photo by Walk Hatfield

Fall is upon us and thus, harvest time.  Apples, plums, kale, and tomatoes abound.  In our quest for sustainability, there has been a lot of interest in food dehydrators that are solar-powered.  Solar dehydrators can come in many designs.  Below is a video that highlights three different designs:

The first solar dehydrator is shown by Robert and Marina at Dell Artimus Farm.  The solar heat comes from a heated panel at the bottom, and there is a black chimney at the top that creates a draw.  They use  a stainless steel screen.  The dryer is a year and a half old.  They have dried beans, flowers, cherries, grapes (raisins), kale, walnuts and apples.    They even tried some tomatoes, but those ended up as pig food.

Matt at Feral Farm shows a “down draft solar dehydrator.”  The solar heat enters at the top and then goes down.  Because as it gathers moisture, the solar heated air gets heavier.   He has nettles in there.

Mark Vander Meer, of Wildland Conservation Service in Missoula, Montana, shows off his solar food dehydrator still loaded with dried plums.  Those plums have been in there all fall, winter and most of the spring.  He talks about trying to dry fruit with electric food dehydrators and how expensive that was.  This solar dehydrator also uses the down draft technique.  He says plums take three days and apples take a day and a half.

These are all passive systems; there are no fans.

Pictured here is the whole zucchini (seeds removed) and my cantaloupe after dehydration. Amazing how much smaller it gets, isn’t it? Makes for a healthy and chewy snack. I’ve been cutting the cantaloupe pretty thick by hand. The zucchini is cut at a 1/8th inch setting on our mandolin.

My version of zucchini candy is pretty simple and it was pretty good. It didn’t have a powerful sweet taste but I think it’s because I diluted the juice w a cup of water.

Take your cut and seeded zucchini and add it to a pot of boiling fruit juice (I used Honest Kids fruit punch). Make sure the liquid covers the vegetable or stir often.  Simmer for 25 minutes. When cool, place on dehydrate sheets and dehydrate at normal vegetable setting for zucchini. Store or eat!

Cantaloupe cut w/ a knife was put in w/o seasoning

Zucchini 1/8in setting has one tray sprinkled w/ salt and nutritional yeast

sweet potato 1/16in setting has salt and chili powder

cucumbers 1/8in setting has salt and dried dill

The house smells amazing. Please watch for an *update* on this post. They are ‘cooking’ as I write.

*UPDATE* Mr. Pickle tried them on Friday night and said something like, ‘yeah they are all right’. Then spent the weekend munching on them so I must conclude that they were pretty good. Baby D. asked for ‘chips’ for breakfast on Saturday. How can I say no to dehydrated vegetables for breakfast? So she ate some, of course. They are a big hit around here which is good b/c we have more free produce!

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The 3900 Series offers the ultimate versatility, dependability and quality construction Excalibur is known for. This Series is designed to last oExcalibur’s 3900 Series

Excalibur the first name in food dehydration presents our Top of the Line 3000 Heavy Duty Series, featuring the exclusive turbo charged ParallexxTM Drying System.

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The 3900 Series offers the ultimate versatility, dependability and quality construction Excalibur is known for. This Series is designed to last oExcalibur’s 3900 Series

Excalibur the first name in food dehydration presents our Top of the Line 3000 Heavy Duty Series, featuring the exclusive turbo charged ParallexxTM Drying System.

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I have a dehydrator. Not everyone does. I’m probably the exception. Raw food interests me so I bought a mega dehydrator a while back. I like using it and I should use it more often. Time isn’t on my side though and last time I picked Kale to dehydrate b/c it’s one of the best things you can eat, vegetable wise.

Baby D. likes potato chips. She doesn’t eat them often…maybe 2 or 3 times total in her life time. I was in the grocery store looking at all the processed vegetable snack sticks when it dawned one me to dehydrate some veggies.  They become crisp, hold seasoning well, and become sweeter. A win, win situation. Also, because the water is taken out and the nutrients stays in, it’s pure vegetable baby!

