your dehydrated foods - what you dried, and how you used them

[Morning Sunshine]

I just dried pears.

mmmmm yummy pears

I took an apple wedger (http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=10342&categoryCode=CE) to a bushel of pears.  This method does waste a bit of pear on the upper core that you can eat, but I just took bites out of it as I worked or saved them for the kids, who were all over the cores!
then I spread my pear wedges on the dehydrator and 18-24 hours later (I have a junky dehydrator that took so long they almost molded!  They might have done so if I had not moved those to the excalibur when it had finished its batch).

They look like homemade french fries, and most of us are eating them like crazy.

[Prag]

Thanks for the photo of the blueberries in your post (#80) johngalt.

Did you just slice them before dehydrating...I apologize if I missed something on this.

I ask because when I recently did a batch they turned out a bit sticky.

They are still great in our oatmeal and cereals though.

Thanks in advance. 

[Prag]

TBM ;

Thanks for the pics & info on making tomato powder.

Great idea and it looks like something even I could do. 


Much appreciated.


Morning Sunshine ;

The pears sound delicious!

Gonna have to give this a try.


You guys are pretty darned creative.
I've just got corn dehydrating in mine for general cooking use. 

I gotta get busy.

[Morning Sunshine]

hey Prag,

corn dehydrating is a good thing.  no need to feel boring.  One of these days I will get around to doing veggies we actually like to eat.  So far I have only done veggies we got from the co-op for which I cannot find any other use.

I have gotta say, though, I am liking that tomato powder idea.  A lot.

oh, speaking of good ideas - I had  acorn squash (from the co-op ) that I knew we wouldn't get to eating before they go bad.  I am going to have to sneak them into something else, like pumpkin soup.... anyway, I followed Tammy's method of cooking the squash first, then cutting, peeling, and de-seeding.  I mashed the first batch of cooked squash onto my trays, but it kind of oozes through the mesh.  not drips, it is not that liquid, but oozes...
So then I had a great idea and sliced the squash into slices about 1/2 inch thick and laid those on the tray.  they dried perfectly.

[Prag]

Good suggestion on the acorn squash.Morning Sunshine .

We had a decent crop of butternut squash from one of our raised beds.
We love 'em baked or steamed...Great either way.

& we still have about 20 of them...

So I might just try a few using your idea of slicing & drying a few...
when the corn gets finished.   


Much appreciated. 

[maxhedroom]

Every other day it is either apples or tomatoes. I am finishing the last bushell of tomatoes now. then more apples.

I will try jerky for the first time. Any good jerky tips?

[CountryRootsCityJob]

Every other day it is either apples or tomatoes. I am finishing the last bushell of tomatoes now. then more apples.

I will try jerky for the first time. Any good jerky tips?

Well one place you might want to check out is Save Our Skills:
http://www.saveourskills.com/smoke-homemade-beef-jerky

Jack Spirco recommended web site (It links back to the survival podcast)

~CRCJ

[javabrewer]

Every other day it is either apples or tomatoes. I am finishing the last bushell of tomatoes now. then more apples.

I will try jerky for the first time. Any good jerky tips?

My recipe for peppered jerky (I should add my ~new~ recipe...):

7-8 pounds of 1/4 inch sliced lean beef
2 cups worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

Put everything in a food saver bag, mix it up well and vacuum seal it (helps to reduce marinade time) and marinate it for 6-8 hours.  If you use a zip lock bag or bowl I'd go for 12 hours and mix it half way through (the longer you leave it in there the more salty it tastes).

Dehydrate on 115F for 12-18 hours

Try not to eat it all in one sitting.

[jakematic]

My recipe for peppered jerky:

Excellent, just what I was looking for javabrewer. Thanks!

[TwoBluesMama]

I just dried pears.

They look like homemade french fries, and most of us are eating them like crazy.

LOL MS- I dried apples, pears and peaches and just stuck them individually into quart jars and then in a box until I had time to label them and put them away. I had the same reaction to the pears - I grabbed the jar and thought what is this? it looks like french fries and I know I didn't dehydrate any of those. And I so agree - very yummy!

I always hated dried fruit until I started drying my own - store bought just doesn't taste right.

[Cool Blue]

Just got my excalibur dehydrator today!  I'm so excited!

I'm thinking of starting a side business selling dehydrated food at farmer's markets next year.

[LvsChant]

great idea, cool blue.

[littletea]

 Recently dehydrated frozen blueberries I picked up at Sams - easy.  Just opened the bag and placed on the tray - it was a little messy but I was pleased with the end result.  This week I made a berry crumble using dehydrated blueberries and raspberries.  It was awesome and was relieved I could still make this type of dessert without having to spend all that money on freeze dried berries!

[TwoBluesMama]

Just got my excalibur dehydrator today!  I'm so excited!

I'm thinking of starting a side business selling dehydrated food at farmer's markets next year.

Awesome idea!  I was actually thinking about selling my herbs at the farmers market along with herbed honey.  Hope this works out for you CB!

[Morning Sunshine]

I always hated dried fruit until I started drying my own - store bought just doesn't taste right.

I never did either.  Bananas are the worst, IMO.  I do not know what they do to them, but they are so much better home-done!  And home-dried strawberry slices are like sugar in your mouth.  mmm-mmmm
I remember Costco started selling these dried blueberries a dew years ago.  in the gourmet section in a cute little resealable bag, and I liked the idea.  And they were okay tasting.  Until I read the ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Are you kidding?  seriously, HFCS?  WHY in the world would you add something so nasty in both taste and chemistry to a perfectly good berry?  I love the freeze-dried blueberries (no HFCS, thank you very much) from http://augasonfarms.com/.  And when I get my bushes producing a good crop, I will be drying my own.

