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August 6, 2016

Dehydrating Food 101 ~ Preservation for Novices

Updated September 28, 2019

Dehydrating food is easy, economical, and lets you enjoy the bounties of your summer garden all year round! Never tried dehydrating food before? Here’s what you need to know to get started.

If you haven’t done much food preservation and are intimidated by canning, dehydrating food is a great place to start. 

Dehydrating food is *super simple.* You just slice up your fruits and veggies, place them on the dehydrator, and flip the switch. 6-12 hours later, you have sweet treats or ingredients for winter snacks and meals, like magic!

Dehydrating food-- cover showing dried food in jars with text overlay

Why to Try Dehydrating Food

When we have an oversupply of plums, apples, or tomatoes, I just slice them, place them on dehydrator trays, and turn it on overnight. In the morning, we have tempting treats to enjoy.

We can’t help but eat a lot of them fresh off the dehydrator, but we also put up plenty in mason jars and enjoy them throughout the winter.

Lackluster cantaloupes are also transformed into unbelievably sweet, chewy fruit candy, and bananas kids aren’t keeping up with become delicious little dried bananas fruit leathers that even those who aren’t great fans of bananas (me, for instance) can’t get enough of.  

You don’t even need a dehydrator to dry lots of your own food! But if you do get into dehydrating food in a big way, it’s probably worth investing in a quality machine. Dehydrators let you keep an even, low temperature, which can be tricky in most ovens.

Dehydrators aren’t cheap, but you can go in with some friends on one and take turns dehydrating some of the fabulous fruits of summer. My friend across the street and I have shared ours for years, and it’s traveled back and forth all season as we’ve put up plums, tomatoes, herbs, zucchini, homemade fruit leather, and lots more.

dehydrating food -- zucchini ready to get dehydrated into yummy chips

Zucchini rounds ready to dry into crunchy chips

The Benefits of Dehydrating Food

  • It helps reduce waste. You can dehydrate food that you might not otherwise get to in time.
  • Dehydrating food from your garden or farmers’ market lets you preserve it at its peak flavor and lowest cost.
  • If you have a surplus of fruits or veggies from your garden, you create jars and jars of treats for almost no money.
  • You’ll shrink your foodprint by having local food on hand even in the depths of winter.
  • Dehydrating food is a great way to make healthy treats. Dried fruit and fruit leathers can satisfy a sweet tooth while helping you get those important servings of fruit and veggies.
  • Dehydrated food doesn’t take up precious real estate in your freezer and lasts for up to a year in an airtight container.

Related: Stretch your food budget with these 40 amazing ways to eat root to stem!

dehydrating food -- tomatoes on dehydrator tray

Dehydrating Food: Which Fruits and Veggies to Try

Dried fruit of all sorts is delicious and a great way to transform so-so fruit into delectable treats. I’m pretty fussy about the texture of fruit I’ll eat fresh, so if the apples aren’t crisp enough, or the melon is a little mushy, onto the dehydrator it goes. Here’s how to dehydrate apples.

Dried strawberries are wonderful, too, but we never have enough and use the few that don’t make the cut for fresh eating for frozen smoothies. Dehydrating fruit is a great way to avoid wasting food and saves you money on treats.

dehydrating food

If the dehydrator is running anyway, I’ll scavenge the fridge for plums that are a little too ripe or those half-eaten bananas my kids like to leave over. When the apples and plums come in from our trees, I do batches of those as well, since we can’t eat them all fresh and there’s never room in the fridge for a whole harvest.

Dried apples and plums are a perfect treat when you want something a little chewy and not too sweet. If you’re lucky enough to have a pear tree (or a friend with one), dried pears are fantastic. I can’t imagine how wonderful it must be to live somewhere warm enough to grow bushels of your own peaches to dry. And of course, don’t forget bananas!

Dried tomato slices were a very popular Christmas present one year; they can be enjoyed as a snack straight from the jar or used for a great pop of flavor in cooking.  dehydrating food

Zucchini dries nicely into crunchy little chips that are a low-cal, veggieful way to give into your salty snack craving. You can also try making chips out of sweet potatoes, turnips, and beets!

Greens and herbs can be dried on a dehydrator for use in winter cooking or to make your own greens powder for smoothies. I use a lot of thyme in cooking, so I dry huge bunches of it every year, along with smaller amounts of home-grown oregano, mint, and herbs for tea.

Rhubarb leather is the reason I grow rhubarb. It’s absolutely delicious, and takes the place of candy as a special treat when kiddos are looking for sweets. And it’s technically a vegetable! Any fruit sauce, like leftover applesauce or sauce from your overly-bountiful pear tree, can be turned into leather as well.

dehydrating food rhubarb sauce

Here’s what the rhubarb sauce looks like when it goes on the dehydrator

dehydrating food rhubarb leather

And here’s the gorgeous leather we peel off 8 hours later!

