Dehydrator - Need help planning for the zombie apocolypse!

Well since we survived through 12-21-12, and Christmas has left us with a smoker, dehydrator, and pressure canner, I think it's time I start preparing for the next event the zombie apocolypse, I am not sure when exactly this is going to take place but when it does I am going to be ready .  I have never used a smoker or dehydrator so do any of you have any great ideas or recipes you would like to share?  We are going to eat some smoked ribs tonight for the first time so I am looking foward to that but with all this time on my hands and no garden to tend to I want to get busy in the kitchen!  I am also curious what kind of plants have any of you have luck with getting any kind of food indoors, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, anything?  I was thinking of making a little window garden for the winter.

I have an indoor lettuce garden right now that I use for cut & come again:

I say lettuce garden, but it's actually a few different types of lettuce, some pak choi and some kale. They were brought in from the SFG and are now in our box bay window right next to the pane that faces south. But they started bolting the other day. So I ate their little heads off and the next sunny day we get I'm moving them forward to be partially shaded by the geraniums.

I wanted to see if I could grow a tomato plant inside this winter but I left it out too long and it died.

I also grow herbs in the windows: parsley, basil, rosemary, stevia and I think that's it.

Come February, the bay window is where I start my veggies to move outside when it's time. It gets really crowded in there and I actually have a shelving rack that I put in there so I can stack up the starts.

Zombies huh?

CC

One year when I decided to make beef jerky I had the butcher slice the meat in slices appropriate for beef jerky. That made them uniform and he did it for free. I can't remember exactly what I marinated the meat in but it probably included some worchestershire sauce and maybe some liquid smoke. We also tried different fruits and it worked very well. My sister came over and she tried watermelon. Since it is mostly water, they shrunk a lot to where there was almost nothing left. But all of it turned out good. Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas!

CC, beautiful example of an indoor winter garden! Everything looks wonderful!

CC, wow, your window garden is beautiful! Thanks for the picture! I think tomorrow I may start some lettuces now! And if the Mayans were wrong surely there is something I can prepare for right? It could be zombies, the fiscal cliff, something... I am being a wee bit sarcastic about the zombies. Some people just don't understand that I actually enjoy doing these types of things so I like to pretend I am preparing for something like the zombie apocolyse just to make them think I am crazy, lol.

Tricia, I think I am going to make some beef jerky in the near future and that is a great idea to have the butcher slice it for you! Thanks! I am going to order a Nesco jerky gun I found on Amazon for 14.99, it has really good reviews so hopefully I will get some bang for my buck. I am also ordering some trays for 2.00 so I can make fruit leathers too. I have never had them before but I am little obsessed about making them. I have the next four days off and I think tomorrow is going to be project pasta! Hubbs got me a pasta roller ( , hmmm I am starting to think he is trying to keep me in the kitchen) But I am going to make some spaghetti, fetticini, tortelini, and ravioli! I also love apple chips, gonna need to get some apples. I am rambling, sorry.

I was surprised by my brother with $$$ for Christmas. So I ordered an Excalibur dehydrator that I had been wanting for the last year. It arrived today and I have spent this cold, rainy afternoon reading the 2 dehydration guides that came with it. I've never used a dehydrator before but there are so many things I want to try. I am also looking for ideas and tips in using it.

Lindacol wrote:. . . . I am also looking for ideas and tips in using it.

One tip about making banana chips: I found that after placing the chips on the tray, after a few hours turn them over, because if you leave them too long they stick to the tray and it is hard then to remove them.
Have fun with your new hydrator. Food can last for years if done right and it takes up little space.
One thing I have done recently is making beef liver chips for dog treats. I have also used beef hearts for dog treats. All pure meat and no preservatives.

My sister and I made fruit leather and used plastic wrap on the shelves to keep the fruit from dripping through. Wow that was many many years ago! It turned out great! I used to eat dried fruit all the time but it is hard to find a place that has good dried fruit. I really should do some of that myself. From what I remembered and with the dehydrator I had, everything dried quicker than I thought it would and I'm sure that is because I had all the vents at the top closed. Everything turned out right though! I would love to try dehydrating bananas.

