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Double Wide
08-13-2011, 08:59
What would y'all suggest as the best source to find dehydrated veggies? I'm cool with Mountain House and those Coleman meals while out in the woods, but even at $4.88 apiece at WallyWorld, it can get expensive.

I've been kinda-sorta stocking up for my planned 2013 thru (buying a couple of meals twice a month and storing them in a big Rubbermaid in the closet), but having been reading all that I can get my hands on from the experts--you folks--I don't recall anyone saying that they did the Mountain House thing all the way to Maine. I like the idea of Lipton noodles, rice, and instant potatoes, but I'd really like to add some flavor and nutrients with veggies. But off the top of my head, I've never noticed dehydrated veggies and such at the local grocery stores (Super Walmart and Kroger in my neck of the woods).

Anybody in Nashville/middle TN know of a good place to find dehydrated mushrooms/onions/carrots/peppers/peas?

Thanks!

Rocket Jones
08-13-2011, 09:37
Harmony House (http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/).

Toolshed
08-13-2011, 09:43
Do you want to do it yourself? The easy way is grab bags of frozen veggies and spread them on a pie plate or tray and put them in your oven - set at lowest setting or around 125 and keep the door open slightly. flip them over every few hours. check for dryness in 8-12 hours.
I like to buy large amounts of veggies and fruits in summer and dehydrate on my own. It can be a messy, time consuming venture. It is inexpensive. I do it for enjoyment, as well as monetary savings.

Rain Man
08-13-2011, 11:40
Anybody in Nashville/middle TN know of a good place to find dehydrated mushrooms/onions/carrots/peppers/peas?

I'll second the vote for Harmony House, though for some reason they don't have dehydrated refried beans. :(

In Nashville, you can find some items in the bulk food sections at Whole Foods, Fresh Market (next to REI), and Trader Joes. Kroger has some bulk foods, plus in the "organic" section, they carry Fantastic World Foods brand (and others) of some stuff in boxes and/or bags.

Rain:sunMan

.

ScottP
08-15-2011, 16:40
harmony house is great.

Double Wide
08-15-2011, 19:56
Wow--great info. Thanks! I went browsing at Harmony House and I've already come up with a bulk shopping list. And while they don't have dehydrated refried beans, I've got my eye on that big jug of black beans (I buy lots of refried black beans at Kroger every month--one of my favorite staples). But I think they have pretty much everything I'm looking for: Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Celery, Beans.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

And RainMan--no bulk at the Krog's up here in my neck of the woods, but the one down in Belleview has me covered. Same thing at that huge one down in Spring Hill.

Blissful
08-15-2011, 22:18
Do you want to do it yourself? The easy way is grab bags of frozen veggies and spread them on a pie plate or tray and put them in your oven - set at lowest setting or around 125 and keep the door open slightly. flip them over every few hours. check for dryness in 8-12 hours.


Absolutely the way to go. The money you are dishing out for Mountain House or other dehydrated bulk foods you can put to better use by getting a dehydrator from Wally world.

Trailweaver
08-16-2011, 00:39
Also check Just Tomatoes. They're good on a lot of dehydrated items.

Wombat Farm
08-16-2011, 01:20
I'd be careful with too many freeze dried meals (as MH brand is) they may make you gassy and the bags actually take up alot of space. Dehydrated is way better. You should be able to find dehydrated onions in the spice aisle anywhere and I've often seen dehydrated peas in the vege aisle. You can find dehydrated tomatoes and mushrooms in the produce area usually too. Also a great one I miss (haven't ever seen here in Australia) is "Butter Buds" in the spice aisle...that is a very great addition to mild tasting food. I used to buy stuff from Just Tomatoes as someone mentioned....yummy. To me it made way more sense though to spend a hundred bucks on a good dehydator. I also do the instant potatoes and bring various sauces to mix in. Last year on Christmas I was out in a local long distance trail around here and for my Xmas dinner had instant pot/gravy/stuffing all mixed in. It's a great meal when your out in the woods - and very lightweight.
Luckily you've got plenty of time to try things out but remember...when you're out in the woods for more than 3 or 4 days you may be looking for interesting tastes and FD boring meals will taste like crap. Enj:sunoy your planning!

