‘Dehydrating Your Food’
Preservation At Its Best
Although the photo isn’t mine nor have I ever attempted to dry raspberries, dehydrating food is a popular preservation method.
Before I get going here, has anyone out there actually tried raspberries in the dehydrator? How do they turn out?
Over the years I have attempted apples, plums, apricots, kale, fruit leather, carrot greens, swiss chard, mullein green beans and beets. Seeing everyone do pears right now, I’ll have to try those next I think.
I have a girlfriend who dries orange slices and uses them in cocktails, another who dries everything imaginable and few who do meats like jerky and salmon and stuff.
Though there are particulars when it comes to best and proper methods, the general end goal is to ensure the product is dry enough that it won’t spoil when waiting to be eaten.
There are many benefits of choosing dehydrating as a regular way for storing food:
- Reduces common packaging waste as it isn’t purchase from a store
- Extends shelf-life…sometimes up to two years
- Great to have on hand in the event of an emergency or natural disaster
- It’s a good way to be able to use the food you have and minimize waste
- Less chemicals and healthy for you — you know the ingredients
- Because waste is kept to a minimum and often we are recipients of food from others, it can help save you money
- Easy to take along anywhere
- Endless options!
Sorry, I can’t give suggestions as far as best machine to use…though I’ll take the advice!
My dehydrator actually melted itself in some spots so I won’t recommend that kind. Using the oven on the lowest possible temperature for about 3–4 hours can work too if you don’t have a specific machine.
As the harvest season is wrapping up soon, good luck on you food-preppers on getting the rest of your winter stash together,
-Becky
