I have seen that many people are stocking dried food. what is the appeal? is it taste, weight? wholesomeness? what am I missing here?
Primarily dried food, including dehydrated and freeze dried, has a much longer shelf life than other foods. Less weight is a bonus.
For me, it takes up less space, it lasts longer than fresh or canned. And it’s lighter if you are putting it in a BOB. I just received my order of dried eggs this week. I’m SOO excited.
thanks
Dehydrated food takes up less space and keeps much longer than other forms of food storage. For example, you can get nearly 10 pounds of cooked, dehydrated hambuger into a 1/2 gallon jar. It needs no refrigeration, and can easily sit on a shelf for two years before use. And when you’re ready to use it, just dump some in a container and cover with water til rehydrated, then just heat and eat. Dehydrated food is excellent for camping and emergencies, because you really don’t need heat to cook the hamburger at the time you use it, you’ve already done that before drying. I dry lots of broccoli too… I can fit 5 lbs of fresh frozen broccoli into a one quart jar after dehydrating. Makes excellent soup!
Longevity and weight, therefore, size. A number 10 can of dried carrots equals about 40 regular cans, and weighs a couple of pounds. However, once it’s open, it will suck moisture out of the air, so you have to either use it, or repack it in glass jars or the like. There are two different kinds of dried foods, by the way, regular dried food, and freeze-dried foods. Freeze-dried is more expensive and is considered higher quality. Regular dried food loses some nutrients compared with fresh, but then, so do frozen or canned foods. So the reason people stock dried foods is so that they can pack a lot of food into a small space, and basically forget about it until it’s needed. But it must be soaked or cooked to rehydrate, which will entail more work. But consider: once the initial panic is over, extended emergencies get boring fast. Spending a lot of time in food prep is a useful way to occupy your hands and mind.
Speaking of dried foods. Does anyone know if buying a #10 can of dried brocoli for $20 is cheaper than buying it frozen from say Sam’s Club and drying it yourself?
Well, figure your #10 can is about 30 pounds of broc, plus a can, and can-sealing technology. You would need to buy & dry 30# of broc for less than, say ,$15 to break even, unless you pay a lot for shipping. I worked it out, and decided it was a push, and bought rather than dried. That said, I’m currently drying a windfall of 50# of free onions. Can’t beat free.
Here’s a great link that discusses dehydrated veggies http://waltonfeed.com/self/deh-veg.html
Carrey in VA at 20:15, a #10 can of dried broccoli contains the equivalent of 20 cups of fresh broccoli. A #10 can at Walton Feed costs $16.95 + shipping. I buy large bags of frozen broccoli florets at Sam’s Club pretty cheap (maybe $4–5, can’t remember exactly). I’d guess it may take 2 bags of the frozen to equal 20 cups. So yes, I think you’d save money if you dehydrate it yourself. Nice thing about dehydrating frozen veggies is they’re already cleaned, blanched, and cut (although I usually chop the broccoli up into somewhat smaller pieces)
Here’s a link to the label information for a lot of different dried foods from Walton Feed. http://waltonfeed.com/self/labels/index.html
If you are on a low salt diet you should check to sodium content. Most of these meals contain 1000–2000 milligrams in a single meal.
I don’t add salt to my dried veggies (or meat), and don’t think any of the commercial suppliers do either.
Other great stuff to dehydrate to make cooking soups, stews, etc MUCH easier… celery, green peppers, onions, garlic, any leafy spices (basil, oregano, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, etc). It is SO much easier to get a jar off the shelf of your pantry to season your food, rather than all that washing, chopping etc of the fresh stuff, and taste is equal if not better. Each summer I grow 4 basil plants, 2 flat-leaf parsley plants, and one rosemary plant, which is enough to keep me in these spices for a solid year (or more). And the smell while they’re drying is absolutely heavenly!
Freeze dried is the favorite of campers and backpackers and canoists because it weighs next to nothing and reconstitutes to pretty tasty stuff. It isn’t cheap, but if you don’t have a lot of room to spare, it is part of the solution.
With a 2 year old and a three year old I don’t see myself drying food but i am interested. Honestly before I buy $70 of carrots does this stuff taste good?
okay just talked with husband and will look into buying dehydrater. any recommendations?
katherine at 22:04, if you’re looking for a good dehydrator look at the Excalibur dehydrators. A little pricey, but if you’ll be doing much dehydrating at all, they really are a good deal. I am REALLY glad that I dumped my stupid round-stacked dehydrator in favor of the Excalibur. It dries things evenly without shuffling trays and has an adjustable thermostat so you can dry different foods at the proper temperature, and a timer so you can go off and leave things and still have them come out well. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. www.excaliburdehydrator.com
Also, yes, dehydrated tastes as good as fresh, but sometimes the texture is a little different.
katherine – at 19:50
There is of course the king and queen of dehydrated food: Rice and beans. They last along time. They are compact. I hear that the combination provides a complete protein (but I have not verified that yet). But best of all, they are dirt cheap. I have been buying 25 lbs bags of rice for under $10 each and 15 lbs bags of beans for about $12. That is a huge amount of food (after it is cooked) for about $25. If you sprout the beans you get even more. The only down side is you need water.
