What are you dehydrating today? Part 2

[Violet]

You are welcome !!

[sewandsew]

The canned pineapple is still sticky but no moisture in jars yet. Hooray! The fresh pineapple turned out crispy with a beautiful color. Dabbed my bananas in the pineapple juice but they still turned dark in the middle. They were mostly green when I bought them.

 

Going to try dehydrating apple tonight. My first time with them so keep your fingers crossed. Thanks everyone for the help. Everyone has been wonderful.

 

Hope everyone also has a Merry Christmas!

[etp777]

Just put 5 pounds of beef into fridge to marinate for jerky tomorrow.

[Andrea]

Shame on us! How did we let this thread drop to page two? We all need to get busy!

 

Just finished up a batch of spiced tomato slices - I'll be lucky if they make it to the end of the day though! Super yummy! I think I'll try another batch. Again, not for long-term storage but for short term munchies!

[Mother]

How strange. I haven't thought of this thread for ages yet I dehydrate something almost every week.

 

The latest was kale chips. Easy to do, just wash, dry, and cut the kale into the size of pieces you want to eat. No cooking needed. I like the curled kale best as it seems crunchier but any kale works. Put the kale in a bowl, coat it very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle on seasoning if you desire, salt, herbs, etc. and place in dehydrator. Usually is dried in a few hours depending on the temp. Store in an airtight container and eat as is or sprinkle on salads, crumble into soups or on casseroles or on omelets and enjoy. Kale is extremely nutritious.

 

Okay, next?

 

[Amishway Homesteaders]

any help in doing Mushrooms?

buy freeze dried now but getting pricy, so maybe I could dry them when on sale?

I know they will not be like freeze dried but could still use them in stuff I cook.

thanks,

[Canned Nerd]

any help in doing Mushrooms?

buy freeze dried now but getting pricy, so maybe I could dry them when on sale?

I know they will not be like freeze dried but could still use them in stuff I cook.

thanks,

Besides canning them, they are sliced and go in the dehydrator in my household and used with just about everything, especially in my breakfast omelets. I only get them when they go on sale for 50% or more off in the store.

[Andrea]

AH - I also dehydrate my own mushrooms. They reconstitute easily and while they're a bit chewy if I haven't allowed enough time to let them soak, my family still eats them just fine. I use them in scrambled eggs, soups, and stir-frys.

 

I don't steam them first, I just put them straight onto the dehydrator trays and let them go. It doesn't take long - usually only 6-8 hours on my Wal-Mart Nesco dehydrator.

[Andrea]

Just took out a batch of kale and now have another batch of seasoned tomatoes drying. The verdict is still out on the "kale chips". I did them plain with no salt or olive oil and I think they'll be fine as a seasoning but not as a snack. I may reconstitute them in the morning when I soak mushrooms for scrambled eggs and see how they turn out in that. In any event, they'll work great as an added layer of flavor in soups and broths. I have a bit more kale to dehydrate, so I'll try that seasoned and see what the family thinks when the tomatoes come out.

 

 

[Jeepers]

I'd like to do some kale too. I can't find it anywhere where I am. Guess I'll have to grow some next year. Or make a 'kale run' to Indiana soon. I want to use it in soup. Olive Garden has a killer soup with Italian sausage, potatoes and kale in a milk base. It's drool worthy. Zuppa Toscana.

 

Maybe throw in a can of corn and call it chowder?

[homeschoolshe]

An almost empty bag of shredded potatoes, zucchini, and green beans. Wish I had caught those tomatoes on the counter a few days ago. Threw one to the hens, and will have to eat the other tonight. Still good, but probably passed it's prime for dehydrating.

Edited July 16, 2012 by homeschoolshe

[Daylily]

I dried some blueberries last week and DD dried dill today.

[Annarchy]

I am finding that a piece of aluminum foil under the plastic craft sheets dries almost anything in about 4 hours in the sun. I place the food in-between two sheets, clamp them together with little paper clamps and put a couple chopsticks under the craft sheets to lift it off the aluminum foil.

 

Sun drying some oregano today, did garlic the other day.

[homeschoolshe]

That's pretty awesome, Annarchy! You're getting the sun from two angles, with a simple piece of foil! Love it!

 

Did yellow squash chips dipped in oil and sprinkled with Mrs. Dash. Also did a small cucumber and a few of the middle stalks of celery last night. Today I put in 3 onions and some more corn. Cut the onion in half and then sliced it. Waiting for it to be good and dry so I can crunch it up. Figured that was less work than chopping, plus I wouldn't have to mess with the tulle.

[homeschoolshe]

Banana chips last night and peaches today.

[homeschoolshe]

Corn today and tomatoes tonight. I've had that thing running constantly since I got it.

[homeschoolshe]

The last of the peaches, the last of the tomatoes, leftover cabbage, and a few slices of zucchini. Did a full load of peaches last night.

[homeschoolshe]

Onions! And, I finally found a surefire way not to cry! SWIM GOGGLES! Borrowed my only DS's spiderman swim goggles! I may have looked ridiculous, but, hey, no tears!

[Jeepers]

Swim goggles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adding a pair to my kitchen supply cabinet.

[dogmom4]

Making fruit leather with cherries from the neighbors tree and frozen strawberries and bananas in the freezer. I'm gonna tell you this right now...I do not like pitting cherries. What a mess! And the stupid pitter handle broke off half way through the bowl. I'm taking it back tomorrow. It was a lot of work for 3 trays of fruit leather that will probably be gone in 24 hours. Oh well....couldn't just let those cherries go to waste.

[windmorn]

@homeschoolshe and jeepers - somebody is getting rich off of that. They make safety glasses just for cutting onions now. DD asked for some for Christmas last year. Santa forgot them, but they do make them.

[Nichole]

I have been drying/roasting my cherry tomatoes, in halves. I sprinkled some on my pizza the other night and they were amazing! I have also thought about dehydrating the mushrooms. I normally slice and freeze when I get them marked down at the store, but I want to try something different.

 

I haven't tried the dehydrated kale yet. Something funny though, when I try to type "kale" I automatically try to capitalize it, because my DH's name is Kale...lol

[indy gal preps]

How do you use the cabbage when its reconstituded? Is it only for soups or can it be used for coleslaw? Its on sale here this week so thought I might try it.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I'm dehydrating green peppers (from our garden).

[Daylily]

I don't think cabbage would be good for cole slaw after rehydrating. It's good cooked though.

 

I just filled the little dehydrator with sliced nectarines. We filled the big one with zucchini last night so It's about ready to take out. We dried some wild greens last week.