Primal Journal (RMS) page 112

[demuralist]

Wow, I am impressed that you were that low in calories, I actually had a salad last night so I got some bulk. Lunch was an avocado with bacon bits and mayo. Pretty reasonable, of course I hit over 1400 calories, so I had more leeway. Actually it would be an interesting experiment when I am weighing again to see if it is the reduced calories (although it is only about 200 lower) that would make me drop fat or if I did my average calories but increased fat to 90%. Remind me after my March weigh in and I will try 3 days of each and see what happens.

[athomeontherange]

Ruth- my fellow dehydrating buddy!! Ok.. recent adventures in dehydrating..lol

1. I bought a bag of onions (they were on sale!). Its only me and my daughter and sometimes my mother so I took out 3, sliced the rest and threw them in the dehydrator. OMG.. I thought to use them in soups and such but thought to taste them.. they taste like funyons or those onions you buy to out on top of casseroles. The onions I used were yellow, but I want to try some vadallia's when they come in this summer.

2. Organic carrots were on sale- crazy cheap. I do not really eat them, they are ok.. they are high in carbs for me. So I prepared some for Lily and then sliced the rest and dehydrated them. Again, I am thinking for soups etc. I tasted one, because I was curious. WOW.. another great chip. I did not add anything to either the onions or the carrots.

3. The leaf parts of celery, which is my veg of choice even if its not nutritious, get dehydrated for soups and such.

I am planning a herb garden this summer so I can harvest and have fresher herbs all year. Also, DD is loving the dehydrated apples. She snarfs down a whole bag of apples that are dehydrated in a couple days. This summer, when the produce is on sale, my dehydrator will be going like crazy.

[demuralist]

I need to start using my dehydrator but I need to know how to get the veggies and fruits crispy, or no one will eat them. Chewy doesn't cut it. Any tips? What temp are you doing this on, and for how long? That poor thing just sits on my counter all sad and neglected.

[athomeontherange]

I do fruits and veggies at 135. You are in a more humid place then I am but it usually takes a good 24 hours for like apples and carrots. Mine will crisp when I turn it off and let them cool. I also found, they stay crisp if put in a glass container. Ziplocks etc., leech moisture and they get soggy.

Oh..I have also been dehydrating lemons, oranges and grapefruits. I add them to pots of tea or will add them to pitchers of cold water or tea this summer.

[honeybuns]

Dehydrated pears taste like candy.

You can dehydrate a couple of ways. I will usually load the dehydrator in the afternoon and let it run on a low temperature overnight. I( started this because it did not get in the way of whatever project I had planned for the day. I also have an out of the way place I can run it overnight without bothering me. Higher temos means shorter drying time and would probably work better for you. Dry to crispy and what is really important is to keep them in a sealed container afterwards or they will become chewy by picking up moisture from the air. Because I like my dehydrated fruit TOO much, I'll keep it in the freezer in a ziploc bag so I don't eat them all.
I am still using carrots, peppers, celery leaves and onions that I dehydrated a couple of years and, yes, they are great for soups!

[athomeontherange]

oh yes, we did pears and my piggy dd snarfed them up! LOL Oh, and you THINK you know what raisins are?? pshhh.. I made raisins out of these HUGE BLACK grapes. They were AMAZING.. dd snarfed those too! making them yourself, you get the sweet and the tart.

[honeybuns]

Ooh, I haven't tried grapes yet! How did you prep them for the dehydrator? Did you have to blanch or half or what?

[athomeontherange]

I plucked them off the thingie and tossed them in the dehydrator. It took about 3 days for the large ones, about a day and a half for the smaller ones. I did not do anything special to them. I dont think they need it.

[RMS123]

Huh, I tried dried cranberries. Big fail! More later....

[athomeontherange]

yep.. cranberries are a fail unless you want them for decoration. I do wonder how to make craisins though..