Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chapter 1 Basics of Home Drying 13 -- A Little History 13 -- Dried Foods Today 14 -- How Food Dehydration Works 15 -- Why Home Dry? 15 -- Basic Methods for Home Drying 20 -- Storage Methods 22 -- Safety with Dried Foods 24 -- What Can Be Dried? 25 -- Using Dehydrated Foods 26 -- Chapter 2 Methods for Drying Food at Home 27 -- Sun Drying 27 -- Air Drying 30 -- Oven Drying 31 -- Food Dehydrators 33 -- Microwave Drying 36 -- Electric Dehydrator Versus the Oven 38 -- Chapter 3 About Your Dehydrator 39 -- Electric Dehydrators 39 -- Solar Dehydrators 46 -- Chapter 4 Drying Herbs 49 -- Preparing Herbs to Be Dried 50 -- Methods for Drying Herbs 51 -- Storing Dry Herbs 54 -- Specific Drying Instructions for Herbs 54 -- Recipes for Dried Herb Blends 63 -- Growing Your Own Herbs 66 -- Chapter 5 Drying Fruit 69 -- Preparing Fruit to Be Dried 69 -- Methods for Drying Fruit 73 -- Storing Dried Fruit 74 -- Specific Instructions for Drying Fruits 75 -- Recipes Using Dried Fruit 89 -- Growing Your Own Fruit HO -- Chapter 6 Drying Vegetables 113 -- Preparing Vegetables to Be Dried U3 -- Methods for Drying Vegetables 117 -- Storing Dried Vegetables H9 -- Specific Instructions for Drying Vegetables 120 -- Recipes Using Dried Vegetables 137 -- Growing Your Own Vegetables 161 -- Chapter 7 Leathers and Rolls 163 -- What are Leathers? 163 -- Making Leather 164 -- Recipes for Making Leathers 167 -- Chapter 8 Drying Mushrooms 173 -- Gathering Wild Mushrooms 173 -- Preparing Mushrooms to Be Dried 174 -- Methods for Drying Mushrooms 176 -- Storing Dry Mushrooms 178 -- Specific Drying Instructions for Mushrooms 178 -- Recipes for Dried Mushrooms 179 -- Growing Your Own Mushrooms 184 -- Chapter 9 Grains, Nuts, and Bread 187 -- Dehydrating Grains 187 -- Dehydrating Nuts and Seeds 192 -- Dehydrating Breads 199 -- Drying Pasta 202 -- Chapter 10 Drying Meat and Fish 203 -- Special Health Considerations 203 -- Preparing Meat and Fish to Be Dried 204 -- Methods for Drying Meat and Fish 207 -- Storing Dried Meat 208 -- Instructions for Drying Meat and Fish 208 -- Recipes using Dried Meat and Fish 212 -- Instructions for Making Jerky 216 -- Recipes for Jerky 218 -- Chapter 11 Drying Dairy Products 225 -- Special Health Considerations 226 -- Drying Yogurt 226 -- Dehydrating Milk 230 -- Dehydrating Cheese 232 -- Drying Eggs 235 -- Recipes for Dried Dairy 237 -- Chapter 12 Dried Food Recipes and Mixes 241 -- Soup Mixes 241 -- Trail Mixes 247 -- Drink Mixes 255 -- Baking Mixes 257 -- Chapter 13 Cooking Raw Food with a Dehydrator 261 -- Recipes for Making Raw Food 262 -- Chapter 14 Crafts and Other Uses 273 -- Making Pet Treats 273 -- Drying Flowers 276 -- Helping with Crafts 277 -- Humidifying 278.