I have never made pasta so you will have to tell us how it turns out! That is something that I want to try!

Oh Lindacol I think you will love your dehydrator! It looks like it is a good one! What a nice brother and to be so generous! What are you wanting to dehydrate? All this talk is making me want to get my dehydrator out!

Thank you for the tip for the bananas Kelejan! That is a great idea about the dog treats, I had never thought about that! My dogs would just love those!

Triciasgarden wrote:

Oh Lindacol I think you will love your dehydrator! It looks like it is a good one! What a nice brother and to be so generous! What are you wanting to dehydrate? All this talk is making me want to get my dehydrator out!

Well after reading this afternoon I want to try:
tomatoes, onions, & peppers
fruit leathers
Yogurt & yogurt leather
jerky
herbs
Various fruit chips

have you ever heard of pemmican? american indian energy bars, nuts berry, grain what ever was availible and some animal fat. dried sweet corn for parching, dried beans and lentils. all is easy to store and needs no refrigeration.

Triciasgarden wrote:. . . I would love to try dehydrating bananas.
. . . .

Thank you for the tip for the bananas Kelejan! That is a great idea about the dog treats, I had never thought about that! My dogs would just love those!

For the bananas I wait until the store is about to throw out the speckled bananas and I get them for about a dollar for a huge bag full. Have to process them at once or the bananas go soft and squishy. I also dry the skins during the winter so that I can add them to the compost heap in the spring.

As for the dog treats, I got the idea when I bought some liver treats at the local farmers' market. The seller told me that although it did not look very much, it was originally about 4 ozs of liver. Seeing as I paid about four dollars for the package, I decided to make my own. The butcher slices the liver and the heart into about 1/4 inch thick slices. I only ask him do that when he is not too busy.
Just make sure you do not give your furbaby too much, and that he/she drinks water afterwards.

When I clear out my fridge on a Thursday, I collect all the veggies that have not been eaten and make soup, or sometimes dry them to make soup later when I am ready.

Yum, now I want soup Kelejan! So now you got me thinking... I have some celery that needs used up so I could just through that in while I am making noodles and save it for soup later! Hmmm, I wonder what else I have that needs used up...

Tricia, I have only made noodles once before when I was newly married about 10 years ago and they weren't great at all, but I have come leaps and bounds since that in the kitchen so I think these should turn out pretty good. I am going to dry the fett and spaghetti and freeze the Ravioli and tortellini. I will take pictures when I get done and will probable make dinner with some so I can tell you how they turn out!

Lindacol wrote:Well after reading this afternoon I want to try:
tomatoes, onions, & peppers
fruit leathers
Yogurt & yogurt leather
jerky
herbs
Various fruit chips

Word of warning from the voice of experience:

Onions need to be dehydrated OUTSIDE of the house or they'll stink up everything ... including the clothes in your closet.

JeanneRamick wrote:

Lindacol wrote:Well after reading this afternoon I want to try:
tomatoes, onions, & peppers
fruit leathers
Yogurt & yogurt leather
jerky
herbs
Various fruit chips

Word of warning from the voice of experience:

Onions need to be dehydrated OUTSIDE of the house or they'll stink up everything ... including the clothes in your closet.

ooooooooooh good to know!

JeanneRamick wrote:

Lindacol wrote:Well after reading this afternoon I want to try:
tomatoes, onions, & peppers
fruit leathers
Yogurt & yogurt leather
jerky
herbs
Various fruit chips

Word of warning from the voice of experience:

Onions need to be dehydrated OUTSIDE of the house or they'll stink up everything ... including the clothes in your closet.

Thanks, I sort of figured that. The dehydrator will most likely be used in the garage as I do not have enough counter space in the kitchen. Do I need to be worried about other foods that might be in the dehydrator at the same time possible absorbing odors/flavors from things such as onions or garlic?

