Solar Food Dehydrator

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
PrepperMum
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:17 pm

Solar Food Dehydrator

Post by PrepperMum »

Hi all,

Has anyone made one?

I am thinking this would be a good starter project. Although can only be used for some months of the year :D (in SW of England).

This looks to be a good tutorial: https://www.instructables.com/id/Solar- ... tor-Dryer/
Arzosah
Posts: 6450
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Solar Food Dehydrator

Post by Arzosah »

I researched it, and I still think it could be valid for herbs like rosemary that you hang up in the kitchen under a paper cone, but not for vegetables or fruit. I bought a dehydrator - it runs on the leccy, and electricity is my big prepping project this year. I did use offcuts as the instructables project describes, of a wooden window, some flooring vinyl, insulation oblongs out of a skip, and a roll of reflective insulation, but I used it all to make a haybox. Ahem, which isn't quite finished ...
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PreppingPingu
Posts: 953
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:10 pm
Location: Surrey/Hampshire

Re: Solar Food Dehydrator

Post by PreppingPingu »

I have a plug in dehydrator but I wonder about the running costs of it as you have to keep it going for hours. I wonder if the costs of running something like that vs buying pre dehydrated food. Course its good to have the ability to dehydrate stuff that's gone past its prime so you aren't wasting it. Getting the balance of environmental/cost/prepping does make my mind boggle at times. An efficient solar one would be good. I tend to dry bunches of herbs in my airing cupboard but to be able to dry other produce without it costing or using leccy would be good. We do get a fair amount of strong sun down here in the south.
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PrepperMum
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:17 pm

Re: Solar Food Dehydrator

Post by PrepperMum »

Thank you for the responses. Great points to consider.

I have read that you can dry food out in the solar dryer, like Apple rings, bananas, etc to be stored for later.

It will be interesting to see the results. I will post a pic once I have built it, could be a few months though😁