drying veggies

[momof23goats]

I dried beets yesterday, and the day before.
I simply boiled them until their skins would slip off, and they were tender. then I sliced them at 1/4 inch, and dried until brittle. the book says until leathery, but I wanted them to last, so i took them out to brittle.
I do all of my veggies.
I am drying mixed veggies today. YOU know you can dry all frozen veggies .so even if you don't have a garden, get big bags of frozen veggies and dry them.
tomorrow ,
Broccoli , will l be dried, and some corn. I have decided to dry almost all my veggies in my freezer ,and will probably can up a lot of the fruit.good thing to think about , is this, if the war starts, and the grid goes down. don't loose your food. am going to start canning up meats also.

[Emily]

I went out and bought some screening material and got some brief instructions on setting up a solar dehydrator. I am dehydrating as much as I can now, but want to be prepared to rely on the dear old sun if the power gets cut off.

Any wisdom you have on solar dehydrating would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[momof23goats]

just get a box ,wood or other wise, about 3 inchs deep, put your food on screening, and one on the top.
emliy, your in michigan , I think. it is humid here, set your fruit on cookie sheets, and set in in on the dash of your car. The sun will dry it faster through the windows of a car or truck. be sure the windows are up. and turn it a time or 2. but now MY cousins, in Arkansas, make them out of screening, and hang them outside, off their porches, and lay them on top of sheds. but it is hotter there, than here. you can hang them up, and that way the animals wont get into them. takes longer, so , be sure to bring your food inside, one hour, before it starts to get dark, and take it out in the morning early, Don't want the dew, or moisture to get into it.
my one cousin, has a big flat rock in her yard, she puts a sheet out, and then lays her peaches or what ever out on it. and covers it with screening.

[Emily]

Yes, I am in SE Michigan. Thank you so much! I had not thought about the idea of the car. What a great idea!

[hunybee]

emily,
as it should happen, i just posted a thread with inexpensive plans for a solar dehydrator
inexpensive homemade solar food dryer

hope it helps

[momof23goats]

thanks Hunybee. We have alot of humidity here. s o we want to hang our food where the humidity won't get it.
a dash board works great. so does your rear window.

[hunybee]

yah, we have alot here too

[Emily]

emily,
as it should happen, i just posted a thread with inexpensive plans for a solar dehydrator
inexpensive homemade solar food dryer

hope it helps

Thank you so much hunybee!

[betsy baker]

Mom, could you dry turnips too? I was going to can them, but maybe drying wouldn't take up so much room.

[homemakerof6]

Wondering whos dehydrated Cabbage and were you happy with the results ? I've still got alot of Cabbage and am thinking about trying it. Thanks.