Does anyone have a food dehydrator? If so, what do you dehydrate and how do you store it? I have one and I have dehydrated apples, strawberries, bananas, pineapple and grapes. I'm sure there is much more that I can do with it. I'm a very simplistic person though and won't make something that causes alot of fuss. Thanks for your responses.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), March 17, 2001

Answers

We have the Magic chef forced air models. We dehydrate tomatoes, peppers, fruits (the solid trays make great fruit leathers), "leather britches" beans, peas,jerky,carrots, onions, okra. Squash and zuchinni didnt dry well.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 17, 2001.

I also use mine for drying Parsley,stored in glass bottle and plastic bags. Want to do more herbs this year. Joanne

-- Joanne (ronandjo@sisna.com), March 17, 2001.

I have a Ronco and we dehydrate meat for stews and vegies to go in the stews potatoes, corn, greenbeans, carrots tomatoes when I get ready to make my stew place all dehydrated items in stock pot with water a seasoning and simmer until it ready. We do fruits, fruit leather for the kids made out of fresh apple sauce, jerky, everything I dehydrate I seal in plactic bags. I dehydrate hot peppers, onions for chili. Mushrooms for gravey. Pumpkin and apples for pies. I make my own Granola, trail mix, Potatoes dehydrate make great Ay Gratin Potatoes just like Betty Crocker. I'm sure I leaving something out. Need recipes email me. gook luck and God Bless.

-- Tracy in TN (emilyfarms@tsixroads.com), March 18, 2001.

American Havest, I really like it. I've dried a variety of things, my favorite is cherries and bananas, I dip the banana slices in pineapple juice they're yummy. I store the stuff in jars, except blueberries, for whatever reason, one year they weren't dried enough I guess and got moldy, the next year, buts moved in and took over, so use a jar that has a rubber ring on the inside of the lid or a plastic lit. The blueberries when kept right are wonderful in granola. Enjoy!

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 18, 2001.

We have an Excalibur that we bought nearly 20 years ago and it's still running like a champ. I noticed reduced air flow about 6 years ago and called the company's 800#. I reached the owner of the company who talked me through how to remove the back, clean the fan/heater and reassemble it. He also told me that it was possible to just replace these if it were ever necessary. I was impressed that he was so willing to help me and on his dime.

I really like this brand because the racks can be removed leaving an empty cabinet where it's possible to incubate yogurt or raise bread if your house gets too cool like mine frequently does.

In addition to the things previously listed, I figured out how to dehydrate sourdough starter so that I could easily and safely mail it to friends. I store most of my home dried goodies in jars or plastic bags sealed with a vacuum sealer.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), March 18, 2001.

American Harvest dehydrators here. We make jerky (rabbit, beef, venison, and fish so far), dry peas, beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic cloves, and make pureed fruit leather with the clear trays that can be set into the sir slotted tray. (mostly strawberry with a little corn syrup stirred in) I've tried to dray some herbs, but I thought the flavor suffered from the heated air.

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), March 18, 2001.

Not sure what brand we have, not an expensive one, just the heated coil and adjustments are made by opening or closing the vents on top. I tried to dry potatoes one year, and they dried great, but when I tried to rehydrate them, they just didn't. Maybe I dried them too much? Sure would like to get it down more successfully. Fruit leathers and even squash dries well for me. Ok to use in soups and such. Recently tried to dry eggs in the oven, but can't get my propane oven to 170 degrees, so I cooked them instead. Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), March 18, 2001.

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I'm particularly interested in knowing how you all make your fruit "leathers" and beef jerky. I know my dehydrator came with an instruction/recipe book but learning from folks that have already done it is much more appealing to me. I don't have any solid trays, however, I do remember the instruction booklet saying that I could use plastic wrap over the slotted trays when making the fruit leathers. Just curious if any of you have tried to do it this way. I guess the plastic wouldn't melt as they would not recommend doing it this way. Also, about the potatoes, what would cause them not to re-hydrate if you used them in say...a stew? How is it that you dehydrate things like green beans, peas, carrots etc. I'm assuming that you all grow your own veges then dehydrate some. I don't grow mine. Could I buy fresh from a produce stand and use those to dehydrate? I find that I sure waste alot of fruit and veges that I buy from the store when we can't or don't use it up quickly enough. Just yesterday I threw away a package of yellow squash, a package of zucchini, a package of fresh mushrooms, and some onions that had been sitting in the fridge too long and had begun to grow little fuzzies on them. I probably could have salvaged parts of them but...didn't seem too appealing. I am trying to be more frugal and throwing food away really bothers me.

