Homemade Canvas Food Dehydrator Tray Liners

I didn't purchase a food dehydrator of my own until my husband saw them on sale at Lowe's for just under fifty bucks, so it's probably not a surprise I certainly am not going to pay the high price companies want for food dehydrator trays!  However, they are needed!  The holes of a food dehydrator let tiny pieces of dried food fall through them and believe me, diced carrots get tiny! (And peas and blueberries and many other dried goodies!).

The first thing I did was march down to a local store and buy a few sheets of clear plastic canvas.  Walmart has them, but Michaels was closer to me that day so I got mine there for about $.59 each.  If you don't have a store near you, I'll link to a couple random options from Amazon at the bottom of this post.

I simply laid two canvas pieces out on the counter, drew around them with a marker (I used a highlighter first, as it was right next to me in a kitchen drawer and I was too lazy to walk through the house to the office to get a Sharpie.  However, I realized if I wanted to let others know how to do this, I better use a marker that showed up on the photos!  So I did grab a Sharpie for a couple of the pictures.)

Lay the canvas side by side on the counter.
You can tape them in place in the corners if you find they are moving too much on you to trace.
Trace around both the outside of the tray and then the inside circle as well.

Use scissors to cut the canvas into half circles.
Cut on the *INSIDE* of the line around the larger outside circle.
Cut on the *OUTSIDE* of the line on the inner circle.

Fit to your tray.
You may have to trim some of the edges to make it fit.
When it lays flat inside your tray, both flat around the outside and inside edge, your are done!

Washable, sturdy, and will allow your fruit and vegetables to dry without falling through the holes of the dehydrator trays.



Use sheets of plastic canvas.  I chose clear so there is no color added.

Laying the two canvas pieces side by side and placing the dehydrator tray over them - equal on both sides, directly down the center - to trace both the outer edge and the inner circle.

Trace around the outside edge - being careful the canvas doesn't move around - so you get a perfect half circle.
You will cut around the INSIDE of this trace line.

Carefully trace the inner circle as well.
You will cut around the OUTSIDE of this smaller trace line.

 

After you make your first trays you can actually use them as a pattern to trace additional liners and not have to use the tray to trace around each time.  This makes it a little easier.

Remember to cut inside the line as it needs to fit INSIDE your tray -  You will probably have to try to fit, trim, fit, trim, to get it to fit perfectly.

Two liners placed on the dehydrator tray!

Packing and Storing Dried Foods - Diving into Dehydrating!

Dried foods are susceptible to insect contamination and moisture reabsorption and must be properly packaged and stored immediately. First, cool completely. Warm food causes sweating which could provide enough moisture for mold to grow. Pack foods into clean, dry insect-proof containers as tightly as possible without crushing.

Store dried foods in clean, dry home canning jars, plastic freezer containers with tight-fitting lids or in plastic freezer bags. Vacuum packaging is also a good option. Pack foods in amounts that can be used all at once. Each time a package is re-opened, the food is exposed to air and moisture that can lower the quality of the food and result in spoilage.

Pack food in amounts that will be used in a recipe. Every time a package is re-opened, the food is exposed to air and moisture that lower the quality of the food.

Fruit that has been sulfured should not touch metal. Place the fruit in a plastic bag before storing it in a metal can. Sulfur fumes will react with the metal and cause color changes in the fruit.

Dried foods should be stored in cool, dry, dark areas. Recommended storage times for dried foods range from 4 months to 1 year. Because food quality is affected by heat, the storage temperature helps determine the length of storage; the higher the temperature, the shorter the storage time. Most dried fruits can be stored for 1 year at 60ºF, 6 months at 80ºF. Vegetables have about half the shelf-life of fruits.

Foods that are packaged seemingly "bone dry" can spoil if moisture is reabsorbed during storage. Check dried foods frequently during storage to see if they are still dry. Glass containers are excellent for storage because any moisture that collects on the inside can be seen easily. Foods affected by moisture, but not spoiled, should be used immediately or redried and repackaged. Moldy foods should be discarded.

Conditioning Fruits

The moisture content of home dried fruit should be about 20 percent. When the fruit is taken from the dehydrator, the remaining moisture may not be distributed equally among the pieces because of their size or their location in the dehydrator. Conditioning is the process used to equalize the moisture. It reduces the risk of mold growth.

To condition the fruit, take the dried fruit that has cooled and pack it loosely in plastic or glass jars. Seal the containers and let them stand for 7 to 10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the drier pieces. Shake the jars daily to separate the pieces and check the moisture condensation. If condensation develops in the jar, return the fruit to the dehydrator for more drying. After conditioning, package and store the fruit as described above.

