen, leftover cakes. Had some pumpkin bread, coconut cake(bout like pumpkin bread) and almost a full 9x13 pan of brownie.

It all went into the dehydrator a little while ago.


----------



## txcatlady

What are you going to do with dehydrated cakes and breads? This is new to me. I have not heard of it and sounds like a plan. Tell me more please!


----------



## SouthCentralUS

txcatlady said:


> What are you going to do with dehydrated cakes and breads? This is new to me. I have not heard of it and sounds like a plan. Tell me more please!


Yes and how do you rehydrate?


----------



## Davarm

txcatlady said:


> What are you going to do with dehydrated cakes and breads? This is new to me. I have not heard of it and sounds like a plan. Tell me more please!





SouthCentralUS said:


> Yes and how do you rehydrate?


The denser cakes work best, just slice them about an inch thick and dry them, I vacuum seal the slices when they are completely dry. The easiest way to rehydrate them is to open the bag and add about a tablespoon of water, fold over the open end then nuke them for about a minute and let them sit for about 10 or so minutes. You can also dip the dried slices in water and let them sit for a while in a covered dish. The dried slices are also good to eat like cookies, without any rehydrating(thats the way I like it).

Cakes like real pound cake(1 pound each eggs, butter, flour and sugar), pumpkin bread, banana bread and applesauce cake do best but you can also dry regular cakes like the boxed "Duncan Heinz" types but they usually crumble whey you vacuum seal them.

The softer dehydrated cakes can be chopped into a course "meal" and be vacuum sealed without having to worry about the slices collapsing under vacuum. They are good used as crusts for cheese cakes, added to hot breakfast cereal or for just about anything else that uses a sweet topping.


----------



## txcatlady

Thanks Davarm. Put that on my list!


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> The denser cakes work best, just slice them about an inch thick and dry them, I vacuum seal the slices when they are completely dry. The easiest way to rehydrate them is to open the bag and add about a tablespoon of water, fold over the open end then nuke them for about a minute and let them sit for about 10 or so minutes. You can also dip the dried slices in water and let them sit for a while in a covered dish. The dried slices are also good to eat like cookies, without any rehydrating(thats the way I like it).
> 
> Cakes like real pound cake(1 pound each eggs, butter, flour and sugar), pumpkin bread, banana bread and applesauce cake do best but you can also dry regular cakes like the boxed "Duncan Heinz" types but they usually crumble whey you vacuum seal them.
> 
> The softer dehydrated cakes can be chopped into a course "meal" and be vacuum sealed without having to worry about the slices collapsing under vacuum. They are good used as crusts for cheese cakes, added to hot breakfast cereal or for just about anything else that uses a sweet topping.


I bet the dry slices would be awesome crumbled on ice cream or in yogurt...


----------



## AfleetAlex

Its Monday and both roommates are working. That means its onion day!


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> I bet the dry slices would be awesome crumbled on ice cream or in yogurt...


I wasn't going to say anything about the ice cream or yogurt, thought I'd let it go at being "A Topping"!

That chocolate brownie is about my favorite on Ice Cream.


----------



## BlueFeather

*scraping off fruit cocktail*

Have had my Excalibur a couple of weeks and it's been running almost every night. Sometimes I'm canning and dehydrating. Gotta learn to pace myself! :teehee: I did discovered something useful when dehydrating my fruit cocktail. It wants to stick.....sooo I used my hand food scraper/chopper blade to remove fruit from the tray. Worked like a charm to scrape all the fruit right off. I think a spatula would work too but haven't tried it. Made a huge batch of zucchini chips with california style garlic salt. Those were very tasty. I even did the canned pumpkin. I now have 6 cans powdered in 1 wide mouth pint. This is so much fun.
Thank you for all the motivation and ideas! :congrat:
BlueFeather


----------



## SouthCentralUS

With the bad weather coming in on Thursday, I looked to see what I could get out of my freezer. They are predicting power outages. I have 4 pounds frozen green beans and 4 pounds frozen green peas in the dehydrator. I guess they will stay there until I get off work tomorrow.

That doesn't help those 2 turkeys and all that bacon and beef roast I have in the freezer but it is a start.


----------



## Topmom

Oranges, oranges, and more oranges. Husband's work gave them all a box of oranges for Thanksgiving. They are not the best tasting and knew they would spoil, so 20 racks later and I've ended up with about 4 gallons of orange slices.


----------



## txcatlady

I have read that some of you clean out freezer and can the meat. I froze my venison last night after grinding it and I was tired. I am canning ground chuck right now. Question is,,, I have a freezer full of venison sausage from last season. Can I thaw that and can it? I know it has pork fat and that tends to go bad.. Any suggestions? It was two deer and made a lot! Thanks


----------



## SmokeyNJ

I just did another batch of:
Red Bell Peppers
Shallots
Celery

I made a small batch a couple weeks ago, and crushed it up, put it in a jar. The other night I mixed some in with sour cream, OMF'ing goodness, I don't think I will ever buy "dip" mix again. Just had to add a tiny bit of salt.

I gotta check in my next deHyd/FrDr catalog for powdered sour cream. 
If there is such a thing, has anyone used it before? and what kind of comments do you have on the quality/taste?


----------



## goshengirl

Smokey, I've got sour cream powder. I've never reconstituted it, so I can't help there. I just use it for flavoring - particularly with potatoes (powdered milk, powdered cheese, powdered sour cream along with dehydrated potato dices/slices makes some pretty good comfort food). It can also be added to ground beef when making patties. That sort of thing.

I've honestly never cooked with real sour cream, so I can't give you a comparison. But for the way we use it, it's good, and something I want to keep in the pantry.


----------



## farright

carrots and celery in dehydrator and sweet taters in the canner.


----------



## dixiemama

Potatoes. Sis in law was given about 5 big bags so they've been sliced very thin and will be portioned and seasoned for the kids to just 'heat and eat' when they want a snack.


----------



## Davarm

Before you spend money buying sour cream powder you may want to try dehydrating it yourself.

It will resemble course meal when you take it out of the dehydrator but you can run it through a grain mill and grind it to a powder. It doesn't rehydrate to the exact texture and taste of fresh store bought but it's really not too bad.

I dont remember the ratio of water to powder I used to rehydrate it but you can do a before and after weight and get a pretty good estimate of how much water to use when you mix it up.



SmokeyNJ said:


> I just did another batch of:
> Red Bell Peppers
> Shallots
> Celery
> 
> I made a small batch a couple weeks ago, and crushed it up, put it in a jar. The other night I mixed some in with sour cream, OMF'ing goodness, I don't think I will ever buy "dip" mix again. Just had to add a tiny bit of salt.
> 
> I gotta check in my next deHyd/FrDr catalog for powdered sour cream.
> If there is such a thing, has anyone used it before? and what kind of comments do you have on the quality/taste?


----------



## Davarm

I dehydrated leftover "Butter Beans" and ham today.


----------



## Jason

We've got deer jerky in the dehydrator overnight. I was a little skeptical about my wife's recipe, but man is it good stuff.


----------



## Salekdarling

Yams. I stayed at a friend's house over the weekend about an hour away from me. She had yams hanging out on the counter. Apparently she doesn't like them, so I took them.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

8 trays of apples in the Excaliber.


----------



## goshengirl

pineapple slices


----------



## Davarm

I went to the grocery store today to get the grandson a treat for being good yesterday and saw that cranberries were down to $1.00 per bag.

Gonna go out tomorrow and start buying them up and will start them dehydrating tomorrow evening.


----------



## camo2460

Got a Dehydrator full of Blueberries and will be working on some Bell Peppers as soon as the Blueberries are done


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> I went to the grocery store today to get the grandson a treat for being good yesterday and saw that cranberries were down to $1.00 per bag.
> 
> Gonna go out tomorrow and start buying them up and will start them dehydrating tomorrow evening.


Same price here! We head out of town tomorrow to visit in-laws, but when we get back, I need to do the same as you - buy 'em up and dry 'em up.


----------



## neldarez

We have 3 grocery stores in our town, one of them being walmart...I was at all 3 this morning to see if I could get the cranberries marked down...not a bag to be found..........grrrrr

Hey, do I have to boil the cranberries a minute until the skin splits before I dehydrate? I have 1 bag left from Christmas that I bought for full price! $3.00....I'll just go dry them like Dave suggested .........way cool


----------



## Davarm

If I remember right, UncleJoe boils them and he says they do pretty good that way but I just slice them or chop them in a food processor then spread them out to dry.

If I only have a bag or two I'll just slice them individually, if I have more I'll run them throw the food processor and chop them to save time, either way works for me.



neldarez said:


> We have 3 grocery stores in our town, one of them being walmart...I was at all 3 this morning to see if I could get the cranberries marked down...not a bag to be found..........grrrrr
> 
> Hey, do I have to boil the cranberries a minute until the skin splits before I dehydrate? I have 1 bag left from Christmas that I bought for full price! $3.00....I'll just go dry them like Dave suggested .........way cool


----------



## neldarez

Davarm said:


> If I remember right, UncleJoe boils them and he says they do pretty good that way but just slice them or chop them in a food processor then spread them out to dry.
> 
> If I only have a bag or two I'll just slice them individually, if I have more I'll run them throw the food processor and chop them to save time, either way works for me.


Thanks Dave.......you're my go to kinda guy!!


----------



## SouthCentralUS

9 trays of oranges.


----------



## 21601mom

SouthCentralUS said:


> 9 trays of oranges.


What type? Mandarin? Never thought of dehydrating them, but I bet they're good!


----------



## ksmama10

I just ordered two of the Sneaky Chef books, by Missy Chase Lapine... One of her tricks involves make-ahead vegetable purees. Because I've read this entire thread, I wondered if it would work to make leather out of her purees. She says to either keep refrigerated in jars or freeze in 1/4 cup amounts in freezer bags. 
Here is a link so you all can see her purees. http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_sneaky_chef_recipes.php


----------



## JayJay

Since the season is slow(like non), and the dehydrator actually heats the kitchen, why not??
Bananas yesterday, bananas tomorrow and 3/$1 green peppers from DG next day.
Oh, 10 bananas dried fill 1 mason quart jar. You're welcome!!


----------



## TheManComesAround

Spaghetti sauce....prolly can half and dehydrate the rest...then on to Ginger, and some peppers.....oops! Almost forgot the Kale


----------



## JayJay

Green peppers tomorrow--DG, 3/$1.


----------



## hashbrown

Jerky, found top round on sale. Drying some in the oven and the rest in the smoker.


----------



## Davarm

ksmama10 said:


> I just ordered two of the Sneaky Chef books, by Missy Chase Lapine... One of her tricks involves make-ahead vegetable purees. Because I've read this entire thread, I wondered if it would work to make leather out of her purees. She says to either keep refrigerated in jars or freeze in 1/4 cup amounts in freezer bags.
> Here is a link so you all can see her purees. http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_sneaky_chef_recipes.php


I've dehydrated purees, they dont really make "leather", more like potato chips but it does work.

It works out pretty good added to soups and casseroles.


----------



## Davarm

I dont know how you make your spaghetti sauce but if you're going to dehydrate it, dont add oil(olive), it will go rancid pretty fast.

We add olive to our sauce and when I tried dehydrating it, it dried well but went rancid after several months even being vacuum sealed in jars.

It did work out well without the olive oil, just added it in when we rehydrated it and simmered it a while.



TheManComesAround said:


> Spaghetti sauce....prolly can half and dehydrate the rest...then on to Ginger, and some peppers.....oops! Almost forgot the Kale


----------



## Davarm

I've got shredded sharp cheddar cheese(regular and reduced fat) in the dehydrator tonight, after it dries I'm going to run it through the mill and powder it.

Saturday I'm meeting with a local group and I'm going to take it along with some other things, for "Show And Tell".


----------



## 21601mom

Davarm said:


> I've got shredded sharp cheddar cheese(regular and reduced fat) in the dehydrator tonight, after it dries I'm going to run it through the mill and powder it.
> 
> .


That's awesome! What is the rehydration process, just water or water/milk? And do you usually just use for Mac & Cheese or other casseroles?


----------



## TheManComesAround

*D'OH!!*



Davarm said:


> I dont know how you make your spaghetti sauce but if you're going to dehydrate it, dont add oil(olive), it will go rancid pretty fast.
> 
> We add olive to our sauce and when I tried dehydrating it, it dried well but went rancid after several months even being vacuum sealed in jars.
> 
> It did work out well without the olive oil, just added it in when we rehydrated it and simmered it a while.


Finished 14 Cups last nite and ground into powder. Hopefully the small bit of Olive Oil I used in browning the Onions, Carrots, and Garlic won't be too much to contribute to it going rancid. I dried this batch beyond the "fruit leather" stage because I wanted it powdered - maybe this will be helpful.


----------



## Topmom

21601mom said:


> What type? Mandarin? Never thought of dehydrating them, but I bet they're good!


I love dehydrated oranges, especially dipped in dark chocolate.


----------



## goshengirl

Will be dehydrating eggs this weekend. The girls are laying more than we can use right now. That's alright - just time for Operation Dehydrate Eggs.


----------



## JayJay

With all the stories of Ca. I am seriously thinking of potatoes, onions, green peppers, cabbages, well..and vegetable I use a lot. Even frozen corn and peas from Kroger's ($1 a bag) are sounding good now.
Yeah, I have cases of canned peas and corn, but dehydrated takes less space.

And I do not believe the stories are hype and price gouging.
I have read many posts from Ca. residents relaying the same info.
Get ready.:brickwall:


----------



## Davarm

Sorry I missed this, thought I made a reply but dont see it here.

To Rehydrate just pour warm water over the dried shreds and let it sit for a while, be careful not to get the water too hot or the cheese will melt into a solid mass as it rehydrates.

Mac n Cheese and casseroles do pretty well with the dried shreds or powder. Just remember that when you add it to dishes you will need to make sure there is enough water added in to rehydrate it.



21601mom said:


> That's awesome! What is the rehydration process, just water or water/milk? And do you usually just use for Mac & Cheese or other casseroles?


----------



## Davarm

I have 20 pounds of diced cooked potatoes dehydrating, after those finish up I'm going to do another 20 pounds.

With the rumors of spud prices going up I'm going to make it an even 100 pounds over the next 4 or 5 days, 100 pounds will just about fill a 5 gallon bucket.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

4 pounds of frozen broccoli in the dehydrator.


----------



## goshengirl

frozen veggies on sale at meijer: corn, peas, carrots
celery (not on sale  but I was out)

I like to have these in jars in the pantry for whenever chicken can be had on sale and I make chicken stock.


----------



## timmie

jalepeno peppers . they are in my freezer and i need to empty it. i have 3 dehydrators . so i will see what else i have to fill them all up.


----------



## Davarm

Going for 20 pounds of potatoes tonight instead of 15 like last night.


----------



## k0xxx

Honey Lemon Glazed Beef Jerky for a care package to send to my son. :?)


----------



## lazydaisy67

I'm kind of on a 'discovering ginger' kick right now. Anybody dehydrate that?


----------



## Davarm

lazydaisy67 said:


> I'm kind of on a 'discovering ginger' kick right now. Anybody dehydrate that?


I've experimented with it.

Some I just sliced thin and dried it and some I sliced thin and covered it in sugar overnight and then dried it.

Both ways accomplished what I was after, a few pieces cold be put in a cup and steeped in boiling water for a cup of tea.

Something else I tried, I ran the roots through a juicer then canned the juice, that was some powerful potent stuff, a little goes a long way.


----------



## Topmom

Miniature marshmallows...love them in hot cocoa


----------



## farright

celery carrots onions and eggs eggs and more eggs hit a deal at .58 a dozen get a fridge full


----------



## Davarm

Thirty pounds of potatoes toningt, I may get the last of the 100 pounds in the dehydrator tomorrow.


----------



## myckysanford

Deer jerky. My kids love it.

Sent from my XT626 using Survival Forum mobile app


----------



## Davarm

Finished with the potatoes, determined that 130 pounds(fresh weight) could be diced, cooked, dehydrated then packed into a 5 gallon bucket.

I have a number buckets full of spuds but never measured just how much it took to completely fill one, now I know.


----------



## Toffee

Put about 3 lbs of oyster mushrooms through. I won't send the husband to the store again, even if I am as sick as I was. He bought every oyster mushroom they had thinking they were rare to see in our market.

Sent from my HTC One SV using Survival Forum mobile app


----------



## Moose33

I ran out of shrooms so did a couple of pounds and have a couple more to go. So far they've turned out way better (prettier) than my last batch.

Wanted to make jerky. Flank steak is 8.79 a pound. The only thing I could find was pre-packaged and $18+ dollars. I have to keep looking. If I knew I'd love the finished product ok but not ok for my first experiment.


