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Farm Kitchen:  New Food Dehydrator, for my birthday!!!  |
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Garden_artist
True Blue Farmgirl
182 Posts
Tammy
Southern Coast Oregon
182 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 27 2006 : 3:43:52 PM
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My Mom bought me a beautiful food dehydrator my 40th birthday, it is so great. The coolest part is she got a box and covered it with material, so I can leave the dehydrator out (like on the fridge) and it looks decorative. She is so crafty, it's really cool.
So my question to everyone is can you recommend recipes that I should try? And has anyone made the fruit rolls and recommendations on making sure they come out nice and how do you store them afterwards?
When I feel spring coming I have to plant or I’ll go crazy! |
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cmandle
True Blue Farmgirl
846 Posts
Catherine
Minneapolis
MN
846 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2006 : 3:48:45 PM
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I just used mine (my husband's!) last night for the first time. I dried a bunch of herbs and it went really well! I also hope to use it for other cool things, so I'll watch this thread too. My husband used to make beef jerky in the dehydrator all the time before he met me, but our kitchen is vegetarian now. I'm sure he'd love to share his recipe though, he really liked making it. (Is it okay for farmboys to post?)
Catherine
* Proud wife of Dan * Jackson's Mom * Still missing Lucy the Cat... * |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2006 : 5:07:22 PM
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I have a dehydrator and love it. I don't have a lot of recipes, but a couple of tips. When you collect your herbs to dry, make sure you do it early in the morning before the sun gets to them so that their oils are at their peak after the cool night.
When drying fruits, I've found you really need to treat them to keep them a decent color. I've used lemon juice with some success, but found that pure ascorbic acid dissolved in water works the best. Pharmacies usually sell it. There is a product called Fruit Fresh you can buy, but if my memory serves me right (happens once in a while!), it contains a sulfite preservative. Apples sprinkled with a little cinammon are excellent and keep for a long time.
Have fun...I tried dehydrating everything when we first got ours!
Di |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2006 : 6:55:45 PM
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What a nice mom you have! There is nothing like the smell of drying cimmamon apples wafting through the house.
Karin |
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cmandle
True Blue Farmgirl
846 Posts
Catherine
Minneapolis
MN
846 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2006 : 8:37:25 PM
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Howdy Farmgirls, this is DAN here...Catherine's husband. I got this recipe for dehydrator beef jerky from Backpacker magazine, Sept. 2000. Along with recipes for hardtack and Hudson Bay bread (both awesome, let me know if you want those too...not dehydrator).
JERKY (modern recipe)
2 lbs lean meat
1/2 cup Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp each: crushed garlic, red pepper, black pepper, salt
Partially freeze the meat so it's easier to slice into strips, no more than 1/2 inch thick. Trim away fat. Mix the Worchestershire and soy sauces with garlic in a dish. Rub the meat with a little salt and pepper and place in marinade. Refrigerate marinating meat for AT LEAST 24 hours. Pat meat dry. Place in a dehydrator for 7-8 hours, until it's dry, yet pliable.
Yield: 30-40 strips
(Also comes with oven directions, if anyone wants that part of the recipe.)
Notes: I *never* kept it in the dehydrator for just 7-8 hours, I usually kept it in for about 24 hours. It depends on your model. Alternate recipes include the addition of "liquid smoke" for flavor. I've tried hickory and it's good too.
--Dan |
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blueroses
True Blue Farmgirl
1323 Posts
Debbie
in the Pandhandle of
Idaho
USA
1323 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 10:26:23 AM
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Dan,
That sounds great. I would like the Hudson Bay bread recipe too. Thanks!!
"You cannot find peace...by avoiding life."
Virginia Woolfe |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 11:04:26 AM
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I'd like to give the bread recipe a try as well Dan...thanks!
Also, how do you store your jerky and how long is it good for? |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 11:29:16 AM
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I have two dehydrators and use them every summer. I love drying things...I do alot of tomatoes, some apples and peaches, and herbs and always always jerky..the kids love it. I use a couple different recipes..but the kids favorite is teriaki..which is 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 tsp garlic powder..marinate overnight in this mixture and then dry like Dan explained above. I usually dry mine about 12 to 16 hours..depending on how thick the peices are. We especially like venison jerky.
My nieghbor is drying cherries right now. I havn't done that yet..but may be doing it before the weekend is over since the kids and I have been picking cherries from his enormous loaded tree and I will be working on them all weekend. Was up until 2am pitting cherries last night!
I am mostly going to can pie filling.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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LindaAlbert
Farmgirl in Training
31 Posts
Linda
Belgrade
Montana
USA
31 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 11:29:56 AM
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Bananas! You are going to love your dehydrator for bananas that you think are going too far before you get to them. Very simple. Just peel, cut in half lengthwise and dry until you can't create a depression by poking them with you finger. They keep forever and they are like candy. Store airtight.
"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog."
Konrad Lorenz |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 11:32:08 AM
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You are so right..my kids love dried bananas. They arn't pretty...but boy are they good. Someone told me that dried watermelon is really good too...but messy as it dries. I want to try that this year too.
