Matilda
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Post by Matilda on Aug 15, 2015 18:27:24 GMT 10
I have looked around Youtube to find someone that is not an expert because they have completed a course in dehydrating, but someone who over many years, thru trial and error, has became an expert at dehydrating thru hands-on experience and because they love what they do. This lady, for me, fits that criteria. She started out humbly with a 'how to' video about how to dehydrate and what to expect. Today she has her own book, website, and youtube channel on dehydrating. She is softly spoken so turn up your sound!! This is video (1) in this beginners series and goes up to (10). She incorporates her food storage in her recipes along with the dehydrated food.
If you viewing on Youtube and you want to watch more after this one, just find the 2nd and 3rd all the way thru to 10. If you cannot find say number 5, just put in the search bar at the top of Youtube - dehydrate2store 5 - and it will come to the top of the search.
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Frank
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APF Life Member
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Post by Frank on Aug 20, 2015 11:06:41 GMT 10
Thanks Matilda, hadn't seen that channel before.
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Post by prepette on Aug 22, 2015 10:14:19 GMT 10
Thanks, I really appreciate this as it's something I am looking at as well. We have a tonne of excess veggies etc that come from our garden and I am keen to start storing some. We give to our neighbours at the moment which I am keen to continue but maybe will go halves with storing/giving
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Post by prepette on Aug 22, 2015 21:29:56 GMT 10
Hey matilda that was a fantastic find! I've watched about 2 hours of her stuff now and it looks great, thanks so much for the referral on to it. I also think it's great to know that it weighs so much less and takes up so much less space (duh really if I had thought about it). Sounds like both really good benefits for prepping. Wonder how well the non electric dehydrators work as I'd prefer to purchase a dehydrator that can be used both before and after SHTF.
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Post by Peter on Aug 23, 2015 21:52:39 GMT 10
A quick question regarding dehydrating - my carrot has dehydrated beautifully, but my kale is limp and flaccid. As I've never experienced anything being limp and flaccid before, did I need to treat the kale somehow first?
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Matilda
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Post by Matilda on Aug 23, 2015 23:07:34 GMT 10
prepette - The best thing we found for a solar cooker was those car window heat protectors. There are a couple of vids on youtube that show how to fold them into an 'oven'. I prowled all the cheap shops and finally found a couple. Now they pop up everywhere and I just keep storing them. If things get bad, we could hand them out to our neighbours. Search under solar dehydrators on youtube as there are hundreds of different styles and sizes.
This lady is great
Are you being cheeky Mr Pete? Kale. By the time you are finished drying it, it should snap. Did you take that main stem out? if you leave that in it dries woody. Apparently. But in saying that I thought I would try to make some kale chips too Once you have torn your leaves off, I put some oil and salt thru it and using my hands folded it thru. Cooking time was much quicker, but I didn't mind it, but Hubby found it horrible. I liked the plain kale better, but I'm still experimenting.
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Post by Peter on Aug 23, 2015 23:19:40 GMT 10
Would I ever be cheeky with you Matilda?  I just ripped the leaves off the stem and put them in the dehydrator at the low temperature setting. I'm now wondering if it needs to be dunked into lemon juice, salt, brine or something. Time will tell, I guess. |
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Post by Peter on Aug 24, 2015 10:23:15 GMT 10
The kale started getting crispy on the edges by about 3am; unfortunately I had to turn the dehydrator off at that time (our kids are quite sick atm and the little one would only sleep on the couch next to the kitchen). It would also make sense that with 15 trays on the dehydrator things take a lot longer than when only 5 are being used.
