# Dehydrating vs Canning



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

We have begun to "up" our prepping and take it to the next level. We have been doing some studying and research and of course, I am an avid follower of this forum. 

I see so many of you talk about canning, which we have started collecting jars on sale and making more room for storage. Today we came across a dehydrator at a price we could not pass up. It is an industrial one that has 24 shelves, stainless steel frame, glass door, used twice. We visited about how keeping dehydrated goods would be easier to store vs canned goods. But yet, I see more people prepping with canned goods instead of dehydrated. Are we missing something? What are the pros and cons?


----------



## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

Canning most definitly. That dehydrator will not work for you. Dehydrating is no good. It causes infertility in gnomes and jellyfish. PM me your address/phone number and I will come and remove that hazard from you home. 
I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that fellow homesteaders have something so dangerous about them.


----------



## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

Over in Preserving the Harvest there are a good many threads on dehydrating and canning. You will get most if not all the answers you need there. Good to have you here!

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70


----------



## edcopp (Oct 9, 2004)

Solar dehydrating is a good way to go. 

Remember when grandma dried apples outside in the sun, or in the old car window. It can be done without any fuel or power needed. Dry foods will withstand freezing while canned goods can freeze and burst. 

Dry foods need to be looked at as a good way to store for an emergency.


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Dehydrating preserves nutrient value where canning greatly compromises.
(Those old canning lids work fine to preserve dehydrated goods in canning jars.)
The practice of dehydrating food is thousands of years old, and will still be with us long after commercial manufacturing has ceased to provide canning lids.


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Thank you JustCliff for the offer...and the link!

edcopp - good point!

Forerunner - Preserving the nutrient is very crucial and very true vs the canning process. Another good point to dehydrate.


----------



## Bettsann (Feb 12, 2008)

I have an excalibur 9 tray. I use it alot. ummm dried apple pie, delightful emergency food. Have done carrots, potatoes, onions, pineapple, green beans, bananas etc. I also watch for frozen foods on sale in the winter. Dehydrating in the winter offsets heating cost too!(just don't do the smelly ones indoors ie: onions) Just cliff is right there is a great forum here on homesteading that should answer alot of questions for you. I also recommend the following website. I even built her shelving.
http://www.dehydrate2store.com/


----------



## coalroadcabin (Jun 16, 2004)

Both have their place in LTS. Dehydrated food takes up less space to store and is more portable if you have to bug out. But many dehydrated foods require water to prepare. Canned food does not need additional water and, if it was canned properly, it can be eaten without cooking. So it is good if you have a disaster where water is in short supply.


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Oh my gosh yes! I am her new fan!! 

We bought some strawberries and mushrooms that were on sale today that will go into our new unit. 

What I can see that would be the biggest advantage (s) are:

Easier storage.
Lightweight, especially if sealed in vacuum bags to bug out with. 
Nutrient value.
Versatility.
Mostly use our freezers for meat storage. In that case if we were to lose power we would be able to can on a propane burner and not have to worry about veggies and fruits being compromised.


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

What I like about dehydrating is that it can be done near a wood stove or on a rock in the woods. 

Love your sig-line, Ruby. :thumb:


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Another good point Forerunner! And thanks!


----------



## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I dehydrate but don't can. Would like to but just haven't ever learned anything about canning. Dehydrating is easy.


----------



## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

I am a fan of both. I like dehydrating veg. and fruit. But I would rather can meat and poultry.

Using canned meat and dehydrated veg. sure does make some good soup.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Some foods are better canned. Some are better dehydrated. When canning you have to use the whole jar. When you dehydrate foods you can pull out and use a little or a lot. I still keep some dehydrated food in the fridge or freezer but it takes up a whole lot less space.


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I tried dehydrated green beans and they just don't do it for me. And I have also learned that some veges just dont rehydrate well, and they just dont do it for me.

I do use mine for fruit, jerky, onions, and herbs mostly.


----------



## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

Dehydrating is convenient for me because I can do any sized batch and don't need a couple hour chunk of time for processing like I do for canning. But I like the ease of use and taste of many foods when canned, so I do both as well.

Accepted canning recommendations say not to store home canned food for more than a year. So it's best suited for feeding yourself from harvest to harvest. Whereas dehydrated food can be stored longer term easily


----------



## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I like to dehydrate potatoes, green bell peppers, banana, watermelon, apples, kiwi, pineapple and carrots. I do not like berries dehydrated at home they have never turned out for me. One tip is the first time I dehydrate something I measure. Ex. Most of my receipes call for 1 cup bell pepper so I only put 1 cup on the top tray to act as my guide. Then when dry I measured it---it came to 1/4 cup after drying. So now I always know that 1/4 cup dry = 1 cup fresh for my receipes.