----------



## Kodeman

Marinating 10 lbs. of venison this morning to make jerky tomorrow.


----------



## ronald_stufflebeam

*Mushrooms*

I'm basing my short term food prep on foods based on decay. Mushrooms make great food as well as medicine. As well being an excellent source of nutrition they grow without sunlight (although vitamin d production requires it) and in large quantities quickly.


----------



## Dakine

5 lbs of cinnamon sugar banana slices on the dehydrator, and I do the peels too, if you dry them, and then run them through the blender to make a powder, they make awesome fertilizer for your garden, but you have to bust them into powder on the blender because otherwise they are like catnip for squirrels, raccoons and rabbits, they'll trash your entire garden just to dig those up and leave the other stuff behind lol.


----------



## goshengirl

More frozen veggies. Meijer had a sale.


----------



## Moose33

Made my first small batch of jerky today. I over dried it a bit but it's REALLY good. Not my last batch for sure.


----------



## 21601mom

Moose33 said:


> Made my first small batch of jerky today. I over dried it a bit but it's REALLY good. Not my last batch for sure.


What cut of beef did you end up using? I almost always use flank, but am interested in trying something new.


----------



## Moose33

21601mom said:


> What cut of beef did you end up using? I almost always use flank, but am interested in trying something new.


I found a small package of round steak. It was the least expensive per pound I could find. I dried it for four hours. I really should have quit at three. A 3.44 mistake (not exactly a mistake, I will absolutley eat it) is way better than goofing up flank steak at 8.79+/-.


----------



## camo2460

Will be prepping and dehydrating three fresh Pineapples today. I would prefer to use a honey dip, but I'm out of Honey.


----------



## JayJay

I just ground another 20 dried eggs--got almost a pint.


----------



## camo2460

Just finished up about 15 pounds of Oranges, and another three Pineapples to go. Also have about 25-30 lbs. of Potatoes to dry, I think I'll have to borrow my daughter's dehydrator.


----------



## dljenkins

Yes I dried the liver, my dog loves them. We had to dry them in the garage though because of the smell.


----------



## Davarm

dljenkins said:


> Yes I dried the liver, my dog loves them. We had to dry them in the garage though because of the smell.


Thats one I can honestly say I have never, or will ever try, my hats off to your bravery! lol


----------



## Dakine

4 lbs of roast beef cut into jerky strips is vacuum infused marinating for the next 24 hours then it goes on the dehydrator for jerky time!!!


----------



## Davarm

Leftover white rice and cheddar cheese that was on sale yesterday.


----------



## Beaniemaster2

camo2460 said:


> Just finished up about 15 pounds of Oranges, and another three Pineapples to go. Also have about 25-30 lbs. of Potatoes to dry, I think I'll have to borrow my daughter's dehydrator.


Hope you are really drying that fruit well... Most fruit is freeze dried not dehydrated due to the high moisture content... Just thought I should mention that, not being a know it all just learned from experience too...


----------



## Davarm

With it being in the teens outside, wind howling with sleet and snow blowing all over I'm scratching to find as much food as I can to put in the dehydrators.

Having 3 dehydrators running really keeps the house warm!

I've emptied the potato bin, have a load of sweet potatoes going and I've got the last of the sharp cheddar going now, good thing it's supposed to warm up tomorrow - running out of stuff to put in the dehydrators!


----------



## Davarm

A week or so ago a topic came up(forgot exactly where) about curing and salting meats and fish and Coot pm'd me the recipe for a simple brine. 


Basic Fish Brine

1/2 C Salt
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1 1/2 quarts water

Boil water an let cool, add salt an stir till dissolved, add brown sugar stir till dissolved. Add in spice.

Fillets over 1/2 inch thick brine 6 hours.
Fillets under 1/2 inch thick brine 4 hours.





I have "salted" quite a lot of fish and have it stored away but it requires "freshening", soaking in water to remove the salt, before cooking and eating. per Coots instructions this would drop the requirement for soaking. 

I tried it out on 3 fillets I found in my freezer and am posting the results or at least partial results, I'm going to cook and try them out tonight.

The fillets dried well and looked like they could easily be eaten as jerky but I'm not too keen on eating raw fish when I could have it cooked. My salted fish fillets are from the same kind of fish, about the same size/weight/thickness but are coated and layered in dry salt, left to sit overnight - then dehydrated. They must be soaked in several changes of water before cooking and the fillets often fall apart when cooking but taste very good.

The first picture is of Coots process and the second is how I've been doing it, not much doubt as to which "looks" better and thats one vote right off the bat. 

I'll come back and edit this post tonight after I "sample" the new fish fillets.


Update: The fillets were outstanding!

I soaked them for a while in fresh water to soften them up, rubbed them with olive oil, peppered them, wrapped them in foil and baked.

They were a tad bit rubbery after cooked but that was the only thinig I can say about them, the taste was pretty much identical to fresh(frozen) and even though they were soaked in the salt and sugar brine they were not noticably salty or sweet.

Thanks Coot, am going to lay in a stockpile of it for hard times.


----------



## 21601mom

Davarm said:


> I've emptied the potato bin, have a load of sweet potatoes going !


How do you prepare the sweet potatoes? Do you blanch before slicing or shredding? Have a dozen I'd like to dehydrate and am a little scared that I'll make them inedible.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

A #10 can of sliced peaches.


----------



## camo2460

Beaniemaster2 said:


> Hope you are really drying that fruit well... Most fruit is freeze dried not dehydrated due to the high moisture content... Just thought I should mention that, not being a know it all just learned from experience too...


Thank you my friend, I appreciate you input. I tend to slightly over dry fruit for just that reason, and then go through it and remove the pieces that seem to be on the moist side.


----------



## Davarm

21601mom said:


> How do you prepare the sweet potatoes? Do you blanch before slicing or shredding? Have a dozen I'd like to dehydrate and am a little scared that I'll make them inedible.


I have done them several ways, grated raw, sliced raw, sliced raw then blanched and diced raw into about 1 inch cubes, cooked completely and then dried.

By far the best way was the diced, fully cooked cubes, they do take a while to completely dehydrate. If you do them that way make sure they are thoroughly dry before packing for long term storage. A good precation to take is to seal them in a ziplock bag after you dehydrate them, let them sit on your counter for a few days then put them back in to dry for a few more hours. This gives the moisture time to migrate out so it can be finished off. You may notice moisture collects in the ziploc bag while they are sitting, thats just another indicator that they need the second round in the dehydrator.

To rehydrate the diced cooked sweet potatoes, just pour boiling water over them and let them sit until they are soft. You can then treat them like you would from a grocery store can, they will be more dense and hold shape better but I dont think that is a bad thing.

I have candied them and made pies from them, both were great. I think the dehydrated ones make better pies than fresh.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

My first attempt at potatoes is in the dehydrator. 9 trays.


----------



## k0xxx

Just finished slicing 10 pounds of sirloin tip roast and putting it into marinade for some more Honey-Lemon Glazed Jerky.


----------



## 21601mom

Davarm said:


> I have done them several ways, grated raw, sliced raw, sliced raw then blanched and diced raw into about 1 inch cubes, cooked completely and then dried.
> 
> By far the best way was the diced, fully cooked cubes, they do take a while to completely dehydrate. If you do them that way make sure they are thoroughly dry before packing for long term storage. A good precation to take is to seal them in a ziplock bag after you dehydrate them, let them sit on your counter for a few days then put them back in to dry for a few more hours. This gives the moisture time to migrate out so it can be finished off. You may notice moisture collects in the ziploc bag while they are sitting, thats just another indicator that they need the second round in the dehydrator.
> 
> To rehydrate the diced cooked sweet potatoes, just pour boiling water over them and let them sit until they are soft. You can then treat them like you would from a grocery store can, they will be more dense and hold shape better but I dont think that is a bad thing.
> 
> I have candied them and made pies from them, both were great. I think the dehydrated ones make better pies than fresh.


Thank you so much! I always appreciate you sharing your experience! Just put another four dozen eggs in the dehydrator tonight, so will give the chopped/fully cooked method a try tomorrow. Thanks again!


----------



## Davarm

It was/is sweet potatoes(diced 1x1 inch cubes and cooked) tonight.

Cleaned out the fridge and topped off the dehydrator with lentil soup and spanish rice.


----------



## Davarm

A local store had 15 pound bags of potatoes for $2.50 today, picked up another 30 pounds. Dont know if I'm going to get to them today but gonna try.


----------



## mamamouse

banana chips


----------



## -prepper-

I think i will try to make apple chips today . 


Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


----------



## Davarm

Here we go again, a local store had 5 pound bags of russet potatoes, 10 for $10.00.

Gonna have to learn that just because I find a good buy, doesn't mean I have to get it!


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> Here we go again, a local store had 5 pound bags of russet potatoes, 10 for $10.00.
> 
> Gonna have to learn that just because I find a good buy, doesn't mean I have to get it!


Look at it this way, when the Starving Masses are at your door, you'll have cheap food to barter.


----------



## LincTex

Davarm said:


> Here we go again, a local store had 5 pound bags of russet potatoes, 10 for $10.00


Time to get a bigger dehydrator!!


----------



## Davarm

LincTex said:


> Time to get a bigger dehydrator!!


Geeze, I already have to open the windows during winter to keep the house livable when they are running!! lol

That may be a little exaggerated but If I load them both up, I have about 40 square feet of tray space to use and can go up to 60 if I have something that dries fast.


----------



## Freyadog

Second day and finishing mixed frozen vegetables, cauliflower and broccoli for next winters soups and stews IF we ever get out of this one.


----------



## LincTex

Davarm said:


> Geeze, I already have to open the windows during winter to keep the house livable when they are running!! lol


I'll help you engineer the new wood-fired "walk-in" model!


----------



## Davarm

LincTex said:


> I'll help you engineer the new wood-fired "walk-in" model!


Isn't that what you would call a smoke house??? lol


----------



## Moose33

Got two more pounds of hamburger in the dehtdrator.


----------



## ksmama10

Yesterday I dehydrated 7 trays of frozen corn and now have the same trays filled with green beans.


----------



## LincTex

ksmama10 said:


> Yesterday I dehydrated 7 trays of frozen corn


Store-bought frozen corn in the bags?

Does the sugar in sweet corn convert to starch when dehydrating it?


----------



## ksmama10

LincTex said:


> Store-bought frozen corn in the bags?
> 
> Does the sugar in sweet corn convert to starch when dehydrating it?


I'm not sure how to tell. When I taste it, it tastes as sweet or more, than before.


----------



## LincTex

ksmama10 said:


> I'm not sure how to tell. When I taste it, it tastes as sweet or more, than before.


Good to know.

Now I am wondering just how large of bags can be found....


----------



## ksmama10

LincTex said:


> Good to know.
> 
> Now I am wondering just how large of bags can be found....


The bags from my local store are either one or two lbs. I think I've seen larger bags at Sams. You can always check their prices online if you enter a zip code for the store nearest you. I use their site info all the time to guage whether it is worth a trip to Sams or not..that's how I discovered that the 'truth' about their block cheese being cheaper than their shredded cheese is a lie. They're the same price,


----------



## BlueFeather

6 trays of celery, 2 trays of green beans, and 1 tray of sliced strawberries. Haven't done celery before so we'll see how it goes.


----------



## JayJay

BlueFeather said:


> 6 trays of celery, 2 trays of green beans, and 1 tray of sliced strawberries. Haven't done celery before so we'll see how it goes.


My jar of diced celery is gorgeous. This summer, I am dehydrating my strawberries instead of freezing.


----------



## LincTex

JayJay said:


> This summer, I am dehydrating my strawberries


Those are very yummy! :yummy:


----------



## BlueFeather

The celery tastes so much better than the dehydrated I had bought. 3 big huge bunches dried down into about half a quart jar. Maybe I'll cut the slices a little bigger on the next batch. I sliced this bunch into 1/4" slices and they are almost invisible when dry! A tsp probably equals one stalk?


----------



## Viking

After refueling my weed eater about three times for a few hours of barely touching what weeds are really growing fast, at 71 years of age, I feel that I dehydrated myself today:laugh:. Sorry but I had to write this because of seeing the title in the Newest Threads column and how I felt at the moment.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

A #10 can of pineapple chunks and I have 6 cups of juice which will make 2 batches of jelly.


----------



## MamaTo3

I didn't want to start a whole new thread so I figured I would ask it here since it is about dehydrating. 
I froze a whole bunch of small cherry tomatoes last year and am now wanting to make some space in my freezer. Can I thaw them out and dehydrate them? I figured I would just grind them into tomato powder when they are dry, so I'm not really worried about them having a different consistency when thawed. Has anyone else done this? 


Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


----------



## LincTex

MamaTo3 said:


> Can I thaw them out and dehydrate them? I figured I would just grind them into tomato powder when they are dry, .... Has anyone else done this?


Easiest to blend them and pour the pulp onto a "fruit leather" tray. Once dried down you can store them as "tomato paste flakes"


----------



## MamaTo3

Thanks, LincTex. Just wanted to make sure it was doable. 


Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


----------



## LincTex

"dehydrating frozen tomatoes"

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co.../453370-dehydrating-frozen-veggies-fruit.html


> You'll need to drain them really good before dehydrating, otherwise it'll take forever. I'd just make sauce with them.


http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0918360217269.html?20


> Of course, as with canned tomatoes, the texture will be totally kaput. But for uses where you're going to cook them anyway, freezing works great. I don't even peel them before chucking 'em into freezer bags and into the freezer. (I try to remember to take off the stems.)
> When you want to use them, peel them by popping them in boiling water for a few seconds and then fishing them out; the skins will slip right off.


----------



## Viking

LincTex said:


> Easiest to blend them and pour the pulp onto a "fruit leather" tray. Once dried down you can store them as "tomato paste flakes"


We never tried this but it's probably the best way to do it, we dried tomato slices and they were too wet which could have easily made them moldy.


----------



## LincTex

Viking said:


> We never tried this but it's probably the best way to do it, we dried tomato slices and they were too wet which could have easily made them moldy.


I think cooking them down for a while to drive most of the moisture off will be necessary.


----------



## Moose33

Got two more pounds of shrooms drying. This catches me up (with shrooms anyway) for awhile. Can't decide what's next.


----------



## myrtle55

Drying chicken bits and Turkey...hardest is cutting it up so small..Lol. house smells good!


----------



## Davarm

MamaTo3 said:


> I didn't want to start a whole new thread so I figured I would ask it here since it is about dehydrating.
> I froze a whole bunch of small cherry tomatoes last year and am now wanting to make some space in my freezer. Can I thaw them out and dehydrate them? I figured I would just grind them into tomato powder when they are dry, so I'm not really worried about them having a different consistency when thawed. Has anyone else done this?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


I'm not to fond of dried tomatoes(whole or slices) but I have dried and ground them into powder, the powder did work well for cooking and tasted pretty good.

You will have to be careful while grinding them, no matter how dry you get them they will really gum up your grinder(I used my grain mill with steel burs). The powder will also tend to cake into a solid mass so you cant vacuum seal it in bags, vacuum sealing the powder in jars works best but dont pack it down - leave it loose.

You may be kinda disappointed when you finally get the tomatoes ground, you'll wonder where it all went, it takes a lot of tomato to make just a little powder.


----------



## Davarm

Almost forgot what I came to the thread for, have 5 or 6 trays of plain cooked pasta in the dehydrator. 

Woke up this morning and the front that blew through yesterday had the house chilly so loaded up the dehydrator to take the chill off.


----------



## MamaTo3

Thanks everyone for the tomato advice 


Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


----------



## LincTex

Davarm said:


> ... of plain cooked pasta in the dehydrator.


please explain - is the pasta homemade?

When I buy pasta at the store, it is already dehydrated


----------



## JayJay

LincTex said:


> please explain - is the pasta homemade?
> 
> When I buy pasta at the store, it is already dehydrated


I was wondering about that too??
You cook the pasta, dehydrate it to rehydrate it??
I'm confused.


----------



## txcatlady

Opened some pears off my moms tree that I canned in 2010, rinsed and put in dehydrator. Take less room in pantry. Wish I had dried them back then. They should be tender!


----------



## swinneyswitch

*Excalibur*

I want to buy an Excalibur 3926TB, I have the cheap ones now but I am ready to move up. Can you tell me your experience with this model.
Thanks:wave:


----------



## BlueFeather

swinneyswitch,
I have that model and absolutely Love it! Does a fabulous job. Load it, set temp and timer, forget about it. Food is always dried evenly. For large pieces I just remove every other tray (like large broccoli and cauliflower). I wasn't sure I'd like the timer but I do. I feel it was worth the extra $. Would be easier to clean the trays if I had a larger sink. No biggie, I have a system worked out now.

I think you would be very happy with it.


