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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  Dehydrating Food  |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 01 2012 : 9:51:11 PM
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I bought two 3 pound bags of frozen mixed vegetables on sale the other day. Dumped both bags in the dehydrator.... dried to 2 quart jars full!
3 pounds worth of freezer space is alot in my world right now especially because I have bulk chicken coming in later this month.
And yes... you can take frozen berries and dry them straight from the freezer. I have some that I will be doing that with this week.
The other thing I have been doing for several months is drying any left over veggies and powdering them in the blender and dumping everything into a jar. I dried collards the other day and added to my mixed veggie powder jar. I use a scoop when cooking hamburger or in soups or when I think about it. Granted the flavor ebbs and flows... sometimes it's a little spicy-er if I added too many peppers from our Bountiful Basket. Or then it will turn kind of pink when I add beets. Today it has more of a green hue because of the collards.
I can't even imagine how many pounds of vegetables are in that 1/2 gallon jar! And it IS pounds and pounds!1
Do what you love, love what you do. |
Edited by - emsmommy5 on Oct 01 2012 9:56:40 PM |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Oct 02 2012 : 2:43:36 PM
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What a great idea! All those little odds and ends of veggies dried and waiting for winter soup. Thanks for the tip. Kennie Lyn
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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pinokeeo
True Blue Farmgirl
559 Posts
Phyllis
Oregon
USA
559 Posts |
Posted - Oct 02 2012 : 8:25:54 PM
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For the person or persons who asked about storage after drying, we use ball jars and vacuum seal them. We've had foods for more than a year in jars like this and it still is good.
And for the pumpkin, dry it like a fruit leather and powder it, then vacuum seal. When you are ready to use, just soak in water, equal amounts of powder and water.
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I cannot master those things that I have not tried.
check out my artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/PiNOKEEOs |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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hialtfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
72 Posts
Terri
WA.
USA
72 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2012 : 7:43:30 PM
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YES!!! sweet pots dehy wonderful...
Does anyone use their dehydrater(what size?) with their solar power?
"LOVING" life at 4000 feet elev. |
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neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 12:21:28 PM
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Hey folks, I'm trying to do better at keeping my fridge cleaned out on a more regular basis. It's just a chore I don't care to do so end up throwing a lot of stuff out after it goes bad. When I really think about this it would have been unheard of when I was growing up to waste ANYTHING. I'd like to make a more determined effort to dehydrate unused foods BEFORE it get old enough to throw out. Can potatoes, celery, carrot and onion be chopped & dehydrated & stored in canning jars for soup? I consistently lose things that don't keep very long such as strawberries, bananas, spinach, bell peppers etc.
Farmgirl #522
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2012 : 1:19:37 PM
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Good Kristina I'll give that a try then, if I had done this earlier I'd have a ton of stockpiled dehydrated stuff, oh well, I'll just do better from here on out.
Farmgirl #522
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Heather B
True Blue Farmgirl
562 Posts
Heather
Longmont
Colorado
USA
562 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2012 : 5:07:48 PM
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Celery and Carrots dehydrate well and make it very easy to throw a soup or stew together quickly. I love dehydrating! I want to dig up some of my horseradish, dehydrate and grind into a powder to use as seasoning. Has anyone done this with much luck? I understand that sometimes horseradish loses its flavor quickly.
Heather
http://homesteadincity.blogspot.com/
http://littlehouseonthebumper.blogspot.com/ (My "glamper" page)
"Only your real friends tell you when your face is dirty"
Farm Girl Sister #662 |
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neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2013 : 3:30:23 PM
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Just dehydrated 25 lbs of organic carrots this weekend. A lot of fun now that we're really getting into dehydrating. Wanting to experiment with everything now. I love Tammy of Dehydrate2Store, very helpful indeed, here's the her website www.dehydrate2store.com
Farmgirl #522
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Edited by - neeter302 on Jan 15 2013 5:49:58 PM |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2013 : 5:11:45 PM
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Thanks for that link Anita, that site is awesome!! I didn't realize you could dehydrate like that--now I'm kicking myself for the food that I have put in the compost!!
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
www.madameapothecary.com |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2013 : 5:56:57 PM
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Very welcome ladies, my family thinks I've gone nuts but I'm having so much experimenting. Last night before bed I filled the dehydrator full of fruit leather from frozen fruits that were getting old and almost freezer burned. Sweetened with honey from our hives and agave, a little lemon/lime juice. Took it to work and you would have thought it was Christmas all over again. They LOVED it. Made kiwi/apple/green grape, strawberry and berry blend (raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). Tonight we're making peach, purple grape and more mixed berry. DH loves it..jpg)
Farmgirl #522
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Antb
Farmgirl in Training
25 Posts
antonia
Rockforf
Il
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 4:34:12 PM
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To Michele:
Pumpkin is nice dehydrated. I use it for soup, but my son loves it just right out of the dehydrator. The flavor is mildly sweet, if you use a pie pumpkin.
I have lots of dehydrated greens that I do at the end of summer, and into winter- as long as the greens last, I dehydrate them. I keep them in two jars, one for mild greens and one for spicy/bitter greens. A handful of each gets crushed and put into soup and broth.
My grocery store has a section for sale produce, often sold in biggish paper bags, and often I can find organic produce there. I buy that up and dry it. Lemons, oranges, bananas- all are great in the deydrator! And organic citrus I leave the peels on, because I can grind it up along with the fruit. Yum! |
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Bonnie Ellis
True Blue Farmgirl
2474 Posts
Bonnie
Minneapolis
Minnesota
USA
2474 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 7:53:53 PM
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We make yogurt in our home-made food dryer. Yummy when you add vanilla and fruit.
grandmother and orphan farmgirl |
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neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2013 : 7:24:23 PM
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Definitely trying the yogurt....YUM!
Farmgirl #522
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Antb
Farmgirl in Training
25 Posts
antonia
Rockforf
Il
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2013 : 5:14:39 PM
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I dehydrated sliced eggplant, and still have quite a bit. I'm trying to use up my canned stuff, and have tomatoes that I put up that are pretty full of liquid. I used the dried eggplant and some frozen zucchini along with the canned tomatoes to make ratatouille. The dry eggplant soaked up the tomato liquid nicely while it was baking, and the flavor was a nice reminder of summer.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SecondChanceCeramics
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AntB
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2013 : 4:06:38 PM
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Hi girls! I would REALLY like to dehydrate my pumpkins this year and make powder to rehydrate for recipes. I don't have the paraflexx sheets for my Excalibur, though. I have been doing a little research online and people have recommended everything from spreading the cooked, mashed pumpkin right on the mesh sheet to using waxed paper, Saran Wrap and even non-stick flexible cutting sheets. Have any of you tried any of these alternatives? I would really rather not buy the special sheets unless I have to, but I will if you think it's necessary. Also, some people say to flip the pumpkin halfway through drying, while others say just to dry it straight through without flipping it over. What are your thoughts on that? I'd really appreciate your insights! Thanks - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2013 : 8:11:50 PM
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I am still getting a few thing out of the garden but not enough to can so I have been drying peppers and tomatoes.
I store my dried food in freezer bags and keep them in the freezer.
I also did some foraging and picked some raspberry leaves for Raspberry leaf tea. I put them in the dehydrator, it didn't take long at all. I am storing that in Ball Jars. First time trying that.
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Oct 12 2013 : 8:53:42 PM
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Dehydrating (and canning) apples tomorrow! YAY!
Thanks Kristina - I'm sorry, I missed your response! I'm definitely going to try the parchment! YAY!
Your tea sounds great, Sandra! :)
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: Dehydrating Food |
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Dehydrating Food