I have an Excalibur and love it.
Correction “25 pound bags of beans” $12.
we have the rice and beans covered. actually have about 50+ pounds of beans. looked at the excalibur and agree it does seem the nicest and I trust everyones opinion here….okay back to costco for produce. the work never ends.
thanks everyone. i really do value the input
One advantage I see with dehydrated foods is that you can avoid spoiled food. How many times do you buy a quantity of fruits or veggies and don’t use all before it goes bad?
There are two solutions to this. If you are buying dehydrated foods to begin with, you could rehydrate only the amount that you need. There would be no waste. If you are dehydrating your own foods, you could dehydrate excess foods before they spoil or purchase foods on sale and dehydrate them to save money.
It’s a good thing. :)
For storing an ‘emergency extension’ to present plans, (to rely on in the UNLIKELY case of a long, killer-pandemic), I can’t beat rice and beans, plus maybe sugar and salt etc, for good use of space, money economy and long storage life, IMHO.
Don’t order from Walton unless you don’t need it right away - I placed an order a month ago and just received notice YESTERDAY that it shipped. www.honeyville.com is great for customer service, price and speed. Their selection is not as big as Walton but if you want to get some basics easily and quickly Honeyville is great.
One bit of warning - the cans they come in are GIGANTIC! They take up soooooo much space. I thought about re-packaging them but am concerned that by opening them I am shortening their shelf-life.
BTW - I only plan on using many of the items if we are running out, as mix-ins into other things, etc. I’ve had de-hydrated before and personally it’s just not the same!
Before anyone buys large quantities of dehydrated stuff, I’d recommend they get some small packets of the food and try it out. It saved me from buying huge cans of dehydrated scrambled bacon and eggs, which I thought tasted to much like the bonito used to flavor them (dehydrated fish.) Not to my taste. However, we did like the granola and dried apples. Outdoor stores (REI, Gander Mountain) have individual packets.
I got eggs from Honeyvillegrain and they took less than a week to get here. and shipping is $4 and change NO MATTER WHAT! So if you were to get 5000 pounds of stuff shipping is still only $4.XX
I dunno about the excalibur dehydrator. FWIW, I’ve been using a plain old American Harvest round stackable tray one, had it for…sheesh, probably fifteen years now. It’s not what you’d use to make a six month supply of dehydrated food for fifty people in a weekend, but if you’re not trying to do it all at once, this works pretty well.
Off to the store for more x-lean ground beef to dehydrate…and maybe some strawberries for fruit leather too!
I have three tiered stocking: fresh foods those that can be eaten in short time. This also includes meat etc in the freezer. I have canned foods, home canned and store bought cans, then dehydrated foods home dehydrated and store bought. I plan on using the fresh first and intersperse the canned and dryed at a later date. We have acclimated our bodies to eat wheat (fresh ground, sprouted etc.) We are used to heavy fiber and taste. We have practiced the different ways of cooking. We sprout. Don’t try to eat your preps without getting used to the fiber first. DH is adventroous so I can play with storage food. Test your tvp now. Don’t want the kids to whine and complain when that is what you fixed for dinner. Try rehydrating you preps now. Some prep sites have sample cans to try.
lauraB - Can’t vouch for it ‘cause I haven’t cracked open any of my pouches or cans, but I understand freeze-dried tastes the best and the processes they are using for dehydrated food these days are greatly improved. Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised.
just ordered freeze dried cans and some sites are sold out (mountain house) due to avian flu concerns. other sites are out of stock of many key items. hmmmm troubles brewin’
I got a bunch of the Walton Feeds goods (took a little while, even a few months ago). Sure wish I’d known about the $4 shipping then!!! Still, is peace of mind, and as far as storage, well, if we have to move quick - “don’t forget the endtable in the bedroom!!!!”
other sites are out of stock of many key items. hmmmm troubles brewin’
So, make your own — not freeze-dried but dehydrated. It’s what I do - you won’t find me plunking down $7-$8 a go for a Mountain House freeze-dried meal. Mine cost about $2-$2.50 a serving.
Also, what SafetyLady said. Try the stuff now, all of it. Never mind what’s on sale, buy one and try it and make sure you can make it palatable. Sure, you’ll eat it if you’re starving — and healthy. Sick people don’t eat if it doesn’t taste good.
