Dehydrating Food

[GrottoGirl]

I love to make as many meals as I can for backpacking. I'm currently dehydrating leftovers from dinner: Stir Fry Noodles and Beef with Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Mushrooms. What have you dehydrated lately? Do you have any cool tips you'd like to share? If you don't dehydrate and you live in Tucson - can I please get your used (rinsed) Mountain House bags?

[Tough_Boots]

this thread had some pretty good ideas! viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5921

[GrottoGirl]

Thanks! I searched - but not using quite the right words (dehydration and dehydrating instead of dehydrate or dehydrator). Guess I was brain dead last night.

[colowlkr]

My wife has tried to dehydrate probably everything. With usually pretty good results. However a word of caution: Do Not, and I do mean, Do Not dehydrate meatballs for your spaghetti! You could put them in water today to start rehydrating with the plan to eat them for Christmas dinner in 2012 and still have some one injured! We've never laughed so hard in our lives until we tried to have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner one night in Grand Gulch. You get camp set up, make a couple cups of tea while your dinner is rehydrating, feeling tired, content, and very hungry. However you're better off setting the meatballs to the side. Don't throw them, you may put someones eye out. We brought some back with us and tried to rehydrate them at home, I won't live long enough. However I did choke down three that night. I told you I was really hungry!
Honestly though, my wife makes a cookie/granola bar that I call her "survival biscuit" that has a lot of nuts, grains, whole wheat, flax meal, and God knows what else, that you could survive on. I usually have one of those for lunch when we're hiking.

[writelots]

Colo: yeah, sticking with the ground beef gravel is a MUCH better bet.

I've dehydrated just about everything at one point or another... Sirena even dehydrates yogurt into a very yummy leather. I've kinda gotten out of the habit, though - now I just assemble meals from bits and pieces I get at the grocery. I'm looking at doing some long-term trekking now, though, and getting back into the habit may be just the ticket!

[PLC92084]

I'm looking at doing some long-term trekking now...

Do tell, my intrepid hiking friend... I'm exploring ways to extend the outdoors experience. Even with dehydrated sustenance, I'm running into problems going beyond 7-10 days without caches or food drops.

[azbackpackr]

Well, have to say, now that I might have some time in the summer to do a longer trek, I might, but I am really trying to get on the river. Bucket list kind of thing, you know? However, that doesn't mean I wouldn't have time for a week-long hike in the Sierras this summer. Maybe maybe...

[anthonyzeh]

I just ordered a dehydrator. Looking forward to prepping my own meals and going for journeys without buying expensive dried meals. Also found a cool website called backpacking chef that got me inspired to try dehydrating. As I am just starting out (since my boyscouting days about 30 years ago) does anyone offer a workshop on how best to pack your pack and what not to forget?