DEHYDRATING: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Apple Chips

Apple Chips have become quite popular among snackers looking for NON-GMO/organic food products. However, they can be quite pricey! Good news is, they are extremely simple to make at home!

INGREDIENTS:

3 lb Bag Apples*
8 c. Water
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 c. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Combine water, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir til brown sugar begins to dissolve. The lemon juice will prevent browning.

Slice and core apples**. As you slice the apples, soak them in your brown sugar solution for appx. 5 minutes before loading them onto your dehydrator trays. If you wish, you may sprinkle additional cinnamon over the trays before dehydrating for a stronger flavor.

Dehydrate apples on 135 degrees for 6-8 hours, depending on dehydrator wattage. Store chips in a ziplock bag for easy snacking, or store long term in mason jars in a cool, dark, dry place with an oxygen absorber in each jar. One batch will make about 1/3 gallon baggie full.

*We prefer Granny Smith, but any apple variety will do! Red Delicious pictured above.

**We use an automatic Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer. Works EXTREMELY well for large batch processing. Be sure to leave skins intact.

DEHYDRATING: Celery

About a month ago, I took advantage of a 10/$10 sale on celery. I found the pic on my phone and realized I'd forgotten to post the instructions for dehydration! It really couldn't get any easier, no blanching or other special preparation!

No blanching is required, but be sure to thoroughly rinse each rib. You'll then slice the celery. Nice thin, uniform thickness slices work best, about 1/8" or so.  (I use a food processor with a slicing blade to prepare the celery.)

Once you have a bowl full of thin slices, spread them out on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. You'll want to use screens or fruit roll inserts, a little overlapping of slices is OK. There is no need to meticulously arrange each individual slice!

Process the celery at 135 degrees for about 6-8 hours, depending on the wattage of your dehydrator. You may wish to rearrange slices about halfway through processing time to ensure even drying.The finished product will be crisp, and easy to crush, and slightly brighter green than the fresh celery.

Store your dehydrated celery in a clean glass jar with an airtight lid in a dark, cool, dry place. Add an oxygen absorber for long term storage. 2 bags of celery will fill a pint sized jar.

Dehydrated celery is especially convenient for throwing in homemade soups, and embellishing box mix stuffing (along with dehydrated mushrooms!). It's also important to have for homemade dry mixes.

DEHYDRATING: Bananas

Bananas are one of the least expensive fruits available at the grocery store, and are a great source of potassium. It's extremely simple to dry your own!

Dehydrating bananas is extremely simple. Just peel, slice into 1/4" slices, dip the slices in lemon juice to prevent blackening and dehydrate on 135 degrees for about 8-10 hours. They will slightly darken in color, and will remain just a tad pliable. It's a good idea to remove them from the trays while they are still warm, as they may stick! Store your dehydrated banana chips in a clean glass jar with an airtight lid in a cool, dark, dry place for long term storage.

Mix banana chips with other dried fruits, seeds, and nuts for a tasty homemade trail mix for your next outdoors adventure!

DEHYDRATING: Onions and Garlic

Onions and garlic are in just about everything- soups, sauces, meat marinades and rubs... Dehydrating your own at home is a simple, money saving process!

Onions and garlic are dehydrated much in the same way as mushrooms - there is no need to blanch them before drying. You will process the raw produce depending on what end product you'd like- Whole? Minced? Powdered? I personally prefer simply slicing them, and drying whole for versatility. 

Be warned that some people find the scent of drying onion and garlic overpowering! (Personally, I like it!) You may choose to set up in a room with the door shut, or in a garage on warmer days.

PROCESS:

Bulb Onions, Leeks and Garlic:

Set dehydrator on 135 degree vegetable setting for bulb onions and garlic. 

Slices: Slice onion/garlic about 1/8" thick. No need to separate the individual rings.  8-10 hours process time (save time on prep, but longer time in the dehydrator).

Minced: You may either chop the raw onion before placing in the dehydrator (a food processor works well), or dehydrate as above, then crush into smaller pieces as needed. 6-8 hours process time.

Powdered: Use a rocket blender to grind dried product into powder.

