View Full Version : Drying fruits and veggies.
The new dehydrator arrived and it's cool. (Excalibur, 9-tray). The plan was to have a nice dehydrator to dry lots of blueberries from the garden. But I started experimenting and discovered that dried peeled, sliced navel oranges are fantastic! They taste like the best candy, and thecolor and flavor superb - a real surprise. Only problem is that the blueberries are really ripening now here with drying in full swing, ...and it's almost the end of fresh orange season so if I want any more of those dried, it has to be done now too.
So... I now have two dehydrators going full-bore. The old one with all 11 round racks filled with blueberries -- thus far 34 pounds (fresh weight) are dry or in the process of drying. The goal this year is to dehydrate at least 100 pounds to last the entire year as well as give some as gifts. I think that will work out to 'only' 5-6 pounds dry weight.
And last night I just filled all 9 trays of the new dehydrator with orange slices, with about as many more oranges still left to process. I was able to pick about 50 pounds of oranges from a friends 20 or so trees. This was a big job I had not thought I'd have to do. Of well, it's all good. :+1:
I'm excited about trying to dry more things. I want to make some fruit leathers - strawberry/banana in particular. Love that combination of flavors. I also want to dry some green beans and many chiles, plus apricots and peaches. And of course lots of garden tomatoes.
Is anyone else into dehydrating foods?
loosechickens
4-28-11, 2:33pm
SEE??????? It was a great idea to go ahead and get that dehydrator.......boy, those orange slices sound wonderful........
here in the southwest, we dry a lot of stuff, but don't have a dehydrator, just four trays from one that we sit up on the dashboard of the motorhome, and the humidity is so low that stuff usually dries just fine. If it's something really juicy, we may take the trays out into the sunshine and air during the day, but otherwise, just spread them on the trays, turn them once in awhile and several days later, voila, dried stuff.
Maxamillion
4-28-11, 3:51pm
Those orange slices sound great!! I wonder if you could grate and dry the orange peel? Grated orange peel makes a great seasoning. I've seen bottles of the dried stuff at supermarkets.
When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted a dehydrator (yeah, I was a weird teenager, lol). I saved up my allowance and finally was able to buy one. I loved that thing. First lesson I learned was not to dry onions at the time as other stuff, lol. I'd like to get one now but don't have the funds. I've heard of drying tomato slices in the oven, so I may look into doing that. Hopefully I can get some tomatoes out of the garden this year.
Yes, I really do like the new dehydrator. Just wish I wasn't running 2 power hogs at the same time. As to the orange slices, I'd never tasted any dried ones before. They were quite the surprise.
I've also dried some orange zest that I peeled from the outside. It dries fast but hard, but can be ground in a blender. I love it in some baked goods. I also was thinking of making some of those jelly orange candies and then rolling those in a sugar/zest mix, but at about that time discovered that the dried, peeled slices were not only much easier, would store well and were better tasting.
LOL, when I was in college I used to dry things in my hot car that sat in the parking lot. My mom used to dry things in the oven too, or in the sun. But we live along the coast, and it sometimes can get moist from fog, so you can't count on drying too much or it could get ruined.
In the past I've used my oven for a dehydrator, but not as you might guess. I put an incandescent bulb in the bottom for heat, plus a small fan, cracked the door a tiny bit, and I could dry things quite nicely. The problem was the racks - there weren't enough, and the 'holes' were too big. But with some extra racks balanced, and some nylon netting (even a torn old sheet), you could make it work well enough. If you use your oven in this way, you will need to put some tape or something over the controls so no one will accidentally turn it on while there are flamables inside. Ack!
Right now it's warm and windy here, and the blueberries are ripening extremely fast. As soon as the horrible wind dies down, I want to go back out and pick some more. Picked 6 pounds this morning, but didn't get nearly all the ripe ones.
I have the best success with dried thinly sliced beef for jerky, and dried banana slices. Dried apple was pretty good, too.
