home made dehydrator?

[Gazinga]

any idea on how to make a home made dehydrator for fruits and herbs?

 

[keljonma]

I found this online, but haven't used it.

http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/dehydratorstryder.htm

 

[FarmerChick]

I am not a big dehydrator type person...LOL

What exactly do you guys dehydrate? and how do you store it etc? Just wondering.

I do make sun dried tomatoes out of my Roma tomatoes....but I literally put them on cheese cloth out in the hot NC sun and they are fab....but never took dehydration further.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Let's see- right now I have dehydrated celery, apples, pears (the very best-candy) tomatos, herbs, onions. I have never dehydrated potatoes or garlic.
I store them in canning jars.
In the past I have dehysrated mushrooms too. And made jerky.
I might try carrots this year. I don't know carrots keep so well in the fridge that I'm not convinced that it's worth it.

It's less work than canning, I prefer the taste mostly and it stores on the shelf.

 

[Wildsky]

I have made jerky, dried potatoes (took forever to dry the thin slices - won't do that again) I've done apples, apple sauce, garlic, onion.

Someone told me once you can make one by using a cardboard box and a light bulb.

 

[FarmerChick]

ETR
after you dry and store in canning jars, do you have to do anything to them? just put in the jar and up on the shelf?
what is the life of most stuff?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Can you dehydrate using your oven??

 

[enjoy the ride]

Well- I do have some apples that are well over a year old (well,well over) and have been thinking about tossing them although they still look good. I've got a feeling that a lot of nutrients disappear over time.
And yep, just put them on the shelf. The celery thing for me is to have it available anytime I want- as were the bell peppers I dried. Things that are good flavorings but I don't use so consistantly that it would not be worth keeping fresh, especially over winter. It is also a handy way to preserve a small amount of something- like some vegetable in the fridge that will go bad before you can use it up. Unlike canning, it is easy to dehydrate a small amount of stuff.

 

[enjoy the ride]

RE: the oven thing- I have read that it is possible but there are two things to watch for- one is poor air circulation in ovens and then energy use might be large unless you are drying using a pilot light. I have never done it - only read about it.

 

[roosmom]

On the food network they have a show called "Good Eats" with alton brown. He showed how to truly dehydrate. With no heat.
You buy a couple pleated furnace filters (not fiberglass!), and a box fan. You put your meat in the freezer until very very firm. Take it out and slice it diagonally with out handling it to much. Put your salt and spices on. lay the meat strips into the pleats. When you are done grab another filter and stack it on top and repeat with meat. When the meat is all layered and the filters all stacked you finish the stack off with one extra filter.
Hold the stack up to the front of the fan and attach it with bungee cords.
Turn fan on high and aim it outside. In twelve - 24 hrs you will have true jerky (like the eskimoes make lol) this works outside also.
I want to try this when hubby gets a deer, yum.