Food drying - Dehydrators (merged)

Ken68

Experiment, some stoned with a cherry thingy, some with a knife some just left.

Angelina-M

Ken68 wrote: »

Experiment, some stoned with a cherry thingy, some with a knife some just left.

Ken are these wild cherries? I've been out tonight but was only able to get a teeny few in a bag. More will be ready in a few days but the birds have already stripped one tree.

I do love wild cherries. They don't come much fresher than from tree straight to mouth!

Ken68

Cultivated I think Angel, know the bloke who planted them years ago.
On common land, but out of the way. Couldn't have let them to go darker, already soft. Misjudged drying times for cherries, need to go on earlier otherwise up in the night.
Wild plums yellow and ruby to come.
Plus goosegogs just about ready and then Opal plums and some Vics.
It's all go this time of year.

Angelina-M

Ken68 wrote: »

Cultivated I think Angel, know the bloke who planted them years ago.
On common land, but out of the way. Couldn't have let them to go darker, already soft. Misjudged drying times for cherries, need to go on earlier otherwise up in the night.
Wild plums yellow and ruby to come.
Plus goosegogs just about ready and then Opal plums and some Vics.
It's all go this time of year.

I dried some wild ones last year and they do take an awfully long time to dry. Mine went to a stage of being still pliable but almost sugary on the outside. I won't be drying them this year as i'm just going to freeze them.

I agree, it is all going on and i'm loving it!

Ken68

Yes you right Angel, came out like raisins, takes too long.
Next time some for the drier, some freeze and some jam.

.

Emsa77

HelloI was wondering if anyone had dried black currants before? If so do you have any tips please? I have loads of fruit this year and thought I'd try drying them in my dehydrator. Many thanks x

Ken68

Being juicy,I would think as a fruit leather, drying on a plastic sheet, the sort that comes with corn flake packets. Mix with yogurt or experiment some with ,some without or mix two fruits together. Getting the right consistency would be the trick.

Emsa77

Thanks Ken - I'll give it a go.

lovefullshelves

Just dried cherry tomatoes and I think I ate as many as I dried, never expected that flavour!
Also dried some windfall apple slices, cookers and eaters (made them blue with koolaid!) would be great if my DS wasn't 17! But they also taste great! I'm sure I'm supposed to store these things not eat them the same day!

the_cake

Help, please!
I am having a courgette glut, so have been using my new dehydrator. Did a couple of loads: sliced them evenly using a mandolin thingy, dried them for 8 hours at 52 degrees in my circular dehydrator, moving the trays around about once an hour. As soon as they were finished and cool, put them in a Lock N Lock container. The smaller ones were quite crispy, larger diameter slices were more leathery. Went away for 10 days on hols., came back and they had all grown a white mould. Where did I go wrong? The humidity in the atmosphere was quite high, so I wonder if I just did not dry them for long enough. Should they have all been crunchy? Do I have to blanch them (I'm reluctant to do this as it seems a bit of extra faff ...)? All helpful suggestions would be hugely appreciated!