, ,

Ways to Dehydrate Food

Dehydrating food is a great way to be able to preserve your garden bounty or great find at the produce stand. You simply remove the moisture from your produce or meat to give it a much longer shelf life. This is not the same thing as freeze-drying which is a more mechanical process. This is simply allowing nature or low heat to dry out food. Dehydrating  takes up less space than traditional canning if canning is not something you want to tackle. It’s also much less hands-on than canning, simply prepare your slices, and walk away. Then store (through canning jars with silica packets, zip top bags for quick use, dry canning or using a vacuum sealer) to keep your bounty fresh, but dry, until you are ready to use it in your cooking or snacking. Dehydrated foods typically can last up to a year, though meat jerkies should be consumed within 3 months.

For 101+ Dehydrating Recipes – click here!

How to Dehydrate Foods, as found through Pinterest:

Off-Grid Dehydrating on racks

How to Dehydrate Food using outdoor drying racks ~ Mom with a Prep
runnerduck.com

or solar powered

How to Dehydrate Food using a solar powered dehydrater ~ Mom with a Prep
rootsimple.com

or in your car

How to Dehydrate Food in Your Car ~ Mom with a Prep
waldeneffect.org

Electrical Dehydrator

How to Dehydrate Food in a Dehydrator ~ Mom with a Prep
theweekendprepper.com

How to Dehydrate in the oven

Choosing a Dehydrator: this is really a personal choice. If using an electrical dehydrator, you can go with the top of the consumer market line with an Excalibur, a mid-market L’Equip, or a more affordable brand like one of the  American Harvest versions (THIS is the one that I use). The Exaclibur really allows you to process a lot of product at one time, has an off-switch when the timer is done and allows for great control. My American Harvest does not have an automatic off switch, but otherwise has served me very well. I cannot dehydrate as much as if I had an Excalibur, but that’s only because I haven’t purchased extra racks, yet.  I can make it as large as will sit safely on the counter! I only purchased it because of the price and not having the money to fully invest in an Excalibur at the time, and frankly, don’t plan on switching at this point.

Great Dehydrating Resources:

 Part II – recipes!
101 + Dehydrating Recipes | { Mom with a Prep Blog }Follow me on:

Mom with a Prep | Pinterest boards

__________________________________________

This work is copyright @2013 by Mom with a Prep {blog} and may not be copied in part or in whole without the express consent from Mom with a Prep

Website | + posts

Katy Willis is a writer, lifelong homesteader, and master herbalist, master gardener, and canine nutritionist. Katy is a preparedness expert and modern homesteader practicing everyday preparedness, sustainability, and a holistic lifestyle.

She knows how important it is to be prepared for whatever life throws at you, because you just never know what's coming. And preparedness helps you give your family the best chance to thrive in any situation.

Katy is passionate about living naturally, growing food, keeping livestock, foraging, and making and using herbal remedies. Katy is an experienced herbalist and a member of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).

Her preparedness skills go beyond just being "ready", she's ready to survive the initial disaster, and thrive afterward, too. She grows 100% organic food on roughly 15 acres and raises goats, chickens, and ducks. She also lovingly tends her orchard, where she grows many different fruit trees. And, because she likes to know exactly what she's feeding her family, she's a seasoned from-scratch cook and gluten-free baker.

Katy teaches foraging and environmental education classes, too, including self-sufficient living, modern homesteading, seed saving, and organic vegetable gardening.

Katy helps others learn forgotten skills, including basic survival skills and self-reliance.

She's been published on sites such as MSN, Angi, Home Advisor, Family Handyman, Wealth of Geeks, Readers Digest, and more.

Leave a Comment