What are you dehydrating today? Part 2

[carr]

Oh, thank you so much. I'll be getting a copy of that soon!!

[CeeGee]

Carr, I don't know if you have checked out this site. I really learned a lot from watching her videos.

 

http://dehydrate2store.com/videos/

[Cat]

They had frozen peas at the store last week, so when I did more asparagus, I threw in the peas, too. It's almost comical how small these things get!

 

Got more pineapple on sale, so I'll do that next. I made the mistake of letting Hubby have a taste. Then lilDD and I couldn't find the bag anymore. I finally found it tucked into a cranny near his chair!!! And HALF GONE!!! :frying pan:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[carr]

Thanks CeeGee ... I did find this site through Mrs. S and have watched a number of the videos now.

 

Onions turned out great and we've got apples in there now. Found some organics on sale. Ball Blue book says tart are best and these are sweet, but giving it a shot anyway for the learning experience.

 

I'll be sure and get back to that site more often now that I have another recommendation on it. It's hard to know who to trust and that's what I love about Mrs. S ... all of the experience and the knowledge that is so generously shared.

 

 

[carr]

Oh, also found some mesh screens on line to fit my little cheapy Wal Mart dehydrator, so will be ordering those soon. I have some coconut that is nearing its shelf life I want to try.

[Violet]

Carr, you can save yourself some money. Just buy the vinyl mesh window screen and cut it to fit your racks ! We teach people to do this. It is safe to use according to USDA.

It is not stiff like the ones you buy, but it works fine. The ones you order are more like the plastic canvas for needlework. They really don't need to be stiff.

[carr]

wow, thanks Violet ... I really would have thought there was something in the processing of those that would contaminate food ... not being food grade. I'm always looking for a way to save money.

 

Hubby is looking into plans to build one that suits our needs. We call him McGyver, cause he can get a whole bunch of something from a whole lot of nothing!! So the window screen should fill the bill for the trays when he gets this project underway (prolly not til after the first of the year though ... and depending on how DFIL's health holds up)!!

 

The dried apples turned out well. Putting on another batch today!! Still have a few onions to get on the trays!!

[Cat]

carr, did you find the links to plans for homemade dehydrators here? Some are really do-it-yourself cheap!

 

 

 

Well, Hubby sheepishly held up the baggie of dried pineapple that now contains just a few tiny pieces.

 

 

Well, it's why I dried it.

 

I just didn't think it would be gone THAT FAST!!!

 

 

 

 

[carr]

I did, thanks so much. The wood burning house for outside really looks interesting!! Wonder if I can get McGuyver on board for that one???? :wink (2):

[Lavenderflowers]

I was able to get 50 pounds of potatoes last week and at the rate of 5 potatoes every two days, it's going to take me a while to dry them, LOL. (me thinks some will probably spoil before I get them all taken care of)

Along with pounds of garlic I am needing to dry in between.

[Jake]

I took some asparagus spears out of the freezer and wasn't happy with how the came out (very limp and mushy) I blanched and froze them according to instructions and I used vac seal bags. I was really hoping they would come out better. Well, I also canned up a bunch of asparagus and I knew to expect those to be mushy. I was wondering if anyone has dehydrated asparagus and how it is when it rehydrates? I used my frozen stuff to make cream of asparagus soup. I guess asparagus is one of those things that to be enjoyed at its peak it must be fresh out of the garden, it doesn't seam to preserve well. If any dehydrates it let me know how it come out and how you use it once you do dehydrate it.

[Canned Nerd]

To Dehydrate: Wash and remove tough ends. Steam blanch for 3 minutes. Drain. Dehydrate at 100 degrees (F) for 35 hours or until dry and brittle (to avoid them molding in storage). To rehydrate, soak in hot water for 30 minutes and drain. Stalks will likely remain a little tough. Dried asparagus is best used in soups, casseroles, or dishes that require mashed asparagus.

 

When canning you might try a 'raw pack' with the spears or pieces very cold from being packed in ice and then also add a small amount of Calcium Chloride (formerly known as 'pickle crisp') to each jar. Both the cold and the CC will help maintain the cell structure better during the processing.

 

 

[AMarthaByHeart]

Help---I have been bitten by the dehydrating bug. I got my new mesh sheets for Christmas and have been dehydrating ever since. It is so much fun. Years ago when I had my first dehydrator, all I did was beef and deer jerky and apple slices. I don't know why I didn't do anything else. The vegetables look so pretty. I have a load of fruit in now. I am using frozen products. I have two books about dehydrating but they disagree on some things, so I have come to the experts. I would appreciate any help I can get. I did watch them videos on the Dehydrating Store.

1. Can you dehydrate scramble eggs? One says yes--put them on the leather tray raw with seasonings. The other one said to cook them then dehydrate them. Help!

2. How do I store anything that I do? (in Zip Lock bags or canning jars?

3. Where do I store them?

4. What about meat? They have two different ways. (Ex. hamburger meat, roasts, chicken)

5. Are the fruit leathers worth the effort? They sound lilke something that would be good for grandchildren. Juices, tomato puree. etc.

6. Are these foods good rehydrated? They sure will save a lot of space. I had gotten the frozen vegetables and fruits when they were on sale.

7. Has anyone made vegetable powders to add to soups?

They books I have are Mary Bell's Complete Deyhdrator Cookbook and Trail Food--Drying and Cooking Food For Backbackers and Paddlers by Alan Kesselheim

 

I know there will be more questions forthcoming. Thanks in advance.