If you’re into camping, you’ll love dehydrating food you can pack, like your favorite pasta sauce or some fruit snacks or jerky. You could also dry peppers, carrots, and other ingredients you’d like to throw into winter soups. The possibilities are endless. The Rising Spoon has collected 40+ recipes for dehydrated foods if you need more inspiration.

Equipment for Dehydrating Food

Here’s the dehydrator I use, acquired years ago at a workshop on dehydrating that got me hooked. If I were in the market for one now, I’d look at one of these high-end models with stainless steel trays to skip the plastic. When mine conks out, that’s what will be on my Christmas wish list.

If you want to try dehydrating food but aren’t ready to invest in a dehydrator, you can dry food using your oven. You can also try drying food on racks in the sun, use a solar oven (or make a DIY version), or even dry food in your car!

Store your dried goodies in airtight containers like mason jars or repurposed glass jars and they should last you up to a year, if you don’t eat them all up before then.

dehydrating food

Mary T. Bell has written several wonderful books on dehydrating and jerky-making. She’ll make you want to dry everything in sight! Mom With a Prep has links to 101 dehydrating recipes if you’re 1)looking for online information.

Tips for Newbies to Dehydrating Food

1) Don’t forget to label your jars. You want to know exactly what you’ve got so you don’t go dumping mint instead of oregano in your soup!

It’s also helpful to write the date so you know when something needs to be used up.

2) Don’t get carried away! When I first got my dehydrator, I put up bushels of vegetables with the intention of rehydrating them for winter meals. I dried piles of eggplant, unbelievable numbers of tomatoes, even onions (which smell up the house terribly, by the way, and not worth the bother since they keep so well).

I never exactly got around to cooking it all, and a lot ended up in the compost. Not the frugal-green ends I was aiming for.

I’m more realistic now and focus on the surplus from our fruit trees, plus these delicious spiced zucchini chips and a modest number of tomatoes. Start small and see how you do before filling up your pantry with dehydrated food!

Have you tried dehydrating food before? What are your favorites?

Making delicious use of surplus garden produce is just one strategy for eating healthy on a budget. Find lots more in my FREE guide, Affordable Healthy Food. Just fill in the form below to get your copy.



Pin to save this info on dehydrating food for later!

dehydrating food -- pin with title text and photos of dried food in jars and fruit leather on dehydrator tray

 

Photo credits: [email protected], storebukkebruse, Virginia State Parks, Jules via Flickr plus some from yours truly

Filed Under: Food, frugal, Garden, Impact Tagged With: dehydrating, preservation

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Categories

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Comments

  1. Angela says

    August 13, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    Great tips! We just got a dehydrator, so perfect timing!! Thanks for joining the Sunday Fitness & Food Link-Up, Pinned 🙂

    Reply
  2. Janet Vinyard says

    August 14, 2016 at 11:57 am

    Great post – you’ve really covered all the basics to enable someone to start dehydrating! I like to dehydrate mushrooms – they do well. I have a Chicken Paprika recipe on my website in which I use the dehydrated mushrooms. I watched several YouTube videos before I started dehydrating, which was very helpful. Thanks for the info! Blessings, Janet

    Reply
  3. Janelle @ Run With No Regrets says

    August 14, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    I never thought about dehydrating food, but I love the concept! Time to save up for one…I’d love to have dried fruit available year-round!

    Reply
  4. Elaine Matthews says

    August 16, 2016 at 8:58 am

    Wow!! You can dehydrate a lot of different things! I might have to invest in one. Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Pinned!

    Reply
  5. Ilka says

    August 20, 2016 at 11:38 am

    Susannah – I’m featuring this post at this week’s Sunday and Fitness Link-Up. Congrats! I think it’s a wonderful and easy tutorial.
    Have a Wonderful Weekend! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. JES says

    September 2, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    Great post! I haven’t done too many things in our dehydrator so far, just apples, citrus slices, herbs and blueberries but I am loving it so far. Thank you for the tips! And thank you for sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth!

    Reply
  7. Katy SkipTheBag says

    September 17, 2016 at 10:49 am

    What a fantastic resource! Thanks for posting on the #WasteLessWednesday blog hop! Can’t wait to see what you post next week!

    Reply
    • Cheyenne says

      March 9, 2017 at 12:13 am

      I just found your blog and loved loved it!!! I tried the grilled Salmon with the avocado salsa and my hubby fell comltelepy in love with it. I have a really hard time finding tasty things to cook and your blog has been so helpful.

      Reply
  8. Paula says

    April 17, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    One of the best things to dehydrate are mushrooms! Their flavor gets intensified & when you rehydrate them, save the liquid to add to soups. It’s my favorite thing to dehydrate!

