I should have known when I bought a new appliance that it might spend a significant amount of time in the kitchen cabinet. Oops.
Last October I bought a food dehydrator, a purchase I had been thinking about for many months. But besides drying a big batch of mint , the dehydrator didn’t get any use.
Until I saw dehydrated lemons and limes on Food in Jars .
I was inspired to make my own dried lemon slices to enjoy in a glass of seltzer or water in the summer, in a cup of tea in the winter, or pulverized to use in some type of baking recipe [what this would be, I’m not sure; I’ll look into it.]
This would be especially handy, I figured, since it seems that any time buy lemons to add a slice in a drink, they end up getting rotten. And I hate throwing out composting wasted, uneaten food.
I found beautiful organic lemons at the grocery store, so I bought a bunch to try them out. After scrubbing them really well, they were ready.
I sliced the lemons 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick.
Then I placed the slices flat on the food dehydrator trays. I set the dehydrator to 135°F, the fruits and veggies setting on my machine, and dried the lemon slices for 22 hours.
If you don’t own a food dehydrator, you could also try this in your oven by placing the sliced lemons on a baking tray and baking them on the lowest temperature until they’re dry. Just make sure to keep an eye on the oven.
When they were done, they turned a pretty orange-pink color, and looked thoroughly dry.
I placed the slices in a jar, which now sits in a dry, cool space in my tea and spice cabinet. To make sure the slices were ready, I checked them the next day. If there was any condensation in the jar [there wasn’t], I would have had to dry them for a few more hours to make sure they were fully dry, and to prevent them from getting moldy.
The result? Refreshing. I added a slice to my glass [mason jar] of water this afternoon, which I sipped on while typing in the 70°F warmth. The aroma of the lemon is especially lovely, and it’s an easy way to get a little extra vitamin C.
I think today I’ll buy some limes to make dried limes. Let’s just hope this gives me the motivation to keep using that food dehydrator.
Have you ever dehydrated any foods or herbs? I’d love to get your ideas.
I should have known when I bought a new appliance that it might spend a significant amount of time in the kitchen cabinet. Oops.
Last October I bought a food dehydrator, a purchase I had been thinking about for many months. But besides drying a big batch of mint , the dehydrator didn’t get any use.
Until I saw dehydrated lemons and limes on Food in Jars .
I was inspired to make my own dried lemon slices to enjoy in a glass of seltzer or water in the summer, in a cup of tea in the winter, or pulverized to use in some type of baking recipe [what this would be, I’m not sure; I’ll look into it.]
This would be especially handy, I figured, since it seems that any time buy lemons to add a slice in a drink, they end up getting rotten. And I hate
throwing outcomposting wasted, uneaten food.I found beautiful organic lemons at the grocery store, so I bought a bunch to try them out. After scrubbing them really well, they were ready.
I sliced the lemons 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick.
Then I placed the slices flat on the food dehydrator trays. I set the dehydrator to 135°F, the fruits and veggies setting on my machine, and dried the lemon slices for 22 hours.
If you don’t own a food dehydrator, you could also try this in your oven by placing the sliced lemons on a baking tray and baking them on the lowest temperature until they’re dry. Just make sure to keep an eye on the oven.
When they were done, they turned a pretty orange-pink color, and looked thoroughly dry.
I placed the slices in a jar, which now sits in a dry, cool space in my tea and spice cabinet. To make sure the slices were ready, I checked them the next day. If there was any condensation in the jar [there wasn’t], I would have had to dry them for a few more hours to make sure they were fully dry, and to prevent them from getting moldy.
The result? Refreshing. I added a slice to my glass [mason jar] of water this afternoon, which I sipped on while typing in the 70°F warmth. The aroma of the lemon is especially lovely, and it’s an easy way to get a little extra vitamin C.
I think today I’ll buy some limes to make dried limes. Let’s just hope this gives me the motivation to keep using that food dehydrator.
Have you ever dehydrated any foods or herbs? I’d love to get your ideas.