Solar Dehydrator - OK Now What ? [General]
2014 May 19
You can make shrunken heads!
I'm guessing dehydrators are most cost effective when you grow something yourself (like your wife with her herbs) and want to time-shift part of your large crop for later use. It's probably cheaper to buy foods that have been dried near where they are made rather than self-dehydrating those that are shipped fresh to Ottawa. Apricots, prunes, figs, and raisins seem like good examples.
Growing up, we had an apple tree and a pear tree in our yard. My mom used to can the excess, but she also experimented with drying. I remember a pillowcase full of dried pear halves...
I recently bought a giant bag of dried figs at Costco for about $12. Purchased fresh, those figs would cost over $100. Somewhat disturbingly, they resemble mummified monkey scrotums (see pic).
Happy dehydrating!
I'm guessing dehydrators are most cost effective when you grow something yourself (like your wife with her herbs) and want to time-shift part of your large crop for later use. It's probably cheaper to buy foods that have been dried near where they are made rather than self-dehydrating those that are shipped fresh to Ottawa. Apricots, prunes, figs, and raisins seem like good examples.
Growing up, we had an apple tree and a pear tree in our yard. My mom used to can the excess, but she also experimented with drying. I remember a pillowcase full of dried pear halves...
I recently bought a giant bag of dried figs at Costco for about $12. Purchased fresh, those figs would cost over $100. Somewhat disturbingly, they resemble mummified monkey scrotums (see pic).
Happy dehydrating!
2014 May 20
They do look like shrunken heads :-)
And where does one get fresh figs cheap?
We have a two cherry trees, but we usually eat all the cherries fresh, before the birds do. I just pick off the red ones in the evening.
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Can you rehydrate dried food ? Or do you just eat it like vegan jerky ?
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I did some googling and found out you can dehydrate any frozen vegetables. I might try some of those.
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Actually the fan wouldn't spin today. I just taped the wires, so I'll have to take it apart and solder them when I get home. So trying it today with the fan off :-)
And where does one get fresh figs cheap?
We have a two cherry trees, but we usually eat all the cherries fresh, before the birds do. I just pick off the red ones in the evening.
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Can you rehydrate dried food ? Or do you just eat it like vegan jerky ?
----------------
I did some googling and found out you can dehydrate any frozen vegetables. I might try some of those.
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Actually the fan wouldn't spin today. I just taped the wires, so I'll have to take it apart and solder them when I get home. So trying it today with the fan off :-)
2014 May 20
"Can you rehydrate dried food ? Or do you just eat it like vegan jerky?"
Francis I have never dried my own food but I've bought dried fruit in the grocery store. FWIW I have never rehydrated it. The only exception is raisins on the odd occasion I have found a few that have been in the pantry for awhile.
Francis I have never dried my own food but I've bought dried fruit in the grocery store. FWIW I have never rehydrated it. The only exception is raisins on the odd occasion I have found a few that have been in the pantry for awhile.
2014 Jun 7
Any ideas how to make a tower of trays, cheaply, for inside the dehydrator?
I've just been using some plastic colanders.
The inside diameter is 15" I think.
I thought of getting a set of those plastic separators used to separate the rice paper skins in Vietnamese restaurants. I think they are $1 each. Then I could put something on the perimeter to separate it from the one above.
Any better ideas?
I've just been using some plastic colanders.
The inside diameter is 15" I think.
I thought of getting a set of those plastic separators used to separate the rice paper skins in Vietnamese restaurants. I think they are $1 each. Then I could put something on the perimeter to separate it from the one above.
Any better ideas?
2014 Jun 7
Francis
Check out the perforated pizza trays from russell foods on preston. Easy to get, free parking and you can also use them for pizza of course :)
For me, the utopian thing in the dehydrator is home made fruit rollups/leather of course with local apples in the fall. Unfortunately your apple consumption will increase by about 1000x.
I dont think I can actually make them as fast as I can eat them. Buy berries when they are local and fresh this summer,freeze them and add them into your sauce in the fall for berry flavored fruit rollups.
Krusty,
Check out the perforated pizza trays from russell foods on preston. Easy to get, free parking and you can also use them for pizza of course :)
For me, the utopian thing in the dehydrator is home made fruit rollups/leather of course with local apples in the fall. Unfortunately your apple consumption will increase by about 1000x.
I dont think I can actually make them as fast as I can eat them. Buy berries when they are local and fresh this summer,freeze them and add them into your sauce in the fall for berry flavored fruit rollups.
Krusty,
2014 Jun 7
Thanks Krusty. I will. Metal is better than plastic, especially where heat is involved.
Dehydrating is a cheap way of preserving food for a long time (unless you eat them fast) and because it's lower temperature than cooking / canning preserves more nutrients. I think freezing destroys nutrients too. I spoke to a sprouter who swore that was the case.
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On the Quebec side in the Fall the Metro near me carries bags of "deer apples". They are just regular apples, not even misshapen or blemished (though some are). You can buy a huge sack for just a few dollars.
I'll be loading the dehydrator with those for sure. :-)
In the meantime . . .
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I was thinking of stainless steel screen door material too . . . but I seem to remember when you handle that it stains your hands a darker color. So despite being stainless steel, it's giving off some residue. Or perhaps I was mistaken.
Dehydrating is a cheap way of preserving food for a long time (unless you eat them fast) and because it's lower temperature than cooking / canning preserves more nutrients. I think freezing destroys nutrients too. I spoke to a sprouter who swore that was the case.
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On the Quebec side in the Fall the Metro near me carries bags of "deer apples". They are just regular apples, not even misshapen or blemished (though some are). You can buy a huge sack for just a few dollars.
I'll be loading the dehydrator with those for sure. :-)
In the meantime . . .
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I was thinking of stainless steel screen door material too . . . but I seem to remember when you handle that it stains your hands a darker color. So despite being stainless steel, it's giving off some residue. Or perhaps I was mistaken.
Francis
I got a metal trash can, I dremeled a cutout in the bottom for a pc-fan to blow out, and I painted it black.
With a clear pastic trash bag over it, it will get up to 45C.
The pc fan I powered from a portable battery pack, but I ordered a solar panel on amazon, and after that is hooked up, the whole thing will be completely solar.
I used a reflective windshield sunshade from the dollar store to reflect more light onto it.
. . .
So I cutup an apple and put it inside and it got dry and rubbery.
What else can I dehydrate? The garden isn't making anything yet. Big bags of "deer apples" are not available.
What else can I dehydrate that's useful and cost effective?