I recently sent away for a sample of the Mountain House freeze dried lasagna, it was fantastic. You would never know it was dried food!
We (to be read ‘me’) have dried a lot of fruits and vegetables to store. Yes it can be less expensive if you shop for your produce carefully or grow your own. It can keep for a long time too if you store it properly and live in an environment with lower humidity.
Dont forget to include the cost of electricity to run the dehydrator in your calculations of cost. :-)
lbb – at 22:28
How do you store your home dehydrated food? Do you know how long it would store (keep) in a mason jar that is sealed with one of those sealing vacuums that suck the air out of the mason jars? How long have you personally kept dehydrated food that was still good to eat.
Sorry for so many questions, but with a possible bird flu pandemic, our families may have to depend on what we can do for ourself.
Thanks in advance for your answers.
bump
How long does home dried food store and still be usable?
I’m currently using some dried fruits & veggies stored 7 years ago, they’re fine. I’ve used dehydrated hamburger 2 years old, but I think it could go longer than that.
Extension agencies in every state can give you info on dehydrating foods. Most canning/freezing books have sections on dehydration.
I have dried herbs for years and have never had any problems. I have just recently purchased dehydrators and began utilizing this method in my preps. This was prompted by 2 things… this flu pandemic, and last years hurricane season. I don’t have room in my freezer and I don’t want to loose what is in my freezer. If directions are followed, dehydrated foods will last at least as long as the recommendation. I assume nuttritional value may begin to decline after time recommended, but I am not sure about this. My in-laws have dehydrated foods for ions and have had no problems. As I type, I am dehydrating 3 racks of onions from my garden and 3 racks of apples. Dehydrating is so simple. Cleaning and preparing is the biggest chore. Once you put it into the dehydrater, all you do is check occassionally to see if the stuff is ready. I also have dehydrated food from my freezer (i.e., chopped bell peppers.) I store my stuff in jars with seals… canister type. Dehydration of foods greatly reduces storage space because it shrinks the stuff massively. Storage information is included in the resources I mentioned above.
I like the dehydraters that have temperature control and a fan. Quicker.
Most freeze dried fruits and vegetables that are sealed in #10 cans with oxygen absorbers will last for 10 to 15 years under good storage conditions. Beans and rice, as mentioned above are excellent candidates for long term storage. Also, as mentioned above, freeze dried fruits and vegetables are more expensive but offer an excellent nutritional profile because they do not have any additional sugar or preservatives added as some dried and dehydrated products do. Freeze dried fruits are just plain fruit with the water removed. My favorite are the freeze dried strawberries. They just have so much flavor and all of the vitamins and minerals of fresh strawberries. Truly an item where I can eat what I store and store what I eat.
A Word of Caution: I love my Excaliber BUT ….. you must read the book. Not all foods are equal when it comes down to what to dehydrate. I made a lot of mistakes because I didn’t take the time to read the directions. (Now there’s the story of my life). For instance, green leafy veggies aren’t the ideal choice, you’ll end up with a powder - which is dandy for enriching soups and stews but don’t be expecting steamed kale. Citrus fruits do better as leathers or powders. Anyway, you get the drift. The book divides all food types into great for dehydrating, o.k., down to not-so-hot for dehydrating. Just read before you jump in feet first so you won’t feel you’ve wasted a lot of time.
typical ready meal in plast is also dehydrated, like soups etc. it may not contain the same balansed ingreidients as campers hydrated meals, but mixed with other storable ingredients it will be ok. They do need some more place since the packagin is big compared to the amunt of food, but could be repacked..
We tried the Mountain House beef stronganoff dinner, got it at wallyworld for 6$. Liked it a lot but pretty expensive. I might keep a couple around just in case though.
I also put an oxygen absorber into my own dried items.
lohrewok, you can basically make the equivalent of Mountain House yourself, with a little dehydrator practice — and in so doing, you get to control the nutrition of the end product. I know a fellow backpacker whose dehydrator never gets put away — whatever gets made for dinner, if he has leftovers, they go into the dehydrator to make backpacking meals. He eats very well on the trail!
I’ve been avoiding this for too long…
I should read back and check this out but I’m feeling blocked/lazy at the moment. I bought oxygen absorbers from Honeyville when I bought some eggs, vegetables and fruit about two to three months ago. The absorbers are still in their bag. My question is ‘Can you use the absorbers in plastic containers or do the containers need to be glass or metal? My bulk grains and beans from the health food store are in tightly fitted plastic containers as is the bulk flour that I can’t fit into my refridgerator. Won’t the absorbers effect the plastic? Also do you use the absorbers for bulk teas and dried fruits and veggies and pasta also in bulk but in plastic bags then placed in plastic containers? All of these items are organic ie. no preservatives so I’d imagine that they wouldn’t keep as long as reg. store bought foods.