Be aware that onion will not re-hydrate to original texture. I do not recommend using re-hydrated onion slices on sandwiches and burgers!

Green Onions and Chives:

Set dehydrator on the 95 degree herb setting for bunching onions and chives.

Slice into 1/4" long pieces. Process for about 6-8 hours.

Store all your dehydrated produce in clean glass jars with an airtight lid. For a longer shelf life, you may add an oxygen absorber to the jars, or use a food saver with jar attachment!

*For large batch onion processing, I recommend using a mandoline slicer and/or food processor. We use a Norpro Mandoline Slicer and a Hamilton Beach 8-Cup Food Processor .

DEHYDRATING: Broccoli

Broccoli is used in a variety of foods, and is especially popular in soups, casseroles and noodle dishes, many of which can even be modified into dry mix camp meals for a day in the great outdoors! 

I like to have dried broccoli on hand to throw in rice and pasta dishes. The last batch I made was purchased frozen, and therefore only had to be cut into 1" floret pieces. Broccoli only take about 6-8 hours in a 135 degree dehydrator to dry completely, making it one of the fastest drying vegetables.

If you wish to dry fresh broccoli, it must be blanched after chopping into 1" floret pieces. You can dehydrate the stems, but they tend to be woody after re-hydration and isn't recommended. To blanch, simply bring a pot of water to a boil and submerge chopped florets for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, quickly strain the broccoli and plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain it well on paper towels and place them in the dehydrator in a single layer on 135 degrees for 6-8 hours as you would frozen broccoli.

When they are completely dry, they will be crispy and the individual floret tops will easily crumble from the stem. As with other vegetables we've dehydrated, store your dried broccoli in a glass jar in a cool, dry, dark place. Sealing with a Food Saver, or placing an oxygen absorber in the jar will extend shelf life. It will be good for at least one year without sealing if stored properly.

DEHYDRATING: Mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms can tend to be expensive. Take advantage of fresh mushroom sales by preserving them through dehydration!

Dehydrating mushrooms is extremely easy. Even more so if you buy the mushrooms already sliced! If you purchase whole mushrooms, depending on type, an egg slicer does a great job. Slices should be 1/4" in thickness. Simply rinse the sliced mushrooms and place a single layer of slices per tray and place in the dehydrator at 135 degrees for about 6-8 hours! That's it!

The mushrooms will darken in color, and will crumble easily when completely dry. Store them in an airtight glass jar, use an oxygen absorber or seal with a vacuum sealer for long-term storage. They should last at least a year in a cool, dry, dark place without an absorber/sealing.

Dried mushrooms are great for adding to soups, sauces and pasta dishes!

DEHYDRATING: Frozen Fruits and Veggies

Dehydrating frozen produce is an extremely simple way to take advantage of sales, or to make room in your freezer. Very handy for soups and stews.

I posted a photo of some frozen mixed vege with a brief explanation of how easy it is to dehydrate frozen produce yesterday, but I wanted to expand on that a little more. Today, I'm doing the rest of the mixed vege, a bag of corn, and a bag of broccoli florets!

What makes frozen produce so convenient for dehydrating is that items needing to be blanched before dehydration have already been done so before freezing. Also, in some cases, like the mixed vege or potatoes, the produce has already been peeled and diced into small pieces. Depending on the size of your batch, you could be saving hours of prep time!

Small items like corn, peas, blueberries, potato dices or chopped mixed fruits and vege can be put into the dehydrator as is in a single layer. However, rough chopped things like broccoli and cauliflower florets or halved strawberries should be cut into smaller bite sized pieces for shorter and  more even drying.

In general, frozen fruits and vegetables take about 10-12 hours to dry in a 135 degree dehydrator. Some a little shorter, some a little longer, depending on the wattage of your machine and what temperature you have them set on. Around the 8 hour mark, start checking for doneness. They will be "crispy". Small dices will be hard like plastic beads.