Using my mandolin on 1/16th setting,  I sliced up the three veggies I was working with. I’d definitely use that setting in the future except for the zucchini. I believe it would be better a bit thicker.  I heated the dehydrator to 140 then laid out the chips on the sheets then sprayed an even spray of cooking oil over them and salted everything. The beets were salted only. The potatoes were seasoned with cinnamon and the zucchini had garlic powder on half and a cinnamon rub on the other half. I kept them in about 8 hrs.  I gave Baby D. a tray of them fresh from the dehydrator one morning and she ate them up!

Food dehydration is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. By removing the moisture from food, bacteria growth is halted, and the food is able to be stored for long periods of times. If done properly, dehydrated food can last for decades. Some of the benefits of dehydrated food include weight/space savings, longer shelf life, ease of preparation in the field, and lower ecological impact. I recently purchased an electric dehydrator, which speeds up the process of dehydrating and enables you to do it in a controlled, safe environment. An electric dehydrator has a heating element and small fan that dries the food slowly from the inside out.

When hiking in the backcountry it is important to bring enough food to replace the calories you burn. Using a calorie calculator, I determined that I usually require somewhere between 2700 and 3700 calories/day while backpacking. Beef jerky is an excellent source of calories and protein and is a great choice for snacking on the trail. In 1 oz there is 130 calories and 9g protein. I usually take a pound (16oz) of jerky on my two night backpacking trips. Granola is another excellent form of quick calories, averaging about 500 calories per cup. For my first attempt at dehydrating, I made granola, beef jerky and green chile stew.

Here are the recipes that I used:

Yummy Granola
What You’ll Need
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins (dried grapes)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup raspberries (dried)
1 cup strawberries (dried)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation
* Prior to making granola, dehydrate raspberries, strawberries, and grapes.
*  Mix all ingredients together until evenly distributed.  Spread in a thin layer on a cheese-cloth lined tray.  Dry until crispy.
*  Store in an air-tight container.
*  Eat on the trail.

Albuquerque Jerky
What You’ll Need
2 lbs Organic/Local Grass-Fed Lean Cut Beef (Flank, Sirloin, Top Round)
2/3 cup green chile sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 orange, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Preparation
*  Freeze the beef for 2 hours so that it’s easier to cut.
*  Trim away any fat.
*  Cut beef into 1/8 inch slices across the grain.
*  Marinate in a gallon ziplock bag with the remaining ingredients.
*  Let sit for an hour in the fridge.
*  Remove strips and place on dehydrator trays.
*  Rotate trays every couple of hours.
*  Dehydrate for 8 -12 hours…or until strips darken and dry.
*  Store in an airtight container.
*  Makes about 1 lb of jerky.

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Green Chile Stew
What You’ll Need
3 or 4 Potatoes
2 Carrots
Roasted Green Chile
1/2 Onion
Corn
Celery
Garlic Powder
Flour

Preparation
*  Always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, fruits, and vegetables.
*  Slice or dice all veggies to between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick.
*  Blanch all of the vegetables by immersing them briefly in boiling water. This will help them avoid discoloration during drying, and will speed dehydration and reconstitution times.
*  Arrange vegetables on trays and dry for 1 – 1 1/2 days, making sure to rotate trays.
*  Store your dehydrated veggies in an airtight container.
*  To reconstitute: bring a pot of water to boil, add vegetable, and simmer for 20 minutes.
*  Serve and Enjoy!
*  Makes 2 servings.

Dehydrating your own food is a great way to shave weight off your pack, while at the same time lowering your ecological impact…not to mention the fact that it’s fun and easy!

Posted by Keenan V.

For the actual dehydration process, I warmed my dehydrator and prepared the stainless trays by lightly coating them with olive oil.  I washed the kale and dried it then rubbed olive oil onto the leaves and sprinkled w/ salt. I found that kale dehydrates best when it’s not totally flat so i simply laid the leaves onto the sheets and set the dehydrator to about 145 degrees and ‘cooked’ it for about 8 hrs.

