Chilli con Canoetripping

[MacCamper]

My American Harvest 4 tray fried on me in November so I bought the similar Nesco brand, low end unit. I spiral slice my apples thin with skin on, dust with a dash of cinnamon and run at 140 for about 10-11 hours. KISS method. Many have told me that my apple crisps are the best they have ever had and that I should go into the business. I'd rather share my secret with fellow canoeists.

From the local Goodwill I purchased a vacuum system for $17, including two rolls of baggies, and as Odyssey suggested, vacuum and freeze anything with animal fat. The Goodwill provides many great camping items from liter water bottles to disposable merino wool sweaters.

 

[Alan Gage]

I spiral slice my apples thin with skin on

Interesting. I always assumed the skin would not be a pleasant thing to chew once dried. I'd love to skip the peeling step.

When I prepare my apples I peel them, stand them on end and then take 3-4 slices off one side, stopping when I reach the core. Turn the apple 90 degrees and do it again. Repeat until all 4 sides have been cut back to the core. Then I throw them in a big bowl and coat them with lemon juice to keep them from browning while I prepare the rest. The lemon gives a little shot of flavor to bland apples too. I also like it on dried bananas.

Alan

 

[yknpdlr]

Apples..... I have done the spiral cut with the crank machine, and I also slice them. Slicing makes it a lot easier to efficiently place the pieces on the tray for even drying. I do not peel. The standard metal corer and slicer does not get the slices thin enough, so I quickly knife slice each in half again. Drop slices in lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon for a few minutes before placing on the tray.

Bananas.... You can find plastic banana slicers too. Slices are marginally thin enough, but are of consistent size and a slicer saves a lot of time. Soak slices for a few minutes in a mixture of lemon juice and pineapple juice before placing on the tray. For any sticky fruit be sure to give the trays a quick shot of oil spray, and use an empty solid sheet as the bottom tray to catch sticky drips.

Watermelon.... Be sure to use the sweetest melon you can get. Slice uniformly in reasonable sized pieces, place directly on lightly oiled trays. You will end up with what amounts to watermelon candy leather.

Fruit leathers....Most commercial fruit leathers are mostly applesauce with a little bit of other flavorful fruit juice. The applesauce makes the final product flexible and leathery (and applesauce is cheaper than other fruit), but to do your own you don't need much applesauce added to pureed fruit of your choice. Much better with more intense fruit flavor than the commercial versions.

 

[memaquay]

Hmmmm...think I will have to join this world of dehydrators, probably order one around the end of March.

Wonder what dehydrated Spam tastes like?

 

[Odyssey]

Thanks Alan and Yukon, I was going to ask about prepping fruit.
I really like that solar setup Sweeper. I was at work today thinking about your idea. Thanks!

mmmmmm. Spam jerky.

 

[sweeper]

This is the link I based my dryer off.

http://www.geopathfinder.com/Solar-Food-Drying.html

But basically you find a widow(s) make a frame to mount them on, put screening on the bottom of the frame. Now build another frame the same size as the first with metal roofing on top of it, attach the first frame to the second frame, tilt and dry. I tilted too much and will modify it next growing season. Things are sliding to the bottom.
I made more head space in mine because I'm drying mushrooms, bark and anything else my wife has me haul out of the woods.

 

[yknpdlr]

Hmmmm...think I will have to join this world of dehydrators, probably order one around the end of March.

Wonder what dehydrated Spam tastes like?

I actually tried to dehydrate Spam. Sliced it really thin. Ended up with something unidentifiable in a puddle of liquid fat on the dehydrator tray. Having said that, I actually like a fresh slice of Spam placed on a green leaf cooked directly on hot coals. When the edges char flip it over on another leaf to cook the other side. It's good with rehydrated hash browns and gravy.

 

[memaquay]

Got me drooling now, I will try that method soon!

 

[Alan Gage]

Thanks for providing some incentive by starting this thread, Brad. Went to the grocery store tonight and loaded up on frozen mixed veggies. 11 pounds of corn, peas, and carrots in the dehydrator as we speak.

Another tip for prospective dehydrator users is to be careful about what you dehydrate together. One time I didn't think it would be a problem to dehydrate broccoli and bananas at the same time. The broccoli turned out ok but the broccoli infused bananas went in the garbage. Yuck!

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Thanks for providing some incentive by starting this thread, Brad. Went to the grocery store tonight and loaded up on frozen mixed veggies. 11 pounds of corn, peas, and carrots in the dehydrator as we speak.

