kudos on trying to dry the peppers with other things....Let me know how it turns out. I think the covered porch would be fine to dry the peppers as long as you have electric out there. I would just rotate the trays more frequently (bottom to middle, middle to top etc).. :)

dehydrators
 

Been looking at different dehydrators and it seems like Nesco is the best bang for the buck. Does anyone have any experience with these or can you recommend any other brand. I don't want to spend over $50 if possible. I'm not looking to feed an army just to preserve stuff for my wife and I.

Mike in Chicago

I definitely recommend the Nasco. I have it going right now, as a matter of fact (drying some sliced bananas). They're easy to use, wash, expand or contract, have adjustable temperature. The dehydrator I had before was a homemade job my husband made and while it was adequate, the Nasco is way better.

I just ordered the Nesco Snackmaster Express. It's a middle of the road model. I hope I got the right one. I had a hard time choosing the one I wanted. I just want it for tomatoes, peppers and herbs. I used to use the oven but you have to leave the door propped open and that bothers me now with the kids' little hands around. The dehydrator seems safer and maybe faster.

I have a Harvest Maid [Nesco American Harvest Maid] dehydrator, it has round trays, a fan, and adjustabe heat. Works great. Good for drying peppers too. I smoke them in the smoker then move to the dehydrator to finish off.

Mine sounds similar to the one Earl has. The fan is on top, also has round trays, adjustable thermostat and it's some kind of system that eliminates the need to rotate the trays. I think this should work well for us.

Just got the Snackmaster from WM.
Works great. Dried some onions as an experiment. Took about 10 hrs. Threw them into my Magic Bullet and voila-onion powder. Can't wait to dry some maters and make some jerky.

Oh, good. I'm glad to hear you liked yours. It makes me feel better about my choice. :)

I got my dehydrator at Wally World...believe it is the Nesco model. Has worked great for me...and I should use the thing more. I used it to dry cherry tomatoes, paprika peppers and some herbs last summer.

I just bought a load of bananas at 25 cents per pound...maybe I will make some chips:D

Mine was just delivered yesterday and I don't want to wait until something is ready from the garden so I'll have to buy something and experiment a little bit. Maybe some herbs or fruit.

Shelley- just blend some applesauce and a couple pear halves and dump it in the fruit tray. in about 6-7 hrs you have some great tasting fruit roll ups.

Thanks. I just happen to know a four year old and a one year old who might like that. ;)

I picked up another dehydrator today for $2.50 on half price sale. It is square and I think 10 shelves. Has control for low, med and high heats. Gives what temp they are. equi-flow I think brand. No book with it. I will have to figure out what heat to use for what. I do have electric to use on my porch. Maybe the pull out trays will work better as not have to take the thing apart each time.

I have made dry soup mix with tomato and peppers and other things.

Drying Garlic?
 

I decided to dry some of our harvest for powder and for garlic chips. I think the chips would make a great addition to soups and stews in the winter, adding the chips just prior to serving.

I slice the cloves as thinly as possible and lay them out on the trays. The problem I'm running into is the garlic is sticking to the trays of the dehydrator. I have to use a lot of force to loosen them and doing so is crumbling them into really small pieces. Any suggestions on how to minimize the garlic sticking to the trays?

Thanks

Mesh screens
 

We use an American Harvest dehydrator and use mesh screens over the trays to hold the garlic slices. The drying takes two days at 135 F. The slice will be stuck together but come off the screen easy, when we want to use it we grind it up in a blender.

Henry

Drying aubergines
 

I want to dry some aubergines. Which kind would be best? Asian that you do not need to peel or Black beauty type and peel? Do they need dipped in anything first?

I just bought a pasta cookbook that was written in England. On the things to stock it says dried aubergines, Says are slices and sold in the stores. I don't think around here any store carries that. Says to use pour boiling water on them and a splash of white wine vinegar. Soak about 2 mins and dry them off.

I had never thought about drying them.

I've dried them in a dehydrator. Allot of European and Middle Eastern recipes use the dried ones....but mostly call for fresh.

I'd be interested in the recipe you have that calls for the dried ones.

Zana, I have been going through the book and I have not found any recipes listed dry aubergine use. But under where it says should have in pantry says hydrate and cut up and add to sauces. And can fry before if you want. So I take it add to sauces and soups when you do not have fresh. Just so they cook into some liquid. I plan to try and dry some and see what they will do.

I found one I've tried. More of a Turkish style Dolma that the Armenian style I'm used to having, but still good. I found this one online at: [URL]http://veggieway.blogspot.com/2006/01/dried-eggplant-and-pepper-dolmas.html[/URL]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dried Eggplants and Peppers Dolmas

Before the recipe, I would like to make a small explanation about dried eggplants. When the eggplants are in season, as a preparation for winter, eggplants and peppers are dried. The flesh inside the eggplant is scooped out and they are dried on strings. When the dehydration process ends, they look like this. These are used for this traditional dolma.They may be available in Middle Eastern markets.


