Food storage is extremely important aspect of homesteading. Today, I'm going to talk about dehydrating. Specifically, the easiest foods to dry.

A lot of people buy a dehydrator with making beef jerky in mind. Jerky is great! A good, lean, source of protein that's very low in fat. But, jerky doesn't store long term due to the trace amounts of fat in it. In the pic above, I have dried mushrooms. Mushrooms are full of minerals and vitamins such as the ever important D.

They are filling and help stretch your meat budget. They are very easy to dry. I buy them when on sale, clean them off with a dry napkin, break them into pieces (if they are already sliced) and they are ready to go! Broken mushrooms like these dry very quickly. They can be done in as little as 2-3 hours. I store some in an old jar in the pantry for everyday use. Others I vacuum pack.

Another super easy way to dehydrate is to use frozen fruits and veggies. I especially like it when I can get vegetables on sale in one pound bags. The one pound size fits perfectly on each rack. There is nothing to do except open the bag and pour out! If you have bigger pieces such as broccoli or cauliflower, you will want to cut them in half first. All of these can be stored the same way as the mushrooms. Small slices of dried watermelon and pineapple make fabulous snacks and will have your house smelling wonderful.

Dehydrating is a great method of storing food because dried foods take up very little room in the pantry and are much more lightweight than canned items. Dehydrated food is highly nutritious as well. So, add some of your own dried chopped apples to your morning oatmeal, make some banana chips or fruit roll-ups for the kids, or dry your own home grown herbs and save some serious cash over the grocery store fare.

Read more:
How to Ferment Foods? The Joy of Fermentation
Five Ideas For Frugal Living