Here is a small passive solar dehydrator I made from odds and ends.

[wildeyed]

It works ok, too :) I made peach leather in it today.

I made this out of the styrofoam packing that came with a microwave oven, some black paint and tinfoil, so I don't expect it to last. But since I know it works, I can recreate it from more durable materials if I want

Here is the base. I used a baking pan and a silpat for the fruit leather. If I wanted to do tomatoes, I would use baking racks. The screen I taped in there is not food safe, so I wouldn't want the actual food to come in contact with it during the drying time.



Next I added a cover of black painted aluminum foil. Keeps the sun off the food (prevents bleaching) but conducts heat well.



After that, I covered the whole mess with a clear plastic bag, leaving one side open for ventilation and stuck in an instant read thermometer to track the temperature. I think it actually got too hot, so some bug screening might have been a better choice.

Here is a cool article about building a huge solar dryer that I found through one of the articles that bvar22 posted yesterday.

http://www.geopathfinder.com/9473.html

And finally, if you want to buy a top of the line electric dehydrator, I found a bunch or refurbished and scratch and dent models that you can buy on eBay through Excalibur that include warranty, etc, so take a look there.

[bvar22]

1. K&R

The more I read about Home Drying, the better I like it.

As fuel costs spiral up, storage and transportation of produce will keep increasing.

Kudos on going out and actually doing it!
:toast:
I'm still in the reading and talking about it stage.

Good photos too.

[wildeyed]

3. Thanks!

But it was just some tape and tin foil. Your article inspired me to work on the project :toast:

[asdjrocky]

2. I love it.

(And I'm taking notes.) IMO this is what we're all about here. Take things from everywhere, things that others may throw away, and then make use of them. Nice job!

[wildeyed]

4. Thanks! That is half the fun of gardening.

Re-purposing throw away items and giving them a new life! The funny thing is, we have such a low trash output that I actually have to scavenge around for a lot of my project. I used 2-liter soda bottles and plastic milk jugs for watering purposed this year and I actually had to dig through the neighbors recycle bin to get some.

[hippywife]

5. Great job!

I love re-purposing! It is so much fun! And it serves a greater good.

Looks like this works just fine for you! :bounce:

I'm starting to have buyers remorse even tho I only paid $20 for the Nesco American Harvest I bought off craigslist. It's so big and it uses additional energy so I'm thinking of re-selling it and doing it myself outdoors.

[wildeyed]

6. You can do both.

Use a solar dryer when you can and keep the Nesco for the rest of the time. Passive solar dryers only work when there is sun. If you want to dry something in the late fall or on a cloudy day, you won't be able to.

Compared to buying conventionally grown produce shipped from parts unknown, running your itty-bitty dehydrator to preserve food you grew yourself using organic methods is fine. I'll bet the dehydrator energy and resource consumption compares reasonably well to canning if you are using a pressure cooker, too.

I plan to get a kitchen dehydrator, but use the solar dryer when I can to save energy.

:hi:

[hippywife]

7. We do have a solar oven that my husband built.

So I really could use it for drying. Plus it stays outside all the time. I have absolutely zero space for this machine.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=236&topic_id=46241&mesg_id=46257

Here's a pic of the machine:

[wildeyed]

10. The solar oven in SO COOL!

You could definitely modify the oven to be a dryer. The capacity will not be large, but if you like the way it works you can always make a second.

At least try the electric dryer before you sell it. You got such a smokin' deal on it, and it could be a really important tool for preserving your garden harvest. You might sell it, then regret that you sold it next year! And you really don't need to have it out or even accessible all the time. It could live in a closet or attic most of the year and only come out at harvest time.

[MagickMuffin]

8. I'm not sure how you're use the aluminum foil, but remember if using it on top of food

to place the dull side away from the food, especially tomatoes. The emulsion will rub off onto the tomatoes. Maybe you could place two pieces of aluminum foil together so you have two shiny sides. All you would have to do is fold the edges together, no fancy taping or anything.

Just a concern I have about food and aluminum foil. Lessons learned the hard way from my own experiences.

I like your ingenuity. Now that you have a prototype you can elaborate on it.

:thumbsup:

[wildeyed]

9. The tinfoil doesn't touch the food.

The frame keeps it an inch or two above, so it is not a huge concern.