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About Dehydrating Foods

Drying has been a reliable and simple method of food preservation for centuries, and it is ideal for those of us who love to travel in the backcountry. While you can use fresh foods, there is the issue of pack weight and spoilage over the long term.

There are several ways to dehydrate your own foods; however, some are more accurate and cost effective than others. Because you are using air circulation with very low heat to dry the foods, it requires a bit of time, and the length of time will depend on how you decide to dry your foods, the humidity of the air, and the foods and the size of the food pieces. Drying times, with these variables in mind, can range 5–20 hours.

Types of Dehydrators

Homemade dehydrators vary in style and construction. One method is to make a wooden box with trays and use a lightbulb as a heat source. These homemade versions tend to be bulky and lack the ability to control the temperature, which can cause problems with some foods. Another version of the homemade dehydrator uses solar energy. While a novel idea, these don’t work particularly well for some foods, and you are at the mercy of the weather. Because these are used outside, bugs may also get on the food. You can find instructions for creating homemade dehydrators on the Internet.

Using your oven is another method. Some modern convection ovens have a dehydration setting, and because convection ovens use a fan, you’ll achieve better results in these compared to standard ovens. You’ll want to set your oven between 140° and 165°. The food goes on a lined cookie sheet and the oven door is left ajar. With some ovens, you may have to use something like a wooden spoon to keep the door open. While an oven can be an effective tool for food dehydration, there are drawbacks. First of all, many modern ovens only have a lowest temperature setting of 170°, and that is too high for proper drying. That high of a temperature will cause your food to continue cooking and can also cause casing on certain fruits and vegetables. Casing is where the outside dries too quickly, creating a seal that prevents the inside from drying properly. You are also limited to drying two trays of food at a time, and you must rotate them frequently to make the drying even. If using the oven, you’ll have to check your foods quite often to ensure proper drying. It is also not the most energy-efficient method of food dehydration.

I prefer to use a retail dehydrator that fits nicely on my countertop. The one I have used the most is a relatively inexpensive unit that can accommodate numerous trays and has a thermostat. Recently, because of my work and high level of usage, I upgraded to a more expensive and feature-laden model with a timer. Because these types of appliances have a fan, the drying is more uniform and that, coupled with the size, makes them more energy efficient. You generally don’t need to rotate the trays because of the airflow and can often turn on the dehydrator in the evening and turn it off when you get up in the morning. Models with a timer are very helpful but not entirely necessary.

Advanced Dehydration

While you may be apprehensive at first when it comes to using a food dehydrator, once you have dried your first few meals, you will greet the task with less trepidation and may even start to experiment with your own recipes using some of the ones in this book as a guide. The following tips will help you succeed.

It is a good idea to line your dehydrator trays with baker’s parchment paper or to buy fruit leather trays that are made for your unit. Some models use a nonstick liner and others a plastic tray. You’ll need to line the trays when you are drying foods that contain more liquid, such as sauces, soups, stews, fruit leathers, and whole meals such as chili. Small pieces of fruits and vegetables will fall through the tray’s grid if you don’t use a liner. Larger pieces of fruits and vegetables can be dried on trays that are lined with a plastic mesh screen purchased from the dehydrator manufacturer. Plastic wrap that is rated for use in microwave ovens also works well. I prefer the liners made for my dehydrator primarily because they are reusable. Using a liner makes cleanup much easier as well.

When drying soups that have more liquid, you can use the vegetables as a dam to keep the liquid from running off the lined tray. Then, as the liquidity of the food has been reduced, just spread the vegetables out a little more for even drying.

Most fruits for use in fruit leather can be used without cooking first. Sauces such as traditional spaghetti sauce should be cooked before drying. When you are ready to dry your sauce, soup, stew, fruit leather, or whole meal, measure it and then write that measurement on a sticky note. Place a liner on the food dehydrator tray and then pour the food on the liner. If your dehydrator has trays with a hole in the center, leave about an inch of space without food at the inner and outer edges of the tray. For square or rectangular models without a center hole, just leave the inch of space around the outer edge. Spread the food out so that it is about ¼-inch thick. On some dehydrators ingredients pool toward the center of the unit, and spreading the food a little thinner in the center of the tray will make drying more even. Set the temperature on your dehydrator according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Fresh vegetables such as potatoes, corn, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower need a quick blanch before dehydrating. To blanch them, merely put them in a metal or silicone strainer and put the entire strainer in a pot of boiling water for a few moments. Then put the strainer with the vegetables still in it into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. You can also use your microwave to blanch vegetables. Simply add the vegetables and a little water in a microwavable bowl or steamer bag. Cook them on high for about 2 minutes in a 750-watt microwave. Reduce the time for higher wattage units. Frozen and canned vegetables can be put directly on the dehydrator because they are blanched before freezing. Use either a solid liner or a mesh one depending on the size of the pieces.