After the kale was dehydrated, I smashed it in a bag with a rolling pin and transferred the whole head into one small canning jar that I keep in the freezer. Freezing dehydrated food helps to insure it doesn’t go bad in case you didn’t get out 100% of the moisture. I knew I did but since I’m dealing with long term kale storage and a child, I felt that I couldn’t be too careful.

So then I took the kale and mixed it into pasta with salt and olive oil.

I didn’t stop there. I also add it to hummus all the time like here when I basically made kale hummus. I also add it to beet hummus.

Most recently, I’ve been doing a play on smoothies but I serve it in a bowl like ice cream. I took this banana soft serve idea and modified it.

1 frozen banana previously mixed with a splash of unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 fresh banana

1 splash of coconut milk – I use this kind

a few pinches of dehydrated kale

1 big pinch of carob powder

1-2 drops of vanilla extract

Let everything sit in food processor for a few minutes then blend until smooth. Serve immediately. I tried it. It was yummy and Baby D. loved it!

If you’ve got an herb garden, you must be used to having a constant supply of herbs and having it available any time you want it. Problem is, herbal plants are not able to last in to the cold season.

Exactly what can you do in order to preserve herbs?

A great technique for making herbs last (even for years) is by dehydrating. Dehydration is a fantastic process for preserving foods, and it can be used for different food types such as meat, fruits, vegetables and of course – herbs.

Allow me to share the steps for dehydrating herbs with a food dehydrator.
1. Collect herbs early in the day, and collect them before the plants bloom for the most flavorful herbs. Choose leaves from the top of the plant. Employ a different jar for every variety of herbs so you don’t get confuse which is which.

 
2. Place the herbs in a colander and wash the leaves under cold flowing water. Shake the colander appropriately after washing to drain off excess water.

 
3. Get the trays of the dehydrator and arrange the herbs in a single layer. It would be advisable to place one type of herb per tray because they would alter in physical appearance when they dry and you might be unable to distinguish the difference.

 
4. For the most effective drying time, look into the food dehydrator’s manual. Having said that, herbs normally dry up in an an hour when dried with a temperature of a hundred degrees.

 
5. Check out the herbs after approximately one hour of dehydrating. The leaves ought to be crisp and ought to crumble with a gentle touch. If not, extend the dehydrating time. At this point, you must check the herbs every a couple of minutes.

 
6. After it has cool off, put the herbs in separate plastic bags. Be sure you put a tag on each to ensure you know what particular herb is in the bags. Remove as much air from the bag as possible. For this purpose, I suggest using a Ziplock bags.

 
7. Tip: Oregano, mints, basil, tarragon, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary and lemon balm are only several of the herbs suitable for dehydrating.

Another Fork in the Trail

I have finally completed the second instalment in my wilderness cookbook series. Well, let me rephrase that. I’m almost done—I just need to do one more read through of the final layouts before it hit the presses this week. I’m doing that today because it’s just easier to sneak away to a quiet spot for reading while Bryan is home for the weekend.

The book is entitled Another Fork in the Trail: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for the Backcountry and will be on shelves this Spring. If you like, you can pre-order at a variety of on-line retailers including Amazon.ca, Chapters.Indigo.ca, Amazon.com, and  BarnesandNoble.com.

I thought that I would take a short break and post one of my favorite lunch recipes from the book. This recipe isn’t just for the backcountry; we enjoy having this for a weekend lunch at home. If you want to have it at home just skip the dehydration instructions.

Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Salad
from Another Fork in the Trail ©2011
recipe ©2010 Laurie Ann March

Dehydration Time: 8–12 hours
Makes 2 servings

I like to think of this salad as a little trip around the Mediterranean because it combines ingredients common in Spain, Italy, Greece, Israel, and Egypt. Za’atar is a flavorful spice blend available through Middle Eastern specialty stores and online spice retailers. This salad can be served cold but is especially delicious when served warm. You can even serve it over cooked quinoa or couscous for a nice dinner.

