Project - Solar Food Dryer :: PathtoFreedom.com ::

Projects: Drying Foods With the Sun

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Since antiquity, the art of dehydrating food has saved more than a few civilizations. To the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese, drying foods during times of plenty was a lifesaving hedge again times of famine. Today, it's an easy war to preserve garden goodness.

Dried food is both convenient and nutritious. In fact, according to a study by the USDA, dehydrated foods are more nutritious than their canned counterparts. While the canning process can destroy up to 65 percent of vitamins and minerals, drying food retains most of the vitamins A and C, as well as thiamine and riboflavin. Best of all, there are no chemicals or preservatives necessary for wither the drying process or storage.

Another plus, especially if storage space is at a premium, is that dehydrated food are only one-half to one-twelfth the weight and bulk of the original.

Stored in a cool, dark spot, they should keep anywhere from several months to tow years, depending on the food stored.

Quoted from: Kim Erickson, Back Home Magazine July/Aug 1998

HOMEMADE SOLAR DEHYDRATOR

Photo showing our homemade solar food dehydrator. We followed these instructions from i4at.org with a few, slight variations. Dryer Instructions �

Both the main box and the solar collector were insulated with recycled Styrofoam from packages.

For the solar collector, we used a extra piece of Plexiglas instead of glass or a clear plastic sheet. The inside bottom we painted flat black.

Recommended References

� Review of Solar Drying - A brief overview on how to solar dry your harvest

� Solar Food Drying - The art of drying food

� Food Drying - Article on how to dry fruit, veggies and meat using the sun

� Solar Food Dryer - Plans on how to build a multi-shelf solar dryer

� Solar Food Dehydrator - Site where you can purchase a solar dryer

� Barrel Dehydrator - Article and instructions on building gem from the past

� Small Scale Dehydrator - Resource list

� Drying Methods - Descriptions on different drying methods

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