# New to dehydrating



## SerenityMama (Aug 26, 2009)

I was given a bunch of lemons and grapefruits and want to dehydrate them-- I just got my excalibur and was how long they should take-- humidity is low and it will be about 70 degrees inside.
Also on the excal what temp should I use for citrus.

Being on solar power only I want to make sure I have the power to do this before I start


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

As a general rule, because of their water content, citrus fruits aren't good candidates for dehydrating, except for the peels. From what I understand, most are about 90% water. Some people have dehydrated orange slices, for example, to use for crafts projects (flower arrangements, and such). 

In the Preserve It Naturally book from Excalibur, they rate citrus as being "poor" candidates for dehydrating and don't have any instructions for doing so.

If possible, I'd recommend that you dry the peels and use the rest of the fruit in other ways. 

That said, I've never tried to dry them, so somone else may have some special techniques that I haven't heard about that will be helpful.

Lee


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## n2saving (Apr 9, 2010)

SerenityMama said:


> I was given a bunch of lemons and grapefruits and want to dehydrate them-- I just got my excalibur and was how long they should take-- humidity is low and it will be about 70 degrees inside.
> Also on the excal what temp should I use for citrus.
> 
> Being on solar power only I want to make sure I have the power to do this before I start


I have an excalibur and love it. You can do lemons and oranges very nicely with it. I dehydrate everything at 120 to 125 degrees. Low temperature and a little longer longer seems to work perfectly for all produce. I have not dried any meats yet. I peeled the oranges then sliced them to dehydrate. I dried the peels and the fruit. Then I ground up the peels into powder to use in teas, or for flavoring of dishes. Oranges taste even sweeter after dried. The Excalibur site has several great instructional videos on line Here And another great site for informative videos is Dehydrate2store.com 


I have even dehydrated sour pickles. My husband love them. They are too sour and salty for me. They end up like pickle chips.


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## n2saving (Apr 9, 2010)

I forgot to answer one of your questions. The how long will they take? That depends on your humidity in the air and how thick you slice your fruit. Mine are done in about 14 hours give or take. I dehydrate my foods until they are crisp dry and sound like a plastic chip when you drop it on the counter. Some fruits will feel drier after they cool. I always put the dried items in a plastic bag for 24 hours to condition them it allows me to check the dryness before vacume sealing in mason jars.


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## SerenityMama (Aug 26, 2009)

Thank you!!! I have watched the D2S videos on youtube but since I don't have true internet (blackberry) I can't watch the excalibur one  I will try next time I am at the library.

I am supposed to have good sun this week ao I will be trying the lemons first (I really want that to add to tea this summer) I have a food slicer that will do thin slices so I am hoping for the 14 or less hour mark 

Again thank you


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

115-120 degrees until dried. ( will vary)

I have dried many, many pounds of citrus with and with out the peels on.

They are great , Good Luck!


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