Dehydrating 101

I presented a brief seminar on dehydrating foods at the Lafayette, LA outfitter Pack & Paddle. There was a great turn-out! And I am hopeful that everyone was able to bring home some good info ... but in case you missed anything, here's a brief recap:

For your dehydrator, look for a blower AND temperature control. I have used Nesco / American Harvest products for a number of years with great success. For home dehydrating, a basic model is all you really need. Sure, you can spend hundreds of dollars, but a moderately-priced dehydrator may provide you with more dehydrating years that you will ever need.

I mentioned several great cookbooks last night. I highly recommend Backpack Gourmet by Linda Frederick Yaffe. The recipes are great and it includes detailed instructions on dehydrating in general, dehydrating specific recipes, and simple rehydrating techniques.

One book that recently came on the market is A Fork in the Trail by Laurie Ann March. This is a clever compilation of backcountry and car camping recipes (great for home, too!) and includes color pictures of many of the recipes in the book. The eggplant spread is out of this world, and the idea for fresh yogurt on the trail is inspiring!

Another new book is One Pan Wonders by Teresa Black. It is so new that I haven't had a chance to review the book, but the website it great and I expect similar quality from the book. Although the book doesn't include any recipes that require a dehydrator, the index indicates a wide variety of ideas to try on the trail.

The Freezer Bag Cooking cookbook by Sarah Svein Kirkconell is another great resource, and the website is fantastic, too. The website includes step-by-step instructions on dehydration techniques, video demonstrations of back-country cooking techniques, and lots of interesting recipes.

Finally, the Lipsmacking Backpacking series by Tim and Christine Connors is just fabulous. The recipes are simple and clever, with detailed instructions for each. Rehydrated bread on the trail? Sure! A no-cook-on-the-trail fruit & rice salad for lunch? Absolutely.

These are all great recipe books, but the best thing to do is use them as a resource, adding your own special touch to each recipe, and then adapting your own favorites to your own back country kitchen using the same techniques.

Happy trails!

Karla