FLASH DRIVE QUESTIONS ANSWERED
1. The first order of flash drives arrived yesterday. Aaron still has to set up the online store, so none have been sold yet. As soon as he gets the store set up, we will start taking orders. Obviously, online orders will have to be by credit card. If you wish to pay by check, I have added my mailing address to the CONTACT US page.
2. Michael asked an important question about how they would be formatted. Aaron said he could do pdf or MS Word and will ask you to specify which when you place your order. (ETA: Better minds have informed me that the drives will be formatted with both pdf and Word.)
Happy New Year!!
Sometimes we get the idea that freeze-dried foods are so much better than dehydrated, that we just don’t even want to dehydrate foods anymore. And I have to be honest about it when it comes to bananas; when it comes to straight eating, I vastly prefer the taste and texture of freeze-dried bananas over dehydrated. I admit that I have freeze-dried a lot of bananas over the past year or so, and not dehydrated a single banana. In fact, it’s been years since I dehydrated any bananas.
But I have been using a lot of dehydrated bananas, so much so that the next time they’re on sale I’ll probably pick up a bunch to dehydrate as well as freeze dry. And that’s because they can be used so well in baked goods and they store incredibly well, several years to be honest.
For the past year I’ve been using bananas that I dehydrated back when we lived in Missouri, so they’re over a decade old now. I’ve used them in banana cream pie (where I actually preferred them over the freeze-dried bananas), smoothies (basically no difference between the dehydrated and freeze-dried), and yogurt banana pancakes (where I also preferred them over the freeze-dried). They’re indistinguishable from fresh when used in banana chocolate chip muffins and banana bread.
Preparing bananas takes about as much work as freeze-drying, but far less energy. And they store far more compactly and without the need for Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Their versatility in use and ability to add variety to our food storage options make them a great item to store.
Here’s how to dehydrate your own:
Start with sound fruit. Yellow bananas that are just starting to show brown spots are perfect and what I dehydrate for my family. The little Country Mart grocery store where I shopped in Missouri used to sell discount bags of 8-9 lbs of bananas for 99 cents. Those were the days. Anyway, I’d buy those bags and usually only had to cut out a few bad spots, so not much waste at all.
Next, thinly slice the bananas right onto the dehydrator screens. (It is easier to remove the dehydrated bananas from flexible mesh screens than rigid trays.) While dipping the slices in lemon juice will help prevent some browning, I find the practice unnecessary. The banana slices are going to brown anyway when baked, and that’s the way I most often use the dehydrated bananas. However, if you want to dip the slices in diluted lemon juice (about a 1:1 ratio of lemon juice to water), it’s perfectly acceptable.
Pop the trays in the dehydrator and set the temperature to 125°F. After about six hours, turn the slices to hasten the drying process, if desired. Check every two hours thereafter for doneness. Always remember that it’s better to over-dry than under-dry and risk spoilage. When thoroughly dry, remove from screens, let cool, and package in airtight containers like vacuum-sealed canning jars or Mylar bags.