----------



## swinneyswitch

*not dehydrating today*

I'm not dehydrating anything today....BECAUSE...Tuesday or Wednesday my Excalibur comes in and I am so excited. I plan on dehydrating everything I can catch. 
artydance:


----------



## aknodak

*Dehydrating*

I am interested in dehydrating vegetables. Can anyone tell me what is a good dehydrator to purchase? Not doing candy, fruit roll ups, etc. Might do jerky.


----------



## Davarm

aknodak said:


> I am interested in dehydrating vegetables. Can anyone tell me what is a good dehydrator to purchase? Not doing candy, fruit roll ups, etc. Might do jerky.


Here you will find people using just about every make and model out there, some even put food on racks above the wood stove(Hello Sue).

It's gonna wind up being a matter of preference, I have 2 Nesco GardenMasters and am very pleased with them. I also have several of the OLD Oster models that I have modified to do big jobs(hams, meats and other things that wont fit in the Nesco's).

The only ones "I" will say to avoid are the new Oster models available at Walmart, they are not worth the material they are packed in.


----------



## Davarm

txcatlady said:


> Opened some pears off my moms tree that I canned in 2010, rinsed and put in dehydrator. Take less room in pantry. Wish I had dried them back then. They should be tender!


IMO, the best way to do pears(peaches and plums) are to dry the canned ones(home or store bought), hard to beat!


----------



## Davarm

LincTex said:


> please explain - is the pasta homemade?
> 
> When I buy pasta at the store, it is already dehydrated


Sorry Linc, just saw this, I didn't check back on the thread and see it until now.

When we cook plain pasta and have leftover, I put it in the dehydrator and make "Instant" past out of it. Just pour boiling or very hot water over it, let it sit for a while and it softens back up ready to eat.

The DD's usually cook more than is needed for a meal so I have a considerable amount stored up and when you want a quick meal, it's hard to beat.

I've also noticed that when you use the dehydrated noodles/pasta in soups, it doesn't seem to soak up all the broth when it cools down. Makes leftover noodle soup a little more appatizing.


----------



## Davarm

Mustard greens for me tonight, my mustard is starting to go to seed so wont get much more from the patch.


----------



## MCNSemperFi

Dehydrating lots of extra greens from our CSA box that we won't get to this week. Once they're dried, I'll powder them in the blender. I'll use it in smoothies and soups.


----------



## myrtle55

What's a can box?


----------



## LincTex

myrtle55 said:


> What's a CSA box?


Community Supported Agriculture


----------



## myrtle55

Is that like a community garden?


----------



## Davarm

Gonna be spinach tonight, picked a 36 gallon tub and after the dehydrator is full, gonna blanch and freeze the rest - too lazy to can it tonight.

Looks like about 1 more of the 36 gallon tubs and the spinach will be done for the year.


----------



## Toffee

myrtle55 said:


> Is that like a community garden?


It's like a farm that sells "shares" to people ahead of time to help pay the upfront costs of farming. Then, whoever pays, gets a box, typically every week filled with produce from the farm.


----------



## myrtle55

Toffee said:


> It's like a farm that sells "shares" to people ahead of time to help pay the upfront costs of farming. Then, whoever pays, gets a box, typically every week filled with produce from the farm.


Wow, it sounds pretty cool, thanks


----------



## MCNSemperFi

myrtle55 said:


> Wow, it sounds pretty cool, thanks


It is pretty nice. We get to support a local small organic farm by paying for a weekly share of the produce while they, in turn, receive some working capital to keep the farm going. It can be a little crazy at times as you never know what produce you will received for the week, but it's a good way to get quality produce when you can't grow it all yourself.


----------



## myrtle55

It sounds awsome, wish we had something like that


----------



## myrtle55

Dehydrating Brussel sprouts abd celery today, did onions yesterday, beef the day before...still moving forward


----------



## hashbrown

Was rainy here today, crappy day for building but a great day for jerky making.


----------



## myrtle55

Yummy looking!


----------



## swinneyswitch

Blue Feather you were right about the Excalibur. I love it but I could use more room in my sink for cleaning the trays. I have dehydrated garlic, cheddar cheese, green beans, mango. I need to buy the roll up trays but I am so tight I don't want to pay the $15.00 for the general ones either. I suppose I will though. Does anyone know of a cheaper price. I want to try jerky now!


----------



## SouthCentralUS

swinneyswitch said:


> Blue Feather you were right about the Excalibur. I love it but I could use more room in my sink for cleaning the trays. I have dehydrated garlic, cheddar cheese, green beans, mango. I need to buy the roll up trays but I am so tight I don't want to pay the $15.00 for the general ones either. I suppose I will though. Does anyone know of a cheaper price. I want to try jerky now!


Use parchment paper. I like my Excalibur also.


----------



## BlueFeather

I bought some cheaper ones through an online place but I'm not sure I like them. I also have one of the expensive ones as well. What I like the best are the flimsy cutting mats I get at wallyworld. There's like 4 in a package of different colors and they work terrific. Just cut a tiny bit off of one end. The silicone ones will curl up when your liquid dries. The cutting mats don't curl up and I've not had anything stick to them yet. I use them for applesauce, pumpkin puree, etc. It all peels right off. And they are easy to wash up. I store the mats in the bottom of the dehydrator. Makes cleanup easy there as well. I have to mention I've not turned my temp knob past 135 so I'm not sure how they would work with a higher heat setting. Most of the time I leave mine set on 125 or less.

My sink isn't big enough either. I put hot soapy water and lay all the liners in the sink to soak for a few minutes while I get ready to do the black trays. I fold a bath towel in half on my counter. As I wash the liners with a dish brush and rinse, I then lay them on the towel. Run a dish towel over the top, flip over, and dry the other side. The bath towel catches the excess water. To do the trays, I stand them up in the sink from corner to corner and use a micro fiber rag in the hot sudsy water to gently wipe off the sticky residue. Rinse and lay on the towel. Then dry in the same manner as the liners. Goes pretty fast once you get the hang of it. If the bath towell gets too damp, flip it over. Hope this info helps.


----------



## swinneyswitch

Thanks for all the information, it does help. I'm heading to Wallyworld today. I have some of those mats that I use for cutting mats. I put them in my dishwasher when I'm finished with them and they come out fine. I cheat after I wash my Excalibur trays and mesh mats and put them in the Excalibur for a few minutes and turn it on low to dry.


----------



## JayJay

Strawberries.


----------



## JayJay

SouthCentralUS said:


> Use parchment paper. I like my Excalibur also.


I got fruit roll up trays 2/$10. Amazon; but I stopped ordering there --the shipping is too high now.

Oh, but that was for cheap dehydrator.


----------



## MCNSemperFi

Dehydrated a bunch of hot peppers.


----------



## Davarm

Lots of Cilantro.


----------



## Davarm

More cilantro.

It's going to be cilantro and kale for the next week or so.


----------



## swinneyswitch

*plastic plates for excalibur*

I found plastic plates that could be used in the microwave at Dollar Tree so I thought that I would try them in my Excalibur in place of the plastic mats. They work great and the fact that you can get them 8 for $1.00 is fantastic. I have used them to make tomato leather. They have a lip on them which makes pouring liquids onto them perfect. I am now working on tomato paste. I dehydrate until the tomato sauce is thick enough, put into freezer bags and voila! Now I don't have to worry about spilling or overfilling my trays. Life is Good!:2thumb:


----------



## goshengirl

swinney, THANK YOU! What an excellent idea! The one thing that drives me nuts with my Excalibur is not having a lip for dehydrating liquids (we do eggs and tomato leather quite a bit). 

I will definitely look for plates like that!


----------



## 21601mom

I'll second goshengirl's thanks; what an awesome idea! Dehydrating eggs on the plastic mats has been...interesting. Thanks so much!

Would you mind posting a picture?


----------



## Davarm

Lots of Dill!

Getting it before the grasshoppers do.


----------



## ksmama10

Davarm said:


> Lots of Dill!
> 
> Getting it before the grasshoppers do.


I bet your house smells amazing. I love the aroma of dill. There are certain fields nearby that have lots of wild dill; I love to drive by them with the windows rolled down.


----------



## Davarm

Dill is great, instead of putting the dill in the dehydrators on the front porch, we put up with the heat in the house just for the smell.


----------



## bbrider

Strawberry chips and leather for my granddaughter who cant get enough, banana's, grapes and watermelon. House smells like a fruit stand.


----------



## Davarm

Have some candied watermelon rind drying now, the melon was thick rinded so it will take quite a while to dry.

Gonna let it dry for about 12 hours, sit for about a day for the moisture to even out then finish drying it. For those thick rinds, if you dont give it that rest period you'll never get it dry enough to store.


----------



## goshengirl

Hey bbrider, do you do any prep to those strawberries before dehydrating, or just slice and put on the tray? I just bought some 'pineberries' (strawberries with pineapple flavor), and strawberry chips sounds like a great idea for them when they start producing.


----------



## bbrider

Goshengirl, we just rinse and slice about a quarter to half inch thick and dry them. They go great crumbled onto cereal or yogurt. My granddaughter loves to snack on them straight from the bag.


----------



## mamamouse

chantrel mushrooms


----------



## hashbrown

Oregano and lemon balm today


----------



## JayJay

I'm off to gather the leaves from my new spearmint and dry those on the covered porch.
It's 91 in the shade here, so outside, folks!!!


----------



## AuroraHawk

It is time to cut dill again. It will be added to the catnip, and 3 varieties of basil that have been drying on a screen in the garage, since Tuesday. I should have the dehydrator running for sweet cherries but this 6 pounds of cherries are for fresh eating. 

The tomatoes are starting to ripen but those will be used in salads and for fresh eating until more of them ripen.


----------



## rawhide2971

I've been reading through this thread for about two weeks because I really have wanted to get involved in dehydrating and a few days ago broke down and ordered mine and it arrived yesterday and I immediately started playing with it and threw some strawberries and bananas on the thing and they turned out half way decent so the wife did not give me to much grief. But I made my brag about doing something about all that squash and she went into over drive about how its to big and dried squash is no good just like canned squash is no good and my tail started drooping so I am asking what if anything is good to do with dried squash? I mean I read all the posts but nothing clicked.....I am off to search on the net but most of my good information seems to come from the old pros on here........just thought I would throw out a rope and hope for a little advise.....I really bought the thing for venison jerky this coming fall ....... but I can't say that out loud


----------



## tsrwivey

Even after all this time dehydrating, I'm still amused by how much foods shrink down . This is 5 big bell peppers in a recycled cherry jar.


----------



## tsrwivey

You can use dehydrated squash in soups or to put into your spaghetti sauce. I grind it up small & sneak it into different foods just to add some extra nutrition for the family members who don't get enough veggies.


----------



## goshengirl

tsrwivey said:


> I grind it up small & sneak it into different foods just to add some extra nutrition for the family members who don't get enough veggies.


That would be me. :wave:


----------



## rawhide2971

tsrwivey said:


> You can use dehydrated squash in soups or to put into your spaghetti sauce. I grind it up small & sneak it into different foods just to add some extra nutrition for the family members who don't get enough veggies.


With what I currently have on hand I would have to be sneaking in about a pound a meal lol.


----------



## swinneyswitch

21601mom said:


> I'll second goshengirl's thanks; what an awesome idea! Dehydrating eggs on the plastic mats has been...interesting. Thanks so much!
> 
> Would you mind posting a picture?


If someone can explain to me how to post pictures, I will be glad to do it. I have eggs in the Excalibur right now.


----------



## rawhide2971

Uploading photos and attachments is pretty easy if you have them stored on your computer. Hit your advanced reply and you will see at the bottom where you can "manage Attachments". When you click on that button it will open a window that will have a drop down and you can click on one of the tabs and open a search window to find the file and you navigate to where you stored the file you want to upload.
Click on the file.
Click on Upload
Click and close the window and it should show that the file is there and ready and that's all there is to it.
You can do one or several. There is a size limit however.
Best way to learn is to play around with it.:congrat:

Sample below


----------



## tsrwivey

Bread for bread crumbs on the dehydrator now.


----------



## swinneyswitch

*Dollar Tree Plates for Excalibur*

I hope this works. If it does, it is a picture of microwaveable plates 2/1.00 from Dollar Tree. They are perfect for using in my excalibur for eggs and liquidy things as they have a nice lip on them. Easy to clean and you can get a set for 5 dollars. artydance: Thank you goshengirl you are my hero!


----------



## 21601mom

swinneyswitch said:


> I hope this works. If it does, it is a picture of microwaveable plates 2/1.00 from Dollar Tree. They are perfect for using in my excalibur for eggs and liquidy things as they have a nice lip on them. Easy to clean and you can get a set for 5 dollars. artydance: Thank you goshengirl you are my hero!


It worked!! Thanks again for the great idea!


----------



## goshengirl

That looks great, swinney! I have got to get those plates and get 'cracking' - we're swimming in eggs right now! lol


----------



## neldarez

Here's my question....if I cook up a bunch of brown rice and then dehydrate it, do I recook it like instant rice?? equal parts rice/water??


----------



## JayJay

neldarez said:


> Here's my question....if I cook up a bunch of brown rice and then dehydrate it, do I recook it like instant rice?? equal parts rice/water??


What is the advantage of dehydrated rice??

I am so curious.


----------



## neldarez

to cook brown rice is 45 minutes....if I could cook it like instant rice, that would be awesome!!


----------



## Mnrdnck

I have my wife convinced we should by a food dehydrator the Money it would save in dog treats it would pay for its self. I am looking at a cheap Nesco to start with. My question is the advertising says no need to rotate the trays is this right or should I rotate the trays anyways.


----------



## myrtle55

Question on dehydrated eggs..are they scrambled and cooked first? Or dried raw?


----------



## 21601mom

myrtle55 said:


> Question on dehydrated eggs..are they scrambled and cooked first? Or dried raw?


I dry mine raw because I have heard of complaints with the texture of eggs that were scrambled then dehydrated. I think Gypsysue has something in one of her books about this-will try to find and post.


----------



## JayJay

myrtle55 said:


> Question on dehydrated eggs..are they scrambled and cooked first? Or dried raw?


I did not cook mine--just scrambled with a whisker and they did nicely.
Only 5 small or 4 large on each fruit rollup tray--trust me.
Don't mess with rotating trays for about 3 hours--trust me.
Level the dehydrator before you fill the trays--trust me.
If worried about salmonella, use only free range, farm fresh eggs.

Youtube has a few nice pictures and videos of the process.


----------



## JayJay

Mnrdnck said:


> I have my wife convinced we should by a food dehydrator the Money it would save in dog treats it would pay for its self. I am looking at a cheap Nesco to start with. My question is the advertising says no need to rotate the trays is this right or should I rotate the trays anyways.


I started with a $35 Presto and have not been disappointed.
I am always home, so don't need a timer and have not had a problem with no temperature gauge either.
A nice one to start with, but be warned, I did buy extra trays(now have 8 total) and bought 4 fruit roll trays, and 4 mesh trays for diced items.


----------



## Davarm

neldarez said:


> Here's my question....if I cook up a bunch of brown rice and then dehydrate it, do I recook it like instant rice?? equal parts rice/water??


Ms Nelda, I've done a lot of white rice but never brown rice, gonna pick some up the next trip into town and try it.

The only thing I would question is that the uncooked brown rice has natural oils that will go rancid over time and I dont know if the cooking would remove enough to keep it from going rancid when dried.

We do like brown rice but dont keep much of it around just because we dont eat it fast enough to keep it from going bad, if cooking and dehydrating would fix that then we would likely eat quite a bit more.



JayJay said:


> What is the advantage of dehydrated rice??


Dehydrated white rice can be rehydrated by pouring boiling water over it and letting it sit for a while, really good when time or cooking fuel are an issue.

Am going to check out the brown rice and see how it stores and rehydrates.


----------



## Davarm

myrtle55 said:


> Question on dehydrated eggs..are they scrambled and cooked first? Or dried raw?


Dehydrating cook eggs would be my last choice in preserving them, they get tough and rubbery and are sometimes hard to get "softened" up enough to eat.

They are edible though, just depends on how hungry you are whether you would say they were "good" or not.


----------



## Urmomma

Finished 1/2 bushel fugi apples. Heb had them at $1/pound and they are nice apples. Candied watermelon rind. Very nice. 2 quarts from one melon. Started on 1/2 bushel of peaches. .77 per pound at Heb. 5 pounds of strawberries dried made 1 1/2 quarts.


----------



## StormyNight

Hi, I'm StormyNight and I'm a new poster here, but this post caught my eye. I successfully dehydrated 6 Lbs. of ground turkey yesterday after similar successes a few weeks ago dehydrating lean ground beef.

After dehydrating, I let it cool and vacuum sealed it and right now it's on my pantry shelf.


