View Full Version : Started dehydrating tonight!
Different Socks
09-23-2010, 00:48
Got the first two trays loaded with peas and corn. Tomorrow I'll add two trays of spaghetti sauce and a tray of cauliflower and broccoli. Never have done the veggies before. Prior experience was with mushrooms, carrots, apples, pears, blueberries, tomatoes and a few other things.
Really want to shake up my menu and have some great dinners and lunch on my next thru. Looking forward to trying several recipes that I've seen here on WB.
Wish me luck!
Wombat Farm
09-23-2010, 01:02
Good luck! I've done lots of veges and fruits but haven't done spaghetti sauce. Would love to know how that works out! Broccoli comes out very nice and quick too. wahoo!
Turtle Feet
09-23-2010, 01:14
I'm dehydrating a couple of pounds of wheat berries (good protein source), and steel cut oats.
I'm actually cooking them (separately of course) and then dehydrating them again. I've tried doing a passive rehydrating - just adding a touch of water in the pm for the oatmeal, it's ready then by breakfast, just boil a little water, throw in some powdered milk and I have a nice hearty oatmeal without the cook time.
Same with the wheat berries. They normally take 15-20 mins. to cook, so I do it now, throw them on the trays and let them dedyrate again. Add a little water to them before hitting the trail, and by lunch time they're ready to eat, or start the rehydration later in the day in time for dinner.
I love those dehydrated seasoned veggie chips you can buy in the stores but they're crazy expensive. Haven't tried to replicate them at home...
TF
Different Socks
09-23-2010, 01:23
Good luck! I've done lots of veges and fruits but haven't done spaghetti sauce. Would love to know how that works out! Broccoli comes out very nice and quick too. wahoo!
I did the pasta sauce for my PCT and CDT hikes. It is rather easy to do, but you have to have an insert for the tray that has a raised lip along the edge to keep the sauce from spilling over.
Half a can works for one tray so I get 2 meals out of each can. Spray the plastic sheet with non stick cooking spray, pour half the can onto the sheet and spread out evenly. I haven't done this in about 5 years so i'm not sure what the temp should be. If done right, the sauce will dry to a leather(like fruit leather). Simply peel off when done and roll into plastic or foil. I think plastic is better. Nice thing is that if it gets smashed in your pack, it's ok! Cuz when you get into camp, once water is boiled, pour some into a container with the leather that you just spent a few minutes tearing into pieces. As pasta is boiling(throw in dried veggies/meat now), the sauce is rehydrating. When pasta done, drain, add sauce and enjoy!!
LaurieAnn
09-23-2010, 08:59
Different Socks...
About corn and peas... it dries wonderfully but you will need to rehydrate it with boiling water and I suggest a container with a screw on lid. Either a wide-mouth Nalgene or one of those screw lid Ziploc brand containers, cozy it and wait for about 30 minutes. It's a good time to set up camp while you wait. Why the container? Well I've discovered that the boiling water and resulting steam pressure forces more water into the food and gives better rehydration results. I do the same with meats.
Plastic wrap works well for sauces if you don't have a tray.
Turtle Feet
You can easily make your own veggie chips but they aren't quite as tasty as the ones in the store because they are often fried... so you may need to season the chips you make at home. What I do is slice with a mandoline (you can pick an inexpensive one up for about $15) so that all my slices are even. I've had great success with zucchini, yellow summer squash, jicama, carrots, rutabaga and the like. For the rutabaga and carrots I do a 1 minute blanch with the slices in a sieve. I place it in the boiling water and then take it out and place it in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Then dry at 135°F until you get the desired crispness. Oven drying works extremely well for this too.
Jonnycat
09-23-2010, 11:54
Good luck socks! I dehydrated a mess of broccoli this summer, it turned out perfect for my chicken/pasta dinners. Dehydrates down to a miniscule fraction of it's original size.
Farr Away
09-24-2010, 09:42
Good luck! I've done lots of veges and fruits but haven't done spaghetti sauce. Would love to know how that works out! Broccoli comes out very nice and quick too. wahoo!
I've dried salsa, and it turned out really good. (I tore the salsa sheet into pieces, and added hot water.)
While I was doing the salsa, I opened a 28 oz can of spaghetti sauce and poured it on 2 or 3 fruit rollup trays. (I was careful to dry the tomato 'stuff' at a fairly low temperature, so it wouldn't taste burnt.) After I pulled the spaghetti sauce sheets off the dehydrator, I stuck them in the freezer for a while, then tore them up, and powdered them in the blender. I got about 3 ounces of powder from the 28 ounce can. I haven't tried it on the trail yet, but it smells wonderful. :)
-FA
Farr Away
09-24-2010, 09:54
Different Socks...
About corn and peas... it dries wonderfully but you will need to rehydrate it with boiling water and I suggest a container with a screw on lid. Either a wide-mouth Nalgene or one of those screw lid Ziploc brand containers, cozy it and wait for about 30 minutes. It's a good time to set up camp while you wait. Why the container? Well I've discovered that the boiling water and resulting steam pressure forces more water into the food and gives better rehydration results. I do the same with meats.
...
Depending on what you're planning to do with the veggies, another option is to dry them, then puree in the blender to fairly small bits. These bits will rehydrate fairly quickly, and make a great addition to soups/stews or whatever. This is a great way to add veggies/nutrition, but they're going to be in the background - not separate, recognizable pieces.
I use them in cup-of-soup at work. I just pour water straight from the coffee pot (not boiling), and let it sit for a couple minutes. Flavor explosion!
Dicentra
09-24-2010, 12:02
Broccoli can make a big mess... Just sayin. :)
Broccoli can make a big mess... Just sayin. :)
No kidding on that. Parchment paper on that one - it sheds as it dries is the only to describe it!
LaurieAnn
09-25-2010, 08:06
Depending on what you're planning to do with the veggies, another option is to dry them, then puree in the blender to fairly small bits. These bits will rehydrate fairly quickly, and make a great addition to soups/stews or whatever. This is a great way to add veggies/nutrition, but they're going to be in the background - not separate, recognizable pieces.
I use them in cup-of-soup at work. I just pour water straight from the coffee pot (not boiling), and let it sit for a couple minutes. Flavor explosion!
That's a really good idea. Now why didn't I think of that. Mind if I put that on my blog? Please... with credit to you, of course. It would also be a great way to hide veggies for picky little ones on the trail.
Different Socks
09-25-2010, 17:04
Got my first 2 cans of sauce dried. Here is the before shot:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1310483840#%21/photo.php?pid=31021291&fbid=1410729950848&id=1310483840
Different Socks
09-25-2010, 17:04
Ok, that didn't work. How do I post a shot?
There is a "postcard" icon when you reply in "advanced" - you can easily insert the link to a photo you have hosted on say Photobucket or Flckr :) You will see the photo appear after you do this as well.
And PS: that icon is even in the "quick reply". It is next to the one for inserting a link.