Dehydrated Foods

One of my 2014 goals was to develop skills and knowledge about dehydrating foods.  I frankly didn’t do much dehydrating in 2014, but I realize that dehydrating can be a key part of a food preservation strategy.  I needed to learn about dehydrating, so I went to the library to find some resources.

Brett L. Markham has written several books on Mini Farming, Composting, and Fermented Foods.  I know Brett from Facebook, and I know that his books are excellent reads and very informative.  I appreciate the work that he puts into his books.  The pictures and the research he does to develop the content of his books is great.  As he states on his blog: he doesn’t just tell you what to do; he tells you about the underlying principles and ideas so you can experiment for yourself.  I certainly recommend his books and will be reviewing them this year.

The Food Dehydrating Bible by Brett L. Markham

Since I wanted to learn more about dehydrating and food preservation, I got his book titled The Bible of Dehydrated Foods.  It was published in January of this year, and I have found it to be very informative as it walks through the basics of dehydrating including:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meats and Fish
• Bread
• Herbs and Spices

Brett includes several recipes throughout the various chapters and even includes two whole chapters dedicated to recipes and instant foods.  He concludes the book with Do It Yourself Plan for constructing a larger scale dehydrator.  Does his plan work?  I know Brett, and you better believe this large scale dehydrator works!

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

As I read The Bible of Dehydrated Foods, my eye caught a quick and simple Homemade Italian Salad Dressing on Page 78.  I decided to give it a try to see how it would come out.  Here is the recipe:

Dry Mix Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp – Sugar
• 1 Tbsp – Salt
• 1 Tbsp – Onion Powder
• 1 Tbsp – Dried Oregano
• 1 Tbsp – Dried Parsley
• 1 tsp – Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp – Dried Basil
• 1/4 tsp – Celery Seed
• 1/2 tsp – Dehydrated Red Pepper (broken up fine)
• 1/2 tsp – Black Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 tsp – Thyme

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp – Dry Mix listed above
• 2/3 cup – Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup – Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp – Water

Shake It Up the Ingredients!

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a container.  The listed quantities will make three batches of Homemade Italian Salad Dressing.  You will need 2 Tablesppons of this mix to make the dressing, so put the rest in an air-tight container (i.e., Ziplock bag)
2. Mix the olive oil, vinegar and water in a separate container.  A Mason jar is great for this.
3. Add 2 Tablespoons of the dry ingredients dressing mix to the olive oil, vinegar and water.  Cover and shake the ingredients together.  Store in the refrigerator.
4. Shake before using and enjoy!

So, that’s it!  This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of Homemade Italian Salad Dressing.  After mixing it, I did test some.  Given that all the herbs were dehydrated, I could tell that the herbs would need some time to hydrate again.  I think it is going to be great tasting dressing.

This is a quick project, and I have to thank Brett L. Markham for putting another great book together.  I recommend that you check it out!

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing in a Prepara Mixer