Dehydrating

I picked up more raspberries to dehydrate today before they go off sale. I've got to rinse them and get them loaded up tonight. They will be so nice this winter added to my oatmeal, yogurt and baked goods.

I don't know that they'd make it to the dehydrator around here. I'd probably eat them first. They taste great on S'mores.

I've had them going since 10 p.m. last night and they still aren't dehydrated. I've got the dehydrator set at 135°/fruit setting. I do have 11 containers spread out on 4 trays though. I'm hoping they'll be done before I go to bed tonight but I don't think they will.

Summer humidity slows things down sometimes.  The humidity around here is so high everything takes twice as long.

I was wondering about that but I've got the a/c running and the dehydrator on a snack table in the living/diningroom. As a matter of fact the heat from it is making my a/c run more often trying to cool the rooms.

Wow! Old thread...

Had just got the dehydrator out a couple weeks back and have been canning cabbage, carrots, strawberry's and blueberry's.

Don"t get on here much, hope all are doing well.

Dwight

Glad to see you Dwight

Sounds like you've been busy. Are you canning your cabbage as sauerkraut or plain cabbage?

Did you dehydrate the strawberries and blueberries? I love them that way.

Cabbage dehydrates well too.  Just blanch it first.  It makes small easy storage for your cabbage that is destined for soups and casseroles and such. 

Nice to meet you Dwight!

sorry, wrong word... thought "dehydrated" but wrote "canning".

Sometimes my brain sort of works, LOL

Dwight

No problem Dwight, we all have those moments.

   Some of us have nothing BUT "those" moments.

Farmfresh wrote:   Some of us have nothing BUT "those" moments.

I understand....

Farmfresh wrote:   Some of us have nothing BUT "those" moments.

I resemble that

Was given some organic pears a couple days back. Have the second batch loaded in the dehydrator as I type this. Not sure how many from the first batch will make it into jars cause, they are delicious! MissKitty, the visitors we have had today and myself... we are lined up like pigs at a slop trough...

Dwight

I have trouble getting stuff from the dehydrator into storage as well.

Sprinkle a bit of powdered ginger on those pears before you dry them Dwight.  They will be even more like candy.  My hubby loves to pig out on those.

I've been dehydrating as well lately--I realize this thread is old, but I've dehydrated bananas, apples, lemons, limes, oranges, and croutons. Takes up so much less space than traditional canning, which I do a lot of .

A thread like this should never expire.  As long as we are all still drying stuff it is relevant. 

What are you using the dried citrus for?  Do you grow your own?  I have a single mini lime tree that is container grown here in my zone 5b garden, since it has to come in with me in the winter time.  

I used a bunch of my dehydrated goods today.  I made a crockpot meatloaf and so I filled it with garlic, leeks, onions, celery and tomatoes... all dehydrated.

I am planning to add the orange/lemon/lime slices to a cup of hot water for a citrus *tea*...figured it would be a nice treat when we no longer have access to fresh fruits.

My dh has a fruit/produce business. He buys direct from the growers. The stuff he has that isn't quite nice enough to sell is what I use to feed us and to can/dehydrate. I figure no sense letting the culls go to waste.

What a wonderful opportunity!  I would love to have access to "culls" and seconds of citrus. 

BTW... Glad that you found us here!

Yes, welcome mamatiger.

I tried to dehydrate some banana slices earlier, and could not get them to actually dry out. I had them in an electric model for four days at 180 degrees (as per the instruction booklet).

How do you dry yours?

Bananas will never be like those banana chips from the store if they are just dehydrated they will always be leathery.  Store banana chips are freeze dried to get that crispness. 

Still I know lots of people that love their banana chips leathery and chewy.

ahh OK, that's where I was messing up, the perception not the completion

Thanks FF

I think I used the 135 temp per my machine for the banana chips. I did them about 24 hours and they get crisp, but are still a tad chewy. Dh loves banana chips and he likes these, so I am happy.

I have also done potatoe cubes and slices. The first time I did cubes, I didn't get them done quite enough and they molded. But they are sure good tossed in a pot of soup when dehydrated properly.

And thanks for the welcome. I've been here before and recently got an inactive status email and decided to drop back by.