Comments on: Dehydration: The Basics http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/ Sharon Astyk's Ruminations on an Ambiguous Future Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:11:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Hugh Dyment http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7538 Hugh Dyment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:25:43 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7538 I live in rural Alaska where we preserve foods as a matter of course. My wife is Native Alaskan (Yupik Eskimo), and we live 400 miles west of the Anchorage-Fairbanks road system. In the past month we've preserved about 250 pounds of salmon. Most of this was dried and smoked in the same way my wife's ancestors have done for millennia, and some was kept by packing in salt in 5 gallon buckets. Stumbling across your website was a pleasure. Preserving the land's abundance has been, and is, a necessity in rural Alaska. I'll follow the website and comment where apporpriate. Hugh I live in rural Alaska where we preserve foods as a matter of course. My wife is Native Alaskan (Yupik Eskimo), and we live 400 miles west of the Anchorage-Fairbanks road system. In the past month we’ve preserved about 250 pounds of salmon. Most of this was dried and smoked in the same way my wife’s ancestors have done for millennia, and some was kept by packing in salt in 5 gallon buckets.
Stumbling across your website was a pleasure. Preserving the land’s abundance has been, and is, a necessity in rural Alaska. I’ll follow the website and comment where apporpriate.

Hugh

]]> By: Sharon http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7476 Sharon Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:02:58 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7476 Ginny, I'm sorry - I don't know if they are airtight. You might call the company that makes them and ask them - I've never used them. Sharon Ginny, I’m sorry - I don’t know if they are airtight. You might call the company that makes them and ask them - I’ve never used them.

Sharon

]]> By: emeeathome http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7465 emeeathome Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:46:38 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7465 One of my best dehydrated flavourings happened the year we collected 200 litres of mushrooms. We lived up the bush with no electricity, so I dried them on sheets of galvanised iron and in the slow combustion oven with its door open. The 200 litres went down to 1 litre of powdered mushroom. A teaspoonful was delicious in soups and casseroles. I also did apricots the same way - the most successful apricots I have ever done. One of my best dehydrated flavourings happened the year we collected 200 litres of mushrooms. We lived up the bush with no electricity, so I dried them on sheets of galvanised iron and in the slow combustion oven with its door open. The 200 litres went down to 1 litre of powdered mushroom. A teaspoonful was delicious in soups and casseroles.

I also did apricots the same way - the most successful apricots I have ever done.

]]> By: Ginny in WI http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7462 Ginny in WI Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:33:30 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7462 Ooh, DH is addicted to jerky, I bet he'd get into making his own! Are the plastic (non-sealing) caps that you can buy for canning jars airtight? Ooh, DH is addicted to jerky, I bet he’d get into making his own!

Are the plastic (non-sealing) caps that you can buy for canning jars airtight?

]]> By: Sharon http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7436 Sharon Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:53:39 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7436 I think slow cookers get to much too high a temperature, and there is no way of circulating air, so the heating would be uneven. Sharon I think slow cookers get to much too high a temperature, and there is no way of circulating air, so the heating would be uneven.

Sharon

]]> By: Cynthia http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7435 Cynthia Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:47:26 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2008/07/10/dehydration-the-basics/#comment-7435 Perhaps this is naive, but I wonder if a slow cooker set on low, with a rack ro something to keep the food off the bottom, could pinch hit as a dehydrator? I suppose the lid would need to be off, or maybe half off? I may try this, unless someone knows already that it won't work. Anybody done this? Perhaps this is naive, but I wonder if a slow cooker set on low, with a rack ro something to keep the food off the bottom, could pinch hit as a dehydrator? I suppose the lid would need to be off, or maybe half off? I may try this, unless someone knows already that it won’t work. Anybody done this?

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