Store your dehydrated goods in a clean, completely dry glass jar in a cool, dry, dark place. If you wish to store them long-term, put an oxygen absorber in the jar, or vacuum seal it. Without an oxygen absorber or seal they should last a minimum of one year. I've got green peppers, jalapenos and mixed vege over a year old now that are still good,

Well, that's all I have for now. With these subzero temps, I've been busy running outside to change out frozen waterers several times a day. Spring can't come fast enough!!!

DEHYDRATING: Pumpkin Seeds

No need to waste your pumpkin innards! Throw the pulp to the wildlife and birds,  and dehydrate the seeds for a healthy,  tasty treat!

Making salted pumpkin seeds is surprisingly simple!

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin Seeds

Water

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

PROCESS:

Rinse seeds in a colander, removing any remaining pulp. Pour seeds in a bowl and cover with enough warm water that they float. Add 1 tsp. sea salt to the water. Soak seeds overnight at room temperature.

In the morning, strain off water with a colander, shake off excess water. Allow to drain briefly, and return the seeds to the bowl. Add 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. sea salt, toss until seeds are evenly coated. 

Place seeds on mesh screens in your dehydrator. You may sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Dry on 115 degrees for appx. 8 hours. You may get papery, transparent membranes off some of the seeds. You can either brush those off or eat them. Store in an airtight jar or ziplock baggie.

DEHYDRATING: Salt & Pepper Stew Chunks

This basic recipe can be used with a variety of meats. It can be eaten as jerky,  or used in soups and stews. It already contains salt and pepper for seasoning, making it a great ingredient for homemade camp meals!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Meat, Poultry or Fish, cut into 1" cubes

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Peppercorns, freshly ground

Thoroughly mix salt and pepper into meat cubes, coating evenly. Place cubes in dehydrator, drying at 165 degrees for 10-12 hours until no moisture remains. Store in a tightly sealed jar (oxygen absorbers may be used to extend shelf life).

To reconstitute: 1 cup is approximately equal to 1 lb. fresh meat. Add to soups and stews as called for by your recipe.

DEHYDRATING: Peppers

Sweet Peppers are a fairly common ingredient, found in cuisines across the globe. Unfortunately, they are quite expensive in the off-season. Preserve your harvest efficiently by dehydration!

Dehydrating peppers (both sweet and hot) is extremely simple. All you have to do is either slice or dice the peppers, and dehydrate at 135 degrees for 10-12 hours (slices take longer than dices). When they are done, they will be very stiff, and slices will snap in half easily. Store your peppers in jar in a cool, dark place. If you plan on storing your peppers longer than one year, place an oxygen absorber in the jar. (Available HERE)

Cooking with your dehydrated peppers is easy as well. If you're making sauce or chili, simply add them as is to the pot (if you are using slices, crush them first). They will rehydrate during the cooking process. If you'd like to use them on pizza or in salads, soak in lukewarm water for 20 minutes before adding them to your recipe.

Personally, I prefer slices, as it's more time efficient, and can be easily crushed before use. If you are dehydrating for pizza topping or in pasta salads, I'd recommend dices for presentation.

HARVEST: Air Drying Herbs

You can easily dry your herbs using materials found around your home. I recommend this method of drying for large batches, especially for woody stemmed plants. 

I have found that it's much easier to process large batches of herbs by air drying than by dehydrating, especially woody stemmed plants with small leaves like Thyme. Be advised though, air drying can take several weeks as opposed to a day in the dehydrator.

MATERIALS:

Coat Hanger

String (Thread/Yarn/Twine, etc)

Fresh Herbs, washed and dried

PROCEDURE:

Gather herbs together in small bunches  by the stems and tie together with string, leaving ends 5-6" long. Tie ends of string to the coat hanger, letting the bunches dangle freely. Hang the coathanger in a dry, ventilated place away from direct sunlight. Allow herbs to hang until leaves are completely dry and crumble easily. Strip leaves from stems and store whole in a glass jar in a cool, dark, dry place. They store well for at least a year, after which they will begin to lose some potency.

When you need to refill your pantry shaker, pour your dried herbs into a small blender or mortar/pestle and grind as needed.

