What Did You Dehydrate Today?

[frustratedearthmother]

I dehydrated cooked rice yesterday. Why? Hurricane season is here! If we are without power for an extended amt of time I don't want to use up all my fuel boiling rice for 20 minutes. With this - just boil water and pour over and it rehydrates. I generally mix canned chicken and rice with the dogs food so this will make it easy. Occasionally I have a bit with soup or a side. So simple to grab a handful and throw in the soup pot. I haven't tasted it yet so...

 

[Britesea]

I just got a 10 lb bag of potatoes for free. Planning to shred and dehydrate for hash browns. I don't eat them, but this way, it's easy to make just enough for DS and DH.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Dehydrated Egg Review:

I've read a lot of reviews of dehydrated eggs and a lot of them were not encouraging. Most of the ones I saw were from dehydrating already scrambled eggs. However, I did see some positive reviews on the taste of dehydrated raw eggs, so I tried it.

Yesterday I dehydrated a dozen raw eggs. I mixed them up in the Bullet and poured them on homemade foil trays that I slipped into the Excalibur. (I just bought it and don't have solid trays for it yet) I dehydrated them @145 degrees overnight. Pulled them out this morning and powdered them in the Bullet. Before I stored them I wanted to try 'em.

I used 1 Tablespoon of egg powder and 1.5 Tablespoons of warm water. I set that aside while I cooked a piece of bacon. Removed the bacon and sauteed some onions in the grease. Poured off the extra grease and added the egg. Can't say I had much hope when I put it in the pan, lol. But when I started stirring it around to scramble it I've gotta say that it smelled good and looked like a scrambled egg. Taste test was so much better than I expected. If a freshly scrambled egg is a 10 on the taste scale - this was at least an 8.5 - 9. Absolutely shocked. DH liked it too. Not sure if I'd feel the same without the bacon and onion - but I'd eat these again in a heartbeat. I'll definitely be dehydrating more.

In other egg news - I've been dehydrating quail eggs (with shell) to supplement the uber expensive game bird feed that I use to start most of my chicks with. I've got guinea eggs in the incubator so I'm getting prepared.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Two trays of okra and three trays of golden zucchini chunks.

 

[Hinotori]

I dehydrated cooked rice yesterday. Why? Hurricane season is here! If we are without power for an extended amt of time I don't want to use up all my fuel boiling rice for 20 minutes. With this - just boil water and pour over and it rehydrates. I generally mix canned chicken and rice with the dogs food so this will make it easy. Occasionally I have a bit with soup or a side. So simple to grab a handful and throw in the soup pot. I haven't tasted it yet so...

Have you looked into making or buying a little rocket stove for emergencies? You can feed the things with twigs. Efficient use of fuel for cooking.

 

[Hinotori]

I'm thinking I need to go pick some plantain and dry it. There are some very big and succulent plants out there. Dehydrator is the only way to really dry herbs here.

 

[Mini Horses]

@frustratedearthmother ...any feedback on how you/others store the egg powder for best results? And storage length?

@Hinotori ... I have gabatches of beautiful plantain and mullian. What do you do with the dried plantain?

I want to dry some comfrey this year....if I can keep the goat away to grow more.

 

[Hinotori]

Plantain helps with bug bites and nettle stings. Im planning on making a lotion using it, brackenfern, and vinegar to use when I inevitably walk through some nettles again

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Have you looked into making or buying a little rocket stove for emergencies? You can feed the things with twigs. Efficient use of fuel for cooking.

I have looked at them a few times, but haven't carried it any further than that. We have alternate cooking options, but they all take fuel. I need to look at it more seriously.

With our heat - I could fry eggs on the concrete driveway, lol. At least in summer...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@frustratedearthmother ...any feedback on how you/others store the egg powder for best results? And storage length?

This is my first time so I don't have any experience to draw from. I've read anywhere from a year to 10 years. There's a big difference in those lengths, lol. Because I started with raw eggs there's a part of me wants to keep 'em in a ziploc bag or jar in the fridge or freezer. The other part wants to try them in a mason jar with an oxygen absorber. May give them both a try. Wish I had a better answer for you but this is new territory for me.