"Recession Proof GLP" Food Dehydrators & Vacuum Sealers - Questions & Suggestions

Bless you my dear!!!!

REV STARGAZER:
I think you'll enjoy the videos.

I wish you could see my dehydrated corn. It's amazing!

We've decided that since we have so little space available for growing enough corn in our square foot garden we'll just dehydrate as much store-bought frozen corn as possible. It's already blanched, and all I have to do is let it thaw out a little before I put it in the dehydrator.

The broccoli took a while, but it's a deep, gorgeous green and just as crisp as can be.

My newly dried mushrooms are AWESOME!!!

As soon as my carrots finish, we'll be starting on sliced/diced potatoes. I might even try my hand at hash browns. We'll also do frozen mixed veggies.

I just hope my ancient machine holds up!!! LOL!

There are no dehydrators here on the island for sale, so I'm going to have to wait for one to be shipped.

In the mean time, I'm trying to see if I can get a network of people together, everybody dehydrating the extra abundance and maybe someone will donate another dehydrator or 2.

If the gov. can have a food stash, so can we for our community.

Okay,...here it is.

Hi Rev,...Red sent me. Hahaha,...

wicked



Z

Toldya! LOL!

Just make one. You live in Hawaii! Basic cold frame. Glass front, some ventilation, and racks.

My advice is to get into home canning. Buy a prssure canner that uses weights, not a guage, and tons of jars (very cheap at garage sales. Hell, the old seadog did over 900 jars last year! Kind of my winter thing. Sittin by the woodstove cannin shit while having a few beers with buddies. I can everything! Smoked salmon is my fav and I sell a lot of it.

Quite ingenious. I like simple though hardcore ideas you got.

I started a log so I could keep track of what I'm dehydrating. We are going heavy on the long-term stuff for now, but as soon as we get a handle on that, we'll be drying food for daily use.

Since 07 March 2009, I've dehydrated (wet weight):
-- 1 lb sliced mushrooms
-- 7 lbs frozen sweet corn kernels
-- 3 1/2 lbs frozen broccoli florets
-- 5 1/2 lbs fresh baby carrots
-- 5 lbs frozen strawberries (sliced)
-- 5 lbs frozen green beans (these dried down to 8 1/2 ounces)
-- 5 lbs mixed frozen veggies

I'm using frozen veggies and fruits for now because they are available and we use them often. Also, they are already blanched before freezing, so half the work is done. When my garden starts producing, we'll be drying our own stuff.

I'm going to experiment with drying hamburger. I don't want jerky. I want cooked hamburger that I've dehydrated. The best I can figure is that the hamburger meat must be thoroughly cooked, drained, then rinsed several times with boiling water to get the fats out, then left to drain again. Then the meat is dehydrated.

We rehydrated some of the green beans and they were terrific. Same with the baby carrots.

Just for giggles and grins, I went out to the yard yesterday and picked dandelions...yellow flower heads AND green leaves; I washed them very carefully, and dehydrated them on a top rack while working on other veggies. They dried out very nicely! I'm sure the neighbors got a kick out of watching me harvest that stuff. "Crazy redhead!"

LOL!

But now I also know I can dry fresh spinach and other leafy greens.

My dehydrator has been running nearly non-stop since 07 March. I took one evening off.

Last weekend I tried my hand at sliced strawberries and sliced kiwi. There was a great sale at our "Sprouts" organic market (over at Flower Mound, TX); the kiwi were 10cents each. I peeled and sliced 15 of them, and laid them out on the trays. Then I washed and cored 2 qts of fresh strawberries (also on sale).

When we finished dehydrating them, we tasted the dried fruits. They were AMAZING!!!

I'm doing more frozen golden corn kernels today, but I hope to do oranges and lemons tomorrow.

I tried potatoes. I'm not happy with them yet. I sliced them too thick, and they didn't cook all the way thru. I culled the ugly ones (they turned black, just as Tammy in the dehydrating videos said they would) and saved those...the dogs think they are the best treat coming and going! The rest of them were okay, but nothing to write home about, ya know?

that is just fricking awesome RSC! hats off

i have to put this to favs

now for homemade breads/pastas, sprouting, and juicers

the best dehydrator that I've found is excaliber. The best vacuum sealer I've found is Foodsaver products. [link to www.foodsaver.com] bought the heavier duty model turbo plus. I just want the things to last.