Determining Dryness of Vegetables

Vegetables should be dried until they are brittle or "crisp." Some vegetables actually shatter if hit with a hammer. At this stage, they should contain about 10 percent moisture. Because they are so dry, they do not need conditioning like fruits.

---

This document was extracted from "So Easy to Preserve", 5th ed. 2006. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens. Revised by Elizabeth L. Andress. Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., Extension Foods Specialists.






Weston Food Dehydrator, 4-Tray
Waring Pro Professional Dehydrator
FoodSaver  Vacuum Sealing System
   

Pastel Easter Tye-dyed Bars

From my files - saved with this recipe so I could see what they look like, but it's not my picture.

Back in 2013 I posted this idea.  Later, I made these bars and I'm not sure I posted those photos or not.  These are from the original 'idea file' I had back then. (I saved the pictures in my files for that 'visual' instruction. I didn't save any instructions - just the photos.)

These are perfect for an Easter get-together - so cute! 

• You can see the idea is to choose 3-4 colors and pipe lines down your baked and cooled cookie bars. 
• Cover with clear plastic wrap.
• Press them very gently through the plastic to join them at the edges.
• Remove the plastic.
• Using a skewer, knife or other item, drag lines through the frosting from top to bottom.
• Cover with plastic again.
• Using your finger, draw down the scored lines to blend the edges again, blurring the lines and giving it a tye-dyed effect.

I hope the instructions make sense to my daughter or anyone else that may stop in to use some of the idea's and recipes on my site-collection.  You can use them on any bar cookie, but the simple sugar cookie style recipe is below the photos as it's a basic and easy recipe to use.

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 c butter
2 c sugar
2 t vanilla
4 eggs
5 c flour
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda

In a large mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Sift dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture in small amounts. Mix batter until all flour is incorporated. Press into a 9X13 or 11X17" pan. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Frosting

1 1/2 c butter, soft
2 t vanilla
6 c powdered sugar
1 t salt
3 T light corn syrup

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and salt then one cup powdered sugar at a time, scraping down sides until well blended. While mixer is running on medium-high speed add in karo and beat frosting until light and fluffy. Makes about 5 cups frosting.

Homemade Coleslaw - much like the KFC style

Coleslaw is a salad consisting primarily of finely-shredded raw cabbage and dressed most commonly with a vinaigrette or buttermilk salad dressing.

You can use a sugar substitute of your choice instead of sugar and if you do not have buttermilk, you can sour 1/4 cup milk with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar and let it set for a couple minutes until you see it get thick or use buttermilk powder.

Also, if you want to skip chopping the cabbage, you can buy the cabbage/carrot mixture pre-packaged at the store to equal about 6-7 cups of shredded or finely chopped cabbage.  It will be dry at first mixing but after it chills for 2 hours it will have formed its own juice.  Stir well and serve cold.


The Best Cole Slaw

1 head finely chopped cabbage
1 medium carrot, grated
1/3 c granulated sugar (optional: sugar substitute equivalent)
1/4 c buttermilk
1/2 t salt
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/8 t pepper
1/4 c milk
1½ T white vinegar
2½ T lemon juice


Combine everything but the cabbage and carrot and whisk until smooth. Add the cabbage and carrot. Chill 2 hours and serve.





I used Ideal natural sweetener, buttermilk powder and almond milk. I've also used Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar instead of white vinegar.  The substitutions are up to you!

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Organic Raw -- 32 fl oz
Saco Powdered Buttermilk, 12-ounce Can
Ideal Sweetener No Calorie 10.6 Oz 6 Packs

Homemade Shamrock Shake like McDonalds

Other blogs would probably take the time to doll this simple shake up; cutsie little glass or jar, whipped cream, sprinkles, whatnot.  

Remember though; that's not me.  That's not my blog.  I'm not a food-blog wanna be. This website was started as my personal site long before those were 'the thing'.   I give myself a pat on the back when I remember to take a picture on my cellphone before serving it to my family. 

So feel free to cutsie up this shake as much as you want.  All I needed was a minty Shamrock Shake to whip up quickly and take outside where we were enjoying a fire on the patio before dinner.

Minty Shamrock Shake
2 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3 drops green food color (about)
2 drops food/candy quality peppermint oil
3 drops food/candy quality spearmint oil
3/4 t vanilla extract

Place in a blender.  Pulse then blend on high til smooth.  You may need to add more milk if it's too thick or more ice cream if it's too thin to your liking.  You can make it cute with whipped cream, a cherry, etc. or just enjoy it as it is.