Dehydrating & Recipes

I have no financial interest or any monetary gain from posting this link- This is purely for information only, you can price these at many places:

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Pantry-Hanging-Dehydrator-Dryer/dp/B001T426TE

http://ecohearth.com/eco-zine/food-and-garden/650-building-a-solar-powered-food-dehydrator-.html

Build a Solar-Powered Food Dehydrator—Easy, Detailed Plans

Who doesn’t love dried fruits and vegetables? There’s the extra sweetness and concentrated flavor. They can be eaten “as is” or reconstituted with water. They’re lightweight—easy to carry to class, to work or even around the world. And don’t forget their environmental friendliness: they can be stored nearly forever without refrigeration, they don’t need to be cooked to be enjoyed and, unlike so many other foods, they don’t come wrapped in excessive packaging (especially if you make them yourself).

Under the right conditions in the right climate, certain foods dehydrate naturally. But you can build your own food dehydrator to create favorable conditions wherever you are with the free plans below.

Raw vegans have a special appreciation because they believe, and scientific investigation bears out, that produce heated to no higher temperature than the sun would, retains its nutritional integrity and life force.

However, raw-fooders aren't the only people who enjoy using food dehydrators. Backpackers make lightweight soups, homesteaders make winter seasoning blends, naturalists dehydrate healing herbs, and some dads make mean all-fruit roll-ups.

There are many food dehydrators on the market, but by constructing one yourself, you can build it to your size specifications and make it completely off-grid.

If you like a lot of dried food, or like giving it away to friends, you should consider building a roof dehydrator. It’s fun to assemble, easy to use, and is powered directly by the sun and wind (which means no waste of energy and no increase in utility bills!).

A rooftop food dehydrator works by using the color black to draw in the sun's heat through a clear barrier. The heat then warms the air, which rises and is directed through screens with food on them.

If you are a true DIYer and have a set of tools to tinker with, go for the hardcore solar-food dehydrator like the one pictured. For the really hardcore, the rawer than raw, the useful object recyclers: why not use all reused or compostable materials?

My solar dehydrator, for example, is on a rooftop in Hollywood, dehydrating nine months of the year, so the sun is providing a generous power supply. Here are some tips to build your own:

1. Drill holes in 3/8" Window Grade Lexan door to be attached to the box painted black for absorbing heat.

 

2. Install flashing over raw Lexan edges for skin safety. Notice the shelf mounts inside the box.

 

3. Using recycled window screens cut to fit new dimensions, it is now time to roll in the new aluminum screen.

 

4. Here it is fully assembled and positioned (illegally) on a Hollywood rooftop. But really, what landlord would scoff at these environmental and money-saving efforts? Notice the lid props for safe bracing while loading and unloading the dehydrator.

 

5. An aluminum screen at the top and bottom of the box allows ventilation and prevents birds and insects from entering.

 

6. The legs on casters allow for easier moving, though the Lexan on this bugger weighs a ton!

 

7. Earlier in the day on my hand-crank blender (another human-powered kitchen appliance) I blended up: 20 medjool dates, one lemon's juice and one teaspoon of organic cinnamon and spread over one-and-a-half quarts (soaked volume) of buckwheat groats. I am scooping them onto two food-grade silicone baking sheets, though unbleached or recycled parchment paper has proven to be a preferable option due to its ability to allow better airflow.

 

8. The other shelves are lined with unbleached parchment paper that can be washed and reused instead of being thought of as disposable (what does that word mean, anyway?). Notice the dehydrator's handle is made of wood, which does not absorb the rooftop's heat so I can grab it to open! Other trays hold kale chips and sweet potato chips.

 

9. Ravenous Do-It-Yourselfers can hardly wait to celebrate their teamwork!

You don’t have to build a solar dehydrator as big as mine. You can find plans below for a small, easy solar dehydrator that can be built in a few hours for less than $10. Tailor the plans to fit your specific climate, space and food needs. But do build one.

I mean, how cool would it be to send your child to school with a luscious whole dehydrated banana in her lunch box? How about some date-sweetened "buckwheaties" with hemp-seed milk for breakfast cereal? Or you might want a work snack of apple slices spread with sun-warmed coconut butter. It's easy to replace potato chips with a more mineral-packed variety, and if those kale chips were dehydrated in your personally built, solar food dehydrator made from recycled material, what could be greener about your late-nite snacks?

[See a complete list of writing by Tonya Kay on EcoHearth.com or visit her Clean and Green Everyday blog. Also, read about other environmental DIY projects on EcoHearth. - Ed.]

 

Other resources:

Hardcore Solar Food Dehydrator Plans (pdf) 

Simple and Fast Solar Dehydrator PlansEasy DIY Environmental Projects

Updated 9/23/10; originally posted 6/10/09.

Filing cabinet dehytrator

Interesing:

http://www3.telus.net/findNchoose/dehydrator.html

* Store foods in small, user-friendly, amounts. *Every time you open a bag/jar, moisture is absorbed into the dried food which can cause mold to grow. *Check dehydrated foods often for mold and never use it if there is mold on it.