Malu, Ziplock link says that bags are not reusuable. Are you saying that you reuse your bags over and over and they hold up fine?

A couple years ago I had a bumper crop of Collards and dried them on top of the car, hood and trunk and put them in ziplocks, no vacuum seal. I ate them this winter and they were great and after two years. Also held their color.

How do you smoke your salmon?

Thanks for all this detailed info. I've been thinking about dehydrating frozen berries and veggies. Now I'll go ahead with it!

Hey Malu...the last time you responded to this subject matter, you suggested the same thing. Is there a web site you go to that's different from mine? The metal one you speak of is their commercial version for several THOUSAND dollars.....SIX GRAND to be exact! Is there another model that you are referencing? What's wrong with the plastic ones by Excaliber? Here is what they have to say on their web site:


Plastic vs. Stainless --Which is Better for Dehydration?

As stainless steel appliances have come into fashion one question remains- is stainless steel better than plastic for food dehydration? Well it depends- Not all stainless steel is created equal just like not all plastics are the same. Some people are under the misconception that stainless steel is healthier and of higher quality than plastic. However, it all depends on the grade of stainless steel. Lower grades of stainless steel can be mixed with other metals which can change in color, density and safety when coming into contact with heat and food.


Excalibur has been the leader in Dehydration technology for over 35 years. We lead the commercial dehydrator market with our premier-quality, double-walled stainless steel dehydrators so we know the important features that are mandatory for health and safety when it comes to dehydration and working with stainless steel.

When looking at a stainless steel dehydrator here are the questions you MUST ask when it comes to your health and safety:

1) What type of stainless steel is the dehydrator made out of?- Not all stainless steel is the same- to make it stainless, cheaper-lower grades are mixed with other metals which can change the color, density and safety when coming into contact with heat and food.
2) What are the Trays made of? - Many low grade stainless steel dehydrators do not come with stainless steel trays- they are sold with trays that are Chrome plated and/or nickel plated. Keep in mind your food is setting on these trays. Over time this plating can chip off in your foods and rust. Chrome plating usually makes use of hexavalent chromium (Cr+6). Many studies in the last decade have shown it to be dangerous citing evidence that hexavalent chromium causes lung cancer and other serious health conditions. Because of these health concerns, the chrome plating process has come under increased regulations in the U.S. based on chrome’s hazardous and environmentally toxic properties. In order to avoid increased regulations many companies have moved their operations overseas. -Most Important---If you purchase a stainless steel dehydrator-- Make sure that the Trays are 100% stainless steel. In our commercial dehydrators we use only 100% stainless steel trays.
3) Where is the dehydrator manufactured?- beware of low-grade stainless steel coming out of China- and chrome plated trays from overseas. Excalibur is proud to be a U.S. made product.
4) Is the Dehydrator a green product? Stainless steel is not green. It is a necessity in commercial applications—but not needed for home use. Support Green Products, Buy Recycled, Buy Green!
5) How long has the manufacturer been in business and what is the warranty?-Beware of companies that purchase low grade dehydrators from China and put their name on it. Parts might not be available when needed and many of them cook foods rather than dehydrate them.
6) Are the edges rounded and seamless for easy cleaning? Low grade units will have sharp 90 degree corners and have cracks/crevices where the metal comes together. This is where food can become lodged creating the perfect environment for mold and bacteria to grow.

Why our FDA Approved Polycarbonate Construction is Better than Stainless Steel for Home Use.

High quality stainless steel is appropriate for businesses but it’s much too expensive for home owners- the key word is high quality stainless. Anyone can make a low grade stainless steel dehydrator and include chrome plated trays, but you do not know what has been mixed with the stainless steel – and chrome plated trays can pose health concerns.

