Why do you dehydrate?

[vickilynn]

Newbie I've just started using the dehydrator. Just following the directions with the machine....putting in plastic freezer bags or jars.

Also, need to know how you store your food and for how long?

[laura-n-sasha]

Newbie I've just started using the dehydrator. Just following the directions with the machine....putting in plastic freezer bags or jars.

Also, need to know how you store your food and for how long?

Well, congrats on starting, some people get it and never do anything with it. I found that once I put the items in the freezer bags, I also put it in "unchewable" hard plastic containers with sturdy lids. This way the mice or rodents don't get in, and insects do not smell it.

I did peaches last year that are still going strong this year, but we are eating them up pretty quick. The blueberries did not last too long, because we ate them. I did not do veggies, just tons of fruit and it seems to last until we eat them. Apples too, we'll be eating them for a while.

If you dry it out so much that they are crisp, then that is good. It will take a while to rehydrate but the storage space is fantastic.

Good luck,

[RaineyDaye]

I'm still new to dehydrating. I've had my dehydrator for almost 2 months.
Why do I dehydrate? I hope I'll save money. I have tracked prices for about 7 years, and inflation has been steady, year by year, on most food items, especially when you consider the shrinking packaging sizes. Also, although I've been seriously couponing of about a year, I haven't found great deals on fresh fruits and vegetables using coupons. I'm hoping that by buying more of a particular kind of produce when it is at its peak, and dehydrating the extra, I'll be able to save more money. I'm interested in longer term storage, too, but for now I'm just trying to have enough dehydrated to last through the off season.

[sunshine]

I dehydrate for lots of reasons. . . .

- to vary my supplies, in case of power failures, etc. Fresh and frozen foods will spoil quickly.

- because some foods require it . Fruit leathers, pudding roll ups, jerky

- when I have just a bit leftover from canning , etc. I dehydrate those little left over bits, and have my own version of soup starter.

- healthier versions of some foods - zucchini chips instead of potato chips,etc.

- we just like some things dehydrated. . . . apple slices, peaches for adding to oatmeal, and so forth.

[calimomx2]

I'm pretty new to dehydrating too and so far have only managed to do strawberries! I put them in a food saver canister! Beef jerky is next on the "to do" list!!

[laura-n-sasha]

I'm still new to dehydrating. I've had my dehydrator for almost 2 months.
Why do I dehydrate? I hope I'll save money. I have tracked prices for about 7 years, and inflation has been steady, year by year, on most food items, especially when you consider the shrinking packaging sizes. Also, although I've been seriously couponing of about a year, I haven't found great deals on fresh fruits and vegetables using coupons. I'm hoping that by buying more of a particular kind of produce when it is at its peak, and dehydrating the extra, I'll be able to save more money. I'm interested in longer term storage, too, but for now I'm just trying to have enough dehydrated to last through the off season.

I have also found that coupons do not have the fresh fruit and veggies that I need, nor do they have coupons on fresh meat. And where we are now, there really are not great sales, and no real deals on coupons.

I dehydrate fruit because it is so expensive in the off-season. Apples are now ~$1.69 a pound here; when I picked them last year, they were $0.50 a pound! We use the apples in our oatmeal, they make it more hearty.