    Reply
    • Susannah says

      April 20, 2017 at 9:00 am

      Great tip! I’ve never tried dehydrating them myself. Good to know 🙂

      Reply
  9. Vanessa King says

    July 26, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    These are great tips! I was wondering how to go about dehydrating without a dehydrator! I’ll have to give my car a try 😉

    Reply
    • Susannah says

      July 26, 2017 at 10:16 pm

      Hope it works! I did mostly herbs in the car before I got a dehydrator, curious to know how other food works for you. Let me know what you think!

      Reply
  10. Jean Mc Farlane says

    September 16, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    Wow! I’ve dehydrated a lot of foods. but never thought about fruit leathers.

    Reply
    • Susannah says

      September 21, 2017 at 8:35 pm

      Hope you try some and love them as much as we do!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Great Green Gifts - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    August 6, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    […] Homemade snacks or treats (Spiced roasted chickpeas and chocolate fruit and nut clusters are two of my favorites and meet my healthy, green, and easy criteria. Someone on your list might also go for homemade kale or tomato chips.) […]

    Reply
  2. 10 Awesome Uses for Rhubarb - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    August 6, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    […] was not really on my radar until I attended a workshop on dehydrating, where Mary T. Bell, author of several books on the subject, passed around samples of a fruit […]

    Reply
  3. 50+ Delicious Zucchini Recipes - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    August 20, 2016 at 11:10 am

    […] Dehydrated zucchini chips make a crunchy and tasty snack, for minimal calories. Go ahead and eat ‘em all! Here’s a recipe for garlic and herb zucchini chips from This Is So Good. And It Takes Time has a recipe for turning zucchini into sour cream and onion veggie chips. […]

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  4. Link Up/Love AKA New Member of the Green Moms Blog Network says:
    September 4, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    […] For the month of August we have a lot about food preservation specifically over at HealthyGreenSavvy: A Beginners Guide To Dehydrating! […]

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  5. Freeze Some of Your Harvest - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    September 9, 2016 at 5:52 am

    […] my post on dehydrating for more great ideas for preserving the bounties of summer for those long winter […]

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  6. Food Preservation for Beginners - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    September 25, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    […] Dehydrating food is an especially low-impact way to preserve, and if you’ve never done it before, drying some of your favorite herbs for winter cooking is a simple project to get you started preserving your own food. […]

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  7. Immune Boosting Foods - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    November 1, 2016 at 8:29 pm

    […] a delicious, sweet treat that can help you say no to the immune-suppressing sugary snacks. (You can make your own dried mango for a fraction of the cost of prepackaged.) More vitamin A-rich foods […]

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  8. Healthy Living Gift Guide - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    November 22, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    […] vegetables and herbs without any specialized knowledge. A total novice to food preserving can get started with dehydrating in minutes. I’ve had the Nesco Gardenmaster (about $100) for years and have loved it. As we […]

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  9. Healthy Treats for Real Food Lovers - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    December 28, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    […] rather than artificially colored and flavored gummy bears of Swedish fish. When we’ve got our dehydrator going in summer, I use up bananas past their prime to make what we call “dried bananas candy.” […]

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  10. Preserving food: a beginner's guide - Steady Homegrown says:
    March 22, 2017 at 2:37 am

    […] Dehydrating Food: Food Preservation for Total Novices – Healthy Green Savvy […]

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  11. Free Food: Grow Your Own Fruit - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    April 8, 2017 at 3:30 pm

    […] eat all that before they spoil, so the comparison isn’t entirely accurate. We do, however, dehydrate a huge portion of the harvest and enjoy natural “fruit chews” for months to […]

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  12. How to Make Homemade Fruit Leather from Rhubarb - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    April 26, 2017 at 7:30 am

    […] Rhubarb leather was also the entry point for me to become a raving fan of dehydrating, a simple method of preserving food even someone with limited time and bandwidth can manage. (Find the minimal amount of information you need to get started dehydrating in my post on dehydrating food for novices.) […]

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    […] If you have a surplus of flowers, dehydrate some to enjoy when the honeysuckle season is […]

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  14. 40+ Amazing Ways to Eat Root to Stalk! - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    July 7, 2017 at 12:31 pm

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    January 17, 2018 at 6:00 am

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  16. Dehydrating Bananas to Make Dried Bananas "Candy" -- Sooo Good! | HealthyGreenSavvy says:
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  17. 25 Ways to Use Excess Tomatoes says:
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Hi, I'm Susannah, a garden geek, energy nerd, and fan of healthy food and natural remedies. Need some simple, practical solutions for living healthier and greener? You've come to the right place! More about me and my green projects here.

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