Dehydratin Hot Dogs
I used ta do this years ago an kinda brought it back. Makes a good store bought jerky substitute, er cheap jerky ifin yer in a hurry.
Take yer favorite hot dog an slice about a 1/8th inch thick er so.
Season with yer favorite seasonin, I used a mesquite seasonin I had fer grillin.
Put on the dehydrator trays an dry. I let mine go bout 12 hours. They were good an dry but not hard as a brick niether. Real Tastey!
The sliced an seasoned dogs ready ta dry.
The dried hot dogs after a 12 hour dry time. Real tastey!
Ya can do this with bout any precooked hot dog er sausage. Ifin yall be usin sausage, try ta watch how much fat they have in em, cause to much an they can go rancid on ya.
I store these in a plastic bag in the fridge fer longer term storage. They’ll do just fine fer 2 er 3 days in yer pack on the trail er in camp. Prolly even longer ifin it be cool out.
Dehydratin Soup
I don’t like carryin canned goods in the field, there to danged heavy!
So I take my favorite soups er stews an dry em an put in a vac bag an seal.
Here be some beef stew an chicken an dumplins I did recently:
Beef stew just startin ta dry.
Chicken an dumplins just startin ta dry.
Beef stew after it be dry. The dark color be from the gravy dryin.
The chicken an dumplins after they be dry.
Here they be all packaged up an ready ta go inta a pack.
Some Basics on Canned Goods
I dehydrate lots a my veggies from canned goods. Most all the work be done fer ya that way by the canner. I get my canned goods when they be on sale.
I drain the juices from the canned goods an put em on my dehydrator trays, some a the small stuff I put on the fruit leather trays what keeps em from fallin through them slots on my trays. I dry my veggies till they be crisp cause then I know I got nearly all the moisutre outa em.
I then vac seal my veggies inta mason jars, I got a jar sealer attachement fer my vac sealer an it works really well. Stored in a dark, cool an dry place these veggies should last at least 5 years an more en likely even longer. Yer mileage may vary acourse. A alternative is the vac bags, but remember, after time them bags will let oxygen in an then light be a issue to. Another alternative be mylar bags, these be oxygen proof as well as bein light proof.
I’ve done corn, green beans, peas, carrots, potatoes an sweet potatoes from cans.
Ya can also do veggies an fruits from frozen to.
No need ta thaw them out, just place on yer dryer trays an dry. I like doin hash brown thisa way cause they dry up real nice.
We’ve gotton quite a collection a dryed goods over the years. I feel these be ever bit as good as the store bought dryed goods, but much cheaper an ya don’t have ta rely on another companies cannin schedule ta get yer stocks started right fast.
Here be some a what we’ve done: Oatmeal, navy beans, sugar, carrots an corn.
This be the jar vac sealer attachment what we use.
Canadian Bacon Jerky
Here be a easy ta make jerky fer yall. Simple slice some store bought canadian bacon thin. Put it on the dehydrator an ya got some mighty fine CB jerky! I don’t use my homemade canadian bacon fer this cause that would be a waste! I get canadian bacon from the packin house on the cheap an use that. Makes a tastey jerky.
The slice CB before dryin.
Here be the finished canadian bacon jerky. Give this a try, I thin yall will like it.
Dried japs
We had some surplus jalepeno’s this year. So I sliced em up an put em on the dehydrator.
I don’t do nothin special fer prep. Make sure they be clean, then slice an dry. After they be dry ya can vac bag em as is, er I like ta run em through a coffee mill an make a powder. Makes a nice spicy seasonin.
Some sweat taters, dried there on the left an rehydrated there on the right, there mighty good eatin! Hard ta find these commercially dried.
Some dried corn what we have done ourselves, then ground it ta meal in our mill. This will make some great cornbread!
An a batch a corn bread from that storage corn! Great with a bit a butter an honey er even molasses!
Glad to see that someone else dries canned veggies also. Those case sales are a goldmine for us dehydratorers.
Can you tell us what the texture of the sweet potatoes is after rehydrating.
HaHa….A bit of butter. haha…its got to be running off the sides in this house.
Getting back to dehydrating..Have you or someone else on this blog tried dehydrating raw goats milk or cows milk for that matter? Have Nubian dairy goats and was thinking of trying it but have found nothing to my satisfaction on drying it.
Barbara
Yup, great way ta get veggies.
The sweet pataters rehydrate quite well, they ain’t just like fresh, but work out in recipes just fine. They be just a bit softer then ifin yall made em outa fresh taters, they go over real well here.
I ain’t never dried milk, an can’t say I’ve heard a nobody what has. More in likely the commercial dryers have some secrets ta that process. Guess ya could try it an see how it comes out. Now, a few folk I know can milk an seems ta work out good fer them. Now, like some other things we do, cannin milk at home ain’t approved by the USDA, that don’t mean it can’t be done, just means they say it they ain’t stickin there neck out on the process. If everthin be clean ( as it should be anytime we can stuff ) I don’t see a issue with it.
How many hours does it take for the canned veggies to dehydrate on the dehydrator? I am really interested in trying this?
Depends on weather an humidity. Bout average fer mine be 12 ta 16 hours. I check em when they look shriveled, take a few out an see if they be nice an crisp.
I don’t think I could ever do Canadian bacon…I’d eat it all while “checking” for crispness;)
Yup, ya gotta sample, but it be mighty good stuff!
Will dehydrated veggies last as long as they would in the can? I’m wondering why I should do this. It doesn’t seem like it would make them last longer.
Yup. The less moisture the longer they’ll last. Stored in a vac bag (mylar be even better) er in a vac sealed mason jar, 20 years can be expected ifin not longer. Plus, they take up far less space an ifin yer gonna carry any a it, weighs lots less.
here in ne montana we dehydrate frozen veggies when they go on sale then put them in jars or vacume pack.ever tried to dry zuchhini slice thin add a little flavoring like a little ranch really makes good chips for a winter snack,you will never have a worry about what to do with surplus
I get old apples free from the produce dept. that might be a little bruised clean them up slice and core leave the skins on soak in a little juice to keep from turning color and dry