A dry affair

I recently bought a Nesco American Harvest Dehydrator for $60 off Craigslist.  Probably the best $60 I have ever spent.  I don't know what it is, but there is something so appealing about food preservation.  It gives me a real sense of resourcefulness and self-reliance.  Now, it takes a really long time to prep stuff and then to dry it, and sometimes it is honestly just cheaper to go out and buy the dried goods in bulk.  But buying the goods doesn't really give you that 'if I lived in a post-apocalyptic world with electricity to run my dehydrator, I could totally survive' feeling.  And I LOVE to feel like I am prepping for the apocalypse.

A few things have really worked out, though, and I would consider them a win.  For example - apples.  Dried apples are amazing, and they work out great every time.  Another good one right now is strawberries.  Strawberries are dirt cheap right now, and I can pick up a two big baskets full for $3 at my local grocer.  I don't really like strawberries, though, and they always turn to mush by the time you get them home.  I though I'd try dehydrating them - that way, they are no longer mush, and I can take them camping to throw into oats.  Anyways... here are some pics.

The look so pretty when they are all cut up and laid out.  And you would not believe the smell as they are drying!  The whole house smells intensely of strawberries.

Look... I tried to be artsy.  Anyways, they basically turn out like little wafers that taste like strawberries.  Not a bad snack.