Dehydrating Food
DEHYDRATION
Watch the videos at dehydrate2store.com, this will get you wanting to dehydrate. I like Excalibur brand dehydrator, they are about $200-350 on Amazon, you can also use your oven, or screened enclosures.
How do you store it all? Order “Mylar bags with zippers” at amazon.com, they are anywhere from .15 to .75 cents depending on size. Get oxygen absorb packs from Winco or at Amazon.com they are $6 for 100. Put an oxygen absorb pack on top not the bottom, in Mylar bags. Seal with curling iron.
Most vegetables need to be blanched before drying. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut your product into a large bowl while waiting for water to boil. When it is boiling put all the product in the water at one time, making sure it is covered with the water. Let the water come to a boil again. As soon as it begins to boil it is done. Remove and put on trays.
- ANAHEIM PEPPER – Blanch and slice, de-seed, dry to brittle. This is Green Chilies.
- APPLE – Peel, slice, put into lemon water, then dehydrate until brittle, or buy from Cannery, awesome as a snack, in breads, use for apple fritters, or apple pies. Some leave the peels on.
- APRICOT – Split remove the pits, spray with lemon juice, dehydrate until brittle. Some just buy bags of dehydrated Apricots from Costco, then dehydrate until brittle. Good snack
- ASPARAGUS – Cut tips and stems, blanch dry to brittle.
- BANANAS – Slice then spray with lemon juice and dehydrate until brittle. Good Snack
- BEETS – Cook, slip off skin, slice or shoestring, dehydrate to brittle.
- BEET GREENS – wash green tops, dry put on trays, dry to brittle
- BLACK BEANS – Cook Beans, rinse, cool, dry until brittle. Re-hydrates like instant rice
- BLUEBERRIES – Buy dried berries from Costco, dehydrate further until brittle
- BREAD CRUMBS – Season with spices if desired, cut into chunks, dry to brittle
- BROCCOLI – Get lrg bags of frozen, Cash & Carry, Costco. Fresh, cut, blanch, dry to brittle.
- CABBAGE – Slice, blanch, dry to brittle, re-hydrate for salads, slaw, teriyaki, or veg. soup.
- CALIFLOWER – Cut, chunk, Blanch, dry to brittle, will brown then whiten when re-hydrated.
- CARROTS – Slice or dice carrots, or use whole baby carrots, blanch, dry to brittle
- CELERY – Slice, leaves and all, blanch (leave have tons of flavor) dry to brittle
- CHERRIES – pit cut in half, steam them, laying them skin side down, dry to brittle
- COCONUT – use store bought unsweetened coconut, dry to brittle, it will store longer
- CORN – Easiest way is to purchase large bags of frozen from Cash and Carry or Costco, you can grind to use for corn bread, toss into soup, or re-hydrated to replace a can of corn.
- FRUIT ROLLUP – 1 c berries, 1/4 c corn syrup, 2 tbsp lemon (lemon thickens it), blend in blender, if you want it raw, pour on plastic sheet, or put in a pot and thicken it for 2-3 minutes, let it cool, pour on plastic. Pull off plastic to make sure it is done. When done roll up in plastic.
- Apples blend up peels and all. Cherry, Pineapple, banana add honey and lemon.
- GARLIC – I don’t dehydrate them too stinky, I purchase from Winco in the bulk bins
- GREEN BEANS – frozen from Costco dehydrate, Garden fresh must be blanched first.
- GREEN ONIONS – Cut the way you would serve it, then dry to brittle
- GREEN PEPPERS – Cut into chunks the size you would use, then dehydrate to brittle
- JAPAPENO PEPPER – USE GLOVES Slice, de-seed and Blanche, then dry to brittle.
- MANGO – slice, dehydrate to brittle, or Buy dehydrated from Costco and dry to brittle
- MIXED VEGETABLES – Purchase large bags of frozen from Cash and Carry or Costco MUSHROOMS – slice mushrooms, dehydrate to brittle, Cash and Carry has already dehydrated mushrooms in a gallon plastic bottle (by the raw tomatoes) I think they are cheaper than buying mushrooms raw and dehydrating. Toss into soups, re-hydrate and fry, rehydrate for pizza
- ONIONS – Blanch, I don’t dehydrate too stinky; I purchase at the Cannery or Auguson Farms.
