# Making dried fruit for mousies



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I've got about 20 lbs. of bananas, and I'm experimenting with recipes and techniques for dehydrating them that would be healthy for mousies (and for me!).

My questions include what to use on the bananas, if anything, to prevent them turning black, what, if anything to sweeten them, or any other addition that is tasty and healthful. I thought of making fruit leather, but the dehydrator I have only has one tray for making that. I had thought of using lemon juice, but then I remembered that citrus is not good for meeces.

I'm trying wine vinegar and honey right now on one bunch of bananas, but they are darkening...and I'm not sure if vinegar is good for mousies. And it smells a little weird in the kitchen right now.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

For bananas, just slice them in about 1/4 inch thick slices and put them on greased baking pans in the over at around 170-200 for a few hours until they're crispy and dry.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

But THAT would EASY! It is the tradition of my family to do things the hard way. And my daughter left me all her stuff when she moved, later telling me she didn't want any of it, so I wanted to give this thing a try.

The dehydrator is taking forever. The pieces of banana have shrunk a bit and got kinda sticky. I've been switching the trays to let them have equal time right over the vents...I'm not impressed with it a-tall. I could just squish them all and spread them on baking pans and ...but I have to eat one more first...they really are quite different and quite good.

Chopping bananas is pretty fast and easy; we'll see what I do.

Thanks.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

You can dry pumpkin, and squash in slices the same way. Grease is important or you'll never get them off of the pan. :lol:


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

That's a thought, I have one more pie pumpkin that's half way cooked sitting in the fridge. I made pumpkin pie with one, used a pint of slightly sour half and half that came from the Sisters Camelot as well, sweetened with honey, and a couple of nice organic eggs I had a coupon for as well. I let my hubby and my son pick the spices and flavorings. I prefer my squash unsweetened.

I'm curious; what did you end up doing with all those acorns?


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

I didn't get through most of them. But I have several bags of them shelled, boiled, and dried in the freezer. I put them in boiling water to rehydrate them and then let them cool before divvying them out.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I thought acorns had to be soaked before eating to remove tannin.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

I boiled mine 3 times per batch to get the tannin out.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

All that boiling makes me wonder: what are you gonna tan with all that? I'd love to bag a deer and use it all up like the natives do.

My son and I were discussing making jerky with the dehydrator and I suggested a pemmican type of thing instead. I love fooling around with different ways of making food. The problem with making jerky is in wanting beef or pork; it's dang expensive unless you raised your own stock and slaughtered it. Even going out getting a deer is kind of a pricey proposition, given the price of guns, licenses, etc. etc.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Jerky is great.I make it from venison and duck breasts every year. I bake it in the oven at 200 for a few hours o cook it through and make it extremely tender. Then crisp it up on high heat on the grill. It's perfect!


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