Food drying - Dehydrators (merged)

Living_proof

I had heard bad reports about dehydrated blackberries but would love to do some if they are worthwhile, as I like the foraging part of it. I have dozens of bramleys dried so the berries in general would make a good additive for a dessert.

I am also going to have a bash at drying mixed frozen vegetables because I don't have much spare space for veg. in the freezer and I don't do well with them either because they always seem to take up more room the more of them I use up.

The sweetheart cabbage was a huge success - a fresh cabbage in my single household is rather too much bought fresh and I either end up throwing some out or eat it but get really tired of it. I am anxious not to overdo production though because if I can buy fresh veg. at a good price, nothing beats it.

Ken68

The blackberries I did last year, LP, somehow got mixed in with elderberry leather, and the whole thing smelt very tannin, though kept and ate OK.
Beware if you do elderberries, they roll everywhere. to be contained when preparing. Never done cabbage usually freeze, will give it a go.

Living_proof

Ken - it shrivels down to something which looks completely inedible but when soaked and steamed was just like the fresh product. I used to freeze a lot and had a couple of chest freezers when the children were at home. but now I use the medium sized upright I have for the meat and fish bargains, and home cooked ready meals. I found that in order to have a sufficient variety of veg. and fruit in the freezer the space it took up was ridiculous. And I always had peas at the bottom of the freezer no matter how careful I was!

[Deleted User]

kale also dehydrates well and I use it in soups. I tend to make sauerkraut if I have grown too many cabbages. Green beans dehydrated well too and again good for soups. Celery is very useful, the flavour intensifies and I squish it when dry as it is a very good flavouring ingredient

Ken68

See you're organised. Mostly grow stuff and when it matures either freeze or dry. Apples next and then Vic plums. Have lots of runners and broad beans this year most which will dry off on the plant. Then potatoes for winter store in hessian sacks. and have some dried for stews etc.
Do you think spinach would dry? Already a bit papery.!!!
Edit....peaches that I did yesterday are tasteless, think maybe too thin cut.

Living_proof

I think spinach would dry well. I often freeze who bags of it when on offer and it takes up no room at all, and I can just break chunks off as I need it. It's the one green veg. I do freeze I think.

Ken68

That's where I'm going wrong, been steaming it then freezing.
Gloopy mess.

Ken68

Doing mushrooms today, bananas yesterday courtesy of Morrisons supermarket/The Sun newspaper. (£5 coupon no minimum spend).
3 punnets per full load (say, half a day to dry) 9 punnets to go.
It's all go.

Angelina-M

Ken68 wrote: »

Doing mushrooms today, bananas yesterday courtesy of Morrisons supermarket/The Sun newspaper. (£5 coupon no minimum spend).
3 punnets per full load (say, half a day to dry) 9 punnets to go.
It's all go.

I was going to sell my dehydrator as its been stuck in the way for two years, however the sun vouchers changed my mind and its full of celery as we speak!

mlarmour

Could any recommend me a good dehydrator that is inexpensive, ideally I want to find one under £40 but I think that might be pushing it. I've wanted to start dehydrating for ages, especially as I got into making cabbage crisps and fruit leathers but no matter now closely I watched them, they always burnt. It would also be another way of getting plenty of fruit and veg into me, not that I struggle with that.