At some point, many outdoorsy types will consider getting a couple of items:
- A food dehydrator for dehydrating.
- A vacuum sealer for long-term food storage.
- A freeze-dryer.
- An impulse sealer.
- A chamber sealer for very long-term food storage.
All are worth the investment. Dehydrating your own food is easy and can be a big savings on many items, especially if the only other way to find the item is online and being shipped in the mail. Some items are cheaper or less of a pain to just buy, such as chopped onions, but overall, after a couple of years of hiking meals, your investment is paid back, both money-wise and in eating better-tasting meals when you do the work yourself!
What to look for in a dehydrator:
- Ability to add trays
- There is a wide range of temperatures and the ability to change the temperature. Cheap low-end models offer one setting: ‘Desert Blast’.
- The heat is able to flow throughout the machine; a fan will do this.
- Does it come with accessories such as fruit leather liners? Mesh screens? For doing small or messy items line the trays with parchment paper. It is naturally nonstick, nonporous, and heat resistant.
I currently have two dehydrators. One is a Nesco. They are affordable and can be found at most big box stores and online. While not overly fancy, they do the job and work very hard.
NESCO FD-61WHC, Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-in-One Kit with Jerky Gun
Extra “fruit leather” tray liners are available for Nesco machines:
Nesco American Harvest Fruit Roll Sheets for FD-27 & FD-50
Parchment paper for lining trays.
My other, and preferred dehydrator:
This dehydrator is a work of art that is visually pleasing and whisper-quiet. It comes with trays that are designed for small items, as well as fruit leather trays.
Making your own dehydrator:
An easy-to-make and affordable dehydrator can be made on your own with a few furnace filters for racks and bungee corded to a simple box fan. This works really well! In some cases, it is better as it does not use heat, so it will not cook your food as it dries. See here for the Alton Brown ‘Good Eats’ method.
For more references on drying food at home, these books can help:
- Complete Dehydrator Cookbook
- Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling
- Dry It-You’ll Like It
- How to Dry Foods
- Making & Using Dried Foods
- Drying Out article from Washington Trails.
- Dehydrating information from the University of Missouri Extension.
- Drying meat safely article from the USDA.gov site.
Food vacuums:
Food vacuums are a great way to preserve your dried food. Especially if you are doing the food in the winter for the next year. I use Food Vac. You can find them at most big box stores and online.
With a little work and time, you can have a year’s worth of trail food.
For more tutorials and articles on Freeze-Drying, see the links below:
Freeze-Drying Tutorials:
- First Look Review Harvest Right
- Freeze-drying versus Dehydrating Pasta
- Freeze-drying versus Dehydrating Peas and Corn
- Freeze-drying Yogurt
- Freeze-drying banana bread (and pumpkin pie)
- Freeze-drying Salsa (with recipe using it)
- Freeze-drying cheese and storing it.
- Freeze-drying rhubarb and celery
- Sealing Your Meals Like The Commercial Companies Do It
- Freeze-drying onions (sweet and red/purple)
- The Sweet Sides Freeze-Drying Cheesecake, Sweet Breads and Cake (link to our homesteading site)
- Freeze-drying the holidays.
- Freeze-drying Purple Onions.
- Freeze-drying and Using Refried Beans.
- Freeze-drying Eggs
- Primer On Cold Soaking Freeze-Dried Meats
- Freeze-drying Carrots As A Snack
Dehydrating Tutorials:
- Cashew Kale Chips
- Instant Guacamole
- Snacks To Boost Energy Naturally
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Zucchini Gummy Candies
- Cinnamon Carrot Shreds
- Drying Mushrooms
- Dehydrating Kale and Making Green Powder
Beans, Legumes & Peas and Dehydrating Beans
Freeze-drying versus Dehydrating (a comparison)
Making Fruit Leather In An Air Fryer