[Cool Blue]

I agree!  I've never liked dried banana chips but I dried some last night and the were pretty good!

A question though please.  The store bought ones are crisp and brittle, like chips, but the ones I did at home are chewy.  Does this mean I need to dry them more?

[Morning Sunshine]

I agree!  I've never liked dried banana chips but I dried some last night and the were pretty good!

A question though please.  The store bought ones are crisp and brittle, like chips, but the ones I did at home are chewy.  Does this mean I need to dry them more?

I think that if you look at the ingredients on the store bought stuff, you will find something besides "banana".  I mean, I add other things too, sometimes, like lime juice, or lemon or pineapple juice or cinnamon.  But that's it.  But, yes, they are supposed to be slightly chewy.  and they are very tasty.

oh, I would recommend next time you do bananas, try different juice baths just before.  they taste very different.  Lime is my favorite.

[TwoBluesMama]

I agree!  I've never liked dried banana chips but I dried some last night and the were pretty good!

A question though please.  The store bought ones are crisp and brittle, like chips, but the ones I did at home are chewy.  Does this mean I need to dry them more?

The ones you buy in the store are actually deep fried and that's what makes them crispy.  You might try baking them and see if that helps.

[Morning Sunshine]

The ones you buy in the store are actually deep fried and that's what makes them crispy.  You might try baking them and see if that helps.

that explains why they go rancid nasty if you keep them too long! 

[Cool Blue]

Thanks gang!

I'm trying out broccoli and mushrooms right now and I'll try peppers later.

The potatoes I did yesterday seemed to turn out great.  I'm going to rehydrate them today and try them out.

[SteveandTracyinKY]

I would have to vote dehydrated button mushrooms as the most versatile thing we have dehydrated. I slip at least some small amount into almost everything. You can just break and crumble them up.

[Cool Blue]

I'm amazed by how much the broccoli shrank, I did a whole bag of frozen broccoli and it now fits in half a cup!

Both the mushrooms and broccoli rehydrate well enough.  The textures aren't the same as fresh but acceptable for soups or stews.  Their both a little tougher but I actually like the mushrooms better that way.

I was surprised that the mushrooms didn't actually shrink much, but they became thin and as light as feathers!

The potatoes re-hydrated nicely.  I could see using these just the same as regular potatoes.  (I left the skins on, and they seem fine).

Doing some red and green peppers right now.  Those are shrinking up into nothing!

Also doing some carrots, grapes and celery. 

The grapes are taking a long time. I had cut them in half, maybe I should have cut them into quarters.

I'm going to be getting some mason jars from my grandmother tomorrow which I'll store it all in.  I might keep them in Rubbermaid bins to block out the light.

[Mick_K]

This is without a doubt the best thread i've read on this board. I love this and every post gives me new ideas. Thanks to all who have posted. My education has increased exponentially. 

[Sweethearts Mom]

I have dried hubbard squash, wild onions, okra, jalapenos, pablanos, banana peppers and have a load of dried beef in right now. Not jerky but just unseasoned beef that can be rehydrated and used in soups and stews.

[LvsChant]

We love crumbling up dried tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and mushrooms onto our homemade pizza. Even though we have moved away from our garden and no longer can walk out back to pick fresh stuff, we are enjoying the bounty of homegrown food through the wonders of dehydration (lots lighter to move, too!).

The boys love, love, love the dehydrated potatoes. This weekend we had a big breakfast with omelets (rehydrated the veges first) and potatoes (they were originally frozen hashbrowns) that were rehydrated, then fried in butter.

I need more jars! All of mine are full.

[Cool Blue]

Yep, potatoes are pretty good but I'm having trouble creating mashed potatoes from dehydrated ones.

I did a bunch of apples and used them to make apple crisp which my family loved!  I boiled the apples to rehydrate them and you can't tell the difference from fresh baked ones.

[SteveandTracyinKY]

When it comes to making mashed potatoes from dehydrated foods I am pretty sure you have to mash them first. Its hard to get the rehydrated potatoes to mash, they will just chip up and you end up with something resembling cottage cheese.

If you boil them and mash them plain, no butter, milk, ect. Then spread them over the trays and let dry, you should be able to rehydrate the crumble back to a familiar consistency. I have never tried this however, once I tried it the other way I never got around to trying this one.

[LvsChant]

OK... I know it is somewhere on here (maybe on the dehydrating potatoes thread), but...

One of our forum members ran the experiment to get mashed potatoes. She said that you had to mash the potatoes first, then spread out on a sheet and freeze it first. Apparently, the freezing made all the difference. Then, she dehydrated and powdered. She said without the freezing step it never turned out right.

[Morning Sunshine]

OK... I know it is somewhere on here (maybe on the dehydrating potatoes thread), but...

One of our forum members ran the experiment to get mashed potatoes. She said that you had to mash the potatoes first, then spread out on a sheet and freeze it first. Apparently, the freezing made all the difference. Then, she dehydrated and powdered. She said without the freezing step it never turned out right.

I missed that thread..... I hope you can find it.  I want to see it!

[LvsChant]

Yes. It was the dehydrating potatoes thread:

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=9858.msg158884#msg158884