Do you have a dehydrator?  It is on my list of the top 10 most useful tools for the homestead!  August is the month when a large variety of vegetable and fruits are ripe for harvest.  Filling the dehydrator is an excellent way to handle some of the over flow from canning. 

Here is what I have in my dehydrator today:  trays of cherry tomatoes.  There are great ways to use them like on a pizza or tossed into a stew or sauce to add depth of flavor. 

Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.  Some suggest that you spray your trays with cooking spray for easier removal of tomatoes but I never have any problems.  Place them face down on a tray with none touching each other.  Do not over load the trays and set drying temperature at 135 to 140 degrees.  They take a long time so I load them at night knowing that they will not over process in 8 hours.  Check occasionally and remove any tomatoes that are completely dry.

You can also make tomato powder once you have dehydrated the tomatoes but thinly slice regular tomatoes work better than the cherry tomatoes.  Grind to a fine powder using a blender or food processor.  Store in a dark, cool place but avoid the refrigerator unless you have no other option.

As with many items ready for the dehydrator, it’s important to not “mix your metaphors.”  Please don’t dry onions with bananas as the banana chips will have overtones of onions.  I always dry yogurt and fruit leathers exclusively as so much of the surface area of the tray is exposed.

Eggplant is a vegetable that is a super food but how do you use it except eggplant parmigiana?  Dehydrate it! Just wash, peel, slice ¼ thick and dry until leathery (from 4 to 8 hours at 125 degrees)  I love adding dried eggplant to spaghetti sauce, soups, stews, enchilada, chili, you get the idea.  Your family won’t know that they are eating something healthy and since eggplant is the chameleon of foods taking on the favors of whatever dish you cook, the eggplant will not change the taste of the dish.   

Eggplant starts to oxidize (turn brown) instantly when you cut it. During the drying process the enzymes become dormant.

Dehydrators make great jerky but they have so many more wonderful uses!  I will be showing you some recipes and tips soon.  Don’t’ get overwhelmed with the harvest, if you can’t get to all of it and you have chickens and pigs or goats, you know already that nothing goes to waste, it’s a win-win!  Here to help,  Anne May.