Fiddleback
08-16-2011, 08:59
Do you want to do it yourself? The easy way is grab bags of frozen veggies and spread them on a pie plate or tray and put them in your oven - set at lowest setting or around 125 and keep the door open slightly. flip them over every few hours. check for dryness in 8-12 hours.
I like to buy large amounts of veggies and fruits in summer and dehydrate on my own. It can be a messy, time consuming venture. It is inexpensive. I do it for enjoyment, as well as monetary savings.

The one time I used a dehydrator I found clean up to be too much of a hassle. Except for that one experience, I've always used the kitchen oven to dehydrate 'stuff'. I simply don't do enough to warrant purchasing a dehydrator although I admit that it may be easier to do a better job with them. I think they can do a better/easier job because of their low settings...low settings I think ovens do not have anymore.


I think newer ovens (ovens since the mid-90's at least) have a minimum setting at/near 170°. Not uncoincidentally, , that corresponds with the minimum temp to kill food pathogens. Based on the models I've seen/read about, I think 170° is an industry wide standard. It is the lowest setting on my '98 Whirlpool electric convection.


Even with a cracked door, that means the food dries faster and could end up tougher/harder than with a slow dry in a dehydrator. That is not a show stopper -- it simply means you need to keep a closer eye on the process. The vigilance is rewarded with less time needed for the process.


I'm a big believer in doing your own dehydration. You have control over the ingredients, especially salt, preservatives and other additives. The food is undeniably fresher and the results from home dehydration are way cheaper and, in my experience, better tasting.

FB

Spokes
08-16-2011, 12:43
Absolutely the way to go. The money you are dishing out for Mountain House or other dehydrated bulk foods you can put to better use by getting a dehydrator from Wally world.

Blissful, I don't understand when people bring up the cost issue for a Mountain House meal or any other brand of dehydrated food packs. Good golly, you spend more than that eating out at McDonalds or your favorite restaurant. Issues with $5-6 bucks for a Mountain House, come on!

I suspect if you factor in time, effort, packaging, electricity of the DIY method the costs are pretty much in line.

Double Wide
08-16-2011, 19:35
Blissful, I don't understand when people bring up the cost issue for a Mountain House meal or any other brand of dehydrated food packs. Good golly, you spend more than that eating out at McDonalds or your favorite restaurant. Issues with $5-6 bucks for a Mountain House, come on!

I suspect if you factor in time, effort, packaging, electricity of the DIY method the costs are pretty much in line.

I couldn't agree more. Home dehydrating may be the way to go for some folks, and hey, more power to ya if you do. But when I read the post about turning on the oven for 8-12 hours, and then babysitting a pan of veggies, the first thing I thought was You've got to be out of your ever-lovin' mind!
Other folks may have that kind of time, but I sure don't. Even having a proper dehydrator doesn't really blow my skirt up. Just not my thing, I guess. Besides, five or six bucks a meal doesn't phase me much, especially considering the factors Spokes talked about. I've got 19 months to save up and prepare for my thru-hike, and actually, my local WallyWorld has a fair selection of Mountain House and Coleman dinners for $4.88 a pop. I grab a couple of them every time I'm there and stash them away for my eventual departure.

That's not to say that I'm going to be eating Mountain House every night on the trail. I'll make other stuff and that's the reason for the original post.

So it looks like I'll probably be spending a few bucks at Harmony House as I get ready for that long walk.

ScottP
08-16-2011, 22:48
dehydrating in the oven produces mediocre results and is pretty energy intensive and therefore expensive.

If you want to dehydrate a lot, buy a good dehydrator. It'll be worth it.

Rasty
08-16-2011, 23:25
I use a dehydrator to make meals. Ten dollars of vegetables is enough to make five meals have some substance. I feel ripped off with the skimpy amount of vegetables in freeze dried meals. The one's I have eaten we're little more than a starch garnished with vegetables. Also never liked the over salty flavor of prepackaged meals.

Spirit Walker
08-16-2011, 23:49
There are a lot of the Lipton/Knorr meals that have vegetables in them. A bit more expensive, but worth while.

I've dehydrated salsa and spaghetti sauce in the oven and both worked well. You can often get dried tomatoes in the produce section of the grocery as well. And on the AT, since you pass near towns often, you can sometimes buy fresh carrots or peppers and carry them out of town with you.