----------



## Genevieve

cabbage 

can't wait until the red raspberries are in. they dry up so nice and they taste so good in my oatmeal and muffins....num


----------



## Herbalpagan

Summer squash and herbs!


----------



## LincTex

neldarez said:


> to cook brown rice is 45 minutes....if I could cook it like instant rice, that would be awesome!!


Maybe it would also cook away the oils that make brown rice become rancid?


----------



## JayJay

Genevieve said:


> cabbage
> 
> can't wait until the red raspberries are in. they dry up so nice and they taste so good in my oatmeal and muffins....num


Can you tell me about my raspberries?
I know to mulch--did
I know to cut the canes in spring--will do.

I just planted them a month ago and they are so green, full of new leafs and gorgeous.
Will I have berries next summer??

I do not know if they are ever bearing on just once bearing--didn't ask the nursery, but I buy there a lot and will ask.

Thanks for letting me know if I get berries next summer.


----------



## txcatlady

With my domestic berries they bear on last years growth and you cut those canes down when they are done. With the new growth I try to get as much growth with fertilizer and water this year for more berries next year. Don't know about raspberries. Are they similar in production??


----------



## rawhide2971

Played around this weekend with Watermelon....it sure takes a long time.
Did some bananas for the first time and plan to do more. I am going to have to read through these threads again for tips.
one thing I did was a tray of Cilantro and once it was dry I put it in my Ninja blender and reduced it to a powder and its very potent and I plan to use it in my salsa. But to get a lot of powered cilantro I am going to need to plant and harvest a ton of it.
I have a lot of ambition but a very indifferent spouse so I am doing all this on my own. 
It's peach season so I will start on them this week end.
Necterine tree out back is loaded and if the deer leave me any I am going to start harvesting them this weekend as well.


----------



## JayJay

rawhide2971 said:


> Played around this weekend with Watermelon....it sure takes a long time.
> Did some bananas for the first time and plan to do more. I am going to have to read through these threads again for tips.
> one thing I did was a tray of Cilantro and once it was dry I put it in my Ninja blender and reduced it to a powder and its very potent and I plan to use it in my salsa. But to get a lot of powered cilantro I am going to need to plant and harvest a ton of it.
> I have a lot of ambition but a very indifferent spouse so I am doing all this on my own.
> It's peach season so I will start on them this week end.
> Necterine tree out back is loaded and if the deer leave me any I am going to start harvesting them this weekend as well.


Cilantro benefits:
Removes metals like copper. lead, mercury, from water; drop of cilantro into water pitcher; its deep-green leaves possess good amounts of antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins, and dietary fiber, which help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" while rising HDL or "good cholesterol" levels.
◾Cilantro is one of the richest herbal sources for vitamin K
http://juicing-for-health.com/basic-nutrition/healing-vegetables/health-benefits-of-cilantro.html

Peaches here are not coming off the stone...hence, freestone peaches are not free stone!! 
Peach orchard owner said cool weather at the wrong time last month is the cause.
I did buy one basket and he was right--glad I wasn't canning those!!:cheers:


----------



## JayJay

txcatlady said:


> With my domestic berries they bear on last years growth and you cut those canes down when they are done. With the new growth I try to get as much growth with fertilizer and water this year for more berries next year. Don't know about raspberries. Are they similar in production??


I would say similar, yes. My raspberries are growing daily...:congrat: and are so pretty.
What are you using for fertilizer cause I just put bone meal on mine.


----------



## Urmomma

Another watermelon rind candied and drying


----------



## txcatlady

JayJay said:


> I would say similar, yes. My raspberries are growing daily...:congrat: and are so pretty.
> What are you using for fertilizer cause I just put bone meal on mine.


I want as much growth as possible so I have thicker and more canes for production next year. That's why I cut all the canes out that have already produced this year. They will die this fall anyway, so all energy will go into more canes.


----------



## JayJay

txcatlady said:


> I want as much growth as possible so I have thicker and more canes for production next year. That's why I cut all the canes out that have already produced this year. They will die this fall anyway, so all energy will go into more canes.


I read to cut canes in March, and as of now, I only have one dead cane on each plant.
Thanks.
So, will I have berries next summer??


----------



## txcatlady

I don't know about raspberries, but I will have domestic berries. I hope you will. Can you research it online? Good luck.


----------



## JayJay

txcatlady said:


> I don't know about raspberries, but I will have domestic berries. I hope you will. Can you research it online? Good luck.


*Summer bearing raspberries produce fruit only on second year canes (floricanes). First year canes (primocanes) must remain intact throughout the winter so that a crop can be produced the following summer. During the time the second year canes are fruiting, first year canes are forming in preparation for the next year's crop.*

So, this is why I will leave my canes till March and then cut.


----------



## Urmomma

Finishing up the last of my cherries. Heb has blue berries 1.47 a pint which is great for my area and Kroger now has the cherries for 1.97 a pound. Thank goodness for cherry pitters. Had the dried cherries in oatmeal this morning and it was great.


----------



## simplymom

Broccoli and onions. 



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----------



## SouthCentralUS

I dehydrated tomato peelings overnight and today made a cup of tomato powder.


----------



## rawhide2971

*I need input from Jerky Experts*

This weekend I experimented with my first endeavor with Beef Hamburger Jerky. I bought a pre made jerky mix from Academy sports and 5 pounds of 90/10 hamburger and prepared it per the instructions and over the weekend made it into jerky and it came out pretty good. Followed the advise of a couple of Youtube videos on using the split ziplock bags and paint stir sticks for thickness and was satisfied with the results but I have to admit the work was more than I anticipated...(yes I am lazy)...I have to wonder if its not better to do as some I see on here and get larger pieces of meat and have it sliced and marinaded and use that instead of the hamburger...seems like it would be more expensive. Those of you with more experience care to chime in and give me your thoughts and maybe suggestions? Even recipes? I am all ears and would love to have some input. I bought my dehydrators so I want to maximize my use of it.
Thanks in advance.:congrat:


----------



## Kodeman

rawhide2971 said:


> This weekend I experimented with my first endeavor with Beef Hamburger Jerky. I bought a pre made jerky mix from Academy sports and 5 pounds of 90/10 hamburger and prepared it per the instructions and over the weekend made it into jerky and it came out pretty good. Followed the advise of a couple of Youtube videos on using the split ziplock bags and paint stir sticks for thickness and was satisfied with the results but I have to admit the work was more than I anticipated...(yes I am lazy)...I have to wonder if its not better to do as some I see on here and get larger pieces of meat and have it sliced and marinaded and use that instead of the hamburger...seems like it would be more expensive. Those of you with more experience care to chime in and give me your thoughts and maybe suggestions? Even recipes? I am all ears and would love to have some input. I bought my dehydrators so I want to maximize my use of it.
> Thanks in advance.:congrat:


I've never made jerky out of hamburger but have been making jerky for many years using venison (when I can get it) but mostly I buy eye of the round. I trim off the small amount of fat and slice it in 1/8 -1/4 inch slices. I buy my mixes from Bass Pro and marinate the meat over night. I have never been disappointed and buy the meat when it's on sale. Hope this helps.


----------



## myrtle55

I use whatever lean is on sale or marked down. I pick them up and freeze em till I have plenty. My adult kids and grandkids voted my jerky made wit th adolphs meat tenderizer liquid smoke, onion and garlic powder is their favorite. I got an electric meat slicer from goodwill for 4 bux and I slice em all thin, marinate overnights and start dehydrating the next day


----------



## Freyadog

The humidity is so high last night and this morning that my carrot chips are not drying. they are very flimsy. 

Do I keep drying them in Excalibur, do I let them cool and place in jars? At a loss here. The dehydrator is full.


----------



## myrtle55

Can anyone tell me if I grate my cheese and dehydrate it, can I store it just with o2 absorbers like everything else?


----------



## Genevieve

drying zucchini chips and shredded

and herbs


----------



## rawhide2971

This weekend I dehydrated Cilantro and ground it into powder. Then I worked on Bananas, SAMS had them on sale....getting them even is a pain, nature should get some quality control those curves make them hard to cut evenly.
Then my biggie. I decided the plastic baggie for my jerky was to much work so I broke down and ordered a Jerky gun. I did my research and settled on this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002L80J78/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Simply put I love it. For $27. bucks its a keeper. It made my jerky making a 100% easier activity. I cut my time down by 1/3rd at lest and with the uniformity the drying time went down as well. I can see more Beef Jerky being made in the very near future


----------



## myrtle55

I have a jerky gun for hamburger jerkey. I love it!


----------



## Topmom

2 gallons of blueberries


----------



## rawhide2971

TopMom I have read that if yu freeze your blue berries prior to dehydrating that they dehydrate much faster because the skins burst. Did you take that procedure? Reason I ask is that I plan on blue berries as my next project scheduled for this weekend while they are plentiful at the pick your own orchards locally.


----------



## Topmom

rawhide2971 said:


> TopMom I have read that if yu freeze your blue berries prior to dehydrating that they dehydrate much faster because the skins burst. Did you take that procedure? Reason I ask is that I plan on blue berries as my next project scheduled for this weekend while they are plentiful at the pick your own orchards locally.


Rawhide, I did freeze them and then put them in the dehydrator. That method does work well but I can't really tell you exactly how long it took since I had the dehydrator going around the clock for 4 days straight. Good luck with your berries.


----------



## nightwing

today I am dehydrating my butt man is it hot outside vract:


----------



## myrtle55

What kind of dehydrated can u fit your butt in? Lol


----------



## Urmomma

Eggs and it is working nicely.


----------



## myrtle55

Just want to say I bought a 
l' equip dehydrater over a year ago from Amazon and it has run dang near non stop and never lets me down. I think I love this thing!


----------



## rawhide2971

myrtle55 said:


> Just want to say I bought a
> l' equip dehydrater over a year ago from Amazon and it has run dang near non stop and never lets me down. I think I love this thing!


Thats the kind I bought and I have been very happy with mine as well. I am going to order additional trays for mine.:beercheer:


----------



## kyredneck

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/sun-dried-tomatoes-19694/index2.html#post354410


----------



## rawhide2971

This Weekend:
Blueberries - NC ones are still plentiful and cheap, at least as cheap as they ever get. Pretty competitive at the local farmers market in Charlotte. I just don't have the time to go pick anymore
Strawberries - Locals are just about done.

Next is onions....picked up some at a really good price and the wife is finally seeing the light on dehydrating and starting to jump on board. (onions will be out on the screened porch of course).

I went ahead and ordered a few more trays with screens since she seems to be getting on board and is willing to invest time and energy in helping out.


----------



## JayJay

I have a covered back porch if I want to use when it is hot weather.
But I don't have any trouble smelling onions dry; in fact, I love the smell!:droolie:


----------



## nightwing

onions are one thing like garlic that can be hung and last a very long time 

we used to braid them together by the greens as long as they did not touch 
( a soft spot and rot occurs where they touch) they can last until next crop
but drying a portion gives you a edge in case next crop is not as good.

next season a friend is going to give me a start of multiplying onions 
looking forward to them have not raise them in years,


----------



## Urmomma

Candied rind of a orange dewliciouse. Ought to be great


----------



## Genevieve

I've been drying trays upon trays of zucchini. I like to shred them and dry them extra dry so I can use a mini chopper and chop them up so it can be used as a filler in meatloaf and meatballs and such instead of bread. Hubby never knows it's in there 
I freeze what I want to use for cakes and soups and such. But the majority goes into the dehydrator. Once dried they keep longer in a vacuum sealed jar

After I'm finished with the zucchini it's more garlic and onion chives, mint,sage is ready this time around, thyme,and oregano.

The first of the apples ( ginger golds) are being picked here at the orchards so it won't be long before I'll have trays and trays of those going.

I use A LOT of dried onions. Can't go wrong in drying them I just don't have the trays available .............yet


----------



## JayJay

Genevieve said:


> I've been drying trays upon trays of zucchini. I like to shred them and dry them extra dry so I can use a mini chopper and chop them up so it can be used as a filler in meatloaf and meatballs and such instead of bread. Hubby never knows it's in there
> I freeze what I want to use for cakes and soups and such. But the majority goes into the dehydrator. Once dried they keep longer in a vacuum sealed jar
> 
> After I'm finished with the zucchini it's more garlic and onion chives, mint,sage is ready this time around, thyme,and oregano.
> 
> The first of the apples ( ginger golds) are being picked here at the orchards so it won't be long before I'll have trays and trays of those going.
> 
> I use A LOT of dried onions. Can't go wrong in drying them I just don't have the trays available .............yet


Onions from Aldi's are on my list next!!


----------



## JayJay

*next season a friend is going to give me a start of multiplying onions *

Mine didn't do very well--checked a couple and only two from each.


----------



## crabapple

Tomatoes,bananas,A few BlueBerries & kale.


----------



## hashbrown

Habaneros Just took the dehydrator outside because I thought it was going to blind us.


----------



## CulexPipiens

Eggs. My first try... I got 5 dozen in there and once done will be grinding them into egg powder.


----------



## tsrwivey

rawhide2971 said:


> I went ahead and ordered a few more trays with screens since she seems to be getting on board and is willing to invest time and energy in helping out.


Sometimes it's cheaper or about the same to buy another dehydrator identical to the one you have than it is to buy additional trays. Plus, you gave the added benefit of being able to still use your screens & liquid tray liners in the event your dehydrator bites the dust. Just a thought.


----------



## JayJay

tsrwivey said:


> Sometimes it's cheaper or about the same to buy another dehydrator identical to the one you have than it is to buy additional trays. Plus, you gave the added benefit of being able to still use your screens & liquid tray liners in the event your dehydrator bites the dust. Just a thought.


Know what?? For what I paid for the extra 4 trays, it would have been cheaper to buy a $35 Presto dehydrator.
Duh!! Add shipping to that Amazon buy and I lost money!!!

$14 for 2 trays, twice = $28 + shipping?? Yeah, smarter to buy a second back up dehydrator.


----------



## JayJay

CulexPipiens said:


> Eggs. My first try... I got 5 dozen in there and once done will be grinding them into egg powder.


WOW!! Most I get is 5 to a tray for 4 fruit rollup trays = 20 eggs!

You go girl!


----------



## nightwing

Today I could not dehydrate sand, humidity is like 99%


----------



## Genevieve

I know bed Bath and Beyond carry nesco trays for $13.99/2.
They don't carry the screens and such but I ordered mine right from nesco I THINK ( been years ago so I honestly don't remember)

Finally I finished off the last 2 zucchinis today. Next up potatoes


----------



## CulexPipiens

JayJay said:


> WOW!! Most I get is 5 to a tray for 4 fruit rollup trays = 20 eggs!


In the Excaliber you can easily get a full dozen eggs per tray (with my 9 tray model I could do 9 dozen at one time if I wanted).


----------



## JayJay

CulexPipiens said:


> In the Excaliber you can easily get a full dozen eggs per tray (with my 9 tray model I could do 9 dozen at one time if I wanted).


That's great--when I grow up, I want an Excalibur!!!:cheers:


----------



## LilRedHen

JayJay said:


> That's great--when I grow up, I want an Excalibur!!!:cheers:


Me too! Me too!:wave:


----------



## rawhide2971

tsrwivey said:


> Sometimes it's cheaper or about the same to buy another dehydrator identical to the one you have than it is to buy additional trays. Plus, you gave the added benefit of being able to still use your screens & liquid tray liners in the event your dehydrator bites the dust. Just a thought.


Admittedly this is sometimes true. In my case I weighed my options and found a good price and decided that in this case I wanted the option to run one unit and have more trays of the same item being processed at a time.

I optimized at 4 additional trays for my unit and it works out well. When doing blueberries and onions it just seems to work better this way for me. I probably will pick up a second unit at some point so I can do multiple items. One thing I failed to take into consideration when I started getting into this is the length of time some of the items I wanted to dehydrate was how dog gone long it takes to process. :nuts: But its all a learning process I guess and its fun and I am trying to get the grandsons involved and that is a real benefit in the long run.


----------



## crabapple

tsrwivey said:


> Sometimes it's cheaper or about the same to buy another dehydrator identical to the one you have than it is to buy additional trays. Plus, you gave the added benefit of being able to still use your screens & liquid tray liners in the event your dehydrator bites the dust. Just a thought.


Our dehydrator was on sale for $20.00, it has lasted 4 months/120 days.
So it would be best to order another one for more trays.
We are saving up for the $400.00 unit, the money is not the problem, I am not sure we will use it enough to justice the cost.
We freeze & can most of what we do not store dry.


----------



## Kodeman

CulexPipiens said:


> In the Excaliber you can easily get a full dozen eggs per tray (with my 9 tray model I could do 9 dozen at one time if I wanted).