Be sure to measure the food before you dry it and write this measurement down so you will know how much liquid to add back when you rehydrate the food. To this note you may want to add the name of the meal or food, the number of servings, and the date you dried it. Pack this with the food in a freezer-grade ziplock bag.

If dried properly and packaged well, these items will last for up to eight months in your freezer before flavor loss occurs. Unfrozen, the shelf life is several months, as long as the package remains tightly sealed and is stored in a cool, dry place.

Rehydration Basics

One of the benefits of vegetarian and vegan foods on the trail is the ease of rehydration when compared to meals that contain meat. Tofu is the only exception to this. It does not rehydrate well at all. You can rehydrate foods in one of several vessels—such as a large, wide-mouth Nalgene; a ziplock freezer bag; or a pot. My preferred container is the wide-mouth Nalgene, but I do use the others from time to time. Many of the foods, especially lunches, can be reconstituted with cool water, thus saving time and fuel weight. Rehydrating with cool water will lengthen the time with some foods, so pay careful attention to the “At Camp” instructions, as I will mention water temperature there if it will make a difference. Also, take a copy of your menu with you. I suggest listing the foods by meal, so you can refer to it in the morning to see what you have planned for the day. This lets you know if you will need to keep your stove handy because you’ve decided on a hot lunch, and also allows you to position your lunch in a convenient place when you pack your backpack. It also lets you see if you need to add water to your lunch meal at breakfast, if you aren’t planning to use your stove at lunch. For example, if you are having the Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Salad for lunch, you will need to rehydrate it in the morning. Let’s say you started with 2½ cups and now have 1½ cups of dried mix. Because it is morning and you do not need this until lunchtime, you can use cold water and let the mixture rehydrate as you travel. Put the dried mix into a Nalgene or other leak-proof rehydration container and add a little less than 1 cup of water to end up with close to a full 2½ cups. It is always best to err on the side of caution when it comes to adding water. You can always add more water later if needed. Place the container in the top of you backpack or clip it to the outside of your pack.

At lunch you will have a Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Salad that tastes just like it did before you dehydrated it at home—and you didn’t even have to pull out your stove. If the dish is thicker than you like, just add a little more water. You can also plan to add water to your dinner at lunchtime, and the meal will be rehydrated by the time you are ready to eat. If you reach camp and the meal hasn’t come back, which is rare with vegetarian foods, put the contents in your pot and bring the meal to the boiling point. Remove the pot from the heat, replace the lid, put it in a cozy if you have one, and place the pot in a safe spot to allow the final bit of rehydration. The heat will speed up the rehydration. You can put a rock on the lid if you like so it doesn’t get knocked off. If you decide not to initiate rehydration of your dinner earlier in the day, you can add boiling water at camp, and then place the food container in a cozy to speed up rehydration. If you use boiling water in a Nalgene bottle, it is advisable to open the bottle on occasion to release the pressure from the steam. It is this pressure that makes the Nalgene my favorite container for rehydrating foods. The pressure seems to help the food take in the water better.

I have one Nalgene bottle just for rehydrating our meals. When I do the dishes, I wash it well and rinse it thoroughly with boiling water. I do bring a few ziplock freezer bags too, as they are handy when rehydrating meals with multiple ingredients. When using very hot water with a ziplock bag, you will need to be careful so that you do not burn yourself from the water or the steam.

Multi-ingredient Rehydration

Some items will produce flavored water that may overpower the dish you are rehydrating. Dried mushrooms, green peppers, and olives are examples of foods that can overtake a meal pretty quickly. I have indicated in the recipe if ingredients need to be rehydrated separately. The best way to do this is to use freezer bags for the smaller ingredients and a wide-mouth Nalgene for the portion of the dish that requires the largest volume. Be sure to let the steam out of the Nalgene as the food expands. I can’t stress enough the care you need to take when pouring very hot water in a ziplock bag. If weight and bulk aren’t an issue, you could take a few small plastic containers for multi-ingredient rehydration.

Commercially Dried Foods

There are times where spontaneity means that there isn’t time to prepare foods for a trip. Generally I try to keep some home-dried meals on hand, but there have been times where I’ve had to pick up a commercially dried meal. They can be pricey, but some brands will do well for a last-minute addition to the pack. The following companies have vegetarian and vegan options.

•	Alpine Aire—has a variety of meatless meals
•	Backpacker’s Pantry—offers fare for the vegan and vegetarian as well as organic meals; also clearly marks allergens on the packaging
•	Mary Jane’s Farm—the Outpost line of foods has a great selection of vegetarian options that are also organic
•	Harvest Foodworks—most of its line is vegetarian but requires a bit of cooking time as the ingredients are dehydrated rather than freeze-dried; this Canadian company ships throughout North America

Sometimes purchasing specially dried ingredients will help you with your backcountry cooking. Availability may vary by region but many companies offer online ordering.