BOOKSHELF: The Dehydrator Bible

There's a lot more to do with a dehydrator than dry herbs and make jerky! Preserve your harvest economically and create your own dry mix meals with the simple and hearty recipes contained in this tome of dehydrating knowledge!

Click to view/purchase book on Amazon.com

THE DEHYDRATOR BIBLE: Includes Over 400 Recipes

By Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt and Don Mercer

Although dehydration is an ages old method of food preservation, it's become a lost art for the most part with modern technology like refrigerators and freezers. But, what if we want to preserve more than will fit in our electric units, or we are travelling and won't have any access to electricity? This book will give you all the answers!

The book opens with a discussion concerning the history and advantages of  dry food preservation, the basic equipment you will need to get started, drying techniques, and storage of your products.

Perhaps the most important portion of the book comes next, where you will find a detailed manual as to how to properly dry each individual herb, vegetable and fruit, as well as different types of meat. Proper drying method and time is essential in creating a viable final product that will store and reconstitute well. I've referred to this section of the book several times since I've had it.

The book goes on to offer recipes for everyday meals, various types of jerky, portable dry mix camp meals, and other crafts and gifts like dried flowers. You can even use the dehydrator to make pet treats! It's actually quite convenient to use dehydrated vegetables in place of frozen in soups and stews. We store them in the pantry in glass jars, rather than taking up valuable freezer space, and there is no "freezer burn" to be concerned with for long-term storage!

I found the dry mix trail meals to be of particular interest. They can be mixed and carried in a backpack in ziplock baggies, or put together ahead of time and stored in mylar bags or mason jars with oxygen absorbers. Just add boiling water, and you're ready to eat!

BOTTOM LINE: 5 of 5 Stars. From beginner to expert, this book has a little something for everyone. It's an invaluable go-to reference book! Highly recommended for anyone interested in using dehydration for food preservation.

REVIEW: Nesco Snackmaster Pro 700 Watt Dehydrator

A friend of mine is interested in purchasing a dehydrator and asked about the model I use. A lot of folks are under the assumption they need to spend hundreds of dollars to get into dehydrating. It's just not true! 

Click to view/purchase on Amazon.com

When purchasing a dehydrator, you will want to know the wattage of the unit you're looking at. The higher the wattage, the shorter the drying time will be, in general. It's a good idea to choose a unit that's AT LEAST 700 watts. The most important feature to look for in a dehydrator is an adjustable thermostat. If it doesn't have it, you're pretty much limited to fruits and vegetables and/or excessive drying time for jerky. Forget herbs, the pre-set temperature is much too high and will bake the scent and flavor right out of them.

You will also want to choose an expandable unit, for which you can readily find additional stackable trays, screens and fruit roll inserts. If you intend on dehydrating corn, peas, chopped celery, and such, you MUST have screens, or else the vegetables will fall through the tray grates and fail to dry. If at some point you wish to make your own dry mix camp meals, you will certainly want to be able to get "fruit roll" inserts to spread cooked rice, beans, or sauces on to dry. As the name implies, they are actually meant to make homemade "Fruit Roll-Ups".

We have been extremely happy with our Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator . As the title says, it's a 700 watt unit, and it has an adjustable thermostat ranging from a low of 95 degrees for herbs, to 160 degrees for jerky. It comes with 5 plastic trays, but is expandable up to 13 trays. 2 screens and 2 fruit roll inserts are included. The additional trays, screens, and roll inserts are readily available at several online retailers, as well as in-store at Rural King and Cabela's (they are sold at Cabela's under the "Open Country" brand name).

To operate, simply prepare your food stuffs, place them in the trays stacking as you go, place on the lid, set the thermostat, plug it in, and you're on your way! It's completely fool proof (that is unless you forget to blanch your potatoes first and they all turn black......). Most vegetables require no preparation other than slicing/dicing, although there are a few exceptions, such as those potatoes I mentioned. Fruit is usually sliced, then briefly soaked in a mixture of water with lemon juice to avoid browning. Small leaved herbs like Thyme and Globe Basil can be put in right on the stems, and removed after drying. Jerky is a little more complicated, but the flavor can't be beat compared to store brands!