I've had my 9-tray Excaliber for several years now and couldn't be more satisfied. It replaced a noisy generic dehydrator that burnt out.


----------



## swinneyswitch

*Potatoes*

just finished dehydrating 20 pounds of potatoes, cut into chunks and slices which made 3 1/2 gallon jars.


----------



## Lexxycon

Davarm said:


> Well, tonight its more beets. Was going through my jars and found a case that that I had forgotten about. 12 quart jars filled 9 racks in the dehydrator and will take until morning to dry thoroughly.
> 
> cybergranny, I have made yogurt and one step further, have even dehydrated it too. I have to say that I would probably have to be pretty hungry to eat it but it is edible. Will eat fresh until their is no more and I get desperate.
> 
> This summer when I make tomato sauce and juice, will try dehydrating the leftover solids and see how it works out for me. If I have trouble may wind up posting a help request.


Hey, Darvarm - Now _that_ is an excellent idea! I have a nice juicer that sorts the seeds from the pulp from the juice. I was using the pulp for muffins and things, but since I went paleo and haven't yet adapted all my recipes, dehydrating and powdering the pulp sounds like a great way to save it for future recipes. I'll bet the powdered pulp would be great in some of the gluten-free noodle recipes I've been dying to try. Also, since the juicer really does it's job at removing all the liquid, it wouldn't be energy intensive to dehydrate. I'm definitely trying this.


----------



## JayJay

crabapple said:


> Our dehydrator was on sale for $20.00, it has lasted 4 months/120 days.
> So it would be best to order another one for more trays.
> We are saving up for the $400.00 unit, the money is not the problem, I am not sure we will use it enough to justice the cost.
> We freeze & can most of what we do not store dry.


Exactly why I am breaking the freezer habit--I want dried foods that don't need electricity.
Even to reseal, I have a brake bleeder. Check it out.

If I can't dry it, I do can.artydance:


----------



## myrtle55

Brake bleeder?


----------



## AdmiralD7S

myrtle55 said:


> Brake bleeder?


If I remember correctly, you can get vacuum lids for canning jars where you dry-store stuff. Normally, you use an attachment on your food saver to suck the air out, but food savers can cost some money. A brake bleeding tool (for removing air in the brake lines of your car) has basically the same functionality as the food saver jar attachment, but you work it manually. Just be sure you have a brake bleeder dedicated to the kitchen...this is a case of sharing is bad


----------



## JayJay

AdmiralD7S said:


> If I remember correctly, you can get vacuum lids for canning jars where you dry-store stuff. Normally, you use an attachment on your food saver to suck the air out, but food savers can cost some money. A brake bleeding tool (for removing air in the brake lines of your car) has basically the same functionality as the food saver jar attachment, but you work it manually. Just be sure you have a brake bleeder dedicated to the kitchen...this is a case of sharing is bad


Now, that's funny--where do you come up with these crazy notions??


----------



## JayJay

myrtle55 said:


> Brake bleeder?


----------



## crabapple

JayJay said:


>


I love the video & no out side power.:2thumb:
I have the food saver.


----------



## rawhide2971

swinneyswitch said:


> just finished dehydrating 20 pounds of potatoes, cut into chunks and slices which made 3 1/2 gallon jars.


A while back I posted this thread:
http://www.preparedsociety.com/foru...d-up-thought-i-would-share-my-thoughts-20523/

I played around with canning and storing potatoes and it seemed to be a lot of work...admittedly at the time I did not try to dehydrate any. But it seems to me that the ones I picked up at SAMS and vacuum sealed were pretty cost effective. Since the original post I have put away about 40 or 50 pounds of the product. Also there is a considerable variety available of potatoes in various "formats".

Don't think I am knocking your efforts at all..not in the least...but I am kind of lazy when it comes to my preps and if I can go the simple route and spend a few $$ and take the easy way I am going to do it and save my dehydrator for my other items.....now if I was growing the taters and that is a whole nother side of the hog so to speak.
As with most things you have to do what works for each of us. Personally I keep my eyes open and adapt what I read on here and other places as well as my own keen eye to put my stuff up....and the way things are looking I have started getting back into high gear of prepping.artydance:


----------



## Ozarker

Threads like this make me hungry. Today, I'm dehydrating myself, the wet bulb is over a hundred! I might head out to a popular public hydration establishment for a cold one! Sorry, couldn't help myself under these conditions.


----------



## Lexxycon

JayJay said:


>


Nice hack, JayJay! I love this.


----------



## JayJay

Your welcome. I think if everyone dehydrating has one, we will be in better shape and confident when our electric grid is gone.
Oh, still dry on the roof, and seal in our jars with this.
"We don't need no stinking electricity!"

1) mine cost $22 at Harbor Freight
2) I have never pumped for 60 seconds....YET!! I just sealed a jar of popcorn ---10 seconds!!


----------



## neldarez

Hey Davarm, did you ever dehydrate the brown rice?? If so, how did that work for you?/


----------



## hashbrown

Ozarker said:


> Threads like this make me hungry. Today, I'm dehydrating myself, the wet bulb is over a hundred! I might head out to a popular public hydration establishment for a cold one! Sorry, couldn't help myself under these conditions.


Suck it up Nancy! I worked all day in the same conditions....:laugh::kiss:


----------



## Tucker

Over the last couple weeks, I've been busy dehydrating lots of herbs and tomatoes. Today it was Thai peppers. I left the dehydrator running while I was at my acupuncturist. When I got home, I could smell the wonderful aroma even in the garage! Amazingly, hubby, who has no fondness for spicy foods, never smelled it in the house or complained.


----------



## Toffee

Potatoes for days


----------



## lensalaco

Corn! Lots of corn!


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----------



## SouthCentralUS

The dehydrator is full of cabbage and I have another 6 heads to shred and dry. Also have bell peppers, yellow onions and tomatoes. Busy weekend.


----------



## bbrider

My sister brought over two large grocery sacks of fresh green, seedless grapes. We are making 13 trays of grapes. They should be done in the morning. Good times...


----------



## Kodeman

Need help, diced my oregano and put trays in dehydrator to dry but when I turned it on, the fan blew the oregano all over the inside. The manual was of no help. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance-------Kodeman


----------



## goshengirl

Kodeman said:


> Need help, diced my oregano and put trays in dehydrator to dry but when I turned it on, the fan blew the oregano all over the inside. The manual was of no help. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance-------Kodeman


Herbs can definitely be difficult if your dehydrator has a fan that you can't turn off. This won't help you much now, but to dehydrate oregano, I would leave the leaves on the stem and tie up about 5 stems together (at the bottom end of the stems) and hang them upside down to dry. If the place where you hang them is a little dusty, you can tie them up inside a small brown paper bag (poke a few holes in the sides for air circulation) and hang them upside down to dry. (I get a pack of 100 lunch sacks at the grocery store - they come in handy at the oddest times.) Then once dry, remove the leaves from the stems and store the leaves. You can chop the leaves up before storing (takes up less space), or chop them up right before using them, which is a bit more flavorful.

Another option with oregano, if you really want to use the dehydrator, is to put the stems on your trays - stems full of leaves are less likely to blow around (although sometimes they still do).

As for the chopped up leaves you have now, I would simply put the trays in a dry place and let them air dry - maybe put some cheesecloth over the trays to protect from dust and bugs (depending on where you put the trays). I would periodically check on them, sort of stirring them up and spreading them out again, until dry.

Hope that helps.

ETA: Dehydrators are great for a whole host of items, but sometimes herbs just need to be done the old fashioned way.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

More cabbage. Later today the last of the tomatoes. I will have to wait till next week to do the rest of the cabbage and the bell pepper.


----------



## bbrider

bbrider said:


> My sister brought over two large grocery sacks of fresh green, seedless grapes. We are making 13 trays of grapes. They should be done in the morning. Good times...


This made a one gallon ziplok bag full of raisins. This should last for a little while.


----------



## myrtle55

SouthCentralUS said:


> More cabbage. Later today the last of the tomatoes. I will have to wait till next week to do the rest of the cabbage and the bell pepper.


Dehydrated cabbage...can u make slaw when rehydrated or only soupy things or kraut?


----------



## Tucker

goshengirl said:


> Another option with oregano, if you really want to use the dehydrator, is to put the stems on your trays - stems full of leaves are less likely to blow around (although sometimes they still do).


That is how I do all of my herbs in the dehydrator. I put it on the lowest setting (95 degrees) until dry. I then strip the leaves while sitting outside with the chickens who watch me with curious eyes.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

myrtle55 said:


> Dehydrated cabbage...can u make slaw when rehydrated or only soupy things or kraut?


Yes, you can make slaw. I like to mix the cabbage and dehydrated grated carrots.


----------



## Kodeman

goshengirl said:


> Herbs can definitely be difficult if your dehydrator has a fan that you can't turn off. This won't help you much now, but to dehydrate oregano, I would leave the leaves on the stem and tie up about 5 stems together (at the bottom end of the stems) and hang them upside down to dry. If the place where you hang them is a little dusty, you can tie them up inside a small brown paper bag (poke a few holes in the sides for air circulation) and hang them upside down to dry. (I get a pack of 100 lunch sacks at the grocery store - they come in handy at the oddest times.) Then once dry, remove the leaves from the stems and store the leaves. You can chop the leaves up before storing (takes up less space), or chop them up right before using them, which is a bit more flavorful.
> 
> Another option with oregano, if you really want to use the dehydrator, is to put the stems on your trays - stems full of leaves are less likely to blow around (although sometimes they still do).
> 
> As for the chopped up leaves you have now, I would simply put the trays in a dry place and let them air dry - maybe put some cheesecloth over the trays to protect from dust and bugs (depending on where you put the trays). I would periodically check on them, sort of stirring them up and spreading them out again, until dry.
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> ETA: Dehydrators are great for a whole host of items, but sometimes herbs just need to be done the old fashioned way.


Thanks goshengirl, on my second batch I did leave them on the stems and everything came out fine. On the batch I diced, I picked up a hint from another site that worked really good. I spread out the diced herbs on newspaper and put it on the front seat of my pickup truck with the windows up but crack slightly. I was surprised how quickly they dried this way. Thanks again. Kodeman


----------



## goshengirl

Kodeman said:


> I spread out the diced herbs on newspaper and put it on the front seat of my pickup truck with the windows up but crack slightly. I was surprised how quickly they dried this way.


I would not have thought of that, but it makes sense. Good to know!


----------



## Genevieve

I have 12 trays of potatoes going today. 5 trays of potatoes Obrien and 7 of shredded hashbrowns


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I finally got all the cabbage done and have bell peppers in the dehydrator.


----------



## Tucker

Well, I guess I'm going to be dehydrating a bunch of mushrooms today. I found 5 pound boxes of already sliced buttons for about $11 at Cash & Carry (a restaurant supply grocery chain on the west coast). I couldn't remember how much I needed for the spaghetti sauce I'm canning so I bought two boxes. I only needed 1-2 pounds. Oops. The Ball book doesn't recommend canning mushrooms so I'm going to dehydrate them. 

Love all kinds of mushrooms!! Chanterelle season is rapidly approaching too! I found a tiny store that sells "B" Chanterelle's for about $1 a pound. A couple years ago, I bought a huge sack at that price and only had to discard a tiny bit. They dehydrate so well!


----------



## Genevieve

I have jars and jars of vacuum sealed dried shrooms. any time I can find them on sale I dry more basically because I don't have any idea about hunting them and I don't want to make a fatal mistake.

I will give everyone a hint I found online. You can use an egg slicer to slice up whole mushrooms


----------



## Tucker

Genevieve said:


> I have jars and jars of vacuum sealed dried shrooms. any time I can find them on sale I dry more basically because I don't have any idea about hunting them and I don't want to make a fatal mistake.
> 
> I will give everyone a hint I found online. You can use an egg slicer to slice up whole mushrooms


I'm with you! I haven't been mushroom hunting since I was a kid. I bought books on how to identify mushrooms but I haven't had the courage yet. Something about a liver transplant or death scares the shit out of me.

The reason I bought the already sliced ones is that the whole ones are $2.98/lb at my store (Winco - which has great prices). This worked out to just a little over $2.00/lb and no work! But if I do find a sale, I will take your advice (need to buy a egg slicer though!).


----------



## myrtle55

I want to make some instant beans. Do i cook them before dehydrating or just soak them, or...ideas ? I want to make fagioli in a jar to just open and add water. I can do the rest but the beans are an overnight thing that takes away from convenience of the meal in jar


----------



## goshengirl

Loads of flour corn to do. Would have liked to have left it out on the stalks to dry, but got tired of fighting the critters. Not sure what critters - ****? We have an electric fence that our less-than-bright dog has verified does work.  But something was getting in there, so I took them down and will finish drying inside.

Also on deck for the dehydrator: sweet potatoes (to powder)

I need to make a lot of powders and pack away a vegetable stock powder.


----------



## gam46

Myrtle 55 wrote, "I want to make some instant beans. Do i cook them before dehydrating or just soak them, or...ideas ?" 

I would soak and cook as usual, just not to a mushy stage, then dehydrate. Expect individual beans to split, but to rehydrate tastily.


----------



## ksmama10

Found three bags of spinach knocked down to $1.75 each, so guess what's going on the dehydrator today? These are pretty good sized bags, so it will be interesting to see how far they go on my nine trays. I am making soup for supper, so I can toss some into that meal too.


----------



## lilmissy0740

I got an Exalibur for Christmas. Been so busy I am just getting a chance to use it today. Made some fruit leather. It has been in for 4.5 hours. It has holes in it? Kind like it is cracking. We did peel some to try and it doesn't taste bad. One book I have says to add cornstarch, lemon juice and cook it. Another book says, it is up to you to add other ingredients and to cook. I did not cook it. 
Could mine be to thin? There are a lot of posts on here and not all have the method explained. Would it be possible to start a thread on just say bananas, then another thread on yogurt etc. or would that be to much? 
Can anyone recommend a good book that you really like the recipes? Sorry for all the poor me, wah wah. 



Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


----------



## Toffee

lilmissy0740 said:


> I got an Exalibur for Christmas. Been so busy I am just getting a chance to use it today. Made some fruit leather. It has been in for 4.5 hours. It has holes in it? Kind like it is cracking. We did peel some to try and it doesn't taste bad. One book I have says to add cornstarch, lemon juice and cook it. Another book says, it is up to you to add other ingredients and to cook. I did not cook it.
> Could mine be to thin? There are a lot of posts on here and not all have the method explained. Would it be possible to start a thread on just say bananas, then another thread on yogurt etc. or would that be to much?
> Can anyone recommend a good book that you really like the recipes? Sorry for all the poor me, wah wah.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


I like Stocking Up by Carol Hupping. It covers dehydrating, canning, freezing, etc and the best methods for each fruit and vegetable. I reference it all the time.


----------



## Grimm

I got my dehydrator for Christmas and I am using it for the first time. I have the trays full of Honeycrisp slices.


----------



## hashbrown

Grimm said:


> I got my dehydrator for Christmas and I am using it for the first time. I have the trays full of *Honeycrisp slices*.


What is that?


----------



## Grimm

hashbrown said:


> What is that?


Honeycrisp apples.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I am trying to make instant pinto beans to use in meals in a jar. Has anyone tried this? I have already done 22 cans of diced tomatoes today for the same use.


----------



## tsrwivey

I used some tomatoes this weekend that I dried in summer of 2009 & they were as tasty as the day they were put up. Nice to have a little reminder of summer while I'm freezing!


----------



## Grimm

Sweet potato chews for the dogs.


----------



## myrtle55

Southcentral, i cooked the beans then dehydrated them and they split and fell apart. Next time i bought a bag of frozen beans and dehydrated them, much better results


----------



## gam46

Today, while trying to get out of this snowbound slump, I'm putting the rest of a large bag of kale into the Excal. It was a gift which I am not inspired to use all at once. This way I can keep it until I can use it.


----------



## txcatlady

Put apples in dehydrator tonight. Wish there was a cheaper way to do this. Husband wants to go grocery shopping sometime for camphouse and house. I haven't bought groceries like that in years. Got my list going. Hope I can find some canned apples with no spices that I can dehydrate and build that supply that I was lacking.


----------



## txcatlady

In this part of TX we don't get enough cold on the average for growing apples here. This year has been colder.


----------



## Davarm

Wow, looks like no one's been dehydrating much lately.

For what looks like the next couple weeks I'm going to be drying kale and spinach, the temp's dropped to the 50's and 60's so gonna have the dehydrator running in the house until it gets warm again.

If the humidity stays below 100% when it warms back up I may get everything dried and not have start canning spinach for a while.


----------



## Genevieve

I just finished 7 trays of kale and started another 7 trays today. I have to take my other nesco dehydrator out to the outdoor kitchen and get more trays going ( only takes about 3 hours to dry the stuff to crunchy)

I'm also planning on taking my big 9 tray excalibur out there. I have a LOT of spinach to dry along with some beet tops and more kale.

