When Harvest Right first contacted me about their freeze dryer I was intrigued but hesitant. After all I do so much canning I was not sure if this would be something that would work for me. Then I realized… well shoot, I love love love freeze dried fruit in my cereal, freeze dried meals would […]
Dehydrating
Dehydrating Food is becoming another favorite way of preserving our harvest. I don't know that I'll ever give up canning but drying has some advantages.
3 advantages to dehydrating your food.
- The main advantage is space. Dried foods take up hardly any space at all compared to both freezing and canning. A quart size jar holds a lot of food!
- It also is better for the nutritional value of your foods. I hate to admit it but yes…. canned food does lose more nutrition than dried. (of course, there are other advantages to home-canned food)
- The other is energy. No energy is expended to store dried foods. You do use electricity to run an electric dehydrator but it is still efficient. If you have a way to dry foods with solar energy that is even better!
I've been canning a long time, and I'm sure I'll continue. But I've been on a mission to learn more … especially since my husband built me a solar dehydrator. (very big smile!)
Here is a list of our dehydrating articles by category.
Dehydrating Fruit
Dehydrating Vegetables
Dehydrator Reviews and Other Information
Nesco Food Dehydrator (and American Harvest Dehydrator)
How to Choose a Good Dehydrator
Dehydrating Fruit
Dehydrating Fruits like: Apples, Apricots, Strawberries and more. Drying gives you healthy easy to store snacks. Peaches and Pears are the best!! I’m a long time canner but I must admit…. dehydrating food does have some advantages. Dehydrated food in small containers has it all over home canned food as far as space saving. In […]
Learn How to Dry Herbs
Learning how to dry herbs is fun, easy, and economical. Do you grow and cook with your own fresh kitchen herbs? Drying is a great way to preserve them to use in the winter months. On this page I describe how to dry oregano. The same procedures work for dehydrating most fresh herbs. There are […]
Dehydrating Food
The easiest and quickest method of dehydrating food is to use a dehydrator. This is what I recommend and always do personally. The most energy efficient way is to sun or air dry. Air or sun drying works best if you live in a dry climate with lots of hot days. However it would only […]
Excalibur Dehydrator
The Excalibur Dehydrator is one of the most popular dehydrating units I’ve seen on the market. Those who are looking for a top-of-the-line food dehydrator should take a look. I don’t personally own one… but I borrowed one from a friend once! Oh, goodness, if I didn’t already have my Cabela’s commercial dehydrator, I’d get […]
Ronco Food Dehydrator
The Ronco Food Dehydrator is advertised as a good ‘starter’ unit and is very well known. However, individuals who have some experience in dehydrating foods may shy away from the very long drying times and the fact there is no fan, thermostat, or timer. It has been reported in reviews that foods can take up […]