dehydrating foods

[allegrabunny]

Has anyone tried dehydrating their own foods, like dandelions, raspberry leaves or bananas?   I have a surplus of all, untreated of course, and a dehydrator.   It would seem much less expensive to take advantage of my bounty right now before winter comes.  

[Andi]

That is the reason i want to buy a dehydrator!
My friends make their bunny treats all with a dehydrator, from cookies to banana slices.
I have purchased dehydrated blue berries, carrot and apple peices for my guys and they were a hit.

[Elrohwen]

If I had a dehydrator, I would definitely do fruits at the very least! Neither of my bunnies will touch fresh fruit, but love the dried stuff, so I would love to make my own.

[Andi]

I find the dehydrated stuff easier on sensitive tummies as well. Bubba can’t eat banana, but can eat it dehydrated without getting a messy bum.

[allegrabunny]

Dehydrators aren’t all that expensive, I picked one up for around 40 dollars us at a Farm supply store. I never use it so I was going to sell it, but if the buns can use it, maybe it has some use to me now.

[KatnipCrzy]

I have done carrots, strawberries, blueberries, papaya, etc.  Just remember even though it is dehydrated and looks smaller it has the same amt of natural sugar as the original piece that was dehydrated.

My rabbits liked the dehydrated stuff- in fact they would not eat fresh papaya- only dehydrated.

I have found to be most cost efficient with the dehydrate to do a few trays at a time- but I have parrots that like some of those bunny treats and other stuff dehydrated.

[mrmac]

I LOVE my dehydrator! I have done apples, bananas, papaya, mango, strawberries, pineapple, carrots, and maybe a few others. Drying plants/leafy veggies is kind of hard since I found the lettuce or dried dandelion greens tend to stick to the tray and crumble. One of my rabbits refuses to touch anything remotely green or that has a strong smell but he will he dried veggies, strange bunny. I have never really used it for myself but I dry tons of treats for them! All of my bunnies love dried fruits!

[allegrabunny]

with the greens did you use the “fruit leather” accessory thing that lines the trays?

[Rinibugg]

I should get me one of these 😮 captain won’t eat anything fresh x.x

[Alina]

How does it work? I’ve never even heard of one

[allegrabunny]

I am pretty sure it works with long term (24-48hrs) low heat (110F). And there’s a fan involved. I’m not sure how to link pictures yet, but I’m planning on trying it out this weekend.

[mrmac]

My dehydtator did not come with a fruit leatehr tray or a fan, just the heat with vents to keep steam from building up. A single tray of bananas usually dries for me within 48 hours. Obviously the more trays you have the longer certain fruits take. I have a 5 tray ronco dehydrator.

[KatnipCrzy]

I have never dehydrated greens- only veggies like carrots and fruits.  I do use the mesh screen for smaller bits of fruit like blueberries though usually.

[CathySchlim]

Hi….my 2 yo dwarf has been part of our family since it was a baby. He is happy and eats lots of Timothy. I have an Excalibur dehydrator. I have dried yellow squash among other vegs and fruit. Smokey loves the dried chips and use them as treats. Are there any problems with the dryness of the vessel? Anything I need to watch out for? Thanks! Cathy in California

[jerseygirl]

Posted By CathySchlim on 5/02/2016 10:41 PM

Hi….my 2 yo dwarf has been part of our family since it was a baby. He is happy and eats lots of Timothy. I have an Excalibur dehydrator. I have dried yellow squash among other vegs and fruit. Smokey loves the dried chips and use them as treats. Are there any problems with the dryness of the vessel? Anything I need to watch out for? Thanks! Cathy in California

Hi Cathy

Are you able to start a new thread with your question? This one is 6 years old now. It can get confusing having old topics in with the current ones. 

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