SOLAR FOOD DEHYDRATORS
Preserving food at home is one of the best and easiest ways to reduce your grocery bills, get better flavor and nutrition, and achieve a local diet. If you don't have a food garden at home, you can stock up on in-season produce from nearby farmers markets, and take that home to preserve for year-round eating. If you shop at the peak season for your favorite crops, you can often find very good prices for larger quantities.
Drying food is a delicious way to preserve and concentrate the flavors of fresh fruits, veggies and herbs. Your dried produce will require no electricity and very little space to store. Plus, if you grow your own food and choose to dry it with free energy from the sun by building one of these great, inexpensive solar dehydrators described in the articles below, your pantry will be stocked with near-net-zero-energy produce! Cool, eh?
A Solar Food Dryer from Cardboard Boxes
This unique low-cost food dehydrator is extremely easy for anyone to make.
Build a Solar Food Dehydrator
Preserve your harvest with free energy from the sun. Learn the basics of how to dry food; includes examples of do-it-yourself solar food dehydrators.
How to Make and Use a Home Food Dryer
Building your own food dryer is a great way to preserve all your homegrown goodies.
We Preserve Foods the Natural Way
A guide to food dehydrating methods.
Solar on a Shoestring: The Solar Survival Food Dryer
This clever do-it-yourself solar food dehydrator is made from a recycled 55-gallon barrel covered with clear polycarbonate glazing.
Choosing a Food Dehydrator
An expert reviews the pros and cons of four leading food dehydrators designed for drying fruits and vegetables.
How to Build a Food Dryer
Learn how to construct a food dryer powered by the sun, a stove or electricity; including materials, diagrams and assembly.
Once you've built your whiz-bang solar food dryer, check out these resources for tips, techniques and recipes on how to use them:
* Reap the Garden & Market Bounty: How to Dry Food
* Make Your Food Dollar Go Further: Dry Your Own Fruits and Vegetables at Home
Photo by Tabitha Alterman