Another question… After you place your rice in the freezer overnight to kill the bugs or whatever and take it out, the condensation in the bags could possibly cause the rice and other grains to mold. Do you leave the grain in the opened plastic bag for a few days until you think that the water has evaporated and then seal it in the plastic containers?
Also can you use the oxygen absorbers simply in plastic bags?
I haven’t a clue about all of this and I hope that my procrastinating hasn’t ruined my preps too much! ;-( THANKS!
I was reading up on oxygen absorbers and they do not work with zip lock bags. The bags don’t have enough integrity to keep out the oxygen.
I came across this when I was researching how to use oxygen absorbers. You can store your unused absorbers in a canning jar but not a plastic bag.
Sorry I don’t have a link.
RNeville …Thanks, I thought as much about the plastic bags. I guess they’d do OK in a plastic container. I’ll search the wiki tomorrow & then do a google search if I am still unsure. The answers are most likely on fluwiki off the prep page. I’m sure that I saw something about it months ago. Honeyville or the Mormon site would probably have info too. I was just being lazy. ;-) Have a good night!
bumping for bill
bird-dog,
Here’s the site I was thinking of: http://tinyurl.com/zc8wb
RNeville
Wow…great information! Thanks so much. Obviously I’ll have to have everything in place before I open the bag from Honeyville. That will take some time!
lohrewok - at 19:21
You said WallyWorld had Mountain House freeze dried food in pouches. Did they also have freeze dried foods in the #10 cans (Mountain House or any other brand)? Thanks!
Took some Mountain House freeze-dried lasagna on a recent camping trip. It was great. Even my skeptical DH remarked (more than once) how good he thought it was. Anxious to try more.
Folks, one thing to keep in mind is that the power grid may or may not be down during a pandemic or any other disaster.
Search the forums for “thermos cooking”, “Kelly Stoves” and “Solar ovens” for alternatives to when your heat backups fail.
Also, keep in mind that a diet of rice and beans is not complete so make sure that at the least you have a large supply of multi-vitamins and if possible cans/cups of fruits and vegetables. You need to keep a balanced diet if you are going to SIP for more then a few weeks.
I am experimenting with recipies that start with rice and beans but do not require much heat. I will pass on my experiences both good and bad (I have a black thumb when it comes to cooking so be warned).
Mike
CAMike -
Good reminders. Personally, I’m trying to plan and prepare for every possibility - from best-case to worst-case scenario. Regular rice, Minute Rice. Dried beans, canned beans. Frozen meat, freeze-dried/dehydrated meat/and TVP. Same for milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables. We simply don’t know what situation we might be in.
I’ve read up on thermos cooking (who knew?) and I know what a Kelly Stove is and where to buy one. Haven’t learned too much, yet, about solar cooking but I sure know where to find the info when I need it ;)
I’d never even heard of such things until a few months ago; now I’m feeling more and more self-reliant. Thanks FluWiki!
…and good luck with those experiments, Mike!
OKbirdwatcher @ 17:06
I did not see any #10 cans there. It was in the camping supply area where I found the mountain house entree. Our store (not a superstore) has only about 1 side of an aisle devoted to camping items.
Thanks so much lohrewok and you’ve already answered my next question! Our local WM is not a supercenter either but they have a fair camping section (which I frequent on a regular basis these days) and I’ve never seen ANY kind of food, period. But I’ll look more closely next time.
I’m buying the dried foods because they make sense. However, in the back of my mind as I order it I’m saying to myself, God forbid I ever in life have to actually use the stuff.
glennk
Ditto. But I do plan to start incorporating them into our regular meals. Get that “rotation” in motion.
One note about ordering Mountain House through the mail or internet. Occasionally the Mountain House website will state they are “Out of Stock” for #10 cans but other websites will still have it marked as “In Stock” and sell it to you. Then the other websites will send you an email stating there is a 3 to 6 week wait for the Mountain House product.
I had this happen to me, I ordered from one website and was told the 3~6 week wait for back ordered product. Then I got an email from Mountain House stating their #10 cans were back in stock, so I ordered a few cans from them. In just 3 days I got my order from Mountain House, 4 days after that I got my Mountain House product from the other website.
It seems Mountain House is producing the stuff as fast as they can and it sells out for awhile everywhere. Be careful if you are in a hurry some place says they have the product “In Stock” and Mountain House doesn’t.
On low tech cooking check out Nuwick candles. I’m pretty impressed with the Nuwicks they are sealed with multiple wicks and matches right in the can. I got 6 44 hour candles, a basic sterno style camp stove and a small Colman cook pot set in my emergency kit. All I need is water and my freeze dried foods and our family of four is set for 10-days minimum.(Slowly adding more freeze dried goods to the emergency kit.)
