Make Your Food Dollar Go Further: Dry Your Own Fruits and Vegetables at Home!

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There's nothing complicated about preparing victuals for drying. The key things to remember are:

1. The food(s) should be clean and ripe. (Don't expect green or overripe fruit to taste anything but green or overripe after it's been dried.)
2. Juicy items should be cut up before they're dehydrated.
3. The chunks of food must be arranged on the tray or table in such a way that air can circulate freely between them. If you crowd the pieces together, mold can quickly ruin the entire batch.

What to Dry: Herbs!

The list of foodstuffs that can be dried is long indeed . . . too long—certainly—to fit on this page. Herbs, however, have to be among my favorite dryables. I love to go out around my farm on a spring morning after the dew has dried and harvest dandelion greens, nettles, comfrey, mint, and lemon balm . . . then bring them inside, wash them lightly (if rain hasn't already done so), and blot the pickings on a towel before putting them out to dry.

Of course, you don't really need a food dehydrator to dry herbs: All you have to do is tie the plants in bundles and hang them in a dry place (such as the attic) for a few days. When the herbs are crackling-dry, they can be crushed and put into freezer bags or jars and stored in a dark place. The seasonings can then be used in teas, or ground fine and added to soups, stews, or other dishes.

Fruits are Naturals for Drying

Virtually any kind of fresh fruit can be dehydrated satisfactorily. Pineapples and bananas — which can be bought year round — are particularly good when dried . . . especially if they've been purchased in a very ripe condition and cut into thick chunks before being processed. These fruits — in their desiccated state — have a sweetness and a delightful chewiness that are hard to beat.

Few things — in my opinion — are more fun to dry than the seasonal fruits: cherries (sour and sweet), peaches, apricots, pears, plums, etc. I like to buy or handpick big boxfuls of these fruits and taste-sample them as I slice 'em up to be dried. Believe me, it's a very satisfying feeling to have a year's supply of these delicacies in storage, and to know that you didn't have to spend hours scalding and packing and canning the fruit to get that supply.

Stone fruit — 'cots, peaches, plums, etc. — need only be sliced in half and pitted prior to drying . . . no peeling is necessary. (Hint: The dehydrating goes a little faster if you turn each fruit half inside out by pressing on the skin side with your thumb.)

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