Get Your Dehydrator On {Recipe Redux}

I’ll admit right off the bat – I don’t have a new recipe for you, dear reader. I had visions of a mountain of garden bounty reduced to the size of a teacup and warm coconut macaroons giving off a delightful rich, sweet scent. But then MOE interfered.

What a bummer, especially as I was looking forward to this month’s Recipe Redux:

Whether it’s extra garden bounty or a sale at the supermarket – dehydrating food is a budget-friendly way to stock up for later. You can use a food dehydrator, a low slow oven, or natural sunshine to preserve natural healthfulness. Show us how you like to dehydrate, or a healthy recipe for how you enjoy using dehydrated fruits, veggies or other bounty.

Seeing our dehydrator in this post’s first picture brings back memories of homemade beef jerky sustaining us across the plains of the Midwest while driving between Connecticut and Illinois. It reminds me of wrapping coconut macaroons to snack on while flying to Switzerland. Most of all, the dehydrator reminds me of a young couple sharing their love of food with each other.

Excuse me. I’ve got something in my eye.

As I wrote previously, not only is dehydrating food a great way to preserve excess fruits, veggies, and meat, it also preserves (ha) much of the nutrient content of these foods. The fiber, mineral and calorie content of dried food remains the same, although calorie density will increase with the removal of water. Moderate loss of B-vitamins may occur during drying. Blanching vegetables before drying preserves vitamin A, while decreasing temperature over the course of drying will help maintain vitamin C content in produce.

Since I don’t have a new recipe, I thought I’d share a few ways we’ve used our dehydrator over the years.

Coconut Almond Macaroons (recipe included!)

Empanadas de Mole Amarillo with Dried Chilies (recipe included!)

Figgy Hearts

Looking for other ways to get your dehydrator on without a dehydrator? Try these oven-dried tomatoes!