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/3 cup shallots, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chilies (optional)
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Segments of 1 large orange
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 teaspoon za’atar spice blend
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

At Home
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for a few minutes. Add the crushed red chilies, orange zest, orange juice, and orange segments. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the lemon juice, chickpeas, olives, and za’atar spice blend. Simmer for a few minutes and then remove from the heat. Stir in the pepper and salt.

Allow the mixture to cool and then measure the amount you will dry. Write this measurement on a sticky note. Spread the salad on lined dehydrator trays to dry. When the salad is dry, package it in a ziplock freezer bag along with your note.

At Camp
Rehydrate the salad by adding enough boiling water to the mix to make it equal to the measurement on your sticky note. Be sure to account for and add your dried ingredients to the rehydration container prior to adding the water. You can always add more water if you need to. Once the salad has rehydrated, reheat it if desired.

Tips
If you can’t find za’atar, then use a combination of thyme and basil, as they will pair nicely with this salad as well.

If you’d like to have this recipe for lunch, you can add cold water to the mixture at breakfast and let it rehydrate in your pack as you travel.

This is also good for dinner served on couscous or quinoa that has been cooked with a little vegetable stock or orange juice or with pitas that have been toasted, drizzled with a little olive oil, and sprinkled with a bit of the za’atar spice.

Hope you love it as much as we do!

Laurie

These handy dandy 4 page laminated reference cards ($9 each) are chock full of tips, tricks and recipes you need to know.

Juicing: Fruits, Vegetables & Wheatgrass

Raw Food Combining Recipes

The Raw Kitchen: Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes

Detoxification: Recipes for body detox

Wheatgrass Juice, Green Drinks & Sprouts

Raw Food Superfoods

Each PermaChart is a 4 panel 8 1/2 by 11 inch full color fold over laminated reference card jam packed with the most relevent info on the topic. When reading a book is not an option, PermaCharts provides the most important details in a water-proof, easy to use format.
We recommend buying the Complete Set of 8 Raw Food Permcharts ($60) which includes the six charts above, plus charts on “Food Dehydration” and “The Raw Lifestyle”.

These handy dandy 4 page laminated reference cards ($9 each) are chock full of tips, tricks and recipes you need to know.

Juicing: Fruits, Vegetables & Wheatgrass

Raw Food Combining Recipes

The Raw Kitchen: Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes

Detoxification: Recipes for body detox

Wheatgrass Juice, Green Drinks & Sprouts

Raw Food Superfoods

Each PermaChart is a 4 panel 8 1/2 by 11 inch full color fold over laminated reference card jam packed with the most relevent info on the topic. When reading a book is not an option, PermaCharts provides the most important details in a water-proof, easy to use format.
We recommend buying the Complete Set of 8 Raw Food Permcharts ($60) which includes the six charts above, plus charts on “Food Dehydration” and “The Raw Lifestyle”.

I wanted to add my top 10 food dehydration tips for all of you.  Please feel free and add on as we all can learn from each other.

#1- Buy a very good, quality food dehydrator.  One that has a great warranty, is big enough for what you think you will use, one with a great fan and good wattage.  It will make a difference with how long you have to dehydrate.  Quality is better!  I use, sell and highly recommend Excalibur Food Dehydrators.  Visit my site at http://www.efooddehydrator.com or contact me w/questions.

#2- I would recommend a good vacuum sealer.  Or if you plan on using jars for your dehydrated foods, find a great wholesaler for them.  You will save on buying in large quantities.

#3- Experiment with strawberries first.  They are so easy to handle and the results are amazing!  Simply cut the top of the strawberries at angles, then cut away in 1/4″ slices.  Anything smaller will not be very appetizing to dehydrate.  No preservatives are needed with strawberries.  Lay them on your dehydrator sheets 2″ apart from each other.  Check on them in 3 hours.  They will probably need another 3-4 hours.  Please let me know if you have any questions!

#4- Buy a mandolin slicer!  It will save you so much time in the kitchen.  They are especially great for carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, mangos, zucchini and more.  (We sell them at efooddehydrator.com for only $24!)