help with food drying

[Marketmate]

I am really interested in creating raw dried food and especially want to create dried food. I have access to large dryers but want help on creating vegetable leathers. If anyone has any info...especially you Karen....then please help. Thanks xx

[Jax]

Fruit/veg leathers are really easy Marketmate.................they have to be for me to make them ;)

I've used an apple and pear base with a dash of orange juice, then added cinnamon and banana in the past but never added veg. I don't have the posh sheets for the Excaliber, I use the inserts of the kids cereals packets, cut them to size and it peels off really well.

ani comes up with some really yummy combo's like plum and cinnamon, so hopefully she'll be along at some point and maybe inspire you. Ruth also makes some nice ones using seabuckthorn berries................very rich in vitamin C apparently. Basically the sky's the limit with different combinations, if you need a rough idea on drying times I could look some up in the Excaliber guide if you want.

[Ruth]

I make a lot of veg leathers Market-mate and they are easy peasy once you've found out what strength of flavour you want.

Unlike the fruit with veg I have found you need to blend in psyllium powder/flakes to your vegtable mix otherwise you end up with dried up bits rather than leather. You could still use the bits as croutons but its not quite the same as yummy leather! I would experiment with amount of psyllium needed but generally add about a heaped tablespoon to an amount that will make one dehydrator tray load.

In general you can blend up any veg combination which you like tasted from the blender (can add fresh/dried herbs; spices; sauces etc) keeping in mind that the flavour will intensify once deyhdrated.

I often dehydrate leftover soup..any soup which I have added that tbsp psyllium too.

it is also fun to make savoury granola from veg, sprouted grains, seeds, herbs, spice etc. Just bung any veg you have into a food processor and process into rice-type grains with any sprouted buckwheat, quinoa, seeds, and flavourings of herbs or spices, onion, garlic etc and dehydrate for gorgeous savoury crumbs to top your soups or salads.

Fruit leathers are simple. Just blend up your fruit, add flavourings, psyllium if you want a thicker leather but not necessary then dehydrate until bendy but not crisp.


Hope this gives you some ideas!

[karen @rawchocolateheaven]

I have rules for wraps...not that anyone want rules for raw things but I don't like wasting ingredients so use my own made up rules and they go like this...
Binder - flax seeds or psyllium husk
Bulk- red peppers or sweetcorn or peas or any solidy veg
Water - cucumber
Flavour - what ever takes your fancy maybe chilli or mint or cumin or herbs
now the volumes
binder for every 2 inches of cucumber 1 tblsp binder
bulk for every 6 inches of cucumber (1/2) 2 cups of bulk
water see above two
flavour what every amount you fancy, just bear in mind that the idea of a wrap is to replace bread that is tasteless crud!!!

[karen @rawchocolateheaven]

of course just blend the lot into puree and spread on teflex and dehydrate for as long as is needed from 3-6 hours xxx

[Marketmate]

Thank you very much!! As you said I would love to make a very low fat, healthy alternative to bread & wraps so will give it a try. Pauline xx