The cooler you can keep things while drying them, the more flavor the final result has. Airflow is important; but only up to a (rather small) velocity: as long as air is circulating around everything and not static you're good; beyond that you're just going to be adding heat and dust.<p>Air will soak up an astounding quantity of water, but it takes time. I cold dry flowers at room temp in a closed cabinet (no outside air ventilation, full internal re-circulation) for 4 to 7 days, usually. Depends on density and temp. If I need to rush I'll use a rock salt dehydrator bucket in the cabinet.
Raisins are just grape jerky :)<p><i>Arrange pretreated fruits on drying trays in single layers, pit cavity
up. Dry at 140 degrees F (60°C) in an oven or dehydrator.</i><p>Does anyone have an oven that can maintain such low temps?
We bought a countertop dehydrator to handle the excess tomatoes I grew one year since I didn't want to try pressure canning sauces. I think our favorite uses are for apples, strawberries and bananas. We've had some good experiences with cucumber that resulted in tangy chips that were great to dip, but I think that was dependent on my garden producing weird, oversized cucumbers.
Here’s the fact sheet they reference[0] with nutrient loss info. Interestingly, vitamin C seems to suffer the most.<p>[0] <a href="https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/csu_dry_vegetables.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/csu_dry_vegetables.pdf</a>
I've had a specific kind of dry dates in India in childhood. They taste pretty good. Unlike the "wetter" ones (which are not really wet, but with more water content), you can keep them in your mouth for a while, thereby getting the taste for a longer time. They are lighter brown in colour than the fresh ones.<p>Images:<p><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=dry+dates+india" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.google.com/search?q=dry+dates+india</a>
drying celery is one of my favorite things to dry, dry it, grind it, and use it for things like soups, or dressings, or even popcorn. it adds a good flavor to a lot of things.