10 Ways to use your dehydrator and store food for long-term storage

Saturday, November 24, 2012 by: Alexandra Du Toit, TRUE Earth Mama
Tags: dehydrator, food storage, recipes

(NaturalNews) Food Dehydrators are so awesome to have in your kitchen. There are so many healthy treats you can make for your family that normally would be pricey in a store or they contain non-organic foods with preservatives. The dehydrator allows the food to retain 100 percent of its nutritional value of vitamins, enzymes and nutrients. Instead of letting food go to waste, dehydrate and store. Dried foods can be stored in air-tight containers for long-term storage.

1. Dried fruit ~ Simply slice and dehydrate fruits such as apples, bananas, mangos, pineapples, raisins.

2. Dried vegetables ~ Slice and dehydrate your veggies and turn them into chips such as kale chips, carrot chips, and green beans.

3. Crispy nuts and seeds ~ First, soak the nuts or seeds until you see a sprout growing. This increases the nutritional value of the seeds and nuts and they often taste better. Ex. Sprouted sunflower seeds, walnuts, sprouted almonds, etc.

4. Sprouted flour ~ Make your very own sprouted flour by sprouting grain kernels and dehydrating them prior to being ground into flour.

5. Jerky/South African Biltong ~ Slice the meat to your liking and place on trays. If using ground meat, It is recommended to use non-stick sheets or unbleached parchment paper. You can also make jerky out of tofu and even Kombucha SCOBYs.

6. Fruit leather ~ It is recommended to use some sort of non-stick sheet to make removing the fruit leather easier. Simply spread pureed fruit onto sheets on the dehydrator tray.

7. Granola ~ First soak and sprout the granola to raise its nutritional value and then dehydrate. You can use any seed or nut like almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds,

8. Tempeh ~ Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans which binds the soy beans into a cake-like form. It is a good source of protein, fiber and vitamins.

9. Natto ~ Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans. It is a rich source of protein, vitamin K and beneficial bacteria. It must be fermented at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-24 hours.

10. Pemmican ~ Pemmican is a traditional food often made by Native Americans. It normally consists of ground meat, animal fat, dried fruit and salt.

Sources for this article include:

http://rawfoodswitch.com
http://vegetarian.about.com
www.culturesforhealth.com

About the author:
Alex is a TRUE Earthie Mama, helping others tune into their most natural state while bringing harmony and balance into all areas of their lives in order to THRIVE. Alex has a well known blog on health, wellness, conscious parenting, green living and getting off the grid to self sustainability. www.earthiemama.com

Please check out her website at www.earthiemama.com
She sells all natural products and her Ebooks on Natural Body Care Products and 10 Superfoods and Recipes for Babies and Toddlers.

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