I don't have a food/herb dehydrator this year available to me and not being able to buy one thought I remembered someone saying that they had dried herbs on the back window of an old car they had. Do you think that would work ??? I know I can and have hung them up but it is sort of a mess and I have a lot to do. Any other "cheap" advice ?? Thanks !!

-- Helena , (windyacs/@ptdprolog.net), September 11, 2000

Answers

Hi Helena,

i have been told this too. a young intern in one of my classes was very into "natural" ways and said she successfully dried herbs doing it by the back seat of an old car. Hope this helps. I mainly dry them by hanging them up in a warm place but dry.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), September 11, 2000.

I've seen people take (for instance) caraway and hang it upside down in a paper bag. (they tie the top of the bag) That way as it dries, the seeds fall in the bag and it also keeps the dust off the plant. Try thinking of others you can use in this fashion. The back window of an old car would work but probably only when the sun is out. I'd make sure there weren't any unwelcome critters or bugs in the car first.

-- Pat (pmikul@pcpros.net), September 11, 2000.

I have a window screen that fits perfectly between the backs of the front seats and the rear deck. It's the only drier I've used in a couple of years. It's worked well for leaves for tea and berries. I also hang bunches of plants from the rearview mirror and occasionally the sunvisors.

==>paul

-- paul (p@ledgewood-consulting.com), September 11, 2000.

Just think of all the Herbs you could dry in one of them old AMC Pacers. Maybe there is another use for the Pacer instead of "Wayne's World" movies. They were not to populer for transportation!

-- Mark (deadgoatman@webtv.net), September 11, 2000.

A station wagon is the tops for auto greenhouses, especially if (like moi) you don't have air conditioning!!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 11, 2000.

I first read about drying herbs in an auto in Mother Earth News. Along those same lines, it was suggested using an old school bus for a greenhouse.

Mark I enjoyed the reminder of the AMC Pacer. I actually looked at buying a new one way back when. AMC's autos were cheaper than some of the others, but I just wasn't convinced that they were building viable autos.

I guess it is my eccentricity coming out, but I have always wanted to build a custom car around an AMC Gremlin or a Ford Pinto. I envision the boxy car with huge fins on it from one of the old Plymouths of the '50 era.

I got hooked on custom cars in the early '60s. There I go telling my age again. Anyway, the State Fair had a street rod on exhibit that was a "T-bucket," i.e. a model T Ford roadster with a big V-8, cherry red, and almost dripping with chrome. It was the prettiest car I had ever seen at the time. Of course down on the farm we didn't see much need for such cars. lol.

Now what a farm can use is a pickup. I've got a '46 Ford pickup that I hope to drop a 350 cu. in. V-8 into before long. Add a little chrome in the engine compartment, and that ought to haul some sweet corn to the Farmer's Market and attract some buyers. Who wants new when they can have old?

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), September 12, 2000.

Hi,*** I could never afford a store bought dehydrator so the back of an old car is what I used for years, to dry any veggie. Just have to remember not to leave them there too long on sunny days,,gets very hot in there. I used to bake apples in the same place. Delicious by the end of the day. Also used a very low temp in oven to dry some veggies. If you have attic with window, or any little used place with sunny window,,it is a wonderful place to dry veggies or fruits. I remember spreading green beans on the floor of a old shed with sunny windows, Usually put beans on a sheet or something. Sometimes I put celery leaves (or whatever) by my kitchen window and leave it there for a few days and pretty soon I can crunch up the leaves and have powdered celery. There are so many wonderful "simple" ways to dry our herbs and veggies. Pat J.

-- Pat J. (saslomepj@hotmail.com), September 12, 2000.

In Korea, the people dry their hot peppers on the street, and on rooftops. They just lay them out on a sheet, tarp, or what ever they have, and leave them there until dry. I'm sure they get a lot of additives....but it seems to work for them. My mother always dried her mint and other leafy things in the car. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), September 12, 2000.

I use my pick-up cab to dry herbs, comfrey, peppermint, etc.put newspaper on the seat and lay out the herbs, keep the windows up and just cracked a bit. works find. My pick up is used only as standby transportation so it's mostly available .

-- Bruce Burdge (burdgebruce@richmond.com), September 14, 2000.

I hate to be plugging Wal Mart, but they do have the Magic Chef forced air 5 tray dehydrators now selling for $10 to $15 on fall closeout. This is cheaper than the 40 to 50 they used to go for. We got one and can dry 5 trays of jalapenos in about 8 hrs. Five trays of tomatoes dry in about 10 to 12. Compared to other items like computer gear or gasoline, its a bargain. We too, couldn' t afford one so I gleened it out of my gas allowance (wasn't hard to come up with the cash after those hikes, just cut out 15 miles a week non essential mileage). If this isn't an option llok in the current issue of Countryside, they have some excellent articles on the subject in this issue. Good Luck.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 14, 2000.

Fer God's sake, you do not have to be an Graduate of anything other than your forefathers. They lived, by their means, else you would not be here. Beans, peas can be string and hung on rafters to dry, above the heat of a cabin. Doesn't take a refinery, to make it happen. To those who may freak at such a process, and run around wildly, to think their life may come come to an end, by such an un-government monitored process. Child, you haven't read enough, or sought the history. Guess, killing your own pig freaks you out too.

-- Ancestors Speak (Animal Parts@appearmagically.com), September 17, 2000.

HI, I'VE DRIED HERBS IN THE BACK OF THE CAR, I JUST LAYERED THE HERBS ON SCREENS ON THE BACK WINDOW. I TOOK THEM IN AT NIGHT AND BROUGHT THEM OUT THE NEXT DAY. DON'T FORGET TO ROLL THE WINDOW DOWN A HALF INCH OR SO. JUST ONE WINDOW. YOU CAN ALSO DRY THEM OUTSIDE . ANY QUESTIONS E- MAIL ME GOOD LUCK PRISCILLA GP83196@AOL.COM

-- MRS PRISCILLA WILLIAMS (GP83196@AOL.COM), September 18, 2000.