Karen Notes: *I'd suggest buying very lean cuts of beef and grinding your own to control the fat content and the size of the grind. *I'd also suggest storing the dehydrated meat in the refrigerator for short-term storage, and in the freezer for long-term storage. *The fat quickly goes rancid when kept at room temperature, especially if it's not vacuum-sealed. *No amount of preparation will remove all the fat. *This also goes for jerky made at home.

Personally, I'd avoid ground turkey (and do roast turkey cubes instead). *Ground turkey includes some of the skin from the bird. *There is more bacteria on the skin than you ever find in muscle meat. *(You don't want to know the numbers - it will gross you out....) *I wouldn't want to chance bacteria from commercial ground turkey - even though it's cooked first before you dehydrate it. *If you freshly ground your turkey and quickly prepared it WITHOUT any skin, that would be better than commercial ground turkey.

1 pound lean ground beef

Cook the beef until no traces of pink remain and it's well heated. *Drain all the fat, then rinse under hot water to remove as much fat as possible. *You can go one step more and place the cooked burger between several layers of paper towels and press down with a rolling pin to eleminate any remaining fat.

It's the fat at room temperature that goes rancid.

At this point you can also add dried herbs or spices if you'd like.

Line your trays with fruit leather sheets and then top these with the mesh sheets and place the burger on top in a single layer.

Blot the meat with a paper towel at least twice during drying. *Dry the cooked beef at 145°F for about 6-8 hours, or until it is HARD.

One pound beef weighs about 4 ounces dried.

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You can also dehydrate 1/2-inch cubes of cooked meat (beef, ham, bison, chicken, turkey, fish etc...) *It's a good use for leftover roast beef/turkey, etc. *A few more uses than jerkey. *Check your local library for books on the subject, including my favorite, Making & Using Dried Foods - by Phyllis Hobson.

I got my beef in the dehydrator now.  I hope its going to taste as good as I think it is.

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• Beets: Cook and peel beets. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Dry 3-10 hours until leathery.

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• Broccoli: Cut and dry 4-10 hours.

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• Carrots: Peel, slice or shred. Dry 6-12 hours until almost brittle.

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• Cauliflower: Cut and dry 6-14 hours.

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• Corn:Cut corn off cob after blanching and dry 6-12 hours until brittle.

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• Mushrooms: Brush off, don't wash. Dry at 90 degrees for 3 hours, and then 125 degrees for the remaining drying time. Dry 4-10 hours until brittle.

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• Onions: Slice 1/4-inch thick. Dry 6-12 hours until crisp.

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• Peas: Dry 5-14 hours until brittle.

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• Peppers, sweet: Remove seeds and chop. Dry 5-12 hours until leathery.

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• Potatoes: Slice 1/8-inch thick. Dry 6-12 hours until crisp.

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• Tomatoes: Dip in boiling water to loosen skins, peel,slice or quarter. Dry 6-12 hours until crisp.

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• Zucchini: Slice 1/8-inch thick and dry 5-10 hours until brittle.

Fruit Drying Guide

All fruit should be washed,pitted and sliced. Arrange in single layers on trays. Dry fruit at 135 degrees Fahrenheit. You may wish to pretreat your fruit with lemon juice or ascorbic acid or it won't darken while you are preparing it for drying. Just slice the fruit into the solution and soak for 5 minutes.

• Apples:Peel, core and slice into 3/8-inch rings, or cut into 1/4-inch slices. Pretreat and dry 6-12 hours until pliable.

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• Apricots: Cut in half and turn inside out to dry. Pretreat and dry 8-20 hours until pliable.

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• Bananas: Peel, cut into 1/4-inch slices and pretreat. Dry 8-16 hours until plialbe or almost crisp.

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• Blueberries: Dry 10-20 hours until leathery.

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• Cherries: Cut in half and dry 18-26 hours until leathery and slightly sticky.

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• Peaches: Peel, halve or quarter. Pretreat and dry 6-20 hours until pliable.

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• Pears: Peel, cut into 1/4-inch slices, and pretreat. Dry 6-20 hours until leathery.

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• Pineapple: Core and slice 1/4-inch thick. Dry 6-16 hours until leathery and not sticky.

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• Strawberries: Halve or cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Dry 6-16 hours until pliable and almost crisp.

Fruit Leathers

Fruit leather is easy to make if you have a blender of food processor. The fruit leather is like a "fruit roll-up" and is made out of pureed fruit. Applesauce works great for fruit leather since it is already in puree form. Overripe fruits can also be used since these are easily pureed. For an added flare, you can add coconut,raisins,poppy seeds,seasame seeds, or sunflower seeds to the fruit leather. If you add any type of garnish to your fruit leather however, you will have to store them in the freezer or refrigerator. Otherwise, you can store fruit leather in an airtight container. Just roll up the fruit leather into a roll after it has dried, wrap in plastic, and store them altogether in an appropriate container.

To make fruit leather, puree your fruit. Apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines should be cooked before pureeing. Pour the fruit puree about 1/4-inch deep on special fruit leather drying sheets, or drying trays that have been lined with plastic wrap. Since the center does not dry as quickly as the edges, Only pour the puree 1/8-inch deep towards the center.Dry at 135 degrees Fahrenheit until pliable and leathery. The center should also be dry and have no wet or sticky spots.

