When you’re getting your food preps in order, a food dehydrator can be very useful and purposeful. There are a number of foods you can store that will have a long shelf life and be able to sustain you during a grid down scenario or whatever reason you are preparing for. Having an abundance of food is key for survival, but having a variety or selection of foods you can eat can make things more tolerable for you when times are very tough.
You might wonder what the difference is between freeze drying and dehydrating. Honestly, there isn’t a lot of difference, and the differences are hard to describe at that. Some foods taste better freeze dried and some foods taste better dehydrated. Another difference is that you can re-hydrate your dehydrated foods, which is something that differentiates the type of food you can prepare with a dehydrator versus a freeze drier.
Possibly the coolest thing I’ve discovered to make in my food dehydrator so far is bacon jerky. I like jerky and I love bacon, so I plan on making a lot of this! I’m sure many of you have noticed that bacon is very filling. Sometimes when I’m in a rush, I heat up some precooked bacon strips in a frying pan for a couple minutes and take them with me on a paper towel as I head out the door. This usually satiates me for a few hours until my next meal. Bacon jerky is a definite must have for me.
Homemade fruit leather can be a satisfying snack and something to give you some quick energy if you need a good pick me up. I’ve tried making some of this and I liked it quite a bit better than the fruit roll ups I remember eating as a kid.