RNeville -
It seems all the freeze-dried food suppliers are having a difficult time keeping up with demand. But I must say, every online retailer I have ordered from has been accurate, upfront and honest about stock availability and back order delivery times. I have been very impressed with all of them so far.
I’ve been looking at the Nuwick candles too - haven’t bought any yet. Have you tried them out (for cooking)?
I just made my first order of dehydrated and freeze dried food from Emergency Essentials. In the recent past, MANY items had a yellow box next to them indicating that they were temporarily out of stock. However, last night all had a green box indicating they were in stock. I hope they didn’t just change it to get more back ordered orders! Anyway, I wanted some long term storage items that would not be used for possibly years and things that are ingredients that would be hard to get in an emergency to be used in baking and other things that can be used together. I got #10 cans of dried milk, eggs, stew mix (LOTS of different vegs and potatoes in it), Soup mix (lots of lentils and peas), chicken boullion and cheddar brocolli soup (with potatoes) to cook the soup and stew mixes in. Also a couple of P-38′s (50 cents each) in case my collection of hand can openers all die. They have good shipping too. It is 5, 9 or 15 dollars depending on how much you get. My next order will be some of those twist top bucket lids and some freeze dried beef and chicken if I can afford it ($30+ a can!). Oh, I got 1 #10 can of dehydrated pinto beans too. They do not sell oxy absorbers. That was kind of strange.
OKbirdwatcher – at 17:10
Everything tastes better when you are camping. <grin> Its all that fresh air and extra calorie burning activities. LOL!
Oh, I forgot to mention that the food is the Provident Pantry brand out of Orem Utah. They recommend that I get my oxy absorbers from and LDS site.
Did I forget to mention that I got quick oats and buttermilk pancake mix too? Just 1 #10 can of each. Yikes. That is 11 #10 cans. Sure feels good though. Don’t have to worry about rotating that stuff for years. :-) I will shut up now.
Kathy in FL - You are so right:)
Thordawggy -
I’ve found Emergency Essentials “availability indicators” to be very accurate. Not 100%, but very close. I’ve ordered a lot from them and only 3 items were backordered and I received them within a few days after getting the main shipment. I’ve always been happy with their service.
OKbirdwatcher - that is good to know! You don’t know how many times that I have put stuff in the shopping cart there and then never ordered them. Other places too. I finally clicked on the ‘place order’ button. Of course, a couple of large adult beverages helped my inhabitions, but this morning there were no regrets. When the stuff arrives, my husband will get a shocker though! Heh heh. I forgot that I was going to shut up now. :-) I am just excited! We have TONS of other preps, but this long term stuff makes me feel much better.
I have five #10 cans … 3 of powdered whole eggs, 1 of sour cream, and 1 of banana slices.
Most everything else I’m getting I can pick up at the store in one form or another. I kinda regret the sour cream now that I’ve found out how to make it with evaporated milk … but you live and learn and it certainly won’t go to waste. My youngest two love dried banana slices so they will be a treat.
For me it isn’t a problem of buying in bulk … its having decent containers to put the stuff in once I buy it. I have my mom’s friends all saving me large screw top type containers (commercial sizes) and I’m creating a few myself from the pretzel “barrels” at SAMs <grin> … but I can only buy as much as I have containers for at any given time. I nearly have enough to buy another 50 lbs. of rice.
Thordawggy - ‘You don’t know how many times that I have put stuff in the shopping cart there and then never ordered them. Other places too.’
Oh yes I do! In fact I have another large order in my EE cart right now. LOL! I keep “editing” my order, comparing prices, etc. I usually place fairly large orders and I want to get it right. I don’t think you’ll have any regrets - I haven’t. My DH’s eyes bug a little when the orders arrive, but he’s basically OK with it. He does like to eat, after all ;) The freeze-dried/dehydrated items are just another level of my preps. Nothing else I know of that will store for 10–30 yrs! (That I would actually want to eat.)
OKbirdwatcher – at 15:50
A family of my size (7 people, four of whom eat adult sized portions) would go through those #10 cans quick as a wink. I’ve priced things out and for us it just doesn’t make economic sense if I plan on actually using them in the near future.
If I was only prepping for say something that I didn’t expect for another 3 to 10 years, then the freeze dried/dehydrated stuff would make better sense. I wish it WAS a good option for us as it would take some heat of my prepping to just be able to order stuff at will (or at least at paycheck. - grin).
I just need to find better ways to store what I’m already buying. Plus with water being a main concern for us, the canned goods are a better option again.
I think every body needs to sit down and work out … like OK is doing … to see what works best within their families needs and budget.