Welcome Linda!! Be sure to go over to the Welcome wagon section and introduce yourself..I am glad you found us!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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blueroses
True Blue Farmgirl
1323 Posts
Debbie
in the Pandhandle of
Idaho
USA
1323 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 11:38:58 AM
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Oh Yum,
Now I'm gonna have to go buy one with the gift card I got from some contest at work! That will be much better than a new bathing suit, since I don't want to go out in public in one anyway!!
Jenny,
Do you dry only romas? Slice? I would love some hints on drying tomatoes. Thanks.
Debbie
"You cannot find peace...by avoiding life."
Virginia Woolfe |
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Garden_artist
True Blue Farmgirl
182 Posts
Tammy
Southern Coast Oregon
182 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 12:33:27 PM
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Oh, everything sounds so good. I can't wait to start picking veggies out of the garden. I picked a bunch of basil the other night for pesto, I need to remember to go out in the morning and pick herbs for the dehydrator.
My Mom, she is the greatest. She knows how to buy a gift that keeps giving!
Diane, thank you for the much needed tips.
Linda I had no idea I could dry bananas length wise, that sounds so good I will have to try some tonight.
Aunt Jenny what recipe do you use for cherry pie filling? Do you use sour cherries? I have a ton of canned sweet cherries and I don't know what to do with them. Maybe I should post it and get input.
Dan & Aunt Jenny thank you so much for the jerky recipes, my husband will surely appreciate it. What cut of meat do you find does the best? And how to you store it, and how long does it last?
When I feel spring coming I have to plant or I’ll go crazy! |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 12:54:37 PM
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I would like your pie filling recipes too Aunt Jenny, particularly if you have one for canning apple pie filling. I've had little success with freezing apples for desserts...they always seem to get tough or something. I have a tree full of transparents that I would really like to use up before the squirrels get them!
Di - still thinking about Aunt Jenny's poor toes <cringe>
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 1:35:23 PM
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for the tomato drying I use anything. Romas or that type do best since they are meatier, but I even dried a bunch of cherry tomatoes and little yellow pear tomatoes last year. They were wonderful and sweet! I had so many tomatoes I had them going all sorts of ways last year. I hope my tomatoes do as well this summer!!
Cherry pie filling..I am doing sweet cherries this time. I think I they are bing..but not sure. This tree was fabulous. The kids and I picked more today and all together we have picked 8 grocery bags of cherrys and havn't made a dent!! If we have time I will get more on Friday. I can't stand to see them go to waste..they are wonderful. I will post my cherry and apple pie filing recipes later. I love them both..
for jerky I use round steak if I use beef..and any steak if venison. The main VERY most important thing is NO fat. The jerky dons't last any time at all without getting rancid if you have any fat on it. London broil works good too if you find it on sale. I tend to put mine up with the foodsaver or in ziploc bags with the air sucked out and if you are storing it more than a week or so (some batches never last beyond a day or so here!!) it is a good idea to store them in the freezer. They will keep awhile out of the freezer if there is no fat and the air is really really sucked out though. My mom used to make her jerky brittle..yikes..and covered in salt and pepper. IT was hard to eat but lasted forever. I prefer mine a little more easy to chew and to have to refridgerate the bags..they don't take up much space.
good luck!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 2:47:47 PM
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Hi Dan, I'd be interested in the hard tack and the Hudson Bay bread recipe. I've also made beef jerky from extra lean hamburger. Turned out pretty good.
Mary Bell who's been selling dehydrators for years at the Minnesota State Fair said once that she keeps a dehydrator going practically constantly and will dry serving size leftovers. Make great backpacking fare-just add water.Oh she also has a good cookbook out.I also dry lots of mushrooms my husband finds on his hikes. Thanks from a former Twin Citian
I've always been called a dreamer, but I never listened. I did what others dare not do--lived my dream while they watched. Unknown |
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cmandle
True Blue Farmgirl
846 Posts
Catherine
Minneapolis
MN
846 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2006 : 7:15:17 PM
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Hi all. It's Dan again. Glad to hear the jerky recipe will come in handy. (And I like the teriyake suggestion too!)
The first time I made the Hudson Bay Bread I was surprised. I expected true bread, but the stuff came out more like compacted granola bars. Maybe I make it wrong even though I follow the recipe...or maybe it's just the way it's supposed to be. Here's what the article in Backpacker said to do:
Hudson Bay Bread
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 T light corn syrup
3 T honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9 1/2 cups finely ground rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Cream together the butter, sugar, syrup, honey, and vanilla. Grind the oats using a food processor or coffee grinder. Slowly stir in the almonds and oats. Press it all into a 9x13" pan. Bake at 325F for 15-20 minutes. Be leery of overcooking because of the crumble factor. Immediately after pulling the bread out of the oven press it down with a spatula. Cut into squares and keep in pan until cool. Makes 15 2x2" bars.
The hard tack is less interesting, but I LOVE the sturdiness of the stuff. I remember reading about it in high school! Anyway:
Hard Tack
1 1/2 c milk
4 c flour
4 T butter
3 T brown sugar
1 1/2 t salt
Mix the ingredients into a dough and roll out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut into squares. Prick the squares with a knife or fork. Place on a lightly greased baking pan and bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Makes 24 2x2" bars.
