Dehydration and Storage of food part 1/11

[Carrot Cruncher]

Not sure if this has been posted before but i couldnt see it. This is the first of 11 vids on dehydration and storing food. The rest can be found here: http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid ... b6cc79cc4c

[WhiteWolf]

We have a dehydrator (Excalibur), but we have been wondering over the last month or so if they are economical.

What I'm trying to say is......

We fill all 9 trays with say corn and switch on and dry, would it not cost less to go to the shop and buy popcorn kernels than use all that electricity?

Just a thought.

WW

[diamond lil]

And take that a stage further - if the S truly does HTF in a big way then there might not be elect to spare for it. Or it might cost so much it would be out of the question.. What did they do in the middle ages to preserve fruit etc?

[jean405]

Excalibur is quite expensive to run, Andrew James has one that costs almost nothing to buy or run in comparison. I have a Stockli, that is somewhere in the middle, and you can stack 10 trays, it only comes with 3, and I have to buy the others, which I will eventually.


I really enjoy dehydrating, it is easy and not too messy, and doesn't demand too much attention I have the apple peeler/slicer, the Spiralli, and a mandolin, so prep is very easy.

[the-gnole]

And take that a stage further - if the S truly does HTF in a big way then there might not be elect to spare for it. Or it might cost so much it would be out of the question.. What did they do in the middle ages to preserve fruit etc?

http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ag ... vation.htm

Methods and Techniques of Middle Ages Food Preservation - Pickling, Gelatine, Smoking
There were several other methods used during the process of Medieval food preservation:

Pickling - Pickling in a salt brine was the standard method of preserving meats and fish. Typical pickling agents included brine (high in salt) and vinegar

Gelatine - Jelly or gelatine was used for preserving cooked meat or fresh fish. Food may be preserved by cooking in a material, such as gelatine, that solidifies to form a gel. Some foods naturally form a protein gel when cooked such as eels

Smoked Food - Wood smoked food was a method use to preserve pork or fish

Drying - Most meats and fruit can be preserved through the drying process. Drying is also the normal means of preservation for cereal grains such as wheat, oats, barley and rye.

Candies - Fruits & nuts could be candied in order to prolong their life

Honey - Was used a preservative in mead

[Carrot Cruncher]

What I'm trying to say is......

We fill all 9 trays with say corn and switch on and dry, would it not cost less to go to the shop and buy popcorn kernels than use all that electricity?

I suppose even if it is more expensive you are at least learning how to dehydrate different types of fruit / veg.

If I worked out how much the veg I grew in the garden last year cost me in terms of labour and time I would probably cry ....

[the-gnole]

If I worked out how much the veg I grew in the garden last year cost me in terms of labour and time I would probably cry ....

We had 80lb of spuds, about 20+lbs of runner beans, and a few bits and pieces of other veg, the cost in money and time was horrendous, as we had to buy the land and clear it before we could plant anything, so I probably wouldn't get much change from £6,000 if I was counting

But it tasted great, I learnt loads, and it is a great hobby.

[Carrot Cruncher]

But it tasted great, I learnt loads, and it is a great hobby

Very true, a really usefull skill to learn...... and I kept telling myself that as the slugs and cabbage whites were causing devastation

I will have my revenge this year though......it's war

[diamond lil]

I haven't got that many slugs. Main problems are poor soil and midges. Which chew me, not the veg

[the-gnole]

I read or saw something about crushed glass being a good way to stop slugs getting to your crops, but haven't followed it up as ours was more arial attack from the butterflies than ground attack from slugs