Dehydrating using solar power.

[Mystic]

I was thinking that I would like to start making my own dried fruit.

Then I thought about the amount of electricity it would take to use a dehydrator for 12 hours - I'm trying to save money - so a light bulb went off why not use "solar power", - it's free - here is the article I found:

http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/solar/solardrying.htm

I think it would work great too....

[blueeyetea]

It's an interesting idea. I wonder how well that would work in my area, since it gets very humid in the summer.

[nessa23]

wow thanks for that link. Very interesting. Might try it if I have excess fruits/veggies this year

[kerrylj]

I tried my own version of this but I gave up and use the indoor one. I had a hard time getting the insects to stay away from the items. With my electric it has a fan and heat so there are fewer bugs even if I use it outside (like when I am doing onions or there is nice sun and I can make use of it to speed it up.)

[nicole.b]

I think this is a brilliant idea. Drying fruits can help preserve them for later consumption especially when you got a lot of them like for instance the fruit is in season and you don't intend to sell them all. My personal favorite is dried mangoes. Most fruits can be sun-dried and with the extreme heat that we are experiencing, I assume even if it's just a day in the sun, it can be all-dried up in just a short while. Nicole