[DestinationUp]

I know this has all been covered before, but I just got a new-to-me American Harvest Gardenmaster. So if you all would be so kind, what are 1. Some basic tips and tricks, and 2. A few painfully simple recipes I'm already planning on fruit leather, and spaghetti (removing all the fat/oil possible).

[Ski]

my own personal adventures with the dehydator last summer aided by none other than the trail cooking diva Sarbar things I learned: > the spaghetti sauce worked the best out of the three recipes I tried. > the lamb stew was a total bust- I should have started with ground lamb. > parchment paper is cheap at Costco. > when you dehydrate stuff, you concentrate the salt, so go easy on the salt in preparation. (see page 2 of the above-cited thread) > less fat content = longer storage life. > Trader Joe's "Punjab Choley" is way spicier than "Tasty Bites Channa Masala" from Costco. > rice is a poor choice for trail food: nutritional value pound for pound pales in comparison to pasta, and it requires a stove with low simmer capability. > capellini (angel hair) cooks faster than farfalle, penne, spaghetti, linguini, or any other pastas I tried, requiring less fuel in preparation. Sarbar is clearly the go-to source for any other hints/advice. She has all kinds of information on her website, and has posted all kinds of helpful information here as well. feel free to use/redistribute/link to/publish any and all of my photos or text from the above-cited thread.

[nuclear_eggset]

Chili dehydrates well. Make some for dinner, dehydrate the rest for dinner on the trail at another time. I would store most of my dehydrated stuff in the freezer for longer shelf life.

[ranger rock]

Dinner leftovers, don't toss them, dehydrate them..

[Navy salad]

[sarbar]

That most of all? Have fun!! If you are nervous, start with basics. One of the easiest projects? Drain canned beans and dry. Or spread frozen vegetables (small cut) and dry - no need to thaw. They are cooked as well! Very fail-safe

[Ski]

DestinationUp: just occured to me I should have added to that list of "things I learned": > the 1/2 cup (dry) portion of spaghetti sauce just didn't quite cut it after carrying a pack for several miles, and I upped the portion to 2/3 cup. if you're feeding boys, you may want to do a "dry run" test on your portion sizes.

[DestinationUp]

You guys are great...thanks for the tips and encouragement. Turns out we overbought on apples this week. With an old-fashioned red peeler and a standard issue apple slicer, I can put together overnight applesauce in under half an hour. The next morning I ladled it into my handy dandy dehydrator, and now my boys are drooling all over themselves to get just one more slice of cinnamon apple fruit leather.

[outdoorgrrl]

If you're interested in a class, I teach one through the Mountaineers, which is open to members and non-members. The next session is on Monday, Apr. 21 at 7 p.m. The fee is a nominal $5 to cover the cost of food samples that I make and provide for the class. Sign up here if you are interested! (Non-members must create a guest account on the Mountaineers website before sign up.)