Dehydrators.

[dannydela91]

Hi Guys,

Dehydrators there all over the prepping world but as I am new to this and unsure of there full use so if anyone give me any advice I would appreciate it?

Danny From Grimsby

[preppingsu]

If you grow your own then a dehydrator is a great investment. It's another way of preserving the fresh fruit and veg so it will last you over the winter (or the lean months).

So, you have a glut of veggies. You can make chutney, pickles etc. You might blanch and freeze them.

Or you could dehydrate them. It reduces how much space you need for storage, less reliant on freezer capabilities (what would happen if there was power cut?)

I have dehydrated onions, carrots, sweetcorn - all now stored in kilner jars and easy to add to stews and soups.

I have dehydrated apples, strawberries, raspberries, and tinned pineapple (my little sweetie treats) and made fruit leathers (think fruit winders without all the nasty additives etc).

I have only scraped the surface of dehydrating. Now my only concern is if there wasn't any power then I couldn't use the equipment. But there are plans on the Internet for a solar dehydrator which is my project for next Spring.

I spent a lot of money on mine (cheaper models had very mixed reviews).

http://www.juiceland.co.uk/item--Excali ... 3500B.html

Hope that helps.

[Plymtom]

Trouble is with the price of food and electricity escalating in the few years since I got our Excalibur 9 tray, and no garden ours doesn't get much use, although I am being put under pressure to do same jerky again, ( which in honesty at the time along with fruit leathers was my main motivation for getting one) like a lot of things dehydrators have a certain enjoyable element to them, so don't feel guilty about using prepping as an excuse if it gets santa to bring you one

[nickdutch]

cheap one from westfalia cost just £35 a few years back. its good to play with and can be useful

[unsure]

i can`t comment on price , as i got mine off a lovely lady on here .
i can say that it does great on the chillys we dried the other day and the onion as well .
going to try it with apples and banana this week .
on the subject , can you dry pineapple and plums

[preppingsu]

i can`t comment on price , as i got mine off a lovely lady on here .
i can say that it does great on the chillys we dried the other day and the onion as well .
going to try it with apples and banana this week .
on the subject , can you dry pineapple and plums

Pineapple is lush, I do chunks rather than rings.
I've not done plums but I guess you half or quarter, depending on size and remove stones.

[unsure]

i`m thinking , plum crumble or pie. if i dry plums , how do i get them wet and juicy again .
do i just boil them up like fresh apple .

[preppingsu]

i`m thinking , plum crumble or pie. if i dry plums , how do i get them wet and juicy again .
do i just boil them up like fresh apple .

Rehydrate in some water or alcohol before using in the normal way.

[unsure]

going to try a punnet of plums this week then

[preppingsu]

going to try a punnet of plums this week then

Before and after photos please...