janie fogle..........amen......i agree! I have one like she is using and of all the vids on dehydrating I've watched this is the first I've seen with the one I have........

@Saif Khan looks like a nesco

Agree on all points. The beauty of dehydrating frozen is that all the prep work has already been done!

@JoJo Skye Most frozen vegetables have been in short supply. Food Lion and our local Walmart have finally gotten in "family size" bags of mixed vegetables. Our local Sam's has 4 lb bags now. They were out for quite a while.

Can you give a list of some of the less-common items you dehydrate for us newbies? I've done frozen veggies plus mushrooms and celery, and some fruit (love cinnamon apple slices). Have yet to do jerky. Thanks to this video, I'm going to do broccoli. I wasn't sure that would work. When adding the veggies to casseroles, do you rehydrate first or just throw them into the mix? Thanks

Lauralie Karels or, you can use wax paper. I dried onions on it because I heard the stick too much. It worked like a charm.

Another option is parchment paper. I also use that to line the bottom of my dehydrator to catch anything that falls through. Makes cleanup a whole lot easier.

Agreed 👌

I haven't dried any veg except squash chips (they last a couple of weeks in a jar, then get soft. I dry them with herbs.) and celery. (Chopped , lasts 4 years and counting. excellent for soups.). I also dry fruits, apples last five years if dried to a crisp. I keep them in clean Ball jars in dark basement. Cherries last a few years dried. I never put oxygen excluders in my jars. For cakes I reconstitute the apple slices in applesauce or pureed pumpkin for several hours, then add to spice cake. Yum. Dried apples also good cooked in oatmeal, but not for a pie, I dry them too small and crispy. Good luck!

Years, maybe longer than you live.

Fresh vegetables need to be cut and either blanched or boiled(depending on the veggie) to open up the pores so that the liquid can escape. Frozen veggies are already cut and blanched/boiled, so there's no need to do that. I just watched a video that OurHalfAcreHomestead did in 2019 for dehydrating fresh onions, carrots, celery, and bell pepper into a soup mix.

Yes, parchment paper is a good alternative.

Heavens yes please use parchment paper!!! This plastic mesh is not food safe! Please don't use this craft mesh. It's specifically used for only crafts. I use parchment paper and it works perfectly.

@@shanar7404 that's what i thought about the plastic mesh. I've been using parchment paper and my veggies have been great

@@Weasel0539 I can't tell you how happy I am to hear u didn't use that mesh! Lol. It's so awesome that we can use that paper and it is way cheaper than purchasing the liners that go with our machines. Take care of yourself and I hope others don't use it too!

@@shanar7404 Yes parchment paper is cheaper at the start but it will double the dry time because it restrict's air flow unless you take the time to punch a hundred holes in it.

Yes you can!

Canned beans should not be frozen first. That would take up a lot of extra time.

Oxygen absorbers aren’t necessary when vacuum sealing.

+Dala Brown Longer shelf life and no need for refrigeration/freezing.

I was told my dehydrated foods would keep longer and better if they were stored in the freezer, lol.

Dala Brown THere are a few schools of thought about the shelf life of foods. Yes if you can maintain a constant sub freezing temperature and proper containment to prevent exposure to moisture and oxygen then freezing should be just fine. BUT by dehydrating (no moisture) and storing in vacuum bags (no oxygen) and then kept in sub room temperatures (72 degrees or less) the food will last longer and you will have no need to waste electricity to store the food.

Thank you for the information Samual, that's helpful.

Dala Brown You are most welcome. I hope I did not come off too aggressive in my words.

MemoriesMatter Tacha, 2 pound bag of frozen will reduce to a 1 quart jar dried veg. This can go in your cupboard for easy use in recipes or whatever. No electricity needed. Have you ever had your freezer go out? Trust me, it’s a disaster to hustle to save everything you can🥴

Plus I don’t like digging in the small chest freezer. Just learning to dehydrate. So I’ll have stuff from my little garden this winter.

Bhabushka