As to why not freeze dried dinners? I don't like paying $8 for a meal versus $1 for a Knorr or $.75 for a mac n cheese or $1 for a pound of pasta. Add a dollar for some sort of meat - and I was still much better off. If you're on a budget, those MH meals add up quickly. On my first thruhike, when I did a lot of maildrops, I included one or two freeze dried meals each week. After a while I found that I disliked most of them and that my pasta and rice dinners filled me up much better.

Fiddleback
08-17-2011, 09:17
Depending upon the dehydrator or oven used and one's home region, the expensive energy costs 5-20¢ per hour. A wide range to be sure but far from expensive IMO. Now...the personal time involved is a different thing altogether.;)

Of all the pros and cons of dehydrating, dollar-cost is probably the least concern. Otherwise, everyone would be doin' it!:eek:

FB

Toolshed
08-17-2011, 11:46
Blissful, I don't understand when people bring up the cost issue for a Mountain House meal or any other brand of dehydrated food packs. Good golly, you spend more than that eating out at McDonalds or your favorite restaurant. Issues with $5-6 bucks for a Mountain House, come on!

I suspect if you factor in time, effort, packaging, electricity of the DIY method the costs are pretty much in line.
Wellllll.....That is, if you are prone to eat out at Mcdonalds, or have a favorite restaurant. :)

Toolshed
08-17-2011, 11:56
I lived on Lipton side dishes or just plain old pasta and reg'lar old spaghetti sauce for a long time. Very cheap meals for those inclined to save lotsa $$$.
As for the oven as a dehydrator - I didn't mean it as something to use on a regular basis, but give it a whirl if you want to try dehydrating before buying a dehydrator. Using a dehydrator is easier than the oven.
I have a couple of American Harvesters with adjustable temps. I like that I can simply dehydrate in the garage - Stacks of 8-10 trays, I then hose down the trays outside before putting them in the dishwasher. If I have to leave for a few hours I can just turn the machine off.
it isn't a big hassle to produce several quart size zip-locks of veggies a couple of times per year and considering you really only need about a 1/4 cup of dried veggies in a meal, that quart-size bag will last many meals.

The nice thing about veggies is that it seems hard to over-dehydrate them - It can be done, but it almost has to be by neglect.

ScottP
08-17-2011, 12:35
I was assuming an electric oven. Don't know about gas. For electric 15 cents per kWh is pretty typical in the US, although the range can vary a lot.


a bread toaster uses 1000 watts. That's about $1.50/hour in most places.

Electric ovens usually use between 3000 and 7000 watts $4.50-$10.50. Obviously you're not going to be in the upper range when you're dehydrating, but it's going to add up very, very quickly. Most electric stoves have a minimum power usage/heat, and since the door is open 125-150 degrees actually requires the coil to run a lot hotter than you'd think. If you leave your stove on low to dehydrate overnight, you save little to no money over buying professional dehydrated products online in bulk.

My 9-tray dehydrator fits more than my oven, dehydrates faster and better, and its power usage maxes out at 600 watts, but it can run efficiently at much lower wattages/temperatures.

I guess if you're dehydrating using a gas oven in the winter it's not as much of an issue, but really. If you want to dehydrate enough for a thru-hike a dehydrator saves a ton of money on energy costs.

ScottP
08-17-2011, 12:39
oops, brain fart. the costs above wrong.

toaster= 15 cents/hour
oven= 45 cents/hour to $1.50/hour
dehydrator at 400 watts=6 cents an hour

leaving it on for 10 hours to dehydrate

Still holds true. Dehydrating a few racks of stuff in the oven overnight isn't worth $5+ in energy costs

The Old Boot
08-17-2011, 13:00
oops, brain fart. the costs above wrong.

toaster= 15 cents/hour
oven= 45 cents/hour to $1.50/hour
dehydrator at 400 watts=6 cents an hour

leaving it on for 10 hours to dehydrate

Still holds true. Dehydrating a few racks of stuff in the oven overnight isn't worth $5+ in energy costs

Thanks for doing the math for me...my new dehydrator goes into use asap and I was wondering what it was going to cost me to run it. I'm on one of those smart meters so it will be nighttime and weekend drying for me. My off-peak rate is 5.9cents per kwh before 'delivery charges' and taxes

I'm going to get a timer set up so that I can do short runs as necessary without babysitting it!

wornoutboots
08-17-2011, 22:26
Absolutely the way to go. The money you are dishing out for Mountain House or other dehydrated bulk foods you can put to better use by getting a dehydrator from Wally world.

