>>>I was given one of those, it does not have a fan, but lots of folks like them for yogurt makers.<<<
Since I wasn’t in the market for a third one, I only looked at the price... Good to know as the fan makes the drying much faster and more uniform.
Since the ones I have do not have thermostats, I have a stick thermometer that I put down from the top vent adjustment opening. That way, I can pretty much get the temp I want - but it takes patience... My old one will get up to about 155 degrees once the drying is about half way done. The evaporation of the moisture seems to make it cooler in the initial drying, so I have to adjust it usually once during the batch. (I have marked the vent for approx. temps. knowing it won’t go that high initially.)
upcountry miss was asking about drying meat, and I was hoping to get time to copy some of the charts for it. First off, you do NOT have to use the salt! They do use it on jerky, but they can also use sugar instead if they prefer. To make other than jerky, be sure and cook the meat hot enough and long enough BEFORE you put it in if your dehydrator isn’t one of the fancy commercial types with thermostat controls. As I recall, you need 140º for 45 minutes, or 160º for 30 minutes or 200º for 20 minutes. Those should be checked at the center of the meat and then hold it there for the required time.
Usually they recommend slicing the meat first in 3/16” to 1/4” uniform thickness. I like to cut mine cross grain (easier for this old fogy to chew) You can dry just about any kind of meat - squirrel, rabbit, venison, chevron, beef, fowl, even seafood. They say to test dryness by bending a cooled piece of it and it should snap like a tree twig, but not break. (LOL but if you cut it cross grain, it will break from my experience.)
“I was given one of those, it does not have a fan,”
Maybe I will have to start out with dehydrating some food.
We do have a dehydrator hubby bought many years back. It doesn’t have a fan and is a small, round one with several trays. He tried making jerky in it and it turned out OK.
I got a call this morning from the canning jar couple, saying they had a firm offer for their jars and if I wasn’t willing to match that then they would sell it to the other person. So, I didn’t get the jars after all. The price they were asking was about equal to new jars and I would have to buy rings and lids as they said some of theirs were rusty. I’d rather just buy them new at that point.
I did pick a bunch of strawberries this morning, but I won’t have to worry about jam or dried since they will be long gone by tomorrow.
Not so good news on the garden. This NE Mn weather is just not meant to plant early! Still getting the occasional frost, and with all the rain and cool temps I've lost some of my tomaters, and squash... not all, but enough babies to make me growl!
The Tribal natives are telling me this may be one of those years of no real summer! Hope they are wrong but so far all that they have shared with this adopted white man has been dead on! I've noticed the large farms here are just now getting some green shoots coming up! Going to have to intro myself to them and get some more info on this area 4 gardening!
Big changes here at our "gulch"! Was going to build a big storage building with guest accommodation and art shop for my bride after we were turned down for that FEMA trailer... However, we ran into a super deal on a log cabin style manufactured house that we just couldn't pass up! The new plan is to move that behind the current residence, closer to the forest line and use our home base into the uses we had planned for that building. will sub the foundation out and do the rest ourselves!
This plan will save me mucho time, and allow more time to upgrade my main shop and other plans I am doing for grins and giggles, especially the greenhouse and animal barn!
Hey DW, you are way ahead of me with the taters! If this rain lets up, these beauties go in this week, along with the onion slips...
Thanks for the information on how to dry meat, it is new to me as I have never tried to dry it.
Now here is a dumb question, I heard it asked on the radio and as I have wondered at all the naked men the cops get called on, it could be they have heard it too.......
The caller asked if it was true that the dogs will not bark at a naked man?
And got a “I don’t know answer”.