My concern is the dehydrator itself. Mine uses 350 watts, for many hours on end - definitely not ecologically-sound. It was not too bad in the dead of winter, because the heat radiated simply helped heat my house. But I definitely am not using in in the spring/summer/fall. It's not worth the environmental impact.
Here's a Good Eats/Alton Brown video about dehydrating fruits, plus alternate ways of doing it besides using a standard dehydrator. There are two video segments, the second can be found easily further down the page.
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season11/dried_fruit/witheringbites.htm
Right now I just put into the dyhdrator my first ever fruit leather. It was blueberry/banana with the frest zest of one lime.
Last year was my first year with one. The big hit was definately peaches. Seemed like quite a bit of prep time pealing and slicing as I did a pretty big batch, but very good. Probably the other thing I have enjoyed is zucchini and summer squash. I used them all winter in stews and soups. Mine is an older home made model that uses incandescent bulbs on a thermostat for a heat source, with a nice fan. It's sort of an energy hog, too. I used it outside on hot summer days thinking it might cut down on the amount of time the bulbs are on.
I'm bumping this thread as I'd like opinions from dehydrator users. I'm thinking of getting one as I signed up for this fruit share program and only have so much freezer space. I've wanted to do more food preservation for years and am trying to start doing things I want to do now, instead of waiting.
I've looked at the Excalibur models and they look great, but pricey. I think I will try to look around for a used dehydrator first (any type) since I don't know how much I would actually use it. But of course I'm tempted to just run out and buy a new Excalibur since that's the easiest thing and it'd be all new and shiny. Do you think it's worth it to pay the extra to get the 9 shelf instead of 5? Just for the 5 shelf one I'm looking at about $235 (CAN). So I can get the bigger one for another $50 or so.
What do you think about used vs. new? Anything particular I should look for? Did the novelty wear off? Was it too much work to prep the food?
I'm only interested in fruits and possibly veggies - no meat or other uses.
Thanks for any info.
well kestra since you asked, I think they are stupid. DH has one and a few years ago used it incessently, it seemed to be on all the time for months on end.
as a comment to another poster, dried zuchiini! WHY???!!!!! Well, I suppose you don't have a freezer. I freeze about everything. DH dreid tomatoes and what I've supposed to do with those is beyond me. NOrmally he cans tomatoes and that is very useful.
Fortunately, DH got over his obsession with the dehydrator and it's not been out in recent years.
I do think that if we had a bumper crop of apricots, those would be worth drying. DH loves dried apricots and they are expensive to buy.
My opinion of dehydrators is the opposite of IL's, but then I tend to be a more positive person. ;) I think they are great and have had a lot of fun with them over the years. They can be noisey, but not too bad. I keep it away from the living/sleeping area.
I'm thinking of getting one as I signed up for this fruit share program and only have so much freezer space.
That's one of the things I really like - saving freezer space, though I do tend to put my dehydrated things into the freezer, they take up much less space. If they are not totally dried out, I don't want anything to mold.
I've looked at the Excalibur models and they look great, but pricey. I think I will try to look around for a used dehydrator first (any type) since I don't know how much I would actually use it.
I also started with used dehydrators, but be careful to get a moderately good one. Some of the real cheapos just don't do a good job and I think are fire hazards - the ronco for example is just a heating element inthe bottom of a plastic body. 'Moderately good' means with a fan and a thermostat in addition to a heating element. And how long a used one will last is the luck of the draw - and there will be no warranty. Oh, and good luck finding a 'good' used one. I've only seen 2 'good' ones in a couple decades of yard sale shopping, and purchased both of them. :~)
But of course I'm tempted to just run out and buy a new Excalibur since that's the easiest thing and it'd be all new and shiny. Do you think it's worth it to pay the extra to get the 9 shelf instead of 5? .