Dehydrating has gained popularity among gardeners and hunters in recent years. Home dehydrated goods can be stored in jars with oxygen absorber packets for a number of years without the use of electricity right in the pantry along with your home canned goods. There are even entire cookbooks now dedicated to creating dehydrated snacks, and entire meals from dehydrated ingredients. Look for that review later in the week!

BOTTOM LINE: 5 of 5 Stars. I would 110% recommend this product for casual everyday home use. It has dried dozens of batches of various veggies, all of my herbs and perhaps over a dozen pounds of jerky for us in the past two years we've had it. I would definitely recommend at least purchasing an additional set of 2 Clean-A-Screen  and 2 Fruit Roll Sheets to start. Add-A-Tray also come in sets of two if you would like to expand. Again, this dehydrator will hold up to 13 at a time! (On a side note, this dehydrator has a 4.5 Star rating on Amazon.com and is the #1 Best Seller!)

If you plan on dehydrating large batches of dozens of pounds of homegrown produce all summer/autumn long, you may want to go with a 1000-watt Gardenmaster, which is a little bit larger in circumference and will cut drying time by perhaps an hour or two per batch.

DEHYDRATING: Tomatoes

Continuing on with "Tomato Week", we present another method of preserving your harvest! Dehydrating is probably the simplest way to preserve tomatoes. Dehydrated tomatoes are surprisingly versatile, too!

Preserving tomatoes through dehydration is extremely simple. They take up less storage space per pound, and are excellent for outdoorsmen who wish to make their own dry mix meals.

RAW TOMATOES:

Paste tomatoes are recommended, but any variety can be used. The juicier, the longer they will take to dehydrate. You may wish to use screen inserts for easier removal and clean up.

1. Thoroughly wash tomatoes before processing. 
2. Slice tomatoes 1/8" thick. Too thin, and they will be near impossible to remove from trays, too thick and they will not dehydrate evenly.
3. Arrange slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays leaving a sliver of space between each slice to allow for air flow.
4. Set dehydrator to 130 degrees for approximately 16-20 hours, depending on type of tomato.
5. They are done when they feel dry to the touch, and just slightly pliable. It is imperative all moisture is removed, or they are liable to mold.

Dehydrated tomatoes can be stored in jars in a cool, dark, dry place. Recycled pickle jars are just fine. They may be stored for a longer period of time by adding a food safe Oxygen Absorber into the jar. Mylar bags or vacuum sealed packets will work as well.

To reconstitute dried tomatoes, simply submerge the slices in warm water for about 10-15 minutes. Use as you would fresh tomatoes in recipes. Not recommended for topping sandwiches and burgers.

TOMATO SAUCE:

Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti Sauce can also be dehydrated. In order to dehydrate sauce, you will need "Fruit Roll Sheets" or parchment paper.

1. If you are dehydrating chunky spaghetti sauce, process in a blender until smooth.
2. Place Fruit Roll Sheets or parchment paper into dehydrator trays.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce upon each sheet as evenly as possible. Roughly 1/16" thick.
4. Set dehydrator to 130 degrees for about 10-12 hours. About halfway through, turn the tomato leathers over to facilitate even drying. When it is done, tomato leather should be dry to the touch, and a tad pliable. 
5. When it is done, tomato leather should be dry to the touch, and a tad pliable (much like "Fruit Roll-Ups snacks"). Peel leathers from sheets and process in a blender until powdered. 

Dehydrated sauce is stored in the same manner as raw dehydrated tomatoes (see above).

To reconstitute sauce, pour 1/2 c. hot water over 3 Tbsp. powdered sauce. Use reconstituted tomato sauce as you would canned sauce in recipes. Tomato powder can also be used as-is in homemade soups and sauces.

If you're an outdoorsmen looking for recipes for DIY dry mix meals, there are 83 pages worth in "The Dehydrator Bible " by MacKenzie, Nutt and Mercer. Some examples include: various pancakes and oatmeals, soups, chili, pasta and rice dishes. 

We use the Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A. When purchasing a dehydrator, be sure it has an adjustable thermostat.