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Matilda
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Post by Matilda on Aug 24, 2015 12:06:27 GMT 10
Hope the kids recover real soon Mr Pete!. Hubby woke up unwell this morning. Never gets sick but looks like the sore throat and coughing might be the flu. A day in bed with a good book will help the recovery. In the above vein, I discovered that you can dehydrate frozen vegetables and fruit. The lady above that I posted on - dehydrate2store does have a clip on this and although there is part 1 - part 2 is not available. Just search under dehydrating frozen food part 1 and make sure its her that comes up as there are a couple of others similar. I purchased a 2kg bag of frozen peas from Costco and left them in the fridge thinking they would need to thaw. She puts them straight on the trays frozen. Oh well. I'm sure they will be fine and have loaded up the dehydrator already. I love the costco peas - they are so juicy. They have corn too in the 2kg bags also. The peas were around $5.50/2kg and the corn was around $6.70/2kg. They say on the packet they are Australian peas - but they are Edgell which I think the parent company is American. Probably owned by Simplot. The peas I got from Costco above are now dehydrated and stored. So for 2kg bag it took about 6 hrs and filled 1 + 1/4 quart jars. I could have forced them into the 1 jar, but they are like tiny marbles - they go everywhere!!! So the ones I lost to the floor and down the sink would take it over to the 2nd jar anyway.
I think her link is protected so I cannot post. Just search on Youtube under this - DEHYDRATING. Frozen mixed vegetables for food storage! Using Excalibur. The lady is obsessiveprepperaz Another prepper dehydrated 5lb bags and she loaded her Excalibur with 2 bags - so 10lbs of mixed vegetable onto the 9 trays. I would think the bags were the same size as our 2kg bags or there abouts? Once again, she didn't thaw them. Two things she said: After dehydrating those 10lbs of veges, she filled 1 - Quart sized jar - although I would imagine it might be the next size up and she didn't say??? That's a lot of vegetables and saved space!! The other thing is that they appear to have a shortage or corn in the US. Are they not using corn to make ethanol? Worrying trend. One more important thing. While the dehydrate2store lady was loading her trays she mentioned that the frozen veges last 2 years in your freezer, but when they are dehydrated - up to 30 YEARS!! That's amazing. I would imagine that would be taken because they are fresh when frozen? One more thing. Those absorbers work out expensive if they need to be shipped here and if you are going to be using your dehydrated veggies on a daily basis and opening the jars, so I decided to purchase this from Ozfarmer. (Picture at bottom). You pump the air out manually. Remember this though!!! If your jars are wide mouth you need to purchase the sealer that seals this size. I have regular mouth jars so I bought the food sealer to fit regular mouth jars. Check with Ozfarmer as there could be one that fits both sizes?? This one is for prepette!!! I can just see preppers in their camo gear, face paint on under the cover of darkness, staking out Bakers Delight or some unsuspecting bread shop in the wee hours of the morning to acquire the stacking bread trays for the solar dehydrator!! Solar DIY Dehydrator Attachments:
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shinester
Senior Member
China's white trash
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Post by shinester on Aug 25, 2015 8:54:39 GMT 10
Mr. Pete, 'perhaps' slice the kale thinner and go longer? If it's limp, then it's got moisture in it still.
You can start dehydrating in an oven, on a low heat with a wooden spoon stuck in the door.
Like the channel, will have to give it a good watch as I get some time.
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Post by prepette on Aug 25, 2015 10:34:39 GMT 10
Thanks so much Matilda - I've watched some videos but that was was the easiest I have seen. On the lookout for some screens now  I'm keen to dehydrate some food, then cook with it and see how well it goes and how good it tastes, what the texture is like etc. Obviously in a SHTF scenario we would eat whatever was available, and not just what tasted good, but I am thinking this is a great way to never waste food (my pet hate is waste!) |
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Matilda
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Post by Matilda on Aug 25, 2015 11:01:07 GMT 10
I was pretty impressed prepette with the frozen peas I did yesterday. So easy. This would be one way to store food quickly as the food is already prepped. I'm going to go back to Costco this weekend and buy up on frozen peas, corn and mixed veggies. I would prefer fresh and will endeavour to source that over frozen, but to build your stock up quickly, buying frozen is the way to go ATM.
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shinester
Senior Member
China's white trash
Posts: 3,119
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Email: shiny@ausprep.org
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Post by shinester on Aug 25, 2015 14:11:42 GMT 10
Cool. Indeed, frozen are a good cheaper option. I'm looking forward to joining you Matilda as I've still to store enough veg, and as I'm getting my vacuum pump sealer for mason jars any day now [ozfarmer], I'm intending to store them in the jars.
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