If you go with the excallibur, make sure you look at the official site. I looked all over, and it had a 'deal' at the time and was the best price, as well as no s/h charge. You might look online to see if you can find an excallibur coupon. There were none while I was looking but you never know. And if you are going to spend that much money, go for the 9 shelves by all means. I can't imagine having only 5 shelves.
I also far prefer the square racks to the round ones with the hole in the center as the American Harvestor ones have. Just more efficient, especially for making fruit leathers.
Did the novelty wear off?
It can. There were long periods of time when I did not dehydrate anything. Then I started again. But you have to have access to good, inexpensive produce to make it worthwhile. Oh, and the first month of having the new dehydrator, I was running it 24/7, and that was reflected by a jump in the electric bill.
Was it too much work to prep the food?
That depends on the food, and what you are doing with it. Blueberries are a cinch, but take a looooong time. Things you can just slice in half are also fast. But somethings, like strawberries (they taste better dried than fresh!) require decapping, and cutting. But they dry fast and are simply excellent.
I'm only interested in fruits and possibly veggies - no meat or other uses.
I also only dry fruits and veggies. Tomatoes are going to be the next big job. And some peaches.
My favorite new drying activity is fruit leathers. Are those good. They also dry things much faster than whole fruits. but it can be a mess.
Unfortunately Excallibur only gives you two sheets for drying leathers (with some deals), but you can use stretched plastic wrap (a pain) or regular baking parchment instead. Or so I've read - that's on the agenda for trying next.
I also wish I had access to good apples - I'd love to try some blended apples with cinnamon and chopped nuts on top. :D
Good hunting.
Thanks Gina (and IL) - gives me stuff to think about. I never thought about the noise level. We're in an apartment so noise is somewhat of a concern since there's no real far away place to run a noisy appliance.
I'm worried about finding a good used one too. Going to garages sales is just never on my "things to do on the weekend" list. I think I'll continue contemplating a used one for now, and then see how much free fruit I actually get. It probably will be an amount I can deal with just freezing and maybe trying some canning. If it's really overwhelming, that's the time to run out and buy an Excalibur. Will look for coupons - good idea.
I have had my Waring dehydrator for well over 15 years. Simple, basic 5 round trays with domed lid and a fan (essential for a dehydrator!). No temp settings or any buttons or anything - just plug in and it runs. It does make noise with the fan running when on but it is more like a background noise than anything loud or bothersome. I use it often for dehydrating cooked ground turkey, fruits and veggies in season/on sale. Last time I priced mine was several years ago and I'm pretty sure it was less than $40. Dehydrating is my preferred method of food storage, followed by freezing.
Yes, the sound is not overwhelming. It's a fan in an enclosed box, and you do get used to it. Right now I'm running it in a room which is far enough away from both the kitchen and bedroom to be a background sound. 'White noise' if you will. It's on right now and I can hear it, but it's not particularly intrusive.
One of the things I'm looking forward to drying is zucchini. I use a lot of it, and last winter it pained me greatly to actually buy fresh zucchini when in the summer I give so much of it away. I especially love it as a green filler in lasagne, so I'm planning on grilling some, then drying that. It should plump up nicely in a moist dish like lasagne.
Zucchini is such a great filler. Having some dry on had would make it easy to toss in winter soups, and even a nice big pan of roast veggies. Yum.
I have had my Waring dehydrator for well over 15 years. Simple, basic 5 round trays with domed lid and a fan (essential for a dehydrator!). No temp settings or any buttons or anything - just plug in and it runs. It does make noise with the fan running when on but it is more like a background noise than anything loud or bothersome. I use it often for dehydrating cooked ground turkey, fruits and veggies in season/on sale. Last time I priced mine was several years ago and I'm pretty sure it was less than $40. Dehydrating is my preferred method of food storage, followed by freezing.
