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6:00 pm
December 28, 2008
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Not that it has a whole lot to do with dehydrating, but there is a most excellent recipe for green tomato relish over at Farm Bell Recipes: http://chickensintheroad.com/f…..to-relish/
Maybe I'm just biased, but we like it! Also, by putting the words "green tomato" in the recipe search block, there are all sorts of other ideas for using up green tomatoes at FBR.
2:00 am
May 10, 2010
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That relish looks and sounds extremely tasty. I just added it to my recipe box, and added it to the "to do" list for canning this week. Thanks Pete!
2:13 am
May 10, 2010
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I just started my first batch of dehydrating bananas and apples and peels. Worked on basil the first day I got my new excal!! Oh, the smell of basil…I could not keep my nose away from the dehydrator…I was sniffing that thing all day long, LOL!! Anyway, how long does it take for the bananas and apples to become crispy? I am at 24 hours now, and the chips are getting dry, but they bend more like leather,the apples are somewhat more snappy…I want them nice and crispy. Tomatoes, bell peppers, lemons and oranges are next.
7:40 am
December 28, 2008
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Sonia – depending upon the humidity, they may not get as crispy as you want, until you turn the dehydrator OFF. In high humidity, you then don't want to let them sit around very long absorbing whatever is in the air, but you want to let them cool a little bit before putting those lovely dried jewels into a glass container.
This was never an issue with me 30-40 years ago when I was living in a very dry climate! Now, in WV on the north side of a hill, surrounded by trees, with all this humidity, it takes forever for things to dry. And why I add the little drier packs from vitamin bottles to my jars of goodies.
My default position is to only dehydrate when the humidity is low. Since that is not possible here except in the winter, I either freeze things for later dehydration, or just accept that the failure rate is quite high. Things mold here! Less frequently now that I am recycling those little packs from supplements, but it still happens more often than I would like.
11:51 am
May 10, 2010
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Thanks Pete. I immediately took the bananas and apples out after your post, and I will let them cool for a minute or so..I would never have known to take them out to crisp them up. Down here in SC the humidity gets very high…and this a fantastic tip. I will write that down in my notes. Do you use the recommended drying times, or do you just go by looks and feel of the dried goodies?
12:32 pm
December 28, 2008
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Hope that works for you, Sonia! No, I wing the times since I haven't seen a times chart in 40 or 50 years…
Am finally contemplating getting a new dehydrator. Yeah, it will most likely be one of those fancy dancy Excals. (Gotta keep up with everyone, after all!) Guess it would be worth investing in one now that it looks like I might actually use one. Got my first one about 45 years ago, and it still works. Decided to get a back-up for it about 20 years ago. That one still works, and has a thermostat on it – the first one doesn't.
Maybe I should get a book instead. 
Then again, being able to put shoes in it to warm them on cold days would sure be nice…
1:23 pm
May 10, 2010
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That did it Pete, it worked!! My banana chips crisped up so nicely…and my apples had a nice snap. The only thing I do not have is those little packs to help keep the moisture out of the jars. I will be working on acquiring some of those at work tonight. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy some tasty crispy banana chips. :)
Hmmm, toasty warm shoes on a cold wintery day…that has me thinking, 
2:24 pm
January 31, 2011
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Pete, we use lots of those supplements…what is IN those little bags , doyaknow?
Is it silica? I've heard that is natural and good, just not to be inhaled…
that is a crazy good idea. My peppers are crispER…but not snappy like Kellys were… but after almost 20 hours…I just figured they were going to need some oil of olay to rehydrate…. I wonder about nutrients after all this drying out… I don't just want them to LOOK pretty…
My banana chips turned out fine the day I did them…and were already crisp by the time i got down in the morning ( they had cooled after machine turned off around 4) …Did you dry yours on the screen or the fruit roll up sheets, sonia?
I turned them over before i went to bed…and that was an interesting sort of funny job. I used the sheets so I just had to bend it to start peeling…my kids are still looking at me with their mouths open when I'm working at this stuff…
but I love this thing…I can proof rolls ! ( and have the oven preheating while I'm doing it ) dry out well washed embroidery floss ! ( don't ask, but it has something to do with a 2 year old grandson and his fascination with toilets…) and of course, the jerky. The JERKY.
last few rusty apples from a neighbor…the cinnamon helps so much with looks when you have to cut out so many overripe parts…
sigh…marvelous.
Now PETE,,, I want a grinder… I have noticed that the flour from the grocery store has a bit of a bitter aftertaste…and I think it's because it was ground and packaged probably 2 years ago…Maybe my palate is different, but why put all this effort into something that has inferior ingredients ?
just sayin
where would I get some real wheat, I wonder…
laur
4:40 pm
December 28, 2008
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You can buy descicant packs on line, ifin ya wanna. The ones in vitamin and supplement bottles are food grade – never packed inside a pair of shoes (foot fettish, anyone??) or other something you'd really rather not eat! Or expose to your food.
I'm just so cheap that I see no need to buy new packs while throwing these away!
Not necessarily silica, but most probably are. Almost a kitty litter kind of thing. Sort of. But clean.
Mostly I use the same brands of supplements, so know their standards. If I trust them to "feed" me vitamins and minerals, surely I can trust them to put a little pack in the bottle that isn't going to hurt me if it breaks and touches one of the capsules in the bottle!
6:13 pm
May 23, 2010
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Laur, you can get the wheat from Lehman's online. When I was up there in February, a 5 lb bucket I believe was $35. Don't quote me. They have the grinders, too.
I bought a reproduction coffee grinder at the antique store where my kids live. Wanted the actual antique but he wouldn't sell it to me because it needed a couple of screws to hold part of the mechanism. The replica was marked $40 but he sold it to me for $20. I made him take it apart to see what was wrong with it (I learned that from CindyP). It was an easy fix. He just wasn't willing to part with that antique. Anyway, to prove that the reproduction worked, he got in an old corn bin he hadn't yet cleaned and pulled out a few kernels and ground the corn in it. Can you say grits?
Anyway, back to dehydrating. I am dehydrating my "garbage" as KellyB calls it. I canned for the first time yesterday and am dehydrating all the apple poo. I took one tray and ground it. I still have tiny food pebbles (just need a finer strainer – don't have a sifter). Going to make apple cinnamon oatmeal with it.
News just in…The BF is getting me an "Excalibur" for my b-day!!!! Guess I impressed him with the watermelon!!!
10:29 pm
January 31, 2011
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o johanna…I am so happy for you. If anybody deserves one, it's hardworking YOU !!!
and Pete, of course.
My sister bought me one, or i would still be stringing apples on a clothes line like my great grandmother did
or making tomato paste by drying it on a screen in the sun in the back yard, rolling it up and canning it in jars …like joes grandmother did…
I cannot imagine the flies…
going to look at lehmans online…Is that like a farm N fleet ?
and so cool about the grinder… maybe my mormon friends can find me a source..
and I'm going to remember to ask when I need something explained..I don't dare open anything new to me withour directions !!!
so grateful for you guys…
laur
laur
7:07 am
October 3, 2010
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Laur -
I love Farm & Fleet! I have a friend in Iowa, and every time I go see her, I make a special trip to the Farm & Fleet. It seems like I can always find something there….and sometimes it's clothing! At a farming store!
Joann
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