Not too mention all the Sodium you're cutting out

Fiddleback
08-18-2011, 14:10
I still maintain the dollar-cost of dehydrating food is a relatively minor concern. But there's been some interest expressed in this thread...

The May 2011 (most recent I found) residential electric rates reported by the EIA show the U.S. average to be 12.03¢ per kwh. In a February chart, only seven of the contiguous 48 states had rates of 15¢ or higher. However, they were all NE states, including NY and NJ. http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html

I'm not certain on the operation of dehydrators or ovens but my sense is that they do not run continuously at full watt rating. Do they not bring their chamber up to temp and then coast, i.e., maintain that temp by turning on and off? If so, the electric consumption should be far less than simply watt rating X hours.

Ovens have a far higher watt rating than dehydrators which leads to their major disadvantage in home dehydration, IMO. Because they're designed for much higher temps and their lowest setting is much higher that that used in dehydrators, ovens tend to be too hot and dehydrate too quickly when compared to dehydrators. One has to watch carefully as I posted above. But, for the same reasons, food isn't dried overnight...or rarely for six hours. The drying process is over very quickly. Go six hours and you'll end up with something close to flavored pea gravel.;) Or so it has been in my experience. The higher electric consumption is evened out by a shorter time of consumption.

IMO, there are much bigger pros or even cons in discussing home dehydration. Electricity costs, especially when compared to the cost of commercial freeze dried or dehydrated food, is a minor concern.

FB

STEVEM
08-18-2011, 14:47
If one doesn't have a dehydrator... Seems pretty simple to me.... Go to WalMart and buy one. They're not that expensive for a basic model.

Spokes
08-19-2011, 09:04
Wellllll.....That is, if you are prone to eat out at Mcdonalds, or have a favorite restaurant. :)

Used as an analogy only. The fact is people griping about the cost of a Mountain House meal ( or similar dehydrated meal) is insignificant in the big scheme of things. Taste is subjective and is not a factor for comparison. Some people like 'em, some don't. Oh well.

People upset about spending $5-8 for a Mountain House makes no sense. Funny, you never hear them complaining about spending more than that when they get into town and hit the first AYCE.

Spokes
08-19-2011, 09:10
If one doesn't have a dehydrator... Seems pretty simple to me.... Go to WalMart and buy one. They're not that expensive for a basic model.

If your prone, don't waste your money on Wally World junk. Get an Excalibur 3500 five tray dehydrator. You can find them online for around $190. They'll give you better results and probably last way longer.

13623

Pedaling Fool
08-19-2011, 09:15
There is a learning curve to dehydrating, as well as anything else. First off I wouldn't use an oven, just too inefficient, need a dehydrator designed for the job and best to have a control mechanism for temps and of course a fan. I've got a pretty good sense of how long it takes to dehydrate a given item (part of the learning curve) so I really don't have to baby sit the food, not like my day is shot due to dehydrating. Also helps a lot to grow your own veggies, so that really cuts down on price, but again there's a learning curve there also.

Spokes makes a good point about price, but after the learning curve is crossed you will see savings. If all you plan to dehydrate is for a hike then that makes spoke's point pretty much good advice.

ScottP
08-19-2011, 12:04
I still maintain the dollar-cost of dehydrating food is a relatively minor concern. But there's been some interest expressed in this thread...

The May 2011 (most recent I found) residential electric rates reported by the EIA show the U.S. average to be 12.03¢ per kwh. In a February chart, only seven of the contiguous 48 states had rates of 15¢ or higher. However, they were all NE states, including NY and NJ. http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html

I'm not certain on the operation of dehydrators or ovens but my sense is that they do not run continuously at full watt rating. Do they not bring their chamber up to temp and then coast, i.e., maintain that temp by turning on and off? If so, the electric consumption should be far less than simply watt rating X hours.