Once the food is dried, how do you store it? Freezer or just air tight container? Wanting to get some different opinions. I have to start saving containers more. Wish I had a cold room - one day maybe.
happystuff
6-10-11, 6:56am
I store all my dehydrated foods in glass canning jars as they are air-tight. I can re-use the rings and lids over and over again since the jars are not sealed like in regular canning. They stack pretty nicely on my pantry shelves and I can actually rehydrate my ground turkey right in the jar with boiling water! Easy-peasy!
I also store my dried things in jars. Sometimes in plastic bags within metal containers with tight-fitting lids. Just plastic bags are prone to insects. It's also good to keep dried things out of the light since that reduces the length of time something will keep.
I do stores dried fruits in the freezer, for two reasons. I prefer them still a bit soft, but don't want them to spoil in case they arent' dry enough. And also, most of the fruit I dry are my own blueberries, which are very dear to me. I just don't want to take any chances at all with them since they are irreplacable. In my area, you simply cannot buy dry blueberries without sugar - or at any sort of reasonable price. Same with dried apricots. The ones I dry myself are much better than any cots I could buy.
how do you know things are dry enough to put in jars and they won't go mouldy.
Thanks for the suggestion on drying oranges! Here in Phx I have a couple of friends with large orange trees that have to be picked or the rats will infest...you can only eat so many oranges! Though of course you can always juice them. We go backpacking when we can so anything tasty (esp fruit) is great. This week there were pineapples for $1 each so we got like 8 and will be drying most of them. Dried pineapple is fantastic! Dried peaches...not as much. Maybe you need to peel them first, I don't know. But they were so lovely fresh and so bitter dried. Thankfully we just did a small batch so froze the rest. I would like to figure out a tasty way to dry lemons and grapefruit though I think the latter might be bitter.
thinkgreen
6-13-11, 2:51am
I have an excalibur dehydrator and really enjoyed this website http://www.dehydrate2store.com/ it has lots of tips and recipes for using dried items including how to tell if the product is dry enough as well as how to dry lemons and make lemonade with them.
What I typically dry is blueberries, apples, pears, carrots, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, herbs, etc. I use my own home grown or buy in season and try to dry enough to last me until next season. I find the carrots, celery, etc. so easy to use throughout the winter for soups and stews - very big time saver for me, just measure a tablespoon or two which saves having to wash, peel, cut up, etc. This year I would like to add zucchini to my drying so I can use it in soups as well as baking.
I haven't tried drying onions or potatoes, I store them in the basement for a period of time and then in the fridge if they start to lose quality.
For storage I use either vacuum seal freezer bags or glass canning jars. I follow the time guide that came with the dehydrator and when I finish drying I typically put the fruit/veg into canning jars and leave them on the counter for a day or so. I check them for crispness or to see if any moisture is evident. If there is moisture or the items don't seem crisp I pop them back in the dryer for a little extra time.
Before I got the excalibur I used a round dehydrator which I still have and I use it for herbs now. It is not as powerful and drying blueberries used to take days with it. Every time I would think they were done I would bottle them and put them in the sun on the deck. The moisture would show up and it was back into the dehydrator. But they are so good it was worth it. As Gina says, all the ones you can buy have so much sugar in them I don't want to eat them.
I would like to figure out a tasty way to dry lemons and grapefruit though I think the latter might be bitter.
When I first got the dehydrator, I dried a lot of limes. I just sliced them thin and put them on the racks. Limes, when ripe, have a very thin pith. I also like the taste of the zest when added to things. Some of the dried slices I left round, others I blended into a sort of grainy substance. Hard to describe. I don't know how I'm going to use this stuff however since I'm still using fresh ones.
Thanks for the link thinkgreen. I enjoyed reading it.
My next drying project most likely will be more fruit leather - when the babc_ock peaches are ripe in a week or three, I plan to blend their rather bland fruit with rich apricots. I just went to our UPick apricot place yesterday, and their crop is limited and just starting. I'll go back next week and pick and freeze some cots for that. I doubt I'll pick enough to dry whole halves - there is so much dried blueberry product this year. And the dry oranges. Such a problem. :)
My next drying project most likely will be more fruit leather - when the babc_ock peaches are ripe in a week or three, I plan to blend their rather bland fruit with rich apricots.
