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Post by Walk on Jan 25, 2016 16:47:17 GMT -5
Walk, could you explain a little more about why it's important to keep the sun off the food? Is it the same for all foods? I'v dried tomato slices in direct sun but have had whole peppers go bad that way. UV light degrades vitamins in the food being dried. You can see the difference in color as the sun-exposed food bleaches just like fabric or your hair. It's most noticeable in herbs like dillweed and parsley. The one exception to this rule is mushrooms. When mushrooms are placed in direct sunlight, not behind plastic or glass glazing, with their gills up, you increase the vitamin D content many, many times over. This can turn ordinary mushrooms into vitamin D supplements for winter consumption. According to Paul Stamets, the Fungi Perfecti mushroom guy, you can even get vitamin D increases by exposing already dried mushrooms to UV light, in case it's not a sunny day when you have mushrooms ready to preserve. Here's a link to some info on vitamin losses in open sun drying. |
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Post by steev on Jan 25, 2016 19:53:10 GMT -5
Weird. So mushrooms react to sunlight same as my skin; maybe I really am a fun guy.
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Post by kyredneck on Jan 25, 2016 20:30:44 GMT -5
Weird. So mushrooms react to sunlight same as my skin; maybe I really am a fun guy. Exactly my thought (mushrooms reacting same as our skin that is, not you being a fun guy, though I'm sure you are a fun guy and you are often very funny in your posts).  It IS weird. Learn something everyday, and this is good stuff to know! Thanks Walk! |
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Post by reed on Jan 26, 2016 8:37:34 GMT -5
So it's an issue of UV degrading nutrients. Interesting, so if I used a clear polycarbonate with UV inhibitors it would still dry but the nutrients would be protected? When I tried to dry whole peppers in the sun they actually cooked a little,I guess, and then rotted.
When I hang a whole plant just in open air apparently the leaves protect them and they dry fine. I wonder if something like beans would do the same without being protected even more than just for UV.
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Post by Walk on Jan 26, 2016 10:13:41 GMT -5
The polycarbonate will filter out about 90% of UV-B but lets all the UV-A through, still bleaching your food. The UV inhibitors are there to protect the plastic from degrading as quickly as it would without them. It wouldn't act as an additional filter for the food. In our dryer design, the food is under the black metal radiator sheet so no light rays hit the food, only infrared heat.
Not sure where you are reed but here in Minnesota we have to chop peppers up in order to dry them, except for very thin-walled cayenne types. Even they do better if the stem is taken off and, unless conditions are perfect, we even cut them in half to facilitate drying, especially in late fall. The thick cuticle/skin on peppers keeps moisture in the flesh and it doesn't have anywhere to go. The pretty braids/ristras of peppers that you see in the SW U.S. only work in that climate and would be entirely moldy here.
Back to the issue of blanching - when I first started drying stuff back in the 70's, I tried doing "leather britches" by stringing green beans on a thread and hanging them in a south window. Eating them was a bit like eating lederhosen (German shorts). Have always cut up and blanched our green beans since then. Hanging a bean plant works if you're trying to get mature, dry beans but not for eating in the "green" stage. The beans continue to mature on the plant even if it's uprooted.
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Post by kyredneck on Jan 26, 2016 10:50:03 GMT -5
I'd recommend green gage plums, Coes golden drop and Prune D'Agen. All dry really well with lots of dry matter. The blood plums I dried amounted to very little, all water - better for jam.
Hmmm Green Gage plum, my mamaw had one (and a Stanley) in her back yard and the fresh plums and jam/jelly she made were delicious. That 50 years ago, my.
