dehydrating

[LadyLocust]

Yesterday, he who shall not be named, failed to empty his work pants pockets before tossing them in the washing machine. Fortunately, the phone and electronic measuring tape didn't make it to the dryer.

Nothing to lose, so I removed as many screws as I could, pried them partially open, and used litte screws to keep an opening.

Placed them in the dehydrator at 125° for two hours. They were getting too hot when I remembered to check but the condensation in the screen windows had cleared up. I reduced the temp to minimum and left them in for another four hours. New batteries this morning and both are working. Didn't expect that.

Wow! Good job. I was just thinking of kale or something but phones are way cooler

 

[Neb]

Yesterday, he who shall not be named, failed to empty his work pants pockets before tossing them in the washing machine. Fortunately, the phone and electronic measuring tape didn't make it to the dryer.

Nothing to lose, so I removed as many screws as I could, pried them partially open, and used litte screws to keep an opening.

Placed them in the dehydrator at 125° for two hours. They were getting too hot when I remembered to check but the condensation in the screen windows had cleared up. I reduced the temp to minimum and left them in for another four hours. New batteries this morning and both are working. Didn't expect that.

When my cell phone fell into a spring head I was developing I snagged as fast as I could and shook it off as best I could. Then put the phone in a Ziploc bag filled with dry rice. After the first day all was well except the microphone jack. Another day in the rice and no problems.

Ben

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Food items I have done this month: finished product.

4.5 gal onions......150 lbs fresh
1.5 gal peppers.....approx. 130 fresh
4 gal mushrooms.....around 12 cases fresh
4 lbs ginger root still drying
Squash drying in 2nd dehydrater. Have around 100 lbs to do

I finally remembered to segregate one individual item of each, 12 mushrooms, and now know the equivalent measurement in cups for cooking purposes.

 

[Amish Heart]

That's great, Clem!
I finished squash a few weeks back. Am still on tomatoes and hot peppers, and have been for a month. Have tomatoes going now and rosemary and sage. Did a bunch of kale yesterday along with tomatoes. I did so many onions last year, I still have alot. But I'll tell you, they are so much better than the store bought.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Yeh, I totally agree. I am working on the last gal of onions from 2015. I use a jar vacuum sealer every time I open for use and I can't tell the difference from this year's lot.

I prefer fresh for some things like stock, but I sure would be lost without onions of any kind. I am currently powdering a mess of squash to cut down on jars. The longer keepers, I am keeping fresh until forced to save them from spoiling. I don't really like kale, but am thinking that it's such a power house that I should dehydrate and powder some to slip into things.

I have so many seeds scattered around the place drying on towels as well. I am getting OCD about seed saving.

4 lbs ginger root = 1/2 pint powdered and does it ever smell nice. I think I am going to make some ginger snaps.

 

[Amish Heart]

I'm not a fan of ginger, but our youngest two love it, so I have some. I don't like kale much either, but can stand it fresh cut small in a salad. I planted a large area of elephant kale for husband, and he can only eat so much of it. It got wormy at the start of summer...stripped down all the leaves for the chickens, and it's back again looking good. So the rabbits get a good amount of it daily, husband does, too, and some goes in the dehydrator when I have room. Green powder, kale and spinach is decent stuff to throw in whatever. You sound like me with the seed saving...paper bowls all over the basement. Thankfully I wrote on the bowls what they are. Just did a ton of marigold seeds in bowls yesterday. I plant the real tall variety around the garden. I was storing dehydrated squash in jars, but gave up. They go in ziplocks, and a bunch of ziplocks go into 5 gallon buckets. Same with cherry tomatoe halves. There is just too many. Figure I'll grind them up when I need more tomato powder, because I already have tomato powder in jars.

 

[LadyLocust]

11 long ol' strings of beans to dry the old fashioned way. Leather britches - but 3 different kinds of beans.

 

[jazzy]

ive been grating carrots today to dehydrate. i love tossing a handful in a pot of stew. so nice and easy, lasts a long time and takes up less space.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Finished 6 medium pumpkins. Ended up just shy of a quart powdered. I have never reconstituted pumpkin for pies before so I am curious as to how a 1/2 cup of powder will turn back into 2 cups of pumpkin, and how dehydrating will affect the taste.

If it doesn't work out, I will just use the powder for soup broth. I am currently out of freezer space so didn't want to go that route and I also didn't want to use up jar lids canning a low priority item.