I want to buy some swiss chard too this week.

I'll be out digging young dandelion leaves and chicory too to dry in the morning.

I plan on drying all those greens and then processing them into a powder to use in smoothies, soups, my eggs and whatever else I can think of. It's supposed to be super healthy for you. From what I understand you can also dry broccoli leaves, cabbage leaves and carrot tops and add them.

I've decided to try to grow my own kale come fall and I've decided to take a huge flower container and grow beets ( just the tops) instead of the flowers I was planning on. wait....are beets cool weather crops too? I have to look that up

Its just getting to the point where there are things to dry from the garden here. Unless you bought huge gallon containers of tomato plants everyone's tomatoes are about 6-10 inches tall so far. We don't plant until mother's day or later because of frost.


----------



## Davarm

I've got a load of plums in the dehydrator now, had to run it in the house tonight, it's raining sheets outside since about 7pm. One of these days I'm going to follow your example and get that outside kitchen made, that is if that little spot I'm saving for it doesn't turn into garden.



Genevieve said:


> I just finished 7 trays of kale and started another 7 trays today. I have to take my other nesco dehydrator out to the outdoor kitchen and get more trays going ( only takes about 3 hours to dry the stuff to crunchy)
> 
> I'm also planning on taking my big 9 tray excalibur out there. I have a LOT of spinach to dry along with some beet tops and more kale.
> 
> I want to buy some swiss chard too this week.
> 
> I'll be out digging young dandelion leaves and chicory too to dry in the morning.
> 
> I plan on drying all those greens and then processing them into a powder to use in smoothies, soups, my eggs and whatever else I can think of. It's supposed to be super healthy for you. From what I understand you can also dry broccoli leaves, cabbage leaves and carrot tops and add them.
> 
> I've decided to try to grow my own kale come fall and I've decided to take a huge flower container and grow beets ( just the tops) instead of the flowers I was planning on. wait....are beets cool weather crops too? I have to look that up
> 
> Its just getting to the point where there are things to dry from the garden here. Unless you bought huge gallon containers of tomato plants everyone's tomatoes are about 6-10 inches tall so far. We don't plant until mother's day or later because of frost.


I'm about finished with spinach and kale, blight is getting the kale and the spinach has started to bolt already.

The beet greens will be ready soon, they are pretty good and I dont understand why more people dont eat them, they can well and taste similar to spinach and are great dehydrated too. I leave a lot of beets in the ground through the summer and just pick the greens then can the beets in the fall, they aren't as sweet as in the spring but with a little sugar they are still pretty good.

Broccoli greens are really good fresh, dried or canned, I dont understand why more people dont eat them, cauliflower is the same, greens are fantastic.

The swiss chard dehydrates well and it does go good in soups, never tried it in a smoothie though, thats the kind of "treat" my oldest daughter would jump on though.

Most of the "delicate" greens can be powdered drying then putting them in a large "Tea Strainer" and rubbing them through with your hands, the finer powder you want - use a finer mesh strainer. Mustard greens add a pretty good zip to soups.

The spinach powder is really good mixed into sour cream and used as a topping for baked potatoes, almost makes it one a complete meal by itself.


----------



## Genevieve

today I dried 6 trays of spinach and 14 trays of kale. have more kale to do tomorrow and that should be it for that. have more spinach to cut and dry tho.
bought some turnip seeds so I can plant them for the tops. plan on finding some other greens seeds tomorrow hopefully.


----------



## kemps

I currently don't have a dehydrator but because of this post looked on craigslist and found a clean workin 5 tray in my city for 15 bucks. Messaged and am hoping to get a message back. Crossing my fingers. Thanks for the inspiration ya'll.


----------



## neldarez

I have a zillion quarts of sweet cherries canned and we never eat them! I'm going to open a jar, take the pits out and dehydrate them...what do you think? I've never dried anything that was canned before, If this turns out good I will be so happy, hate to watch those jars of cherries just sit there and age! Suppose to set new heat records here for the next few days, mid to high 90s...wow it's June ....strange weather.....


----------



## ksmama10

Yesterday I did 9 trays of Kale, then dug several bags of chopped broccoli, gree n beans, and peas out of the freezer. Today, I will scope out the kale situation at the store, and either do more kale or frozen veggies.


----------



## *Andi

My hops have started to come in ... so I'm drying them for "Dream Pillows" to go into my holiday baskets ...


----------



## crabapple

*Andi said:


> My hops have started to come in ... so I'm drying them for "Dream Pillows" to go into my holiday baskets ...


"Dream Pillows" ?? what is that???


----------



## Genevieve

sweet cherries and strawberries


----------



## *Andi

crabapple said:


> "Dream Pillows" ?? what is that???


Small pillows filled with herbs to help you sleep, I use hops, lavender and catnip (or sometimes lemon balm)

http://mountainroseblog.com/herbal-sleep-dream-pillows/

:flower:


----------



## farright

Question for the group. I dried yellow onions and they turned orange they usually get tan or a bit brown anyone know why. Also davearm a while back you did an experment making powderd butter. How did it work and how was it done. I have not been on the forum for a while finally getting back on again. Thanks all


----------



## camo2460

farright said:


> Question for the group. I dried yellow onions and they turned orange they usually get tan or a bit brown anyone know why. Also davearm a while back you did an experment making powderd butter. How did it work and how was it done. I have not been on the forum for a while finally getting back on again. Thanks all


Hey farright it's good to see you back. There might be a little oxidation going on with your onions, but I think they're okay, mine also run the color range from tan to a dull orange and they all turned out good. As far as the powdered Butter, just go to the search feature, I typed in powdered butter and found the discussion. from what little I read the experiment was a success.


----------



## farright

Thank you camo they taste ok just wanted to be sure


----------



## Genevieve

5 trays of sweet cherries

tart cherries are next


----------



## farright

White rice and more onions


----------



## SouthCentralUS

We are dehydrating cubed potatoes tonight. My better half was using the Vidalia chop wizard and told me I really need to buy another one in case something happens to this one. That is real progress I think for a man who didn't even want me to can 2 years ago. Now he wants me to prepare for breakage and he is helping.


----------



## Davarm

farright said:


> Question for the group. I dried yellow onions and they turned orange they usually get tan or a bit brown anyone know why. Also davearm a while back you did an experment making powderd butter. How did it work and how was it done. I have not been on the forum for a while finally getting back on again. Thanks all


Sorry I didn't see the post for a while, have been pretty busy and dont browse all the threads when I get bogged down.

I've done it several ways, one is to melt the butter, drain off any of the non butterfat liquid and then mix it with powdered non-fat dry milk. It works but it isn't my first choice.

The best way I've found is to drain the non butterfat liquid and mix it with "Maltodextrin", it's a simple sugar(powder) made by breaking down starches. It's similar to glucose and is almost flavorless and is mostly used as a baking ingredient.

Several years ago I ordered a 50 pound bag for about $50.00(Honeyville.com) but the price has jumped to $63.99. I've only used about 3-4 pounds of the stuff so a little goes a long ways in making fat based powders.

http://shop.honeyville.com/maltodextrin-50lb.html

The butter powder(IMO) is best used in things like hot cereals, haven't tried it in many other dishes or recipes. I just used some of it(original batch) in a pan of oatmeal a few weeks ago so it keeps fairly well sealed in mason jars, it was likely at least 2 years old.

I did make some olive oil powder a while back and it was pretty neat(smelled really good) but didn't do much experimenting with it. I "think" I sent it off with MMM and gypsysue the last time they were down so maybe they will comment on it if I did in fact give it to them.


----------



## gam46

Not dehydrating, but using Excal as a warmer to make yogurt.


----------



## ksmama10

SouthCentralUS said:


> We are dehydrating cubed potatoes tonight. My better half was using the Vidalia chop wizard and told me I really need to buy another one in case something happens to this one. That is real progress I think for a man who didn't even want me to can 2 years ago. Now he wants me to prepare for breakage and he is helping.


Good thinking. I love my Chop Wizard, and they do break. I'm on my second one now. I'm thinking this might be a good Christmas gift for my adult kids. Glad your man is coming around..


----------



## farright

Celery chicken onions and I'm gonne try sour cream never done it before.


----------



## gam46

Lambsquarters and the stems from portobellos which were consumed as sandwiches.


----------



## Davarm

Have a load of italian frying peppers going in tonight, they will eventually end up as paprika.


----------



## ksmama10

Tried out my new dehydrator with chopped onions leftover from my freezer meal session.


----------



## Genevieve

basil
oregano
thyme
catnip
mint
lemon verbena
this has been over the last couple of weeks. the parsley I have growing is being used fresh. dried parsley is still cheap enough to just buy it when I need it. my horehound hasn't grown very much and I'm not certain why. I need to search and see if its just a slow grower up here or it needs something its not getting.


still have to cut the onion and garlic chives to dry out in the outdoor kitchen. they smell up the house lol

I have a large amount of dried herbs from other years I'm using. I just rotate them. I'll probably get to these in a couple of years. Thank goodness for the vacuum sealer. lol

waiting on the second batch of raspberries to dry some. the first round never give a lot. they do better later in the season. I might dry apples this year. didn't do it last year, well not enough to talk about anyways.
waiting on school to start so the grocery stores have their canned fruits on sale. I want to dry more apricots and pineapple. I eat that stuff like candy bars. love it.


----------



## gam46

Granola to use oatmeal and get some nuts out of the freezer.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

Mooooooooore TATERS.


----------



## hiwall

sweet cherries.............................


----------



## Freyadog

5# of carrots!for winter stews and soups.


----------



## Davarm

Lots of basil!

Thai, Lemon and Italian.


----------



## txcatlady

Borrowed sisters dehydrator which is a deluxe model. Have my old one and hers full of potatoes. I must say I still like mine better. I probably paid 30-40 dollars for it 35 years ago. Hers came from Gander mt. and cost much more. Mine is drying faster. I cubed this time, but I am transferring out of hers into mine as soon as I get an empty tray. Will do another batch next week and then return to her.


----------



## Genevieve

Did 6 trays of basil yesterday,well they're still drying so......

using the rest of the fresh in making pesto ( but I use walnuts instead of pinenuts, I taste no difference)


----------



## talob

Zuchinni, the last batch is in the dehydrator now, about 15-16 big squash here.


----------



## Genevieve

1 tray of Italian oregano
1 tray of lemon balm
1 tray of curled parsley



My zucchini only gave a about 5 fruits. Its dieing now and I'm real close to pulling it to get the bed ready for something else. already cleared a bed of old green bean plants. Just trying to figure out what to put in next


----------



## Genevieve

tomatoes lol

also mint, oregano, bee balm, and the onion chives are drying in the outdoor kitchen ( man! for thin pieces of "grass" they sure are potent smelling when being dried lol geesh)


----------



## tsrwivey

Drying a couple trays of bell peppers, that'll be enough to last me a year. It's not a big favorite of ours but a must for chicken spaghetti!


----------



## readytogo

Ok I don`t have my garden yet but I do love herbs and occasionally I find a jar or two of the store bought ones with bugs in it, could be that age got to them, but I see that some of you guys dry a lot of herbs, I was wondering how you keep them from going bad, I know that proper storage is the key, any special tricks or ideas please.


----------



## tsrwivey

I keep everything I dry in glass jars with metal lids, almost always recycled jars from store bought pizza sauces, cherries, bacon bits, etc. after I run the jars through the dishwasher, I air dry them on the counter top for a day then store them with a paper towel in them to keep them extra dry. I store the jars in the kitchen cabinet. I don't know if all this is necessary but my tomatoes & strawberries I dried in 2009 are still potato chip crisp & bug free. I just have a cheap Nesco American Harvest dehydrator. I have been known to buy food specifically because of the nice jar it comes in


----------



## catsraven

9 trays of tomatoes Then going to make powder with them.


----------



## ksmama10

4 trays Italian Parsley
2 trays cilantro


----------



## bogey

Did some green onions outside yesterday while broccoli was on the dehydrator. Hope for some cilantro today. May do some chopped and frozen as well.


----------



## gam46

Beefsteak plant. Intrigued by a recent post from southernforager.com who makes biscuits using this seasoning.


----------



## bogey

Eeewww, that sounds awesome. Would love to read that one! Uh, and to be able to recognize beefsteak plant. Sigh, I can see my research is cut out for me. More plant searching underway.


----------



## Freyadog

*Experimenting today*

It's apples season of course. We have only two goats now and they can just eat so much at one time.

So I have taken the peels and cores of the apples and put them in the dehydrator.

Once they have dried I will offer some to the goats. If they do not care for them dry then I will rehydrate some and offer it that way.

If they will eat it then I will store for a snack for the winter.


----------



## codyw1

good sale on mixed vegetables and carrots so I picked up 20 lbs of each... Gonna be a long week lol


----------



## talob

This week dehydrated spaghetti squash and experimented with sourdough bread starter read somewhere someone was doing that will wait a week or so rehydrate and try it, anyone here have any experience with it?


----------



## txcatlady

Dehydrated two layers of apples for storage


----------



## Kodeman

Drying basil, oregano and rosemary today.


----------



## Freyadog

Gonna be carrots


----------



## bogey

Onions - it'll be in the garage with the door up. Last time it almost ran us all out of the house.


----------



## tsrwivey

bogey said:


> Onions - it'll be in the garage with the door up. Last time it almost ran us all out of the house.


Don't feel bad. I loaded up 10 trays to dry in the morning & came back late at night & could barely stand to be in the house. It was jalapeños I'd put on the dehydrator. 

We've pretty much stopped eating corn so I'm drying the cans of it we still have. Dried 9-15oz cans. It's not bad dried!


----------



## camo2460

Has anybody ever tried to cook Ramps? They are kind of a cross between Garlic and Onions, and grow wild in moist areas. They are good eating but don't cook them in an enclosed area, I did only once, which nearly led to a Divorce LOL. Cooked in Soups and Stews or Kimchi or stir fried with Vegetables, they can't be beat.


----------



## bogey

The first time I tried the onions, I did it on the kitchen counter. Within minutes we were opening windows and doors and running outside with the dehydrator! We have an electrical outlet right near the door opening for the garage. I'll open the door, plug in there and actually set the dehydrator outside. Whew! Tough stuff!


----------



## redwood90

*Drying*

deer jerky, beef jerky(although will probably eat) banana chips.


----------



## crabapple

camo2460 said:


> Has anybody ever tried to cook Ramps? They are kind of a cross between Garlic and Onions, and grow wild in moist areas. They are good eating but don't cook them in an enclosed area, I did only once, which nearly led to a Divorce LOL. Cooked in Soups and Stews or Kimchi or stir fried with Vegetables, they can't be beat.


Yes, my brother in law grew them in NC hills.
He now lives in Ga., you can by them on the net.
They are a garlic taste more then onion taste, but are good with meat.


----------



## puttster

Wife brought 4 lbs of eye of round. That made maybe 2 lbs of jerky :-(. I used the box fan method to dry it. Worked great and didn't cost anything.


----------



## tleeh1

Onions... on the back porch... need I say more?


----------



## bushpilot

Using 50, 40,and 30 Ammo cans for storage

Have sleeping gear(summer/winter) hammock, etc. in one can each. Kitchen in two 50 cal. Cans., food is separated into several classes, and several 30 caliber cans. Others are for firearm cleaning, and Ammo storage.


----------



## prepperking22

I do beef and venison jerky. Never tried the ramps, but sounds like it would be a great season for meats.


----------



## AmishHeart

Finally filled 4 quart jars of tomato powder. Roma tomatoes have been on sale for 50 cents a lb this last month...dehydrating them and grinding them. I like having powder on hand for sauce and paste. Am taking out more dehydrated, cooked garbanzo beans tonight. I also powder those and jar it. Then when I want hummus, I add a little water, olive oil, and garlic to the powder, and viola! A protein spread.


----------



## myrtle55

Beans and ham today, did veggies already, and chicken and beef..onions next...then on to making meals in jars


----------



## RUN1251

I dehydrated a bushel of green beans. I've never dehydrated green beans before. They dried well. I tried to rehydrate a few just to see how well they did by pouring hot water over them and letting them sit for four hours. They ended up pretty limp and yucky. I don't know any recipe I could use them in that would be edible. Any suggestion?


----------



## DrPrepper

RUN1251 said:


> I dehydrated a bushel of green beans. I've never dehydrated green beans before. They dried well. I tried to rehydrate a few just to see how well they did by pouring hot water over them and letting them sit for four hours. They ended up pretty limp and yucky. I don't know any recipe I could use them in that would be edible. Any suggestion?