Tracy, I'm very interested to know how you make your applesauce fruit leathers, and Marylin, degydrating sourdough starters? That sounds like a GREAT idea. Could you all please elaborate a little mor on these topics for me? If it's too long to post here, please feel free to email me directly. I apologize that this post is so lengthy but I know you all have a wealth of information that I could really use. Many thanks again.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), March 18, 2001.

When we run out of solid trays for leathers, I cut a gallon zipper freezer bag in a circle with the center hole cut out. I use the ziplock bags because they are thicker, more like the inserts included with our dehydrators. When doing jerky, be sure to put papertowel between the meat and the plastic tray. if you don't, the grease can shatter the tray. I think its cool having a pantry in 3 handle totes instead of all those jars and the tomatoes have a much more intense flavor when used for cooking or a granola type snack pack. Lynn put up tomato sauce leather style and now makes me tomato leathers so I stay out of her sauce packs.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 18, 2001.

Meant to add this to the above. I dehydrate any veggies, ones from our garden, the flea market, even fresh from krogers. They all work fine, just wash and blanch. We even dehydrated some produce that we initially froze until we could free up a few of our dehydrators.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 18, 2001.

Among the more mundane uses listed above, I have used my dehydrator to crisp up soggy crackers, finish out cookies that didn't cook through, but were too close to burning to put back into the oven (my oven has a problem known as "guess what temp I'm cooking at today", and looking at the knob gives you no accurate help), and drying underwear and socks overnight. Also good for drying any small item that can't be tumbled dry, like rinsed air filters for the car or lawnmower, accidentally dowsed books and mags, and recharging those anti-humidity granules that folks keep in their closets and basements. Think of it as a low-energy producer of gentle heat instead of a food-production item and no doubt all sorts of stuff will come to you. (Need to gently dry that re-blocked embroidery? Animal feed getting a might bit on the next-week-it'll-be-furry side? Need to preshrink a delicate fabric for sewing - Dampen and "dehydrate!). Remember, it's portable - got a wet spot on your ceiling that needs drying? Set it up underneath, on a stack of boxes, and let it run (you can double up by using it for low-moisture drying, llike herbs, but high-water stuff will inhibit ceiling drying) Use it to dry your waiting-for-the-next-layer watercolor. Put a really wet towel in it an set it under something that needs a gentle steaming, or use a towel wrung out in scented water as a low- rent winter air "conditioner", to inject perfumed moisture into the dry, to-many-days-indoors atmosphere that takes over after Christmas. Raw foodists can use it to "cook" sprouted breads and such, and the rest of us can use it to save breadcrumbs from the last- legs loafs in our pantries and on the local store's "retirement rack" - simply cut up, dehydrate, and run through a food processor or give a hammer and a bag of dried bread to your favorite angry youth to work out aggressions with. Use it to gently heat candles for straightening. Use it to dry that plaster sculpture or other objet d'art. Think outside your box and it just keeps getting better and better! Have fun!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 18, 2001.

Here is a recipe for jerked beef, I use venison and elk and it's wonderful. Jerky slice thin about 4-5 lbs meat 1 c. soy sauce 1c. worcestershire sauce 2 1/2 tsp. accent ( optional) 1 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke 2 tsp. salt black pepper to taste 5-6 shakes tabasco sauce for mild heat. 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 c. brown sugar

Mix together in a tightly sealed container, add meat and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple days turning or shaking often to mix and cover all meat. Place on dehydrator and watch for dry but supple jerky, not brittle(that's to dry)

I also dehydrate fruits, vegtables, herbs , meats ( wild game and fish.) Bananas are great if sliced and dipped in honey before dehydrating. Watermelon is wonderful just slice it thick. Fruit leather can be made by pureeing any kind of fruit, you can use plastic wrap or wax paper as your dam to hold the puree. We mix fruits and add spices to apples so it's like apple pie. We also do carrots and pumpkin as a fruit rollup, you can add alittle honey and spices and it's a wonderful side to a sandwich. Use your imagination anything is possible.

-- Kelle in MT. (kvent1729@aol.com), March 19, 2001.

I have a great one.... Its the warming oven over my wood stove. Also have used old metal bread boxes on top of our grill... They both do the same thing... Painted black outside in the sun will work too, if you cut and screen some ventilation....

I dry meat, fish, fruits of all kinds, 'treats' like the leathers and stuff mentioned' and even bread for bread crumbs. If I have to bake something, or am making jams and such, on top of the stove works wonders and doesn't cost anything!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 20, 2001.