Lindacol wrote:Thanks, I sort of figured that. The dehydrator will most likely be used in the garage as I do not have enough counter space in the kitchen. Do I need to be worried about other foods that might be in the dehydrator at the same time possible absorbing odors/flavors from things such as onions or garlic?

I don't know about that ... I usually do a dryer full of the same thing at once.

The most "combinations" I've done are sweet peppers of various colors, since they have similar taste.

Never tried doing garlic, but drying onions give off a powerful aroma and I, personally, wouldn't attempt drying anything else at the same time. However, if you DO run a batch of onions and garlic at the same time, could you post the results? Thanks!

cheyannarach wrote:

Tricia, I have only made noodles once before when I was newly married about 10 years ago and they weren't great at all, but I have come leaps and bounds since that in the kitchen so I think these should turn out pretty good. I am going to dry the fett and spaghetti and freeze the Ravioli and tortellini. I will take pictures when I get done and will probable make dinner with some so I can tell you how they turn out!

unfortunately for me, I learned to make homemade noodles as a newlywed... my kids won't eat any other kind! Yes they even learned how before they left home

I got a new pasta machine with all the doodads last summer...I love it! takes half the time.


Hubby took a 3/4" dowel rod..drilled some holes all the way threw it...screwed it onto a leftover chunk of wood of wood and rounded it off..then cut some smaller dowels that fit through the holes...NOODLE DRYING RACK FOR ALMOST FREE! with the cross dowels just stuck in I can take it all a part and store in the tote I use for the pasta machine


Now if I could only find that darn dehydrator. I really need a new one..it is 15 yrs old lol.. I also just put plastic wrap or parchment paper on the trays to do the fruit wraps..

Jeanne that's good advice about not doing onions in the house! I agree not to dehydrate things together unless you want the smells to be absorbed by each other.

That pasta looks so yummy!

I love my dehydrator, I have the Excalibur and it is fantastic. I haven't tried jerky yet but I want to.

I have done apples, pears, strawberries, kiwi fruit, pineapple and mushrooms among other things. I did try some fruit leathers but my kids refused to eat them so that one requires a bit more experimentation.

One of my favourites is homemade granola, I looked online for recipes but most of them used butter or oil which I didn't want to do so I did a bit of experimenting and the following recipe is what I use. For anyone who has Tupperware, the following recipe fills a Super Oval 4.

Granola

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sultanas (dried raisins)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
1 cup chopped mixed nuts (150g)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup orange juice
480 g honey
1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix honey, orange juice and vanilla together and then stir through dry ingredients.
Spread on dehydrator sheets and dry for 8 hours.

Cindylou, haha, that's funny how your kids are accustumed to the good stuff! You pasta looks fabulous and I think we have the same roller! Here are the pics of my first try!


Fettucine and tagliolini (hangers are not a great idea for hanging!)



Cheese tortellini!


Mushroom & cheese ravioli!

I have apples and bananas in the dehydrator right now! Ericam, that sounds like an excellent granola, I will have to try it. I have only made granola in the oven before, thanks for the recipe!

..the hangers is what convinced the hubby that he needed to get the rack finished! I haven't use the other attachments yet. I have the mini ravioli one that looks interesting.

Was looking at dehydrators online. I think I will be getting a new one soon. I want some square trays, not round.

Yes I need to figure out a rack, maybe I'll show a picture of you to my hubby and see what he can do! I was up until 3:00 in the morning waiting for my apples and bananas to get done! They turned out pretty darn tasty though!

For those of you who have always wanted to try dehydrating food cheap and fast without the expense take a look at Alton Brown's BlowHard 5000 Less than $30, and you'll be on your way in no time!!!

Yup, it works. Really. Dehydrated homegrown strawberries... yum.

That was a great laugh! I love this man! *LOL*

Thanks for this, fiddleman!

CC

Video not available in my country (Canada)

Kelejan wrote:Video not available in my country (Canada)

Oh dear! Did you try it at the Youtube site?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wLCmxKs4oXU