Ingredients:
Dried eggplants and peppers (This recipe is for 15 eggplants and peppers)
For each eggplant 1 tbs rice (or you may use bulgur instead, or mix both of them)
2-3 onions, peeled and diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbs pepper paste
1 tbs pine nuts (or walnuts)
1 tbs currant (this gives a sweet surprise, optional)
1 ts cinammon
1 ts allspice
dry peppermint
2-3 tbs pomegranate extract or lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1)Place the eggplants and peppers in a saucepan full with boiled water and cook them well, for about 30-45 minutes.
2)Meanwhile saute the onion and garlic in olive oil.
3)Then add the rice and all the other ingredients along with some water and cook this filling until the rice is a little bit tender.
4)Drain the eggplants, allow them to cool for a while
5)Stuff eggplants and red peppers with mixture, filling the eggplants and red peppers until they are about 3⁄4 full.Close the tops by just glueing ;) the edges with your hands.
6)Put the stuffed eggplants in a saucepan.
7)Add 2 cups of boiled water. (Make sure you have enough water in the saucepan during the cooking process, otherwise they will burn!)
8)Put a dish upside down to hold the dolmas down and cook on low heat until the rice inside the dolmas is cooked.
Bon Appétit!

*Dried eggplants picture is from Cook's Thesaurus.

Posted by Isil Simsek at 1:00 PM

Labels: vegan food

This cook book says they are dried slices of eggplant. I presume they are peeled first inless they are kind you eat the skin.

Sounds like they are drying the skin part of the eggplant . And they are stuffing it ??? You stuff the dried skins of eggplant?

I eat eggplant fried. Have a recipe for eggplant and tomato and stuff that is pretty good. Daughter made it. I tried to can some. You can use strips of eggplants instead of noodles. Lasgune (sp) Rather dry ones would work? I plan to try to dry eggplant but the inside part.

Maybe I am lost. Mixture for stuffing sounds good.

I can't quite figure out how you end up scooping out the filling and then drying it and then stuffing it. I'd rather scoop it out, use the original eggplant filling in the mixed stuffing and restuff the eggplant and then freeze it for future use, uncooked, if necessary. But that was the recipe I'd found online.

I asked around some of the relatives. They've layered the dried pieces almost like a lasagna with a meat or cheese sauces. Many of them string the eggplant to dry and then use them crushed in soups or stews. But almost everybody in the family say that they dry them whole (with the insides) even if its sliced.

I dried some cut into cubes/chunks that I got at the farmers' market earlier this fall. I just used allot of those chunks after soaking them in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar and tomato sauce (homemade from my garden) and then added it to some caponata I was making. I figure I'll be canning it later tonight...probably about 12 litres worth.

Perhaps some ascorbic acid or lemon juice added to the paste balls?

[URL]http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry.html[/URL]

I dehydrate a lot of different veggies especially hot peppers.

My fav tomato for drying similar to fruit leather is Sungold/Sun Gold cherry-type. Cut in half, place cut side up on the dehydrator shelf. My temperature of choice is 125-130°. Sprinkle the tops with a Creole seasoning such as Tony Chachere's. Aprox 3 days. When finished put in glass jar, screw down lid & put upside down in the cupboard for a day or two. Periodically check for moisture forming in the jar. If see any then back into dehydrator for another day & repeat process. If no moisture forms on inside jar I then keep in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for longer storage. It doesn't take long for a handful to thaw out enough to much on.

Tomatoes or peppers dried enough to powder are safe to keep unrefrigerated and as long as stored out of the sun and are in airtight containers keep their flavor for years.

jt

"My fav tomato for drying similar to fruit leather is Sungold/Sun Gold cherry-type. Cut in half, place cut side up on the dehydrator shelf. My temperature of choice is 125-130°. Sprinkle the tops with a Creole seasoning such as Tony Chachere's."

jt, YUM! This sounds so good. Do you have any you could mail me?? :yes: Just kidding, I have a monster Sungold out back that has been spitting out fruit since last year. I'll give it a try.

My drying recipe
 

I post on many of the tomato and harvest forums but there may be some of you who have not read my posts.

I do about 1000 to 2000 lbs a year which I sell to the upscale restaurants in Cody Wyoming & Billings Montana. I wanted to pass on my favorites for you considering doing some drying. Any tomato can be used for drying but some varieties are better than others.


I grow 15 mainstay varieties that I have kept as I culled others that did not meet my criteria.
I also try at least 5 new varieties of paste types each year and am lucky if one makes it into my "herd". I am looking for specific things:
� Meaty with a low moisture content
� Few seeds
� A rich and tangy flavor
� Size-Small tomatoes are just more work for me.
� Not fussy-Take heat and cold and wind. No primadonnas!
� Bloom well and set lots and lots of fruit
� Indeterminate
� Dry to a nice pliable consistency
These are my Top Five

Chinese Giant
Carol Chyko
Cuoro D Toro
Opalka
San Marzano Redorta


Recipe for drying:

