Dehydrating Food
In today's world, dehydrating food is the method of choice for backpackers.
Drying food to preserve it for later use is one of the oldest processes known. Primitive people dehydrated berries, meat and other eatables simply by drying them out in the sun. This allowed them to store food through the winter, or scarce periods.
This process for preserving food also allowed a mobile society to move about freely and not have to rely on local hunting or gathering. The added benefit to them was the lighter weight of their supplies allowing a greater freedom of movement and the ability to travel longer distances.
Through all periods of time, all of mankind in every corner of the world has been dehydrating food for one reason or another. The standard method was always the same, just lay it all out in the sun.
Why is it so safe?
It is safe quite simply because drying removes most all of the water from the food. When the water is gone, bacteria, yeasts and mold have no ability to grow. There is no medium for them to develop in. Dehydrated food is known to last for extended periods of time and in most climatic conditions.
There are few, if any groups of humans who never dried any of their food. It has been found in pyramids, jungles and deserts all over the world by archeologists.
The first real device for drying food was developed by the French in the late 18th century. This allowed for better control of the process and also sped it up by not having to rely on the sun. It was just a simple box that held the temperature constant and circulated air through it.
Little has changed over the years. The commercial dehydrators of today are made of modern materials and use electricity, but the basic principals are all the same.
Commercial vendors prepackage all kinds of meals, from plain to fancy. Some are not to bad out in the wilderness. Others... well lets just say I prefer doing my own.
It process is safe, simple and very easy to learn. It will allow you to package up your own great meals, save a ton of weight and space and you don't have to worry about refrigeration.
What can we dehydrate?
The answer to this question is simply most everything! Meat is about 50% water. Fruits and vegetables can be all the way up to 95%.
Removing the water will not alter the product in any other way. The food value is still there and the taste will depend on your skills of processing and, naturally, cooking.
The first thing is to plan your menu for your trip. Plan on eating well, you will need the energy and the extra calories out on the trail.
Only high quality food products should be dehydrated. The better you start with the better you will enjoy them. Fruits and vegetables need to be at their peak, never immature or bruised. That will change the flavor greatly.
Eating them in a dehydrated condition actually enhances the flavor. Sweet things are sweeter and every flavor is richer. That is because with the water gone all of the flavors and sugar is still present in a concentrated form. However better the taste you will be glad to know the calories are still the same. Only the water is gone.
Dehydrators
There is a large verity of commercially made food dehydrators available on the market today. You can also build one yourself. Homemade ones are not difficult to make if you are handy and can be either solar or electrically operated.
Back in my scouting days, this became a troop project. Every patrol built their own box with the assistance of the adult leaders. It was a lot of fun.
Solar dehydrators work extremely well and cost nothing to operate. Mankind has been using this method since time began. The disadvantage is that you are limited to daylight hours and must keep it focused to the sun all day.
Electric powered ones can be used at any time, day or night, and operates continuously. With a fan installed, the airflow is better offering a little quicker process and more even heat distribution.
Homemade ones can utilize anything from cardboard to plywood for the container.
Build a simple box about two feet square.
Use 1 X 1 boards for the shelf construction and add plastic screen or Teflon sheets to hold the food.
You will need a small regulated heat source and a fan to circulate the air and you are in business. There are plenty of plans on the internet to help you build one.
The drying temperature should be about 140 degrees. If you build your own, a horizontal heat and airflow is preferred. When it is vertical the inside temperature is not as even and food flavors tend to transfer to the upper level.
Commercial ones are not that expensive and offer a lot of advantages. They are usually constructed of plastic and are so much easier to clean than wood. Also the internal thermostats are very accurate and most will also come with timers.
I know of a family that dehydrates fruit every summer in an older hatchback car. It works! And the car smells great for about a week as a bonus.
How do I dehydrate?
It's not hard to do at all. It just takes a little time and preparation on your part. Most commercial dehydrators will supply you with lots of information, suggestions and even recipes.
This is how it is done:
- Start with fresh fruits and vegetables of the very best quality you can find. Overripe, bruised and otherwise deteriorated produce will not provide good results for you and will look bad too.
- All meats should be a lean as possible for the best results.
- Clean and slice all fruits and vegetables. Keep the thickness of all slices consistent so everything dries evenly.
- You can add citrus juice or ascorbic acid to the fruit before and during the process to retain its color. Ascorbic acid can be purchased from grocery and drug stores.
- Blanche broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, corn, peas and potatoes to speed drying time and to help maintain color. Three to five minutes in boiling water should be adequate.
- Add salt, sugar or spices to flavor.
- When loading your fruit and vegetable slices onto the dehydrator trays do not overlap them. This will slow the drying time.
- Turn your dehydrator on and consult the owner's manual for recommended drying times. The process will take between 8-12 hours on average depending on what you are drying and the average thickness.
- Do not add fresh produce to a partially dried load.
- As you reach the end of the drying time, check your fruits and vegetables frequently for dryness. If the slice feels dry to the touch, it should be adequately dried. You can also cut several fruit slices in half, and check the cut edges for moisture beads. If any are present, the fruit is not yet dry enough, and needs to be returned to the dehydrator.
- Allow your fruit and vegetable slices to cool for 30 to 60 minutes before packing.
- Dried fruits need to go through an additional conditioning period before they are ready for storage. Place them in loosely packed jars, and shake once a day for 7-10 days to ensure the remaining moisture is evenly distributed between the dried pieces. If condensation appears on the jar, the fruit needs to be returned to the dehydrator for further drying.
- Place all dried foods in air-tight containers or zip-lock freezer bags; and store in a cool, dry and dark location until you are ready to use them.
- When stored properly, dehydrated foods are usually good for a year.
How is it eaten?
I am sure we have all chewed on some beef jerky at one time of another. Do you remember that strange looking, but good tasting, "dried fruit" that Aunt so-in so sent you for Christmas one year? It is all simply dehydrated.
Now I am not advocating you eat whole meals this way.
All you have to do is rehydrate the food and it will return to its natural state ready to be cooked or eaten. It will absorb all of the water previously dried out of it in a short period of time. You only have to wait a little before you begin cooking your next meal.
The entire process should be practiced several times before you actually go out in the field. Do that and you will truly enjoy eating well out in the middle of nowhere.
Consider emergency uses
Just about everyone in the country lives in some area of the country that is prone to some type of natural disaster.
California has its earthquakes and summertime fires. The mid west has tornados and sometimes floods. The south also can have floods and lets not forget the hurricanes. The north east can get horrendous snow and ice storms. The list goes on and on.
Packing up a week's supply of dehydrated food for your family can be a great boon during trying conditions. Because the shelf life is so long, you can draw from these supplies when you go backpacking and rotate the newly dehydrated items into your storage at any time.
Adding food like this to other pre packed emergency supplies and your family can be assured of a much safer period of time in the event of some calamity.