Food drying - Dehydrators (merged)

Ken68

The aubergines turned out to look and taste like cardboard, but will keep them to see how they develop.
Peppers very colourful (Pity to use them lol) , and will cut the celery thicker in future.
Runner beans and plums now. Runners do dry very quickly, maybe a better way of keeping than the freezer.Can be put straight into a slow cooker when cooking.
See big bags of onions are cheaper in supermarkets.Might go for it.

[Deleted User]

I have had a busy few days, just drying home grown produce. The main one lately has been celery, I never grew it before but decided to pounce before it decides to bolt. 5 plants a few days ago and 4 today. I left the red stemmed celery in the ground as it can stand cold weather

Having had riverford celery I do know that the taste and texture are much stronger. I am on my third session today and am just doing leaves from 4 plants today, they are actually heaped high on the trays but I press them down with a bit of weight, so I can get them in the dehydrator, all 9 trays are full. The stems are are all washed and bagged, ready to cut and dry tomorrow. I do put a paraflex sheet at the bottom of the drier as celery shrinks a lot. The leaves are great for use because the whole lot scrunches down to what is a very tasty powder, useful for seasoning and I keep the leaves and stems separate

The drier is on almost daily now and I can fill spare trays with cooked beetroot, sliced red tomatoes, marrow and courgettes

The dried pineapple went down an absolute treat when I had visitors last weekend, as did the strawberry/banana fruit leathers

I can see autumn appearing early this year in that the leeks are already quite big and some flowers are starting to give up. Kale is getting bigger and I dried lots last year with very good results. Dh and I are amazed at how the dried stuff is retaining all its colour. I have a lot of produce left from last year, all kept in the dark, so will have to have a real re-think about how much I will be growing next year. To think that a small allotment plot has kept is throughout the year, couldn`t do it without the drier though

Leeks in two or three weeks, not dried those before, never needed to but rust struck last year so I am into damage limitation

edit: re your runner beans Ken, thats what I am thinking as my freezer is full

Ken68

You're an inspiration to us all Kittie.
I dry runner beans to fill up the trays after the other veg/fruit have shrunk a bit.
The only glut I can see on my garden is turnips. Not keen on the taste but they help to make up a stew.
Bananas don't seem to taste the same as last year. Overdried some. Small yellow plums came out all skin, but very scrunchy.
Marrows next and Vic plums and whatever bargain I catch at the fruit counter.

[Deleted User]

I just have to pass a taste test on. I gently heated home grown blackberries with dried banana slices and dried eating apple (sainsbury value apples £1 per kg), all in a bit of white wine plus a little water. Then into a dish with a butter crumble topping. It was gorgeous, so much so that I am getting more apples and bananas done when I have time.

Ken, I just love the dehydrating, it has such a lot of scope. I went on amazon and got myself a book on drying foods for backpacking, so I can see me being more adventurous eg making a thick soup, spreading, dehydrating and then crumbling to make instant soups

edit: re the apples, I just add a tsp of vit c powder to a washing up bowl full of cold water and I slice directly into that with the mandolin. The apples all stayed white

[Deleted User]

ok, I am now stocked up with sainsbury basics apples. Good looking jonagolds at £1 per kilo. They`ll be on the go in two days time and will likely take two days as I bought 7 kilos. I also picked up bananas and basics pineapples, the pineapple was just ripe with no leaves and perfect for dehydrating tomorrow. Don`t bother with sainsbury`s basics bananas unless you weigh them, fairtrade loose were half the price. I`ll be putting some lemon juice in a spray bottle and just give them a quick mist when each tray is full

I am also resurrecting some ideas from raw food recipes and am starting with crunchy buckwheat for breakfast cereal. I have ordered the buckwheat groats and just have to soak all night then dehydrate

Tbh I just don`t know why people don`t get a good dehdrator instead of a second freezer. No constant running costs and such a small space for the unit and now that I am well into it, I am thinking it is so much more versatile. The foods turn out beautifully and the flavour tends to be much better

moments_of_sanity

I would love a dehydrator but no one here would eat dried fruit etc :-(

Ken68

Lost you there Kittie....Soak and then dehydrate!!

[Deleted User]

lol, yes I get it. Soaking swells the grains and they get large and soft, dehydrating will take the water out, leaving larger grains which will be crunchy not rock hard

Ken68

Might have a go at that Kittie...like granola.
Could do it with corn grains I suppose. Plenty round here, the trick is to find a sharp corner where the trailers going to the grain driers have turned quick, piles of the stuff.

[Deleted User]

here too Ken re spillages but they have been repeat spraying for fusarium which is wheat ear blight. I have been looking at my Ani Phyo raw food book and I`ll have to soak the buckwheat groats in 3 x as much water, overnight, drain and dry at about 105 for 4-5 hours to bone dry. She says it can then be stored in a jar for months and can form the basis of many foods. My groats are on order but what about rice? puffed rice? just a thought. I like buckwheat as it is a good protein food and contains rutin (vein health) and isn`t a cereal
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=11

and more
http://www.choosingraw.com/buckwheat-cereal-and-almond-milk/