Wash, stem and slice each tomato into 1/2" thick slices. Try to keep your slices as similar in size as possible. This will allow slices to dry at the same speed. Place in a very large bowl or clean bucket and cover with cheap red wine. I use Merlot but if you prefer something else, knock yourself out. I have a friend that swears by cheap Chianti! Soak tomato slices 24 hours in the wine. Drain well. Lay tomatoes just touching on dehydrator shelves or on screen in your sun-drying apparatus. Sprinkle each slice with a mixture containing equal parts of dried basil-oregano-parsley and then sprinkle each slice with Sea Salt. You may choose to forego the salt if you wish but tomatoes will take longer to dry. Dry tomatoes until they are firm and leatherlike with no moisture pockets, but NOT brittle. (If you get them too dry, soak them in lemon juice for a few minutes.) To store, place in vacuum bags or ziplock bags and freeze.
IMPORTANT!!! If you will be storing sun-dried tomatoes in Olive oil you !!!MUST!!! dip each slice in vinegar before adding to oil.

To pack in oil:
Dip each tomato into a small dish of white wine vinegar. Shake off theexcess vinegar and pack them in olive oil adding 1/4 cup red wine. For tomatoes in oil I am selling, I put the tomatoes into the oil two weeks ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Make sure they are completely immersed in the oil. When the jar is full, cap it tightly. I use my vacuum sealer to seal the canning lids on. Store at *cool* room temperature for at least a month before using. They may be stored in the refrigerator, but the oil will solidify at
refrigerator temperatures (it quickly reliquifies at room temperature however). As tomatoes are removed from the jar, add more olive oil as necessary to keep the remaining tomatoes covered. I have stored oil-packed tomatoes in m root cellar for over a year. I have tried a number of methods to pack the tomatoes in oil, but the vinegar treatment is the difference between a good dried tomato and a great one. It is also important from a food safety standpoint, as it acidifies the oil and discourages growth of bacteria and mold. Soaking in the wine also acidifies them.
****** WARNING ******** Do *NOT* add fresh garlic cloves or fresh herbs of any kind to oil-packed dried tomatoes, UNLESS you store them in the refrigerator and plan on using them withing 7 days. Garlic is a low-acid food which, when placed in oil, creates a low-acid anaerobic environment just perfect growth medium for botulinum bacteria if the mixture is not refrigerated. Be safe and add your garlic to the dried tomatoes as part of the recipe for them *after* they come out of the oil.

You can use any tomato for dehydrating but the paste types leave you with more final product and I believe, a hartier taste.

[quote]
I post on many of the tomato and harvest forums...
[/quote]

Hi,

I remember you. Hard to forget that handle. <G>

Don't want to be a nitpicker, but I don't believe storing in oil is concidered safe practice these days and I quit doing it a couple years ago. Things have changed and even the old editions of the Ball Blue Book are no longer reliable.

Garlic is such a strange creature to me. Never have been able to ferment it by itself. Just a few years ago I used to buy in large refrigerated containers with the cloves packed in oil. Now the 3 lb containers have just the peeled cloves and no liquid whatsoever.

Regards,
jt

John is right, it is not considered safe to store at room temps in oil, so I wouldn't recommend it here. Storing in the refrigerator is, I believe, okay. Otherwise a GREAT post.

Mine are refrigerated in my root cellar. It is a constant 38 degrees in my root cellar which is colder than my frig. I add no herbs or garlic to the jars and I vacuum seal a lid on. I also DO NOT advocate storing tomatoes in oil un-refrigerated and I guess I shoud have re-read my post as I did not say that very well. I DO NOT sell the ones I store. I prepare those in a jar a few days ahead of selling them and they are refrigerated. I have read a lot about this and there are several schools of thought on storing in oil refrigerated. Should anyone feel they are not comfortable with lengthy refrigerated storage, they should do as they think best. For home use, add them to olive oil, a little red wine in a pint jar. You will use them long before you have had them past a week. I should add that the ones I sell are going to restaurants who use them very quickly. Sun Dried tomatoes are the "vegetable du jour" in recipes it seems and business is booming. I also should add that I primarily sell those in vacuum bags as Chefs would rather re-constitute them using their own recipes and/or oil/wine/herb ratios. I apologise for any confusion.

Thanks, everyone. I'm very optimistic that my tomatoes will not flop and I will have plenty to store for next winter!

I have to plan better this growing season.

I also like my cheapy nesco dehydrator. I like to dry with low temps to preserve enzymes and it's got a nice big thermostat. I actually like it better than my 'good' L'Equip dehydrator.

Here's a neat tip - for drying sticky fruits and small things you really need those mesh screens. They sell them on amazon for around $12 for two lousy screens. If your dehydrator has 5 trays you have to buy 3 sets. OR you can buy plastic mesh at Malwart in the craft section. It's used for needlepointing, and you just cut it to fit your dehydrator. For less than $5 you can make enough screens to fit ALL the trays in your dehydrator.

So far the best thing I've dehydrated was lemons and limes. I sliced them really thin on a mandoline, dryed them and vacuum packed them.

I'm anxious to try brokenbars recipe for dried tomatoes this year: [URL]http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0821570826219.html?39[/URL]

Reply
 

happydog THat is a great point on the mesh screen. I got a dehydrator for christmas and was wondering if something like that might work! Thanks
Kat:)