What are you dehydrating?

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
Djorn
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:00 am
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by Djorn »

Hi Mushroom,

So far in the last two months I have dehydrated and sealed Banana Chips, Beef and Chicken Jerky, apple and pear, crisps...Now the Banana Chips and Jerky were fine 2 months later, the apple and pear don't seem to dehydrate completly but that be down to not giving them enough time, the Crisps were cool, they looked perfect in the bag with all the air sucked out...until I opened the bag and crumbs tumbled onto the sides....the force of the collapsing air tight bag shattered them...

As a post script I have also done a homemade bread bun....so far it is sat next to my PC rather flat but still looking good.

I have been toying with the idea of spraying the inside of the bag with an antibac spray (tasteless one) to see if this provides a longer life.

I had fun with a whole banana peeled and sealed, it was okay for the first 2 weeks then started to expand...I put it in the garden after it started looking "dodgy" I think the wind must of blown it away LOL

Dj
A Prepper is for life, not just for Doomsday !!
preppingsu

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by preppingsu »

Just put in some overripe bananas dipped in honey......(Where's the licking your lips smiley ;) and some tinned pineapple chunks just to use the space up. No point running it half empty!

Trouble is this time of year (moisture levels) the banana will take about 10hrs and the pineapple about 18hrs :shock:
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Plymtom
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Location: Plymouth

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by Plymtom »

Have you ever thought of running a de humidifier in the same room Su? my thinking is rather than ventilating it away you get to keep the heat and capture the moisture, we're a bit too skint to run the dehumidifier at present, but for over ripe bananas we freeze them and use the vitamix ( a kind of nuclear blender) to make smoothies.
I have a strategy, it's not written in stone, nor can it be, this scenario has too many variables, everything about it depends on those variables, being specific is not possible.
preppingsu

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by preppingsu »

Plymtom wrote:Have you ever thought of running a de humidifier in the same room Su? my thinking is rather than ventilating it away you get to keep the heat and capture the moisture, we're a bit too skint to run the dehumidifier at present, but for over ripe bananas we freeze them and use the vitamix ( a kind of nuclear blender) to make smoothies.
We already run two dehumidifiers in other parts of this very, very damp house! :roll: But at the moment my kitchen is toasty warm, what with the dehydrator and oven on... :)
cypher
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Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 5:43 pm

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by cypher »

I really do need to invest in a dehydrator, have tried using my oven on it's lowest setting but unfortunately it doesn't maintain a steady heat at a low temperature. :x
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PreppingPingu
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Location: Surrey/Hampshire

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by PreppingPingu »

I have just been bought a dehydrator for my birthday by my hubby and girlies :) so I will be reading up on this thread in preparation for dehydrating my own stuff. At the end of the week, I sometimes get to take home for free the fruit from school that is left over as it won't keep and we get more sent in by Monday - saves it going to waste. ( The gov give free fruit to primary school children each day.) I have made a few jars of pear and apple chutney and the like before but often we get a glut of fruit left at the end of half term/term so now I can make good use of it! Looking forward to drying bananas.
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rik_uk3
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Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:49 pm
Location: South Wales UK

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by rik_uk3 »

If you don't have access to a lot of fresh produce then dry frozen vegetables which are cheap enough in Iceland / Farm Foods. Remember a kilo bag of frozen veg is already peeled and blanched for you so no waste. I dry peas, sliced carrots, sweetcorn, sliced green beans etc with great success.
Richard
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pseudonym
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Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by pseudonym »

rik_uk3 wrote:If you don't have access to a lot of fresh produce then dry frozen vegetables which are cheap enough in Iceland / Farm Foods. Remember a kilo bag of frozen veg is already peeled and blanched for you so no waste. I dry peas, sliced carrots, sweetcorn, sliced green beans etc with great success.
Great tip. :)
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lightningxl
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Location: Plymouth

Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by lightningxl »

DITTO ABOVE great tip dehydrating frozen veg - thanks.
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kizzie
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Re: What are you dehydrating?

Post by kizzie »

I dehydrate veg and fruit. Also make fruit leather for my grand kids.
I vacuum seal them into jars rather than the bags and they last much longer. If I do them in bags I will normally double bag them and seal both bags.

My dehydrator isnt the best but it was nice and cheap and has done me for now. But I really want the Excalibur but at almost £300, I can carry on wanting for a very long time :(