Today I was able to pick enough soft-ripe babc-ock peaches to make 7 trays of leather. I did mix it with some of the really flavorful apricots, and the undried slurry really tasted good. In one of the batches (I blend enough for 2 trays each time) I added some fresh ginger, but I preferred the more plain taste. It might be different when it's dry however.
I also picked 3 zucchini and sliced those on the diagonal for the 2 remaining trays. I'm thinking the dry zucchini will be something really nice to have on hand. I'm looking forward to experimenting with it. There were a few extra slices that wouldn't fit, so I cooked and ate them. :)
There is always extra produce from the garden. I can envision being able to fill the racks in the dehydrator with tomatoes or zucchini or chiles whenever there is extra space.
The other day I picked some chiles, fire-roasted them, ran them through the foodmill, then dehydrated the deseeded/deskinned pulp, and when it was dry, powdered it in the blender. It tastes just like fire-roasted chiles and I can see making more of it. Excellent on eggs!! That will be the perfect way to deal with chile culls. Except next time I think I'd skip the foodmill step and just dehydrate the roasted chiles, then blend it all into powder.
I'd also love to be able to get my hands on some figs to dry....
Ok I'm starting to think I need one of these! I'm back in the NW after a few years in the SW, and already I'm making jam, and thinking about canning, but drying has always been attractive. So is it worth it? how much is a good dryer? is it a garage sale item to look for?
Mrs. B
I love having dried zucchini around the house, and crumble it into pasta sauces in the winter. My dehydrator is very old and old school; after reading this thread I'm seriously considering upgrading!
When you dry zucchini does it get crunchy? Do any veg's get crunchy? I'm asking cause we'd like to have something crunchy to replace chips with dip. I know I know fresh vegs can be dipped but it's not the same.>8)
It's been a couple months and I'm still loving the dehydrator. The square shelves are so much more versital for fitting things. Last week I dried some sliced tomatoes right on the racks, and they did not stick when dry. They taste so good and sweet (excellent tomatoes this year) that they can be eaten out of hand. I intend to do more. They will be so good just tossed into soups and stews.
I used some of the dried zucchini this evening and while it is different texture-wise than fresh, it sure beats buying inferior store-bought. My plants did not do well this year (round-up drift from the neighbors), but since we rarely get frost, I've planted a few more. It's not unusual to pick zukes into October here.
I'm also intending to dry some onions this summer. I remember how expensive and poor quality they were in the stores last year.
I'm asking cause we'd like to have something crunchy to replace chips with dip.
I think the tomatoes could be used as 'chips', but I don't know how many you would want to eat. They are not crunchy but would taste good with cheese. Zucchini, no - more like leather, and dried raw is not that great a taste to me.
i am so sick of runner beans, but I am slicing them small and drying them and will use them in the winter.
I tried my hand at drying last year using a home made model. My uncle who is an engineer nade it and has temperture control and a fan.
I have to say that if you have a chance to do peaches you shouldn't be disappointed. I did about a half bushel last year. For some reason I did have much luck using them in recipes, like cobbler. But as little snacks,they were wonderful. They were so good that I thnk they would make good gifts.
oh, I've got a bumper crop of pears coming on. Maybe I'll try pears. Do y'all peel them first or what? How do you do apples?
happystuff
9-5-11, 10:05am
How do you do apples?
I do apples different ways. For snacking apple slices, I simply core and slice (into rings - with the hole in the middle). Other times I will peel, slice and dice into smaller square-ish pieces. These I will use in granola or in oatmeal, etc.
If I'm dealing with a lot of apples, I'll do the first as it is quickest and easiest. LOL.
