Recently somewhere on the internet, I saw someone dried watermelon strips--and they said they dried into a taffy consistency-I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds good.
When tomatoes start turning ripe and I have no time for canning them all, I like them dehydrated. In fact we just used the last of last years dehydrated ones in a meaty vegetable rich goulash of sorts last week. They take up so little space and last so long. I've also dehydrated tomatoes then ground them in the food processor and used them to thicken soups/stews/tomato sauces, that worked well too.
Green beans can be dehydrated, but keep an eye on them lest they start to turn brown, some over dehydrated and aren't so nice looking anymore. I'll use them in soups and stews in the winter.
I will be drying garlic, later to be ground into a powder, they say dry it outside, it's very aromatic (same with onions).
I haven't dehydrated zucchini yet, but, I should try it so we have some green things for stews and soups in the winter. Zucchini is so bulky otherwise.
Have you tried hamburger rocks? I haven't yet. Though it seems like a good idea, mixed with dehydrated potatoes, carrots, onions--it would make a fast stew-add water and heat, add S&P. I don't know what ages the children are, but, say like an eagle scout, an emergency meal, easily carried, stored and made.
What about drying herbs and then storing them for use?
I'm out of ideas, let us know how it goes.