I dehydrate stuff from my freezer… vegetables and fruits. For example, green peppers, squash, carrots or berries. The foods in the freezer section are often cheaper than fresh produce. (Unless it’s homegrown.) (Or on special.) Dehydrating reduces my need for freezer space, which has a lot of implications. Dehydrating is an excellent method of preserving foods for long periods with reduction in “shelf space” needs. Foods in the freezer section are more nutritious, generally speaking, than canned goods. I have even dehydrated cottage cheese… successfully. Honestly, dehydrating is not that laborous. It is relatively simple. Also, it is a good teaching tool for kids… all kinds of “learning” opportunities.
Kathy in FL -
We’re a small family, just DH and myself right now, but add DD (and maybe her spouse or SO, if there happens to be one) if and when we SIP. So maybe 4 people, tops, in the immediate.
So just opening a #10 can, I will have to vacuum seal or otherwise re-package the leftovers. And I’ve never even bought a 50 lb. bag of rice, though I know that’s the best value. It just kinda boggles my mind.
I bought the sour cream powder, butter powder, tomato powder, etc. in the #2.5 cans, as a “try me” size, because I wasn’t sure about them either. I’ve never used any of this kind of stuff. So I’m going to try them out and if I like using them, I’ll order them in the #10 cans.
EnoughAlready – at 16:16
I was going to give that a try this coming week. I want to get some of my canning out of the way first. I have over 20 pounds of ground beef waiting to be canned, not to mention some boneless beef ribs, stew meat, and some cocktail weenies. I can only stand to make so much mess in the kitchen at one time. <grin>
I think I’m going to check SAMs to see if they carry really large bags of frozen veggies. Of course it might be better to do a mixture from smaller bags … I’ll just have to get out my dehydrator and give it a try one way or another to see. <grin>
Kathy in FL -
Yea, I’ve tried to cover all the bases. Has given me a headache on more than one occasion. If water and power are readily available, I’ll cook pretty much like I do now and use all those dried beans and rice. If not, have lots of canned foods, but need more. If we lost freezer items, meats especially, or run out of things (gulp:( ), I think that’s where the freeze-dried/dehydrated foods will come in handy. I’ve bought a lot of the entree items (not cheap), meats (not cheap) and even TVP. Upside - no refrigeration or freezing required!
I hope I never know whether this was all a good plan or not.
I do both at the same time… sometimes. The dehydrater is so quick and easy… and utilizing the frozen foods adds to the less mess. I find I have to put the frozen stuff in a collander & shake it to get water out. (If frozen, I run water over it.) I also have had to put stuff on a towel, or paper towel to “dry” it a bit before putting into the dehydrater. I knocked a jar of 13 pounds of chopped bell peppers off the counter, and it broke all to pieces. :( Being I have purchased a lot of glass containers at thrift stores, I am more careful! If I knew what I know now, after the “breaking”, I’d use more plastic containers, or baggies.
I have put up over 4 cases of quart sized jars of meat! Yesterday, I had 3 jars of HB not seal. I am not sure why. I think I didn’t screw the lids on tight enough… there was no sign of anything on the rims or seals. I even partially cooked the HB and drained it… so I don’t think it was fat content. I just took the stuff out of the jars and put it into sealameal bags and put it into the freezer. I appreciate your help on my canning questions! It is such a relief to have that meat out of the freezer and in jars! Right now I am concentrating on meat in the freezer. My fig trees are loaded… so I will be doing preserves when they ripen! AND my banana trees are loaded… will dehydrate them… only way they are edible.
With families as large as mine, and yours, dehydrating is just such a helpful method! I plan on using most of the veggies for soups, stews, add-ins to boost nutritional status. I have even dehydrated squash, kale, cabbage, slaw (snicker), mushrooms… everything I can get my hands on. When something is on sale in the produce section, I grab it up and stick it in the dehydrater. Unlike other methods of preserving…. you don’t have to wait until you “get enough” to make a batch.
As far as size… I get whatever is most economical. It shrinks so much it doesn’t matter! I have 2 dehydraters with 8 shelves… and more shelves on order. Unlike canning, you don’t have to “sit” with it! I also had to make some “screens” to keep stuff from falling through, or all over the counters when it’s done & I’m trying to put it into containers. I have ordered screens from the company that makes my dehydrater, but I can’t wait until they get here to do this stuff… so much is available now!
Folks, dehydrating seems like a smart way to go. I have never done it so can (pun intended) you give me some tips.? I am particularly wondering about storage (best method and how long does it last?). Also, can some one point me to a link on dehydrating meat? I have done some searches but have not found what I am looking for.
Mike
CAMike – at 17:16
As far as meat goes, try directions for making jerky. It really isn’t hard at all. Can even be made from ground beef … I picked up a kit to do this at Walmart and have used it several times.
