Solar Food Dehydrator – I Want One – I’ll Make One
I want one of these solar food dehydrators that hang from a tree branch, hook, or wherever you want to put them – but there’s no way in hell I’m going to pay nearly sixty bucks for one.
They would be easy to make, and I have some extra mosquito netting in the barn, but the only thing I’m missing are the polypropylene trays with holes in them. I could use cookie sheets, but that wouldn’t allow air circulation around the bottom of the food. I could use screen from old windows or screen doors, but I read somewhere that they could leech harmful chemicals or heavy metals into the food.
Any ideas?
Sounds like a How-To DIY video project!
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Oh this looks really cool, now I want one too! You could drill holes in some old cookie sheets… Here’s a page with some plans for building one yourself, but none of them look remotely like the one you’ve got pictured: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Cooking/cooking.htm#Drying However, in reading through some of the plans, most of them seem to use “stainless steel screens” or “polypropylene shade cloth” I’ve seen shade cloth for sale at the hardware store, but I don’t know if it’s the same thing.
I wonder if you could just stretch some mosquito netting over a frame and make some sort of tray… Don’t know what might leach out of mosquito netting though.
Let me know what you come up with… I’m now totally fascinated!
How about grill tray/baskets? I have seen several different styles that may work for this. You can even buy “disposable” aluminum grill pans that are just like cookie sheets with holes.
Instead of square why don’t you do round and use frying pan splatter screens? Or get a mesh round colander and flatten it out? Or even a plastic one? There is also a type of sieve that you see Japanese cooks use to finely mash foods through. You could use something like that. But I think the frying pan screens will be your cheapest option.
The first thought that comes to mind would be the racks that you let cookies, cakes, etc. cool on after taking them out of the oven.
Or, with the cookie sheets, cut them into thin strips and lay them together in a lattice pattern
How ’bout making frames with cheesecloth stretched and tacked on?
metal mesh like you find for some screens. cheese cloth stretched over a frame or placed over a wire rack you might find in a toaster oven.
I think I’ll try several different methods (thanks for the ideas!) and see which one works out best. I’m going to have one rack that is a stainless steel grate for BBQ grills; one that is a cookie sheet with holes in it; and one that is stretched cheesecloth.
I’ll make sure I give each a turn on top, and will let you know how it goes!
Are you really leading a simple life? I’ve been reading your blog for about a month now, and it seems to me you’re working your a** off. It would be simpler to live in a condo and order take-out for supper!
Probably a bad idea, but what about this? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90163262
Ben,
That is a good question, and one I’m sure every wannabe homesteader, such as us, asks themselves at some point.
When I say I want to live a “simple” life, I don’t mean I want to be on vacation. And while I certainly would like to have a little more free time to “smell the flowers” and such, I think right now it is important for us to gain some momentum.
We did take a day off this weekend and go to a Chinese Medicine Festival where we both got ten-minute massages, listened to music and relaxed. Missy did some thrift-store shopping (a hobby / art form for her) while I browsed the farmer’s market in Floyd.
We sit on the porch for about a half hour every morning after breakfast and enjoy our coffee while Missy knits and I read a magazine or newspaper.
So you see it’s not ALL work, but if you did count the “farm” stuff along with the “real” job, I’m definitely putting in close to 80 hours a week.
Then again, I don’t need to go to the gym because I get plenty of exercise here; don’t have to fight traffic to and from work; and we are moving toward our goal of independence every step of the way – as opposed to grinding out a living working in a cubicle for someone else with no light at the end of the tunnel.
What about turning your car into the dehydrator:
http://lifehacker.com/5347217/use-your-car-as-a-food-dehydrator
I love your answer to Ben — I feel the same way!
You could use bbq grilling trays, they have holes in the bottom of them and are specifically made for food.
Here in Japan, they sell inexpensive split bamboo drying baskets/colanders in every size you can imagine. You just have to be careful they don’t mold when you store them.
First, let me say, great blog. I am on a similar path and it is great to see the things you are doing.
This idea of the solar dehydrator really caught my attention. This sounds like a great idea. Not sure I am going to be able to go with such a small unit though LOL. I have a really big garden planned for next year and this seems like it may be an option for saving some of the bounty for the winter.
Since the tray issue seems like a big part of doing this as DIY project I did some research and this is what I found.
McMaster-Carr is always a great resource so this might be a possibility. Not sure about the food grade aspect though.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#plastic-mesh-screens/=f5j7ye
The other one that looks very promising is at the link below. Seems like the right price and apparently is food grade as well.
http://www.lemproducts.com/product/4161/Accessories
Thanks for posting.
Jason
Hood River, Oregon