Some customers have asked us to make a stainless steel home dehydrator like our commercial dehydrators. To produce a homeowner-priced stainless steel dehydrator, we would have to seriously downgrade components- going to single-wall construction, for example, which has rough edges and is hot to the touch. We pride ourselves in providing high quality products and support using green products whenever possible. Stainless steel is appropriate for commercial uses but unnecessary for home use. Here are some key reasons why Polycarbonate is better than stainless steel for home use:

Excalibur's Tray Screen Material is made from FDA Approved Polypropylene #5 which is one of the safest plastics for direct food contact. We use polycarbonate as the Case material because it is virtually indestructible however; we use polypropylene #5 for the parts that your food sets on because it is the safest plastics for food contact available. ** Please note that food does not come into contact with polycarbonate- the plastic that your food sets on in the Excalibur is polypropylene NOT polycarbonate**
FDA Approved polycarbonate is safe when used at low temperature under 160 degrees F and will not give off harmful fumes like low-quality plastic dehydrators. The use of polycarbonate plastic for food contact applications has been and continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory authorities worldwide. Important--make sure that you have FDA Approved for Food Contact polycarbonate as there are different types of polycarbonates
Polycarbonate is a natural heat insulator so it works well in dehydration, better than single walled stainless steel which can heat up and cook your foods.
Excalibur dehydrators are made in the U.S.A. Recently with so many problem products like poisonous pet food, faulty tires, and toxic toys coming out of China, buying a U.S. made products should be your first choice when it comes to the health and safety of you and your family.
Excalibur home dehydrators are green products. At Excalibur our products are designed to be environmentally conscious. We are constantly rethinking our products to see how we can reduce our environmental impact. The chrome plating of other manufacturers' trays is of great concern for us not only because of the health concerns but the toxic effect on the environment.
Excalibur has been the leader in Dehydration technology for over 35 years. We lead the commercial dehydrator market so we know the important features that are mandatory for health and safety when it comes to dehydration and working with stainless steel. Ultimately we want consumers to have a great dehydration experience and hope that providing you with some key points to look for in a dehydrator helps to educate you as consumers.

Here's the link to that page:
[link to www.excaliburdehydrator.com]

I'm at 100lbs to date. That included fruit.

I used my egg slicer to get a uniform slice on my fresh strawberries, and they dried beautifully. I can't get over how SWEET they taste! The kiwi was amazing, too.

I will be doing oranges tomorrow, I think. My kids are coming in for Easter weekend, so I'll take a couple of days off from the dehydrating. Then back to work!

I did another batch of sliced mushrooms from the bulk store. They are so CRISP! I did 2lbs.

We are nearly finished with our food storage closet. With the kids coming, we opted to move into the space even though it's not taped and mudded yet. We'll pull everything out after they leave and finish the job. We priced shelving and did several layouts before we came to the conclusion that purchasing four of the Seville chrome restaurant shelving units from SAMS was the most effective choice all the way around.

Now that I've got all the stored foods into one big space, I realize how little I have. Ruh-roh.

I am just very grateful to Tammy, the lady who did the videos I linked here on Rev's thread. I have saved a small fortune, and because of it, I now have a terrific dedicated storage space and more food for the money than I expected or planned.

You can also 'cold can' using a vacuum pump attached to a pressure cooker.
Great way to store dry goods like grains and nuts, transfer supermarket boxed goods to vacuum jars.

An automotive brake-bleeder A/C vacuum hand-pump works just fine and needs no electricity.

Pump-N-Seal is a backpack sized hand vacuum pump designed for canning re-using supermarket jars.
You poke a hole in the lid with a tack, stick a "gas check"
(looks like a band-aid) over the hole and Pump-N-Seal vacuum seals the jar.
[link to www.pump-n-seal.com]
It works. I've used it since the early 1990's.
An empty 'pickle jar' is your re-usable canning jar, and it also vacuum seals using zip-loc bags:



Last Edited by himself on 04/09/2009 05:42 AM

Dehydrator have an old one not that expensive and it works great.

Vacuum sealer have one and it sucks but just got heavier bags and see if that makes a difference.

Might consider canning. I have been getting my supplies, could be a shortage later.

To back up my comments about cheap hand powered vacuum pumps.

[link to www.harborfreightusa.com]

All you gots to do is attach the hose to the outlet of the pressure cooker to cold can and vacuum seal anything.
Literally anything!

Last Edited by himself on 04/10/2009 08:54 AM

I thought these could be used again, but apparently only when keeping all air out is not important to you.

I've been dehydrating food for a while. I use a nesco dehydrator that was $75 and a seal-a-meal I got from Walmart. They both work really great. Also I put some of the food in mason jars with oxygen absorbers too for smaller amounts. You can't go wrong dehydrating after all it is one of the oldest ways to store food. Oh and the lady from youtube is awesome check out her channel for lots more videos she really knows her stuff.

Useful Info, Bringin' It Back to the Fore Bump

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