dehydrators

[dandelion meadow]

Anybody out there have much experience with dehydrators? Would like to start putting up veggies and herbs this year. Extension service recommendations sound like they mean the very expensive types. What makes and models have worked well for those who do this on a regular basis? This is for small household (not commercial) though would probably use it consistently through season... or so says the pre-season gardener! Thank you!

[dirtundernails]

I just string my stuff on regular sewing thread and hang 'till dry, then seal in airtight containers. Gonna make a solar dehydrator this year.

Used to have a round electric jobbie and it was OK. It was cheap 'cause it was a discontinued model. It lasted long enough to give away, I hated cleaning the mesh trays. That's the only way I've tried to make jerky. Veggies are better just air dried, in my opinion. Electric ones use heat.

Just remember that pioneers, Native Americans, Vikings, and countless others throughout long ol' history dried all kinds of food. It could not be that complicated. Watch those gov. regulations, huh?


dun

[tashak]

If you are in a humid area, go solar or electric (unless your dehydrating season coincides with your use of a wood stove and you have ceiling hanging space above it).
If you are in an arid area (like me), go hanging trays surrounded by netting(wheatgrass type that Lehman's carried) type, roof top, car, or homemade (raised out of reach of critters, covered with cheesecloth). Think Pueblo Indian style.
Check the thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist, and FreeCycle type listings. Sometimes goodies turn up there.
Definitely check the homemade solar websites if you have anyone handy in the household. See also past issues Mother Earth News, Backwoods Home, Countryside, and food preservation/dehydration books in your public library for info.
I used a little cheapie electric round white tray with dome in a damp city, but depend on my hanging ones here in dry climate. (And also have done the needle and thread thing here.)
Oh--do not dry onion slices in the car you use for work commute. Amazing how long some aromas last....

Apt. dwellers usually go electric.

[Bellepepper]

I dehydrate a lot of stuff, fruit, veggies, herbs. I have the 6 tray rectangle shape, $100 or so. Can't find a name on it. I used my first one for 14 years and it quit heating. Bought this one from someplace in Nebraska that I found on the internet. The advantage I find with using the dehydrator is that the food does not have time to get dusty or buggie. We are too humid here in S. E. KS to dry stuff naturally. When I dry my parsley for instance, I cut the parsley in the morning, bring it in, wash it, spin it dry and layer it in the dehydrator trays. Dehydrate for several hours and by afternoon I have beautiful dark green dried parsley. I put it in zip lock bags till time to use it. I use my dehydrator all seasons not just harvest. If I have a few fruit or veggie leftovers from dinner, I dry them, bag them and use them in soup and stuff.
Takes up lots less room than freezing the leftovers.

[jetstream]

I use an electric dehydrator for drying tomatoes, fruit, and some veggies like squash. I bought mine from Amazon for around $50. has four trays and is expandable. You need to realize that using a dehydrator does tend to 'cook' the veggies slightly.

What you can do also is get a box or window fan and furnace filters. place the foodstuff on one filter cover with another filter, put foodstuff on that filter, cover, etc. you can go about four deep this way. put the filter stack against the output side of the fan and strap it to the fan with bungee cords. crank it up and let it blow. the air is cooler and less tendency to cook the food. The purpose of a dehydrator is to remove moisture, and moving air is a fast way to do it.

[dandelion meadow]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences! Where I live and this little older house especially, dampness (and dust and mold) are factors to consider. Also, because of work demands on time just having a garden is about all I can handle. So, in this present life style any volume food preservation must conserve time and space. Will probably go electric unit for now and would like to try the fan technique, also. And yes! will also experiment more with the simpler old fashioned route which has done well for cayenne. Have noticed from when I had a propane stove (no more) that dried parsley from the pilot light heat was a beautiful green. A few years later, parsley hung in the kitchen to air dry turned a dull greyish green. Your descriptions of the types of dehydrators you have used are helpful. No carpenter in the house, though, when I retire :) making a solar dehydrator is definately on the list - good plans for one in the Mother Earth archives. Thanks again to all - and Good Gardening!!

[Livin Simple]

I have two of those little round dehydrators that you can purchase at Wal-Mart but what I really want is a nine tray Excalibur. They are the top of the line as far as I am concerned. They are a bit pricey but I think, well worth the money.

Here is a link for the Excalibur website. Link Here (http://www.drying123.com)

[rjzatyko@yahoo.com]

hi, i bought one at wallmart(four tray paid under $50) and i only use it to make beef jerkey and i like it for that,i also bought a gresse gun kit to use hamburger to make beef jerkey, i guess that i could use it also for the veggies sinse it gives directions on how to do that,just haven't gotten around to that yet.richard from ky,

[dandelion meadow]

The extension service suggestions for the most efficient and effective type of dehydrator sound much like the Excaliber. Yep, pricey. Although, when something works well with minimum hassle, the investment can sure be worthwhile. Have wondered about using ground meat for jerky. Can jerky be made with just meat, none of the seasoning stuff and no salt?

[tuk50]

bump...

Well I finally got tired of the walleyworld dehydrator (which has served me faithfully for years) and splurged for the excaliber 9 tray. Just unpacked it this morning and will start with sliced apples in the morning. I used my smoker this summer and the stacked dehydrator and just couldn't dry tomatoes fast enough to keep my daughter in laws happy with the volume.
My sons have packed my freezer with an elk and antelope so far this month and are demanding jerkey, so the new drier will get a workout in the next few weeks. I am going to try eggplant and sweetaters and squash. Do any of you guys or gals have success with these three veggies. I have surplus of each and will try drying. :cool:

[Jenn]

I got myself a TSM all metal one. It is very similar in design to the excaliber, but no plastic. I really wanted an excalibur until I saw saw a few at Bass Pro on clearance with the corners broken.:eek: I got mine at www.pleasanthillgrain.com on clearance.
-Jenn

[GeorgeSims]

We, too, tried the $40 Wal-Mart dehydrator this year, and were happy with it, although it took much longer to dry stuff than the instructions would lead you to believe.

It came with 4 trays, and I bought 6 more at $9.99/pair. Do NOT put the plastic base in the dishwasher. Mine warped from the heat (my bad!) and I had to get another one from the company.

[redcairo]

Have wondered about using ground meat for jerky. Can jerky be made with just meat, none of the seasoning stuff and no salt?
Better late than never maybe. You can make jerky with any kind of meat, in any form. They sell jerky 'presses', I have one and it works pretty well.

You just season the ground meat (like let it sit mixed with your seasoning in the fridge for a day or so if you like), then squeeze it as dry as possible, stuff it in the jerky gun (which merely puts out a thin layer of it; you could do it manually, just not very easily) and put it on the trays.

[CountryKitty]

Better late than never maybe. You can make jerky with any kind of meat, in any form. They sell jerky 'presses', I have one and it works pretty well.

You just season the ground meat (like let it sit mixed with your seasoning in the fridge for a day or so if you like), then squeeze it as dry as possible, stuff it in the jerky gun (which merely puts out a thin layer of it; you could do it manually, just not very easily) and put it on the trays.

Just keep in mind that ground turkey and chicken can carry salmonella, and pork can carry trichinella--that's why it's so very important to cook them thoroughly before eating. They are not good candidates for jerky.

[brenda70546]

it's to wet here to go solar dry then in the afternoon thunder stormes we have a electric type with a fan and different heat levelsi will post a picvhttp://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj48/brenda70546/fooddehy-1.jpg