Hanging Onto Summer


I'll admit it-- I have a difficult time letting go of summer, no matter how gorgeous the fall days can be in my neck of the woods in southern, lower Michigan. However, before the growing things are nipped by frost, out come my collecting baskets and scissors as my food dehydrator sits, waiting to be filled.

What do I harvest? Oh, goodness, plenty! But only enough to fill the nine mesh trays of my dehydrator at one time. When do I head out to collect? As soon as the dew has dried from the previous night. And I try to have a game-plan so that the dehydrator is operating nearly around the clock. Meaning? Fresh leaves and other quick-drying matter are collected in the late morning, taking anywhere from 4-8 hours of drying time. Fresh produce will then be sliced, filling the drying trays for their journey to crispness, usually needing 12-18 hours.

Allow me to share with you a simple list of what I dry. But be warned-- you may see a need to do the same for yourself! Should you be interested in purchasing a food dehydrator, I highly recommend Excalibur brand dehydrators-- http://www.discountjuicers.com/dehydrato... I've had my microwave-size unit for over 15 years and it's still running as new. And, please believe me, I use the daylights out of it! Now, here's what I dry in the fall:

CATNIP: For my feline-loving friends. WILDFLOWERS: For future potpourris; seeds for next years' plantings; for medicinal uses. CULINARY HERBS: For my own use and for gift-giving. MINTS: For herbal tea mixtures and for early spring, after-gardening baths. ROOTS, BARKS AND LEAVES: For my herbal medicine cabinet. And my list goes on...

If you'd like further information on how to dry and use foods from a dehydrator, please check out http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food... and http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food...

Lastly, I'd like to mention that I am extremely careful about keeping my drying unit spotlessly clean at all times. I use a mild bleach solution (2 Tablespoons chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of warm water) to clean the plastic trays after each and every drying session, making certain to rinse well and dry them thoroughly prior to refilling. I feel this is especially important since I dry such a variety of things. Happy dehydrating!

The copyright of the article Hanging Onto Summer in Homesteading is owned by Debra Eversole. Permission to republish Hanging Onto Summer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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