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Wow, thanks jamala! I don't think I would have thought of that...

I appreciate everyone's input, thank you! I am even more glad we scored a heck of a deal now! LOL


----------



## coalroadcabin (Jun 16, 2004)

vigilant20 said:


> Accepted canning recommendations say not to store home canned food for more than a year. So it's best suited for feeding yourself from harvest to harvest. Whereas dehydrated food can be stored longer term easily


Same for dehydrated but I don't follow that advice


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Will have to try watermelon. I would think there would be so much water that it would take forever to dehydrate. Also, this may sound like a dumb question, but what about lettuce? I am anxious to try kale especially because of it's nutrient value and eat it like chips.


----------



## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

I don't follow the one year time table, either. Just used some beef in broth for dinner that I canned in 2001 and it was a delish as that done last year. 

As someone else said, the only thing is making sure you have a source of pure water to rehydrate the dried foods. I much prefer dried carrots to canned or frozen.


----------



## CountryCabin (Mar 8, 2007)

RubyRed said:


> Will have to try watermelon. I would think there would be so much water that it would take forever to dehydrate. Also, this may sound like a dumb question, but what about lettuce? I am anxious to try kale especially because of it's nutrient value and eat it like chips.


If you are going to do watermelon just be sure you do a lot, due to ummm testing it will disappear fast. 
And no, it doesn't take all that long to dry.

Try yogurt as well...makes for very tasty healthy snacks. Spread out on a plastic sheet to dry.

You can slice zukes to dry. Sprinkle with a fav seasoning or just garlic. Great munchies as chips.

Don't forget jerky too!  Great for packing along to go hiking or camping.
Many a meal has been made with jerky as well as eating alone.

Have fun!


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Oh wow!! I cant wait to get this bad boy tomorrow!!! Thanks Countrycabin!!


----------



## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Just for the sake of convenience, it is handy to have dehydrated onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, etc. If you don't have fresh on hand, or don't have time to do a lot of chopping and prepping, toss them in dry and let them rehydrate in the liquid you are cooking with. Ideal for soups and stews.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

I do both. Sometimes.......it is a matter of the time frame I have. If I don't have time to can it up....it goes in the dehydrator. Both are wonderful ways to keep foods.
I second the Zucchini Chips....Salt/Garlic/pepper= Yum! Good luck!

Cliff- (Snicker)


----------



## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I do both - more canning during the summer when the garden is producing a lot, or when we butcher chickens or rabbits. In winter I dehydrate more, especially fruit that's about to go bad or when I'm in a hurry. Canning is great for instant meals and for having food you know is wholesome and healthy. Dehydrating is great for snacks and fruit leathers, and for drying veggies for cooking. I like dehydrating better than canning for LTS and lightweight storage. But both are valuable skills and have are useful in different ways.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

dehydrated kale will not be chips- it will be powder - as will spinach and lettuce. You an dehydrate oranges and lemon peels then powder the peels. Watermelon dehydrated looks like mesh. Sometimes it doesn't have much flavor. Cantelope is nice. Pineapple is great. You can dehydrate yogurt drops. Mix fruit juice with unsweetened applesauce and make fruit rollups. 

I do not like the smell or taste of rehydrated vegetables. Just me. I dehydrate some things, can some, freeze some, dry pack some. Works for us.


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

"Dehydrated vegetables" could be perceived as a rather broad concept.

I could almost agree in re the "leather britches" green beans referred to, although they are killer in the right soup, soaked overnight and all. I think the Appalachian pioneers soaked and then simmered their leather britches with a bit of home cured ham.
I don't know if I could find fault with that......

We let most of our bean varieties dry down on the vine for winter soup and bean dip, etc.
Another "vegetable" we dehydrate every year is the over-matured sweet corn. Just leave it to cure out on the stalk, like field corn, and then dry down in the house in late fall for an awesome grain to make breads, muffins, pancakes and waffles from.
Gives everything a richer, not-surprisingly sweeter flavor.
My favorite is my dried peppers, hot and not-so. They all have a lot to add to otherwise rather uneventful homestead winter fare.


----------



## DryHeat (Nov 11, 2010)

I've found mushrooms especially well suited for dehydrating. A few years back, I spotted CostCo selling off a pallet load of Crimini packets at a give-away sort of price, maybe 60c a pound. I bought maybe 20 pounds and wished I'd gone for 100 or whatever they had when I saw how efficiently they dehydrated. Problem was, DW had no clue how much the volume was reduced so insisted on putting several pounds' worth into any soups or stews she was making up, until they had vanished. O well. Warning, though: I found several sorts of fruits (pears, apples, apricots, etc) especially prone to infestation by "pantry moth" larvae when I had them stored in ziplok bags, and I believe even in the thicker supersaver bags after vac-sealing and storing in a cool, but not refrigerated, location. What a mess. Bag after bag crawling with, well, maggots, with the moths fluttering around the house.