- ORANGE SLICE – using a meat slicer slice oranges and dry to brittle
- ORANGE PEELS – dry to brittle then blend in blender to powder use as an orange zest.
- PARSNIPS – Peel, blanch, dehydrate to brittle.
- PEACHES – Peel, spray with lemon juice, dehydrate until brittle, good as a snack, pie or cobbler
- PEARS – Peel, remove core, slice spray with lemon juice, dehydrate until brittle. snack
- PEAS – get frozen from Cash and Carry or Costco and dehydrate. Toss in soups or rehydrate.
- PINNAPPLE – very messy, buy canned, then dehydrate until brittle before storing. Good snack
- PINTO BEANS – cook, drain, cool, dry to brittle, they are now instant to make refried beans
- POTATOES – Peel, slice, shred, or chunk, blanch dehydrate to brittle. re-hydrate and fry.
- PRUNES OR PLUMS – wash, pit and, dehydrate to brittle. Use as a snack or stewed prunes
- PUMPKIN – Peel, slice, blanche, dehydrate to brittle. blend to powder, reconstitute for pies
- RAISINS – Wash seedless grapes, remove from stems, dehydrate until brittle. Will soften in bag
- RASPBERRIES – dry to brittle. Re-hydrate for top of cheese cake or pies, or breakfast cereal.
- RED PEPPER – Cut into chunks the size you would use, then dehydrate to brittle
- RICE – Cook, put on sheets, dehydrate to brittle. Now it is instant rice.
- SALSA – Pour jar of salsa (with no oil in it) on trays with plastic on top, dry 1/2 way, remove from plastic, finish drying to brittle, break into chunks before storing. Rehydrate and use
- SPAGHETTI SAUCE – Pour jar of sauce (with no oil in it) on trays with plastic on top, dry 1/2 way, remove from plastic, finish drying to brittle, break into chunks before storing.
- SPINACH – wash spinach, dry put on trays, dry to brittle. Break into pieces for soups or leave whole to replicate canned spinach.
- SQUASH – Peel, slice or chunks, blanch in boiling water, then dehydrate till brittle. To use: Boil a little more and mash and serve with cinnamon and sugar.
- SWEET POTATO – Peel, slice or chunk, blanch in boiling water, then dehydrate till brittle.
- TOMATO – blanche and remove the skin, cut in medium chunks, dehydrate to brittle. toss in soups, blend for tomato sauce. Or run tomato through food mill to take off skin and seeds then put on plastic, dry ½ way through, then peel off plastic and dry till brittle. Then powder for use.
- TOMATO PASTE – Buy big cans of paste, put plastic on your trays, make dollar sized disks about 1/2-inch-thick, dry 1/2 way through, take off plastic, then dry until brittle. Perfect in soups that need 2 tbsp. of paste, they will melt right in the pot of boiling soup. This is one of my favorite things, as I was sick of having paste go bad on the shelf every year.
- >TOMITILLO – Peel husk off tomato, wash stickiness off tomato, blend in blender to chunk, pour onto sheets of plastic, dehydrate to brittle. Put through a food mill if you want seeds removed. You can also buy large cans from Cash & Carry and pour them onto the dehydrator, when dried, break into chunks. Wonderful for making green chili sauce for burritos, enchiladas
- YAM – Peel, slice or chunks, blanch in boiling water, then dehydrate till brittle. re-hydrate and boil a little more till done, add brown sugar and butter. Yummy
- ZUCCHINI SHREADS – shred Zucchini, put thickly on trays, dry brittle. Use in breads, cakes
- ZUCCHINI SLICES – slice with meat slicer so they are all uniform in size, dry to brittle to make a potato chip add flavoring of your choice.
Peaches, pears, bananas and apples can all be dipped in pineapple juice instead of lemon juice which is sour.