Dehydrated Bananas

I love Bananas ! Yup in a bowl of cereal, protein drink anytime snack and a bonus filled with lots of potassium. I love finding new ways to extend the life of my food. I am blessed with a yard that allows me to grow many of my food needed to preserve. 

Dehydrating Bananas you say ! I will once again never go with dehydrated store bought bananas again. The ones I made myself were scrumptious. Dehydrated they are so much sweeter than fresh. I think the whole dehydrating process brings out the sugar.

The one and only reason I did this was because I had three bananas left that looked like they may not make it to the protein drink. So I had been making Beef Jerky and dehydrated Roma Tomatoes all the tools were still out. So let us get started.

Begin by having all your tools and a few bananas. 

No need for a list but there is one thing. I didn't do and that was coat them in lemon. Do not get me wrong I love lemons. I dehydrate Lemons all the time to add to my water and any recipes. The reason people do soak them or coat them in lemon is to keep them from turning brown. Personally I do not care. Also if you look at my pictures you will see they really did not turn brown. Go figure! 

Alright have your cutting board and your dehydrator ready. I use a paring knife my favorite tool. Slice and put your slices on your dehydrator close but not touching each other. They will stick a bit but once your ready to tuen they lift off without breaking.

This is so fast. Ever dehydrator has different times and temperature. Mine is just blow and go.

No temperature just hot air and done. I am not a cook that depends too much on temperature and time with something a simple as this. 

Check your bananas if they are dry to the touch turn them over to dry the underside. They may stick a bit but take care to turn them and continue the drying.

Once you bananas are leathery and dry and sometimes a little sticky to the touch. 

You can store you bananas in an airtight container. They stay fresh for a good two weeks. 

Mine go in a bowl on the counter and they are gone within a few days. 

Dehydrated Onions

Here is a wonderful way to have onions year around. Any onion is acceptable. I did regular white onions. Once I dehydrated them they were so good we ate them right off the plate. This is a simple recipe and the most time consuming part  is the cutting. If you have a mandolin it will cut your time in half just try to keep them in disk form for drying.

Ingredients

Onions
Food Dehydrator or oven @170
Goggles and gloves


I use goggles to keep from crying and gloves to keep from smelling like onion.







Start by peeling the outer skin off your onion. Slice the onion into thin about 1/8" disk.

Now place them in between some paper towels to dry them out.

Place your onion onto the dehydrator and dry until crisp and no more moisture is in the slices. Every dehydrator is different. It could take 4 to 8 hours. Some dehydrators have a thermostat so if so let it be set at 140 degrees. Do not dry in the house if you are using a dehydrator the smell is pretty strong.



You could oven dry your onions. I do not advise this as you need to leave the oven open slightly and this is dangerous if you have small children or pets.


When you store your onions the most important thing is to make sure the onions are completely dry. Place your onions on a plate and let them sit out for a couple of days. They may disappear because they are delicious!

You want to make sure there is no more moisture in the slices so if you do not see any moisture on your plate they are dry. You can place them in a mason jar with a tight top. Also I have a Seal Save and I do bag some to keep for soups and other recipes down the line.

Dehydrating Citrus

Citrus Drying,  I know that it seems almost impossible that someone who has been preserving food as long as I have has not Dried Citrus. To dehydrate any citrus is brilliant and so very easy. When I think of all the little citrus that has sat and watched me waiting to be sectioned for Great Marmalade. And as most of you know to make a fresh and great marmalade it takes a lot of time.






I have been a part of a great Challenge this New Year of 2017 through the Food In Jars Website. Even if your not a part of it play along I am learning a lot. And remember Knowledge is power in the canning world!


So last month's project used salt I made some awesome Citrus Salt and it is all the rage in this canning family. 

So I have the gift of living in SoCal and with that comes a bounty of citrus of every sort. Today I got a box of Blood Oranges from a neighbor and I have some Meyer from my own tree's and some limes left from another jam project.





Not so many pictures this round ! But this is a simple and very worthy project for you to do. Never waste anything if possible. In this picture I show you how I take even the ends that are cut off and squeeze the juice from them for jam, drinks or what ever it is easily frozen in jar's.




Alright y then just slice you citrus in 1/4 inch thin slices. Place your slices on your dehydrator shelves and dry on. My dehydrator has no temperature so I dry until my stuff is dry no moisture left. I also will take the tray's and put them on the table for a day or two to let the citrus air dry more. Seal them into air tight container and use in you water, cooking there are so many uses but that is yet another post! 

You could also use your oven. Just take a cookie sheet with a rack and put them in the oven for a few day's. Do not forget them.


I don't recommend a low oven so many do not go low enough to properly dry them but try whatever works for you. I am of the belief that if it works do it.

Well all dried and in their cute little jar's in the Pantry of Wonderful!

Here are some links to help your journey ! Spoon Fork Bacon and  Food in Jars 

Sun Dried Tomato's

The term Sun Dried is nice on the jar's in the Italian market but do you really think there are thousands and thousands of tomato getting a tan any where ? Me I think Not !
I have done yet again allot of research on this subject, I have a few book on the subject of dehydrating and I still did get more information off the web.

I checked my dehydrating Bible and it did give me some information but the best site I found was Food52 it was simple, and informative.




The Bible gave me directions also
but some times I want just a bit more.








So lets get started. Roma tomato's are the best to dry because they have less water content. After all we want flavor not water. It is the same as when you compare a store bought tomato to your own home grown. The store bought are like water tasteless and the garden are full of flavor.

Little leftover's from the garden

Alright let us get started clean you tomato's.  I slices them into 1/4 inch slices. No need to peel or pit just cut them. All the other tomato's have way to much water to dry. The Roma have a meaty center which makes a wonderful taste.
I found myself eating them right out of the dehydrator.

This is why I love the Internet the pictures.

The next step is to take your tomato slices and put them on a clean non linty towel on top of a cutting board. Salt your slices. Use the amount of salt you would be comfortable eating. Just like a usual meal. Now put another towel on top of your slices and top that with another cutting board. I know many of us do not have two cutting boards so use something like that . Maybe you have a big book. You can always wrap it so it does not get tomato smell.

Let your tomato sandwich sit for about 20 minutes let the moisture get pulled out.









 Notice your tomatoes are not all shiny and wet. Great Job!








Now remove the stuff and place your tomatoes on the racks of your dehydrator.









If you are using your oven make sure you have a rack on a cookie sheet. This way they do not soak in the moisture and the air circulates all around the little darlings.

Day two

And here is the final day

I have put mine into seal saver bags and to be honest they dried out to be enough for maybe a meal.

Tomato Dirt has a nice post but way to may advertiser's in my way. Seasonal Chef was great it had post from everything drying to storage and all in a neat format . Food 52 was the place that showed me what I like easy no peeling, no seeding cut and dry thank you very much