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PREPPING
FOOD DEHYDRATORS
Dehydrating your your leftover foods before they go bad can be a wonderful way to help you increase your food storage without spending additional money. An extra tomato, celery, carrots, peas, herbs, and meats added to a jar of noodles and dried bullion can make a welcomed meal to feed your family during an emergency or ANY rainy day.
You can choose from any Electric Dehydrator machine to use inside your home...
Or make/buy from someone a Solar Dehydrator to use outside
(without electricity) mostly year-round. Solar dehydrators work by collecting the heat of the sun and using the natural air flow of heat rising to circulate the air out of your dehydrating box. It will naturally dehydrate your foods for you.
We also recommend buying a slicer and/or peeler to help make dehydrating easy and convenient weekly/regular occurrence.
You can store your dehydrated foods in air tight containers such as Mason Jars and vacuum sealed bags for 1-2 Years with the use of Oxygen Absorbers and Food Saver vacuum suction power.
MOST of the Food Saver machines are able to seal JARS & BAGS.
(Search online for reviews and further clarification.)
The official recommendation for how long to store jars of food is one year,
and you're recommended to eat it within 2 years.
Since Sunlight/natural light will still allow your food to break down slowly, if you place your dehydrated foods in Mylar Bags with Oxygen Absorbers, you can make your food LAST EVEN LONGER.
Moist foods, such as home or commercially canned goods, in mylar packaging last no more than ten years, but storing moisture-rich foods is not recommended due to the increased likelihood of botulism. Dried foods, like beans and grains, can last 20 to 30 years when stored correctly in sealed foil bags
Seal the bags closed with a hot iron or with a sealing machine. Oxygen Absorbers and Mylar bags can usually be bought in bulk online thru eBay.
Don't forget to label and date your Jars & Bags so you can remember what you put in there and how long it's been sitting on the shelf. You can save leftover garden produce, create amazing meals, ideas, create cute practical gifts, and MORE! You are only limited by your imagination.
Dehydrated meals are not only light weight, they can be decorative, inexpensive, and a great way to preserve food, save money, and feed your family all year long.
Here's a website that has 30 easy meal ideas. Simply replace the freeze dried ingredients with your own dehydrated ones, and start a collection of your own pantry meals! Don't forget to add the oxygen absorbers before packaging and remove them before consuming!
I'd love to see what you make!
http://rainydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com/p/dinner-meals-in-jar-cookbook.html