Another tip for prospective dehydrator users is to be careful about what you dehydrate together. One time I didn't think it would be a problem to dehydrate broccoli and bananas at the same time. The broccoli turned out ok but the broccoli infused bananas went in the garbage. Yuck!

Alan

So mem could wind up with everything Spam flavoured ? Spam fruit leather. Spam apple spirals. Spam broccoli. Spam bananas.
I'm sure there's a downside to this if I look hard enough.

I've read about the perils of drying onions. I've no need for dried onions anyway so that's not an issue. I'll be careful with what goes in the dehydrator together, thanks Alan.

 

[Alan Gage]

Thanks for providing some incentive by starting this thread, Brad. Went to the grocery store tonight and loaded up on frozen mixed veggies. 11 pounds of corn, peas, and carrots in the dehydrator as we speak.

Alan

And presto change-o! All done. Now I have brightly colored bowl of shriveled and wrinkly veggies that weighs 2 pounds.

Put the timer to good use. Set it for 9 hours so that itself shut off around 3am. Woke up this morning and thought it could go a little longer so I gave it another 1 1/2 hours and it shut off itself while I was at work.

Alan

 

[DuctTape]

I don't bother with a timer to shut off my dehydrator. The way I see it, I am trying to eliminate as much moisture as possible. Thus it can't dry too much. Also, anything once dried will begin to absorb moisture from the air. Probably not an issue in most cases except for higher humidity environments and/or foods which are very hygroscopic.

 

[yknpdlr]

With some food, such as mixed item prepared food like casseroles and such, you want to dehydrate as much as possible. Others, such as some kinds of fruit, fruit leathers, or jerky, benefit from stopping the dehydration process when they become leathery and remain slightly pliable. If you keep going they may become brittle and turn into powder when broken, which may not necessarily be what you want. So I will use a timer for those.

 

[Alan Gage]

I don't bother with a timer to shut off my dehydrator. The way I see it, I am trying to eliminate as much moisture as possible. Thus it can't dry too much. Also, anything once dried will begin to absorb moisture from the air. Probably not an issue in most cases except for higher humidity environments and/or foods which are very hygroscopic.

That's probably true but once something is dry it's dry and I'd just as soon not pay the electricity to run my dehydrator an extra 6 hours because I'm at work or sleeping. I worry about things absorbing a little moisture if left out in my non-air conditioned house in August but not so much this time of year.

I usually start my dehydrating in the evening and set it so I think it will shut off with maybe a little ways to go sometime in the middle of the night. In the morning I can check and give it an extra couple hours, if I think it's needed, while I'm at work.

Alan

 

[yellowcanoe]

Watch your teeth on over dehydrated Lima beans in mixed veggies. Sometimes they get case hardened and do not rehydrate. I pick them out before starting as they are not my liking anyway

 

[DuctTape]

Alan, I did not intend to imply my way was right. I apologize if I came across that way. I was just sharing how and why I do what I do for those just getting started to see different methods. You made some good points as to why you use your method. All are good. Different strokes... Cheers.

 

[Alan Gage]

Alan, I did not intend to imply my way was right. I apologize if I came across that way. I was just sharing how and why I do what I do for those just getting started to see different methods. You made some good points as to why you use your method. All are good. Different strokes... Cheers.

No apologies necessary. I took no offense whatsoever. My apologies to you if I came across as defensive.

My old dehydrator didn't have a timer and I still got along fine. I'd just try to time it so that I'd be home, or awake, when it was time to shut it off.

Alan

 

[southcove]

Go Solar, it's a lot cheaper!

Sweeper, I love your set up, real efficent.

I had to laugh on seeing it (reminded me of) as I sold for pennies a bunch of window sashes from work to a guy, not knowing what he was going to do with them (yep, build something solar like your dehyrator)...except these were double glaze insulated with a heavy LowE coating, which apparently blocked most of the sun's rays and didn't let as much heat in either. Oh well, sometimes you have to ask?!

Good tip from Alan about not mixing some food together...explains some odd results I have had too.

 

[sweeper]

The person we bought them from figured we were going to use them on a cold frame, which we were, right up until I saw the plans for the dryer.

 

[Alan Gage]

I spiral slice my apples thin with skin on

Dried about 20 more apples last night and tried it with the skin on for the first time. It works! I always figured the skin would be like chewing through leather once dried but I didn't even really notice it on the pieces I tested this morning. Very happy to be able to skip the peeling step.

Alan