THANK YOU ALL
Bushels of thanks go to my husband, Joe Deden. He is a willing taste tester, photographer, consultant, fellow gardener, food preservation partner, sustainable quester, and friend.
One of my best food consultants is my mother-in-law, Adeline Deden. Although she has lost most of her sight and cannot read recipes, her memory serves her well, she has a good palate, and she can feel when the texture is just right.
My best taste testers are Hunter and Alysse, our treasured grandchildren. Alysse gleefully strips rhubarb leather off the dehydrator trays and gobbles it up and Hunter loves to sample jerky.
The quest for good food is growing as people assess the value of what they consume and the link between food and good health. Much of the credit for this shift in consciousness goes to the influential chefs who use and celebrate organic and locally grown food in their restaurants. These culinary trailblazers have modeled an ethic of stewardship, healthfulness, and creativity that has helped to promote environmental thoughtfulness and food awareness.
I am proud and grateful to live in a rural community where there is a growing appreciation for the quality of our soil, our air, and our water. Our commitment to the environment was put to the test a few years ago when the worlds largest tire burning plant was scheduled to be built only a few miles upstream from our community. People rallied and, thank goodness, stopped the tire-burning project in its tracks. Since this victory, people in our community have steadily worked to embrace more sustainable ways of living.
This project was strengthened by the editorial contributions and emotional support from Mary Musielewicz, Shayla Gehrke, Nancy Martinson, Maggie Molyneaux, and my long-time, dear friend Ray Howe. Thanks to the folks at Nesco, especially Kurt Jansen, who magically transformed our homegrown photography with his patience and healing brush. Maxxx Madcap gets credit for the illustrations. This project was initiated by and thanks to the work of Paige Cram, Abigail Gehring, Tony Lyons, and Bill Wolfsthal of Skyhorse Publishing. And I am grateful to Duane Petersen for being one of the kindest people Ive ever met.
PINEAPPLE
BANANAS
APPLES
MORE FRUITS
FRUIT AND NUT CRUNCH
CURRIED TRAIL MIX
MELONS
CANT A LOUPE CANDY
COLD MELON SOUP
BERRIES
STRAWBERRY MERINGUE COOKIES
RHUBARN POPCORN
PARTY TIME BRIE
FRUITS
K nowing that raisins are dried grapes should help you understand what happens when the water has been taken out of a food. Dried foods are common in todays marketplace, with dried bananas, dates, dried mangos, dried apricots, and dried pineapple available at most grocery stores. You will soon understand just how easy it is make your own dried fruit. It starts with buying a can of pineapple rings, some bananas with brown spots, and a jar of natural applesauce. Then follow the directions for drying bananas on page 5 and applesauce on page 22 and you will have learned the basics for drying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
CANNED PINEAPPLE
A Weighty Idea: With a scale, weigh fresh food before drying and weigh it again after its dry. This will help you to become familiar with the amount of water eliminated during the drying process. | Once dried, an entire 20-ounce can of pineapple rings will weigh 4 ounces and fit in the palm of your hand.
Open a can of pineapple rings. Pour into a colander and drain away the juice.
Place a dehydrator tray on your counter and put a mesh sheet inside the dehydrator tray.
Lay the pineapple rings on the mesh-lined dehydrator tray without overlapping any rings. Place the filled tray in the dehydrator.
Dry between 110 degrees and 135 degrees. It will be considered raw if dried at 110 degrees.
To determine when the pineapple rings are dry, every two hours turn the dehydrator off, allow a few minutes for the rings to cool, and manually check the pineapple. Warm food always feels softer than when it cools. Touching the pineapple is the best way to determine drynessyou can feel moisture in food. Each time take out a ring, eat it, and let the rest continue to dry. This helps you become comfortable with the drying processplus the rings taste good.
Pineapple rings are dry when they bend and you do not feel any juice. They will be a little darker in color than when fresh out of the can. Fruits that have a lot of sugar do not need to be dried until hard because sugar acts as a natural preservative. How long it will take for the pineapple rings to dry will depend on the dehydrator you have, but generally it will take about eight hours when you dry at 135 degrees. Once the pineapple is dry, eat one more ring and save the rest in an airtight storage container.
OTHER CANNED FRUITS
Now that youve dried canned pineapple, try other canned fruits, like maraschino cherries, peaches, and mandarin oranges. If the canned food pieces are thicker than half an inch, slice them into 1/2 to 1/4-inch slices; the thicker the pieces are the longer it takes them to dry.
DRY A FRESH PINEAPPLE
Quality Time Drying food is a great way for adults and children to spend quality time together. Once children are shown how easy it is to dry food, theyll be able to make their own snacks. A dehydrator is safer than a stove or an oven because most drying is accomplished between 100 and 135 degrees.
Choose a fresh, yellow-golden, sweet-smelling pineapple. To select a good pineapple, pull a leaf from inside the cluster. It should release easily and will feel slightly moist.
Cut the pineapple in half the long way. Cut each half into three equal boat-shaped pieces. Turn each piece on its side and cut out the core. Cut slices into 1/2-inch thick pieces, then dry. For a raw food, dry at 110 degrees and up to 135 degrees for regular drying.
Red Pineapples
Dry pineapple rings only halfway and then remove from the dehydrator tray. Place rings in a bowl and cover with cranberry juice. Let soak 15 minutes. Drain the red pineapple rings and return to the dehydrator until drying is complete. Red pineapples are festive and delicious and will have all your friends wondering where you found such an unusual fruit!
PINEAPPLE FLOWERS
F ancy dried fruit is an attention-getter as a garnish for baked goodies.
1 fresh pineapple
20 dried round strawberry
slices
1 tablespoon honey