(Homesteading.news) Most homesteaders agree that when it comes to harvesting your crops, it’s easy to wind up with much more than you can use before it goes bad. The best way to ensure that you don’t waste what you’ve spent so much time growing is to preserve it, obviously.

There are a number of ways to preserve food. Canning, of course, is a great way, but so is dehydrating your foods. Dehydration is a way to both preserve your food and safe space and time – and, as always, money.

The good news is there are several foods you can dehydrate this coming weekend. All you’ll need is a good dehydrator that you can pick up at a local store or order online. Some other things you’ll need or will come in handy: A food vacuum sealer; canning jars; ziplock storage bags, parchment paper and a cutting board.

1. Apple snacks: There are a number of dehydrated apple snacks you can make (this one looks tasty) but really, dehydrating apple slices is good enough for an all-natural snack anytime.

2. Banana chips: These, too, are tasty snacks you can pop in your mouth while doing chores, watching a movie or relaxing on the front porch. And they’re awfully good for your kids – better than store-bought snacks with lots of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Try this recipe; you can go crispy or chewy.

3. Orange chips: Yes, you can dehydrate orange slices for great, healthy snacks while saving the juice for other fresh recipes that call for a bit of citrus zest. Check this out; and for the peels, click here for suggestions on their use.

4. Cauliflower popcorn: If you’ve never heard of this kind of dehydrated use for cauliflower, you’re not alone. But those who have tried it rave about it. Some say eating it also improves their energy levels, which of course comes in handy when it comes time to do those chores. Here’s a dehydrating recipe that takes about 8-10 hours.

5. ‘Sun-dried’ tomatoes: Okay, you’re not laying tomato slices in the sun to dry, but the effect is the same when you put them into a dehydrator. You can also make smoked and roasted sun-dried tomatoes as well. Click here to find out how. You can use any kind of tomato you’re growing (or that you’ve purchased at your local organic food shop). Put them in all sorts of recipes!

6. Salmon jerky: Talk about a high-protein, wholesome, healthy snack, not much tops salmon. Here’s a recipe that doesn’t use a dehydrator, but you can use for a dehydrator as well. Tip: Make sure to get fresh, high-quality salmon for best results.

7. Cheesy kale chips: Kale, as you may know, is one of the best superfoods going today. “Kale has recently been buzzed about as one of nature’s hugest leafy green super foods. It makes sense, right? This dark leafy green is jam packed with nutrients and vitamins and is pretty tasty when it’s prepared properly,” writes Amanda Little at Natural News Blogs. So, turning kale into a dehydrated snack food makes great sense. Here’s a recipe for a cheesy, crunchy kale chip that you’ll want to make over and over again [Hint: you’re not using real cheese here, so it’s healthy as well as tasty].

8. Mango treats: Cut up some fresh mangoes, arrange them in your dehydrator, and several hours later you’re going to wind up with a unique and tasty fruit treat. Tip: Cut up some strawberries and put in a few layers of those as well; both of these will make great additions to your morning corn flakes!

9. Lemon pepper chips: These are also a great snack food that is natural, healthy and won’t contribute anything to your waistline. But if you’re not interested in lemon pepper, you can try a different spice combination. Try this recipe.
10. No-bake peanut butter chocolate-chunk almond cookies: Okay, so you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth that won’t be satisfied with a fruit- or veggie-based dehydrated snack. You can use your dehydrator to make peanut butter chocolate-chunk almond cookie snacks that ought to do the trick. Got a little almond milk left over? Put it to good use; click here for the recipe.

[H/T: Homemade Recipes]

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