•	Powdered vegan egg replacer
•	Powdered soy, almond, or rice milk
•	Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables
•	Tomato powder
•	Peanut butter powder
•	Dried soup base
•	Powdered vegetable shortening
•	Dried mushrooms (Asian grocery stores are a great resource for these)
•	Honey powder
•	Instant wild rice
•	Dried sliced potatoes
•	Dehydrated legumes
•	Maple sugar and maple flakes

Grocery Store Finds

•	Shelf-stable tofu
•	Textured vegetable protein
•	Muffin mixes
•	Cake mixes (look for single-layer varieties)
•	Gluten-free baking mixes
•	Pizza dough mix
•	Pancake mix
•	Instant mashed potatoes
•	Instant couscous
•	Precooked rice in pouches
•	Curry sauces
•	Premade pasta sauces in plastic pouches
•	Sliced potatoes
•	Flavored rice
•	Minute Rice or other 5-minute rice
•	Instant soups
•	Instant sauce mixes
•	Coconut powder
•	Creamed coconut
•	Wraps
•	Flatbreads
•	Bagel chips
•	Rye crispbread
•	Shelf-stable soy, almond, and rice milk boxes
•	Shelf-stable juice boxes
•	Dried mushrooms
•	Bulk soup mixes
•	Dried hummus mix
•	Granola bars
•	Cereal bars
•	Instant hot cereals
•	Kava
•	Instant coffee
•	Instant hot cocoa/hot chocolate mixes
•	Vegetable chips
•	Wasabi peas
•	Spiced nuts
•	Sugared nuts
•	Dried tortellini
•	Ravioli
•	Gnocchi (some varieties don’t require refrigeration)
•	Corn bread mix
•	Pringles
•	Cheeses (look for shelf-stable varieties or harder cheeses)

Online Resources

The Internet has made it much easier to find ingredients and prepared meals. I’ve listed some resources here, and an up-to-date list can be found at aforkinthetrail.com.

•	Gourmet House Wild Rice (www.gourmethouse.com)—instant wild rice (not available in Canada)
•	Gibbs Wild Rice (www.gibbswildrice.com)—instant wild rice and wild rice cereal
•	Walton Feed (www.waltonfeed.com)—dehydrated ingredients, egg mix, powdered soy milk, peanut butter powder, and shortening powder
•	Mumm’s Organic Sprouting Seeds (www.sprouting.com)—organic seeds for growing sprouts on the trail
•	Minimus.biz (www.minimus.biz)—single-serving condiments, dressings, and other travel-size items
•	The Spice House (www.thespicehouse.com)—specialty extracts and spices
•	King Arthur Flour (www.kingarthurflour.com)—dried egg products, organic ghee, specialty flours, mixes, and spices
•	Bob’s Red Mill (www.bobsredmill.com)—quinoa, millet, teff, spelt, amaranth, gluten-free flours, grains, flax, and a variety of mixes
•	Bauly Specialty Foods (www.bauly.com)—freeze-dried and dehydrated fruits and vegetables
•	Emergency Essentials (www.beprepared.com)—freeze-dried and dehydrated meals and ingredients (not available in Canada)
•	Harmony House Foods (www.harmonyhousefoods.com)—textured vegetable protein (TVP), vegan soup mixes, freeze-dried and dehydrated fruits and vegetables, and dehydrated beans
•	Miles Outside (www.milesoutsideorganic.com)—gluten-free, organic baby food for the littlest hikers
•	Indian Harvest (www.indianharvest.com)—supplies of specialty rice and grain products (not available in Canada)
•	Nesco/American Harvest (www.nesco.com)—food dehydrators
•	Excalibur (www.excaliburdehydrator.com)—food dehydrators
•	MEC (www.mec.ca)—gear and a small selection of freeze-dried fruits and other ingredients (not available in the United States)
•	Briden Solutions (www.bridensolutions.ca)—freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, as well as scrambled egg mix (not available in the United States)
•	Shalit Foods (www.shalitfoods.com)—Canadian supplier for hard-to-find products, such as red quinoa and specialty rice, from companies such as Indian Harvest
•	Feel Good Natural Health Stores (www.feelgoodnatural.com)—Canadian supplier for items such as quinoa flakes and amaranth

Trader Joe’s (www.traderjoes.com), with stores throughout the U.S., has a great selection of spices, nuts, dried fruits, dried vegetables, and dried beans and legumes, as well as foods such as couscous and soup mixes. Some of the items are in bulk bins, so you only have to purchase what you need. Unfortunately, online ordering is not available at the time of this writing.