 

[goshengirl]

I’m definitely feeling the freezer overload here, too.

@ClemKadiddlehopper, for your powders, do you purée your foods for the dehydrator, then grind them in a blender?

 

[Amish Heart]

I powdered pumpkin last year, but haven't baked with it yet. Have 4 pumpkins to cook and dehydrate

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I’m definitely feeling the freezer overload here, too.

@ClemKadiddlehopper, for your powders, do you purée your foods for the dehydrator, then grind them in a blender?

I started by slicing different kinds of squash raw and then dehydrating them. Afterwards, I ground them with a coffee grinder. It worked well. Everything was nice and dry with a good texture.

When I was double checking the Excalibur booklet for pumpkin, it said to cook, make a purée and than dehydrate. I did that and found that the purée was difficult to dry and remained partially leather like. The coffee grinder wasn't working very well. I did go look for a blender I had come across in my unpacking endeavors, and it ground the pumpkin to a rough state. I put the rough grind back in the dehydrater for a while, but it still didn't resolve some of the bits being tough and leathery and refusing to powder. I am not entirely sure what will happen when I try to reconstitute it.

The next time I try pumpkin, I will slice and dry it raw the same as I did for the squash. I cannot think of why squash and pumpkin need to be treated differently.

I also think that trying to dry the rather dense pumpkin purée is hard on the machine, and if doing a heavy purée again, I would only use every other tray to get better air flow.

 

[Amish Heart]

I cooked the pumpkin and spread it very thin on the dehydrator sheets. Then put it thru the ninja grinder. I don't think the coffee grinder would of done it.

 

[LadyLocust]

I was able to find 15# of frozen carrots and a 5# bag of frozen green beans this morning. I'd like to concentrate a little more on the dehydrated veggies since they keep so long and require less storage.
Also, still have half doz. spag. squash to cook and dehydrate - then they take very little time to rehydrate, more like regular pasta.

 

[LadyLocust]

Have greenbeans and carrots on the dehydrator - finally.

 

[Double R]

Has anyone been doing this? Going to give it a try next batch of celery.

 

[Amish Heart]

Interesting. I've never tried that. I don't even blanch celery, either. Just chop it up very small

 

[goshengirl]

That’s interesting - thank you for the info!

I’m like Amish, don’t even blanch celery. Then again, I’m pretty bad about blanching in general, and I don’t do it if I think I can get away with it.

But I do want to try this now.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I learned to put soda in the water in cooking school but it never occurred to me to use it for dehydrating.

 

[Tootsie]

This week, dried celery, red cabbage, onions, and sweet potatoes. But my new favorite is pineapple. That might not even make it into a jar. Better than candy!

 

[Amish Heart]

I had a dz cans of pineapple rings getting to expiration. Dehydrated those, dipped half of the ring in melted dk chocolate, then put in the freezer to harden. Included them in our cookie gifts to neighbors

 

[goshengirl]

Better than candy!

That's what I always say! Love that stuff.

 

[LadyLocust]

This week, dried celery, red cabbage, onions, and sweet potatoes. But my new favorite is pineapple. That might not even make it into a jar. Better than candy!

Have you tried dehydrated mango yet - don't! You won't be able to stop eating it - errr or is that just me?

 

[txcatlady]

Bought 5 pounds of carrots a few months ago. Finally cleaned, cut up, blanched and loaded in dehydrator.

 

[Tootsie]

Have you tried dehydrated mango yet - don't! You won't be able to stop eating it - errr or is that just me?

Tomorrow. 3 nice, ripe mangoes ready for the next round.
I like this new dehydrator. It’s being well used.

 

[LadyLocust]

Tomorrow. 3 nice, ripe mangoes ready for the next round.
I like this new dehydrator. It’s being well used.

Consider yourself warned (Apricots and mangos are my favs.)

 

[Smalltimefarmer]

I am dehydrating watermelon for the first time. What size should I make the portions? Should they be slices, chunks, etc.? Thanks.

 

[Tootsie]

When I cut my slices medium thick, they still shrank down to like tissue paper.
whatever you dry, you want even thickness so all dries evenly.
IMHO, watermelon tastes better as is. Drying didn’t improve it.

 

[Amish Heart]

I did mine about an inch square. But some were rectangles. Doesn't matter too much.

 

[Terri9630]

Watermelon was far to sweet for my tastes after it was dried.