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Post by reed on Jan 27, 2016 10:57:44 GMT -5
Not sure where you are reed but here in Minnesota we have to chop peppers up in order to dry them, except for very thin-walled cayenne types. Even they do better if the stem is taken off and, unless conditions are perfect, we even cut them in half to facilitate drying, especially in late fall. The thick cuticle/skin on peppers keeps moisture in the flesh and it doesn't have anywhere to go. The pretty braids/ristras of peppers that you see in the SW U.S. only work in that climate and would be entirely moldy here. I'm in southern Indiana and we also have to slice peppers to dry them good. It is so far pretty much the only thing we have done much with as far as drying. We make several heat levels of pepper flakes that we use as seasoning in lots of things. Have started experimenting with adding in some dry onion and garlic but we use a little cheap dehydrator mostly. Will definitely be looking at building something along the lines of yours. I do have one pepper that dries very easily even if just left on the plant. It is an unknown cross with Poblano, unfortunately it is a little overly hot for most things but has good flavor if used sparingly. |
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Post by DarJones on Feb 18, 2016 19:22:57 GMT -5
Steve's sense of humor is just as dry as the soil he gardens in.
Turkey Craw beans were selected many years ago as a multipurpose bean that can be snapped, shelled, dried, or used to make leather britches.
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Post by steev on Feb 18, 2016 20:15:55 GMT -5
Drier; there's been some rain on the farm; not even the quality of mercy has dropped on me.
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Post by templeton on Feb 23, 2016 2:53:56 GMT -5
Mango.
Kennsington Pride cheeks in the dehydrator, bliss! in moments of hunger in the bush I have been heard to say that i would give up sex for dried mango. Delirious, obviously.
I do a lot of backcountry walking for work, so dry most of my food for these trips. I used to do complete meals but now just take ziplocks of plain dried veges to mix and match.
I find Jaune Flammeee a bit tart after drying, but it is one of my fav tomatoes fresh.
Dried apple - I've tried a few different varieties, and they retain their varietal characteristic flavours. Worth trying. Cherries are interesting, but I've only tried a few, much nicer eating fresh.
Chinese Gooseberry (sorry Richard, but I object to the marketing ploy that renamed them kiwifruit) is delightful. sliced unpeeled navel orange - even nicer when dipped in melted chocolate and cooled.
Carrots, celery squash all great.
Cantaloupe was a bit weird the one time i tried it. Should try my homegrown Farthest Norths, but they don't even last til dinner time.
Ripe banana, sliced lengthways.
I'm getting hungry...
T
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Post by steev on Feb 23, 2016 3:58:08 GMT -5
Unsugared ripe bananas for sure; melon is great, but a tad hydroscopic, so must be kept sealed.
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Post by philagardener on Feb 23, 2016 7:09:08 GMT -5
T, are you drying squash chips raw?
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Post by Walk on Feb 23, 2016 9:31:47 GMT -5
Ripe banana, sliced lengthways. T No need to slice bananas for drying. Stick your finger into the end of a peeled banana and push. It will cleave into 3 sections which dehydrate nicely. My husband Bob taught me this one. He said that I must have had a deprived childhood since I didn't do this as a youngster ;>). |
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Post by templeton on Feb 23, 2016 16:52:34 GMT -5
T, are you drying squash chips raw? Yep. I do all my camping food raw - vegies anyway. mostly make mixed vegie stew with various flavour additives (tomato garlic, green curry & coconut milk powder) when in the bush. They seem to cook just as fast, and easier prep at home. And there is nothing worse than on day 10 opening the food bag, and all that is left to cook is the dodgy lentil curry that didn't even taste nice when you cooked it at home.  Store all my dehyd in the freezer. |
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Post by templeton on Feb 23, 2016 16:54:28 GMT -5
Ripe banana, sliced lengthways. T No need to slice bananas for drying. Stick your finger into the end of a peeled banana and push. It will cleave into 3 sections which dehydrate nicely. My husband Bob taught me this one. He said that I must have had a deprived childhood since I didn't do this as a youngster ;>). , I find the cut surface dries more readily than the natural split lines, which seem to have a bit of resistance to drying out. Maybe I'm just impatient. T |
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It IS weird. Learn something everyday, and this is good stuff to know! Thanks Walk!
Store all my dehyd in the freezer.