Ah, my favorite topic
We have the Nesco that can take up to 20 trays. Only 10 fit on my counter though.
I almost never blanch before drying.
Romas- I slice in half lengthwise and sprinkle a little basil & garlic granules. Adding any oil will shorten the shelf life significantly
I tried green beans once and did not like them. Anyone else?
I do tons of zucchini and cucumber chips. I like to buy the big really cheap ones which are great for this. I slice them on my mandolin, thin but not super thin. then season with whatever you like. I do garlic & basil; onion & dill; and Mexican seasoning. Be very cautious with the salt! I often don't use any because I don't need it and it's easy to ruin a batch (they can be powdered and mixed into stews though).
Dehydrated food can be stored for much longer than a week. I store foods up to a year in a cool, dark closet with little flavor loss. The zucchini and cucumber are very susceptible to moisture however and I vacuum seal those. They might be okay for a week. They won't go bad but might not be as crisp as you want in a regular container.
We have lots of dried apples. I discovered that they fit perfectly in a peanut butter jar and that controls the amount I have. I also don't worry much about eating too many apples because I've never had a problem with them.
Once you get used to doing veggies you are going to love it. In the summer I always have the dehydrator running in the back hall. I will use as much shredded summer squash, green pepper chunks and eggplant slices as I can dry. They go into the crockpot. I also dry tomatillos, some greens, plum tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. When I'm really in the groove I also dry edible ends and bits (like carrot greens) and powder them. Makes a good soup base and thickener for stews, loaves, etc.
Probably way more than you wanted to know
Rehydrating the post!