To dehydrate your ground beef … fry it up and drain it very, very well. You might even add seasoning like chili or taco seasoning if you want to. Then spread evenly on your dehydrator’s trays until fully dried following the same temps that you would for jerky.
Veggies and fruits … if I remember correctly … don’t have to be dried at quite a high of temperature as meat. Check your particular machine’s directions.
EnoughAlready – at 16:43
How did the slaw come out? <grin> I have several soup recipes that call for cabbage but I couldn’t figure out a way to do it. Using canned saurkraut just ain’t the same. LOL!
Found this and it might be helpful as a judge of how much fresh makes how much dried.
Yields of Fruits & Vegetables
From 25 lbs. of fresh produce you can expect to get about 4to 8 lbs. of dried fruit, or 3 to 6 lbs. of vegetables. Results vary depending on the portion of inedible parts discarded before drying.
Thanks, Kathy, I have a busy weekend coming up.
Mike
For some reason cannot get myself to buy a dehydrator, although I have looked into them. I have made about 10# of hamburger by precooking, draining well and then spreading it on cookie sheets in my oven. Did a trial 2# batch a month ago, let it sit out on the counter and then made two meals out of it. Wonderful taste and without all the “greasiness” of regular cooked hamburger. Will make more each week now. May try some vegetables as well.
MAinVA – at 17:42
Yeah, you don’t absolutely have to have a dehydrator to dry stuff with … but sure beats the heck out of heating of the kitchen the way the oven seems to. Saves gas if you have a gas stove as well … since it runs on electric.
I have an electric oven and I’ve heard people say both that they are better than a gas oven and worse for drying foods. LOL! Since I got the dehydrator 18 years ago as a wedding gift … I figure what the heck. <grin> I use it more than the fondue set that I received. LOL!
Mike… here is what it says in Crfisis Perpardness Handbook, by Jack Spigarelli:
Lean beef and similar meats can be cut into thin strips an dried into jerky. Pork shouldn’t be used because low heat won’t kill trichinosis bacteria. Meat for jerky should be parboiled for 15–30seconds prior to drying. (p203)
Books:
How to Dry Foods, DeLong & Gates
The ABC’s of HOme Food Dehydration, Densley
Dry It, You’ll Like It, MacManiman
Mike… I can’t make links work on this website, but… University of Idaho Extension agency has good info on making jerky and how to do it safely. I just did dehydrate meat search and it came up on the first page. Says: Beef Jerky- The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline’s current recommendation for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160o F before the dehydrating process. …
Enough,
Read the instructions for making links at the bottom of the page. PmWiki doesn’t use html, it has its own markup language.
Kathy in FL – at 17:26
LOL! Slaw came out like little biddy string confetti. A large bag shrunk down to about 1 cup. It is easily breakable, so when used won’t have to have stringy stuff in soup. Supposedly, can rehydrate it to make coleslaw. We love that V-8 juice soup with cabbage and navy beans/red beans… so… I’ve got cabbage for that now.
Thanks again all. I guess I just need to ecperiment. The recipes and links will be of use. I will pass on my sucesses and failures.
Mike
Melanie… I have tried! I don’t know what the deal is, it won’t work for me. We are talking the link description? right? I put the address link where link goes, underscore url, etc. Sometimes stuff I don’t copy out of the address window comes up. One time a Billy Graham website came up… and I did not even have that on my computer. I can’t make it work.
well… what did I just create? See. All I did was try to describe what was down there … the brackets stuff.
Thordawggy – at 14:58
I also have P-38′s, I put one in a small ziplock bag to prevent ambient moisture from rusting it and put one under the lid of every third #10 can I get.
OKbirdwatcher – at 13:06
I haven’t tried the candle for cooking yet but I took a couple pictures for you and compared it to a brand X survival candle. http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=117700
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I’ve gone back to drying my own … really easy. I buy commerical size bags of frozen veggies so I don’t have to process them in advance and then put them on the dehydrator trays and away we go. I can dry the equivalent of a #10 can for about $5 for most veggies.
I have mine temporarily stored in gallon freezer bags (ziploc brand) until I can borrow my mom’s sealer and then I’ll store them in airtight jars.
Thanks, Kathy! I’ll really need to be putting my dehydrator to use more often. This sounds easy-peasy and have a worth eating project after all is said and done. I have been wanting to try jerky but don’t want a catastrophe on my hands. Any words of wisdom there from either you or Kim?
Thanks!
This may seem like simple questions, but I really new to this dried foods topic. I read the entire thread, but I still have questions.
1. What is the difference in the process of creating freeze dried vs. just dehydrated?
2. How hard is it to create your own “just add water and heat ready to eat meals” like the mountain house meals using just a dehydrater?