I was considering an Excalibur dryer awhile back and never followed through. Many years ago my SIL gave me a Ronco dryer. I'm sure its very inferior to the Exc.....but it does work for jerky, which is really good. I also have used it to dry herbs, which works very well.
Gina.......how do you store all that dried stuff? Just in clean jars at room temp? I wonder if it ever gets moldy/bugs, etc. I would love to dry more things.
Gina.......how do you store all that dried stuff? Just in clean jars at room temp? I wonder if it ever gets moldy/bugs, etc. I would love to dry more things. There are 3 enemies for dried foods - heat, light, and bugs. And time I suppose, though things last much longer than the instructions say. CYA I think. Things will get moldy if not dry enough. And get bugs if not protected enough. To guard agaisnt light if you don't have a dark place, cover the container with something like foil if necessary.
I store them in different ways. It depends on what it is, and if it's totally dry. My blueberries, I put in double plastic bags and keep in the freezer. I do this because I do not dry them down to bone dry - I prefer them slightly chewy. And if they are not totally dry, that is when mold might be a problem. I also keep dried apricots in the freezer for the same reason.
My fruit leathers I lay flat and separate with waxed paper, and keep in larger zip lock bags in the freezer. When eating, I store a larger ziplock in the regular fridge.
I would put everything in the freezer, but that would take up too much space.
For dried tomatoes, I put them (direct from the dryer so there is no time for infestation) into plastic bags and into a refridge kept between 50-55*F. The same temps used for wine and cheese fridges - that duplicates cave or cellar temps. If you have a cool, dark basement, that should work.
The dry things that don't go into a closed appliance that bugs can't enter are more prone to bug infestation, so they go into jars with tight-fitting lids, or in plastic bags kept in tight-fitting tins. These are kept in as cool a place as possible.
This week I dried some sliced mushrooms, and they took very little time to dry. And after the cost of onions shot up last year, I dried 12 pounds of them. I sliced them and they are taking much longer.
To test for dryness put some in a ziplock baggie and seal - if moisture develops in the bag, the produce is not dry enough.
You're welcome CathyA. :)
So is it worth it? how much is a good dryer? is it a garage sale item to look for?
Mrs. B
I think it's worth it. But there have been times when I wasn't drying things at all. I even once turned down a free Excallibur. (what was I thinking????)
But now I am doing a lot of it. I started when looking for the best way to preserve my blueberries, and it went from there. I'm growing more in the garden, and things in the store just aren't as good - and they are more expensive, and, well, I'm just having fun.
A really good dehydrator can set you back as much as $250, but there are good enough ones for less. Just make sure to get one with a thermostat. If you can get one without holes in the center of the trays, you'll be able to do far more things in it. I've had both, and there is no comparison with respect to ease of use.
My first two 'good' ones I found at yard sales. They are few and far between so don't count on finding one anytime soon. The L'Equip was old and $15 and no thermostat, but it had 9 racks. A few years later I lucked upon a brand new American Harvestor for $25 plus extra racks. 11 all together (2 have now broken). That was a good deal IMO. I've never seen one at a thrift store. You can pick up some of the cheapies at yard sales, but IMO they are dangerous - just a heating element in the bottom, with no regulation.
Before I purchased my new excalibur, I watched Craig's list and ebay, but didn't see anything reasonable. And buying an old used one for too much $$ and no idea of how much life was left in it was not appealing. I have no regrets about buying it new.
happystuff
9-14-11, 7:43am
Personally, I don't store any of my dehydrated foods in plastic - as I don't believe plastic to be air-tight for long-term storage. I use canning jars with rings and metal lids (which are actually re-usable when used for storing dried food, but not for re-canning). The canning jars are actually air-tight and stackable. I also don't store my dried foods in the freezer as - to me - that is defeating the purpose of drying for as an alternative food storage method.
Would LOVE to get an Excaliber! But my little Waring has been going strong for close to 20 years now. :-)
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