Four hours in hot water would probably make fresh green beans limp and yucky, too! Try throwing a handful dry into stew or soup. I dehydrate green beans, zucchini, and squash, and they always taste good in soups and stews.


----------



## Grimm

Me.

No joke it is so hot today I can't seem to stay hydrated.


----------



## midwestmom

I didn't have much luck with my first batch of jerky. I did it in the oven and it didn't turn out well. Still trying!


----------



## AmishHeart

Never tried it in the oven, but I make a lot of jerkey in the dehydrator. How thick are your beef cuts? Oven temp? Time in oven?


----------



## AmishHeart

Am dehydrating mini marshmallows to send to my cousin's 2 yr old granddaughter for her bday. I keep a jar of them in our farmhouse, and she always points to them and eats a bunch when we are there. Found a little farm scene handkerchief I thought I'd wrap them up in and send them to her.
If you've never tried a dehydrated marshmallow, you're missing out.


----------



## Grimm

AmishHeart said:


> Am dehydrating mini marshmallows to send to my cousin's 2 yr old granddaughter for her bday. I keep a jar of them in our farmhouse, and she always points to them and eats a bunch when we are there. Found a little farm scene handkerchief I thought I'd wrap them up in and send them to her.
> If you've never tried a dehydrated marshmallow, you're missing out.


What is your "recipe"?


----------



## Tacitus

Not me, but my mother just started dehydrating a few weeks ago. Just apples, pears and sweet potatoes so far. I have to clue her in to this thread. She loves to experiment.


----------



## AmishHeart

Dehydrated marshmallows: buy a bag of mini marshmallows. Dehydrate them. Eat them like candy, or store in mason jar with 02 absorb. You can add them to hot chocolate and they plump right up. But I've never tried to rehydrate them in water.


----------



## smaj100

Wifes been running the dehydrator non stop lately with Basil, Dill, and Cilantro as fast as she can trim and dry a batch up, it's time to trim again. Might need to add some more trays once the onions are ready to go in....


----------



## midwestmom

I'd have to dig thru the cookbooks for the jerky receipe. I remember the temp was really low but for something like 6 hours. I cut it thin. The bad part was the flavor. All uou could taste was the liquid smoke. Several folks suggested some receipe changes and I'm going to try them.


----------



## midwestmom

So I looked online at dehydrators. Can y'all make some recommendations? I found a 400 watt for a decent price. Is that enough oomph? I don't want to jump into a huge one until I get a better feel for what I'm doing, but I don't want to get one that won't work.


----------



## AmishHeart

Bed, Bath, and Beyond has some cheaper round models in the $30 range. I blew through 2 of those...lasted about a year a piece. I have a 9 tray Excalibur and it's running strong. I like having a temp selection. For jerky, I use a thick cut and dry it on 155 degrees for about 9 hours. I'm lazy and buy a seasoning cure mix at our local Sportsman store. The one I buy is black pepper and garlic flavored and is made by Hi Mountain Seasonings. It has cure in it, too. I use my dehydrator a lot. I make a lot of my own mylar packaged meals, and I use my own dehydrated foods in them. Recently tasted a THRIVE brand meal, and it was selling for $7 for the packet. It contained 4 small portions (350 calories each) and tasted ok, but not for the long run. I make my own "meals in a jar", only in a mylar pouch...triple the quantity because we have a large family, and I use my own "real food" product. It made it so easy to make 365 dinners for storage...and then 365 more side dishes for storage...and then 365 more (you get the picture).


----------



## smaj100

midwest,

This is the unit we have or very similar. We picked it up at a yardsale though years ago and is still running great.


----------



## Grimm

AmishHeart said:


> Dehydrated marshmallows: buy a bag of mini marshmallows. Dehydrate them. Eat them like candy, or store in mason jar with 02 absorb. You can add them to hot chocolate and they plump right up. But I've never tried to rehydrate them in water.


What temp for how long?


----------



## AmishHeart

I put them in 120 for overnight and forget about them. Once they're dry, they're dry. I found some really huge red and blue star shaped marshmallows at a clearance store, and the grandkids thought they were pretty cool dehydrated. They took a lot longer. There are a lot of flavored ones out no adays. Am going to try cubed watermelon. I keep hearing it tastes like watermelon candy. Have one on the counter just waiting to cut up.


----------



## Elinor0987

Today I'm dehydrating strawberries and tomorrow I'll be blanching and dehydrating peaches for the first time. I've never dried peaches before and have always wondered how the edges of peaches in cans are rounded and you never see cut marks on them where they removed the skins. Now I know why and will be drying a bunch of peaches in the coming weeks to go along with the millet that I bought a while back. I'm trying to get enough dried fruits for baby food and my food preps are very deficient in that category. After the peaches I'm thinking about drying kiwis.


----------



## AmishHeart

kiwis turn out well. I've only dried chunked frozen peaches. They were ok.


----------



## midwestmom

Think I may get one and if for no other reason than the marshmallows.


----------



## txcatlady

Pulled some carrots and dehydrated them. Want to try some corn but haven't had time to prep and dry. Just cut ends off and froze


----------



## AmishHeart

and maybe the watermelon. I'll let you know.


----------



## Tacitus

AmishHeart said:


> and maybe the watermelon. I'll let you know.


Now THAT would be impressive. You are going to try to dehydrate something named after water!


----------



## midwestmom

Someone is giving me a dehydrator!!


----------



## JayJay

midwestmom said:


> So I looked online at dehydrators. Can y'all make some recommendations? I found a 400 watt for a decent price. Is that enough oomph? I don't want to jump into a huge one until I get a better feel for what I'm doing, but I don't want to get one that won't work.


I have the cheap walmart brand--Presto.
After buying extra trays and fruit rollup trays, I've been happy with it for about 4 years.
No temp. control--I can deal with it.
No time setting-I can deal with it.

My neighbor even borrows it for big jobs.


----------



## JayJay

DrDianaAnderson said:


> Four hours in hot water would probably make fresh green beans limp and yucky, too! Try throwing a handful dry into stew or soup. I dehydrate green beans, zucchini, and squash, and they always taste good in soups and stews.


I made soup using only dried vegetables, no beef, just beef buillon, and it was awesome.
Carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, lima beans, onions, potatoes, okra.


----------



## midwestmom

So the machine I was given MIGHT be older than I am, but it functions enough to try some receipe to see if my Herd will eat what I dry. Made banana chips dipped in honey and lemon. Sliced thin, but after 24 hours they were still sort of flexy instead of chips. Tasted good though. Trying mini marshmallows right now. So far been 12 hours and still soft in the middle. But will leave them a couple days and see what happens


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## AmishHeart

The watermelon turned out really good. It had a long dehydration time, but tastes great. Now that I'm on the weight loss track, it's a decent snack. Great for the tastebuds...not a bellyfiller.


----------



## CrackbottomLouis

Dehydrated some split pea soup my wife made using the fruit roll up trays. Good to eat like chips or rehydrate for a great hot cup of soup.


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## CrackbottomLouis

Also made a mushroom ketchup from an 18th century recipe. More like a Worcester sauce than our modern tomato ketchup. After squeezing the makings in a cheese cloth I dehydrated them and they have an amazing flavor. Going to grind them and use them for a spice to coat my biltong project this week. Usually I stay traditional with salt, pepper and coriander but I think it's going to be great.
Edit....if anyone wants that recipe I got it from YouTube on the 18th century cooking with jas. and townsend channel. Just search mushroom ketchup on YouTube. One of my new favorite lines of videos. I've learned a heck of a lot.


----------



## timmie

got the dehydrator full of okra. hubby likes it for a healthy snack.


----------



## smaj100

Amish, did you ever dehydrate that watermelon? How did i t turn out?


----------



## terri9630

smaj100 said:


> Amish, did you ever dehydrate that watermelon? How did i t turn out?


I've done watermelon. It came out way to sweet for us to eat but my husband added it to smoothies and used it all.


----------



## AmishHeart

It was good! It was like a watermelon chewy square. It took a while to dehydrate, though. I had a good sized bowl of it I left on the counter, and dared all the kids and grandkids to have a piece. They screwed up their face and took a cautious bite, and then ate a bunch. Good treat, but I'm not sure I would store it in mason jars. It's so sugary that it stays a little sticky.


----------



## crabapple

I came home to a frig full of fresh BEETS, not a big beet guy. I like turnips & collards.
The DW dehydrated the thinly sliced beets, they were so good,sweet!
She put about a quart up out of 1 1/2 pounds of beets, I ate the rest.


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## terri9630

Tomato sauce. The kid needs tomato sauce for several of her dehydrated meal recipes that she took to school so I figured if I could dehydrate some it would save her some room. It's at the fruit leather stage right now so we'll see how it goes.


----------



## terri9630

terri9630 said:


> Tomato sauce. The kid needs tomato sauce for several of her dehydrated meal recipes that she took to school so I figured if I could dehydrate some it would save her some room. It's at the fruit leather stage right now so we'll see how it goes.


Here is a bit over half of a #10 can of tomato sauce. Doesn't look like much, does it? Pretend that you don't see the greasy griddle on the right. It was raining and the kids wanted hamburgers....


----------



## timmie

okay , i have read parts of this thread but not all. i'm going to read it start to finish because i'm going to start dehydrating a lot of things. i really want that new freeze dry machine but can't justify that amount of money. maybe walmart will get a cheaper version so i can learn how to do it....lol i have 3 freezers and want to get it down to one soon.


----------



## AmishHeart

I'd love that machine, too, but too pricey to justify it. I've been saving my empty #10 cans of things, bought lids for them, put a gallon ziplock in them and I can store 3 quart jars of dehydrated food in 1 #10 can. I had a lot of mason jars of "instant" (dehydrated cooked) beans of all kinds...kidney, black, pinto...and these certainly store easier.
I like tomato powder, too. Have you made garbanzo bean powder (for instant hummus)?


----------



## Cotton

This spring I planted cayenne (good medicine) in two 50 cell seed starter trays, not a single seed sprouted… A few weeks later I bought a couple cayenne pepper plants at a road side stand that turned out to be tabasco peppers. I grew them in pots.

A few days ago I harvested said peppers and dehydrated them. I ended up with a pint of dried peppers. They are sneaky peppers, the heat sneaks up on you about 40 seconds after eating one. Nice and hot, same heat range as cayennes.

I run two dehydrators, one is an Excalibur, the other is an old Nesco “garden master” 8 tray “round” dehydrator. Both have their specialties, what they are really good at. I dehydrate a lot of medicinal plants for making medicine. That said I dehydrate a few veggies from time to time. I wouldn’t do without either dehydrator.

I dehydrated the peppers in the Excalibur. It does really well on long term, low temp, dehydration. Plants with volatile oils need to be dried at low temperatures, like peppers and many medicinals, like mint family plants. The old Nesco does a really good job on juicy fruits, like figs and peaches, at higher temps.


----------



## timmie

i planted 6 tabasco peppers and they are loaded. will pick them this weekend,but i'm going to string them up and let them finish drying that way. gonna put some carrots in the dehydrator and i also have a ton of rosemary i have to do something with. ain't farm life wonderful?


----------



## Cotton

timmie said:


> i planted 6 tabasco peppers and they are loaded. will pick them this weekend,but i'm going to string them up and let them finish drying that way. gonna put some carrots in the dehydrator and i also have a ton of rosemary i have to do something with. ain't farm life wonderful?


Ahh&#8230; Rosemary&#8230;

Cooking with mint family plants&#8230; they came into our diet for their medicinal uses... Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano. Mints are also great for digestion (among many other uses).

Did you think the after dinner mint on your plate was an accident at fancy restaurants? No... Mint medicines go back to ancient Greece, the Romans adapted them... 

Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Rosmarinus
Species: Rosmarinus officinalis

Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Thymus
Species: Thymus vulgaris

Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Origanum
Species: Origanum vulgare

Lamiaceae - Mint Familiy... Most are great medicines... but not all. Even the peppermint at the sonic drive-in is medicine, aids in digestion. Those after dinner mints are actually medicine...


----------



## AmishHeart

I love mint. I picked all of ours last month and dried it, stuffed into empty teabags, and wrapped a bunch real pretty for stocking stuffers this year.


----------



## AmishHeart

Filled the dehydrator with canned refried beans yesterday. The cans are getting close to expiration. I'll put them in the magic bullet today and viola! Instant refried beans. They are pricey in the Mexican markets here when they are instant, but very cheap to make a whole bunch.


----------



## myrtle55

I got some oregano oil for Dh feet, found out I am quite allergic to it..works well, but gloves for me


----------



## crabapple

We have about 200 pounds of Moon Glow pears, spread out on the floor.
Still some on the tree.
DW Dehydrates some & they are good.
She also will freeze some for cobbers.


----------



## timmie

tsrwivey said:


> Drying a couple trays of bell peppers, that'll be enough to last me a year. It's not a big favorite of ours but a must for chicken spaghetti!


okay is there some trick to dehydrating bell peppers? the last time i tried them they turned black and i threw them out.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

When you rehydrate them they will be green again.


----------



## terri9630

SouthCentralUS said:


> When you rehydrate them they will be green again.


And they will be _almost_ as good as fresh. Bell peppers dehydrate really well well.


----------



## timmie

terri9630 said:


> And they will be _almost_ as good as fresh. Bell peppers dehydrate really well well.


so i wound up with 3 gallons of peppers. i've washed them and put them in the freezer until the weekend when i will have time to do them. what about the celery. i assume you do it the same way. i have done collards and turnips and cabbage and am really happy with the results. this is new to me on the celery and bell pepper.


----------



## terri9630

I do celery the same way. The only difference is that my picky family will pick veggies out of their food so I grind it up into celery powder so I don't know about the rehydration. I don't grind it until I use it so I may go get a piece to rehydrate just to see.


----------



## AmishHeart

I dehydrate a lot of red and green bell peppers if they are on sale. The green ones will be on sale starting tomorrow again 2 for a buck, so I'll do more. I just cut them in thin strips, throw them in the freezer and dehydrate them whenever I can. Mine stay green. Maybe because I dry them frozen? Don't know but they stay green and rehydrate great. Use ours in spaghetti, stir fry, and some pasta dishes. Right now I have 3 trays of sweet potato in (mashed, and I'll grind it), and 6 trays of okra that started frozen.


----------



## terri9630

How do the potatoes come out? Like instant potatoes?


----------



## AmishHeart

Dry frozen hashbrowns and then they kinda are instant


----------



## terri9630

I've done and have lots of hash browns. I was wondering about the mashed sweet potatoes.


----------



## AmishHeart

They are cooked already when I put them in, so I mash them to dry them. Then I pulverized them. Sweet potato powder. You can make pie with them. I do the same with pumpkin.


----------



## Meerkat

We are dehydrating sage from the greenhouse today.


----------



## Meerkat

Parsley and rosemary.


----------



## timmie

cabbage and bell peppers


----------



## AmishHeart

Green beans (frozen on sale). Getting green bells sliced to freeze and will dehydrate eventually. Bought a roast for beef jerky that will go in tomorrow.


----------



## timmie

got my turnips,collards ,and celery prepped and ready to go in the dehydrator. also canned 7 quarts baby carrots. will do the rest along with some amish coleslaw tomorrow. just too tired tonight to finish.


----------



## AmishHeart

What's in your Amish coleslaw?


----------



## timmie

AmishHeart said:


> What's in your Amish coleslaw?


cider vinegar,mustard seed, and kosher salt. i will post recipe later.


----------



## timmie

got 2 dehydrators going with collards


----------



## Uriel

Sorry if this is in the wrong place. Does anyone know if dehydrating crab apples removes any of their bitterness?


----------



## camo2460

Uriel said:


> Sorry if this is in the wrong place. Does anyone know if dehydrating crab apples removes any of their bitterness?


I don't think so, usually Crab Apples get better after the first Frost, but are notoriously Bitter. Some varieties are better than others, but I'm not a Fan of them.


----------



## txcatlady

I tried dehydrating mashed potatoes, but not happy with product. Oh well.


----------



## Davarm

Davarm said:


> I just loaded up the dehydrator with "Jumbo Pink Banana Squash". It is a winter squash and am seeing how it comes out.
> 
> If it is OK, may start drying it full time, am trying to decide if I am going to can ro dry it.


I cracked open a bucket of the Jumbo Pink Banana Squash I dehydrated about 5 years ago and decided to make a cake(pumpkin bread) from it and see how it came out.

Was surprised, came out better than made with fresh, dont know why but wont argue about it.

Good Stuff!


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I dehydrated 2 quarts of dill pickles overnight. I plan to make dill pickle powder for popcorn and other uses.