Happy baking!
(Regarding the jerky, I honestly don't remember how long I used to store it or the cuts used...but Aunt Jenny's advice seems right on!)
--Dan |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2006 : 08:08:29 AM
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Does anyone have a favorite brand/size of dehydrator? I'm starting to watch ebay for a deal but I don't know anything about all the different brands or what sizes I just shouldn't even bother with. There is such a big price range! Since my kitchen is small and low on storage space I guess I don't want a huge one, but I don't want it so small as to be useless either.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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EagleNest
True Blue Farmgirl
192 Posts
Mary
Yakima
WA
192 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2006 : 2:50:46 PM
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Walla Walla Sweet Onions. I cut thick slices of onion and dry for 24 hrs, but check they might not need that long. One hint: Do this in garage or outside or it will drive you out of the house. I store them in ziploks in the freezer. When you put them in soups they rehydrate almost like fresh onions.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Gal 5:22 |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2006 : 3:12:52 PM
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Wow. So many useful ideas. I love all the soup suggestions, especially the onion. I don't know if it was mentioned here or on another site I was looking at but cubing all of that extra zuchinni is supposed to be great for soups as well.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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_Rebecca_
True Blue Farmgirl
568 Posts
Rebecca
OK
USA
568 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2006 : 3:15:38 PM
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That is really nice! I love kitchen gadgets! Hope you get lots of use from it!
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·.
Wife of Jonathan, Mother of Joel, Caitlyn, Elia, Nathanael |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2006 : 10:53:09 AM
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I have an "American Harvest". I have had two. The first came from Target clearance rack and the other for $2 at a yard sale. I used one to death. The second (yardsale one) is still going strong. Just made a batch of apricot fruit leather last week. What I don't like about this one is that it is round and has a hole in the center of all the racks; they stack like a tower. I had to get the special plastic tray covers to be able to make fruit leather, which was ok; they weren't too expensive and I've certainly gotten my money's worth from them.
I have also used an "Excalaber" brand before. They are great. Nice flat, square, no holes trays! They are quicker in drying than my cheapies, but they are very costly. I guess you have to decide how much you'd use it to see if it felt worth it for you.
Happy drying!
Sharon
PS Jenny, do you slip the peel off the tomatoes before you dry? Also, do you slice or halve/quarter?
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
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UrbanChick
True Blue Farmgirl
331 Posts
Ayako
Atlanta
GA
USA
331 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2006 : 12:37:21 PM
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I have the dehydrator that Mary Jane recommended in her book. From www.dryit.com I have the mini version and it sits on my counter top. It looks nice too so I can leave it out in the open. I've been drying a ton of herbs and made up a soup jars with dried celery, carrots, onions, corn and tomatoes. I love it and it works great. I haven't noticed an increase in the power bill other than from running the AC 24/7. I love using it and my DH and I were thinking about getting the master version to go with it.
"Courage dosen't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying: I will try again tomorrow." |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2006 : 7:19:09 PM
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That dryit dehydrator does look lovely. Perhaps I'll find something very inexpensive at a garage sale to see how much I will use it before spending that much though. One of these days I'm going to have to pull out all of our boxes of books and find my MJB book. It's been missing since we moved here last August.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2006 : 09:26:37 AM
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Okay, more drying questions... I've been looking through my Putting Food By book which I've loved for freezing information, but the section on drying makes it seem really complicated and scarey to me. Have any of you used this book for drying? I want to make the soup mixes Ayako mentioned. I already keep a supply of chicken stock so being able to throw some dried veggies in and go will be great on those nights where everyone has an activity going on.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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santa_gertrudis_gal
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Kim
Groesbeck
Texas
USA
198 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2006 : 11:56:29 AM
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Ok, I love my dehydrator after it's first use yesterday. When this post went up back in June. I dove in and found a Sunbeam on eBay that was brand new. My first experience, strawberries ok, not something I'd like to snack on. Grapes, were in there to, still drying. I used Fruit Fresh. I'll try the other suggestions in my instructions for drying, as I feel like the flavor could be better. Sunbeam instructions are marginal at best. Without this post I wouldn't have known where to start. Since I've not found anything with a For Sure follow receipe for foods that are dried, or for cooking with dried foods yet I've warned the family they will be guniea pigs. I've decided this is something to work through and figure out what works best. That's why I got an El Cheapo machine to start with. If I like it great, if not I'll give my dehydrator away. I'd just dive in! Like me!
Kim
Heaven is a day at the ranch with my Santa Gertrudis! |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2006 : 2:03:26 PM
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I probably need to do just that, Kim. I think that the problem I'm having with the Putting Foods By book is that it's giving me more information than I need. Is does recommend getting straight ascorbic acid from a pharmacist instead of using Fruit Fresh because of something that is in the Fruit Fresh, but I ban't remember what ingredient they didn't like in it and it's possible that they stopped using that ingredient anyway.
Boy, that was a load of no real information on my part... I'm off to ebay!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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Farm Kitchen: New Food Dehydrator, for my birthday!!! |
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New Food Dehydrator, for my birthday!!!
