Don't have a dehydrator, use your oven!

 No dehydrator, use your oven!

Before the invention of dehydrators there were only ovens to help preserve food for future use.  So if you don’t own a dehydrator, use your oven at the lowest temperature setting to preserve your food.

Preparing your food is important to ensure that they are dried out properly. Cut your food thinly and lay it out on a cookie sheet lined with either wax paper or aluminum foil. Do not use any spray or grease on the cookie sheet or the aluminum foil. You want the food to be dried out completely. You can turn the food over occasionally to ensure that its completely dried of any moisture. Heating your food products could take 6-10 hours per session to dry the food completely.

Prepping foods

Fruits – in a bowl mix ½ cup of lemon juice and 1 cup of water and soak the fruit in the liquid for about 5 minutes. This prevents fruit from browning or burning. Using a paper towel soak up excess liquid before placing on cookie sheet. Be sure the fruit is cut into thin pieces and lay flat on a cookie sheet with space in between.

Meats – be sure to cut off excess fat from the meat before placing in the oven. The fat can cause the meat to go rancid once you’re dried it out and store it over time. Use only lean cuts of meat for safe keeping.

You can speed up the process by turning the oven up to 200 degrees F until the product is dried on the top then drop it down to 150 F and turn the product over to ensure drying is complete on the underside.

During the summer months, I usually do my oven dehydrating overnight to ensure the house doesn’t get to hot during the heat of the day. Usually during the fall and winter months is when I do my bulk dehydrating. Having the oven on during the fall and winter helps to keep the house nice and toasty. 😊

Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, journalist. business professional, and creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a Masters in Criminology and a BS in Business Management and half an associate degree in Horticulture. When it comes to politics and history, Ms. Kilbride is an expert after having spent almost 40 years in political arena but who stepped out of the loop for a while due to ignorance in the Washington Circles, but who is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel, photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.