Letter Re: Dehydrating Food – A Low Tech Method

Hugh,

Just wanted to mention that in the absence of electric power to run dehydrators, you can also dehydrate leafy greens and salted tomatoes in the back seat of a closed car on a hot day. I have had good success using a muslin dishtowel placed on a cookie sheet (do not allow greens and tomatoes to touch metal during the drying process as this will turn them brown and icky) and just place the washed and patted dry greens (preferably not touching each other, place each leaf or slice singly not overlapping) and put the tray(s) on the back seat of a closed car on a hot day. Takes about 6-8 hours depending on the wetness of the things being dehydrated. Once dry and crackly to the touch they can be crumbled and stored in jars with oxygen absorbers. I would appreciate more “low tech” articles. For those of us with limited storage space and income, a list of the best bulk (carbs and proteins) foods for long term survival would be helpful. I have been focusing on oatmeal and pasta in bulk with cans of chicken and foil pouches of tuna, but could use some pointers. The Mountain House meals seem way too salty for me and dried egg product is too expensive, and beans unless in a can take too long and use too much fuel to cook.