----------



## AmishHeart

Hmmmm. Never tried that before. Is it good? Pickle popcorn? Probably the weirdest popcorn I eat is with melted red hots in the oil you pop the corn in. It's kinda pretty to make popcorn balls out of, and then some plain ones too at Christmastime.
I bought a 25 lb box of tomatoes real cheap and am on day two in the dehydrator. Just making tomato powder. Lately I've made a bunch of garbanzo bean powder and pumpkin powder.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

The 2 quarts made about 1/2 cup of powder. It is really concentrated. I don't like to eat dills but a sprinkle of this on your sandwich mayo is good. 

Vinegar powder is good on popcorn also.


----------



## AmishHeart

How do you make vinegar powder?


----------



## SouthCentralUS

I buy it online.


----------



## terri9630

SouthCentralUS said:


> I buy it online.


I've never seen it. How is it used?


----------



## SouthCentralUS

Making powdered mixes and sprinkle on your food. I have powdered Worcestershire and hot sauce also. Think meals in a jar. I have others I can't remember right now.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

Last night I opened 8 quarts of pintos, pureed them and put one jar on each tray. I wanted to know how much each jar would yield. I had 1 1/2 cups of dehydrated beans on each tray this morning. The 9th tray was a pint of chopped jalapenos and when I powdered it, there was about 3 tablespoons of powder. I just used some to make bean dip and it is good.


----------



## JayJay

AmishHeart said:


> Hmmmm. Never tried that before. Is it good? Pickle popcorn? Probably the weirdest popcorn I eat is with melted red hots in the oil you pop the corn in. It's kinda pretty to make popcorn balls out of, and then some plain ones too at Christmastime.
> I bought a 25 lb box of tomatoes real cheap and am on day two in the dehydrator. Just making tomato powder. Lately I've made a bunch of garbanzo bean powder and pumpkin powder.


e

I have many jars of dried tomatoes and need to powder some for soups, paste, sauce and such..thanks for remindiing me.
Do you have a measurement for how many tsp., etc, to water for tomato sauce, paste when hydrating???


----------



## AmishHeart

No, I pretty much eyeball it. More water for sauce, less for paste. I watch the consistency.


----------



## JayJay

AmishHeart said:


> No, I pretty much eyeball it. More water for sauce, less for paste. I watch the consistency.


Just my style.


----------



## myrtle55

Does anyone have something they dust their sticky dried fruit with so it doesn't stick together?


----------



## Flight1630

myrtle55 said:


> Does anyone have something they dust their sticky dried fruit with so it doesn't stick together?


Not so much as dusting anything like that. What i do is I eat


----------



## terri9630

myrtle55 said:


> Does anyone have something they dust their sticky dried fruit with so it doesn't stick together?


Powdered sugar.


----------



## myrtle55

terri9630 said:


> Powdered sugar.


Thanks, I wasn't sure if that would make it better or worse..I appreciate the answer


----------



## myrtle55

Makes sense.., I always say I have a test kitchen..lol


----------



## Danil54

I dug horseradish up from the garden. Scrubbed it, peeled it, rescrubbed & grated it up. I kept 1 pint sized jar & added in 3/4 cup for the fridge. The rest I threw in the dehydrator till brittle. This you just throw into any recipe without hydrating if cooking with it. If used in dips or spreads add equal parts warm water and let sit for about 30 minutes. Just an FYI if you have never grated it before, it is strong so open the windows, better yet grate outside. You will tear up.


----------



## Flight1630

Just wondering if not drinking enough water and feeling dehydrated counts? Just a thought.


----------



## Danil54

Danil54 said:


> I dug horseradish up from the garden. Scrubbed it, peeled it, rescrubbed & grated it up. I kept 1 pint sized jar & added in 3/4 cup for the fridge. The rest I threw in the dehydrator till brittle. This you just throw into any recipe without hydrating if cooking with it. If used in dips or spreads add equal parts warm water and let sit for about 30 minutes. Just an FYI if you have never grated it before, it is strong so open the windows, better yet grate outside. You will tear up.


Should have read 3/4 cup vinegar to the pint sized jar of horseradish, just in case anyone wants to try it out. That's what I get for trying to post something while I am making dinner!


----------



## SewingMachine

Placenta.

Yup.


----------



## Danil54

Doing some Zucchini Candy.


----------



## Danil54

Cucumber candy flavored with cherry. . . when I make up a batch of granola I like to add in dried "fruits" along with all the other goodies & its a good way of using up the excess.


----------



## AmishHeart

15 lbs. of carrots.


----------



## Flight1630

I've seen dehydrating vids . Doesn't look to hard. What's the hardest part? Is it preparation of the food? I have been talking to wife about getting a dehydrating unit. What would I look for?


----------



## terri9630

Flight1630 said:


> I've seen dehydrating vids . Doesn't look to hard. What's the hardest part? Is it preparation of the food? I have been talking to wife about getting a dehydrating unit. What would I look for?


 Prep is the most difficult part but not really difficult. It just takes a bit of time. I've had a nesco from walmart and have 2 of the 5 tray excaluburs. The nesco didn't last very long but worked pretty well.


----------



## azrancher

I dehydrated celery tops, I'm not sure what I will do with them, but they should be good for some kind of seasoning, perhaps a soup, or add a little sea salt, and make them into celery salt, and then pour the V8 juice, Tabasco, a dash of vodka, a little Worcester... or is that a dash of Worcester and a little vodka, and a little more for taste....

*Rancher *


----------



## Flight1630

terri9630 said:


> Prep is the most difficult part but not really difficult. It just takes a bit of time. I've had a nesco from walmart and have 2 of the 5 tray excaluburs. The nesco didn't last very long but worked pretty well.


Ok thanks, Is it similar to canning, as far as the preparation goes. I have seen how much work goes Into that as my wife started to do canning 2 years ago.


----------



## readytogo

I like to dry vegetables because I find them easier to carry and less bulkier than mason jars and easier than the canning process ,I make my own soup mixes with carrots ,green beans and tomatoes and a chicken cube or a piece of dry meat(jerky) ,I like sweet dry ginger also, it has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea and helps to fight the flu and common cold, to name a few, I like it as candy or in tea .
I haven`t dry much lately since my vacuum machine broke so I keep what I got in the freezer for now ,but is a great way to keep food for an emergency .


----------



## terri9630

Flight1630 said:


> Ok thanks, Is it similar to canning, as far as the preparation goes. I have seen how much work goes Into that as my wife started to do canning 2 years ago.


It depends on what your drying. I use a food processor to slice most veggies. Bell peppers, onions, strawberries, bananas and such. I slice tomatoes but they are too soft for the food processor (don't slice them thin though). Garlic cloves I use a board scraper to crush. Blue berries have thick skins so I freeze them first because it cracks the skin so they can dry faster. I us Mason jars with a desiccant pack to store and vacuum seal them. I'm still using onions from 2013. I just crush or grind before using.


----------



## Danil54

Today I am doing spaghetti squash. . . have I ever? nope, but figured what the heck. I pierced them with a fork and boiling n water for about 25 minutes whole. Then cut & scrap out seeds. Take fork to get spaghetti out and lay on dehydrating racks. I have a NESCO too, which so far has worked great. Had it for many years now. The second one I have is a Waring with no temp controls. . . takes forever, but eventually gets the job done. Both of these were given to me and beggars cant be Choosey.


----------



## phideaux

Flight1630 said:


> I've seen dehydrating vids . Doesn't look to hard. What's the hardest part? Is it preparation of the food? I have been talking to wife about getting a dehydrating unit. What would I look for?


A little more info here.....

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/new-food-dehydrating-29628/

Jim


----------



## crabapple

Flight1630 said:


> I've seen dehydrating vids . Doesn't look to hard. What's the hardest part? Is it preparation of the food? I have been talking to wife about getting a dehydrating unit. What would I look for?


http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/dehydrator-21671/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/need-new-dehydrator-25364/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/dehydrator-reccomendation-17876/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/what-dehydrator-do-you-have-15284/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/foru...wife-dehydrator-christmass-any-thought-14278/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/best-food-dehydrator-home-use-1128/

have a cheap one & will have to up grade soon.
This is where I am going to find a good one when I do.


----------



## AmishHeart

My cousin gave me some huge heads of cabbage. I've been dehydrating them.


----------



## phideaux

AmishHeart said:


> My cousin gave me some huge heads of cabbage. I've been dehydrating them.


Now tell me how your going to rehydrate and use the cabbage.

I like fried or boiled cabbage, but is this gonna be useable for that?

Jim:sssh:


----------



## AmishHeart

Yep. Rehydrate it and fry it. Or just boil it. It'll come back to life.


----------



## SouthCentralUS

phideaux said:


> Now tell me how your going to rehydrate and use the cabbage.
> 
> I like fried or boiled cabbage, but is this gonna be useable for that?
> 
> Jim:sssh:


You can also use it for cole slaw. I add some dehydrated shredded carrots.


----------



## marlas1too

well I just got another dehydrator -9 now- and and today I'm dehydrating mixed choped greens to add to my diy soup starter should have enough in the end to add with what i got allready to fill 24 quarts and will vaccume all that in the jars


----------



## Danil54

I'm dehydrating more tomatoes & then some spaghetti squash. With some of my dried tomatoes, I boiled equal parts of vinegar & water then poured over till they get softened. Drain. I only did about a 1/2 pint jars worth at a time. Put these in the jar with a garlic clove and cover with olive oil. Now let them sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours, but a week is better. Use them any recipe that calls for the high dollar sun dried tomatoes you would buy at the store. Our store sells them for $11.99 a lb so this is a cheap alternative if you like using them in recipes and have an abundance of tomatoes. Book says that these will last a month in fridge but they will stay good longer. Normally we have used them up before the two month mark.


----------



## AmishHeart

I found some qtr pound bags of sundried tomatoes at Dollar Tree of all places. I bought a bunch. 
I did get a bunch of Meyer's lemons, sliced them into 8ths, salted them heavily with kosher salt, added water, and I keep them in a jar in the fridge. Great for fish, just rinse before using. I don't like dehydrated lemons. They are brown and yuck looking. Bought a #10 can of mushrooms, and getting ready to put those in the dehydrator.


----------



## Danil54

AmishHeart said:


> I found some qtr pound bags of sundried tomatoes at Dollar Tree of all places. I bought a bunch.
> I did get a bunch of Meyer's lemons, sliced them into 8ths, salted them heavily with kosher salt, added water, and I keep them in a jar in the fridge. Great for fish, just rinse before using. I don't like dehydrated lemons. They are brown and yuck looking. Bought a #10 can of mushrooms, and getting ready to put those in the dehydrator.


Yeah, I tried the dehydrating and canning. . . didn't really like either. Now I just juice, put in IceCube trays. Once frozen, ziplock bags. Live n learn. I have read of salting down for fridge, just haven't done it that way yet. Now that I have a second fridge, it would be more doable for me to try. Lemons here are normally ready to pick late Sept/ early Oct.

Love me some dehydrated mushrooms to make mushroom bread pudding. Yummy stuff with chili sauce.


----------



## Danil54

AmishHeart said:


> I found some qtr pound bags of sundried tomatoes at Dollar Tree of all places. I bought a bunch.
> I did get a bunch of Meyer's lemons, sliced them into 8ths, salted them heavily with kosher salt, added water, and I keep them in a jar in the fridge. Great for fish, just rinse before using. I don't like dehydrated lemons. They are brown and yuck looking. Bought a #10 can of mushrooms, and getting ready to put those in the dehydrator.


Yeah, I tried the dehydrating and canning lemon juice. Didn't really like either. Now I just juice, put in IceCube trays. Once frozen, ziplock bags. Live n learn. I have read of salting down for fridge, just haven't done it that way yet. Now that I have a second fridge, it would be more doable for me to try. Lemons here are normally ready to pick late Sept/ early Oct.

Love me some dehydrated mushrooms to make mushroom bread pudding. Yummy stuff with chili sauce.


----------



## Meerkat

We haven't dehydrated anything in a couple years now, we should dehydrate some of our herbs. So much to do. But glad this reminds me to wipe off the dust and use it.


----------



## mommahen10

Ok my mil gifted me with a case of store canned cranberry sauce(she goes to a food bank)we are not bigs fan of it but do like cranberries(muffins, pancakes, scones etc)My question is has anybody dried canned cranberry sauce and the used it for baking or smoothies?


----------



## mommahen10

Ok opened a can of jellied cranberry sauce sliced it abt 1/4 inch thick and each slice into 4 strip and put it in will check in the morning and see how it is, can you say cranberry jerky?


----------



## Lindablogger

Beef Jerky...  

Cannot wait to dehydrate!


----------



## myrtle55

My daughter says the dried cranberry jelly is like crack. I have a large jar done up for a Christmas gift for her


----------



## mommahen10

Well, its not quite dry yet, tasted some not bad, hoping it will dry to crispy then I can powder it.


----------



## crabapple

myrtle55 said:


> My daughter says the dried cranberry jelly is like crack. I have a large jar done up for a Christmas gift for her


 Jelly Crack!
How you make it??


----------



## Danil54

After I shelled my beans yesterday I laid them on sheets like normal but thought I would put them on my back porch on the wire shelves I put together to help dry, maybe even faster cause I normally just air dry giving a stir when I walk by in the house. Outside, they got stirred periodically thru out the day but they started to sprout!! Fail for me. Anyhow, I removed the sprouters and put them in the dehydrator to finish. At least the bulk of them are still good and I caught early. I st frustrating for me.


----------



## terri9630

Danil54 said:


> After I shelled my beans yesterday I laid them on sheets like normal but thought I would put them on my back porch on the wire shelves I put together to help dry, maybe even faster cause I normally just air dry giving a stir when I walk by in the house. Outside, they got stirred periodically thru out the day but they started to sprout!! Fail for me. Anyhow, I removed the sprouters and put them in the dehydrator to finish. At least the bulk of them are still good and I caught early. I st frustrating for me.


Is it real humid outside?


----------



## Danil54

Danil54 said:


> After I shelled my beans yesterday I laid them on sheets like normal but thought I would put them on my back porch on the wire shelves I put together to help dry, maybe even faster cause I normally just air dry giving a stir when I walk by in the house. Outside, they got stirred periodically thru out the day but they started to sprout!! Fail for me. Anyhow, I removed the sprouters and put them in the dehydrator to finish. At least the bulk of them are still good and I caught early. I st frustrating for me.





terri9630 said:


> Is it real humid outside?


It was only !ike 69-70% which is way down. Guess to high for them. Today its back up to 87%


----------



## terri9630

Danil54 said:


> It was only !ike 69-70% which is way down. Guess to high for them. Today its back up to 87%


To high for me to. I forgot how high it gets in the rest of the country. We are currently at 31% and I'm dying. We are normally around 10%...


----------



## phideaux

Yall think the high humidity levels would affect the quality of dehydrating items,?

I know it affects the clothes we hang outside....takes forever to dry.

Just curious.



Jim


----------



## terri9630

phideaux said:


> Yall think the high humidity levels would affect the quality of dehydrating items,?
> 
> I know it affects the clothes we hang outside....takes forever to dry.
> 
> Just curious.
> 
> Jim


I don't know about quality, but it takes longer and you have to be quick with packaging. I put silica packs in every jar just to insure moisture isn't a problem. I bought 100 pack silica packs and also keep what comes in meds. Before my Singulair went to blister packs I'd open a bottle and there would be 3 or 4 of the silica packs in there.


----------



## timmie

we canned 7 quarts of collards and cooked some ,but that only took care of 1 bundle. so since i had 9 bundles ,i am dehydrating the rest and will probably do more as these are easy to do and doesn't really take that long. so while i am cracking pecans or canning sweet taters ,i can be dehydrating collards.


----------



## timmie

i got 2 quarts of collards dehydrated today.


----------



## Meerkat

timmie said:


> we canned 7 quarts of collards and cooked some ,but that only took care of 1 bundle. so since i had 9 bundles ,i am dehydrating the rest and will probably do more as these are easy to do and doesn't really take that long. so while i am cracking pecans or canning sweet taters ,i can be dehydrating collards.


Lucky you! We got an Excalabre 10 years ago and have only used it a couple times. We should sell it I guess. So much to do and Food Saver Needs to be replaced .


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## Danil54

Anyone tried drying arugula? I love the stuff but its growing too quick for me to eat it all. I may try just for the heck of it. Might make a descent chip. .


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## marlas1too

foraged lots of wild onion/garlic tops to dry and was able to dehydrate enough to powder a 1/2 gal. jar full next is mint to dehydrate and crush for tea leafs '''maybe some dandy lion leafs too


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## marlas1too

well yesterday i dried a gallon of dill pickle chips and today i have a gallon of bread and butter pickles drying mmmmmm sweet pickle chips


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## kappydell

herbs right now: basil, sage, catnip, lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, parsley, peppermint, sprearmint, and celery greens. Collard greens when I get inundated with them. Okra for stir fries & soup.


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