3. How do you know how much water to add to rehydrate? Is it different for every food or is it more like just add water and the meat/vegs/fruits will only soak up what it needs?
Thanks, I really appreciate the knowledge that I have gained from this board.
anon-in-ga, freeze-drying is nearly impossible at home, the equipment is extremely expensive. It’s a complicated process, whereas dehydrating can be done by most anyone. Most of the Mountain House meals are freeze-dried, not dehydrated. One CAN, however, experiment with dehydrating already-cooked dishes at home. When re-hydrating dehydrated foods, I generally just put them in a container and add enough water to cover, they seem to soak up only what they need.
Thanks Kim, I will have to look into a dehydrator and see if this is something worth investing in.
Thanks Kim, I will have to look into a dehydrator and see if this is something worth investing in.
anon-in-ga, you might look at the Excalibur dehydrator website. Excalibur is the brand I have, and I really love it. I had some of the cheap round stacking dehydrators before and was not happy with them, it seemed that everything either burned or refused to dry without all kinds of major watching and shuffling of trays. The Excalibur site also has some recipes that you might find interesting. I think I’ve found a cheap source of watermelon, I’m going to try dehydrating that, it sounds wonderful! http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/gen1.htm
“I had some of the cheap round stacking dehydrators before and was not happy with them, it seemed that everything either burned or refused to dry without all kinds of major watching and shuffling of trays.” - Kim
Ronco from late night infomercial anyone?
TX-Gunner, yes, I had a Ronco, and also some other round stacking dehydrator (don’t remember the brand). Talk about a major pain in the a**!!! I can easily see why anyone who has one of those pieces of junk would soon decide that dehydrating is just too much trouble for them and give up.
Recieved a loan of the Ronco last night ….I will report my luck with the 10lbs of green onions I was given .
Two years ago I made a fish feed dryer for research blends of fish feed at the Uinv that I work at (staff inventor and problem solver). I used a metal closet (surplus), coated interior with food grade epoxy, made tray guides and tray frames from aluminum angle, screens with food grade nylon screen. Put two 6″ 115 v muffin fans in the top, screened variable sized intake vents in the bottom, and heated it with a WalMart quality small electric heater rewired to a 100 to 150° F thermostat with remote bulb sensor. It worked great for drying the fish feed, but the experiment ended so the unit got moved to a out-of-the-way corner. Since it will probably never be used again (aquacultue section is closed down now), maybe the unit will follow me home. It gives 66 sq ft of drying surface, and I can convert it to solar operation fairly easily. When the local apples start coming in I may dry up several bushels for myself, and several more for “trade”.
I have some dried foods- rice, eggs (Honeyville), instant potatoes, milk, smoothies, …. But I have gone with can beans. The reason is at my altitude it takes forever to cook dried beans even when presoaked for a day. It would cost me too much in fuel. So the bottom line for me (again just because of altitude) is that it is easier to have canned beans than it is to keep the extra fuel. The same with a few other items. I want to have some canned-no cook items as well as the dried cooked items.
I about feel out of my chair when yesterday my husband told me to go ahead and get the Dyhydrator I have been eyeing for some time. I bought mine at Cabela’s online http://tinyurl.com/lttrj. I got the 80 Liter Model. Just need to figure out where im going to keep this thing. I like the fact that it has temperature controls since I like to make Buffalo Jerky often and getting the right temps is important for meat shelf life.
I wont get it until next week but very anxious.
I also ordered more oxygen absorbers and Silca Gel for vacuum sealing the jerky.
Last month I bought a food dehydrator and dehydrated broccoli and zuccini. Both vegetables were dry and brittle when I placed them in glass jars with plastic screw top lids. Now I notice that both the broccoli and the zuccini are pliable i.e. no longer brittle. Is that normal?
Sounds like there was still some moiture left. The best thing to to is seal them in a vacuum type container and possibly add an oxygen absorber and or a packet of silica gel.
Im thinking that some of the #10 canned veggies you see online are freeze dried instead dehydrated.
Irene I see the Emergency essentials sells their broccoli #10 as freeze dried. Im presuming that is really the only way to preserve this particular item. I may be wrong.
Broccoli can be dehydrated OR freeze-dried. I dehydrate my own at home. Irene, you must not have a good seal on your storage jars, I suspect that the plastic lids are not making a good seal on the glass jars. I always keep my dehydrated stuff in glass canning jars with canning lids (I live in a humid climate). The canning lids have a rubber seal which should prevent any air infiltration. There should be no loss on your broccoli and zucchini, though. Dump them out and check carefully for any signs of mold. If there is none, just stick it back in the dehydrator for a short time until it’s dry enough, then re-package in canning jars. If it’s moldy you’ll have to throw it out of course.
Thanks! :-)
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