What are you dehydrating today?

[blissful]

Do you need to know how to dehydrate things? I found this resource to be good. https://www.thepurposefulpantry.com/best-dehydrating-recipes/

Yesterday we took the 9 trays of banana chips out of the dehydrator, into 4 qt jars. I shredded 16 of the 6 inch zucchinis in the food processor and put them on 8 trays with parchment to dry. I'll use these for zucchini bread in the winter.
I use the excalibur dehydrator (very old) with stainless trays we keep in a cabinet covered with a tarp outside, year round. It's going to be so hot out today (93 deg F) I could probably dry things out on the picnic table, if I had anything to dry.

I put the dehydrated qt jars in cases in the basement, on a shelf with labels on the cases so I can find things I need when I need them. I promised myself to do an inventory but I haven't yet, but I'll get to it.

Many people use dehydrated goods specifically for hiking meals for weeks at a time, rehydrating and warming them up to eat. I like the variety and recipes that can be found here: https://www.backpackingchef.com/

We eat dry fruits year round and use dried herbs and leaves for herbal teas year round. Mostly in winter I use the dry veggies for in soups and stews. Dried sweet potatoes and squash make a good pie when I don't have fresh.

Yesterday I made up some baked beans and I didn't have fresh peppers to chop so I used dehydrated diced red peppers from last year that I keep in jars. Celery, I usually don't buy it because we don't eat it fresh. We grow it occasionally, then dehydrate it and process it in the food processor into a crumble/powder and I use that for flavor in soups and stews.

Do you have any favorite places to get information on dehydrated foods? What are you dehydrating today?

 

[Badjak]

Chili's mainly, but I've also done tomatillo's, yellow peppers, red onions etc.
No special equipment, just slice thinly and leave on the counter.
Only time that doesn't work is occasionally during the rainy season

 

[Kathleen]

We enjoy fruit leather around here. I also dried the remanent tomato peels and crushed it to a powder to add in to other things such as soup, breads, etc.

 

[pepperhead212]

I do have those things I put in last night, but I'll put them closer (since they shrunk considerably), and put these in. I would have picked more ripe peppers today, but it was raining or wet most of the day.
Peppers for dehydrator, Numex and jalapeños on top, then Thais, and Arunas. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[blissful]

8 trays of sliced banana chips, for snacking. Packed into 1 qt jars, always available.

 

[larry_stewart]

8 trays of sliced banana chips, for snacking. Packed into 1 qt jars, always available.

How thin do you gut the bananas before you dry them ? and what kind of tray do you dry them on ( the mesh or silicon sheet) ?

 

[blissful]

I have mesh silicone sheets but I put parchment over them. I cut about 4-5 bananas per sheet. About 1/4 inch slices but it doesn't matter if they are thinner or thicker really, the variety is nice. They are hard when they dry (2 days), but I put them in my mouth and they soften up and they are very sweet. Throw in a few chocolate chips and you've got dessert.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

For the past two weeks I have been dehydrating my apartment. The humidity from the monsoons is killing me!

 

[blissful]

The two batches of banana chips are done. I put in shredded zucchini on 8 trays today.

 

[pepperhead212]

I just de-stemmed and cut up all the peppers and eggplants I had to dehydrate - a few of the arunas hadn't totally ripened, but I still got a full tray, and a full tray of misc. Thai peppers, and a full tray of Datil peppers.
4 more trays of peppers, and one of eggplant, getting ready to dehydrate, 8-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Badjak]

Dehydrating myself
Temperatures have shot up suddenly

 

[blissful]

7 trays of shredded zucchini I put in yesterday will be done tomorrow.
I need to harvest some herbs, thyme, summer savory, and basil, and dry them at 100 deg F, for herbs in winter. That's next on my list.

 

[Rascal]

Wifes doing parsley atm. I use a lot.

Russ

 

[blissful]

I soaked breadcrumbs in 2 cups of the bottom of some AC vinegar to see what happens when I dehydrate it. To see if I get some very AC vinegar flavored powder. I'll let you know what happens once I grind it up.

 

[blissful]

I soaked breadcrumbs in 2 cups of the bottom of some AC vinegar to see what happens when I dehydrate it. To see if I get some very AC vinegar flavored powder. I'll let you know what happens once I grind it up.

It dried fine into a thin layer of crumbs stuck together into a mat. I ground it in the little coffee/nut grinder into a nice powder. It tasted mild, too mild to really notice. The AC vinegar might be better if it were concentrated first by evaporation or boiling. Though I'm afraid boiling would change the flavor too much. I'd say it was a fail. Sorry!

 

[blissful]

I dried piles of summer savory and some thyme. I scrunched the leaves off the stems, sieved them each, put them in jars.

 

[blissful]

Snacks we keep on the counter. Dehydrated apple slices, pineapple chunks, banana slices.

 

[taxlady]

Bliss, do you ever rehydrate any of those for use in recipes?

 

[taxlady]

I dehydrated some beet stems and spinach stems. They are sitting on the counter in jars, while I condition them for a week. I will have to find some smaller jars to store them in.

 

[blissful]

Bliss, do you ever rehydrate any of those for use in recipes?

Usually I have fresh fruit to cut up to use in things like zucchini apple bread but if I didn't have fresh, then I'd soak a cup of dehydrated apple pieces in a couple cups of water. I'd let them sit for an hour and strain them out to use them.
2 winters ago I soaked the pineapple chunks in bourbon. I think I also soaked dried cherries, raisins, currants, (maybe more dried fruit), in bourbon too when I was making christmas fruit cakes. This was before making the fruit cake batter and then baking it.
They would be great to use in smoothies if you didn't have access to fresh fruit. (but when do you have a blender and no fresh fruit?) They would be great in backpacking breakfast oatmeal if you were carrying dry food to be rehydrated for meals.