To dry the sourdough starter, I use a starter that is more flour than water, actually a heavy batter at that point and let it work until it's very frothy. I beat down the bubbles and pour it onto trays covered with the special sheets that came with the dehydrator. Our Excalibur has variable heat settings although the fan runs at the same speed. I turn it on until the machine just comes on giving me a temperture about 85-95o. You must be sure the temperature doesn't get very high or the yeast will be killed. I rotate the trays to hasten drying since the air comes from one side only. When the top seems completely dry, it is usually damp underneath. At that point, I peel off the sheets and turn over the starter on the tray itself to dry the underside. If there are holes where the starter continued to work as it dried, you have kept the temperature low enough not to damage the yeast. Continue until the starter is completely dry. Pulverize in a mortar and pestle or a blender. You can store it in a jar in the freezer using about a tablespoon to 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of water(allow chlorinated water to sit overnight or heat it then allow it to cool). I mix the starter powder and flour first then add the water. Allow it to sit in the usual nonreactive covered container in a warm place undisturbed for 48 hours. This starter isn't as strong as a more mature one so I usually put it in things like biscuits or coffee cake for several feedings. Then it's strong enough to raise bread without extra yeast. Good luck and enjoy. I also seal 1-2 T. into a tiny plastic pouch to send with recipes and directions to friends. I've never had a gift starter declined.

I have never dipped bananas in honey but do try it with pineapple juice. I used to know a man who dealt with wholesale vegetables and fruit for the grocery and supermarket trade. He always told me to stop by his warehouse around 11 on Fridays to pick up very special specials on goods that wouldn't hold over until Monday. One day, he GAVE me 1 1/2 boxes of bananas that were just beginning to get the brown spots and I bought one that was perfectly ripened for $5.60. Now each box initially weighed 40# so I had 100# of bananas for $5.60!! On the way home, I stopped at a friend's house. She had 5 kids of her own still at home plus she did day care for 5-6 more. She asked if I would sell her the best box and I did accept the $5.60 for it, refused any more. I still had 60# of bananas and my dehydrator had a real work out, plus we had banana pudding, banana bread, banana cream pie, fresh bananas, fruit salad heavy on the bananas, even gave dried bananas for Christmas. I don't know how long it took us to use all those bananas but they sure were good. They make decent leather added in small quantities to strawberry puree' but we don't care for them alone in a leather.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), March 20, 2001.

My goodness marilyn, 100 pounds of bananas? What great use you put them too. My freezer is soo full of "over-ripe" bananas right now you can rarely open the door that they aren't falling out on the floor (and sometimes our toes - OUCH!) I save them up with the best intentions of making babana nut bread ('bout the only thing I know to do with 'em). I want to thank you all for all the GREAT information posted here. My boss just cam in with 3 pints of fresh strawberries for me. I'm not sure how much it would take to try to make strawberry leathers, but I might just give it a whirl! I'll let you know how (if) they turn out.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), March 20, 2001.

OH OH OH!!!LOL! My husband swore that I was insane and unique in my thrift with bananas, and that I was surely the only one whose hubby had to tap dance when opening the freezer for fear of falling nannas!! I'll just have to show him this post!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 23, 2001.

I have several dehydrators and love dehydrating. It takes up so little room. One of the things that I did for the American Harvester is to cut out circles of neting (cheap enough in yardage) and use the net circles in the trays if I am doing ... say like celery that really dried up small and it doesn't fall thru or hinder the air circulation. The net can just be rinsed and ready for another time.

-- Jay (jay@NorthWestUSA.com), March 24, 2001.

Hi, I have had a magic chef dehydrator for about a year now. I have never used it (shame on me!) and now that I want to I can't seem to find the instruction book. I am looking for directions on how to dehydrate fruit and make fruit leathers. We have apples, pears, peaches, grapes, blackberries and strawberries in the back yard that I would like to use in other ways than making jellies and jams. If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it!

Thanks Lora

-- Lora Huber (rebuhal@yahoo.com), May 01, 2001.

In addition to a commercial dehydrator, I also have a home-made dryer my husband made for me based on directions from an old Organic Gardening magazine. The original directions called for a cardboard box, but Russ enjoys "gilding the lily" a bit, so he made mine out of plywood. The top is a black bread pan that sits on top of the foil lined box. The heat comes from a 100 watt bulb. I've used this dryer for years and prefer it to the store bought one. The only drawback it's smaller than the commercial one.

I've dried beef jerky, fruit leathers, lots of corn, potatoes, onions, carrots, fruits, etc. My family's favorite: Beef Jerky. Slice top round or bottom round steak very thin. Trim off all visible fat. (Slightly frozen meats slice easier). Marinate steak in 1/2 to 1 cup soy sauce, 1 to 2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil and 1 to 2 tbsp. garlic overnight. Lay in single layers on drying box and allow to dry 6 to 12 hours. I have a hard time keeping this on hand.

-- Dianne in Mass (dianne.bone@usa.net), May 21, 2001.