Making Jerky

Meats should be dried at 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit. Jerky should dry between 6-20 hours until pliable. It shoud not be brittle. Wipe fat off of the jerky while it is drying. Jerky does not store as long as fruits and vegetables. For long term storage longer than a month, store in the freezer or refrigerator. To aid in the curing of jerky, meat must be marinaded in salt and spices. The pioneers used 1 1/2 cups pickling salt to 1 gallon of water and soaked the meat strips in this for a couple of days. As an alternative to soaking, they also rubbed the meat with salt and spices (like garlic and pepper) before drying. You may want to use one of the following marinade recipes instead. Marinade the meat strips overnight.

Jerky Marinade No.1

• 1/4 C. Soy sauce

• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 t. pepper

• 1/2 t. garlic powder

• 1 t. liquid smoke

• 1 t. salt

Jerky Marinade No.2

• 4 t. salt

• 1 t. pepper

• 1 t. chili powder

• 1 t. garlic powder

• 1 t. liquid smoke

• 1/2 C. water

Jerky Marinade No.3

• 1 C. ketchup

• 1/2 C. vinegar

• 1/4 C. brown sugar

• 3 T. Worcestershire Sauce

• 2 t. dry mustard

• 1 t. salt

• 1/2 t. pepper

How to Use Dried Food in Recipes

You will need to soak or cook your dried foods before using them in recipes. Some foods require soaking and cooking.Vegetables are usually soaked btween 1/2 to 1-1/2 hours and then simmered. Some vegetables can be rehydrated while they are cooking. Fruits are soaked, and then cooked in the water they were soaked in. Don't add extra sugar until the fruit is cooked;otherwise, the fruit may be tough. Fruits are sometimes eaten in their dry state as snacks. You must remember that after a food is rehydrated, it may spoil quickly, so use it promptly. To cook dried food, use the following information and simmer until tender.

• Apples: Add 1 1/2 C. warm water to 1 C. apples and soak for 1/2 hour.

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• Beans, green: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. beans and soak for 1 1/2 hours.

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• Beets: Add 2 3/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. beets and soak for 1 1/2 hours.

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• Carrots: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. carrots and soak for 1 hour.

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• Corn: Add 2 1/4 C. boiling water to 1 C. Corn and soak for 1/2 hour.

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• Onions: Add 2 C. boiling water to 1 C. onions and soak for 1 hour.

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• Peaches: Add 2 C. warm water to 1 C. peaches and soak for 1 1/4 hour.

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• Pears: Add 1 3/4 C. warm water to 1 C. pears and soak for 1 hour.

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• Peas: Add 2 1/2 C. boiling water to 1 C. peas and soak for 1/2 hour.

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• Potatoes: Add 1 1/2 C. boiling water to 1 C. potatoes and soak for 1/2 hour.

Recipes Using Dried Foods

Apple Pie

3 1/2 C. dried apples2 C. water3/4 C. sugar1 t. cinnamon

Cook apples until tender. The apples wil rehydrate during the cooking and baking process. Add sugar and cinnamon. Fill and top with pie crust and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cherry Pie

3 C. dried cherries

3 C. boiling water

1/2 C. flour

1 C. sugar

Cover cherries with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Simmer and add sugar and flour to thicken. Pour into pie crust and add top crust. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.

Peach Pie

3 C. dried peaches3 C. boiling water2/3 C. flour1 C. sugar2 t. cinnamon1/4 t. nutmeg

Cover fruit with water and let soak for 30 minutes. Simmer and add sugar, spices and flour to thicken. Pour into pie crust, dot with butter, and cover with pie top. Bake at 400 degress for 30 minutes.

Creamed Corn

1 C. dried corn4 C. boiling water2 t. sugar1/2 C. milk1 T. flour1 T. margarinesalt and pepper to taste

Add corn to water and let stand for 30 minutes. Simmer corn until tender. This may take as long as an hour or so. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

Green Bean Casserole

2 C. boiling water1 C. dried beans1 can cream of mushroom soup

Add beans to water and cook until tender. Add soup and simmer.

Cream of Tomatoe Soup

1 t. Dried Tomato powder!/2 C. boiling water1 T. flour1/2 C. milk

To make tomato powder, blend dried tomatoes in food processor. Add powder to water and simmer. Add flour to milk and stir. Add flour/milk mixture to water and tomatoes. Simmer and stir to prevent scorching.

Cooked Fruit

3 C. dried fruit of your choice2 C. boiling water1 t. cinnamonSugar to taste

Let fruit soak in the boiled water for 20 minutes. Simmer for another 20 minutes and add cinnamon and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and serve.

Vegetable Soup

1 C. diced cooked meat

3 C. dried mixed vegetables

salt and pepper

Cover dried vegetables with boiling water and soak 1 hour, then simmer for 2 hours or until tender. Remember you can add fresh vegetables, in case you don't have a particular dried one, to the pot as well.