Dehydrating Food - For the First Time Ever!

I have never dehydrated anything before - ever. Until now. 

I have a friend that dehydrates anything and everything! When we first met she had just found a good buy on a 50 lb. bag of potatoes and she dehydrated the whole thing! I was amazed. Then, I started reading 5 Acres and a Dream and learned about dehydrating a variety of plants for goat minerals. I read about Bacon and Eggs dehydrating things all the time, even tomato skins. That was it. I decided it was time for me to learn how to do this.

So - my first experiment was to dehydrate some Anaheim peppers. We have known for years that peppers have many vitamins and minerals you don't get from other foods. I don't cook with dried peppers now, but if I dry my own, I think I will.

We have plenty of peppers in the garden to dry and I have a book about drying foods. I cut the
pepper in half, taking out the seeds. Then I sliced them into four pieces and laid them on the trays so they don't touch....

and put them in the dehydrator. We had to find somewhere for the dehydrator so we could leave it set up. The kitchen was out of the question since all available space is being used, especially during canning season. So the dehydrator gets to reside in the sewing room.

Eight hours later, and Wa-la! Dried peppers. I did it! Isn't that silly? I was hesitant to start drying things even after I got the dehydrator until my friend said, "Just put something in it. If it doesn't work out you can always throw it away and try again." How true. An experiment with about 15 peppers is not really that big of a deal, is it? 

I wish I could find a dehydrator that works off of 12 volts. Frank was able to find a 12 volt incubator for hatching chicks.       

It's funny how we let fear and uncertainty keep us from trying new things. So, if there is something you really want to try, say a prayer, then have the gumption to get with it. I did and it feels really good. My dehydrator has been drying something now for three days in a row - peppers, cucumber peels and comfrey - and I'm not sure when it will stop.

Until next time - Fern