In addition to dehydrating mangoes, I also dehydrated strawberries last week, and they were so delicious and easy.
- The first thing you’ll want to do is wash and dry your strawberries.
- Then you hull them – basically chop off the green top (feed that to your chickens!).
- Slice strawberries into ¼ thick slices.
- And lay them out on your dehydrator tray.
- Dry at 130 degrees F for 8 to 16 hours. You’ll know they are done when they feel dry, leathery and no longer juicy. But they are still pliable.
And interesting fact I read in The Dehydrator Bible: Includes over 400 Recipes – that locally grown, fresh-picked strawberries will actually dry out faster than varieties that are grown for a longer shelf life! I had no idea, but I’ll have to remember that when I pick up flats of berries from my local berry farm this summer!
My only complaint so far is they get eaten so quickly. I’d love to put them in a jar and admire them all afternoon, but my kids (and husband) devour them within a day. At least they’re getting healthy foods and it sure is fun to see them enjoy it so much.
I’m not an expert at this by any means. I referenced these two books especially, which I’m guessing you can find at your local library (or Amazon):
- The Dehydrator Bible: Includes over 400 Recipes
- The Complete Guide to Drying Foods at Home: Everything You Need to Know about Preparing, Storing, and Consuming Dried Foods (Back to Basics)
As for the type of dehydrator that you need – I think all of them are pretty great. First you can check your local thrift shops, because they are big appliances I think people get tired of storing them and donate them a lot.
Amazon has this Nesco FD-80A Square-Shaped Dehydrator Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging on sale for $55. This is the best price it’s ever been on Amazon. Regular price is $98 and it has nearly 5 out of 5 star reviews.
I personally have the Excalibur 3900B 9 Tray Deluxe Dehydrator, Black – but it’s certainly a dehydrator on steroids – probably much more than the average person needs. The only reason I splurged is because I found a crazy good deal that included a lightning deal and a gift card I had. But I have to say that I do love it and I’m super impressed.
I’d love to hear from you – what do you dehydrate? How do you use your dehydrator? Have you dehydrated strawberries before?
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