Drying food is something that has been done, probably almost as long as man had been around. It is probably one of the oldest ways of preserving foods of all types.
Back, before freezers were invented, foods were preserved by drying, smoking or salting and also in more recent times, bottling and pickling. In years gone by however there were no electric food dehydrators of course to dehydrate food, so the sun and air were used.
This relied of course on having a climate that would allow food to be dried successfully. Most types of foods can be dehydrated, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds and even meat and fish.
Since the invention of the freezer, dried foods are not relied on so much as they would have been in the past, although many dried foods are still commonly consumed such as Jerky, many kinds of dried fruits and fruit leathers and herbs.
One of the advantages of course to drying your own food is that you know there are none of the chemical additives that are so commonly added to commercially dried foods these days – particularly meat products such as jerky and in the case of some dried fruits which have sulphur added to retain colour.
Other advantages to dehydrating food yourself are:
Cheaper food costs – Owning your own food dehydrator means that you are able to buy foods when they are at their cheapest and dry them for use in the future
Health benefits – Correctly dried food is raw. That means it still contains all of its enzymes as well as vitamins and minerals as there has been no damage done by heating.
Convenience – Being able to dry your own food means that you always have a supply of food available. This is great in case of emergencies such as floods or other times when food and electricity may not be available for a period of time restricting the ability to cook food and when frozen and fresh foods become unusable or spoiled.
Dried foods are also very handy for those who go camping or hiking regularly as they are convenient, light and easily carried and stored.
If you want real convenience food, dehydrate your own. It tastes great and it’s good for you!
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