Ovens have a far higher watt rating than dehydrators which leads to their major disadvantage in home dehydration, IMO. Because they're designed for much higher temps and their lowest setting is much higher that that used in dehydrators, ovens tend to be too hot and dehydrate too quickly when compared to dehydrators. One has to watch carefully as I posted above. But, for the same reasons, food isn't dried overnight...or rarely for six hours. The drying process is over very quickly. Go six hours and you'll end up with something close to flavored pea gravel.;) Or so it has been in my experience. The higher electric consumption is evened out by a shorter time of consumption.

IMO, there are much bigger pros or even cons in discussing home dehydration. Electricity costs, especially when compared to the cost of commercial freeze dried or dehydrated food, is a minor concern.

FB

Thanks for looking up the accurate kWh ratings.

It doesn't seem that we're making the same comparisons.

I'm comparing the cost of dehydrating in an oven to the cost of dehydrating in a dehydrator.

Humidity will make dehydration times vary wildly. Montana vs Virginia is a big humidity difference.

A good dehydrator will dehydrate at exactly the temperature you want to produce a high-quality product.
An oven will pretty much have one temp and lots of stuff comes out nasty, hard to rehydrate, etc.

A good dehydrator will work far faster than an oven. It can fit several times more stuff, has a fan, and if you're in a hurry really want to max the temp you can.

Also, I dehydrate a LOT for hiking. It probably runs for 8-12 hours minimum for every individual day of hiking I do.

If you're going to dehydrate for a thru a real dehydrator will easily pay for itself in utility savings.

If you want veggies/beans to rehydrate quickly and easily, you won't be happy with oven-dehydration. I've done it both ways

Rocket Jones
08-19-2011, 22:59
If your prone, don't waste your money on Wally World junk. Get an Excalibur 3500 five tray dehydrator. You can find them online for around $190. They'll give you better results and probably last way longer.

13623

One of these is on my wish list (maybe Santa will be nice), but a cheap Wally World model will do just fine. I bought a few extra trays for mine and use parchment paper when needed. A bag of mixed veggies, a few red, yellow and green peppers, some sliced strawberries, and my latest love - sliced angel food cake. Takes most of a day, things finish up at different times, but checking on things every few hours works well.

Fiddleback
08-20-2011, 12:20
Thanks for looking up the accurate kWh ratings.

It doesn't seem that we're making the same comparisons.

I'm comparing the cost of dehydrating in an oven to the cost of dehydrating in a dehydrator.

Humidity will make dehydration times vary wildly. Montana vs Virginia is a big humidity difference.

A good dehydrator will dehydrate at exactly the temperature you want to produce a high-quality product.
An oven will pretty much have one temp and lots of stuff comes out nasty, hard to rehydrate, etc.

A good dehydrator will work far faster than an oven. It can fit several times more stuff, has a fan, and if you're in a hurry really want to max the temp you can.

Also, I dehydrate a LOT for hiking. It probably runs for 8-12 hours minimum for every individual day of hiking I do.

If you're going to dehydrate for a thru a real dehydrator will easily pay for itself in utility savings.

If you want veggies/beans to rehydrate quickly and easily, you won't be happy with oven-dehydration. I've done it both ways

Absolutely. If you do a lot of dehydrating, a dehydrator is the way to go. While jerky can easily be done in an oven with great results, a dehydrator is going to outshine the oven when it comes to fruits and vegies. Better and easier results and lower operating costs that, over the long term, even out the cost of the dehyrator itself.

FB

Rolloff
08-24-2011, 16:06
I just came into one of the new infrared cookers. It is fan driven and adjustable via a reostat. Somewhere I heard these can be used as a dehydrator. Anyone have any feed back. The proof is probably in the pudding somewhere. If no one has heard anything, I'd be up for a test run.

harryfred
08-24-2011, 16:55
Wife just got a convection oven. Doing a exellent job of dehydrating. I like to dehydrate fruits and veggies in season and make jerky if I get acceptable meat in season. I use it to supplement my instant taters, rice and noodles. No problem with MH No problem with ramen either. I like freezer bags I DO NOT cook on the trail I boil water and rehydrate and keep clean up to a minimum. Note My experiance with Wally World dehydrators is the are a one season use only, once used if you leave them set for any length of time they will not work.