How to Make a Simple Food Dehydrator

Dehydrating food for winter storage is a time honored way of preserving the harvest. Almost any fruit or vegetable can be dehydrated and stored. A simple food dehydrator can be made to use the summer sun to dry excess garden produce for later use.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 4 1x1x8 sticks of lumber or
• 1 1x10x8 Board
• Table saw
• Nails, screws or brad nails
• Hammer, drill or brad nailer
• Fine mesh screening
• Staple gun and staples
• Cheesecloth

1. Rip the 1x10 board into 1 inch strips. If using 1x1 material this step isn’t necessary.

2. Take one stick 1x1 material and cut into four 2 foot long pieces.

3. Cut four more pieces from the remaining lumber into 30 inch pieces.

4. Fasten the four 2 foot pieces together into a square, using nails, screws or a brad nailer. This is the base of your dryer.

5. Fasten the 30 inches pieces into a separate square the same way. This will be the top of your dryer.

6. Measure the screening and cut to fit over each square, leaving a half inch overhang on all sides.

7. Use the staple gun to attach the screen material to the wooden frame. Place staples close together to form a strong bond.

8. Line the smaller box with cheesecloth. Lay vegetables in a single layer and cover with another sheet of cheesecloth.

9. Put the larger frame open side down over the lower box. Set in the sun and allow the contents to dry. Check daily until the desired dryness is reached.

Tips & Warnings

• The extra 1x1 material can be used to make additional smaller boxes that can be stacked together.
• Any small cutoffs can be used as feet for the smaller box. This will allow airflow out of the bottom of the dryer.