----------



## giraffe_baby (Oct 15, 2005)

I have dehydrated Onions, peppers, carrots, celery, jerky, hamburger meat (pre cooked), almost any veggie!! I keep my onions/pepper/jalepeno's and celery handy so we cook with them ALOT!! The hamburger(deer too) meat.. Ive read you cook it (ground) and then dehydrate... and when you rehydrate you put in boiling water for 5 mins! (I add it to mac n cheese) and YUM!!! Another way to store meat... Ive tried chicken, didnt do so well.. dogs wouldnt even eat it!!


----------



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

We've done burger meat--beef and venison..... adds a different,but pleasant consistency to chili, spaghetti, pizza, etc.


----------



## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

I dried cuke slices last year - sliced thin, soaked for a little bit in BBQ and soy sauce, then dried. Man, they were good!!

Moldy


----------



## shellmar (Apr 4, 2008)

I would like to second dehydrate2store, that lady is great. I tried her lemonade. I was skeptical at first, but it is really good.

I make kale chips in the dehydrator. They are wonderful, the kids love them. 

I made veggie soup this morning, took about 10 mins. total time to put together. It is so convenient to use the dried veggies for soup.

I store all my dehydrated products in mason jars and then vacuum seal. I just used zuc. from 2010 and it was still nice and crisp.

I think the best method for storing food is a combination of dehydrating and canning. I definitely like the fact that dehydrated items take up a lot less space and retain more nutritional value.


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Another great thing is that it can eliminate waste during the growing season as any left overs can be dehydrated in small batches. Easy to avoid the "what was this?" package in the fridge.
I especially love dehydrated mushrooms and tomatoes. The tomatoes are not like fresh but have a rich flavor for sauces and such. The same with other dehydrated stuff. 
Another thing I love about dehydrated veggies is that I can leave some "crunch" if I want it by not leaving it to soak for long.
Also the water used for re-hydrating is great for cooking- adds a little more flavor to stuff.


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Kale chips? Can you elaborate?

I did zucchini shreds last year. They peeled off the tray in sort of a net. I folded it up and put them in plastic bags. I used them in things like lasagna and chili. One sheet = one lasagna layer.


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

It sounds like the options are endless and only limited by a lack of imagination! I never thought of dehydrating cooked burger either! How do you store it?

We picked up the unit today and I am thrilled! I didn't expect it to be THIS big....

Edited - I need to figure out how to post a pic.


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Trying this out.


----------



## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

Wow - that sucker is huge! Congrats on your acquisition of it.


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

WOW! Lucky you!


----------



## shellmar (Apr 4, 2008)

lonelyfarmgirl - "Kale chips? Can you elaborate?"

Sure can .... Wash kale, remove excess moisture. Break kale in pieces. Drizzle a little bit of oil on the kale (I use olive oil) I do want to stress "a little oil". Mix with a spoon or rubber spatula. Then use your hands and kinda of scrunch the kale pieces, rubbing the oil on them to cover them completely. Sprinkle with a little salt and dehydrate at maybe 135 degrees until crunchy.
I think it took less than 4 hours. I wish I could remember how long it took, but I haven't done this in a few months, sorry. 

I hope this is helpful.

DD just walked in and looked over my shoulder. She said make sure you tell them that they are delicious!


----------



## RubyRed (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks everyone! The dehydrator is a causality of a divorce. We just couldn't pass up the price and then finding out what it really consisted of, we were shocked at our good find. Chances are, we wont encounter something like that for a long time, if ever....

Thank you shellmar for the tips! I am looking forward to the Kale chips.


----------



## giraffe_baby (Oct 15, 2005)

I also love ( pointed out by another member here) Dehydrated Okra!! We cut, then sprinkle with a mix of salt/pepper/garlic powder... and then deydrate... TASTES LIKE POPCORN!! YUM


----------



## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I chop kale into ribbons and dehydrate it (no seasoning or oil) and keep it in gallon jars. I toss a handful or two into soups and it works great!

For hamburger rocks, you just brown hamburger and then rinse and drain it to remove as much fat as possible. Squeeze it dry, and spread it on fruit leather trays in the dehydrator. Dry it until it's really dry and crunchy (at 140F) and then store in an airtight jar. Keeps for several years!


----------



## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

RubyRed: That is the same dehydrator I have and I love it, I would just like to get a smaller one to go with it for when I just want to do a small batch. That one also really heats up a room if you have the temps up, I can do jerky made from ground in four hours when it took 10 hours in my old one. I got mine at the cabelas bargain cave with a small dent in the top for 234.00.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

RR - That is a beauty!! Great find!


----------