Edited January 5, 2010 by AMarthaByHeart

[Canned Nerd]

Eggs should never be dehydrated because of the danger of salmonella poisoning. Stick with commercial egg powders if you need it.

 

Dehydrated products can be stored in ziplock bags or other containers to keep them away from moisture.

 

There are new warnings out about dehydrating meats, especially ground beef, which has been discussed at length that somebody can perhaps post a link to.

 

I love just about all "leathers" and they don't have to limited to fruits. Experiment. And yes many items can be ground down to powders and placed in the spice cabinet. My favorites are onion, celery, and tomatoes.

 

Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook is the best book in my opinion.

[AMarthaByHeart]

Eggs should never be dehydrated because of the danger of salmonella poisoning. Stick with commercial egg powders if you need it.

 

Dehydrated products can be stored in ziplock bags or other containers to keep them away from moisture.

 

There are new warnings out about dehydrating meats, especially ground beef, which has been discussed at length that somebody can perhaps post a link to.

 

I love just about all "leathers" and they don't have to limited to fruits. Experiment. And yes many items can be ground down to powders and placed in the spice cabinet. My favorites are onion, celery, and tomatoes.

 

Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook is the best book in my opinion.

Thank you Canned Nerd. I had rather be safe than sorry. Happy Canning!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jake]

I am dehydrating some apple slices that have been in the root cellar since fall. They were starting to get just a little wrinkley on the skins and since I already have a ton of applesauce and apple pie filling put up I decided to dry some slices. I may make apple butter with the rest of them.

[Leah]

Mmm ... a-pp-le bu-tter -drool-

[LindaLou]

I have been dehydrating a ton of frozen vegetables that had been on sale. Never done asparagus until now and rehydrated some for dinner tonight to see how it worked. Think I need to rehydrate a little longer with hotter water. The flavor was great but the texture was a little off. (Maybe it was because DH did the rehydrating to surprise me with dinner when I got home from work so I'm not going to complain).

 

As for storing my dehydrated stuff when it comes to fruits and vegetables I use my Food Saver and include (depending on the size of the bag) at least one oxygen absorber. I then store it all in 5 gallon buckets. The big thing to me for anything that you dehydrate, can, have in food storage, etc. is that you want to try to keep it away from the light.

 

Reference dehydrating meat, most all of what I have done has been jerky. I prefer to store my dehydrated jerky in the refrigerator although I have stored it in the pantry too.

 

A far as leather, boy, oh, boy, do I make a lot of leather. Not only fruit but when tomato sauce goes on sale for 10 cents a piece I make lots of tomato leather. Fruit leather I just put in Ziplock bags as it doesn't last long around my house. Tomato leather I package with the Food Saver and oxygen absorbers. I have been experimenting with fruit leather recipe too. For a long while I bought canned applesauce for apple leather but now am making my own applesauce in the fruit processor and adding some fresh orange, tangerine, lemon or other fruit juice.

 

Somebody put an awesome link about dehydrating food here a short time ago and it is a wealth of information. I have been dehydrating for a long time but I learned some important tips.

 

 

[LindaLou]

Oops. One thing I forgot is a portion of what I dehydrate I keep Mason jars with oxygen absorbers in the cupboard to use in everyday cooking. A lot of I powder too after dehydrating...tomato powder, garlic powder, onion powder, carrot powder, celery powder. After dehydrating just throw it in the blender or food processor. I keep my powders in Mason jar with oxygen absorbers. I find it really handy to just be able to grab some dried vegetable to add to a soup or stew or whatever and not have to worry about having the fresh stuff in the fridge.

 

 

[mimi]

Has anybody done rhubarb? I have a whole bunch in the freezer that needs to come out of there!

[Canned Nerd]

For Rhubarb, slice in 2" pieces and blanch first, using only young tender stalks. Grind to a powder and use it fruit punches and leathers.

 

Source: Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrating Cookbook, pg 62.

 

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Garlic. We started off with the dehydrator inside the house. We quickly decided to move the dehydrator outside on the porch.

 

Now I'm wondering if the house has aired out or if we're just used to the strong garlic odor and no longer notice it.

[TractorDiva]

I have a question about pasta, and this seems the most logical place to ask.

 

In all my internet reading, I keep seeing that people make pasta (with egg), dry it and store in their pantry. Is that really safe? Could someone point me in the direction of a good reference? Please and thank you.

 

[TurtleMama]

Yesterday was the first day, after moving into our new little house, that I felt "together" enough to put some effort into preserving food. I had two five-pound bags of carrots and a Costco-size bag of celery in the fridge, taking up inordinate amounts of space, so I diced them, blanched them, and popped them into the dehydrator. A few hours later, I was rewarded with very dry, very teeney-tiny little-bitty pieces of carrot and celery! My husband couldn't believe how little dried veggies came from that much fresh! Next payday I'll be heading to Costco to buy more cheap bulk celery and carrots to dehydrate and add to the stash.

 

On the eggs...please NEVER try to dehydrate them at home. You run a nasty risk of Salmonella poisoning, especially these days, with non-home-dehydrated eggs making so many people sick. Eggs are one of the things that are well worth spending the extra money on to purchase commercially -- it's so much better to be safe than sorry, especially considering that if you are planning on using these stores in the event of a disaster, medical help may not be readily available. Please don't take chances!

[TractorDiva]

Thanks TurtleMama. My gut said it was still an egg, even if it was in pasta...but then I let myself be influenced by the other sites I was reading.